season 4 episode 10
NFL Week 5 Recap: Bills Survive the Rams in OT, Plus Our Head Coach Hot Seat Rankings
The Screenplay Podcast — Week 5 Recap
Hosts Evan Grenus and Andrew Novak broke down a chaotic Week 5 slate, including an overtime thriller
between the Bills and Rams, a statement win for Tampa Bay over Dallas, and an instant classic between
the 49ers and Seahawks. They also ran their annual NFL Head Coach Hot Seat rankings, covered a
blockbuster Texans trade for Marvin Harrison Jr., updated their power rankings, and previewed Week 6
with fantasy starts/sits, betting picks, and the Survivor Pool standings.
NFL Week 5 Recap
Bills 37, Rams 34 (Monday Night, OT)
Buffalo escaped with its first overtime win under Josh Allen, who entered the game 0-7 in overtime and is
now 1-7. Both hosts said the loss was a continuation of a season-long pattern for Los Angeles — a team
that dominates underlying numbers but finds a way to lose, this time via special-teams breakdowns rather
than the offense, which both hosts called effective. The Rams released their kicker after the game;
Andrew noted the Rams have the most blocked field goals in the NFL since 2023 by a wide margin, and
both hosts debated whether the issue is talent or coaching on the unit. Matthew Stafford leaned heavily
on the pass (216 attempts through five weeks, the most in the NFL, 24 more than the next-closest
quarterback) despite a run game both hosts praised — Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were efficient
through the air even without much room on the ground. Puka Nacua caught 17 of 24 targets for 138 yards
and a touchdown (nearly 40 fantasy points), falling just short of the NFL single-game targets record of 28,
set by Brandon Marshall in 2009. Despite the loss, both hosts said the 2-3 Rams should remain Super
Bowl favorites (+600) as long as they make the playoffs, especially with Myles Garrett returning healthy to
the defense.
Buccaneers 24, Cowboys 16 (Thursday Night)
Tampa Bay beat Dallas as a road underdog, with both hosts crediting an offensive line that let the
Buccaneers lean on the run and avoid asking undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels to do too much.
Both hosts questioned a late Tampa Bay red-zone call to hand off rather than let the clock work in the
Buccaneers' favor, saying a Dallas touchdown and two-point conversion could have flipped the result. On
defense, both hosts discussed Rueben Bain Jr. being miscast as an outside linebacker in Tampa Bay’s
scheme despite being built as a natural 4-3 end, which they said explains his lack of sacks so far. For
Dallas, the hosts pointed to a historically bad defense (ranked 31st, allowing roughly 400 yards per game)
under coordinator Christian Parker, with owner Jerry Jones bringing in a new defensive analyst to assist
him.
Ravens 30, Falcons 23 (Sunday Night, OT)
Baltimore won without Lamar Jackson, getting a huge performance from backup Tyler Huntley — 13-for-
14 passing in the second half and overtime, including his final 11 completions, confirming both host’s
preseason ranking of him as a top-two or -three backup quarterback in the league. Atlanta’s Michael
Penix Jr. left the game injured, and Tua Tagovailoa came on in relief; the game ended on a Tua
interception in overtime. Baltimore’s defense held Derrick Henry to barely 100 rushing yards, a mark that
took him five quarters to reach, while Atlanta leaned on Bijan Robinson (17 carries, 86 yards) in a game
both hosts said was defined by Atlanta’s defense generating a key turnover. Both hosts said the Ravens
blueprint going forward is simple — ride Henry and avoid turnovers behind Huntley until Jackson returns.
49ers 32, Seahawks 29
San Francisco escaped Seattle in an NFC West shootout both hosts called one of the best games of the
year, with seven total turnovers and a Jaxon Smith-Njigba drop on the final drive that would have set up a
tying field goal. Both hosts praised Fred Warner and San Francisco’s defense for holding up despite the
sloppiness, while flagging Sam Darnolds continued turnover issues (he led the NFL in turnovers last
season and has eight over Seattle’s last two games) as the teams biggest lingering concern. The box
score was nearly even — 14 first downs apiece, 269 to 251 total yards, and roughly 30 minutes of
possession each — and both hosts floated Seattle adding a true two-way tight end as an offseason need
to open up the run game. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected for a late, helmet-to-helmet hit on
Darnold and was handed a one-game suspension both hosts agreed was fair.
Other News: A Wild Finish in Washington and a Blockbuster Trade
The Giants-Commanders game ended in strange fashion after Washington got the ball in overtime in
field-goal range but snapped the ball with just 14 seconds left and no timeouts; offensive lineman Chris
Paul said afterward that the lack of timeouts had been discussed in the huddle, which both hosts said
shifts the blame toward quarterback Jayden Daniels and the coaching staffs decision to call a play at all
rather than spike the ball. Both hosts pointed to the offseason departure of offensive coordinator Kliff
Kingsbury — who had pushed hard to draft Daniels — as an early signal that something was off within the
organization. In a bigger move, the Texans traded for Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., sending
Arizona a 2027 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick in return for Harrison and a 2027
seventh-round pick of their own; both hosts credited CJ Stroud, Harrison’s former Ohio State teammate,
as the likely driving force behind the deal, while noting Houston’s shaky run game and CJ Strouds own
upcoming contract as complicating factors.
Annual NFL Head Coach Hot Seat Rankings
With last years coaching carousel producing roughly eight firings, both hosts built their top-five lists of
coaches most likely to be let go this season. Andrew’s list: Dan Quinn (Commanders), Todd Bowles
(Buccaneers), Aaron Glenn (Jets, seen as likely to be fired despite progress given the Jets strong
incoming draft capital), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers, amid a disastrous season), and Nick Sirianni (Eagles,
who’s already started selling off pieces). Evan’s three were Bowles, Quinn, and Glenn, with
Dallas’ Brian Schottenheimer and Sirianni as his two maybes — he was notably skeptical the Chargers
would move on from Harbaugh given the lack of an obvious upgrade.
Screenplay Podcast Power Rankings — Week 6
1. San Francisco 49ers (5-0) 2. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) 3. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1) 4. Seattle
Seahawks (3-2) 5. Buffalo Bills (4-1) 6. Los Angeles Rams (2-3) 7. New England Patriots (3-2) 8.
Baltimore Ravens (4-1) 9. Minnesota Vikings (5-0) 10. Denver Broncos (3-2)
Both hosts debated where to slot the Patriots (who beat Buffalo last week) relative to the Ravens,
ultimately leaving them close together in the seven-to-ten range. Detroit, fresh off a blowout win, was left
out of the top ten entirely over defensive concerns, while the Vikings held their spot despite their offense, propped up by a defense allowing just 12.75 points and 289 yards per game.
Week 6 Fantasy Football Starts
Isaiah Likely (a true top-five fantasy tight end in a great matchup vs. the Saints), Blake Corum (Rams,
roughly 35% of snaps and a two-touchdown favorite vs. the Cardinals), Michael Mayer (a streaming tight-
end option vs. the Bills with several alternatives on bye or injured), Kirk Cousins (spot start vs. Buffalo,
where quarterbacks are averaging 27.4 fantasy points per game), Kendre Miller (Saints, stepping in for a
struggling Alvin Kamara against a Giants run defense allowing about 100 yards a game), and Marshawn
Lloyd (vs. Dallas, where running backs are averaging 20.6 fantasy points per game).
Week 6 Fantasy Football Sits
Jalen Waddle (a tough short-week, Thursday-night spot against Seattle), Woody Marks (Texans, facing
one of the league’s best run defenses in Jacksonville), Braelon Allen (Jets, against a Patriots defense that
has allowed 100 rushing yards just once all season), Emeka Egbuka (Buccaneers, against a Steelers
defense that ranks fourth in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers), and the Eagles wide receiver corps
— Devonta Smith, Wicks, and Lemon among them — against a Carolina defense that ranks sixth against
the position, with Jalen Hurts still banged up.
Week 6 NFL Betting Picks
Evan is 7-7-1 on the season; Andrew is 7-8.
Evan’s picks: Patriots −7 vs. Jets; Cardinals +13 vs. Rams; Browns +5 vs. Ravens.
Andrew’s picks: Jaguars −2.5 vs. Texans (London); Steelers −2.5 at Buccaneers; Bills −5.5 vs. Raiders.
Screenplay Podcast Survivor Pool Update
The pool has thinned dramatically — from 200 original entrants down to just 15 remaining heading into
Week 6, a 92% elimination rate so far. Thirty-nine percent of the remaining field took the Cowboys on
Thursday night, a pick that missed and wiped out a large chunk of survivors, while the 23% who took
Cincinnati over Miami survived. Both hosts, now eliminated themselves, joked that picking against Miami
every week would have been the easiest strategy. $250 goes to the eventual champion.
Listen to the Full Episode
New episodes of The Screenplay Podcast drop every Wednesday at 8 a.m. wherever you stream
podcasts, hosted by Evan Grenus and PGA Tour winner Andrew Novak, running from now through the
Super Bowl. A full written recap with fantasy starts/sits, bets, and more is also posted to the site’s blog
every week.