Week 5 is over and the Jets put an exclamation point on it Tuesday morning, reportedly firing head coach Robert Saleh in a shocker of a move. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will reportedly take over as interim head coach, with the Jets set to take on the Bills on Monday Night Football next week.
After this week’s Monday night game, the Kansas City Chiefs join the Minnesota Vikings as the last two undefeated teams in the 2024 season. The Chiefs beat the New Orleans Saints 26-13, bringing them one game closer to the Super Bowl three-peat they’re seeking.
In addition to losing to the Chiefs, the Saints also down a QB, as Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple weeks with an oblique injury. Fifth-round rookie Spencer Rattler is slated to take over under center this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Elsewhere in the NFL, the Cleveland Browns’ struggles have been pinned on the poor play of the $230 million-man Deshaun Watson, while the Cincinnati Bengals could be closing in on panic mode after their stunning loss to the Baltimore Ravens in overtime.
Here are the latest top stories Yahoo Sports is following as Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season comes to a close:
Russell Wilson-Justin Fields chatter ramps up in Pittsburgh
This one was easy to see coming with the Steelers struggling on offense for most of the season, but that trouble was highlighted in the Sunday Night Football loss to the Cowboys. Pittsburgh won the turnover battle 3-1 and blocked a Dallas field goal, but was outgained 445-226 and went just 3-for-12 on third down. Despite allowing over 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the game, the Pittsburgh defense made enough big plays to keep the Steelers in the game, but Fields and company could hardly get out of first gear. Add that to Russell Wilson telling NBC Sports that he’d be fully ready to play in Week 6 at the Raiders, and all eyes will be on head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith this week.
Does Cleveland need to bench Deshaun Watson?
It may seem like ages ago, because Joe Flacco is in Indianapolis and the Browns are 1-4, but Cleveland was a playoff team last season. That was due, in large part, to Flacco helping lead a late-season rally with Deshaun Watson out of the lineup with a shoulder injury after Week 10. Watson is 28th among qualified passers in QB rating, has completed just under 61% of his passes and Cleveland is 27th in passing yardage. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has said he’s sticking with Watson, but Jameis Winston’s shadow will be looming large if Watson and the Cleveland offense continue to struggle.
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