The NFL Report: Sean Payton takes over offensive play calling + Jayden Daniels is a "full go" Sunday vs the Giants

His home field advantage in the NFC on the line Sunday in Seattle. Too soon? Maybe not. Coming up on the NFL Report, we'll tell you why the Seahawks have the Niners number. Who's in charge in Denver? We'll tell you what, if anything, is going to change this week for the Broncos. And how long can the Lions wait for the defense to catch up? It is next on the NFL Report. Oh, is it already week five? It's already week five, friends. Welcome to the NFL Report presented by Nationwide. From our studios in Los Angeles, my name is Andrew Siciliano. A surprising late scratch for Thursday night football.

We'll tell you who and does it change anything tonight. Lance Erlein coming up. We have that shortly. But first, our headlines. What is news to me here on a Thursday getting ready for yet another week? Games are going to begin in Washington where Jaden Daniels is back. I mean, it's not official, but it may as well be official.

He is going to play this week after two weeks out with a dislocated left elbow. The quarterback was a full participant again Thursday in Washington. They get the Giants. David Blau, the OC, says Daniels is a, quote, full go. I think that means he's playing. Okay, cool. Let's go to Denver. It only took a month, but it is official.

Sean Payton has taken back play-calling duties from 31-year-old OC Davis Webb. Broncos are 2-2, and they are here in L.A. to face the Chargers Sunday.

Monday, we met with the players, met with Davis. He's been fantastic. Like I said, he's super talented. And, you know, all of us, everyone's disappointed in the unit itself.

You know, we're 2-2, but.

We feel like there's more there, and he was fantastic in my meeting with him, and the approach all week has been fantastic.

I mean, I'm not going to say I told you so. Hi there, Lance Erlein with us, NFL.com's Lance Erlein. But, Lance, anybody who watched the Broncos, who watched Monday night week one against the Chiefs, I think I might have even tweeted it, this is going to happen before October. It's October 8th. The whole world knew this was going to happen.

They did.

And you know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of when you have a barbecue, right? And you say, okay, yeah, you can handle the grill. I've got this other stuff. And then the guy on the grill is taking the ribs off too soon. He's burning the chicken. It's your barbecue.

Get back on the grill.

I love that.

And Sean Payton had to get back on the grill.

That's what he had to do because he had to make sure that this barbecue went well.

It's his barbecue.

And.

It really makes perfect sense, because if you think about it, and you follow the draft just like I do, obviously, Andrew, when Bo Nix was drafted by the Denver Broncos, I thought he was uniquely suited.

To go to Denver.

It was the perfect fit, the perfect match, and a big part of that was because Sean Payton is such a good play caller for his quarterbacks. He gets the most out of Bo Nix, who can be a little up and down from game to game. I think with Davis Webb, who's just doesn't have that same.

Rapport with Bo Nix.

They weren't getting the best version of Bo Nix. So now with Sean Payton back there, I think the barbecue gets back on track and the offense gets back on track.

All right, can I be a little bit snarky here? And I'm not trying to be a wiseacre, as I believe my grandmother would say. But, I mean, wow, they go through a tough stretch of games and now they're going to 0-4 LA and now he takes over.

I mean... Timing is everything, right?

D'Amico Ryans has taken over the offense after Joe Burrow and Josh Allen and Dak Prescott go at the Texans. Now he gets Tennessee, who's 0-4. The schedule's the schedule, I guess.

The schedule is the schedule. The lights are the lights, by the way. We turned off the lights here. Mood lighting, Lance. That's why. Oh, they're back! Lance, don't go anywhere. We turned the lights on. Let's get to the Ravens. They are in Atlanta coming up on Sunday night. Another DNP today for Lamar Jackson. Didn't practice. It's an ankle. His status is a massive question mark. I mean, whoever knows with Lamar Jackson. If he doesn't go, it is going to be Tyler Huntley. Former Pro Bowler. Put some respect on his name. Tyler Huntley for the Ravens. Good sign in Cincinnati today. Jamar Chase was back on the practice field.

That's Lance. He's excited about Jamar Chase back on the practice field. He is still in concussion protocol. Not Lance, but Jamar. Not cleared, but practicing. That's a good sign. Tee Higgins did individual drills today. He has a groin injury. The Bengals are in Miami, windless Miami, on Sunday. Not necessarily a good sign in Chicago. Kyle Menungai, after 30 touches this past week, has a toe injury, according to friend of the program, Jeremy Fowler. He could miss a week or two, says Fowler. Seventh in the NFL with 324 rushing yards. DeAndre Swift was on the field today.

So that is some good news there. All right. Get the Thursday night football. Here are the Cowboys inactives. Note Joey Porter as an inactive. Yeah, he was supposed to go. He played last week right after the trade. It's not a back. It's an illness. Joey Porter isn't going. But Tyler Smith is. He is up and active as the Cowboys have activated their pro bowler after thumb surgery. This is going to be the first time since week 12 that all three Tylers, Smith, Guyton, and Booker, are on the offensive line for the Cowboys as they enter the building.

Dak Prescott. It's the Thursday business look. I love it for Dak. CD, a little casual. I like it.

Ooh.

I like the fringe. Lance is from Texas. What do you call that? Primetime preview presented by Nationwide. Lance, what do you call that look in Texas?

It's like a frill. It's a little extra piece of flair. You've got to get your pieces of flair on every time you have a Thursday night game.

You know how that goes.

I do. All right. They're okay on the offensive side, the Cowboys. Let's talk about the defense. No Joey Porter. tonight. You had thought this would likely be against the Buccaneers and Jalen Daniels, a rookie quarterback. A get-right game for that Cowboys defense tonight. Do you still believe that without Porter?

Yeah, because Jalen Daniels is an undrafted free agent quarterback who's playing a second game. He had three interceptions last week, a touchdown. Look, he's pretty dangerous on his feet, but I just think playing an NFL team, this is a lot for the first, you know, if this were Mendoza going in his second start. It's really going to be a lot for Jalen Daniels. He's going to have to move the ball at times with his feet. He's got to get out of the pocket and scramble. No Joey Porter obviously hurts the Cowboys secondary, but I don't know if Jalen Daniels can exploit it. And I think on the flip side of that coin, you've got Dak and CeeDee Lamb right now playing at a completely different level.

Benjamin Morrison is out. Antoine Winfield Jr.

Is out.

So I'm not really sure. Sure, Tampa's good against the run, But what are you going to do against the pass? And it wouldn't surprise me if Dallas just came out and just really took it to the Tampa Bay Bucs. The Bucs struggle so much right now offensively to get anything going.

They did with Baker Mayfield.

Even though the Cowboys aren't very good defensively right now, I'm not sure Tampa can do anything about it.

And it is America's team. They were South America's team a couple of weeks ago, and you better get ready for a lot of Cowboys in primetime. Three consecutive games starting tonight for the Cowboys under the lights next week at Green Bay on Sunday night and then in two weeks at Philadelphia on Monday night. Lance, stay right there.

I want to tee up one of the Sunday games. So many good games this week, including actually this one on a Monday. The Rams and the Bills across the street from where we stand right now. Sean McVay says all these guys, including Aaron Donald, who is on the field today, are trending in the right direction. to facing the Bills. They've had a couple of classics, the Bills and the Rams have, especially not in the same conference at SoFi of late. Now let's get to the Sunday games.

As mentioned, so many good games. Five games this week that featured two teams that made the playoffs last year, including that game on Monday and including the Niners and the Seahawks up in Seattle. San Francisco has won four straight up there. They do a really good job.

I think, you know, um, obviously getting into the nitty gritty, like just their backers, their, their, you know, their backend. And then obviously their rush all being tied together. They do a really good job with that and, uh, really just keeping everything in front of them. And, uh, they do a really good job of tackling as well, which I think helps limit those explosives.

Kyle does a good job with, you know, giving us answers and stuff when we, when we do have pressure looks and stuff. So, uh, sort of just like trusting in that and just being on top of it. Like when I, when we do get pressure, knowing where the ball needs to go and, um, whether we're picked up in protection or not. You know, he's always done a really good job with allowing the quarterback to still play fast and have answers and stuff. So it's just my job to be on top of his study and when I get the look, make the defense pay.

It's four straight up there in Seattle in the regular season. The Niners went up there and beat the Seahawks week one a year ago. Obviously, then week 18 and in the playoffs, the Seahawks had their number. Brock Purdy against the Hawks, not good. Brock Purdy against everyone else is an MVP candidate. This is a fascinating coaching head-to-head here.

Mike McDonald, the last two times against Kyle Shanahan, Lance, has kind of shoved him in a locker, combined nine points for the 49ers in those two games down the stretch last year. Yes, they were banged up, but clearly the Seahawks had the edge. What gives this week?

Well, I mean, these two coaches are the best when it comes to game planning against the opposition. To really, I think, make the opposition take away what they like to do and make them uncomfortable. And frankly, McDonald just had the best of it last year at the end of the year. They just caught a heater. They had more horses to execute what he wanted to do defensively.

But you just know, Andrew, you just know that Kyle Shanahan not only was preparing for that first game in Australia... against the Rams in the offseason. I'll guarantee you he was working on the game plan against Seattle. He's highly competitive and he doesn't want Seattle to get the best of him for the fourth time in the last five games.

So I think you're going to see San Francisco will have some new tricks.

Up their sleeve. Now I will say Brian Flory.

The offensive coordinator that replaced Clint Kubiak in Seattle, comes from San Francisco. Maybe he's been sitting in the defensive meeting rooms this week trying to give them some insight on what might be coming. But Like I said, Kyle Shanahan's going to have something a little different dialed up after the last two games where, as you said, he got shoved in the locker.

So much connective tissue. Forgot about Brian Fleury between these two sides. And the Seahawks defense had like a players-only meeting this week because they had seven personal fouls last week. Ernest Jones says it's a one-and-done thing. We had our meeting. We're done with it. Good one coming up on Sunday. Lance, don't go anywhere. Coming up, the Eagles had their best O-lineman to retire, and then they traded their second best O-lineman. Well, okay, two of the top three. Jordan Mailata is still there.

But what gives for the Eagles now other than a trip to London? That's next. You're watching the NFL Report here. Eagles got to go to London to play the Jaguars. What a week it's been. Lane Johnson retired. Cam Juergens got traded. I mean, other than that, nothing going on. That is a lot for any quarterback to handle, especially Jalen Hurts when they're 2-2 and the offense was struggling with those two.

We've had change. We've had, obviously, different system, different coaches, different pieces, different things, and it's to us to go out there, us collectively, I mean, everybody here, gelling and making this thing come together so we can go out there and be the best team that we can be Injuries happen. Things happen. I know everybody's talking about next man up mentality. And so, you know, you got to go out there and prepare, learn, experience all the things that come with it. Continue to build. It's a marathon, truly.

So that's my approach.

All right, Lance Zerline, if I had a dollar for every Eagles fan in my phone that texted me this week saying, are they just giving up on this season? I'd probably have five or six dollars. What would you say to that?

I mean, they're not giving up on the season, but I do think Howie Roseman clearly has a vision for the future. You got a second round pick for Cam Juergens, who wasn't playing very well this year, frankly, over at the guard position. Landon Dickerson, who used to man that position, he's out and probably not the same if he continues to play.

Lane Johnson gone. That was the identity.

Of the Philadelphia Eagles was the trenches, but especially the offensive line. And that's really gone now. So it's time to either reload or rebuild. And it looks like Howie is preparing, Howie Roseman is preparing to reload with the draft picks. He has an extra one from obviously the Patriots and now an extra two in the Jurgens trade.

So I don't think they're giving up, but if you really look at this team on both sides and you look at the way the offense just hasn't flowed and been a cohesive unit over the last year and a half, I think it's going to be pretty tough.

For them in this division.

It's just a matter of can the Dallas Cowboys run away with this thing and I tend to believe that Philadelphia will still be in the mix, but maybe not by the end of the year. They're not giving up, but they're not the same team, clearly.

No, they're not. And clearly, you would have to think that Jalen Hurts hears the noise. He knows the pressure. I mean, every quarterback has pressure. Every player in this league has pressure. But he's trying to hold on to his job, not only this year, but moving forward. And now his two best to alignment, other than Jordan Milata, are out the door. And they're going to London to play the Jaguars in Tottenham. You remember this sequence a week ago tonight? Aaron Rodgers yelling at the sideline in Cleveland.

Mike McCarthy telling Rodgers how much he loves him. I mean, he loves him so much we had to blur it out. It led to this fun exchange on Wednesday.

Are plays coming in a little later than you would like?

Is that something you would, one of the things you'd like to see going forward? I'm not going to touch that one.

Anybody else?

Does that include the interaction with Mike about how to get him in quicker?

Yeah, Mike and I have talked.

Ironed out?

It's always ironed out.

Is that just the normal way you guys communicate?

Sometimes, yeah.

Have you found it to be effective?

Yeah, yeah.

We've had a lot of success together.

I mean, this feels like couples therapy here, right? Where you're sitting on the couch.

I'm disappointed, Frank, that you didn't do more with that.

Yeah, has it worked sometimes?

Look, I've been married a long time, almost 25 years with my wife. You get in the argument in the car when you're headed on the way to dinner. You get out, you sit at the table with another couple.

It's over. It's done.

I'm not worried about the communication thing, right? I'm not worried about Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers. What I am a little worried about, though, is what is the identity of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense?

That is a concern. This is not Aaron Rodgers. of the Green Bay Packers.

So Jalen Warren extremely effective in that win against the Bengals. And you get Rico Daldo and Jalen going together. This needs to become a run-first team with Aaron Rodgers as.

A complementary, I think, component to the offense, frankly. It's going to be balanced.

And sometimes Aaron can step up and maybe have one of those games like he had against the Bengals. But this really is going to be Aaron and his head coach being comfortable shifting this to more of an offensive-oriented team, or rather a run-game-oriented team.

And we'll see if they're comfortable with that because they need to do it.

They're not designed and built really to attack you through the air and win scoring a bunch of points.

That's not who they are.

I mean, you forget about it, Lance, because you sit down at the table with the other couple and you've got to put on your best face. But then once you get back in the car or once you get back home, someone's going to go back and bring it up again.

Not me.

Oh, no, not you. Okay, you're just brushing your teeth and going to bed and taking a book out.

I'm not a grudge holder. Aaron's not a grudge holder either. He wouldn't be back with Mike McCarthy.

All right, speaking of grudges, actually perfect transition, Lance. Well done. There are no good numbers for the Lions defense here. They're giving up 31, nearly 32 points a game, second worst in the NFL. The worst yardage, total yardage in the NFL, 423. I mean, Kelvin Shepard, this is kind of historically bad.

I can care less about perceptions. I can care less about the talk.

It's all poison.

And I mean that. Every word of it's poison. And I told the players. And so is the praise is the big poison, though. It's not the negativity. How are you taking this? I'm taking what? How am I taking what? It all comes in waves, guys. And it's all poison. We have a three-phase team here, and I firmly believe that.

And I'm going to stand strong in that belief. And I think that's ultra disrespectful to my unit to say somebody has to carry us. We're going to do our one-third here. Hell of high water. Point blank, period.

Oh, boy.

Okay. Here's some of the numbers I mentioned and even more numbers to paint the picture. Not good. Lions in Arizona this week to face the Cardinals. Maybe that. is what cheers them up. Kelvin Shepard also, Lance, said repeatedly today that, you know, blitzing Bryce Young was the right call. Okay, well, why didn't it work? It was the right call. It got a little heated. You want to play a therapist for them?

No, I don't, actually.

I do think that they're going to be okay, potentially, but I'm not going to promise, you know, a playoff outing.

Here's the thing. You mentioned historically bad players.

Over the last 40 years, it's the third worst start defensively over the first four games. And the defense that's had the worst has been Lions. So the Lions now have one, two, and three worst defensive performances through the first four.

Four games of a season.

And the real problem here is that they're just not stopping anybody on the ground.

I mean, you've got Chuba Hubbard ate him up. You've got to be able to stop the run.

You've got to get offenses behind the stick so Aiden Hutchinson can go eat.

Now, let me bring the good news. The good news is you've got 2,000-yard receivers.

You've got Sam Laporta, Jameer Gibbs' most dynamic playmaker in the game today. A good offensive line, and obviously Jared Goff, they're going to be able to score a lot of points. If you can incrementally improve defensively, that offensive unit has a chance.

I don't want to say carry them. I don't want to be disrespectful. But they've got a.

Chance to really push along the wagon, if you will, with all those points. Just get a little bit better defensively, and I think the Lions are going to be okay.

All we're asking for is average here. The offense is fantastic. Just be average. Thank you, Lance. Lance is coming right back. We're going to talk rookie. here as we continue on the NFL report. Speaking of rookies, you got a rookie starting tonight in Dallas. Second career NFL start for an undrafted rookie. That is LA native Jalen Daniels. It's week five, everybody.

If you haven't done it yet, please go get NFL Plus Premium. You get NFL Red Zone. You get everything. The touchdowns on Sunday during the regular season. You get game replays. You can track advanced analytics powered by next-gen stats with NFL Pro. I use it every weekend. Sign up today at plus.nfl.com slash fast. Terms and conditions do apply.

While you're signing up, you can also on nfl.com slash rookie rankings, check out this list that Lance Zerline put together. Just the offensive rookies. There's a defensive list as well. And he's got, look at that, a second-round pick, 39th overall. Denzel Boston at number one.

Yeah, he deserves to be number one. You see it every week. I mean, every week he stepped up. Kenya Sadiq had one big game, right? Denzel Boston has had four solid games, so all four he's been a factor. Ten of his 13 catches this year have gone for first downs or touchdowns. He's got catches in three different games of 46, 55, and 60.

So he's that.

Vertical threat as well down the field, that explosive that really Cleveland has needed. and he's been outstanding. Just a rock-solid player, great pickup and addition. Now, everyone knew Jeremiah Lovey was the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he's still on pace.

To be very competitive. It was tough picking between he and Boston.

I thought he might have some of the same issues that Ashton Gentry had last year behind that Raiders line.

Has not been the case.

He's running extremely hard between the tackles, probing and And then getting outside with his speed to turn the corner has been just kind of average as a pass catcher.

That's one of his superpowers. So I expect him to cut that loose. Now, tweak the high.

Ankle sprain that he had earlier headed into the season. So I'm a little concerned about that. We'll keep an eye on that headed into week five.

NFL.com slash rookie rankings. Appreciate you, Lance. Enjoy TNF. Enjoy your week five. My friend Lance Erlein, everybody. Check him out on NFL.com. Let's get some quick hits in here. Yesterday, we played you, Bajon Robinson, saying nice things about Derrick Henry. It's the Falcons and the Ravens this week on Sunday night. Today, let's return the favor. Here's the other guy talking about the other guy.

He's the best in the game right now.

He's doing it all.

I ain't going to shy away from it. He's doing a great job. Hell of a bat. Does a great job in their system. Den does a great job when the play is not exactly how they want it. He knows how to make guys miss and be able to get vertical and get the most out of a play.

All right, so the Falcons on Monday night, speaking of Bajon, and here's Bajon on the third play of the game, just destroyed the Saints. During the broadcast, you might have heard Troy Aikman implied that New Orleans defensive coordinator Brandon Staley had said during the week in a production meeting that he, quote, doesn't have any answers because of all the Saints' injuries. Well, today Staley responded.

I did hear about those comments, and I have no idea what he's talking about. It was a tough night for us, and certainly I'm responsible. I'm calling the defense, but we've got a great group of guys, and no one defended that runner better last year than us. He's a hell of a player, but our group defended him twice last year better than anyone else. through his time in the NFL. So we've got a really good group.

We're focusing on Minnesota, you know, learning the tough lessons from the other night. But like I said, we've got the right guys to bounce back, and that's what we're going to focus on.

Did those comments bother you?

They did, because they're not true.

I tell you what, that was one that certainly people around the league watching that game went, hmm.

Really?

As you watch tonight, keep in mind this. Remember, CeeDee Lamb had 17 receptions against the Texans on Sunday. If he gets 13 tonight, he would break the NFL record for catches in a two-game span. That man on the left, Clark Gaines, had 30 in 82 and 83. He was a running back, and he had 30 receptions. That is just ridiculous. That's it for me. Mike Yam is in here on Friday. Mike Yam is coming up next as well with NFL game day preview, getting you ready to kick off week five, the Cowboys and the Buccaneers without Joey Porter Jr. That is next. I'm Andrew Siciliano. Enjoy week five, everybody.

The NFL Report: Sean Payton takes over offensive play calling + Jayden Daniels is a "full go" Sunday vs the Giants

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