NFL Week 5: Lessons learned

Be careful who you trash talk in this league.

It was not a pleasant weekend for the Texas pro football teams (or for Texas’ college teams). On Sunday afternoon, the Texans’ mini winning streak ended with a last-second loss to the Falcons. Later that night, the Cowboys got their butts kicked on national TV by the indestructible-looking 49ers. 

While Micah Parsons raised eyebrows when he told reporters he still thought the Cowboys and Niners were on the same level, if you look closer at what he said, there’s a good lesson in there. When you get knocked down like that, you have to get back up. You can’t wallow in it.

Dallas clearly has issues it needs to work on before it can compete with the likes of San Francisco, and Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott acknowledged as much. No one is in denial. But this is Week 5, not Week 15 or even the playoffs. The season isn’t lost, and there’s time to improve. 

After Houston’s two-point loss, C.J. Stroud also chose to look on the positive side, saying that there’s no such thing as taking an L if you learn from it. Perhaps that’s easier for Stroud to believe than the Cowboys right now. Stroud led a late touchdown drive that could’ve given the Texans a win and set an NFL record in the process. 

Still, the sentiment is true in sports and in pretty much everything else in life: learn and move forward. On that note, here are several other lessons that Week 5 provided across the NFL.

Get the ball to Ja’Marr Chase

Through the first four weeks, Ja’Marr Chase was not having the start to the season that anyone envisioned. It’s not that his numbers were bad — 29 catches for 284 yards — but he hadn’t been much of a difference maker, with zero touchdowns and a career-low 7.8 yards per reception. Unsurprisingly, his biggest game (12 catches for 141 yards against the Rams) was the Bengals’ only win. 

The main reason for Chase’s relative lack of production was Joe Burrow’s lingering calf injury, which had limited how much the quarterback could move and how far he could throw. After all, as Chase pointed out last week following Cincinnati’s worst loss of the season, he’s always effin’ open.

Luckily for the Bengals, Burrow was at his healthiest this week. They sorely needed a win against the Cardinals, a less talented team but one that doesn’t go down quietly. A healthier Burrow meant a more mobile Burrow and in turn, Cincinnati’s offense hummed like it hadn’t in a while. Burrow completed a season-high 36 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. Chase was the recipient of 15 of those catches, 192 of those yards, and all three touchdowns. He set a franchise record for receptions in a game and joined elite company in the NFL ranks.

I don’t know if the Bengals are “fixed” — their next three games are against the Seahawks, 49ers, and Bills — but they took a step in the right direction and re-established one of the NFL’s best QB-WR connections¹.  

Don’t trash talk another coach publicly 

This summer, Sean Payton found himself in hot water when he referred to Nathaniel Hackett’s brief tenure with the Broncos as "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL." It’s not that Payton was wrong — Hackett stunk it up in Denver, and Payton was trying to defend his quarterback, Russell Wilson. But it was unnecessarily mean and broke an unofficial rule about publicly ridiculing another coach. 

The Jets players were insulted on behalf of their offensive coordinator and immediately got out their calendars and circled (not literally because their calendars are all on their phone) Week 5, when they were scheduled to face Payton and the Broncos. 

And sure enough, the Jets had not forgotten about avenging Hackett. That was obvious by their words before the game and after, though a little less so during the game itself. Hackett’s offense went just 3-of-12 on third down and 0-for-5 in the red zone. 

Fortunately, they still had Breece Hall, who had his own beef with Denver. Specifically, the Mile High Stadium turf, which ended the running back’s promising rookie year last October. Now fully recovered from his ACL tear, Hall got his pound of flesh, to the tune of 22 carries, 177 yards, and one rushing touchdown — the Jets’ only offensive TD of the afternoon. 

After Zach Wilson threw a pick late in the fourth quarter, the team’s other Br. Hall — Bryce Hall — quashed any hopes the Broncos had of a comeback. He recovered a Wilson fumble and ran it back for another score. 

As clutch as the Halls proved to be, Hackett was the guy who was at the center of the Jets’ celebration. The Broncos fell to 1-4 under Payton, and just for reference, they were 2-3 at this same point a year ago under Hackett.

Don’t trash talk your own fans, either

I’m not going to bash Evan Neal. Enough people do that already, which is what prompted him to lash out at fans last week. 

Frustrated by all the boos that rained down on the Giants on Monday night, the offensive lineman criticized fans for being “fair-weather” and then dismissed them for being, essentially, fast food workers. A bad look all the way around, for sure. As Saquon Barkley wisely said, “never pick a battle with the fans.” 

But Neal did apologize soon after. For that reason, I will not hold his words against him. He’s 23 and he’s struggling on the field right now, as is his entire team. 

The Giants fanbase is less forgiving than I am, though. When Neal appeared to have let a Dolphins pass rusher run straight at Daniel Jones without any attempt at a block, the reaction was swift and scathing. And I understand why, especially because this offensive line has now surrendered an NFL-high 30 sacks on the season and Jones could now be seriously injured after one of those sacks on Sunday.

However, if you look more closely at that particular play — and let a couple of former NFL offensive linemen weigh in on it — you’ll discover that Neal did not blow his assignment. (In this case, Jones was at fault.)

Unfortunately, Neal lost the benefit of the doubt with a lot of fans once he attacked them. 

Don’t go behind Bill Belichick’s back

In the last two weeks, the Patriots have been historically awful, not just in the Bill Belichick era but in franchise history. One week after getting dominated 38-3 in Dallas, they were shut out 34-0 at home by a Saints team that hadn’t scored more than 20 points in a game all season. 

There’s plenty of blame to go around for their current free fall, but I want to focus on two figures in particular: Belichick and Mac Jones. 

Let’s start with Jones. The third-year quarterback was serviceable through the first three weeks of the season but has put together back-to-back career-worst outings. Jones turned the ball over three times against the Cowboys, two of which were returned for defensive touchdowns. Then he turned the ball over three more times against the Saints, one of which was a pick-six. Both weeks, Jones was eventually benched for Bailey Zappe, though Belichick has not entertained (publicly anyway) a permanent QB switch. 

Of course, Jones hasn’t gotten much help from his supporting cast either. His offensive line hasn’t been stable, and his receiving corps is one of the worst in the NFL. Which leads us to Belichick, the GM/head coach who knew as much before the season and still didn’t add any top-tier offensive talent. 

That’s a fair complaint for me or you to make about Belichick. But when “someone close to Mac Jones” leaks it to the press, it will probably not end well for Jones. Last season, he reportedly angered his head coach by seeking advice outside of the team. Maybe Tom Brady could have gotten away with that, but that’s because he delivered on the field. Jones isn’t doing that right now, and Belichick’s patience with him might soon be over.  

Hold on to the ball against the Steelers 

I think we all knew the AFC North would be a season-long slugfest, but I’m not sure how many of us predicted that the Steelers would be sitting in first place through the first five weeks of the season. 

The Steelers are not very good, and they are often painful to watch, especially on offense. They can still claw their way to victory against their rivals, however. Pittsburgh is the only team in the entire AFC with a 2-0 record in its division, and both wins came in similar fashion: an opportunistic defense that forces its opponent into back-breaking mistakes, and Kenny Pickett finding George Pickens deep for the Steelers’ only offensive TD. 

A few weeks ago, that’s how the Steelers came back to beat the Browns in Pittsburgh. This week, the same thing happened against the Ravens. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, Baltimore was up 10-3. That’s when, backed up in his own end zone, Jordan Stout’s punt was blocked for a safety. The Steelers added a field goal on the next drive, and after Lamar Jackson threw an interception in the end zone, Pickett answered with a 41-yard touchdown to Pickens. Jackson fumbled on the Ravens’ ensuing drive and then was sacked on fourth down at the end of the game. 

Jackson’s fourth-quarter turnovers were killer, but they wouldn’t have mattered if the Ravens had a sizable lead like they should have at that point. Even though Jackson was throwing the ball really well, his teammates dropped 10 passes on Sunday, including at least three that would have been easy touchdowns. Justice Hill also fumbled in the second quarter, leading to the Steelers’ lone field goal of the first half.

I don’t think Jackson was trying to point fingers when he said afterward, "We don't expect our guys to drop passes,” but those drops were a huge culprit behind the Ravens’ loss — and the reason they’re not in sole ownership of first place in the division.

If possible, draft yourself in fantasy football

On Sunday morning, Travis Etienne made Jaguars fans happy, presumably none more so than the person dressed as a cat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With the Jags clinging to a five-point lead over the Bills late in the fourth quarter, Etienne turned on the jets for a 35-yard touchdown to effectively clinch the game.

That was the second of two touchdowns for Etienne, who totaled a personal-best 184 yards from scrimmage on the day. Besides Jags diehards, Etienne fantasy owners were thrilled with his production. Unfortunately, Etienne isn’t on his own team — in fact, he played against himself in fantasy football. 

I’m guessing he did not win this week in fantasy football, but the important thing is that he won in real football. And maybe next year, he can draft himself in his fantasy league.

1. I don’t know if I’d go as far as calling them “NFL soulmates,” but the Bengals’ official website did!