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It’s a Monday in the NFL season which means it’s time for another dive into Sunday Scaries, the best and worst from the NFL Sunday slate of games. There’s still a lot of middle ground five weeks into the season but there are some true contenders that are separating themselves from the pack (hello, 49ers and Eagles) and some that look like they should start the 2024 draft process now (Panthers, Giants, Patriots). Without further ado, let’s take a dive into some of the best and worst that Week 5 had to offer.
Bad Scary: Anthony Richardson Goes Down Again
My goodness. Five weeks in and I feel like this has been one of the most consistent headlines through the first half of the NFL season. Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson once again failed to complete a game due to injury. This time it looks to be the most serious of his injuries, a Grade 3 AC joint sprain. Nothing is official as of this writing but early projections are that it could sideline him through Thanksgiving and surgery isn’t off the table. Woof. Of all the scenarios that could play out for the Colts and Richardson, this certainly is one of the worst ones. He’s shown splashes of talent and athleticism but he’s already had three injuries of varying severity, all of which, have forced him out of completing games.
Potentially being out until Week 12, if not later, is potentially putting a giants INCOMPLETE next to the rookie season of Richardson when it comes to evaluating what the Colts have win the No. 4 overall pick. It’s not ideal for either party and quite frankly, it sucks for the fans.
Bad Scary: Mac Jones Is The Worst of The 2021 Drafted QBs
I never thought it was possible to be worse than Zach Wilson’s career trajectory but Mac Jones has done the impossible and succeeded at failing. Mac Jones is the worst of the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class. Jones was horrid once again as the Patriots got pasted by the Saints in a 34-0 shutout at home. Jones threw a pair of interceptions and 110 yards on 12-of-22 passing. He was pulled in favor of Bailey Zappe once again. Jones looks like he has zero confidence at this point. He’s been the QB under center for Bill Belichick’s most lopsided losses in his career and the Patriots offense has now gone 10 quarters without scoring a touchdown. He’s bad, the Patriots are boring and the worst they’ve been in two decades.
Good Scary: Brock Purdy Is That Dude, 49ers Are That Team
Put any team on the 49ers’ schedule on your weekly prayer list. They look damn good. Waxing the floor with the Cowboys in primetime moved them to 5-0 and Brock Purdy, who many questioned if he could replicate last season’s success (hand raised), has answered those questions emphatically. Purdy tossed four more touchdowns last night to give him nine on the season, zero interceptions on the season and looking perfectly comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. If he’s not in the conversation of earl season MVP, he should be. The 49ers are destroying teams and show no signs of slowing down. They are the Super Bowl favorite in the entire NFL and look to be perfectly comfortable being in every other team’s crosshairs.
Check back in next Monday as we’ll dissect the Week 6 slate!
-Marc Dykton
