Arizona Cardinals
That was the worst Cardinals loss since the turn of the millennium.
The Arizona Cardinals have never been all that good, even though they are the oldest franchise in the National Football League. While they have 236 losses since the start of the 2000 season, the loss they suffered at the hands of the previously winless Tennessee Titans might have been the worst. They could’ve put this game away in the fourth quarter with what would’ve been a 72-yard touchdown by Emari Demercado. Instead, they fumbled the ball away and completely collapsed, allowing 16 unanswered points to give the Titans their first win of the season. This team isn’t going anywhere this year, and everybody should be at risk of losing their job. A loss like that is unacceptable at the NFL level.
Baltimore Ravens
John Harbaugh isn’t on the hot seat, but he should be.
As one of the best-run organizations in professional sports, the Baltimore Ravens would never consider parting ways with a Super Bowl-winning head coach like John Harbaugh. Though his job is probably safe for now, it shouldn’t be. He has been outcoached in basically every game the Ravens have played this season. More importantly, he hasn’t been able to win a Super Bowl with a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback at his disposal. The Ravens will never fire John Harbaugh, but they should seriously consider making a coaching change if the season continues to unravel the way it has over the last few weeks.
Buffalo Bills
This team needs to play harder.
It feels like Buffalo has been stuck on cruise control ever since their Week One win over the Ravens because they haven’t had that many close games. From Weeks Two through Four, they comfortably won all of their matchups by at least ten points every time. That’s why it’s worrisome that this squad lost at home to the New England Patriots when they got punched in the mouth for the first time in weeks. Previously, Buffalo let other teams make mistakes and took care of the football to win games. But on Sunday, they were the ones shooting themselves in the foot and giving away a win. They must play with more urgency and more care because the team we saw this weekend is not a Super Bowl contender. If they’re going to continue to commit penalties and turn the ball over, then Buffalo will go another season without a Lombardi Trophy.
Carolina Panthers
This team is still bad, but the Dolphins are worse.
The Carolina Panthers may have beaten the Miami Dolphins in spectacular fashion, but who cares? The ‘Phins are one of the worst teams in the National Football League. They’re so bad that they choked away a 17-point lead to the Carolina Panthers, who have only nine wins in their last 39 games. If the Cats were facing a competent or well-run organization, they would’ve been crushed like they were in Week Four. Bryce Young still made crucial mistakes that put his team in an early hole. As soon as they face a good team – like the Bills in Week Eight, or maybe even the Cowboys this weekend – they’ll come crashing back down to Earth.
Cincinnati Bengals
Jake Browning is done in Cincy.
With the news that Joe Flacco has been traded to the Bengals, we can close the book on Jake Browning’s time in Cincinnati. It’s obvious that the Week Two win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was an anomaly. As a starting quarterback, Browning averaged 172 yards per game, with four touchdown passes and five interceptions. He also led an offense that put up just 12.3 points per game, which would rank dead last in the NFL. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, Jake Browning will almost certainly be playing elsewhere next year.
Cleveland Browns
Dillon Gabriel should be the starter for the remainder of the season.
In a weird, neutral-site game at 9:30 a.m. EDT, Dillon Gabriel looked good in his first NFL start. He only took two sacks, didn’t turn the ball over, threw two touchdowns, and completed 19 of 30 passes for 190 yards. You can’t ask for much more from a rookie who wasn’t projected to be a first-round draft pick. It remains to be seen if he has the skillset to elevate guys around him like the best QBs in the NFL, but he has earned the right to be Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the remainder of the season, barring any injuries.
Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott is an MVP candidate.
This guy has been fantastic outside of a Week One defeat to the reigning Super Bowl champs on the road, and you can’t even blame him for that loss. He has the third-highest QBR in the league and is tied for third in passing touchdowns with ten on the season. Plus, he’s doing this with a banged-up offensive line, an injured starting wideout, and a defense that is 29th in points allowed per game. He’s projected to throw for 4,610 yards and record 37 total touchdowns on the season. Those are MVP numbers. If a guy like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson finished this campaign with those stats, they would almost definitely be named MVP. Dak Prescott should be getting the same treatment, considering the Cowboys are quite competitive.
Denver Broncos
Sean Payton finally has a signature win with the Broncos.
Since arriving in Denver in 2023, head coach Sean Payton has been looking for a standout win over a good team. His first season was a wash with Russell Wilson leading the club to an 8-9 record. Then, they looked really good last year with a rookie quarterback, but were embarrassed in the playoffs. When the chips were down on Sunday, Payton and the Broncos didn’t give up. They fought back and showed tremendous grit. They also executed an incredibly ballsy two-point conversion to take a lead over the Eagles in the fourth quarter on the road. With this victory over the defending Super Bowl champions, the narrative that the Broncos can’t beat good teams has been dispelled.
Detroit Lions
This is the best team in the NFL.
There are no more undefeated squads left in the league, so somebody has to take the top spot in the NFL. That seat at the table is reserved for the Detroit Lions, currently. They lead the league offensively with 34.8 points per game while ranking third in turnover differential, which means they force turnovers but don’t give the ball away. Though their scoring defense isn’t great on paper, they’re ability to blow out teams early and then take the foot off the gas would explain why they give up 22.4 points per game. Aidan Hutchinson looks to be fully healed from his leg injury, and he is putting up fantastic numbers even though Detroit is missing its best defensive tackle. Every team in the league has flaws, but the Lions have the fewest, which is why they’re the best in the NFL right now.
Houston Texans
This squad can still reach the postseason.
After starting 0-3, the Texans have won two in a row to insert themselves back into the playoff conversation. We all know about their elite defense, but let’s give a shoutout to quarterback C.J. Stroud, who has been phenomenal in Houston’s last two matchups. Since the start of Week Four, he has completed 81.8% of his passes for 477 yards, six touchdowns, and zero interceptions while posting a quarterback rating of 139.2. Granted, those numbers came against bottom-feeder defenses, but that performance will only build confidence in a 24-year-old quarterback. If their defense can stay the course and Stroud can continue to play lights out, this will definitely be a playoff team.
Indianapolis Colts
Indy is a threat to go all the way.
We keep waiting for the clock to strike midnight and the Colts to turn back into a pumpkin, but that seems like a futile exercise at this point. Indy has shown that it can play with the big boys and beat the doors off the NFL’s lower-tier squads. Quarterback Daniel Jones leads the league in QBR. Running back Jonathan Taylor averages the most rushing yards per game in the NFL. Hell, even their defense ranks third in points allowed per game. Indianapolis has all the tools to make it to the Super Bowl. If the Chiefs or Eagles had a top-five defense AND offense, every NFL fan in the world would be dubbing them Super Bowl favorites. Though the Colts may not be favored, they’re an obvious threat to make it to and even win the big game.
Jacksonville Jaguars
This group has answered the call time and time again.
Had Jake Browning not played arguably his best game as a pro, the Jaguars would be 5-0 right now. They manhandled the Panthers, but lost to the Bengals, which caused everybody to question this team’s ability. Then they beat Houston, but everybody said, “Well, Houston isn’t that good.” How did they respond? By defeating the 49ers in San Francisco, so everybody said, “Yeah, but the Niners were playing without their best pass catchers.” Last night, the Jaguars beat the Chiefs for the first time in 16 years, which has caused fans to open their eyes and admit that there might be something going on in Jacksonville. I’m proud of myself for recognizing how good the Jaguars are and picking them to beat KC.
Kansas City Chiefs
KC has yet to beat a winning team.
The Chiefs have only two victories this season. One of those came against the Russell Wilson-led New York Giants, who were winless when they faced Kansas City. The second victory came against the Baltimore Ravens, who have been bottoming out over the last few weeks. The Chiefs’ wins have come against teams with a combined 2-8 record. Meanwhile, the teams they have lost to are 11-4. Obviously, they have played three of the best squads in the NFL through the first five weeks of the season, which is what you would expect Kansas City to do. However, they need to start racking up wins against teams with good records for them to be viewed as a threat to win Super Bowl LX.
Las Vegas Raiders
Geno Smith is one more bad game away from being benched.
We are beginning to reach a breaking point in Las Vegas. In fact, the Raiders probably would’ve benched Geno in one of these games if Aidan O’Connell wasn’t out for an extended period of time with a broken wrist. Smith’s six passing touchdowns are tied for the second-fewest by a quarterback who has started five games this season. He’s third in sacks taken and leads the league in interceptions thrown with nine. Geno Smith is projected to throw 31 interceptions during the 2025-26 campaign, which would be the sixth-most ever in a single season. Vegas will give the nod to backup Kenny Pickett if Geno Smith commits multiple turnovers against the lowly Titans on Sunday. They have to figure this out ASAP because they have the oldest head coach in NFL history. The Raiders do not have time to waste on a quarterback who is going to cost them games because they need to win RIGHT NOW!
Los Angeles Chargers
We crowned this team too early.
After the first three weeks of the season, everybody (myself included) was ready to anoint the Chargers as the best team in the National Football League. Since then, they have lost back-to-back matchups to the Giants and Commanders, while averaging 14 points per game, which would be good for last in the NFL. Something has to change. They have four turnovers in their last two contests and have been penalized 24 times for 192 yards. That is not the level of discipline we have come to expect from a team coached by Jim Harbaugh. Maybe starting tackle Joe Alt returning to the lineup will be the spark this group needs to turn things around. Either way, they should be able to right the ship with a cupcake game this weekend against the Dolphins.
Los Angeles Rams
LA might have an NFC problem.
The Rams are good against opponents that are unfamiliar with Sean McVay’s offensive coaching style. But against NFC teams, they’ve fallen well short of expectations this season. First, they blew a 19-point lead against the Eagles. Then, last week, they lost in overtime to a 49ers squad that was missing numerous key players on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. On top of that, the play call Sean McVay came up with on the 4th and 1 that ended the game was something you would expect from a first-time Madden player. They should be able to take care of the hobbled Ravens, who can’t stop a nosebleed, let alone an NFL offense. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if they lose to the Jags or the 49ers again.
Miami Dolphins
This squad will be very lucky to win five games.
This group had a chance to build some momentum and win a second straight game. All they had to do was beat the Carolina Panthers, who have the worst winning percentage in the NFL since the Bryce Young era began in 2023. But the ‘Phins couldn’t even do that. Now, head coach Mike McDaniel appears to be rambling as if he were the President of the United States when talking about injuries and putting together a winning strategy. That doesn’t instill confidence that things will turn around in South Beach. Outside of another game against the Jets, it’s unclear who the ‘Phins will be beating during the 2025-26 regular season.
Minnesota Vikings
Carson Wentz has what Minnesota has needed him to be.
The Vikes have not looked terrible with Carson Wentz filling in as the starting quarterback. They’re 2-1 over the last three weeks and still in the hunt for a playoff spot with a 3-2 record. At this time, it’s unclear who will be Minnesota’s starting QB this weekend. J.J. McCarthy is back at practice, and Carson Wentz is dealing with a shoulder injury. Now seems as good a time as any to insert McCarthy back in the lineup since the Vikings’ next three opponents are the Eagles, Chargers, and Lions. If the London game was the last we’ve seen of Carson Wentz, then he did a decent job keeping Minnesota afloat while McCarthy was injured.
New England Patriots
The Pats look to be done with their rebuild.
As much as it pains me to say it, the New England Patriots are back. No, they’re not the dominant, Super Bowl-winning franchise they were with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick leading the charge, but they are good enough to make the playoffs and compete for a Lombardi Trophy. It’s crazy to think about, considering they basically only had two down years before becoming competitive again. Most teams need three to five years to pull off a successful rebuild, but the Pats managed to do it in just two. They stunk last year and the year before that, but they are now 3-2 and a threat to not just make the playoffs, but overtake the Bills as kings of the AFC East.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints play with a lot of heart.
A team doesn’t end five straight drives with a takeaway by accident. There have to be some plays that the defense makes to force those turnovers. Defenders need to dive on loose fumbles and catch interceptions when they’re thrown to them, and that’s what the Saints did this weekend. They bullied the Giants after going down 14-3, scoring 23 unanswered points for the first win of the Kellen Moore era. Even though that victory came against the Giants, the win showed me that Moore is actually building something in the Big Easy. Losers give up when the chips are down, but the Saints didn’t, which says a lot about the character of this group and their coaches.
New York Giants
Brian Daboll will be out of a job when the season ends.
Instead of gaining momentum and building on the best win the Giants have had since the start of the 2024-25 season, Big Blue did what it has done the last three years and made countless boneheaded mistakes on their way to yet another loss. They’re 10-29 over the last 39 games and show no signs of improving, which is an indictment of New York’s coaching staff. That 2023 playoff win was so long ago, and the Giants have been so bad since then that it feels like organizational malpractice to continue to employ this coaching staff when the season ends. Brian Daboll will not be the head coach of the New York Giants on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026.
New York Jets
This is the worst team in the league.
Sure, this is the only winless team in the National Football League, but they’re even worse than their record indicates. The Jets are the first team in NFL history to start a season 0-5 and not have a single takeaway, a clear sign that the defense stinks. They only average 10.2 points per game from quarters one through three, while the defense allows 23.4 points on average through the first three quarters of their games. That means the offense only comes alive when the Jets are trailing by almost two touchdowns. Who gives a crap if Justin Fields puts up “good numbers?” His statistics are inflated by garbage time throws when the game is well out of reach. They won’t go 0-17, but there’s no way this team wins more than four games. They are the most undisciplined group of players in the NFL right now.
Philadelphia Eagles
This squad feels more like the 2023 team vs. the 2024 group.
Remember the 2023-24 Eagles who started the season 10-1 before losing six of their last seven games? That’s what this year’s team reminds me of. They aren’t great at anything. With Saquon Barkley and possibly the best offensive line in the NFL, they’re 25th in rushing yards per game. Last season, they were second. The Eagles aren’t great at forcing turnovers after finishing sixth in takeaways last year. Maybe we are all considering Super Bowl LIX when evaluating this team. If we look at just the 2025-26 season so far, they’re good, but they don’t feel anywhere close to what they were last year. This looks like the team Philly had two seasons ago.
San Francisco 49ers
Mac Jones is set for life.
Many quarterbacks have made millions upon millions of dollars on the back of a single outstanding performance. Tim Tebow had the playoff game against the Broncos. Matt Flynn had the 480-yard, six-touchdown game against the Lions. Now, Mac Jones has the Thursday night game against the Rams, where he gutted it out and led a very injured offense to a win over a Super Bowl-contending divisional opponent. For the rest of his NFL career, that game will be the first thing people think of when they talk about signing or trading for Mac Jones. Everybody who brings him in will think, “Maybe we can get that version of Mac Jones when we need him.” That will lead to numerous one-year contracts and millions of dollars as a backup who doesn’t have to play every game to have a successful NFL career.
Seattle Seahawks
It’s not the end of the world, but you really would’ve loved to have that one back.
Sam Darnold has a near-perfect game, and your well-coached defense decides to let up 38+ points for the first time in over a year? That feels like a huge missed opportunity. Instead of being 4-1 and the second-place team in the NFC West, the Seahawks are 3-2 and have the Los Angeles Rams breathing down their necks. Rather than having a cushion going into a tough matchup with the Jaguars, Seattle could be 3-3 next weekend, while the Rams will probably be 4-2. There’s still a good chance that the Seahawks make the playoffs, but their path to the postseason is much harder with that loss to the Bucs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield should be the favorite to win the MVP award.
In a year where there is no clear favorite to be named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has leapfrogged everybody and inserted his name into the conversation. He has four game-winning drives under his belt and the stats to support an MVP campaign. Baker Mayfield is sixth in passing yards per game, is tied for the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the NFL (10:1), is eighth in QBR, and ninth in passer rating. More importantly, his team is 4-1 and is playing winning football. As long as Tampa continues to win games, Baker Mayfield’s MVP candidacy will only get stronger.
Tennessee Titans
The plan hasn’t changed: fire Brian Callahan.
Hooray, the Titans won a game! If we’re being honest, though, they lucked into that victory. If Emari Demercado waited a fraction of a second longer before celebrating a walk-in touchdown, the Titans would be 0-5 right now. If a Cardinals defender doesn’t fumble an interception and the ball doesn’t get kicked around, who knows if Tennessee would be 1-4? It feels like the Titans won that game despite all of the poor coaching decisions Brian Callahan made. Regardless of the win, Tennessee knows it needs to let go of Callahan when the season is done. That decision will be justified since the Titans looked poised to win four games or fewer this year.
Washington Commanders
We can all stop worrying about Jayden Daniels’ sophomore slump.
After the Commanders’ loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week Two, members of the media and NFL fans began to whisper that Jayden Daniels would be taking a step back this year after arguably the greatest rookie season a quarterback has ever had. Despite missing two games with a knee injury and being down ten points against a good Chargers squad, Daniels still managed to lead the offense to 27 unanswered points on the way to an impressive road win. He had 270 total yards and threw a touchdown in the fourth quarter to basically put this game away. As long as Jayden Daniels remains healthy, he will be one of the best and most dynamic quarterbacks in the National Football League.
Teams on a bye: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers
