Nothing feels better than beating your old team. Every athlete will tell you that.
Even if the relationship ends amicably, every player wants to prove to their former team that they made a mistake letting them go. And if the split comes on poor terms, then it only heightens the player’s desire to stick it to their ex.
Success is the sweetest revenge, after all.
Thankfully, this weekend’s NFL slate brings us a couple tasty revenge games along with a number of other intriguing matchups.
Here’s a look at what you need to know for heading into Week 5.
Darnold vs. Jets
Sam Darnold was supposed to be the answer to the New York Jets’ QB problems when the team drafted him No. 3 overall in 2018.
But after three underwhelming years in the Big Apple, the Jets shipped Darnold to the Carolina Panthers leading many to believe that his career would never recover.
Fast forward to this season, and Darnold is playing the best football of his life and has the Minnesota Vikings 4-0 and atop the NFC North division.
In Week 5, Darnold gets a chance to face his old team across the pond in London and show them what they missed out on.
However, the 27-year-old QB isn’t playing into the revenge game narrative and has tried to quiet any rumblings that the Jets ruined his development.
“No,” Darnold told reporters this week when asked if he thought the Jets failed him. “I had a lot of opportunities in New York and I always felt like I could have played better there.”
Admirable of Darnold, but there is no doubt this one will mean a bit more to him. Especially because the Jets come into this game at a shaky 2-2 and a loss could bring big questions in New York.
Aaron Rodgers, who was brought in to finally give the Jets solid QB play, has struggled to get the offence on track through four weeks. He’s 40 years old and coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, so there’s a chance he’s still getting his feet under him.
But a 2-3 start is not what the Jets envisioned with the future Hall of Famer under centre, and they will surely play with some desperation on Sunday.
Darnold, whether he admits it or not, would love nothing more to send the Jets into an early-season spiral while also keeping his new team undefeated.
Diggs vs. Bills
“You thrive in a space where you’re loved. Thrive in a space of being around those who truly care and truly want to see you win.”
That was what Stefon Diggs said the first time he met with media in Houston after being traded to the Texans by the Buffalo Bills this off-season.
Diggs’ relationship with the Bills soured last season, and it was clearly time for both sides to move on. A number of cryptic tweets from Diggs later, and the Bills finally pulled the trigger and moved on from their No. 1 receiver.
Through four weeks, both sides appear to be doing well without the other. The Bills are 3-1 and Josh Allen is playing arguably the best football of his career without his old running mate, while Diggs has 25 receptions for 233 yards and two touchdowns for the 3-1 Texans.
But you know Diggs has this one circled on his calendar, especially after Allen appeared to take a dig at him after a Week 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“That’s the beauty of it when guys get to buy into this and really understand like I may not get the ball four or five times thrown to me a game but the one or two times I do, I’m going to have opportunities to be in the end zone,” Allen said. “It’s a fun and wonderful thing when you got a bunch of guys that don’t care about the stats, they don’t care about the touchdowns.”
Allen later denied that his comment had anything to do with Diggs, but it’s hard not to read in between the lines, especially with the way Diggs left.
It’s not as if this matchup between two AFC contenders needed any more juice, but we sure got it. Diggs’ social media accounts will be a must-watch after the game, regardless of result.
Injuries mounting
It wouldn’t be an NFL season without a rash of injuries changing the outlook week in and week out.
The Kansas City Chiefs, though 4-0, have not played their best football. And now they will be without leading receiver Rashee Rice for at least four weeks.
Rookie WR Malik Nabers, one of the lone bright spots for the New York Giants this season, is out Sunday due to a concussion.
The Indianapolis Colts will be without star RB Jonathan Taylor in Week 5 and could also see starting QB Anthony Richardson sit with a hip injury.
And those are just some of the injuries that occurred last week.
It’s always a next-man-up mentality in the NFL, but for some teams, key injuries can be too much to overcome. Just ask the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins.
We’ll have to see which teams can keep things steady despite the loss of some of their key guys.
Game of the Week: Baltimore Ravens (2-2) @ Bengals (1-3) — Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
Outside the two revenge games, the AFC North clash between the Ravens and Bengals will be fascinating to watch, especially with both teams off to a slower start than expected.
After an 0-2 start, the Ravens have righted the ship and pulled off a statement win against the Bills in Week 4. Meanwhile, the Bengals were able to finally get in the win column with a much-needed victory over the Carolina Panthers.
But the Bengals are still looking for that statement win to prove to everyone they are the Super Bowl contenders many believed they were to start the season. No better place to do that than this Sunday, at home, against the surging Ravens.
They’ll have their hands full with the dual-threat ground attack of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. But the Ravens secondary has looked leaky this year and Joe Burrow and the Bengals offence should be able to move the ball.
There is no love lost between these two division rivals, so we should be in for a treat.
Forrest’s Favourites (Season record: 5-4 — All odds courtesy of BetMGM):
Bills @ Texans — Pick: Texans -1.0 (-110): In what’s basically a pick ’em, we lean with the home team and C.J. Stroud against a banged-up Bills team.
Browns @ Commanders — Pick: Commanders -3.5 (-110): No QB is playing better football right now than Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels. On the other side, the Browns are still having real issues scoring points with Deshaun Watson at the helm. Give us the Commanders to win by at least four at home.
Saints @ Chiefs — Pick: Saints +5.5 (-110): As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs are shorthanded on offence and haven’t been blowing anyone out. The Saints are also desperate for a win after losing two straight. Take the Saints plus the points.
Full Week 5 schedule (all times Eastern):
Thursday, Oct. 3
Atlanta Falcons 36, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 (OT)
Sunday, Oct. 6
New York Jets vs Minnesota Vikings (at Tottenham, London), 9:30 a.m. ET
Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET
Cleveland Browns at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. ET
Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET
Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. ET
New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET
Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 7
New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. ET
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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