Five Wide: 2026 Week Nine

By Thomas Willoughby

Well, I had a nice time in Madrid, if you ignore the actual football. Bit warm for my tastes, but it’s a really nice town and I appreciate that every single person I spoke to was very kind and fluent in English. Never felt as ignorant as I did when asking “Tu habla Ingles?” and immediately following it up with loud English.

Oh, but the food. Last year I had a German kebab that changed my life. This year I had tortilla and croquettas which I’ll be dreaming about for the rest of my life. If you ever go to Madrid, please hit up Pez Tortilla, it’s just so so good. Tell them I sent you. They won’t know who I am, but it’ll make me feel helpful.

Some actual football happened this weekend, away from my fork, and it’s time to talk about some extremely serious topics. Here’s Five Wide.

Wide Retriever 1

What do you look for in a modern wide receiver? Speed, yes. Strength, of course. A decent catch radius can’t hurt. If you lack height, shiftiness is key. The ability to make a man miss is vital. Sunday’s early slate put that on show, with one player stepping up to make tacklers look silly again and again. Lennox, this weekend belongs to you.

The official count has him causing 6 missed tackles in his 40 second cameo, which I contest. Unless I’m missing something, he slipped through at least 7, possibly 8, before being wrapped up and taken out of the game for the rest of the afternoon for undisclosed reasons. A short stint, but will no doubt have caught the attention of front offices across the league.

If this is the last time we see Lennox this season, however, his stock will never be higher. We watched the game being changed in real time, and it would be criminal if we were denied one of the leagues great mavericks. No matter what the future holds, his legacy will forever be him becoming an idol for the next generation. Puppies the world over will have gone to bed that night dreaming of being in the NFL when they grow up, and that’s bigger than anything.

Karmic Justice

The New England Patriots used their game against the Green Bay Packers to celebrate their Super Bowl LI winning side 10 years on. Tom Brady was in the booth, their mascot, Patriot Pat was wearing a Gronkowski jersey, and, as part of the ceremony, they brought out banners to commemorate the manner of their victory that night.

They did forget one thing, however. Packers head coach, Matt LaFleur, was part of the Falcons offensive staff that season. He might not take too kindly to an opponent celebrating one of the lowest points of his career. And, as a result, the Packers blew the windows AND the doors off the Patriots vehicle. 24-14 at half time. 42-21 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Packers put their foot on New England throat and refused to remove it. Drake Maye’s inconsistent season continued, throwing 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

But the Patriots had no answers for Jordan Love, whose 372 passing yards, and 3 touchdowns, were far too much to overcome. It was, by every metric, a battering. And it probably could have been avoided if the Patriots opted to celebrate that win against a team that doesn’t currently employ a former 2016 Falcon.

Punters Matter

Every position in the NFL is important. Some, of course, are more important than others. But if one person doesn’t do their job properly, it can unravel the entire game plan for everyone else. With that, Punters are important. And, this weekend, Philadelphia’s Braden Mann did his job to an elite level.

I’ve been watching this sport for over 15 years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team in their own end zone completely flip the field and pin their opponent inside the opposite 10. But that’s just what he did. What a boot, man.

It wasn’t all roses for Mann, however. A high snap earlier in the game resulted in a punt from the Giants 44 to the Giants 42. A -2 yard punt. Braden Mann is, according to QBgami the first player in NFL history to record a punt of 80+ yards and a punt of 0 or fewer yards in the same game. Can’t win them all.

Eric Hartline-USA Today

The Clock Is Ticking

The trade window closing isn’t often as exciting as the transfer window closing in football. You rarely get a flurry of major moves on the final day in the same way you do deadline day. But, sometimes, you do get a series of moves that make you sit up and go “oh wow ok they’re all in”. And sometimes that happens while you’re sat on a runway at Gatwick Airport.

After a delayed flight back into England on Monday, I flicked my phone back off flight mode to find a message reading “Falcons are in tank mode then”. What had I missed? The Jacksonville Jaguars had put a call into Atlanta to make a move for Jessie Bates III. For the price of 2027 2nd and 5th round picks, the Jaguars defense would add one of the leagues premiere options at the Safety position.

As I got off the train from the airport, another notification. Jacksonville were sending a conditional sixth round pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for Defensive Tackle Davon Godchaux. Two good to great starters, who’ll elevate their defense. This is a team serious about making a run. Extremely serious.

The big swing came a few hours later, when it was announced the Jaguars would be sending a 2027 1st and a 2029 2nd to Philadelphia for the services of Defensive Tackle Jordan Davis. Only 8 months ago, Davis signed a 3 year contract worth up to $78mil, with $65mil of that guaranteed, with the Eagles. Clearly the 2-7 outfit are comfortable drawing a line under 2026 and beginning a soft-rebuild next season.

This is quite the haul for a Jaguars side that clearly feel their Super Bowl window is open. They’re 6-2 and miles ahead of everyone in a bad AFC South. They’ve got eyes on that first overall seed, clearly, because they’re strengthening a strength. The Jaguars have allowed only 121 points through 9 weeks, the best in the AFC. Only the Vikings have conceded fewer across the league. Sometimes opportunity will come knocking, and sometimes you have to knock for opportunity. The Jags decided instead to kick down the door. Will be fascinating to see how it pans out.

Kitwatch 2026: Part IX

The stand-out showing in a bumper weekend for Kitwatch could be found in Philadelphia, where the Eagles and the Giants took it back to the ’90s in an all-throwback effort that those of us with eyes really appreciate. The Eagles’ kelly green attire is well loved across the league, and the Giants’ retro white uniform is smart in itself. Add in an old-school field design, and you’ve got a winner. An effort so appreciated that I’m willing to overlook the game itself.

Bill Streicher-IMAGN Images

The Los Angeles Chargers attempted to snap out their funk by dusting off their San Diego coded “Super Chargers” uniform. it didn’t work, obviously. They were soundly beaten. But at least they managed to score a touchdown this week. the look is class,, though. Up there in terms of what you want from an alternative look. With that, they should definitely retire it until they get an on-field product worthy of it.

Jeff Antenore-Orange County Register

The Colts did a Houston and made the Cowboys wear not white. If they’re not gonna wear these often on their own volition, I fully support their opponents forcing them to pull them on. A nice look, these.

Robert Goddin-IMAGN Images

No change ups in Santa Clara, but I do want to draw your attention to the closest thing to homes vs aways in the league. The Battle of the Bay Revisited. No quibbles with either set of uniforms here. Gold vs Silver is just very pleasing. A classic look.

Nhat V. Meyer-Bay Area News Group

Add their alternates to the list of crimes committed by those New Orleans Saints. There is next to nothing redeeming about this. Urine soaked jerseys and pants with black detailing. The only possible positive is that they can be used as a reminder to drink more water. The black helmets are alright, I don’t mind them. But these have got to be dropped sharpish. Some things are bigger than rivalries. If I catch you wearing these in a match up against the Falcons, I’m calling the police.

Gerald Herbert-AP Photo

Features Image Credit: Charles Krupa-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

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