| | | | Monday, October 9, 2023 | | Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! | | I'm not sure exactly what needs to be done to take away the title of "America's Team" from the Cowboys, but I feel like we need to do something after the 42-10 beatdown they suffered against the 49ers on Sunday night. I think we just give the title to the 49ers until they lose, which might not ever happen based on how they're playing. | | The only team that looked worse than the Cowboys on Sunday was the Patriots, who got shutout 34-0. IS IT TIME FOR BILL BELICHICK TO RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET? We'll be talking about that and more in today's newsletter. | | As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. It's the perfect gift to get for your favorite football-loving friend at the start of the season. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. | | 1. Today's Show: Biggest questions after Week 5 | | | | If I sound tired right now, it's because I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson. | | The three of us touched on our 10 biggest takeaways from Week 5 and here are a few of the biggest questions that we tried to answer: | | Will Bill Belichick be the coach of the Patriots after this year? With the Patriots fully imploding over the past two weeks, we debated whether Belichick would be returning to New England in 2024. For some reason, I don't think he will. I think Robert Kraft is fed up with the losing and although I don't think he'll fire Belichick, I could see them sitting down and deciding that a breakup would be mutually beneficial for both sides. Who will win the AFC North? The AFC North is one of two divisions where every team is within one game of first place. Although the Ravens seemed to have the edge going into Week 5, that's no longer the case following their shocking 17-10 loss to the Steelers. If I had to bet money now, I would probably put it on the Bengals. Joe Burrow is looking healthier and once he's 100%, the Bengals are going to be a tough team to beat. Are the Lions one of the three best teams in the NFC? Thanks to their 42-24 win over the Panthers, the Lions have now won three straight games by 14 points or more, marking the first time since 1997 that they've pulled that off. The three of us unanimously agreed that the 49ers and Eagles are the top two teams in the NFC, but we didn't agree on where to put the Lions. Wilson and Brinson have them as the third-best team in the NFC while I have them at fourth behind the Cowboys, which is a ranking that I'm already regretting. | | To check out the rest of our takeaways from Week 5, be sure to click here so you can listen to the entire episode of the podcast. You can also watch the episode on YouTube here. | | | | 2. Week 5 grades: Patriots get an 'F' for ugly loss to Saints | | Every week I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, the Patriots got an 'F' after a game where they looked like the worst team in the NFL. | | Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday: | | Saints 34-0 over Patriots (Click here for full game stats) | | Saints takeaway: The Saints defense opened this game by punching the Patriots in the mouth and then it proceeded to bully New England for four straight quarters. Not only did the defense force three turnovers, including a pick-six by Tyrann Mathieu in the first quarter, but it also shut down the Patriots on third down, holding them to just a 1-of-12 showing. The offense wasn't flashy, but it got the job done, especially Alvin Kamara, who totaled 97 yards and a touchdown in just his second game back from suspension. The Saints seem to have come back to life after losing two straight games. Grade: B+ Patriots takeaway: The Patriots weren't just bad, they were embarrassingly bad. Mac Jones threw a pick-six in the first quarter and things only got worse from there for the offense. Jones was bad, but it's not all his fault that he was bad: He has no one to throw to and he got no help from his offensive line or the Patriots' ground attack. This team has now been blown out in two straight weeks and it's worth wondering if Bill Belichick's seat is starting to get warm in New England. Grade: B- | | Bengals 34-20 over Cardinals (Click here for full game stats, analysis) | | Bengals takeaway: It took five weeks, but Joe Burrow finally looks like Joe Burrow. The Bengals QB showed off his long ball (he threw a 63-yard TD to Ja'Marr Chase), he was finally able to scramble (he had a key 10-yard run at one point) and he was even able to dance around the pocket. Burrow, who threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, had the offense humming and the biggest benefactor of that was Chase, who set a new franchise record for receptions with 15. Defensively, the Bengals came up with several big plays, including a pick-six by Cam Taylor-Britt just before halftime. As bad as things looked for the Bengals during the first four weeks of the season, the fact of the matter is that this team is only one game out of first place and with Burrow now looking much healthier, it feels like the Bengals are back. Grade: A-Cardinals takeaway: After playing impressive football through the first four weeks, Joshua Dobbs finally came crashing back to Earth. The Cardinals QB turned the ball over three times, including a pick-six in the second quarter that came after the Arizona defense had just pulled off a goal-line stand. It felt like a momentum-shifting stop, but the Bengals ended up getting a TD anyway due to the interception. This was a one-score game going into the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals just couldn't come up with any big plays on either side of the ball. Grade: C | | As for all the other grades that we handed out on Sunday, you can check those out by clicking here. | | 3. 15 crazy facts from Week 5: Belichick suffers another record-setting loss | | | | Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played. | | With that in mind, here are 14 crazy facts about Week 5: | Bad news Belichick. Thanks to New England's 34-0 loss to New Orleans, Bill Belichick now has two 30-point losses over the past two weeks, which is more than he had in his previous 453 games combined (1). This was also the largest home shutout loss in franchise history. Miserable Mac. Mac Jones already has as many pick-sixes at Gillette Stadium (4) than Tom Brady did in his entire 20-year career in New England.
High-flying Dolphins. With 524 yards of offense against the Giants, the Dolphins now have the most total yards of any team through the first five games of a season in NFL history with 2,568. The previous record was held by the 1999 Rams, who had 2,527 yards through five weeks. High-flying Dolphins, Part II. With a 69-yard TD against the Giants, Tyreek Hill now has 19 touchdowns of 60 yards or more in his career, which is tied for the fifth most in NFL history trailing only Desean Jackson (26), Jerry Rice (23), Devin Hester (21) and Bobby Mitchell (20). High-flying Dolphins part III. De'Von Achane is the first player in NFL history with at least 100 rushing yards while also averaging at least 10.0 yards per rush in three straight games. Achane is also the first player in the Super Bowl era to score seven touchdowns in his first four career games. . Achane joins elite company. The Dolphins running back hit 100 yards for the third straight game, which makes him just the third rookie over the past 35 years to run for at least 100 yards and a rushing TD in three consecutive games. Achane joins Barry Sanders and Mike Anderson (via ESPN Stats and Info). One-score wonders no more. After going 11-0 in one-score games, the Vikings are now 1-4 in one-score games this season following their 27-20 loss to Kansas City. The Vikings now join the 1944 Detroit Tigers as the only teams in NFL history to lose four of their first five games by one-score. Not a second-half team. The Broncos beat the Jets 13-8 at halftime on Sunday, but ended up losing the game. This marks the 10th straight time that they've lost a game after leading at halftime, which extends their own NFL record. Stroud's streak. C.J. Stroud has opened his NFL career by throwing 186 passes without an interception. That breaks the previous record, which had been held by Dak Prescott, who went 176 passes without throwing an interception to start his career in 2016.Minshew Magic. With Indy's 23-16 win over the Titans, the Colts QB joined Steve Young as the only players since 1950 with a 75% completion percentage and 150 passing yards or more in multiple wins off the bench in a season. Young did the same thing in 1989 with the 49ers. Ja'Marr Chase makes history. The Bengals receiver set the franchise record for receptions in a game by catching 15 passes during Cincinnati's 34-20 win over Arizona. Chase also became just the fourth player in NFL history to record at least 15 catches, with 190 yards or more and at least three touchdowns in the same game.
Mac attack is back in the end zone. After scoring a TD against the Cowboys on Sunday night, Christian McCaffrey has now scored at least one TD in 14 straight games, which is the longest streak in 49ers history. He's also now tied with Emmitt Smith for the fourth-longest streak in NFL history trailing only Lenny Moore (17), O.J. Simpson (15) and John Riggins (15). Hurts so good. With 303 passing yards and 72 rushing yards, Jalen Hurts now has five career games with at least 300 passing yards and 50 rushing yards. That number is tied for the third most in NFL history, trailing only Steve Young (he did it eight times) and Josh Allen (seven)49ers are streaking. The 49ers have now won 15 straight regular-season games, which is tied for the longest streak in franchise history. Brock Purdy has also won his first 10 starts, which is tied for the second-longest streak to start a QB's career in NFL history. Only Ben Roethlisberger (15) had a longer winning streak to start his career.
49ers are streaking, part II. With their 42-point outburst against the Cowboys, the 49ers have scored at least 30 points in their first five games, which makes them just the sixth team in NFL history to pull off that feat (via ESPN). The good news for the 49ers is that the last four teams to do it all made the Super Bowl (2007 Patriots, 2011 Patriots, 2013 Broncos, 2018 Rams). | | If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me. | | | | 4. NFL Week 5 winners and losers: Shanahan shines, Belichick not so much | | You can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. | | Winners | | Desmond Ridder. Going into Week 5, some Falcons fans wanted to see Ridder benched, but they probably won't mind keeping him around if he keeps playing like he did against the Texans. In a 21-19 win, not only did Ridder throw for 329 yards, but he also led a game-winning drive in the final minute that culminated with Younghoe Koo hitting a field goal on the game's final play. Nathaniel Hackett. The Jets offensive coordinator will be getting the last laugh on Sean Payton. Back in July, Payton ripped Hackett for the coaching job he pulled off in Denver last year. Not only did Hackett's Jets beat Payton's Broncos, but Denver is now 1-4, which is worse than Hackett, who was 2-3 after five weeks with the Broncos last season. Steelers defense. Every time the Steelers win, it seems like it happens because their defense carries them to the victory and this week was no different. During Pittsburgh's 17-10 over Baltimore on Sunday, the Steelers forced two turnovers in the final six minutes of the game and ended up getting 10 points off those turnovers, which allowed them to beat the Ravens. Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers' 42-10 win over the Cowboys was an old-fashioned beatdown and that's mainly because Kyle Shanahan was one step ahead of the Cowboys coaching staff at every turn. If this was a measuring stick game, the 49ers took the measuring stick and broke it over the Cowboys' heads. | | Losers | | Bryce Young. The Panthers QB continues to look like he's in way over his head in the NFL. During the first half against the Lions, he threw two interceptions, and not only did both of those picks give Detroit possession deep inside Carolina territory, but the Lions ended up scoring a TD after each turnover.Bills travel plans. For their game in London on Sunday, the Bills didn't land in England until Friday morning, which wasn't ideal, considering they had to play a Jaguars team that had been in London for more than 10 days. The Bills played like they were completely jet-lagged and based on how their offense looked, it seems their playbook didn't make it through customs. Bill Belichick. It's not often that Belichick ends up on a losers list, but when your team gets outscored 72-3 over a two-week span, you get put on the losers list no matter who you are. Taylor Swift fans in Minnesota. After two straight weeks of Taylor Swift sightings, the singer was nowhere to be seen on Sunday for the Chiefs game in Minnesota. It's probably for the best that Taylor wasn't there, though, because she would have had to deal with watching her man get injured (Travis Kelce suffered an ankle injury in the first half before returning to the game in the second half). | | If you have any winners and losers, be sure to share them with me on Twitter. | | 5. Monday preview: Prepping you for Packers at Raiders | | | | The spotlight is going to be on Las Vegas tonight with the Packers and Raiders closing out Week 5 in a game that feels pretty big for both teams. If the Raiders (1-30 lose, they'll be tied with the Patriots and Broncos for the worst record in the AFC. If the Packers (2-2) lose, they'll fall two games behind the Lions for first place in the NFC North. After opening as an underdog, the Raiders are currently favored by two points. | | My good buddy Jared Dubin put together our deep-dive preview for this game here at CBSSports.com, and here's how he sees the game playing out: | | Why the Packers can win: If the Packers offensive line can keep Jordan Love standing upright, he could have a huge game. Love got sacked FIVE times during Green Bay's Week 4 loss to the Lions and the Packers will absolutely need to cut down on that number if they're going to win. One reason it's so big to protect him is because the Raiders have had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL this year. If Love has time to throw, he could dice up the Raiders defense. Why the Raiders can win: This one is simple: If the Raiders can get Josh Jacobs going, then they're going to have a chance to win. Jacobs missed all of training camp and he's looked rusty through the first four weeks, but if he's going to break out, this would be the week to do it. The Raiders running back will be going up against a Packers rushing defense that is surrendering 155.6 yards per game, which is the second-worst number in the NFL. If Jacobs gets going, the Packers will be in trouble. Also, let's not forget that Davante Adams will be out for some revenge on his old team, so this could be a night where Vegas' two biggest offensive stars shine. | | You can get a full preview of the game from Jared by clicking here. | | If you're thinking about betting on the game, here's one prop I like: | | ONE PROP I LIKE: Daniel Carlson OVER 5.5 (-148). After starting the season 8-0, I'm now on a kicker prop losing streak. My last two picks both lost because the kicker I picked missed a field goal that would have won the prop. To break the losing streak, I'm going with Carlson. He's actually gone under this number in every game this season, but I think that changes because the Raiders offense is going to be fully healthy. Jimmy Garoppolo will be back after missing Week 4, I think Josh Jacobs has finally knocked the rust off and I think we'll see the Raiders move the ball, but this is the Raiders, so I won't be surprising to see them settling for field goals. | | Finally, if you're wondering who we're picking, here's who we have tonight: | Jared's pick: Packers 23-20 over Raiders
My pick: Raiders 22-19 over Packers | | Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, seven of our eight experts are taking the Packers to win in Vegas. | | | | 6. Extra points: Jefferson headlines a rough week for injuries | | It was a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. | Justin Jefferson injures his hamstring. The Vikings star suffered a non-contact injury against the Chiefs' on Sunday and there's a chance that he could miss some time. Jefferson will undergo an MRI today and if he's out at all, that will be a huge blow for the 1-4 Vikings. Anthony Richardson suffers shoulder injury. The Colts QB had to leave the game after taking a huge hit against the Titans. The initial diagnosis is that Richardson has an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. Depending on the severity of the sprain, Richardson could miss anywhere from two weeks to 12 weeks . The QB will undergo an MRI today and all eyes in Indy will be on the results of that test. Gardner Minshew will be the Colts' QB while Richardson is out.
Daniel Jones leaves game with neck injury. The Giants QB was forced to leave Sunday's game against Miami after suffering a neck injury. According to NFL.com , Jones' injury isn't believed to be serious, but his status for this week's game against the Bills is still up in the air. If Jones is out for any amount of time, the Giants will move forward with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. Jonathan Taylor gets massive extension. The drama between Taylor and the Colts is finally over after the two sides agreed on an extension over the weekend . The three-year extension is worth a total of $42 million and includes $26.5 million in guaranteed money. In his first game of the season on Sunday, Taylor had just six carries for 18 yards, which was way behind Zack Moss, who had 165 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries for the Colts. Maybe Indy should have paid him. | | | | | | | | 24/7 Sports News | | MaxPreps App | Stay up to date on all the sports you love with CBS Sports HQ. We bring you the top stories, news, picks, highlights and more anywhere, anytime, all the time.
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