Lamar Jackson vs. Jayden Daniels in DMV highlights Week 6 slate

Around the AFC

See ya, Saleh. The New York Jets dropped a major news bomb Tuesday when they got home from London and fired head coach Robert Saleh. Then the interim HC, Jeff Ulbrich, took offensive play-calling duties away from Nathaniel Hackett, dealing another blow to the former Broncos head coach. The Jets are 2-3, fine standings-wise but not fine otherwise. Aaron Rodgers and company better get it going quickly because this could get ugly (well, uglier) in a hurry.

Russ time near? A couple of weeks ago it looked like Russell Wilson may never get a chance in Pittsburgh. Now the Steelers have lost two straight, their offense remains flimsy behind Justin Fields and Wilson practiced fully for the first time this week. At this rate, Russ could make his debut sometime in the next three weeks before Pittsburgh’s bye week.

Bengals teetering. Cincinnati figured to be back in contention with a healthy Joe Burrow. Now Burrow’s playing great and the Bengals… are 1-4. Just 5.9% of teams at that mark have rebounded to make the playoffs since 1970. You don’t want to count out this offense, but if they can’t get it going — like, beginning this week at the New York Giants — it just might not happen this year.

Around the NFC

Welcome, Rook. Derek Carr is set to miss multiple weeks and rookie Spencer Rattler is taking the controls for New Orleans. He’s one of two rookie QBs joining the party this weekend (along with New England’s Drake Maye). It’s a busy stretch, too, for Rattler, who debuts Sunday and then must turn around and prepare for Denver on Thursday night. It’ll be interesting to see how Saints OC Klint Kubiak draws up the plan for Rattler.

Warm seats. It’s a key stretch for Philly and head coach Nick Sirianni. They had an early season bye and now get four struggling teams in a row. If the Eagles don’t get rolling, Sirianni’s seat might get a bit warm as the weather cools. This week they’re up against 1-4 Cleveland, where Kevin Stefanski’s already feeling it. Can the Browns bench Deshaun Watson already?

Safety dance. One of the more eye-popping stats so far this season comes from Green Bay safety Xavier McKinney. The Packers bucked a league trend and paid him big bucks in free agency. So far? McKinney’s logged an interception in each of the team’s first five games. Nobody else in football has more than three. That’ll play for a defense that hasn’t been great yet but has shown signs of promise.

Game of the Week

Washington at Baltimore

DMV, stand up. You wouldn’t have looked at this game during the preseason and thought of it as a marquee matchup. Jayden Daniels changed that quickly. Now he joins Lamar Jackson among the most dynamic quarterbacks in football and each is leading a team that has legitimate playoff aspirations. They also happen to play 30 miles from each other. Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, is off to a terrific start. Ravens 30-year-old running back Derrick Henry leads the NFL in rushing yards and continues to be a marvel. Baltimore is a touchdown favorite and gets it done at home.

Ravens 27, Commanders 23

Lock of the Week

Houston at New England

The other rookie quarterback set to make his debut this week is Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft. If you were trying to find a spot to plug in the future of your franchise and give him as smooth a start as possible, doing so against the team that generates the most pressure in the NFL is an interesting approach. The Texans are disruptive and they’re 6.5-point road favorites. So why? Why this week? Head coach Jerod Mayo and company perhaps took the temperature of the locker room and decided they had no choice. And maybe Maye, who was a terrific player with wild tendencies at North Carolina, will handle it well. Maybe.

Texans 31, Patriots 17