Five Wide: 2025 Week Ten
By Thomas Willoughby
I was in Berlin this weekend, and it was great. A really cool city full of history and intrigue. Their public transport is class. Strangely laid out, every street felt like a back street, but that’s neither here nor there.
On the wat back from the game on Sunday, I stopped by a kebab vendor to see what the hype was all about. Oh my God. I get it now. It was so good. The lamb meat was of actual high quality. The garlic sauce thing wasn’t overpowered. And the little bread roll it was served in. Good lord, the complete package. I get it. When I saw a kebab house packed out at 3pm on a Saturday, I was wrong to judge. I’m most gutted that I’ll never have anything like that here.
Anyway, there were some other games this weekend. Here are some of my takeaways from them. Sorry for going off topic.
New History in New Orleans
Congratulations to Tyler Shough, who has become the latest QB from this rookie class to nab himself a win! The 46 year old put together an impressive afternoon, going 19/27 for 282 yards, and threw 2 touchdowns, in a 17-7 victory in Carolina. That win lifts the Saints to 2-8, though they (currently) remain on track for a top 3 draft pick in 2026.
Incidentally, this is the first time in the Saints’ franchise history that they’ve won a game with both a rookie QB and a rookie head coach. That’s one of those stats that you’d think was impossible until you actually look at their history. They’ve only had 18 head coaches in 59 years, and one of them was there for 15 of them. The time lines just haven’t matched up. But that’s a very cool piece of history for both him and Kellen Moore.
Back To The Good Old Days
This is the last time I’ll talk about it, but, man, how cool is having the NFL in Germany? My more specific thoughts about the game and a storyline around it can be read here, but I just want to highlight the actual NFL Berlin experience, because, my word, what a throwback.
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, those NFL games felt like events. As the previous decade wound on, London enjoyed multiple games a week, peaking with 4 in 2017 and 2019, and that event feel was lost. They were part of the calendar, at this point, naturally that was going to happen.
That feel has been picked up as more nations enjoy games in their back garden. Berlin had multiple NFL themed events across the city, including a Flag Football experience at the Brandenburg Gate. A decade ago, that same event would have taken place at Trafalgar Square. I suspect something similar is lined up for Madrid next week.
In the ground, it felt like the overwhelming majority of the fans present were neutral, something the NFL games in London has gotten away from. In time, as the team with German marketing rights become more familiar to the nation, we may well see that same shift in attitude from the German match goer. For now, while the novelty of an NFL game in Germany remains, taking a flight to the European mainland is more than just an opportunity to see a new country. It’s an opportunity to step back to a more simple time.
Bye Bye Brian (Reprise)
Add another team to the Head Coach carousel. Brian Daboll is out of the Giants. Unlike Brian Callahan, I’m not 100% certain on this one.
I don’t really have a reason to not, though. He leaves New York with a record of 20-40-1. Across three and a half seasons, only once did they end with a winning record. While he’s credited with the development of Josh Allen, he’s equally got to take responsibility for the demise of Daniel Jones in New York. They’re 2-8, and clearly headed for another miserable season. Better to get ahead of the coaching search now.
But I don’t think their record really reflects their season. They’ve played teams hard this year, and beaten the Eagles and Chargers, who’ll both be playing football through January. Sunday’s collapse was an aberration, but Jaxson Dart, (who’s pretty good!) left the game with injury. That’s hard for any team to overcome.
Daboll’s going to land somewhere as an offensive coordinator, and probably be quite good, I think. As for the Giants, they’ve a top 5 pick in their draft, an exciting QB/RB duo, and Malik Nabers to return in 2026. They might have their pick of the coaches come February.
Buffal-oh Dear
What are the Buffalo Bills? Are they actually anything? At the start of the season, they were the team to beat. A side firmly placed to go toe-to-toe with Kansas City, and finally get over the hump and return to the Super Bowl. Can I say that, through 9 games, I think they’re decidedly average?
Yes I can. The Bills may be 6-3, they may be firmly in the playoff hunt, but they’re far from the juggernaut you and I expected them to be. On Sunday, they travelled to Miami, a team that are awful. They got slapped about the park for 60 minutes, losing 30-13. That’s their third loss from their last 5 games. They’re now 2 games behind the New England Patriots in the race for the AFC East. Not good.
Their next 3 are huge. Buccaneers, Texans, Steelers. Three sides of varying quality, but all capable of causing the Bills plenty of problems. If they struggle through that stretch, we might have to reckon with Buffalo being a wildcard rather than a division winner. Hardly the farewell to Highmark Stadium they expected.
Backinthegame Ravens
On the other end of the spectrum, welcome back the Baltimore Ravens! Reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated. With Lamar Jackson back from the hospital, they’re flying once again. Baltimore have won 3 in a row, and are primed to make a charge on the AFC North.
It looked dicey for a second. Those first 4 weeks were as tough as a schedule gets in 2025, with the aforementioned Bills, Lions, and Chiefs all part of that stretch. Injury to Lamar Jackson made the next 3 tougher than they should. But he’s back. Lamar’s back. And he’s mint, isn’t he?
I don’t think the Vikings are good, but their defense certainly is. And they kept it close for most of the game. But when the Ravens got moving, they couldn’t be stopped. They’re now only one game behind the Steelers, who they’ve still to play twice. I tell you what, that division might end up being the most interesting. Good for them!
Features Image Credit: David Dermer-AP Photo
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