Five Wide: 2025 Week Six

By Thomas Willoughby

We are one third of the way through the season. Let that sink in. Six weeks in, and, while it’s not quite curtains for anyone, it’s becoming clearer who is and isn’t going to be something in 2025. Bucaneers and Colts fans should probably make sure they don’t have plans in January. Titans and Jets? Start scheduling in some college football watch parties. You’ve got a future to scout.

We’re also halfway through the NFL’s European roadtrip. One more game in London, at Wembley this Sunday, then it’s off to Germany in a couple of weeks, with a final stop in Madrid the week after. It’s been fun! I mean, this most recent game wasn’t really. But just being around it is, right? Enjoy it while it lasts, and all that.

And enjoy it we will, because we are, once again, starting at Spurs in this weeks edition of Five Wide…

History in our own back yard

We said it last week. History seems to get made with every snap in London. While it’s often positive, this weekend gave us a less than positive addition to the record books.

This ultimately came to pass, and that’s not great! The crowd certainly didn’t let the lack of offensive production affect their enjoyment of the game. It felt like there was a shift in what they were appreciating, from dazzling offensive plays, to crunching defensive tackles. The Broncos rewarded that shift by giving them nine sacks to marvel at. The Jets, to their credit, showed up defensively, even treating us to a rare safety in the 3rd quarter. 

I doubt this’ll be a fixture that lives long in the memories of those in attendance and watching from home. But history will never forget it. Tuck it away in your back pocket, it could be the answer to an NFL based pub quiz in a few years.

Rio Giancarlo-Getty Images

Bye Bye Brian

We have our first victim of the coaching carousel, and not a moment too soon. Brian Callahan, come on down. The Titans have had enough of you and your brand of ugly, ugly football. Six games into the season, it’s over for him in Tennessee.

I have to tell you, the news shocked me. Not least because I spent a solid 5 minutes absolutely convinced his name was Bo Callahan. Turns out Bo Callahan’s a character from that Draft Day film. Was always going to be an uphill battle for Brian when that mistake is made as commonly as I assume it is.

The product was gross, granted. Across 23 games, Callahan’s side managed a paltry 4 wins. And, look, the results were terrible. But you’re, what, 5 months removed from taking Cam Ward 1st overall? What did the Titans brass see over the past six weeks that they didn’t already know from last season? His team sucked last season, and they’ve sucked through the first third of the season. I feel like teams should operate with a bit more strategy than just swinging at, who you believe to be, your future under centre, only to completely derail his development less than halfway through his first season. Follow for more NFL team building top tips.

Dynamic Duo

The New York Giants took a major scalp on Thursday Night Football, condemning the Philadelphia Eagles to their second defeat of the season. I couldn’t tell you how they played. I didn’t watch it, nor did I have the interest in watching it back. Not because I’m lazy, but because I didn’t want to shatter the illusion. The internet loves Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, and, frankly, I do too.

Saw someone respond to that by saying Dart and Skattebo communicate in the same way rottweilers do.

Clearly they’re both a little unhinged. Seeing some of the runs they both went on against the Eagles, it’s no surprise that Dart spent time being evaluated for a concussion. It’s kind of mad that Skattebo decided to pop in with him, mind. But, as a duo, they’re a lot of fun! I hope the Giants can win a few more games so we can see what other hijinks the lads get up to.

Kitwatch 2025: Part III

Last week gave us one of the best uniform match ups of all time. This week somehow surpassed it. We got yet another throwback vs throwback match up. The Falcons rocked their retro jerseys, white pants, and red helmets. The Bills went all-white, with the team’s logo matching its old design. Both uniform designs were worn between the mid-60s and mid-70s, making both designs about 60 years old. Timeless.

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

That field design is unreal, too. The Falcons did an excellent job of re-creating the look and feel of those older fixtures. If they were smart (they were not), they’d have paid that Expired Film Club chap to come over and shoot this game on a Kodak from 1960. Missed opportunity this time around. The Falcons will wear these jerseys twice more this season, at the Buccaneers in week 15 (who’ll also wear their throwbacks, by the way), and vs Rams in week 17. The Bills have like 5 different uniforms this season, but their throwback threads will get another runout in week 11 against, again, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Just wonderful, isn’t it?

Mistaken Identity

In 2013, Barcelona won La Liga. Not much of a story, they win La Liga a lot. During the trophy lift, Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol, decided to ask a member of the squad to join him in the trophy lift. Someone who’d been through a lot, whose life had been turned upside down of late, but who’d come through to enjoy success in 2013. That person, obviously, was cancer survivor Eric Abidal. Not sure why Alex Song thought it was him. That video is all I could think of when Tez Johnson talked about hearing “MVP” chanted as he celebrated a touchdown pass.

His reaction is just lovely. “I ain’t do nothing this year” is so wonderfully oblivious. Buccaneers fans are right to be excited about Baker Mayfield. I’ve mentioned in the past how I do genuinely like Baker. It hurts to see him performing so well at a team so horrid. 12 TDs, 1 INT, over 1500 passing yards through 6 games, and, most importantly, a 5-1 record. All while injuries plague his offensive colleagues. We’re one pulled hamstring away from me running slant routes for him. Those MVP shouts are well weighted, for me.

Features Image Credit: Rick Scuteri-AP

Thomas Willoughby

NFL ANALYST

THOMAS IS A WRITER, AND REGULAR GUEST ON THE TOUCHDOWN REVIEW SHOW PODCAST, FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER

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