In this week’s version of If the Season Ended Today, the Seahawks have leapfrogged the already byed Packers for the temporary top seed, the Saints now sit atop the NFC South and the teams they are tied with are out of the playoffs and the Cowboys lead the NFC East.

The NFC

                                               W-L                 Conf

1          Seattle            West     5-0                   3-0

2          Green Bay      North   4-0                   4-0

3          New Orleans   South   3-2                  2-1

4          Dallas              East     2-3                   2-2      

5          LA Rams         WC1    4-1                   4-0

6          Chicago           WC2    4-1                   4-0

7          Arizona            WC3    3-2                   2-2      

8          Tampa Bay     South   3-2                   1-2

9          Carolina           South   3-2                   2-1

10        San Francisco West    2-3                   1-2

– – –

Good news Tuesday morning as the Titans report no new tests and will finally return to action today against the Bills.  And the Patriots had no new tests so they remain on track to play Denver on Sunday.

– – –

The topic of adding a week to the NFL season will come up in a virtual meeting of the NFL and its owners today. Nick Shook of NFL.com:

The NFL’s owners are meeting virtually Tuesday and chief on their agenda is the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

The league has already been forced to postpone and reschedule multiple games because of positive tests among organizations, shuffling bye weeks and contests to make its standard 17-week slate work. That could change, as NFL Network’s Michael Silver reported late Sunday, which would result in a Week 18. NFL Network’s Judy Battista reported Monday there is a strong preference among ownership to not add a Week 18 in order to keep the playoffs and Super Bowl on schedule.

The league will adjust if necessary, of course, but the preference is to stay the course, per Battista. Once a team that has already had its bye — so far, that includes Pittsburgh and Tennessee, which had its byes moved up to Week 4 because of a COVID-19 outbreak among the Titans organization — can’t play in a given week, the Week 18 scenario likely becomes a reality, per Silver.

In a Week 18 scenario, the league would likely only play games if they had a significant impact on the playoffs, Silver added. And if such a postponement scenario plays out for the same teams multiple times, there’s even a chance for a Week 19.

It’s not the preference at this point, and NFL owners will convene to discuss all possibilities Tuesday, but all scenarios remain in play in a most unusual season that keeps on chugging ahead.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

QB DAK PRESCOTT wasn’t the only big injury in the Dallas victory on Sunday.  Todd Archer of ESPN.com:

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill has a torn ACL in his right knee.

Hill suffered the injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s 37-34 win against the New York Giants as he approached quarterback Daniel Jones and fell awkwardly. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis, making Hill the ninth starter to land on injured reserve this season.

Hill started the first five games of the season after playing sparingly as a rookie in 2019. He was credited with 14 tackles, a tackle for loss and five quarterback pressures.

Without Hill, the Cowboys have Dontari Poe, Antwaun Woods and third-round pick Neville Gallimore at defensive tackle.

Hill will join quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle after Hill was hurt, on injured reserve, along with right tackle La’el Collins (hip), left tackle Tyron Smith (neck), tight end Blake Jarwin (knee), linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (collarbone), cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) and center Joe Looney (knee). Linebacker Sean Lee, who was expected to be a key contributor, is also on IR after undergoing surgery for a pelvis/sports hernia issue.

– – –

The Cowboys raided the Browns practice squad to add QB GARRETT GILBERT to the Dallas active roster.  Bryan DeArdo of CBSSports.com:

With Dak Prescott roughly 24 hours removed from surgery to repair his severely injured right ankle, the Dallas Cowboys are in the process of rebuilding their quarterback room. On Monday night, the Cowboys signed veteran quarterback Garrett Gilbert off the Browns’ practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The Cowboys’ quarterback room now consists of Gilbert, primary backup Ben DiNucci and starter Andy Dalton.

A sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Gilbert has attempted six passes in six career regular season games. A Texas native, Gilbert started his college career at Texas, where he famously replaced inured starter Colt McCoy during the Longhorns’ loss to Alabama in the 2009 National Championship Game. Gilbert, who finished his college career at SMU, was the Rams’ sixth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

As a rookie, Gilbert spent nearly two months on the Rams’ practice squad before joining the Patriots’ practice squad in December, where he won a Super Bowl ring after New England defeated Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX.

Pet peeve – Gilbert is not actually a Texas “native” having been BORN in Buffalo when his father Gale Gilbert was a backup QB for the Bills.  And Gale Gilbert grew up in California.  He holds this distinction – “Gilbert is the only player in NFL history to be on five consecutive Super Bowl teams, none of which won.”

That said, Garrett is Texas through and through, having moved to the Austin area at age 5.  He preceeded Baker Mayfield as the QB at Lake Travis High School and went to college at both Texas and SMU.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

Judy Battista of NFL.com ponders what players will be following Dan Quinn and Thomas Dmitroff out the door.

When Dan Quinn was hired as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach in 2015, the first thing he did was install a basketball hoop in the team’s meeting room. The idea was to spur greater competitiveness among players, which says something about the complacency into which the team had slid at the time. For a time, Quinn’s plan — Quinn’s everything — worked, the hip hop playlists and high energy demeanor elevating the Falcons to a Super Bowl appearance in February 2017.

That Super Bowl proved a fateful — and maybe fatal — turning point. The Falcons, of course, lost a 28-3 lead and then lost the game to the New England Patriots. The truth is that it’s felt as if the franchise never fully recovered. The Falcons slipped into the playoffs the following year while finishing third in the NFC South, but then the slide accelerated. Each blown lead reopened that Super Bowl wound. The Falcons had two losing seasons and after two big lost leads this season contributed to an 0-5 start, Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were fired on Sunday.

Asked why, owner Arthur Blank responded bluntly: “It’s called lack of winning.”

Now the Falcons have to make sure they are not lacking something else: direction.

Blank is an exceedingly patient owner — he retained Quinn and Dimitroff after a similarly slow start last season was turned around with a 6-2 second half — but he, and everybody else in the braintrust of the franchise, signed up only for playoffs or bust this season. It was bust, and now the Falcons are residing in the most unappealing real estate in the NFL — the no-man’s land between patching holes and a full rebuild.

In a video conference with reporters on Monday, Blank said he thought the record was not indicative of the talent on the roster. That, of course, is an indictment of coaching. But a winless team with a 35-year-old quarterback — even a former MVP like Matt Ryan — and a 31-year old star receiver in Julio Jones is a winless team with high-priced assets that is nowhere near being close to competing for another Super Bowl before those assets begin to depreciate.

With the coach and general manager both out, a full housecleaning would seem to be in the offing and it has to at least be considered. And Blank and team president Rich McKay, who will assist Blank in the hiring of replacements for Dimitroff and Quinn, were both careful not to offer full-throated promises about what the roster would look like. McKay said there would not be a fire sale. But when Blank was asked about Ryan’s future, and his desire to play until he is 40, Blank was notably non-committal about his team’s cornerstone.

“Well, I love Matt, much like I love Dan and Thomas,” Blank began, somewhat ominously considering the fate that has befallen the latter pair. “Matt has been a franchise leader for us, a great quarterback, one of the leading quarterbacks in the last 13 years in the NFL. So, I hope he’s going to be part of our plans going forward. But that will be a decision I won’t make. Matt has the ability to play at a very high level, even at his age. Whether that’s going to continue or not, I’m not sure. I appreciate his willingness to consider doing that and, the level of what he’s played for 13 years, which has been incredible. So, we’ll have to see. But, then again, that’s going to be a decision that at the end of the day will be up to the player and the coaching staff. And whether or not Matt can keep himself together, and God willing, he’ll be able to do that and play at the level he’s capable of playing at.”

No smart owner should tie the hands of his next general manager and head coach before they even have jobs. To begin a search by declaring the outcome of the single most important roster decision that must be made would be foolish, particularly because of the Falcons’ circumstances, and it would surely eliminate some top candidates. The Falcons are one of three winless teams. The others, the Giants and Jets, have young quarterbacks. If the Falcons end the season with a draft pick that gives them an opportunity to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the most highly regarded quarterback in college football, should that chance really be eliminated during a job interview? The opportunity to build around Lawrence will be an enticing recruiting chip if the Falcons own it.

The Falcons shouldn’t slam the door on moving other assets, too. A Miami Dolphins-style roster deconstruction might seem unappealing on paper, but teams that accumulate bountiful assets can accelerate their rebuilds with smart hiring and good draft decisions. Jones would surely be attractive to a contending team right now. The Falcons have to at least listen if someone calls. It is trading short-term pain — a sell-off would almost certainly torpedo interim coach Raheem Morris’ chance to win the job full-time — for the potential of long-term, sustained gain.

That is something Quinn could not deliver to the Falcons after he instilled competitiveness and drove the franchise to its achingly brief dalliance with a championship. It’s time for the Falcons to apply no more bandages to this team. Let the wounds of the past failure finally heal and build for a stronger future starting now.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has some thoughts on Rich McKay who is back in football.

Falcons president and CEO Rick McKay emphasizes in the video that they’ll take their time in filling the jobs. That said, they have no choice but to take their time; a new coach won’t be hired from the outside (or promoted from the inside) before the season ends in January. Ditto for a new G.M. For the next 11 weeks, the Falcons merely have a head start when it comes to identifying candidates and launching a strategy for hiring a new coach and a new G.M.

In the seven-minute video, McKay explains that they won’t pin the philosophy to offensive or defensive coach, small, fast team or big, physical team, since requirements like that will limit the search.

McKay said that the new G.M. and coach ultimately will have “great control over the roster,” with a caveat.

“We like a lot of the players we have on this football team,” McKay say, pointing out that they have some  “impactful players” they’d like to keep. At the same time, McKay admits, “You never try to tie their hands.”

“You’ve got to give your people that you brought in to run your franchise,” McKay says in the video. “You’ve got to give them the leeway to do what they think is best.”

McKay realizes that the salary cap will be an issue, but he says it’s “not a big huge problem.”

“We have constraints based on the current roster setup,” McKay explains. “And that’s because we have some players that are really good players, and they’re paid at an elite level.”

McKay ultimately believes that, as to both open positions, “We should be a very appealing job.”

That’s what McKay has to say. The ultimate appeal to the positions comes from the fact that there are only 32 NFL G.M. and head-coaching jobs. Other factors include whether they like the roster, whether they think the roster can be shaped to meet their needs, whether they’ll truly have the power to do it, and whether they’re comfortable with the structure in place above them.

That means, at some level, McKay. He said in a separate press conference (it wasn’t really a press conference, because the press didn’t ask the questions directly but through a pool reporter) that the coach and G.M. will report to McKay directly. Some candidates may want that. Some may not.

McKay knows that drill. He was the G.M. in Tampa until he wasn’t, because coach Jon Gruden wanted someone else to be the G.M. (Specifically, Bruce Allen.)

McKay landed on his feet in Atlanta as the G.M. It was on his watch that Bobby Petrino was hired to be the coach. It was also on McKay’s watch that Mike Vick’s dogfighting double-life went undetected. Although McKay as of 2008 ended up in charge of a stadium project that went grossly over budget, he’s the president and CEO of the franchise — and he’s seemingly insulated from the pressures of winning and losing.

Blank mentioned in the press-free press conference the urgency to win, on multiple occasions. McKay, through 16 years in Atlanta, has been immune from having that mandate impact his employment prospects. That’s ultimately Blank’s prerogative; at some point, however, McKay’s responsibility for wins or lack thereof needs to be considered, if McKay is going to be in the line of accountability from coach and G.M. to owner.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

The 49ers are only 2-3 – and they still haven’t hit the hard part of the schedule.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The hits keep coming for the defending NFC champions.

The 49ers, who embark on a seven-game death gauntlet this week, could be without linebacker Kwon Alexander. Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Monday that Alexander has a “possible” high ankle sprain.

“We don’t know the severity of it yet,” Shanahan said. “We’ll find out more on that by Wednesday.”

He added that the initial assessment “could be wrong, but right now they told me that they believe it’s a high ankle sprain.”

“They’re not sure of the severity of it,” Shanahan added. “It could be a minor one, for whatever that means. So that’s why, usually if it was automatic high ankle sprain, I’d be talking about IR and stuff right now, but they told me to hold on that because they think it possibly could be a minor one. Don’t know. They’ve got to do more work today on it and we’ll have an answer on that for Wednesday.”

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo recently missed two games due to a high ankle sprain. As became painfully obvious on Sunday against the Dolphins, he should have missed three.

So far, the 49er have beaten the two woeful New York teams and lost to Arizona, Philadelphia and Miami – all of whom are decent, none elite.

The next seven?

LA Rams

at New England

at Seattle

Green Bay

at New Orleans

bye

at LA Rams

Buffalo

Wow!

And CB RICHARD SHERMAN won’t be back for the Rams.  Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

The San Francisco 49ers’ already thin cornerback group is going to have to wait at least another week to get Richard Sherman back from injured reserve.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that Sherman, who has been on injured reserve since Week 2 with a calf injury, will not return to practice this week as originally planned after having some issues with his leg last week.

“We were hoping to get him back this week,” Shanahan said. “Some setbacks last week, the healing hasn’t gone the way we were hoping for. I know we’re going to try a few different procedures this week, but I know I’m not counting on him this week. We’ll see how that goes with the new stuff we’re gonna try.”

Asked what type of procedures the Niners have in mind for Sherman, Shanahan said there were some injections that he was hoping could help.

“He’s gonna get some shots that he thinks can help in his leg,” Shanahan said. “No surgeries or anything, just different types of shots to take to see if they can take the inflammation down and stuff like that.”

AFC WEST

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

QB JUSTIN HERBERT was technically a loser in his first primetime game, but he made plenty of fans with a performance that looked like that of a front-line NFL QB.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

After the Chargers played the Buccaneers in Week Four, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said that he told Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn that he has a “great one” in the rookie quarterback.

The Saints had similar things to say about Herbert after Monday night’s game. Linebacker Demario Davis said Herbert “definitely doesn’t play like a rookie” after the first-round pick threw four touchdowns and Saints head coach Sean Payton concurred while discussing Herbert’s promising future.

“Young kid was out there taking a lot of hits today,” defensive end Cam Jordan said, via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “Our front seven got after him pretty well. He made a lot of great plays down the stretch. . . . He may be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.”

Praise from opponents has become a regular occurrence, but so has losing. The Buccaneers came back to beat the Chargers and the Saints rallied from a 20-3 deficit to win in overtime on Monday. That makes four losses in as many starts for Herbert, who said after the game that it means a lot to hear such good reviews, “but I’d love to get the win.”

He’ll get his next chance at a victory in Week Seven against the Jaguars.

Here is the AP with the Chargers tale of defensive woe, including the answer to the question “Has a team ever blown a lead of 17+ points in consecutive games?”

Justin Herbert won the Campbell Trophy, which is nicknamed the Academic Heisman, at the University of Oregon last year for his smarts on and off the field. The quarterback is getting a crash course in close losses as a rookie in the National Football League.

Herbert became the first rookie to throw for four touchdowns in a Monday Night game, but the Los Angeles Chargers squandered another 17-point, second-quarter lead in a 30-27 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. The Chargers — who became the first team since the 2003 Atlanta Falcons to squander leads of 17-points or more two straight weeks — have lost four straight by a combined margin of 18 points.

“To be so close in these past four games it hurts a lot,” said Herbert who completed 20 of 34 passes for 264 yards. “I’ve been told that games come down to a possession or less and I have found that out very quickly. We have to learn to finish these games.”

Statistically, Herbert — who was the sixth overall pick in April’s draft — has held his own with three former league MVPs in Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady and New Orleans’ Drew Brees. But he has also had to watch from the sideline as all three rallied their teams from double-digit deficits.

The loss to New Orleans was similar to the Chargers 38-31 defeat at Tampa Bay on Oct. 4. In both cases, the Saints and Bucs were able to score just before halftime while the Chargers were unable to muster much in the third quarter.

AFC NORTH

CLEVELAND

The Browns are putting their hopes for a return of CB GREEDY WILLIAMS on hold for at least three weeks.  Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The day Browns cornerback Greedy Williams walked off the practice field on Aug. 24th with a shoulder injury, he never dreampt he’d miss at least the first half of the season.

But that’s exactly his fate right now as he was placed on injured reserve Monday with a nerve injury in the shoulder, and must miss at least the next three games.

Given the inexact science with such an injury, it’s anybody’s guess when he’ll be back.

“He’s working so hard in rehab, but just the docs felt it was best shut him down and see how it responds,” coach Kevin Stefanski said. “There’s no surgery required at this point. There’s potential that he’s back this year. We just don’t know, but I’m going to obviously leave this to the medical experts and leave it to the trainers and the docs.”

Williams, who suffered the injury on the same day that his former LSU teammates Grant Delpit suffered a season-ending ruptured Achilles, returned to practice Sept. 21st, but the shoulder just doesn’t have the strength or feeling required to play the demanding position.

“Disappointing for him, but I still hold out hope, and he’s doing everything he can,” Stefanski said.

Williams has been replaced in the starting lineup by seventh-year pro Terrance Mitchell, the 44th best cornerback in the NFL with a 63.2 grade, according t profootballfocus.com.

But the Browns will be without two of their starting defensive backs for most or all of the season.

“Getting injured is just one of the most depressing things ever because you are not out there with the team, you’re not traveling with the team, you’re always in the training room and you’re rehabbing,” Williams said last month when he returned to practice on a limited basis. “It’s a bad feeling to get injured and you can’t do certain things that you love.

AFC SOUTH

TENNESSEE

The NFL blustered about hammering the Titans with huge penalties for allowing Covid-19 into their facility, but Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is starting to think that the team might skate (especially if things are under control from here on):

Last week, the NFL was sending strong messages to other teams that the boom would be lowered on the Titans for the outbreak that wiped out their Week Four game against the Steelers and that endangered their Week Five game against the Bills. This week, a different vibe is emerging.

Some think the Titans won’t get punished at all.

It would be a stunning turn of events, given the extent to which the league privately huffed and puffed to multiple teams about the plans to meting out discipline to the Titans. Currently, there’s a belief in certain circles that the league will simply not take action, time will pass, other issues will emerge, and the issue of Tennessee punishment will be forgotten.

Monday’s remarks from G.M. Jon Robinson hint at why, at the end of the day, the Titans could skate. Every team has had irregularities when it comes to compliance with the league’s COVID-19 protocols. The Titans have had the worst outbreak; however, unless some sort of connection can be proven between non-compliance and in-house spread, it’s hard to blame the Titans.

The league’s approach continues to be accepting that players and other personnel will catch the virus away from the building, while also trying to keep it from spreading at work. Without more details and full transparency as to contact tracing and other factors, maybe the Titans’ failure to completely follow the protocols contributed to the spread, and maybe it didn’t.

But here’s the thing: If all (or at least most) teams have failed to follow the protocols entirely, why should the Titans be punished for bad luck? If Commissioner Roger Goodell learned nothing else from the Saints’ bounty scandal, he should have learned (in the arbitration ruling issued by his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue) that cultural problems aren’t solved by hammering one team at a time when many are guilty of the same behavior.

So maybe last week’s private comments about the plans to hammer the Titans were aimed at scaring everyone straight, and maybe the league will decide not to pick a fight that eventually could prove that the Titans were doing things no different than other teams. Which in turn would create a major in-season mess that, given the bigger issues presented by the pandemic, the league doesn’t want or need.

Here are the “Monday remarks” mentioned by Florio:

“We haven’t had any punishment yet but it has been frustrating,” Robinson told reporters on Monday. “I’ve tried, I haven’t looked at all the stuff that’s out there, I’m sure it’s probably not nice, that’s not a world I try to live in, I try to stay focused on this football team and make sure that we try to get better and keep everybody safe. It’s a challenge. It really is a challenge to work through for myself and coach [Mike] Vrabel. Looking at the phone at 3:30 in the morning, hasn’t been a lot of sleep had, and then working through it as we get the information and working with the league and the PA. We’ve been extremely transparent with both groups with our situation, as they try to piece things together so that we could put some things in place so this doesn’t happen again.”

The league and NFLPA have been looking into players working out in unauthorized gatherings following the closing of the team facility on Sept. 29 following a COVID-19 outbreak within the team.

“With the investigation, and nothing’s final yet, not to be dodgy here, but I can’t really get into all the details until the league and the PA make their final determination,” Robinson said. “But I would say we were transparent with the league with everything. The league has talked to all of our players and all of our coaches, certainly me, and we’re continuing to work through and awaiting the direction there.”

In terms of following proper protocols, Robinson admitted that ensuring that everyone is always wearing masks and wearing them properly has been a challenge.

“As far as the masks are concerned, it’s been a, we’ve been fairly compliant. To say that we’re 100% would be a false statement. There’s certainly been some inconsistencies there. I’ve talked to several other GMs during this time, who have reached out to me and just checked on us and how we’re doing and my family, because they know my personal situation. They face some of the same things we’ve faced with masks. We’re constantly reminding players.

“That’s been one of the more challenging things.”

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com thinks QB CAM NEWTON might be good to go against Denver on Sunday:

Little has been ideal for the New England Patriots in recent weeks, but here is one silver lining from having an unexpected bye in Week 5: It improves odds that quarterback Cam Newton might return for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

Time is on the Patriots’ side, unlike last week.

Had the Patriots hosted the Broncos on Monday, it’s possible Newton, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Oct. 3, might have been under center. But at the time the NFL postponed the game, Newton’s presence was far from a certainty, which is why the club was preparing for backups Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer to be ready.

Here is what is known about Newton:

Newton’s father, Cecil, told ABC 11 in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, over the weekend, “[Cam] had none of the symptoms” after testing positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2. “Him being asymptomatic, he’s kind of working his way through it,” he said.

Newton, 31, is testing daily and continues to take part in the Patriots’ virtual meetings.

He wasn’t cleared to practice on Saturday, the team’s most recent on-field workout.

Any player who doesn’t show symptoms cannot return unless and until:

Ten days have passed since his initial positive test (this is good news for Newton because he first tested positive Oct. 2).

Or he has two consecutive negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) virus tests separated by 24 hours.

And club physicians, after consultation with the NFL chief medical officer, clear him.

There is one caveat, however, that could help Newton return even if he continues to test positive: Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose guidelines the NFL follow, those deemed to not be severely immunocompromised, and asymptomatic throughout, may return to work when at least 10 days has passed since the date of their first positive viral diagnostic test.

“I think what you’re going to find is that if a person has the COVID virus, they’re going to continue to test positive for a significant period of time. It could be, I don’t know, 30, 60 days,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said on sports radio WEEI. “I’m not a doctor here. It depends on how quickly [the body] sheds the virus, but not at a contagious state. So that’s really what it’s about.”

Because of the multiple variables, Belichick has stressed he is taking a “day-to-day” and “hour-to-hour” approach with everything surrounding the team, which includes others who are on the reserve/COVID-19 list, such as cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

NEW YORK JETS

Coach Adam Gase may let someone else call the plays that aren’t working.  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

The New York Jets are 0-5 for the first time since 1996. Things are getting dire for Gang Green.

Adam Gase admitted Monday he’s considered giving up play-calling duties in order to better manage games as a head coach with his team still without a win after five weeks.

“For the last four years, I’ve toyed with the idea every once in a while,” Gase said of handing play-calling duties to an assistant. “I don’t think I’m ever opposed to try something to change things up. I’d say everything is on the table at this point.”

The offensive struggles have seen the Jets score 20-plus points just once this season, tying their New York counterparts for the most games with fewer than 20 points in 2020 (4). Their dysfunction spilled over into social media on Sunday.

Running back Le’Veon Bell was seen liking tweets related to his lack of usage following Sunday’s 30-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It wasn’t the first instance of Bell taking his gripes public — even passively, in this case — but Gase was also a bit dismayed by the running back’s decision to let his frustrations be known publicly instead of coming to him to discuss his displeasure.

“It is what it is,” Gase said. “Sometimes the defense takes guys away that we’re trying to get the ball to. … I hate that that’s the route that we go with all of this instead of just talking to me about it. But seems the way that guys want to do it nowadays.”

The road ahead doesn’t appear to get any smoother for the Jets, who are without franchise quarterback Sam Darnold (shoulder) and first-round tackle Mekhi Becton (shoulder). Joe Flacco completed 18 of 33 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, but it remains clear the Jets — who own an 11-19 record with Darnold and are 0-7 without him — could use the former USC star.

Gase said Darnold’s return isn’t as simple as deciding to push his injury, but is a case of testing it out as the healing process continues. Right now, it’s a weekly process.

“It’s really just the healing process that he’s going through right now and kind of how he’d feel going out to practice and throwing, and how far he can throw and kind of really how that would look,” Gase explained. “I know they’re kind of trying to proceed with that just to kind of determine where he’s at with all of that. The next few days will be critical with all of that.

“I think it’d be really hard to convince him ‘hey, you know, let’s take this amount of time.’ I think we just gotta keep going week to week and just see how he feels. Sam does do a good job of really wiring in on his rehab and putting in a lot of work. He’s a pretty quick healer.”

Gase’s Jets will need quick healing if they hope to turn this season around. The coach’s seat is already hot and the temperature will only further intensify with each loss.

The Jets have lost all five games by at least 9 points.  The Denver game, which finished 37-28, was kind of close and the only one in which Gang Green has had a lead (7-0 and 27-26).

In looking the above up, we were surprised to see that the Jets were 7-9 last year.  Felt more like 5-11 or 4-12.

THIS AND THAT

ESPN POWER RANKINGS

In this week’s ESPN Power Rankings, the organization’s team correspondents were asked to declare each team’s biggest weakness.  For some we will also provide the accompanying explanation, but due to size constraints, not all of them.

1. Seattle Seahawks (5-0)     Week 5 ranking: 2

Biggest weakness: The defense

The Seahawks are 5-0 despite a historically leaky defense. They allowed a combined 1,292 passing yards over their first three games, easily the most to begin a season in NFL history. They had been fine against the run until Sunday night versus Minnesota when they were gashed for 201 yards on the ground. The 2,356 yards Seattle has given up are the most by any team through five games since the 1950 Colts, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The Seahawks’ saving grace has been forcing turnovers — they’re tied for second in the NFL with 10 — and getting stops in critical moments, like the stuff on fourth-and-1 against the Vikings on Sunday. — Brady Henderson

2. Green Bay Packers (4-0)    Week 5 ranking: 3

Biggest weakness: Injuries

After they were charmed last season in the health department, the Packers have already been hit harder in four games this year than in all of 2019. Consider who they’ve played without for parts or all of games so far: Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Equanimeous St. Brown, Marcedes Lewis, Lane Taylor, Billy Turner, Kenny Clark, Christian Kirksey, Kamal Martin and Rashan Gary, among others. They’ve survived so far, and they will get several of those players back, perhaps as soon as this week. But if anything (other than the run defense) can derail this team, it is injuries. — Rob Demovsky

3. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)         Week 5 ranking: 1

Biggest weakness: Too much pressure on Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes is facing too much pressure even when opponents aren’t blitzing. He has been pressured on 34.7% of his dropbacks when not facing a blitz, the second-highest rate in the league.. — Adam Teicher

4. Baltimore Ravens (4-1)            Week 5 ranking: 4

Biggest weakness: Passing offense

The Ravens were hoping to see Lamar Jackson take the next step as a passer, but that hasn’t consistently happened through five games. — Jamison Hensley

5. Buffalo Bills (4-0)                   Week 5 ranking: 5

Biggest weakness: Pass defense

Death, taxes and an elite Bills pass defense. Those are the absolute truths we have become accustomed to over the past two seasons, when Buffalo finished fourth and first, respectively, in passing yards allowed. In typical 2020 fashion, the Bills are polar opposites from their previous selves in that regard, allowing the fourth-most passing yards per game through four games this season. They have battled injuries in both the secondary and at linebacker, neither of which have helped their case; fortunately for Leslie Frazier’s unit, Buffalo’s offense has proved more than capable of winning a shootout. — Marcel Louis-Jacques

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)              Week 5 ranking: 7

Biggest weakness: The deep ball

Ben Roethlisberger is off to a solid start with seven touchdown passes, one interception and a 67% completion rate. But one crucial thing is missing from his arsenal: the deep ball. It’s not that Roethlisberger can’t get the ball down the field after elbow surgery; it’s that he is missing his receivers. Big Ben has the highest off-target rate (59%) and fourth-worst completion rate (24% for 4-of-17) on throws 20-plus yards downfield this season, per ESPN Stats & Info data. The veteran quarterback joked after Sunday’s win that maybe the surgeons gave him too much arm strength. — Brooke Pryor

7. Los Angeles Rams (4-1)                       Week 5 ranking: 8

Biggest weakness: Kicking

The Rams’ are hitting their stride on offense and defense, but kicking remains a concern because of inexperience. — Lindsey Thiry

8. Tennessee Titans (3-0)                        Week 5 ranking: 6

Biggest weakness: Run defense

The Titans have given up 498 rushing yards through the first three games. Mike Vrabel said it comes down to failing to set the edge, not walling and not swarming to the ball carrier. — Turron Davenport

9. New Orleans Saints (3-2)                       Week 5 ranking: 9

Biggest weakness: Penalties

The Saints lead the NFL in total penalty yards and defensive penalties — including a whopping 11 pass interference flags for a total of 244 yards heading into Monday night’s game and another in Monday’s overtime win. — Mike Triplett

10. Cleveland Browns (4-1)                         Week 5 ranking: 14

Biggest weakness: Secondary

The Browns were banking on big things from second-round pick Grant Delpit, but the safety was lost for the season to an Achilles injury in training camp. Days before Delpit’s injury, nickelback Kevin Johnson suffered a lacerated liver in practice; Johnson has since returned but hasn’t yet regained the form he flashed in training camp. Throw in corner Greedy Williams’ shoulder injury, which has sidelined him all five games, and Cleveland’s secondary has yet to reach full strength. As a result, it has struggled at times defending the pass, surrendering 296.4 passing yards per game, third worst in the NFL. — Jake Trotter

11. New England Patriots (2-2)                      Week 5 ranking: 10

Biggest weakness: Tight end production

Backup quarterback almost was the choice here after four interceptions in Kansas City in Week 4 (one was more a result of wide receiver Julian Edelman letting the ball slip through his hands). But tight end production in the passing game was ultimately the pick based on a larger, four-game sample size. The Patriots have three catches for 44 yards from their tight ends. This comes one year after they ranked last in the NFL in tight end receptions and targets. — Mike Reiss

12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)                   Week 5 ranking: 11

Biggest weakness: Discipline

The Bucs are tied with the Cardinals for a league-leading 42 penalties through five games, with their 410 penalty yards more than that of any other team in the league. — Jenna Laine

13. Chicago Bears (4-1)                               Week 5 ranking: 15

Biggest weakness: Rushing offense

The Bears have yet to establish a consistent rushing attack under coach Matt Nagy, who doubles as the offensive playcaller. — Jeff Dickerson

14. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)                            Week 5 ranking: 12

Biggest weakness: Running game

Guard Quenton Nelson enjoys sporting a hat that reads, “Run the damn ball.” Well, running the ball, a strength of the Colts last season, has been a struggle this season. After finishing seventh in the NFL in rushing in 2019, the Colts now are 19th in rushing yards per game (105.8) and 31st in yards per attempt (3.6). — Mike Wells

15. Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)                          Week 5 ranking: 17

Biggest weakness: Turnover differential

As in, the Raiders need to stop giving the ball away and start taking it away more. — Paul Gutierrez

16. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)                            Week 5 ranking: 16

Biggest weakness: Interceptions

The Cardinals have just one interception this season, and it came in Week 4, tying them for 29th in the NFL. Only the Texans have fewer. — Josh Weinfuss

17. San Francisco 49ers (2-3)                        Week 5 ranking: 13

Biggest weakness: Offensive line

The 49ers have questions all over right now, but many of them are related to injuries. The offensive line dealt with some injuries in camp, which undoubtedly hurt early-season cohesion, but the group is still mostly what the team envisioned in the offseason. Yet the 49ers have yielded 18 sacks, fourth most in the NFL, and rank 22nd in run block win rate. If the Niners can’t regain control of the line of scrimmage consistently, it’s going to be difficult for an offense with plenty of playmakers to get back on track. — Nick Wagoner

18. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)                                 Week 5 ranking: 18

Biggest weakness: Defense

With Dak Prescott out for the season, you would think it would be the offense’s ability to put up points with Andy Dalton at quarterback. But it’s not. It’s on the defense — the entire defense. Cowboys opponents have had 60 drives in the first five games and have scored on 31 of them, with 19 touchdowns and 12 field goals. — Todd Archer

19. Carolina Panthers (3-2)                               Week 5 ranking: 22

Biggest weakness: Run defense

For all the concerns about a young secondary coming into the season, the run defense has been the biggest weakness. The Panthers are giving up 135 yards per game to rank among the bottom half of the NFL. Improving that stat was an emphasis for the new staff after last year’s unit allowed a whopping 143.5 yards rushing per game. That was another reason for drafting run-stopper Derrick Brown in the first round. The Panthers rank as one of the worst teams in the NFL in yards after initial contact. And they have given up eight rushing touchdowns, the most through five games in franchise history. — David Newton

20. Los Angeles Chargers (1-4)                                   Week 5 ranking: 19

Biggest weakness: Turnovers

The Chargers very well could have started 4-0 instead of 1-3 if it weren’t for their minus-4 turnover ratio. — Shelley Smith

21. Minnesota Vikings (1-4)                                     Week 5 ranking: 21

Biggest weakness: Pass blocking

Minnesota is getting great play out of tackles Riley Reiff and Brian O’Neill, but its pass protection on the interior of the offensive line remains an issue. — Courtney Cronin

22. Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)                                Week 5 ranking: 20

Biggest weakness: Linebacker

The Eagles have the smallest amount of cap dollars ($4.3 million) committed to linebacker in the NFL, and it shows. Opposing tight ends have racked up 32 catches for 323 yards and five touchdowns through five games. Much of that damage has come with linebackers in coverage. — Tim McManus

23. Miami Dolphins (2-3)                                              Week 5 ranking: 24

Biggest weakness: Running game

The Dolphins’ passing offense is flowing well, but it’s having to offset a rushing attacking that hasn’t found consistency. The Dolphins are averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, 30th in the NFL. Miami’s rebuilt offensive line has held up well protecting Ryan Fitzpatrick but hasn’t established itself as nicely run blocking unit. That coupled with the Jordan Howard addition (18 carries, 14 yards) looking like a bust gives plenty of evidence this is the Dolphins’ biggest weakness. Myles Gaskin is a feel-good story as the Dolphins’ surprise lead back, but they will need to be more productive on the ground to be a true playoff contender. — Cameron Wolfe

24. Houston Texans (1-4)                                            Week 5 ranking: 23

Biggest weakness: Slow starts

Through five games, the Texans have only gotten one first down on their opening drives. That one came on Sunday, when Deshaun Watson threw a 36-yard pass to Brandin Cooks on Houston’s first offensive play of the game. Still, the Texans didn’t get another first down on the drive. And they have yet to score on their opening possession. — Sarah Barshop

25. Detroit Lions (1-3)                                                  Week 5 ranking: 25

Biggest weakness: Literally the entire defense

Where to begin. The Lions have given up more rushing yards per game (170.3) than any team in the NFL and have allowed 5.16 yards per rush. Detroit is yielding 405 yards per game in total and 6.16 yards per play. They can’t get off the field — No. 31 in first downs allowed per game (27.3) — and can’t sack the quarterback (five sacks in four games). — Michael Rothstein

26. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1)                                     Week 5 ranking: 27

Biggest weakness: Offense

Is it acceptable to lump the entire offense into this category? Because every offensive metric is, uh, not ideal. — Ben Baby

27. Washington Football Team (1-4)                                Week 5 ranking: 26

Biggest weakness: Offense

Washington ranks 30th or worse in a number of key offensive categories: points per game, yards per game, third down, rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, total QBR and sacks per pass attempt. The team benched quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. after four starts, but there’s a lot more that needed to be done around him.. — John Keim

28. Denver Broncos (1-3)                                                 Week 5 ranking: 28

Biggest weakness: Takeaways

The Broncos’ lackluster scoring offense isn’t far behind their defense’s inability to create takeaways in terms of the team’s biggest weakness after four games, but the two go together. The team has lost the turnover battle in three of its games, including a minus-3 effort in their only win over the struggling Jets. — Jeff Legwold

29. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)                                        Week 5 ranking: 30

Biggest weakness: Defense

The Jaguars have given up 30-plus points in four consecutive games, something that’s only been done twice before in franchise history (2013 and 2014), and they’re allowing 417 yards per game. — Mike DiRocco

30. Atlanta Falcons (0-5)                                                  Week 5 ranking: 29

Biggest weakness: Defense

Yes, Matt Ryan hasn’t thrown a touchdown over the past two games, and the 0-5 Falcons are built to rely on offense. But the defense can’t continue to surrender 32.2 points and 446 total yards per game. And it can’t continue to blow big fourth-quarter leads like it did against the Cowboys and Bears. — Vaughn McClure

31. New York Giants (0-5)                                             Week 5 ranking: 31

Biggest weakness: Scoring touchdowns

The Giants have six touchdowns through five games, with one coming from the defense. That means the Giants’ offense is averaging exactly one touchdown per game, and its lack of truly explosive playmakers is glaring with Saquon Barkley out for the season and Sterling Shepard dealing with turf toe. It’s not as if the Giants are moving the ball flawlessly and just failing to reach the end zone, either. Their 4.66 yards per play is 29th in the NFL. — Jordan Raanan

32. New York Jets (0-5)                                                   Week 5 ranking: 32

Biggest weakness: Football

The Jets aren’t good at anything, so it’s hard to pinpoint one weakness. They’re one of only four teams in the past 30 years (and the first since the 2013 Jaguars) to lose their first five games by multiple scores. They’ve lost by at least nine points in every game, as the offense has managed only six touchdowns. They’ve given up at least 27 points in every game, and the defense, which kept them in many games last season, is yielding 395 yards per game. It’s a dumpster fire. — Rich Cimini