When you step outside in the morning, you'll notice that chill in the air. It's a reminder that the fall months have arrived, and that typically means the action across the NFL is ramping up. Now that the first month is in the rearview mirror, teams are rounding into form, and we should start to see some significant separation between the contenders and pretenders over these next few weeks.
This is also the time when we begin to see if some early-season struggles or even hot starts are legit or mere flashes in the pan. For the former, that could create some awkward situations, particularly as we continue to gauge the temperature of the head coach's hot seat or coordinator duties. Both of those could be at the forefront of the headlines by the time we wrap up Week 5 in the NFL, which we discuss in depth below, along with other storylines that could sprout out of the upcoming slate.
The Philadelphia Eagles might be on the verge of blowing it up. The club is off to a teetering 2-2 start to the regular season, has been dealt with an onslaught of injuries, and saw Lane Johnson retire this week. That said, the biggest indicator that something may be afoot is that they just shipped away starting interior lineman Cam Jurgens to the Ravens.
For a team still trying to be in the Super Bowl conversation, it's a bit striking to see them trade someone of Jurgens' caliber, even if there are solid reasons for Howie Roseman to make such a move. And that brings us to this weekend, when Philadelphia will be in London taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars. In my eyes, this has the makings of a Jags blowout win.
Jacksonville is essentially the polar opposite of the Eagles right now offensively. They have the third-best third-down conversion rate (51.1%) in the NFL entering Week 5, the second-best red zone touchdown rate (81.8%), and Trevor Lawrence has the second-highest passer rating in the NFL (min. 100 pass attempts). If they keep that up, the Eagles offense, which hasn't converted a third down in its last 17 attempts, could be lapped.
Philadelphia would fall under .500, and Nick Sirianni would be 5-8 since Week 12 of last season (including playoffs). The head coach's seat would be as hot as it's arguably ever been, and this Eagles ownership hasn't been shy about making bold decisions if they believe it's in the best interest of the team. The Chargers are in dire straits right now, as they enter Week 5 at 0-4 and have been lifeless on the offensive side of the ball.
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