‘Coach Killer’: Can Aaron Rodgers’ Jets bounce back? Full NFL Week 6 preview

With Robert Saleh out in NY, is Aaron Rodgers a ‘coach killer’, plus a huge week of divisional games ahead in a massive Week 6 preview.

Another week of the NFL means, of course, another week of unparalleled drama, chaotic results and storylines more suited to third-swipe-across Netflix TV shows you’ve never heard of affecting franchises around the league.

The biggest one this week obviously comes in the form of the 2-3 New York Jets sacking head coach Robert Saleh following a trip to London that saw them fall to the Minnesota Vikings 23-17 (after being down 17-0).

To say it came as a shock would be a vast overstatement: the Jets are basically a chainsaw balanced on a sledgehammer balanced on top of a stack of folding chairs worth of volatility at the best of times, and after another disjointed performance, Saleh was the fall guy.

The problem is, was it really his fault? Considering he’s a defence-first HC and his team had given up exactly one offensive touchdown over the last three weeks, it doesn’t exactly scream that it was all Saleh’s fault while Nathaniel ‘Mates With Aaron Rodgers’ Hackett watches ‘his’ offence fall flat time and time again.

The Jets being a dumpster fire is nothing new, but having a personality like Aaron Rodgers at QB – who has said he had nothing to do with the move, sure – that can swing sentiment, and organisational response to that sentiment, is.

It’s especially stark after Rodgers’ OC Hackett was reportedly on the hot seat and about to be demoted from play calling duties by Saleh, when Saleh himself was summarily fired… and escorted from the premises by security in another example of ‘everything is fine here, nothing to see’ from a dysfunctional Jets franchise that remarkably hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010.

But hey, anytime you can manoeuvre your entire franchise to cater to the whims of a 40-year-old quarterback coming off the most debilitating surgery a football player can have and who looked cooked three years ago regardless, you’ve gotta do it, I guess?

Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers’ subpar play just got another coach fired after seeing Mike McCarthy out the door in Green Bay back in 2018.

As Chase Daniels pointed out on ‘The Facility’, Rodgers might just be a ‘coach killer’ at this point.

If you look at the facts, Aaron Rodgers might be a coach killer.

▪️Mike McCarthy fired mid season 2018
▪️LaFleur completely changed the offense for Rodgers & are better now with Love running LaFleur’s offense
▪️Robert Saleh got 6 games. pic.twitter.com/8ehXtgEaWF

— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) October 8, 2024

It’s now on Rodgers to prove the (many) doubters wrong against AFC East rivals Buffalo this week and get a win to get their season back on track. If the Jets fall to 2-4, however, their bid to shake up a stagnant team to make the playoffs for the first time in 15 years will start looking mighty improbable.

---

Anyway! Elsewhere, all is right in the football world.

Hang on. Well. Not really.

The New England Patriots are moving to rookie QB Drake Mayes.

Las Vegas couldn’t decide which of their mediocre QBs – Gardner Minshew or Aidan O’Connell – that they want to start before deciding on O’Connell, all while wide receiver Davante Adams sits out eagerly awaiting a trade.

Injuries are causing plenty of havoc, with the Saints losing Derek Carr to injury and replacing him (the awesomely named) Spencer Rattler, while AFC South receivers Michael Pittman (Indy), Nico Collins (Houston) are both the latest outs heading into Week 6.

Ouch.

But hey, last week at least delivered the offensive explosion NFL fans had been desperately waiting for like me standing in line at the bar.

After a month of low scoring games, Week 5 at least saw half the games hit their points total over line, and three awesome shootouts fly past the 60 points scored threshold.

Underdogs also fell by the wayside, with 10 favourites winning in the 14 games over the week.

But that’s to be expected: the first four weeks of each NFL season are now essentially extended pre-season, so good (and bad) teams should be more aligned with what was expected of them heading into the year.

After that skewed Week 5, favourites and underdogs are almost back on even footing, with favourites at a winning rate of 50.7% and the underdogs subsequently 49.3.

Fans also saw rookie QBs Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams and Bo Nix put up big wins - with the Broncos also looking resplendent in their Orange Crush throwback uniforms - while the Jags were the last winless team to finally snag a win as the Vikings and Chiefs kept up their unbeaten runs to sit 5-0 as the class of their respective conferences.

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears reacts after throwing a touchdown pass to DJ Moore. Picture: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

That sets up a fascinating Week 6 that’s chock full of divisional match-ups and another London game, while the bye couldn’t come at a better time for the likes of the Rams and Dolphins, while, weirdly, both the remaining unbeaten 5-0 teams in Kansas City and Minnesota also get the week off.

Jaymz Clements from NFL Straya previews Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season above, breaking down all the games for the weekend ahead..

The big stories going into Week 6 will be the Jets trying to get a ‘dead coach bounce’ after firing Saleh against divisional rivals Buffalo in what’s now shaping up as almost a must-win for their playoff hopes, as well as the impact the injury carnage and new QBs has on the like of the Pats, Raiders and Saints.

It’s also a big week for the other 2-3 teams across the NFL: the Niners, Colts, Saints, Cardinals and Giants desperately need to win to stay afloat, while the 1-4 Bengals are staring down the barrel of a lost season if they can’t get by the Giants in New York on Sunday night.

As for the Aussie NFL players, Philly’s Jordan Mailiata returns from the bye, Baltimore’s Daniel Faalele will look to bounce-back from another rough week and the punters – Mitch Wishnowsky, Michael Dickson, Matthew Hayball and Tory Taylor are doing great work, with Mitch Wish even being pressed into kicking duty last week.

Either way, Aussie NFL fans have a terrific Week 6 slate to dig into, so watch the NFL Straya breakdown above to see who should win and why.

Will the divisional match-ups – Niners @ Seahawks, Colts @ Titans, Bucs @ Saints, Chargers @ Broncos and Falcons @ Panthers – deliver fireworks?

Does Drake Maye look up to the job for the Patriots?

Will the Jets keep their season alive against the Bills?

Can the Jags continue their London dominance (well, 3-1) with Trevor Lawrence?

Find out with NFL Straya’s NFL Week 6 preview and in the breakdown above.

--- ---

NFL WEEK 6 SCHEDULE

FRIDAY 11.15am AEDT

San Francisco @ Seattle

MONDAY 12.30am AEDT

Jacksonville @ Chicago (London)

MONDAY 4am AEDT

Washington @ Baltimore

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans

Cleveland @ Philly

Indy @ Tennessee

Arizona @ Green Bay

Houston @ New England

MONDAY 7.05am AEDT

LA Chargers @ Denver

Pittsburgh @ LV Raiders

MONDAY 7.25am AEDT

Detroit @ Dallas

Atlanta @ Carolina

MONDAY 11.20am AEDT

Cincy @ NY Giants

TUESDAY 11.15am AEDT

Buffalo @ NY Jets

Byes: KC, LA Rams, Miami, Minnesota

--- ---

Follow along the entire NFL season with NFL Straya:

NFL Straya on YouTube 

NFL Straya on Apple Podcasts

NFL Straya on Spotify

--- ---

Originally published as ‘Coach Killer’: Can Aaron Rodgers’ Jets bounce back? Full NFL Week 6 preview