It only took five weeks for the first NFL coach firing of the season, as the New York Jets kicked Robert Saleh to the curb after a 23-17 loss in London to the still undefeated Minnesota Vikings. It was not the kind of loss that typically precedes a midseason firing, but it was clearly the last straw in a string of disappointments in New York since Saleh took over, some his fault but many beyond his control. That he lost in London, where owner Woody Johnson was once the ambassador to the UK, probably didn’t help his cause, and now the Jets (2-3) are hoping to find their form as the contenders as they expected to be prior to the season starting.
As we shift our focus to Week 6 in the NFL, the Jets are certainly one of the teams we have our eyes on to see what, if anything, changes without Saleh. There are still 12 games to go this season, but even so, time feels like it’s getting short for some teams to get going, including the Jets.
Primetime Game of the Week: Bills at Jets (Monday 10/14, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Niners vs. Seahawks on Thursday Night Football is the better game, but come on, it has to be Bills-Jets. On one side, you have Buffalo, which has had a flat-out awful couple of weeks between a beatdown at the hands of the Ravens and a Josh Allen disasterclass in a winnable game against the Texans. They have a bunch of important players banged up, and they really should kick the tires on a high-profile wide receiver in a trade (Davante Adams? Amari Cooper?), but Buffalo has gone from “they can win the Super Bowl” to “eew, not great” in two games. Which is fine, plenty of time left, but still, not great.
But come on, the game with the Jets on it is the Primetime Game of the Week this week. Aaron Rodgers has denied his involvement in the team firing Robert Saleh, with a rumor that Saleh was either going to fire or strip play-calling duties from Nathaniel Hackett, the team’s offensive coordinator who is Rodgers’ longtime buddy. New York’s offense has been a mess this year, while their defense has been unsurprisingly great. New interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich (formerly the team’s defensive coordinator) went ahead and changed play-callers anyway on Thursday, taking the playsheet out of Hackett’s hands and giving it to Todd Downing. There is a ton of pressure on Rodgers and co. to perform now that Saleh is gone, and if they look dramatically better on offense without their head coach and Hackett no longer calling plays, it will make for fantastic sports talk fodder. The fact that their first test is against the division rival they’re trying very hard to unseat only makes it more intriguing and, well, you really can’t write this stuff.
Sunday Funday Game of the Week: Commanders at Ravens (Sunday 10/6, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Being ultra-reductive can be pretty annoying, but it works here: One team has Jayden Daniels, the other team has Lamar Jackson, and both of them are capable of lighting opposing teams on fire at their best. The Commanders offense has been unbelievable of late with Daniels seemingly running away with Rookie of the Year, while the Ravens seem to be hitting their stride on that side of the ball as well. Neither defense has been great this year, so fireworks figure to be in play.
Under the Radar Banger: Cardinals at Packers (Sunday 10/6, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
Both of these teams have been pretty erratic this season, and that could make for a very fun game where I don’t think either fan base will feel particularly safe with any lead until the clock hits triple zeroes. The Cardinals won a wild one against the Niners last week to avoid a 1-4 start to the season, while the Packers had to fend off a late Rams charge to stay at 3-2 and in the mix in the highly competitive NFC North. Green Bay is favored in this spot for a reason, but the Cardinals have a gear they can reach that can compete with any team in the league, it’s just a matter of whether they can find that and sustain it.
Who Won The MVP Last Week: Kirk Cousins
The Atlanta Falcons have good vibes. No, seriously, I can’t believe it either, and I really can’t believe that the reason they have good vibes is the addition of Cousins, who is starting to look more and more like himself as he makes his way back from an achilles tear last year. He was out of his mind on Thursday Night Football against the Bucs last week, going for 509 yards and four touchdowns while leading a thrilling drive as regulation expired for a game-tying field goal.
Best Bet (2-3): Cowboys (+3) vs. Lions (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX)
Against all odds, the Raiders and the Broncos gave us a loss in this space by combining to score 52 points. This week, we’re heading to Dallas to take the ‘Boys against Detroit. I fully understand why this line is where it is, but I also think the Cowboys have stabilized things a bit since halftime of that Ravens game. I think this game should be closer to a pick ’em, and so getting a full three points at home has me buying low on a Dallas team that I think is starting to figure a few things out.
