Rating all 32 NFL groups from first to worst, plus Monday evening grades and early picks for Week 5

Welcome to the Tuesday version of the Choose Six e-newsletter! 

It is the primary day of October and I might prefer to congratulate each NFL crew — aside from the Jaguars — for making it out of the primary month of the season with a win. The Titans minimize issues fairly shut: They’d an 0-3 file going into Monday evening, however they destroyed the Dolphins to select up their first win of the season they usually waited till the final day of the month to do it. 

Though that recreation was in all probability thrilling for Titans followers, it wasn’t very thrilling for anybody else. The excellent news is that there have been two video games final evening and the opposite recreation was a wild one with the Lions beating the Seahawks 42-29. 

We’ll be handing out grades for each video games right now, plus Pete Prisco will probably be unveiling his Energy Rankings and I will be making some early Week 5 picks. 

As all the time, this is your each day reminder to inform all your folks and neighbors to join the e-newsletter. To get them signed up, all it’s important to do is click here. 

1. Monday evening grades: Lions and Titans shine

We hand out grades for each recreation every week and that features the 2 video games that went down on Monday evening. Let’s try the grades from the doubleheader: 

Titans 31-12 over Dolphins (Click here for our full recap)

• Titans takeaway: For the primary time in three years, the Titans hit the 30-point mark, they usually did it despite the fact that their beginning QB obtained knocked out of the sport within the first quarter. With Will Levis out and Mason Rudolph in, the Titans turned to their speeding assault and that technique labored with Tyjae Spears (39 yards, 1 TD) and Tony Pollard (88 yards, 1 TD) pacing a gaggle that ran for 142 yards. The Titans’ defensive efficiency might need been the spotlight of the sport for both aspect. The Tennessee secondary put the clamps on Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, holding them to only 59 whole yards. The Titans additionally held the Dolphins underneath 100 yards till halfway by way of the fourth quarter. The Titans won’t win many video games this season, however they lastly obtained their first victory out of the best way and that is all that issues once you’re winless. Grade: A-
• Dolphins takeaway: The Dolphins began their third QB of the season on Monday evening they usually performed like a crew that was beginning their third QB of the season. With Tyler Huntley underneath middle, the offense seemed completely misplaced with simply 84 yards by way of three quarters earlier than padding that whole in rubbish time. On their first 10 possessions, the Dolphins went three-and-out seven instances. Miami additionally took a security and botched an onside kick. It was an all-around catastrophe. This loss was on Mike McDaniel as a lot as anybody. If that is what the Dolphins are going to seem like whereas Tua Tagovailoa is out, they don’t seem to be going to win many video games whereas he is sidelined. Grade: D-

Though Mason Rudolph got here in and led the Titans to their first win of the season, it does not seem like he’ll be persevering with as Tennessee’s quarterback. After the sport, Titans coach Brian Callahan stated that Will Levis will be the team’s starter so long as he is 100% wholesome. Levis left the sport after injuring his shoulder halfway by way of the primary quarter. The Titans have a bye in Week 5 so it doesn’t matter what Levis’ harm is, it can get an additional week to heal. 

Lions 42-29 over Seahawks (Click here for our full recap)

• Seahawks takeaway: The Seahawks had an opportunity to make a press release in Detroit, however as an alternative, they obtained handed their first lack of the season. Seattle piled up 516 yards of offense, which can look good on paper, however the reality of the matter is that the offense obtained off to a sluggish begin. A fumble by DK Metcalf within the first quarter led to a Lions TD that put Detroit up 14-0, and after that, the Seahawks spent the remainder of the evening enjoying catch up. Geno Smith threw for 395 yards and virtually engineered a comeback, however Seattle ran out of fuel within the fourth quarter. The banged-up protection struggled to rattle Jared Goff, who diced them up for 292 yards. Though the Seahawks did not win, they did be taught that they will go toe-to-toe with a top-tier NFC crew just like the Lions and that is one thing that would assist them down the road. There is no motive this crew cannot find yourself successful the NFC West this 12 months. Grade: B-
• Lions takeaway: The Lions offense performed an almost good recreation and that was largely because of Jared Goff, who set an NFL file by finishing 100% of his passes. Not solely did the Lions QB go 18 of 18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns, however he additionally caught a TD go. Goff’s passing stored the Seahawks protection off stability, which opened issues up for Jahmyr Gibbs (78 yards, 2 TDs) and David Montgomery (40 yards, 1 TD) on the bottom. Goff stored Seattle’s secondary guessing by getting all of his pass-catchers concerned: The Lions have 5 receivers who completed with not less than 40 yards. The Lions protection surrendered greater than 500 yards, but it surely did drive two turnovers and make a fourth-down cease, which is all the assistance the offense wanted. It is beginning to really feel like the 2 finest groups within the NFC are in the identical division. Grade: A-

The Lions made some NFL historical past on Monday evening and we’ll be masking that within the subsequent part. 

As for the opposite 28 grades that we handed out in Week 4, you can check those out by clicking here. 

2. Lions and Seahawks mix to make NFL historical past

For the second straight week, the NFL gave us a Monday evening doubleheader and for the second straight week, the late recreation within the doubleheader was a historic one. Final week, the Commanders and Bengals gave us the primary NFL recreation ever with no punts or turnovers. This week, the Seahawks and Lions additionally produced one thing that we have by no means seen earlier than. 

Let’s try the data: 

• Jared Goff pitches an ideal recreation. The Lions QB set the NFL file for many go makes an attempt with out an incompletion. Goff went 18 of 18 for 292 yards and two touchdowns. The earlier file was held by Kurt Warner, who went 10 of 10 in a recreation again in 2005, so Goff simply did not break the file, he smashed it. Goff additionally set the file for essentially the most passing yards with out an incompletion. Warner threw for 115 in his good recreation whereas Goff greater than doubled that. 
• Goff is on a roll. Along with his good recreation, Goff has now accomplished 87.8% of his passes over the previous two weeks, which is tied for the second-best accuracy charge ever over a two-game span. Solely Jayden Daniels, who accomplished 88.7% of his passes over the previous two weeks, has been higher. Earlier than this 12 months, the file had stood since 2008 when Peyton Manning accomplished 87.8% of his passes over a two-week span. 
• Lions pull off uncommon feat. Not solely did Goff go 18 of 18, however Amon-Ra St. Brown additionally accomplished a go, which suggests the Lions went 19 of 19 as a crew. That made them the first team since the 1942 Giants to complete 100% of their passes in a recreation. The Lions file is far more spectacular, although, as a result of the Giants solely threw one go throughout their recreation. Additionally, though Kurt Warner held the file for many go makes an attempt with out an incompletion, the Cardinals did not set the crew file in 2005. Warner obtained knocked out of that recreation and his backup ended up going 14 of 24, which suggests Warner’s crew went 24 of 34.  
• Uncommon connection. Not solely did Amon-Ra St. Brown throw a go, however that go really went for a landing to Jared Goff. The Lions QB additionally threw a TD go to St. Brown, which makes them the eighth duo in NFL historical past to throw a TD go and catch a TD go from one another in the identical recreation.  
• Seahawks set unlucky file. The Seahawks racked up 38 first downs on Monday evening, which is essentially the most ever by a dropping crew in NFL historical past, based on Professional Soccer Reference. The earlier file of 36 had been finished a number of instances with the latest recreation coming in 2019 when the Rams had 36 first downs in a 55-40 loss to the Buccaneers. 
• Seahawks (form of) set an unlucky franchise file. The Seahawks piled up 516 yards of offense, which is the second-highest whole they’ve ever had in a loss. There has solely been one recreation in franchise historical past that was greater and that got here in 2020 once they had 572 yards in a 37-34 loss to the Cardinals. Nonetheless, that recreation got here in time beyond regulation, so Monday’s recreation was essentially the most yardage the Seahawks have ever totaled in a regulation loss. 

It actually was a wild recreation for the ages. 

3. Prisco’s Week 5 Energy Rankings: Texans and Lions enter prime 5

If I’ve realized one factor over the previous two weeks, it is that there is not any larger jinx for an NFL crew than being put in Pete Prisco’s prime 5. Final week, we noticed two groups go down after getting into Prisco’s prime 5, and this week, we noticed THREE TEAMS go down (Seahawks, Steelers, Payments). 

With three top-five groups taking place, meaning there are three new groups within the prime 5, so let’s examine them out:

1. Chiefs (Identical as final week)
2. Vikings (Up one from final week)
3. Texans (Up three from final week)
4. Buccaneers (Up 5 from final week)
5. Lions (Up 5 from final week)

I am not going to spoil the remainder of the Energy Rankings right here, however I’m going to offer you just a few nuggets. Here is what has modified since Prisco’s final Energy Rankings: 

• For the second straight week, the largest soar went to the Washington Commanders. Heading into Week 3, this crew was ranked twenty ninth total, however after beating the Bengals, they moved up 12 spots. This time round, Prisco has moved them up one other 9 spots, which suggests they’re now formally within the prime 10 at eighth total.  
• The most important soar within the AFC went to the Ravens. After watching Baltimore begin 0-2, Prisco gave up on the Ravens, however he is again on the bandwagon following their 35-10 win over the Payments. Baltimore moved up a complete of seven spots from thirteenth to sixth. 
• The most important drop within the rankings went to Philadelphia. The Eagles obtained beat down by the Buccaneers and due to that, Pete determined to drop Philly 9 spots from seventh all the best way right down to sixteenth.  
• The most important drop within the AFC went to the Chargers. Apparently, Pete wasn’t impressed by the truth that Chargers misplaced to his No. 1 crew by one rating. Following their loss to the Chiefs, Prisco dropped L.A. six spots from 14th right down to twentieth. 
• Now, let’s discuss in regards to the worst crew within the NFL, and I’ve some huge information right here: We now have our third new crew in three weeks. Heading into Week 3, the title of worst crew belonged to the Panthers, however then they gained, so the title went to the Titans. Effectively, the Titans gained on Monday evening, so the title of worst crew within the NFL now belongs to the Jaguars, who additionally occur to be the one winless crew within the NFL.  

If you wish to know the place your favourite crew ended up in Prisco’s Week 5 Energy Rankings, be sure to click here. If you wish to argue with Prisco over his rankings, you can do that on Twitter by clicking here. I argue with him on a regular basis about every little thing. 

4. Rating essentially the most impactful accidents of the 2024 season

By means of the primary 4 weeks of the season, there have been a variety of huge accidents across the NFL, so Cody Benjamin determined to rank the largest accidents based mostly on how a lot of an influence they’ve had to this point or might have going ahead. 

Let’s check out the highest names on his checklist: 

1. Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion). “Miami’s 2022 season was all however derailed when Tagovailoa suffered a number of head accidents, and historical past seems to be repeating itself.”

2. Eagles WR A.J. Brown (hamstring). “By no means has Brown’s worth been clearer to Philadelphia than throughout his three-game absence, through which the Eagles barely posted a 1-2 mark with extra unstable offense.”

3. Browns OT Jedrick Wills (knee). “You possibly can simply as simply swap Wills out for proper deal with Jack Conklin, or Professional Bowl guard Wyatt Teller, or any variety of key Browns veterans nursing bumps and bruises. The actual fact is, Kevin Stefanski’s offense is as battered as they arrive.”

4. Chiefs WR Rashee Rice (knee). “Rice simply went down on Sunday, however he is prone to be out for the remainder of the 12 months. With Marquise Brown additionally sidelined indefinitely, meaning the Chiefs will probably be depending on rookie Xavier Worthy and journeyman JuJu Smith-Schuster at extensive receiver.”

5. Rams WR Puka Nacua (knee). “Nacua was Mr. Dependable for Los Angeles in 2023, seamlessly stepping in for Kupp as Stafford’s go-to chain-mover. A knee harm bothered him this summer time, nevertheless, after which despatched him to injured reserve early this fall.”

Cody ranked a complete of 10 gamers and you can see his full list here. 

5. Breech’s Week 5 NFL picks: Buccaneers win NFC South showdown, Bengals shock Ravens

After struggling by way of two straight weeks of dangerous picks, I virtually retired from making picks, but it surely’s factor I did not, as a result of I lastly rebounded final week with an 11-5 file. This week, we’ll discover out if that rebound was an anomaly or if I’ve lastly found out what I am doing. Let’s hope it is that second one. 

As all the time, this article will function three of my picks, after which when you really feel like studying the remainder of them, you’ll be able to click through here and check them out. 

With that in thoughts, listed below are three of my fundamental picks for Week 5, beginning with the Thursday evening recreation in Atlanta:  

• Buccaneers (+1.5) at Falcons: I have been watching the Falcons offense for 4 straight weeks and it nonetheless seems to be barely out of sync. You possibly can’t be out of sync once you’re dealing with a Buccaneers squad that may be essentially the most underrated crew within the NFC proper now. PICK: Buccaneers 23-20 over Falcons
• Ravens at Bengals (+2.5): The Bengals have one of many worst speeding defenses within the NFL, which isn’t one thing you wish to be combating once you’re about to face Derrick Henry. On the flip aspect, the Ravens have not been in a position to cease the go this 12 months, which might open the door for Joe Burrow to have a giant recreation. The Bengals QB has been on hearth for 3 straight weeks and I feel that continues right here with Cincinnati successful a high-scoring recreation. PICK: Bengals 27-24 over Ravens 
• Vikings (-2.5) vs. Jets in London: This recreation goes to offer us one of the best quarterback within the NFL in opposition to Aaron Rodgers. Certain, that sounds loopy to say, however the reality is that Sam Darnold has been one of many prime quarterbacks within the NFL this 12 months. Alternatively, Rodgers has seemed like a 40-year-old. PICK: Vikings 27-20 over Jets

As soon as once more, to take a look at the remainder of my picks for Week 5, you should definitely click here.   

6. Additional factors: Cowboys star might miss two video games

It was a busy 24 hours within the NFL, and because it’s almost unimaginable to maintain observe of every little thing that occurred, I went forward and put collectively a roundup for you.

• Micah Parsons won’t be again till Week 8. The Cowboys star nonetheless hasn’t been dominated out for this week’s recreation in opposition to Pittsburgh, however in actuality, it looks like there is a good probability he might miss not less than two video games along with his ankle harm, particularly with the Cowboys getting a bye in Week 7. In that scenario, Parsons would miss Week 5 (Steelers) and Week 6 (Lions) earlier than returning in Week 8 after the bye. “Most likely is sensible to some [to sit out until after the bye], however if you find yourself an actual competitor, like I stated, you solely get 17 possibilities at this, and lacking certainly one of these alternatives to carry out on the highest stage bothers me. I really feel like I wish to play on Sunday,” Parsons stated. He clearly desires to play, however when you learn his full feedback, he additionally clearly realizes that would make his harm worse. You can read his full comments here. 
• Christian McCaffrey’s harm is worse than initially thought. The 49ers star is coping with bilateral Achilles tendinitis, which suggests he has Achilles tendinitis in BOTH legs. It is nonetheless not clear how lengthy he’ll be out, but it surely does not sound like he’ll be returning to recreation motion at any level within the subsequent few weeks. You can read more about his injury here. 
• Brandon McManus will not face NFL self-discipline. The previous Jaguars kicker will not be punished by the NFL over the sexual assault accusations he is dealing with stemming from a crew flight to London final 12 months. The NFL found insufficient evidence that he violated the league’s private conduct coverage. McManus is at present a free agent and it will not be stunning if a crew that is struggling on the kicker spot (just like the Packers) brings him in for a tryout. 
• Extent of Rashee Rice harm nonetheless up within the air. Though there had been some reviews that Rice tore his ACL, that also hasn’t been confirmed by the Chiefs. Groups will often verify information like that inside 24 hours, however that hasn’t been the case right here. The Chiefs’ main receiver goes to hunt a second opinion and endure extra testing over the following few days, and at that time, the crew ought to have a greater thought of what he is coping with. The one factor we all know for positive proper now’s that he will not be enjoying in Week 5 in opposition to the Saints. You can read more about Rice’s situation here.