NFL: Week 5 overreactions/underreactions

After Week 5 of the NFL season, two undefeated teams remain, no more teams are winless and some are in flux, but it is uncertain if they will stay the way they are.

Here are some storylines that have popped up following Week 5 and how some CommRadio members feel about them.

Overreaction: Firing Robert Saleh will solve the Jets’ problems

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh was fired on Tuesday after the Jets’ loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday, dropping the Jets to 2-3 this season.

Owner Woody Johnson said the Jets should not be in the situation they’re in given the team’s expectations, which led him to take the team in a different direction.

Saleh’s decision-making, such as kicking too many field goals inside the five yard line, is one of his mistakes as Jets head coach.

The defense, which Saleh specializes in, has performed well, giving up the second-fewest yards per game and is in a three-way tie for the fourth-fewest points allowed per game.

As such, concerns still linger with the offense, which has accumulated the sixth-fewest yards per game and the eighth-fewest points per game despite talented skill players such as Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson and a rebuilt offensive line.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has not pushed the ball down the field this season under offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, as he is only averaging 6.0 yards per attempt, the fifth-worst in the NFL among starting QBs.

Rodgers and Hackett spent 2019 to 2021 together with the Green Bay Packers, when Rodgers won two of his four MVP awards, but time is running thin on Hackett.

Hackett’s offensive incompetence has been well-noted, as evidenced by his midseason firings in 2018 as the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator and in 2022 as the Denver Broncos head coach.

It’s clear that Rodgers wants Hackett with him despite his shortcomings, but if things continue to go downhill, they won’t hear the end of it. - Owen Klein

Underreaction: The Washington Commanders are a playoff team

Rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels seems to be the answer the Commanders have needed to solve all their problems.

After being drafted No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Daniels has brought his team to a record of 4-1 heading into Week 6.

For the first time in a long while, Washington has looked like a legitimate threat in the NFL. They certainly could have a big run in the playoffs this year.

Daniels is having the season that everybody thought Caleb Williams would have had with the Chicago Bears.

Needless to say, Week 6 has the potential to be Washington’s biggest test to date as they take on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore is coming off two incredible back-to-back wins against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills.

Now, a win against Baltimore would have to cement the Commanders as the favorites to clinch the NFC East. - Hudson Hvizdak

Overreaction: Justin Fields and the Steelers are a threat

After being traded from Chicago this past offseason, quarterback Justin Fields has seemingly found a new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite the team signing veteran Russell Wilson, the Steelers feel they have found their guy in Fields through Week 5.

However, after a 3-0 start to the year, the Steelers have lost their last two games, dropping their record to 3-2.

While many were quick to jump on the Fields-Steelers bandwagon, Pittsburgh isn’t as good as they seem. Even though Fields has played well in posting a 97.1 passer rating, there are still many areas for him to improve on.

As a team, the Steelers' offense has scored only eight touchdowns and has eclipsed 20 points just once.

While Pittsburgh ranks solidly eighth in yards allowed on defense through Week 5, they have many high-powered offenses still to play.

In the last two months of the season, the Steelers will face Washington, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Baltimore and Cincinnati twice.

Obviously, many things can happen from now until then, but if these games were slated for this week, it’s hard to say the Steelers would be favored in any of them.

With the difficult end to the year, and Justin Fields still learning as a quarterback, the Steelers are not as big a threat as they appear. - Alex Harkins

Underreaction: The New York Giants will finish with a winning record

The New York Giants have not exactly gotten off to a hot start. Five games into the season, they possess a record of 2-3 and have averaged just over 13 points scored per game.

However, I believe they have played better than their record indicates, and that they have the roster to finish with a record above .500.

Let’s start with their recent victory over the then-3-1 Seattle Seahawks. The Giants emerged with a 29-20 upset, which is even more noteworthy considering they played the game without two of their top offensive contributors, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and veteran running back Devin Singletary.

In many ways, Nabers has been the subtotal of the Giants offense this season, finally giving Daniel Jones a true top wide receiver to look for any time downfield.

He’s snagged a league-leading 35 catches coupled with three touchdowns, and once he clears concussion protocol, he figures to slide right back into his role as Jones’s top connection.

In his stead, wide receiver Darius Slayton stepped up big-time, recording 8 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. Young running back Tyrone Tracy replaced Singletary with a fantastic output of 129 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry.

The defense was never the question with this team. Now possessing a rebuilt offensive line that has opened up holes to run, the offense is looking solid once again under Brian Daboll, similar to its scheme that pushed them into the playoffs during the 2022-2023 season.

With a top-of-the-league defense and an offense that is trending upward, the Giants should not be overlooked going forward. Having watched them so far, I’m buying in on them for the rest of the season. - Dominick Pizzelanti

Underreaction: The Cleveland Browns are the worst organization in football

It’s no secret that the Browns have been one of the most poorly run teams in all of sports for quite some time now. However, their current state as a football club is absolutely atrocious.

Since taking over as owner in 2012, Jimmy Haslam's Browns have managed just one playoff victory, with an overall record of 70-123-1. This stretch includes the infamous 1-15 and 0-16 seasons in 2016 and 2017.

The Browns are now facing one of the worst salary cap situations in the league, with a significant portion of their budget locked into a "franchise" quarterback who struggles to throw or run, while also battling ongoing legal issues. That's right—handing out a guaranteed $230 million contract to a guy nobody wants to block or play for is certainly an interesting strategy.

Cleveland currently sits at 1-4, has not had a first-round pick in the last three drafts (due to the Deshaun Watson trade), and franchise cornerstones like Jedrick Wills and Nick Chubb are on expiring deals. For Browns fans, there appears to be no light at the end of this tunnel.

Although teams like the Panthers and Titans are also competing for the No. 1 overall pick, the Browns are in prime position to secure it this year. They should take the opportunity to hit reset and make drastic changes in the offseason.

Owen Klein is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ojk5092@psu.edu.

Hudson Hvizdak is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email hph5358@psu.edu.

Dominick Pizzelanti is a second-year dual majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact him, email dqp5565@psu.edu.

Alex Harkins is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email arh6278@psu.edu.

Joseph Granton is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jlg6619@psu.edu.