Maybe, every now and then, an NFL fan watching on the couch would actually make a better decision than the coaches who get paid millions to do so?
That was among the biggest takeaways from Week 5 in the NFL.
There was a ton of bad coaching in Week 5, including in all three primetime games, starting Thursday and going all the way through Monday. Coaches seemingly went out of their way to outsmart themselves. Defending the decisions as “aggressive,” is usually the catch-all word they go with, but a handful of coaches ventured past aggressive and reached downright stupidity in Week 5. And in a number of cases, those head-scratching decisions cost their teams the game.
We don’t have to look far for an example as one just took place Monday night between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. Raiders coach Josh McDaniels opted to go for a two-point conversion after Derek Carr connected with Davante Adams on a 48-yard touchdown. The reception cut the Raiders’ deficit to 30-29 with 4:27 left, a mere extra point away from tying the game. Instead, McDaniels and company went for the two-point conversion and failed. Las Vegas lost the game by that aforementioned score. Given that Kansas City was set to get the ball back with plenty of time on the clock, it didn’t make any sense. To no surprise, McDaniels said the Raiders were just being aggressive to try to win the game.
Among the Week 5 guilty parties were Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett, Green Bay Packers coach Matt Lafleur, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor. All cost their teams a victory with puzzling decision-making. Even in wins, Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley and Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid made questionable decisions, too.
Hackett’s Broncos could have beaten the Colts if Denver, which was running the ball for 4.5 yards per carry, opted to run on for a first down on fourth-and-1 at the Indianapolis 5-yard line rather than throw at former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. Instead, Russell Wilson’s pass was deflected by Gilmore in the end zone — the cornerback had an interception in the end zone earlier — and Denver fell 12-9 on “Thursday Night Football.” It’s not hard to believe Denver ranks last in red-zone efficiency.
The Packers might have survived London if Lafleur, similarly, drew up plays for his dominant running backs on either third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 from the New York 6-yard line with 1:11 remaining. Instead, a pair of Aaron Rodgers run-pass option attempts were deflected at the line of scrimmage. Green Bay, who averaged five-plus yards per carry, boarded a plane home from London following a 27-22 defeat. Packers running back Aaron Jones questioned the late decision-making himself.
The Lions also could have put together a better effort against the Patriots if Campbell didn’t keep his offense on the field for six fourth-down attempts. After all, the game changed on Detroit’s fourth-and-9 attempt from the New England 32-yard line as Lions quarterback Jared Goff was stripped by Matthew Judon with the Patriots taking it the other way for a touchdown and 13-0 lead. That was the worst in a long line of poor decisions from Campbell in Week 5.
Perhaps the Cardinals would have had a better shot at a game-tying field goal attempt if Kingsbury didn’t miscalculate Kyler Murray’s scamper on a second-and-10. The 9-yard gain resulted in Arizona spiking the ball on third-and-1 after believing the offense was granted a first down. Kingsbury said the Cardinals knew they didn’t convert before spiking, but were at a “point of no return” before the 43-yard missed kick.
And maybe the Bengals would have earned a crucial NFC North win over the Ravens if Taylor wasn’t drawing up galaxy-brain offensive plays from the Baltimore 2-yard line late in the third quarter. The Bengals, despite having Joe Mixon (5.6 yards per carry against Ravens) and Ja’Marr Chase, ran two trick plays on second- and fourth-and-goal, respectively. The first resulted in receiver Tyler Boyd being thrown to the ground for a loss of 12 and the second, which Taylor went for instead of kicking a game-tying field goal, failed miserably with the Ravens taking over and ultimately winning by less than a field goal.
All told, it was not a banner week for coaching in the league.
Here are more takeaways from Week 5 in the NFL:
— First, it was Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush, and now it seems to be New England Patriots third-stringer Bailey Zappe. Both Rush and Zappe turned in respectable Week 5 performances given their willingness to be game managers and not get in the way of their respective teams. Rush, now 5-0 as a starter, has the Cowboys rolling despite the injury to Dak Prescott. Dallas is second in the NFC East with a 4-1 record. Zappe, making his first start, helped the Patriots stay afloat following injuries to Mac Jones and Brian Hoyer. Earning wins with a second- or third-stringer behind center gives teams the valuable luxury of holding out returning players until they’re fully healthy.
— Between the roughing the passer call benefiting Tom Brady during Buccaneers-Falcons on Sunday and Monday night’s roughing the passer penalty on Chris Jones, officials blew soft whistles in Week 5. The obvious connection to make is this coincides with the league’s recen fumbling of the Tua Tagovailoa situation and might be a sign of things to come the rest of the way.
— Who would have thought the NFC East would look like the deepest division in football through five weeks? The Eagles are the lone undefeated team while both the Cowboys and Giants sit at 4-1 after wins over the Rams and Packers, respectively. All three are currently in the playoff field. The outlier is the Commanders, whose coach Ron Rivera threw Carson Wentz under the bus when asked about the division’s success.
— The 3% of bettors at BetMGM Sportsbook who have Super Bowl tickets on the San Francisco 49ers probably are feeling pretty good about their 16-to-1 prices. San Francisco, which leads the NFC West at 3-2, looks like a legitimate contender for the Lombardi Trophy behind a defense that ranks first in yards and points allowed. All Jimmy Garoppolo does is win games, as he’s done three times in his four starts this season with a 5-1 touchdown-interception ratio.
