Who says, \u201cI\u2019ll f\u2014 your world up?\u201d<\/p>\n
I know who \u2026 stressed-out people do. (My sister-in-law Karen has four babies under 7, so I get it.)<\/p>\n
Chicago\u2019s Ben Johnson did his best Gregg Popovich impersonation, staring lasers<\/a> through a sideline reporter during a halftime interview, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, Giants head coach Brian Daboll almost made out<\/a> with Jaxson Dart, like a scene in \u201cThe Notebook,\u201d not long after screaming, \u201cThat\u2019s our guy!\u201d<\/p>\n This was only in the past week.<\/p>\n The NFL is a mood, and the mood right now is panic.<\/p>\n So, when you see the yelling, the tweeting, the kissing, the playoff-meltdown energy, just remember: It\u2019s only Week 5.<\/p>\n This week, I\u2019ll tell you what I\u2019m hearing on:<\/strong><\/p>\n Mac Jones faced more than the Rams<\/p>\n By the end of Thursday night, San Francisco\u2019s backup quarterback Mac Jones had dragged the 49ers past the Rams<\/a> and into first place in the NFC West. He did it while cramping in both his legs and arms, throwing up, downing three bananas and nursing a sore knee.<\/p>\n And that wasn\u2019t even the wildest part of his day.<\/p>\n That morning at the team hotel in Marina del Rey, Jones told teammates he was on his balcony when he looked out at the water and saw a floating dead body. Someone called the police. As the 49ers loaded buses for the stadium, players watched investigators and even a coroner\u2019s van pull into the marina. On Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles County Sheriff\u2019s Department said the incident was still under investigation.<\/p>\n That\u2019s how the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers started his day.<\/p>\n And yet, hours later, Jones was extraordinarily steady. Against a talented Rams defense, he threw for 342 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, exactly why the 49ers traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft with the intention of selecting him before eventually pivoting to Trey Lance.<\/p>\n \n Quarterback Mac Jones led the 49ers past the Rams on Thursday night. (Ronald Martinez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n In a league fueled by drama and panic, Jones showed nothing but poise. He\u2019s 3-0 as a starter under Kyle Shanahan, with six touchdowns, one pick and a 66.7 percent completion rate. He doesn\u2019t just look like a competent fill-in \u2014 he looks like a quarterback worthy of a second chance somewhere else.<\/p>\n For now, though, he\u2019s Brock Purdy\u2019s stand-in. And clearly, he can handle just about anything.<\/p>\n Boring gets you \u2026 undefeated<\/p>\n Two teams remain unbeaten, the Buffalo Bills and the Philadelphia Eagles. And here\u2019s what\u2019s kind of funny: Players and coaches around the league keep describing them the same way, as \u201cefficient\u201d and \u201cboring.\u201d<\/p>\n Super Bowl-winning QB Drew Brees recently described the Eagles that way, too. Boring football is really just shorthand for staying disciplined and playing mistake-free. These two teams run the ball effectively, lean on two of the best offensive lines in the NFL, feature tight ends and let their quarterbacks stay in the pocket.<\/p>\n It might not be sexy, but it\u2019s steady. And steady is why Buffalo and Philly are still perfect.<\/p>\n But come on \u2026 nothing is ever perrrrrfect.<\/p>\n Angry birds<\/p>\n A.J. Brown is frustrated \u2026 again.<\/p>\n He\u2019s made that clear, while the other high-paid receiver in Philadelphia, DeVonta Smith, has stayed quiet despite his own frustrations, multiple sources tell me. The wideouts in Philadelphia clearly want more touchdowns. They each have one.<\/p>\n Through four games, Brown, a three-time All-Pro, has just 14 catches for 151 yards. That\u2019s not the production he or anyone expects from one of the most talented receivers in football. And so, like we\u2019ve seen before, the frustration spilled out<\/a>.<\/p>\n This time it came in the form of scripture, posted to his X account: \u201cIf you\u2019re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don\u2019t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.\u201d<\/p>\n Cue the freak out.<\/p>\n Brown later clarified, insisting he\u2019s good with the Eagles<\/a>, that the post wasn\u2019t aimed at anyone and that this was simply his way of venting. Maybe so. But in Philadelphia, everything is something.<\/p>\n The timing is what makes it sting. The Eagles are winning and currently perfect in the red zone this year, No. 1 in football at 100 percent.<\/p>\n Still, as one league source put it: \u201cRight now, for the Eagles, it\u2019s run, run, run, (Jalen) Hurts off-schedule pass, tush push. For their receivers, that means when they get to the red zone, they aren\u2019t getting the ball \u2014 and they know it. Hence the frustrations.\u201d<\/p>\n That may be true, but perspective matters. This is a franchise with a dominant front office led by executive vice president\/general manager Howie Roseman, an adaptable coach in Nick Sirianni (whose overall record is now 58-23), a team that has won 20 of its past 21 games, and oh, right, a Super Bowl title.<\/p>\n \u201cBrown doesn\u2019t realize how bad it could be,\u201d another league source told me. \u201cYou think if Howie Roseman is going to eventually trade him, he\u2019s going to send him to a team with some elite quarterback? Think about how much worse it could be. Respectfully, (Brown) could still be on the 0-4 Titans. Life is good in Philly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook at last season,\u201d a third league source added. \u201cPhilly was 2-2 and then settled in. There has to be some patience for the offense to come together. Everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n Brown and Hurts have a long history. High school and college friends turned NFL teammates, Hurts is the godfather to Brown\u2019s daughter, Jersee. A former teammate once described them as \u201can old married couple,\u201d but I\u2019m told they\u2019re not that close these days. Like any friendship, life happens. Family responsibilities, the grind of being pros, shifting priorities. They\u2019re friendly, but as one Eagles player described it: \u201cIt\u2019s functional, professional.\u201d<\/p>\n And here\u2019s the reality: A No. 1 receiver wanting the ball more isn\u2019t breaking news. Just ask the other current undefeated team what it was like dealing with a frustrated wideout. The Bills tried sitting down Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs to talk it out. It worked until it didn\u2019t, and eventually, Diggs was shipped to Houston.<\/p>\n Sirianni and Roseman have already had their own private conversations with Brown to hear him out and they are managing the situation. The Eagles have not shopped him, telling teams in the offseason there was \u201cno chance.\u201d But rival executives are watching.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are paying roughly $50 million to two wide receivers (Brown and Smith), and they aren\u2019t even that involved,\u201d one NFL GM told me. \u201cThey may move on simply because Philly is a run-heavy team.\u201d<\/p>\n A rival head coach put it another way after studying the Eagles: \u201cDon\u2019t let A.J. Brown tell you he isn\u2019t getting enough targets. It\u2019s not about the quantity. It\u2019s about the type of targets and the situations he\u2019s in. That\u2019s why he\u2019s frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s really the point. Brown is seeing the ball. He\u2019s just not seeing it the way he wants. I\u2019m told Hurts wants to feed him and wants to throw to him, it\u2019s just about having patience in early October.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see if new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo adjusts, getting Brown and Smith involved earlier and scripting touches to calm the storm.<\/p>\n I can tell you this: The Broncos\u2019 defense is expecting to see a very motivated pair of Eagles wideouts early on Sunday.<\/p>\n Tyreek Hill wasn\u2019t coming back \u2014 and the Chiefs knew it<\/p>\n Tyreek Hill\u2019s gruesome leg injury<\/a> ended the Dolphins star\u2019s season, and with it, any trade speculation. While fantasy managers and fans dreamed up reunion scenarios, I\u2019m told Hill was never considered a real option in Kansas City, even as the Chiefs stumbled out of the gate.<\/p>\n Inside Arrowhead, there\u2019s been no panic. The front office and coaching staff have stayed patient, waiting to see how quarterback Patrick Mahomes\u2019 offense would look once his top receivers found their rhythm. On Sunday, Xavier Worthy led the team in rushing and receiving yards, showing exactly why Kansas City has been so high on him.<\/p>\n And more help is on the way. Rashee Rice, who is eligible to return in Week 7 after serving a suspension<\/a> for his role in a March 2024 car crash, remains the Chiefs\u2019 most reliable route runner and biggest receiving threat. Those in the building are adamant he\u2019ll make an immediate difference.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s better than any trade we could make,\u201d one team source told me. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize how good he is.\u201d<\/p>\n So maybe it\u2019s time we all agree to stop overreacting to the Chiefs\u2019 slow Septembers, because they clearly aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n Vikings staying patient with J.J. McCarthy<\/p>\n Quarterback Carson Wentz will start again for the Vikings on Sunday in London against the Cleveland Browns, with J.J. McCarthy still sidelined by a high ankle sprain. The medical staff projected a four-to-six week recovery, and coach Kevin O\u2019Connell has been clear that McCarthy won\u2019t play until he\u2019s had a full week of practice. To this point, he hasn\u2019t returned in any capacity, not even on a limited basis.<\/p>\n That reality has led to some raised eyebrows around the league. A few have wondered whether Minnesota might be hiding behind McCarthy\u2019s injury to buy more time after the first-year starter struggled in Week 2 against the Falcons. But O\u2019Connell\u2019s track record suggests otherwise. Since arriving in Minnesota, he\u2019s been transparent, steady and consistent when it comes to injury updates, never the type to play games for a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n Which is why questions about McCarthy\u2019s status cut against the equity O\u2019Connell has built. He\u2019s taken the Vikings to the playoffs, developed quarterbacks and showed leadership that\u2019s earned him credibility.<\/p>\n For now, his focus is on capping a two-week European trip with a win over the Browns. And O\u2019Connell has earned the benefit of the doubt that when McCarthy is ready, when he\u2019s had a full week of practice and when he\u2019s healthy, he\u2019ll be the starter. I\u2019ve been told by multiple sources that McCarthy isn\u2019t healthy, and while the target return has been Week 7 against the Eagles, it could still be longer.<\/p>\n I\u2019m told, \u201cnothing to see here.\u201d<\/p>\n Grass vs. turf: The MetLife debate<\/p>\n The New York Giants and Jets have no plans to rip out the turf at MetLife Stadium and replace it with grass. The decision, ultimately, lies with the teams\u2019 ownership and the third-party group that manages the stadium. And for now, their stance is clear: The turf stays.<\/p>\n\n
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