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Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth finally available as physical double pack on PS5
Game Reviews

Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth finally available as physical double pack on PS5

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Square Enix is finally releasing Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth as a physical double pack.

These games are the first two parts of the Remake trilogy, which reimagines the original PS1 classic Final Fantasy 7.

Available from 4th December exclusively on PS5, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Twin Pack Physical Edition (as it’s known) will cost $59.99 / €69.99 / £59.99. You can pre-order it now from the Square Enix store.

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – World & Factions – Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube

Rebirth alone currently costs £69.99 on the PSN store, so it’s decent value.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake will also be coming to Xbox and Switch 2 on 22nd January next year, which will be followed by Rebirth afterwards, though that remains without a release date.

It’s unknown, therefore, if an equivalent double pack will make its way to other consoles in the future.

Here’s the box art | Image credit: Square Enix

What’s more, there’s still the third part of the trilogy to arrive at some point in the future, which is due across all platforms. Will a triple pack of the complete Remake trilogy be released physically? It would seem likely, but don’t expect it at launch if the wait for this twin pack is anything to go by.

The Xbox and Switch 2 versions of Remake will come with Pixel Remaster-style boosts to help progression, which will also be retroactively added to the PS5 and PC versions too.



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Frogs fight on the battlefield.
Game Reviews

The Fastest Trick For Earning XP And JP In Final Fantasy Tactics Involves Frogs

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Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles lets you train a group of newb Squires into an ultra-efficient death squad of hybrid specialists. There are so many neat Jobs and abilities to unlock in this strategy RPG that, in no time at all, you’ll be wondering what the fastest way is to obtain all of them. While there are many time-honored traditions when it comes to min-maxing the grind in Square Enix’s classic, some are more effective than others. And frogs are one of the best (technically they’re toads, but frogs is funnier to say and write).

Every action you take in combat that accomplishes something nets your character XP (experience points) and JP (job points). The first raises your regular level and the second raises your Job level and are spent to unlock abilities. You get more XP for performing actions on characters that are a higher level, and more JP the higher your overall Job level is, with bonuses for having the Double JP abilities equipped (more on that here).

There are roughly three tiers of grinding in Final Fantasy Tactics. The first is going to a place like the Mandalia Plains, killing everything but the enemy Chocobo, and then cornering it so that it keeps healing itself as your characters keep attacking it. The second is unlocking Focus from the Squire Job on every character, keeping one enemy alive in a battle, and then just spending the rest of the time having everyone keep using this ability over and over again. It’s boring and tedious, but it gets results and is easy to implement. The third is having everyone learn a dance or Bard song have them perform it on repeat. It’s similar to the Focus version but requires fewer button presses and neutralizes enemies without killing them.

None of these, however, is as elegant and foolproof as the “Berserker Frog” method.  In this version you bring someone along who can cast both the Black Mage’s Toad spell and the Mystic’s Fervor (Berserk) and Induration (Petrify) spells. You then have them turn a single remaining enemy and the rest of your party into frogs so they deal as little damage as possible. They then cast Fervor to give all of the frogs Berserk so they just keep attacking the nearest enemy. They then cast Induration on themselves to turn themselves into stone so you don’t have to keep controlling them. Your party will proceed to auto-grind for a good long while.

Why not just use the actual auto-battle AI controls in Final Fantasy Tactics? Well, they aren’t always reliable in The Ivalice Chronicles remaster. Set characters with Focus to run away from battle and they just won’t use any abilities. Set someone to just heal allies and they’ll eventually still go and start killing stuff. AI control is fine for breezing through an encounter while you go make a sandwich but it won’t be nearly as effective over the same period of time as the Frog method. If you want to go above and beyond, you can keep multiple enemies alive and bring someone with the Arts of War ability to reduce the enemy’s power and speed before turning them into a frog so there’s no chance of anyone dying.

Some fans still maintain that the Focus method is simpler and faster. You send everyone to a corner of the map, set their AI to run away, and then hope they use Focus a bunch of times before killing the one enemy that’s left. But I find with the streamlined AI in the remaster, that’s just not as reliable anymore. Frogs are the way.



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Monks appear at Grog Hill.
Game Reviews

Players Are Getting Jump-Scared By One OfFinal Fantasy Tactics’ Most Iconic Battles All Over Again

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There’s a special battle in Final Fantasy Tactics that’s been punishing unsuspecting players for generations. Thanks to The Ivalice Chronicles remaster, fresh recruits can witness the joy and terror of randomly getting jumped by 11 monks in one of the strategy RPG’s lesser-known endgame challenges.

Every spot on the map in Final Fantasy Tactics comes with an array of random encounters the game can pull from depending on which side you enter from and how far along you are in the story. Once you hit Chapter 4, the game’s “rare” random encounters become accessible. These special battles are weird, hard, and memorable. None more so than the 11-Monk brawl on Grogh Heights (known in the original PS1 version as Grog Hill). They hit hard and have great range thanks to the Monk’s versatile Martial Arts abilities. God help you if you accidentally drop into the battle while trying to train your squad up on weaker jobs they don’t have many abilities for.

Fans on the Final Fantasy Tactics subreddit have been posting about these Monks for years. Every so often, someone new to the game takes a photo, uploads it in a thread, and writes something to the effect of “WTF?” Community hero Kronikle has been cataloging every instance and posting each of them under every new thread. This happened again over the weekend.

“Homie really pulled up with the receipts,” wrote one fan in response. “Dude replies this every time and adds to it. It’s my most favorite thing ever on this subreddit,” wrote another. A third chimed in, “gotta respect the dedication.”

While the Monks are arguably the game’s most absurd rare battle, there’s close to a dozen others scattered across the map, each with a chance of occurring when you walk to that specific point from the right direction. A small army of Calculators can spawn at Lenalia Plateau, Yuguo Woods can spawn seven Samurai, and Germinas Peak can spawn a group of Chemists and Orators with powerful guns worth stealing. Certain rare monsters like Tiamats can only spawn in the Bariaus Valley rare battle.

Some players seek these fights out in order to farm abilities off the crystals the enemies drop. Others just like the added challenge and variety. Most story battles in Final Fantasy Tactics only draw from a very limited pool of Jobs, making the rare battles extra fun. Fortunately, with the Enhanced mode’s ability to retry and flee battles, you’ll never have to worry about seeing hours of progress get wiped out this way.



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In 'Final Fantasy Tactics', Throwing Rocks at Assholes Is Solidarity
Product Reviews

In ‘Final Fantasy Tactics’, Throwing Rocks at Assholes Is Solidarity

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Final Fantasy Tactics has long been beloved as one of the highest highs of the series, not just for its grand strategical depth but for its sharp and frank political themes, telling a sweeping tale of fantastical kingdoms, conspiracy, the nature of power, the truth in history, and class and political violence in equal measure.

But revisiting the 1997 classic this week for its new remaster, The Ivalice Chronicles, its opening hours reminded me that it’s also really about the simple joy of beaning someone you really, really hate in the face with a stone, even when they’re ostensibly on your own side, as a viable political action.

In the early hours of Final Fantasy Tactics, the Throw Stone ability is a fundamental tool in the game’s strategic combat kit. An early ability earned by one of the two default jobs, the Squire, Throw Stone is exactly what you think it is: a ranged attack where your selected character picks up a rock from the ground and promptly hurls it at whatever is in range. It doesn’t do a lot of damage, but it lets you do something on a unit’s turn, and that’s very important in Tactics.

© Square Enix

Character progression in Tactics is built around earning both experience points and “job points,” the former increasing your character’s general level in any given job they use and boosting their stats, and the latter being a currency used to unlock abilities within jobs (the term Tactics uses for different traditional Final Fantasy classes, like Knights, Archers, White and Black Mages, and so on). You earn them every time a character performs an action in Tactics‘ turn-based combat—not when they move around the field of battle, but when they perform a major action, like attacking, casting spells, or using items.

Characters can pick and choose abilities from across jobs to essentially multiclass as they progress through the games’ systems; making sure they’re earning XP and job points efficiently is a key layer to the games’ strategy. You want all your characters in the field participating, not just letting your heavy hitters run in and get all the hits in. So push comes to shove, if they’re a melee unit who can’t get in range, or they’re a primarily buffing or healing-based character, getting the Squire’s Throw Stone is useful early on just so a character can pick up a pebble and lob it at someone. It’s a last resort to keep that efficiency ticking over.

But most importantly, in regard to Final Fantasy Tactics‘ themes of class struggle, Throw Stone can target anyone who’s in range, friend or foe. It’s not a lot of damage, barely double-digits at most. If you want the XP and job points at the most efficient rate, why not have your lowly chemist ding your nearby knight with a stone if no one else is in range. They take a teeny bit of damage, you get your points, and it’s all fine.

There are targets among your allies for this minmaxing temptation that are much better than others early on, however. Well, actually, there’s one in particular: Argath Thadalfus, a guy who sucks so much.

© Square Enix

Players meet Argath very early on in Tactics. Main characters Ramza and Delita run into him being accosted by members of the Corpse Brigade, a revolutionary band that serves as an early antagonistic force. In Tactics‘ setting, the kingdom of Ivalice has only recently emerged from a half-century-long war with its eastern neighbor, Ordallia—a war that Ivalice broadly lost in suing for peace, having been financially ruined by decades of conflict. The Corpse Brigade is largely made up of disillusioned members of Ivalice’s peasant classes, brought in to fight the war on behalf of its noble families and then cast aside and left unpaid for their service, with no ways to support their families, already ravaged by the cost of the war.

Tactics makes it clear very early on that Ramza and Delita—the former the young scion of House Belouve, the latter his commoner friend—begin to realize that their life as training warriors-to-be is not necessarily on the right side of history as they’re drawn in to help put a final end to the Corpse Brigade. But Argath, who joins your retinue after being rescued, unabashedly and gleefully thinks otherwise: although his own noble family was disgraced in the war, Argath prides himself on his place above other people at every opportunity. He is arrogant and simpering in equal measure and deeply cruel—relishing in fighting alongside Ramza and Delita as they hunt down people he sees as little more than chattel.

Tactics knows this dude is a real piece of work every step of the way, and that’s part of what makes its opening so compelling, as you, the player, slowly come to realize alongside Ramza and Delita that you’re pawns in a much larger game, and the rot in Ivalice’s class structure runs deep. But it also means an interesting intersection of Tactics‘ mechanical and narrative design becomes clear. You have Throw Stone to maximize your leveling up. You have a guy in your party who is a snobby piece of shit that no one really likes. Throw Stone needs a target, and you’re not always going to have enemies in range to use it.

© Square Enix

Throw rocks at Argath. Repeatedly. Every turn, if you can. You can always occasionally chuck a potion at him if you get so zealous in your class consciousness that you almost stone him to death, but that just means you can repeat the cycle. Do it because it feels good.

And really, it does feel like an act of class solidarity. Ramza may be a noble, but eventually even he realizes that Argath’s complete disdain for those less well-off than he is abominable. Delita, a commoner himself, is already at odds with Argath, and part of the reason why Argath ultimately splits from your group is when the jerk callously mocks Delita’s sister after she’s believed to be a noble and taken hostage by the Brigade. The rest of your retinue is made up of randomized characters this early on in the game, so you can tell whatever story in your head about them—and with Throw Stone being a low-level Squire ability, it’s easily acquirable by every character you recruit by default, so it really can be a point of commonality for everyone regardless of background or whatever you go on to train them as.

Everyone in Tactics‘ opening can be unified in hating Argath so much that they all want to pelt him with rocks as much as they want to get through a combat encounter alive, to put the high and mighty snob in his place stone by stone. After all, when we all throw rocks at a guy who sucks together, we all rise together.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part Three won't be impacted by multiplatform approach, says director, despite Xbox's problematic "lack of memory"
Game Updates

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part Three won’t be impacted by multiplatform approach, says director, despite Xbox’s problematic “lack of memory”

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Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy director Naoki Hamaguchi has stated the multiplatform approach for Part Three won’t impact development “whatsoever”.

With Remake Intergrade heading to Switch 2 and Xbox consoles next year, Square Enix confirmed the full trilogy would be multiplatform. That said, we don’t yet know the release date for Rebirth on Switch 2 and Xbox, and it’s unknown if part three will be a simultaneous multiplatform release or staggered with PlayStation leading.

Still, it seems this multiplatform approach is working out just fine, as Hamaguchi told Easy Allies for Part Three “we do have designated teams working on each platform so that our multiplatform approach won’t impact the development whatsoever”.

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE – Release Date Announcement – Nintendo Switch 2Watch on YouTube

Yet while “development for both Nintendo Switch 2 Rebirth and the third installment are going very smoothly”, it seems the Xbox consoles are proving a little more problematic.

“As for the Xbox version, like many other publishers, I think we did see some issues with the lack of memory compared with other platforms,” said Hamaguchi. While he doesn’t specify, presumably he’s referring to the less powerful Series S console, which proved tricky for Baldur’s Gate 3 studio Larian among others.

“But as for the Switch 2 releases,” Hamaguchi continued, “we actually have the main dev team working really hard on this. As a result I think we’re pretty confident with the end product, we did get some great reviews for FF7 Remake Intergrade so I hope the fans look forward to it.”

Indeed, in an interview with Automaton earlier this week, Hamaguchi praised the Switch 2’s “great hardware specs”.

“However,” he added, “due to power consumption constraints, it’s designed to dial back performance a bit in handheld mode. So, since a straightforward port wouldn’t be enough to make the game run stably in handheld mode, we had our talented rendering programmers put in extra work on optimisation.”

The key to ensuring the game still looks great, though, is a focus on lighting.

“I believe lighting is the crucial factor in terms of graphics quality and expression in this day and age,” said Hamaguchi. Approximating the lighting would have made the game feel “cheap”, he explained, and so the development team has reduced the processing load in other areas – such as post-effects and fog – to retain high quality lighting.

Hamaguchi has been doing the rounds for interviews as part of last week’s Tokyo Game Show.

In another interview he discussed the gameplay of Part Three further, stating he didn’t want to “deliver just exactly the same style of gameplay experience as we had with Rebirth again”. Instead it will be evolved to offer a “fresh take on the Final Fantasy 7 gameplay”.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade will be released on Switch 2 and Xbox consoles on 22nd January next year. It adds boost options to help players progress quicker, which will retroactively be added to the PS5 and PC versions too.



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The revolutionary politics of Final Fantasy Tactics, and why Ramza Beoulve is a hero for our times
Game Reviews

The revolutionary politics of Final Fantasy Tactics, and why Ramza Beoulve is a hero for our times

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Editor’s Note: While the original is almost 30 years old, please note that this article does contain spoilers for the story of Final Fantasy Tactics!

The hero at the center of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is Ramza Beoulve. The son of a proud knight and scion of a noble bloodline, Ramza has all the makings of a grand hero, but that is not how history remembers him. Far from a gallant knight, he is remembered as a heretic who stood against the church. This erasure is by design. Ramza did embody all the virtues of a knight – he fought for the betterment of even those on the fringes of society and stood against corrupt powers – and in watching his story play out, it is hard not to think of the “heretics” of today’s politics.

Watch an enhanced version of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles’ opening movie here.Watch on YouTube

It can feel gauche or out of place to do this, to tie the fictional fighting in Ivalice with the violence of the real world, but it’s not as if The Ivalice Chronicles’ creators are unaware of the fact that their beloved classic is releasing into a world of historic violence and ongoing political strife. In a much-cited statement made before the game’s release, Final Fantasy Tactics’ original director and scenario writer Yasumi Matsuno noted that, while he originally wrote the story during the time that Japan’s asset bubble-pop ushered in the Lost Decade, the remaster is also releasing into a world which is exceptionally charged and unstable.

“In 2025 – a time when inequality and division are deeply rooted in our society – I offer this story once again,” Matsuno said via social media. “The will to resist is in your hands.”

The world of Ivalice is rendered so vividly, it’s hard not to see Ramza’s tale as one applicable to the world it’s releasing into once again. As Delita Heiral, who began himself as a fellow knight, schemes his way through the war in order to both increase his own status and gain the power to end the conflict himself, Ramza proceeds with the earnest propulsion of a “traditional” RPG protagonist. History remembers Delita’s tale, honouring him as the commoner who rose to become king and unify the land, but a player’s journey through the Ivalice Chronicles reveals that it is Ramza’s honest chivalry – which time and time again leads him to speak out and confront those in power – which truly turns the tide of the war.

Here in our world, on 5th July of this year the United Kingdom’s parliament passed through a ban on Palestine Action, marking the direct-action protest organisation as a terrorist group. This came after multiple acts of protest against the ongoing Gaza war, including the vandalising of a Leonardo factory in Edinburgh and similar acts on university campuses, and breaking into the RAF base at Brize Norton to spray red paint onto two military aircraft. The parliamentary ruling criminalises fundraising and public shows of support for the organisation; 138 people have been charged for showing support for the group so far. The first three (arrested at an anti-war protest outside of Westminster) recently plead not guilty to criminal charges under the Terrorist Act.

Image credit: Square Enix / Eurogamer

While the Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7th of 2023 were undeniably vicious and condemnable, the disproportionality of the casualties in the ongoing war in Gaza is equally undeniable. Official numbers state that 64,718 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and 163,859 injured since the start of the war. Leaked Israeli intelligence data suggests that more than 80 percent of the dead as of May of this year were civilians. As a result of the violence experts have declared the region to be in a state of famine; this will lead to many more deaths. A recent United Nations commission of inquiry reported that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, as did a collection of the world’s leading scholars on the matter.

We can debate the historical realities that lead to this moment, and we can condemn, if we so wish, the tactics of a group like Palestine Action. But the casualty numbers in Gaza continue to mount no matter how much we argue. Is it any surprise that people might gather to protest against this violence? We cannot know what lies in the heart of every one of the 138 people who have been charged for showing support for Palestine Action, but I suspect that a great many of these people were motivated to protest because of the simple truth that one group of people is being disproportionately slaughtered en masse. These protesters now face jail time.

Meanwhile, in the US, where I write from, there lie even more examples of individuals being punished for political speech. Following the murder of American political commentator Charlie Kirk, Ghost of Yotei developer Sucker Punch fired a senior developer over comments made about Kirk on social media. This is also a kind of heretical branding. While Kirk’s murder was a tragic act of reckless political violence, Kirk was himself a controversial figure in American politics who, among other things, questioned the qualifications and skills of Black Americans who were “prowling” around urban America, called on Taylor Swift to “submit to [her] husband,” and said he would require his 10-year-old daughter to carry a baby to term in the event that she was raped.

It is no surprise that someone might have complicated and perhaps not entirely flattering thoughts about the man, but to speak of those things, which an honest accounting of the man demands, means risk of broad censure. Maybe the better choice is to say nothing at all (it is certainly the safer choice right now), but to many people, saying nothing would not be honest to their character or their own beliefs.

Perhaps most prominently, in the land of American late-night television, comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily removed from the airwaves in what was essentially government-lead censorship following comments about Kirk on his show. Kimmel had, during a time when the motives of suspected assassin Tyler Robinson were unclear, commented on the behaviour of those he called “the MAGA gang” and what he saw as a desire to “score political points” in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination.

We should be clear that there was at least some truth to Kimmel’s words. In the aftermath of the killing, some provocateurs and even proper news outlets scrambled to suggest Kirk’s killer was a transgender person. We know this now to not be the case; the most clear thing we can say about Robinson is that he was an extremely online individual with all the muddy politics that entails. That and he, like most Americans, had quick and easy access to a gun.

This comment nevertheless drew what is now a historically significant amount of ire, not just from folks who felt Kimmel’s comments were ill-timed and disrespectful of the violent nature of Kirk’s death. It also drew them from government officials, who seem more than eager to make implicit threats about using the state’s power to silence the speech of anyone who didn’t meet the moment with politics that aligned with the current regime.

Image credit: Square Enix / Eurogamer

When talking about the potential for revoking television broadcast licenses for providers that host Kimmel’s show, United States Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr said: “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

What does all that have to do with chocobos and black mages? These people, like Ramza, are examples of the “heretics” of today. Our world might not be one of warring dukes, like Ivalice, but it is still one where standing against the tides of war can leave you a marked person. When I look at the world around me, one where protestors are charged with crimes and where creatives and journalists lose jobs for refusing to ignore hard truths, I see echoes of Ramza Beoulve. On face value that might sound silly, but truly great pieces of art reach out – and make this kind of connection-making unavoidable.

“Mayhaps you forget the ease at which men are branded heretics,” a villain warns in one scene of The Ivalice Chronicles. He makes this threat in order to convince a highwayman to ambush Ramza. The threat of social ostracisation by the church and ruling state officials is enough to drive the bandit to attack Ramza and his allies. Meanwhile, in my reality, the vaguest threat from the FCC to take action against major TV operators – some of whom rely on FCC goodwill to approve upcoming business mergers – was enough to get them to bend the knee.

Ramza’s story, as told in Final Fantasy Tactics, has a certain romantic idealism. Working initially to untangle the truth behind the kidnapping of a princess, he slowly finds himself opposing both sides of the “War of the Lions.” When asked why he stands against these forces, he speaks first of those harmed by the war. He does not fight to serve a liege but rather “the veterans, who are cast aside when their swords are no longer needed” and “the commonfolk, who are bled dry by taxes and levies.”

These words are dismissed often by other characters in the story – chiefly Ramza’s friend Delita Heiral – as childish, but as the story progresses and Ramza is marked outright as a heretic by Ivalice’s Church of Glabados, it is clear that this uncomplicated and uncompromising outlook at the war is one that the ruling powers find existentially threatening. And while the real world lacks princesses and spell-slinging swordsmen, it doesn’t lack for people who seem threatened by uncomplicated and uncompromising outlooks on war.

And so if Matsuno offers a model for how to resist, it is Ramza. The world around him might be one of shadows and plots, but Ramza consistently does the honest thing. And while his reward is to be branded a heretic by the powers that control Ivalice, Matsuno is also at pains to show the wider impact of Ramza’s frankness on that world. It allows him, for instance, to uncover a plot that Delita makes little effort to stop; as Delita oath-breaks his way through noble houses and towards his own kingdom, Ramza discovers that there are demons at the center of the war: a cadre of lords and clergymen, who fan the flames in order to search for powerful “Zodiac Stones” offering incredible powers. These stones react to the power-cravings of desperate men, invariably transforming them into said demons. Demons that the player obviously needs to dispose of in crunchy tactical boss fights! (Which, for the record, are still great nearly 30 years later.)

When we discover that someone like the Glabados Church’s Cardinal Delacroix hides one of the Zodiac Stones, the twist is not that he’s possessed by a demon the entire time. The twist is that the stone, once he calls out to it in a bid to eliminate Ramza, simply transforms Delacroix into a form befitting his true nature. The stone did not make him this way, nor has his nature been twisted. To seek political power, to seek military might, you already need to be a demon. Ramza’s “childish” drive for justice simply pulls these people into the open and makes their viciousness impossible to hide.

The chivalry at the core of Ramza’s character is one we find in all activists who take to the streets, even if they might end up in jail as a result. If we want to resist, this game says, then we need to do so. Who else will speak for the “commonfolk” if not us? It is through direct confrontation with evil – or at least cruelty and corruption, here in our world – that we draw it out of our institutions into the light and reveal it to the world. Delita and his politically pragmatic ways could never achieve this. He can claim the throne and win in the realm of politics, but it is the idealistic path that Ramza walks which ultimately redeems Ivalice.

Image credit: Square Enix / Eurogamer

Final Fantasy Tactics lives within a frame. The story is being recounted by a “modern” historian named Arazlam Durai. He is reading from the Durai Papers, an account of Ramza’s story written by his ancestor Orran Durai, who the player meets during the game. Orran himself was burned at the stake as a heretic for presenting these papers, at a church conference after the main story concluded. Just as Ramza’s path diverges from Delita’s, Orran is tried and killed simply for revealing the truth.

None of our current world, of course, was on Matsuno’s mind when he wrote this tale so many years ago, but it’s hard not to feel that Ramza is an even more resonant hero in 2025 than he was back in 1997. All you need to do, to see the “ease at which men are branded heretics”, is open your morning newspaper. Yet the revelation of this story now, from Arazlam to the player, holds hope: that in time history does recognise the “truth” of a matter. That even the small and perhaps invisible acts of goodness, which often seem overshadowed by the sheer power of status quo institutions, are sharp enough to eventually cut a path towards a better future. That while courthouses and churches and other institutions can last a long time, justice and truth will outlast them. All the more reason to stand for those principles, regardless of what they might call you.



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NFL Week 5 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips
Esports

NFL Week 5 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips

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The Week 5 NFL schedule for the 2025 season brings some exciting matchups.

Browns rookie QB Dillon Gabriel is making his NFL debut in London against the Vikings. Old teammates in Carolina, QBs Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, will face off again in the Bucs-Seahawks matchup. And Commanders QB Jayden Daniels makes his return from injury against the Chargers.

We have you covered with everything you need to know. Our NFL Nation reporters take you inside the locker room with the best thing they heard this week, and ESPN Research provides a key stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest. Plus, analytics writer Seth Walder makes a bold prediction for each matchup, and fantasy analyst Eric Moody shares fantasy football intel. We also have Football Power Index (FPI) matchup quality ratings (out of 100) and game projections, and three analysts — Pamela Maldonado, Moody and Walder — give us final score picks for every game.

Let’s get into the full Week 5 slate, which culminates with a “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Chiefs and Jaguars on ESPN. (Game times are Sunday unless otherwise noted.)

Jump to a matchup:
CLE-MIN | DEN-PHI | HOU-BAL
LV-IND | DAL-NYJ | MIA-CAR
NYG-NO | TB-SEA | TEN-ARI
WSH-LAC | DET-CIN | NE-BUF
KC-JAX

Thursday: SF 26, LAR 23 (OT)
Bye: ATL, CHI, GB, PIT

9:30 a.m. ET | NFL Network | Matchup rating: 35.2/100
ESPN BET: MIN -3.5 (35.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Browns: The Browns are turning to rookie QB Dillon Gabriel in hopes of jump-starting the league’s second-lowest-scoring offense (14 points per game). Gabriel’s first start comes in a bit of an unusual spot — he will become the first quarterback to make his first start in an international game — but Cleveland believes the third-round pick has prepared well for the moment. Expect the Browns to increase their use of rollouts and RPOs to take advantage of Gabriel’s mobility and accuracy. “[Gabriel] knows where to go with the ball. He knows what the coaching staff wants within the offense,” wide receiver Jerry Jeudy said. — Daniel Oyefusi

What we’re hearing on the Vikings: The Vikings spent their week in London sorting through options for an injury-ravaged offensive line, a particularly concerning development given the strength of the Browns’ defensive front. At the very least, the Vikings will be without RT Brian O’Neill (right knee), C Ryan Kelly (concussion) and LG Donovan Jackson (left wrist). Backup C Michael Jurgens (hamstring) sat out practice Wednesday and Thursday, making him very questionable for Sunday’s game. In a worst-case scenario, the Vikings could be left with their No. 3 center, their No. 3 left guard and their No. 2 right tackle against a defense that leads the NFL in pass rush win rate (56%) and run stop win rate (37.7%). — Kevin Seifert

Editor’s Picks

2 Related

Stat to know: The Browns have scored 17 or fewer points in nine straight games dating to last season, which is tied for the longest streak in franchise history. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Browns DT Mason Graham will record his first full sack as a pro. It’s hard to get a better opportunity than this, as QB Carson Wentz has taken sacks at a massive 11.5% clip so far this season. — Walder

Injuries: Browns | Vikings

Fantasy nugget: Vikings RB Jordan Mason has had 16 or more touches in consecutive games with Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) out. The good news: He’s seeing heavy usage. The bad news: The Vikings’ offensive line has been devastated by injuries and faces a Browns defensive front that previously shut down the Ravens’ Derrick Henry and the Packers’ Josh Jacobs. Cleveland’s defense has allowed just 2.9 yards per carry and the second-fewest rushing yards to backs. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Vikings are 14-7 ATS (against the spread) in their past 21 road/neutral games. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Browns 24, Vikings 19
Moody’s pick: Vikings 20, Browns 14
Walder’s pick: Browns 18, Vikings 15
FPI prediction: MIN, 62.9% (by an average of 4.8 points)

Matchup must-reads: Browns bench Flacco, turn to Gabriel as starting QB … Vikings’ plan for week between Dublin and London … Vikings’ O’Neill, Kelly injured against Steelers

1 p.m. ET | CBS | Matchup rating: 77.8/100
ESPN BET: PHI -3.5 (43.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Broncos: QB Bo Nix has had many weekly exams in his time as the starter. And this week Nix’s patience will be tested as much as it ever has against an Eagles defense directed by coordinator Vic Fangio. Fangio, who again has two rookie starters on defense (LB Jihaad Campbell and S Andrew Mukuba), will force Nix to live with the underneath throws. Before last week’s win, Nix had not found much success pushing the ball downfield to kick-start the offense. Nix was more settled Monday night, with better footwork and more patience. That will be a necessity in this one as well, given Fangio figures to give Nix a steady diet of simulated pressures and coverage looks that morph after the snap. Fangio has been a particular challenge to quarterbacks in the red zone. — Jeff Legwold

What we’re hearing on the Eagles: The Eagles need to get WR A.J. Brown going. He was held to two catches for 7 yards on nine targets last week and created a stir with a cryptic tweet postgame. Brown has been held to 27 or fewer yards in three of four games. Unsurprisingly, the passing game ranks 31st in the NFL. “I see that we’re struggling and I’m a guy that wants the ball in those times when we can’t find a way. Give it to me,” Brown said Wednesday. — Tim McManus

Stat to know: The Broncos’ defense ranks first in QBR (40.5) and sacks (15), as well as second in pressures (62). — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Broncos edge Jonathon Cooper will record a sack against Eagles RT Lane Johnson. That’s a tall task considering the opposition, but Cooper has the fastest pass rush get-off in the NFL (among those with at least 50 pass rushes), crossing the line of scrimmage in 0.69 seconds, per NFL Next Gen Stats. — Walder

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1:37

Stephen A. isn’t buying A.J. Brown’s claims about his lack of targets

Stephen A. Smith questions whether A.J. Brown’s concerns surrounding his target share are valid.

Injuries: Broncos | Eagles

Fantasy nugget: Eagles TE Dallas Goedert posted a season-high 19.7 fantasy points in Week 4, despite seeing just four targets. He had only two targets in Week 1, missed Week 2 and saw just two in Week 3, yet he has totaled 41.4 fantasy points. Even though the Broncos’ defense is tough, Denver has allowed at least 10 fantasy points to tight ends in two of its past three games. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Eagles are 9-3 ATS in their past 12 games as favorites. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Eagles 13, Broncos 10
Moody’s pick: Eagles 27, Broncos 23
Walder’s pick: Broncos 23, Eagles 21
FPI prediction: PHI, 61.2% (by an average of 4.2 points)

Matchup must-reads: Jones’ endless energy catalyst for Broncos’ defense … Inside the champagne problems of the Eagles offense

1 p.m. ET | CBS | Matchup rating: 64.9/100
ESPN BET: HOU -2.5 (40.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Texans: The Texans know they’re going against a foe that they’ve struggled with. The Ravens have a 13-2 record against Houston, but coach DeMeco Ryans said, “The past is the past.” Wideout Nico Collins acknowledged the 31-2 blowout loss they suffered on Christmas to Baltimore but said it’s time to “turn the page.” — DJ Bien-Aime

What we’re hearing on the Ravens: The Ravens are 3-0 against Texans QB C.J. Stroud, holding him to an average of seven points per game. But this is expected to be a much different Baltimore defense Sunday. The Ravens have six defensive starters dealing with injuries, including Pro Bowlers in S Kyle Hamilton (groin), MLB Roquan Smith (hamstring) and CB Marlon Humphrey (calf). With all the new players filling in on defense, OLB Tavius Robinson said, “It’s just about doing a little extra in communication.” — Jamison Hensley

Stat to know: The Ravens have allowed 35 points in three of four games this season, tied for the most such games in a season in franchise history (1996 and 2021). — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Ravens RB Derrick Henry will record a season-high 22-plus rush attempts. The Texans have a ferocious pass rush but struggle to stop the run. QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring) could be out, so the Ravens are going to want to lean on the ground game. — Walder

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1:07

Why Dan Orlovsky says Ravens-Texans is a must-win for Baltimore

Dan Orlovsky rips the Ravens and explains why Sunday’s game against the Texans is a must-win, even if Lamar Jackson is sidelined.

Injuries: Texans | Ravens

Fantasy nugget: Texans RB Woody Marks capitalized on a favorable matchup against Tennessee last week, finishing with 21 touches and 27.9 fantasy points. It was the first game in which he out-touched Nick Chubb. He made it count, putting up an outstanding performance despite a Texans offensive line that ranks 24th in run block win rate (68.8%). The good news? Marks has another favorable matchup this week against a Ravens defense that has allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game to backs (141.3). See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Texans are the only team to go under the total in all four games this season, and the Ravens are the only team to go over the total in every game. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Ravens 23, Texans 14
Moody’s pick: Ravens 23, Texans 20
Walder’s pick: Ravens 20, Texans 17
FPI prediction: BAL, 56.0% (by an average of 2.2 points)

Matchup must-reads: Emergence of rookie RB Marks gives spark to Texans … How the Ravens got to 1-3 and where they go from here … Texans look to beat Ravens for first time since 2014 … What’s wrong with the 1-3 Ravens? Injuries, consistency, more

1 p.m. ET | Fox | Matchup rating: 48.6/100
ESPN BET: IND -6.5 (47.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Raiders: The offensive line is coming off its best performance of the season, but it took a big hit in the process. After the unit allowed just three pressures while paving the way for rookie RB Ashton Jeanty to record 138 yards, it lost starting LT Kolton Miller to a high ankle sprain. Miller’s absence is untimely since the Colts are ranked eight in rushing yards allowed per game (96). Coach Pete Carroll is confident that backup OT Stone Forsythe can step up. “He started 14 games … and started on the left side four or five times. So, we’re confident that he can do the job,” Carroll said. “That’s why we went after him.” — Ryan McFadden

What we’re hearing on the Colts: Indianapolis has had one of the most efficient offenses this season, ranking fourth in scoring at 30.8 points per game. But that comes in spite of its concerning performance in the red zone, where the Colts have managed to score touchdowns only 47.4% of the time (25th in the NFL). They’ve had a rash of ill-timed penalties when in scoring position, and that has led to difficult down-and-distance situations. “We’ve got to get that cleaned up, and it’s just fundamentals and technique,” coach Shane Steichen said. “We’ll address it through practice this week.” — Stephen Holder

Stat to know: Colts rookie Tyler Warren leads all tight ends in receiving yards this season (263), which is the most for the position through four career games in the Super Bowl era. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Raiders TE Brock Bowers will record under 30 receiving yards. Bowers hasn’t put up big numbers since injuring his knee in Week 1, and the Colts look like a particularly tough opponent. Only 14% of targets against Indianapolis have gone to tight ends, the fourth-lowest rate in the league. — Walder

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Injuries: Raiders | Colts

Fantasy nugget: Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. has scored 15 or more fantasy points in three of four games this season while averaging 7.2 targets. He’s set up for a huge performance against a defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Raiders are 0-3 ATS in their past three games. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Colts 34, Raiders 28
Moody’s pick: Colts 34, Raiders 24
Walder’s pick: Colts 26, Raiders 21
FPI prediction: IND, 63.9% (by an average of 5.3 points)

Matchup must-reads: Why Booker IV and the Raiders’ D-line will be critical to a win in Indianapolis … Howard abruptly retires, citing ‘family first’

1 p.m. ET | Fox | Matchup rating: 39.7/100
ESPN BET: DAL -2.5 (47.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Cowboys: Didn’t the Cowboys come off a 40-point performance at home, playing at a winless team just two weeks ago? They did. And lost to the Bears in a listless performance. Now coming off a 40-point performance against the Packers, they face the winless Jets. In 2019, the Jets were also 0-4 when facing the Cowboys, and Dallas lost 24-22. The Cowboys can’t repeat what happened to the Bears or what happened in 2019. “We’re judged on wins. I’d say the consistency’s not been there,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “The thing we’ve got to do, we’ve got to learn how to finish and how to win.” — Todd Archer

What we’re hearing on the Jets: The gloves are going on — literally. On Thursday, coach Aaron Glenn wore a boxing glove during a ball-security drill, trying to punch out the ball. The Jets have lost a league-high six fumbles, which explains the emphasis in practice. The Jets are a mistake-prone team — minus-seven turnover differential and 40 penalties (tied-seventh most). They’re seeking to avoid their third 0-5 start in the past 30 years. — Rich Cimini

Stat to know: The Jets have allowed 25-plus points in every game this season (the only team in the NFL to do so). Another such game will be tied for the longest streak of allowing 25-plus points in a season in franchise history. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Cowboys LB Jack Sanborn will lead the league in tackles this week. The Jets are running at an outrageous clip and are currently sporting a league-low minus-12% pass rate over expectation. As only light underdogs to Dallas, they very well could stick with the ground game for 60 minutes, inducing tons of tackling opportunities for Cowboys linebackers. — Walder

Injuries: Cowboys | Jets

Fantasy nugget: Jets QB Justin Fields finished with 27.1 fantasy points last week and now faces a defense that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Dallas has also given up the most rushing attempts and the fifth-highest rushing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is 21-14-1 ATS in his career as a road favorite (49-36-2 ATS overall as the favorite). Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Jets 24, Cowboys 21
Moody’s pick: Jets 24, Cowboys 23
Walder’s pick: Cowboys 30, Jets 23
FPI prediction: DAL, 63.9% (by an average of 3.5 points)

Matchup must-reads: Pickens keeps impressing Cowboys on, off the field … Jets RB Allen out indefinitely with knee injury … Prescott set Cowboys records but is unsatisfied with tie … Glenn hoping to avoid being first 0-5 Jets coach in Year 1

1 p.m. ET | Fox | Matchup rating: 24.6/100
ESPN BET: MIA -1.5 (44.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Dolphins: Tyreek Hill (knee) will not return this season, but the Dolphins believe they still have a No. 1 receiver in Jaylen Waddle — who returns to that unquestioned role in Hill’s absence. Waddle was Miami’s leading receiver as a rookie in 2021, when he caught 104 passes for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns. Coach Mike McDaniel said the view of Waddle doesn’t change despite Hill’s injury. “I think we’ve looked at him as a wide receiver one,” McDaniel said. “I think that it’s not necessarily a change from the way we approach it the way we see it.” — Marcel Louis-Jacques

What we’re hearing on the Panthers: Coach Dave Canales likes to look at the rash of injuries that have contributed to a 1-3 record as an opportunity for someone else to step up. Unfortunately for him, nobody has. Perhaps it will be rookie WR Jimmy Horn Jr., who will play for the first time after being a healthy scratch the first four games. He brings speed. Or maybe it will be starting WR Xavier Legette, returning after missing two games with a hamstring injury, even though he struggled before the injury. There are plenty of opportunities around. — David Newton

Stat to know: Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa has a Total QBR of 19 (33rd) and averages 6.3 yards per attempt (25th) when facing zone coverage this season. The Panthers use zone coverage 68.8% of the time, the seventh-highest rate in the league this season. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan will catch multiple passes of 15 air yards or more after having caught exactly one such pass in each of his first four games. The Dolphins’ defense is allowing 9.6 air yards per attempt, second most in the league. — Walder

play

3:11

Inside the anatomy of Tyreek Hill’s knee injury with Stephania Bell

Using Virtual Medicine, Stephania Bell examines Tyreek Hill’s season-ending knee injury from an anatomical perspective.

Injuries: Dolphins | Panthers

Fantasy nugget: Since the Dolphins acquired Hill in 2022, 76% of QB Tagovailoa’s completions and 82% of his wide receiver yards have gone to Hill or Waddle. In the only game Miami has played without Hill during that span, Waddle caught eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He should once again see plenty of targets against the Panthers. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Panthers have covered four straight games following a loss (2-0 ATS this season). They are 7-1 ATS in their past eight games following a loss. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Panthers 33, Dolphins 27
Moody’s pick: Panthers 31, Dolphins 28 
Walder’s pick: Panthers 23, Dolphins 20
FPI prediction: CAR, 51.3% (by an average of 0.5 points)

Matchup must-reads: WR Hill dislocates knee in win against Jets … Panthers seek answers after embarrassing loss to Patriots … Hill injury FAQ: Recovery timetable, his NFL future, how Miami will adapt

1 p.m. ET | CBS | Matchup rating: 19.6/100
ESPN BET: NO -1.5 (41.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Giants: The Giants are pumping in crowd noise and working on communication at practice throughout the week, especially with this being rookie QB Jaxson Dart’s first career road game. But Dart noted he played in the SEC and has played in a dome before. He’s not looking at the Superdome as any kind of special challenge. He’s more concerned with getting the ball out quicker, getting through his progressions better and avoiding sacks against a Saints defense that has gotten home on a respectable 10% of dropbacks. — Jordan Raanan

What we’re hearing on the Saints: Saints TEs Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill returned to practice this week for the first time since last season, when both sustained serious knee injuries. Though it’s unlikely either will play this weekend, coach Kellen Moore didn’t rule it out completely. Getting both players back will be a big boost to the offense. “With 108 seconds left in the 2024 season, I got a helmet to the outside of the knee on a five-step out route, and my offseason is canceled,” Moreau said. “It’s brutal, and that part of sports is one of the hardest parts. But what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And I’ve had a hell of an offseason.” — Katherine Terrell

Stat to know: Giants RB Cam Skattebo has 181 rushing yards and 98 receiving yards through four career games. If he has a productive day Sunday, Skattebo would be the fourth Giants rookie since the 1970 merger with 200 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards through five career games. — ESPN Research

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Bold prediction: The Giants will deliver double-digit quarterback hits in a win Sunday. After a bit of a slow start, edge rusher Abdul Carter looked dominant last week, and now the Giants face a Saints team that ranks 29th in pass block win rate (51.9%). — Walder

Injuries: Giants | Saints

Fantasy nugget: Dart finished with 19.8 fantasy points last week, with 11.4 of those points coming from rushing. This is a great matchup for Dart, Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton against a defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: Saints QB Spencer Rattler is 0-10 outright and 2-8 ATS in his career as a starter. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Saints 23, Giants 20
Moody’s pick: Saints 20, Giants 18
Walder’s pick: Giants 23, Saints 16
FPI prediction: NO, 53.5% (by an average of 1.4 points)

Matchup must-reads: Dart on Saints draft snub: ‘Always a chip on your shoulder’ … Saints ‘got to find a way to get a win’ with Giants looming

4:05 p.m. ET | CBS | Matchup rating: 57.7/100
ESPN BET: SEA -3.5 (45.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Buccaneers: The Bucs have surrendered touchdowns on the first defensive possession in three of their four games, but have only scored on the first offensive possession once. That is a big reason why they’ve had to come from behind in the final two minutes of their games, which have all been decided by one score or less. QB Baker Mayfield said of this week’s game: “[We’ve] got to start faster, [we’ve] got to be the aggressor, not wait [for] whether it’s chippy or we get hit in the mouth once. We’ve got to come out swinging.” — Jenna Laine

What we’re hearing on the Seahawks: Coach Mike Macdonald said that by the Seahawks’ in-house metrics, Mayfield is probably the best quarterback in the NFL right now in terms of extended-play situations. “That’s something you have to deal with, but he also plays on time,” Macdonald said. “He’s extremely accurate, he’s got a great arm, and then when he extends plays, obviously he’s a great competitor.” Mayfield has the eighth-fastest average time before throw at 2.68 seconds. — Brady Henderson

Stat to know: The Bucs have scored and allowed an identical 97 points so far this season. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Seahawks edge Boye Mafe will record a 25% pass rush win rate — or better. When DeMarcus Lawrence (quadriceps) got hurt in last week’s game, Mafe moved to play more opposite the right tackle. That’s where you want to be against the Bucs right now, with Charlie Heck (80% pass block win rate) currently stationed there. Assuming Lawrence either misses the game or plays less, that should set up Mafe to make a pass-rushing impact. — Walder

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1:20

Smith-Njigba on Seattle’s offense: Darnold has been next level

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba joins “The Rich Eisen Show” to explain why Seattle’s offense has started to click this season.

Injuries: Buccaneers | Seahawks

Fantasy nugget: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold has averaged 16.2 fantasy points over his past three games in an offense that ranks fourth in rushing attempts per game. Seattle may need to lean on the passing game against a defensive front that allows the fewest rushing yards to running backs, but Tampa Bay also gives up the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Bucs are 6-1 ATS after a loss since the start of last season, and 11-4 ATS after a loss with Mayfield (since 2023). Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Seahawks 35, Buccaneers 25
Moody’s pick: Seahawks 26, Buccaneers 24
Walder’s pick: Seahawks 27, Buccaneers 17
FPI prediction: SEA, 53.9% (by an average of 1.5 points)

Matchup must-read: Seahawks sign Darnold’s praises after game-winning drive

4:05 p.m. ET | CBS | Matchup rating: 25.2/100
ESPN BET: ARI -7.5 (42.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Titans: The Titans’ defense will do its best to keep Cardinals QB Kyler Murray from breaking off long runs by design or circumstance. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson said the pass rush has to be coordinated and disciplined to make sure the defense doesn’t leave an escape lane for Murray to leak through. “He tries to get outside the pocket, they have some options with him,” Wilson said. “Things like that with the run pass option and all those things, so we got to keep ’em in a well, we got to contain ’em.” — Turron Davenport

What we’re hearing on the Cardinals: Murray is trying to keep his head down and focus on the present with the state of the Cardinals’ offense, which struggled mightily in seven of its past eight quarters. Aside from the fourth quarter in a loss to the Seahawks last Thursday night, Arizona’s offense struggled to move the ball and score in Weeks 3 and 4. But Murray said it’s hard and the “human in me” wants to look at the totality of Arizona’s issues, but focusing on today takes discipline, he said. “I try not to look at the big picture, because s— gets you get frustrated looking at the big picture,” Murray said. — Josh Weinfuss

Stat to know: Titans QB Cam Ward has been sacked an NFL-high 17 times this season, while the Cardinals rank fifth in pass rush win rate this season (47%). — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Cardinals RB Michael Carter will record 80 or more rushing yards. It’s hard to know exactly how the Cardinals’ backfield work will shake out in light of Trey Benson’s move to IR, but whoever gets the rush attempts should be put in a great position for success: The Titans rank fourth worst in terms of EPA allowed per opponent rush (.09). — Walder

Injuries: Titans | Cardinals

Fantasy nugget: The Cardinals’ backfield is thin with Benson (knee) and James Conner out. Emari Demercado is now positioned to lead the Cardinals’ running back committee. He’s firmly on the flex radar in Week 5 against a Titans defense that allows the fourth-most fantasy points to backs. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Titans are 3-18 ATS under Brian Callahan, the worst record for any coach in the Super Bowl era (min. five games). Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Cardinals 28, Titans 23
Moody’s pick: Cardinals 27, Titans 16
Walder’s pick: Cardinals 28, Titans 14
FPI prediction: ARI, 73.4% (by an average of 9.7 points)

Matchup must-reads: Despite 0-4 start, Titans still believe they can right ship … Cardinals need to fill void in injury-depleted running back room … Ward vents frustration after Titans blanked, fall to 0-4 … Harrison keeping trust in self amid inconsistencies

4:25 p.m. ET | Fox | Matchup rating: 71.3/100
ESPN BET: LAC -2.5 (48.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Commanders: Washington’s defense continues to be plagued by explosive plays, having allowed an NFL-worst 28 pass plays of 15 yards or more. It has been a combination of mistakes: communication and players abandoning assignments trying to make a big play. They’ll have to guard Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who ranks 11th with 20 pass plays of at least 15 yards. Of those plays, he has completed seven with three touchdowns to WR Quentin Johnston. “If we clean up the explosive passes, we’re playing solid,” said defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. “Right now we’re playing sloppy. We will clean it up.” — John Keim

What we’re hearing on the Chargers: After a game where Herbert was hit 13 times and sacked twice, the Chargers could be without two starting offensive linemen again Sunday. LT Joe Alt (ankle) is doubtful for Sunday, and RG Mekhi Becton (concussion) didn’t play last week. “Just go out there and execute and do what you’ve been trained to do,” Herbert said of his message to backups. “They’re playmakers, too.” — Kris Rhim

Stat to know: This will be a staunch matchup in the red zone. The Commanders have scored touchdowns on seven of nine such drives (78%). The Chargers have allowed touchdowns on four of 13 such drives (31%). — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will complete fewer than 10 passes to wide receivers. Chargers CBs Donte Jackson and Tarheeb Still both rank in the top five in lowest yards per coverage snap allowed among outside corners with at least 100 coverage snaps, per NFL Next Gen Stats. That will make throwing outside difficult in any circumstance, and even more with Washington missing WR Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) because of injury. — Walder

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Injuries: Commanders | Chargers

Fantasy nugget: Herbert struggled to capitalize in a favorable matchup against the Giants, finishing with a season-low 12.5 fantasy points. However, his fortunes (and those of fantasy managers) could change against the Commanders, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Herbert also has an elite trio of receivers in Johnston, Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen, who should help him bounce back. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: Three straight Chargers games have gone under the total. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Chargers 20, Commanders 10
Moody’s pick: Chargers 27, Commanders 21
Walder’s pick: Chargers 30, Commanders 17
FPI prediction: LAC, 58.2% (by an average of 3.1 points)

Matchup must-reads: QB Daniels (knee) plans to play vs. Chargers … Alt doubtful to play Sunday, Harbaugh says … Commanders’ D focused on execution after flop vs. Falcons … Chargers’ Harbaugh: Hits Herbert taking ‘very concerning’

4:25 p.m. ET | Fox | Matchup rating: 66.0/100
ESPN BET: DET -10.5 (49.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Lions: It’ll be an emotional homecoming for Lions RB David Montgomery as he plays in his hometown for the first time in his NFL career. He played the Bengals once in 2021 with the Bears in Chicago (20 rushes, 61 yards), but he has never had a road game against the Bengals. Montgomery attended Mount Healthy (Ohio) High School, where he earned All-State honors as a dual-threat QB. He is coming off a season-low 12 rushing yards with nine carries against Cleveland, but is looking to get back on track in a familiar setting in front of family and friends. “He’s going to kill it,” Arvie Crouch, Montgomery’s high school coach, told ESPN. — Eric Woodyard

What we’re hearing on the Bengals: This game will be a gut check for the Bengals in every way possible. The Lions are expected to steamroller Cincinnati, which is in some of the worst form in franchise history. Detroit is second in the NFL in rate of designed rush plays, per ESPN Research. The Bengals’ rush defense will have to limit big plays, and stopping those will come down to deploying basic techniques. Said defensive coordinator Al Golden: “Just defend your gap, keep the ball on your inside pad. Play with leverage.” — Ben Baby

Stat to know: Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase is seeking to avoid going three straight games with 50 or fewer receiving yards for the second time in his career. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Bengals QB Jake Browning will record a 60-plus QBR. Don’t get me wrong: Confidence in Browning has dropped off dramatically from where it was a few weeks ago. But then again, the two defenses he has played have been the Vikings and Broncos, and it doesn’t get much tougher than that. Considering his past success, I think there’s still hope for him and the Bengals. — Walder

play

1:49

Stephen A.: Bengals’ season is a ‘wash’ without Burrow

Stephen A. Smith breaks down the struggles facing the Bengals with star quarterback Joe Burrow injured.

Injuries: Lions | Bengals

Fantasy nugget: Lions QB Jared Goff has averaged just 14.1 fantasy points per game on the road since 2021. Detroit would be wise to lean heavily on Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery and the running game. This matchup also has one of the higher totals on the slate, and the Bengals’ defense has given up the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Lions are 11-2 ATS as road favorites since 2023. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Lions 37, Bengals 34
Moody’s pick: Lions 33 Bengals 17
Walder’s pick: Lions 31, Bengals 26
FPI prediction: DET, 76.9% (by an average of 11.0 points)

Matchup must-reads: Lions put CB Reed on IR due to hamstring … QB Browning has Taylor’s ‘unwavering’ confidence … St. Brown-Goff connection shines again in 2 TD day vs. Browns

8:20 p.m. ET | NBC | Matchup rating: 64.4/100
ESPN BET: BUF -7.5 (49.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Patriots: An unexpected injury issue popped up with one of the Patriots’ best players, as starting DT Milton Williams was added to the injury report Wednesday as a limited participant because of his ankle. Then Williams didn’t practice Thursday. He has played 72% of the defensive snaps through four games, has two sacks and has consistently created interior pressure. If he doesn’t play, that could thrust Khyiris Tonga into a starting role next to Christian Barmore. — Mike Reiss

What we’re hearing on the Bills: How will the rushing offense, which has been key to start the season, respond to the challenge the Patriots’ defense presents? RB James Cook has led Buffalo on the ground and has 100-plus yards in three straight games. New England, however, is tied for second in opponent rushing yards per game (77.5) and yards per rush (3.3). “[Cook] has such a really good understanding of what we’re trying to do, and how the guys are blocking and reading it. And he’s really special right now,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. — Alaina Getzenberg

Stat to know: Bills QB Josh Allen has 45 career games with both a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown, tied with Cam Newton for the most by any player in NFL history. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Patriots rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson will record 64 or more rushing yards, doubling his current career high. Bills opponents have recorded a minus-14% pass rate over expectation this season, by far the lowest in the league. The Bills’ defense induces opponents’ runs. — Walder

Injuries: Patriots | Bills

Fantasy nugget: Bills TE Dalton Kincaid continues to split snaps and routes with others in the position group. You want to prioritize him in favorable matchups, like this week’s, which features one of the highest point totals on the slate. Kincaid catches passes from Allen in a Bills offense that ranks second in total yards per game. He faces a defense that gives up the ninth-most fantasy points per game to tight ends. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Patriots have covered four straight meetings with two outright wins as underdogs. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Bills 38, Patriots 24
Moody’s pick: Bills 34, Patriots 24
Walder’s pick: Bills 31, Patriots 27
FPI prediction: BUF, 67.5% (by an average of 7.2 points)

Matchup must-reads: Diggs’ comeback is underway with the Patriots … Will Bosa’s final(?) chapter end with a happy ending in Buffalo?

Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET | ESPN | Matchup rating: 68.5/100
ESPN BET: KC -3.5 (46.5 O/U)

What we’re hearing on the Chiefs: The Chiefs know that Jaguars star Travis Etienne Jr. will be the best RB they’ve faced so far this season — and that list already includes Baltimore’s Derrick Henry and Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley. Etienne has powered the Jaguars’ offense with 394 rushing yards, the third most in the league. “What’s stuck out to me watching film the past few days is how well he is on the edge,” LB Leo Chenal said of Etienne. “His stiff-arm is good, but it’s not just setting an edge. You have to have great eyes and continue to press the edge because he’ll bounce it out even if you’ve got a [defensive end] setting the edge two yards up the field. You better be ready to knock down a stiff-arm.” — Nate Taylor

What we’re hearing on the Jaguars: One of the things being stressed to the defensive players this week: Don’t get discouraged. QB Patrick Mahomes is an escape artist who can turn a bad play into a huge gain with an off-schedule throw from a weird arm angle. It’s going to happen at least once, but the key is to forget about it immediately when it does. “We’ve just got to go and huddle up, call the next play, refocus and understand that they’ve got good players, too, and they’re going to make some [big plays],” coach Liam Coen said. — Michael DiRocco

Stat to know: The Jaguars enter Week 5 leading the NFL in drops this season (10) and are the only team with a double-digit drop total. — ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Jaguars slot CB Jourdan Lewis will not allow a single reception to Chiefs WRs Hollywood Brown or JuJu Smith-Schuster while covering them. Lewis has allowed 0.7 yards per coverage snap this season (fifth best among slot corners with at least 80 coverage snaps) along with a minus-17% completion percentage over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats. — Walder

play

1:35

Why Worthy wants same chemistry with Mahomes as Kelce

Xavier Worthy joins “The Rich Eisen Show” to share his favorite Patrick Mahomes moment and reflects on why playing with him is a blessing.

Injuries: Chiefs | Jaguars

Fantasy nugget: The Chiefs’ defensive front ranks 31st in run stop win rate (25.5%), while the Jaguars’ offensive line ranks second in run block win rate (76.5%). This is an advantage Jacksonville must exploit, and with Etienne, it should be able to do so. He has had 16-plus touches in every game this season, and 17-plus fantasy points in three of them. See Week 5 rankings. — Moody

Betting nugget: The Chiefs are 4-1 ATS in their past five games as favorites. Read more. — ESPN Research

Maldonado’s pick: Chiefs 24, Jaguars 21
Moody’s pick: Chiefs 23, Jaguars 22
Walder’s pick: Chiefs 24, Jaguars 21
FPI prediction: KC, 62.8% (by an average of 5.1 points)

Matchup must-reads: WR Worthy unlocks Chiefs’ offense in return from shoulder injury … Coen has revived the Jaguars’ run game … Jaguars’ Walker has wrist surgery, could play vs. Chiefs



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Yet another Final Fantasy 11 server has been closed to new players because it's too popular
Game Updates

Yet another Final Fantasy 11 server has been closed to new players because it’s too popular

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Square Enix is closing another Final Fantasy 11 server to new players because it’s proven too popular.

Back in July, the popular Asura server was closed, meaning new players would be unable to join. Producer and director Yoji Fujito said at the time the overpopulation “has led to a series of unexpected issues that have managed to affect the quality of that experience somewhat.”

As a result, players have instead moved to the next popular server, Bahamut, which has now met a similar fate.

FINAL FANTASY XIV x MONSTER HUNTER WILDS Collaboration TrailerWatch on YouTube

“Bahamut has consistently had the second most concurrent users out of all Worlds and has been close behind Asura in terms of total character population, leading many new adventurers to begin their journeys there,” said Fujito in a new statement.

“While we are pleased to see these Worlds bustling with activity, having too many concurrent users can overwhelm server processes on that World, which affects server responsiveness and increases the likelihood of other related issues.”

From 9th October, players will no longer be able to transfer characters to Bahamut, nor will they be able to create new characters. The Vana’diel Adventurer Recruitment Programme will also be suspended for the server.

Fujito added Asura remains closed as the server load remains unchanged despite a slight decrease in player population.

All of this is occurring 23 years after the MMORPG first launched.

So why are so many players returning or joining Final Fantasy 11? There were discount campaigns earlier in the year that have contributed, but it’s also due to a crossover with MMORPG follow-up Final Fantasy 14, which has seen a decline in players following its less popular Dawntrail expansion.

As for Final Fantasy 14, a Monster Hunter Wilds collaboration is on the way, which will add new mounts and a new battle scenario.



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Final Fantasy Tactics art shows each character job.
Game Reviews

Final Fantasy Tactics Ivalice Chronicles Jobs Guide: 10 Best Character Classes

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Final Fantasy Tactics is renowned for its clever, quirky, and deeply customizable job system. It might be the best job system in any game ever. It’s certainly the best in Square Enix’s long-running RPG franchise (Final Fantasy XIV fans can fight me in the Dorter Slums after work). But how do you decide which one to choose? Here’s my list of the best ones, based on a combination of their sheer power and how fun they are to play with.

A word of warning: you won’t find jobs like Time Mage, Mimic, or Arithmetician in the ranking below. That’s because while each of those contains some of the most powerful abilities in the game, they are each highly situational and/or better when paired with other jobs as the primary one. So while you should make sure everyone learns some of the Time Mage’s skills, you should never be fielding one just for fun. And while Mimic and Arithmetician are responsible for some of the deadliest combos in the game, they also both come with huge drawbacks that ultimately disqualify them for our purposes here.

The jobs below are the ones that will get you the most bang for your buck and are the ones you’ll want to revert back to once your characters have mastered the rest of their skills.

10. Orator (Requires Mystic Lv.3)

Final Fantasy loves experimenting with offbeat character classes and in Final Fantasy Tactics that’s the Mediator. This job talks and carries a gun. That’s it. While not the most powerful or effective, it’s pretty versatile and lots of fun. Intimidate lowers a unit’s Bravery and can turn them into a chicken. Mimic Darlavon can put even some bosses to sleep. All of these abilities cost zero MP and have no cast time. Also the hat rules.

9. Geomancer (Requires Monk Lv.4)

What if a knight also had magic? This is Final Fantasy Tactics‘ version of the Blue Mage. Geomancers can carry swords and shields but also hit enemies from far away with environmental magic based on what type of terrain they’re standing on. Each attack comes with its own chance to proc a debuff like slow or petrify. The attacks don’t do much damage but they are free, happen immediately, and can chip away at foes while you’re closing the distance.

8. Dragoon (Requires Thief Lv.4)

Dragoons have the tankiest stat growth and also the coolest-looking armor. They can hit from two squares away with javelins, keeping them out of harm’s way for enemy melee counters. Plus they can ignore elevation when moving, and Jump allows them to hit faraway enemies for extra damage while staying out of danger for most of their turn. They aren’t very flashy or fun but they can take a beating and still dish it out, one-shotting pesky enemy mages from far away.

7. Black Mage (Requires Chemist Lv.2)

Black Mages have the highest base magic attack power in the game and make things, including on occasion their friends or even themselves, go boom. All you really need to know.

6. White Mage (Requires Chemist Lv.2)

This is the most versatile magic class because it can revive fallen party members and attack with Holy. Like its Black Mage counter-part, Flare, Holy also only targets one square, letting you nuke enemies without fear of friendly fire. In addition to full-heal revives with Arise, Reraise lets you revive allies ahead of time before sending them to draw enemy fire. The only downside is that all of this costs a boatload of MP.

5. Summoner (Requires Time Mage Lv.3)

Summoners have the most powerful attack spells in the game. Unlike Black Mages, their summons can’t hurt allies and also have wider areas of impact. Cyclops and Bahamut do incredible damage and their casting times in The Ivalice Chronicles remaster have all been buffed. Plus Lich is absolutely necessary for late-game boss fights where enemies have over 1,000 HP. That’s because it does damage on a percentage of total HP basis, letting it hit for 999 damage. Also Golem is a great support summon for soaking up Archer fire in-between turns.

4. Ninja (Requires Archer Lv.4, Thief Lv.5, Geomancer Lv.2)

Two words: Dual-Wield. The only thing cooler than one sword is two swords, and the Ninja job gives you that. Or two flails if you’re an RNG sicko. Ninjas have great movement and speed, and can be outfitted with enough evasion to make their squishy HP less susceptible to being quickly depleted. The throwing attack isn’t the best but it’s another decent ranged option for picking enemies off from afar.

3. Samurai (Requires Knight Lv.4, Monk Lv.5, Dragoon Lv.2)

Okay, maybe I lied. The only thing cooler than two swords is one big sword that you lift up over your head to cast magic with. The Samurai is another interesting riff of the “what if Knight but also Mage?” question. The Iaido abilities scale with magic attack and let you heal, buff, debuff, and damage a big area around your character without having to worry about friendly fire. It can be expensive early on when your swords randomly break in-between uses, but more tanky-ness than the Ninja and Geomancer also adds to the appeal. Some other people would put Ninja ahead of Samurai, and that’s because they get a perverse satisfaction out of constantly having to revive them.

2. Chemist (Unlocked from the start)

Unlocked right from the start, Chemists are the true workhorses of the Final Fantasy Tactics combat economy. They’re far from flashy but they provide incredible value, instantly healing without needing to wait for spells to cast or hoping they have enough MP left in the tank. They also get guns and they automatically discover items hidden beneath them during battle sometimes. There is almost no battle in Final Fantasy Tactics you can’t eventually win simply by throwing dozens and dozens of potions and phoenix downs at it. Plus they have lots of fun pouches.

1. Monk (Requires Knight Lv.3)

The Monk. Where do I begin? They don’t need weapons or hats so you don’t need to spend a ton of money on upkeep. They have the best physical attack growth in the game and the Martial Arts ability is by far the most useful. They have ranged options and can revive allies or get rid of status effects for free. Plus they are the only Job that can restore MP to multiple characters at once, keeping your big Mage guns fueled up. The only drawback is these abilities are severely hampered by differences in elevation so you have to play smart. But when all else fails, just punch everyone in the face really, really hard. Works every time.



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NFL Week 5 latest buzz, questions, news and fantasy tips
Esports

NFL Week 5 latest buzz, questions, news and fantasy tips

by admin


  • Jeremy Fowler

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    Jeremy Fowler

    senior NFL national reporter

      Jeremy Fowler is a senior national NFL writer for ESPN, covering the entire league including breaking news. Jeremy also contributes to SportsCenter both as a studio analyst and a sideline reporter covering for NFL games. He is an Orlando, Florida native who joined ESPN in 2014 after covering college football for CBSSports.com.

  • Dan Graziano

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    Dan Graziano

    senior NFL national reporter

      Dan Graziano is a senior NFL national reporter for ESPN, covering the entire league and breaking news. Dan also contributes to Get Up, NFL Live, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, Sunday NFL Countdown and Fantasy Football Now. He is a New Jersey native who joined ESPN in 2011, and he is also the author of two published novels.

Oct 1, 2025, 11:10 AM ET

We’re a month into the NFL season, and insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and buzz on key situations heading into October play.

One of the biggest storylines of the week is what’s going on with the Ravens and their 1-3 start. Jeremy and Dan have intel on the sentiments in Baltimore and how much panic the Ravens are feeling. They are also diving in on the Titans’ 0-4 start and long-term ramifications of it, along with what they’re hearing on the quarterback front as the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline approaches.

That’s not all, as Jeremy and Dan will also be examining rookies who have earned themselves more playing time. It’s all here, as our reporters answer big questions and empty their notebooks heading into Week 5.

Jump to:
Potential Titans changes | Ravens’ panic meter
Rookies making a move | Will a QB be traded?
More notes on Week 5

What are you hearing on the Titans’ 0-4 start and potential changes they could make — now or in the offseason?

Fowler: There is moderate concern among the coaching staff that the front office and ownership might not be as patient as they originally believed, which could lead to change sooner rather than later. The proverbial “vibes” simply are not good right now. The front office entered the season with optimism about head coach Brian Callahan, who was a hot name on the coaching circuit in 2024. And though it wouldn’t set a win-loss goal in regard to his tenure, Titans brass wanted to see a team that’s improving. That’s hardly the case in Tennessee, where a minus-69 point differential through four games is by far the worst in the league (next closest is New Orleans at minus-55).

The overall lack of flow from week to week is only intensifying the discomfort. Callahan relinquishing playcalling duties to assistant Bo Hardegree a week ago could buy the staff a little time, but firing him a week after such a change would be counterproductive. The Titans’ bye is Week 10, which feels important. But the expectation among some around the league I’ve talked to is that the temperature is increasing, especially with owner Amy Adams Strunk’s willingness to make drastic changes in recent years.

Editor’s Picks

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Graziano: It’s one thing to start 0-4 with a rookie quarterback, but it’s another to be as noncompetitive as the Titans have been. They had a second-half lead against the Broncos in Week 1, but things seem to have gotten progressively worse each week since. Sunday’s loss to Houston was a complete no-show, and to get shut out the week after making an offensive playcaller change doesn’t say much about their chances to fix this thing on the fly.

Callahan was Tennessee’s top choice as head coach following the 2023 season, and the franchise entered this season with the belief that he was the guy to shepherd Ward’s transition into the league. But there have been red flags, including some game management situations and some postgame news conferences in which Callahan seemed unaware of some of the rules governing replay challenges, etc. If the Titans can win a couple of games, I’m sure that will buy him time, but that’s a big if right now, and Callahan hasn’t helped himself with some of his gaffes.

I will say, from talking to people who follow these situations in the league, that there’s belief that this will be a desirable job if and when it comes open. Young, promising QB, new stadium on the horizon, etc. You agree?

Fowler: Agreed. This can be a good job, Dan. Cam Ward has serious potential but needs an infusion of pass-catching talent around him. A few drafts can fix that. The offensive line hasn’t come together despite significant investments. But offensive tackle JC Latham (currently injured) and guard Peter Skoronski are players to build on. The defense has held up at times.

President of football operations Chad Brinker and general manager Mike Borgonzi come from well-established, methodical personnel trees — the Packers and Chiefs, respectively. That should lead to build-through-the-draft patience … which I once thought would help Callahan’s case, but now I’m not so sure. As you mentioned, game management issues in multiple games this season have not helped his cause. That’s such a priority for teams now.

Graziano: Yeah, that’s another thing to watch, because Borgonzi and Brinker weren’t really in their current roles when the organization hired Callahan. (Maybe Brinker was, but he didn’t have as much clearly delineated power at the time.) It’s never a comfortable feeling working for people who didn’t hire you. And your point about the offensive line is a critical one, because the offensive line coach is Callahan’s father, Bill Callahan, who’s considered one of the best to ever do that job. I believe Bill wouldn’t stick around if Brian got fired, so you’re talking about major change in critical areas. I might look foolish in a couple of weeks (or days, who knows?), but if I’m making a prediction, I lean toward the Titans giving Callahan the rest of the year before making a decision.

Rate the level of panic in the Ravens’ building on a scale of 1-10

Graziano: I say 5, but it’s important to note that that’s a really high number in Baltimore, where there’s typically not much panic at all. This defense has had no answers for anyone but the Browns, and with Nnamdi Madubuike out for the season and a ton of other injuries (Nate Wiggins, Roquan Smith, Ar’Darius Washington, the list goes on and on) on that side of the ball, where are the answers going to come from? Add Lamar Jackson’s hamstring injury, and now you have a potential for disaster.

If Jackson misses significant time, this season could go downhill quickly. Cooper Rush is the backup, and obviously the offense will look a lot different when he starts than it does when Jackson starts. The running game hasn’t done anything since the season opener against Buffalo. There are a lot of problems for a team that was a popular preseason Super Bowl pick.

I am guessing the panic meter about the Ravens outside the building — among fans and those of us who analyze objectively — is closer to 10 right now. But the Ravens count on the strength and steadiness of coach John Harbaugh, general manager Eric DeCosta and their internal leadership structure to solve problems and get them through tough times. You can bet they’re scouring for answers, internally and externally.

Breaking News from Adam Schefter

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Fowler: I’ll go 6. It’s worth remembering in times like this that Jackson has a .717 career winning percentage as a starter. That’s a Tom Brady-like figure. Assuming Jackson does not miss significant time, the Ravens have a path to a backdoor playoff spot.

All three losses are to elite teams with championship hopes. It’s not like the Ravens are blowing leads to winless teams. The offense is still trying to find its rhythm with personnel groupings — when to play big people for the run game (such as two or three tight ends) vs. playing through receivers and the passing game more often. There’s enough talent on offense to make it work regardless. But this defense is galaxies away from the once-proud unit that charged Super Bowl runs. It’s currently serving as a confidence builder for struggling offenses to get right. And losing Madubuike for the year is a crushing blow. That’s a premier player on a defensive front that’s struggling to generate a pass rush.

Graziano: Like you, I also look at who their losses are against. The Bills, Lions and Chiefs are among the best teams in the league, sure, but the Ravens were supposed to be, too. And in the case of Buffalo and Kansas City, those are losses that could really come back to bite the Ravens late in the season when we’re sorting out playoff seeding and tiebreakers. At 1-3, Baltimore is probably hoping it has that problem, but assuming the Ravens come back from this and make the run we all expected, these early-season losses could put them behind the eight ball come playoff seeding time. Sunday’s game against the Texans is another that could potentially have implications for tiebreakers and seeding if the Ravens play their way back into contention.

When I was at their training camp, I was talking to Harbaugh about the coming season and he was stressing how important it was to get off to a fast start — how they started 0-2 last season and ended up having to play a playoff game in Buffalo in January instead of playing the Bills at home. I’m sure Harbaugh is as perplexed as the rest of us are about why September went so poorly.

Fowler: The Ravens’ schedule will ease up. Only one of their next seven opponents (Rams, Week 6) has a winning record. The AFC North is winnable. But it appears they’ll have to win shootouts. On defense, the Ravens need more from pass rusher Odafe Oweh, a former first-round pick, and corner Jaire Alexander, who hasn’t played since Week 1. Otherwise, my preseason Super Bowl pick looks bleak.

Harbaugh made an unconventional defensive coordinator hire in Zach Orr, a former Ravens linebacker who quickly worked his way up the ranks, in February 2024 to replace Mike Macdonald. Orr was able to help steady a struggling Ravens defense late last season, but this is two consecutive years of suboptimal results for long stretches.

Which rookie has made a case for more playing time after a strong start?

Fowler: He’s already getting more time, but Giants running back Cam Skattebo is proving a capable option out of the backfield with Tyrone Tracy Jr. sidelined by injury. Skattebo’s recent impact has been undeniable. His ability to knife through tackles and create additional yards will be crucial for a streaky (that’s putting it nicely) New York passing offense. He averaged nearly six yards per touch thus far.

Another emerging offensive option is Seahawks receiver Tory Horton, who is making the most of his limited role. He’s averaging just under 27 snaps but has six catches on 10 targets for 74 yards and two touchdowns, including an impressive over-the-shoulder grab in the end zone in Week 3. While Cooper Kupp seems entrenched as Seattle’s WR2, Horton is giving the Seahawks something to think about after producing three total touchdowns (including a 95-yard kickoff return). Looks like GM John Schneider got a fifth-round gem.

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1:11

Eric Karabell: Acquire Cam Skattebo if you can

Eric Karabell explains why Cam Skattebo is a definite top-20 fantasy running back for the rest of the season.

Graziano: Woody Marks looks like a more exciting running back than Nick Chubb in Houston, where the Texans are looking for any answer they can find on offense. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Marks get a little more run. Chiefs rookie running back Brashard Smith has seen more involvement in the offense in recent weeks and I’m told to expect that to continue.

And my guy Harold Fannin Jr., who we pointed out in Week 1 as a rookie to watch, has worked his way into the pass catcher rotation in Cleveland even with David Njoku ahead of him on the Browns’ tight end depth chart. The Browns love using Fannin in a lot of different roles, and I think that usage will only expand.

Fowler: Cleveland is really excited about Fannin’s future — and that of running back Quinshon Judkins and wide receiver Isaiah Bond. On defense, Carolina edge rusher Nic Scourton has made a quick impression. The Panthers wanted to utilize more young players on defense after a sluggish start, and Scourton, a second-round pick in April, has played 100 snaps over the past two weeks, producing a pass deflection and several quarterback pressures. He has a high motor, plays with power and has a nifty spin move in his arsenal. The youth movement is on for Carolina, which is also giving third-round edge rusher Princely Umanmielen extended snaps.

Graziano: Edge rusher Ashton Gillotte is a player who really excites the Chiefs. He got his hand on a field goal attempt in the Week 3 victory over the Giants and has seen his snap count rise each week as the team continues to trust him more. I would not be surprised to see Kansas City continue to use Gillotte more as the season goes on as they rely more and more on their defense while the offense gets its act together.

True or false: A quarterback will be traded before the deadline.

Graziano: True. Now, it could be someone such as Carson Wentz or Kenny Pickett, which wouldn’t exactly make headlines, but I think you’re asking if it could be someone such as Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson or one of the Cleveland rookies (Dillon Gabriel was named the Browns starter Wednesday morning). Anything’s possible. It doesn’t feel like Wilson has a real role in New York, where rookie Jaxson Dart is now the starter and Jameis Winston is signed through 2026 to be his backup. Wilson’s trade value is also likely very low right now, so the Giants might wait until someone gets desperate to ship him out.

Cousins’ situation in Atlanta, as the veteran backup behind Michael Penix Jr., is one we’ve frequently discussed. He could get dealt, but Atlanta is not desperate to deal him and is still asking for a relatively high price. The Falcons believe he has value as a reliable backup in case something should happen to Penix. And having been on the sideline for Sunday’s game against Washington, I can tell you Cousins is one of the prominent voices in Penix’s ear between possessions. He’s been helpful in Penix’s development and, along with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and quarterbacks coach D.J. Williams, is a helpful extra set of eyes and ears that benefits Penix.

Fowler: Man, Pickett getting dealt for the third time in a calendar year would be tough on his real estate portfolio. Do I believe a quarterback will be traded? Yes, so my answer is true. A quarterback with a marquee name, I’m not so sure. Wilson would be the most sensible candidate. Cleveland had some level of interest in Wilson before he signed with the Giants, and his $2 million base salary makes him very tradable.

But it’s uncertain where Cleveland will be from a roster-building standpoint three or four weeks from now. Wilson would be a low-cost play if the Browns aren’t satisfied with Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders. And Cleveland explored the Cousins situation before ultimately signing Joe Flacco, trading for Pickett and drafting two passers.

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0:37

Rex Ryan wants Shedeur to start for the Browns

Rex Ryan questions why the Browns have not started Shedeur Sanders at quarterback.

Outside of that, there’s not a clear-cut need for teams, barring injury. One intriguing option is Anthony Richardson Sr., who is stuck behind Daniel Jones in Indianapolis. My sense is Richardson would be open to joining a premier playcaller such as Sean McVay as a developmental player so he can reset for 2026.

Graziano: Richardson is an interesting one. I remember a couple of teams wondering whether Indy would be open to moving him during free agency. So far, they’ve insisted they aren’t, but you’re right. If Jones keeps playing well and leads them to their first division title in more than a decade, who’s to say the Colts don’t decide he’s their future at quarterback and sign him to an extension?

In general, acquiring a starting QB at the trade deadline is tough, because in most cases it’s a guy who must learn a new offense on the fly. By the time he’s up to speed, it could be too late for him to save the season. That’s why someone like Richardson, whom teams might view for development in the long term, makes more sense. But there are situations that come up where a team with high hopes finds itself with a sudden need and might be willing to take the risks involved with bringing in someone from outside its system, right?

Fowler: That question reminds me that quarterback needs can change in a hurry — especially after what the Bengals just showed Monday night. Got to wonder if Cincinnati evaluates quarterback options if the downward spiral deepens. After Monday night’s lifeless outing, Cincinnati now has gained fewer than 200 offensive yards in three of its first four games. The last team to do that was the 2009 Raiders, who rolled out a combination of JaMarcus Russell, Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye at quarterback.

The Bengals still believe in Jake Browning, who was far from the only culprit in Denver on Monday, but Cincinnati has too much skill position talent to accept the status quo. At some point, it could need reinforcements at the game’s most important position. It might be worth calling recently retired Derek Carr to check on how his shoulder injury is healing.

What else are you hearing this week?

Graziano’s notes:

• Tyreek Hill’s contract with the Dolphins is structured in a way that he might actually benefit from being released before the end of the season. I was looking at his contract to get a sense of his future with Miami now that his season has ended due to the gruesome knee injury he sustained Monday night against the Jets. Hill is owed $36 million for 2026, none of which is guaranteed, even against injury. If Hill is still on the roster as of 4 p.m. ET on the third day of the 2026 league year (March 13, 2026), then $11 million of his 2026 salary becomes fully guaranteed and his $5 million roster bonus vests. So odds are that the Dolphins would release Hill prior to March 13 to avoid owing him $16 million next year, unless the two sides agree to rework the contract before then.

Hill’s 2025 compensation — combined salary and bonuses — comes to $25.85 million, and all of that is guaranteed; he’ll get every penny of it. But Hill’s 2025 contract also includes $1.8 million in per-game active roster bonuses — $105,882.36 for each game for which he’s a member of the 48-man active roster. That money is conditionally guaranteed, meaning if the team releases him, he’d get the full $1.8 million. But the way the conditional guarantee works is if he’s on the 53-man roster but not active on game day, he does not get the $105,882.36 for that week.

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1:01

Orlvosky: Tyreek Hill’s injury was tough to watch

Dan Orlovsky explains what he was feeling after Tyreek Hill’s season-ending injury during “Monday Night Football.”

The Dolphins have played four games, and Hill was active for all four, so he has already pocketed $423,529.44. If the Dolphins were to cut him this week, he’d get the remaining $1,376,470.56. But if they keep him on the roster the rest of the season and he isn’t active on game days, he won’t get any of that $1,376,470.56. So as weird as it sounds, Hill would make more money if the Dolphins release him before the end of the season than he would if they waited until March to cut him.

• Having covered Washington’s game in Atlanta this past Sunday and talking to Commanders people, I came away believing quarterback Jayden Daniels has a decent chance to be activated and play this week in Los Angeles against the Chargers. Daniels (knee) was a limited practice participant last week after not practicing at all the week before, and from what I was told, he was close to being cleared to play in Atlanta. The team doctors decided on Friday it was best to hold him out. Keep an eye on whether he logs any full practices this week, which would be a strong indication he’s good to go Sunday. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin sounded like he could need another week or two to heal from his quad injury, but the Commanders will know more as the practice week goes along.

• With McLaurin out, the Commanders leaned heavily on Deebo Samuel in Week 4, which isn’t a surprise. What might have been a surprise, though, was the extent to which they used Samuel as an outside receiver, instead of just in the slot or in the backfield the way they usually do. What makes them more comfortable doing that is what they’ve seen from fourth-round rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane in the slot. So Washington used him there a bit and moved Samuel around more than usual. Once McLaurin and Noah Brown (groin) are back, I’d expect Samuel’s usage to revert to the original plan.

• One more Commanders note, for you fantasy managers wondering about the running backs: They’re very happy at the moment using a committee with Chris Rodriguez Jr., Jeremy McNichols and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. But they do view Croskey-Merrit as the most capable one of the three to emerge as an all-around threat out of the backfield. And as he gains more experience, I would expect his role to increase. If you have him on your fantasy roster, I’d hold on, because there’s a chance he could be the lead back there over the second half of the season.

• I asked some Chiefs people about the way the offense looked with Xavier Worthy back from his shoulder injury. One response I got: “That’s the way it was supposed to look in Brazil before play 3 lol.”

It was the third play in the season opener against the Chargers in Brazil on which Worthy collided with Travis Kelce and dislocated his shoulder, and a Chiefs offense that had practiced all offseason with Worthy and the suspended Rashee Rice as its top two wide receivers looked lost for the rest of that game and in Weeks 2 and 3 while Worthy sat out to heal. With Worthy back, the offense sprang to life (against an admittedly undermanned Ravens defense), and Kansas City’s expectation is that it will get even better in Week 7 when Rice returns from his six-game personal conduct policy suspension.

• The Browns debated whether to switch from Joe Flacco to Dillon Gabriel this week, in part because it’s an odd week with the game against the Vikings in London. But they ultimately decided to make the move. You’ll remember of course that the Browns also have fellow rookie Shedeur Sanders and might want to get a look at him in a starting role before the end of the season, too. With Gabriel as the next man up, it’ll be interesting to see if they elevate Sanders to the No. 2 spot (he has been the inactive/emergency third QB on game days so far) or if they hold onto Flacco as the game day backup. That’ll tell us a lot about where Cleveland thinks Sanders is in his development and what his chances are of seeing some starts this season. For now, Sanders remains the No. 3 behind Gabriel and Flacco.

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• The Falcons go into their bye feeling worlds better about their offense than they did a week ago. They lost 30-0 to Carolina in Week 3, then dropped 34 points and 435 yards of offense on the Commanders in Sunday’s 34-27 home win. That represented quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s career high in passing yards (313) and running back Bijan Robinson’s career high in scrimmage yards (181). The morning of the game, I saw Falcons QBs coach D.J. Williams on the field and asked how Penix was doing after the shutout. “He’s fine,” Williams told me. “He’s great. He doesn’t ride the wave, the highs and lows. That’s one of the things we love about him.”

The Falcons never considered sitting Penix down for Kirk Cousins, as bad as things looked in Weeks 2 and 3. Falcons coach Raheem Morris said after the Week 4 game that the way Penix showed up at the facility last Monday — focused and determined to make up for the Week 3 performance — left no doubt in Morris’ mind that Penix could and would handle this. And his teammates felt the same way. “Mike’s fantastic, and you see it in the leader he has shown himself to be and the competitor that he is,” Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom told me. “There’s nothing but 100 percent love and confidence in Mike here.”

• The Steelers are 3-1 and out in front in an AFC North whose other three teams are having all kinds of problems. They squeaked out wins in Week 1 and Week 3 with some serious turnover help from the Jets and Patriots, respectively, but the offense racked up a season-high 313 yards in Week 4 (after averaging 247 in its first three games). That unit is showing steady improvement around veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers knew coming into the season that the offense would be a work in progress, but they’re happy with the way their young O-line is building confidence week by week, and they’ll continue to move No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf around the formation to maximize his playmaking ability.

Starting running back Jaylen Warren was a surprise inactive Sunday morning due to a knee injury that just didn’t feel quite right in pregame warmups. But they’re hopeful he’ll be fine in Week 6 after the bye. In the meantime, they got to deploy Kenneth Gainwell, who has been impressing them since the spring with his ability to contribute in multiple ways. The team also believes rookie Kaleb Johnson will contribute before season’s end, but as of now, they’re fine if the backfield is led by Warren (when healthy) and Gainwell.

Fowler’s notes:

• Despite a 4-0 start, the Eagles are forced to answer for a cryptic tweet from receiver A.J. Brown, which brings their 31st-ranked passing offense into focus. First, to get this out of the way: Brown’s contract comes with a dead cap hit of nearly $90 million. That’s tough to trade, even for an aggressive front office such as Philadelphia — though not impossible if designated as a post-June 1 trade. Some execs I spoke to this week don’t expect Philadelphia to trade Brown in-season but said that it could be something to entertain in the offseason. It’s sort of the worst-kept secret inside the league that Brown’s love-hate relationship with Philly’s passing game bubbles to the surface from time to time. He’s a true competitor and wants to be great. With that comes emotion and inevitable frustration.

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Paolantonio: Eagles need to get creative with getting A.J. Brown the ball

Sal Paolantonio and Domonique Foxworth discuss what needs to change with the Eagles’ offense amid potential unhappiness from star wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Philly could lean on an elite offensive line to carry the load in the run game. This unit isn’t as dominant with Landon Dickerson playing hurt and Tyler Steen replacing Mekhi Becton, who got more consistent push up front last season. The impression I’ve gotten from talking to multiple NFL coaches who know Philadelphia well is that teams are forcing Jalen Hurts to throw against zone-heavy defense. Attacking a zone window is not considered a strong point for Hurts, who struggles at times targeting the middle of the field. Dallas played nearly 90% zone coverage in Week 1, and Tampa Bay utilized zone 54.8% of the time on Sunday. Hurts struggled in both games.

Add in the lack of a Hurts-Brown deep-ball connection through four games, and Brown’s emotions appear to be boiling over. So the core issue seems to be the reality and limitations of the passing attack as a whole. Maybe a few early-game connections this Sunday against Denver will assuage things. After all, Brown is a top-five receiver who ranked outside the top 40 in targets last season and still managed a 1,000-yard season. That will be infinitely more difficult this year.

• The Ravens will be cautious with Lamar Jackson, knowing it’s very difficult for an explosive runner to play through a hamstring injury without proper healing. As one team source put it, “The type of player that he is and the amount of running that he does says that he will probably want to feel really good before he returns.” The sentiment I’m hearing out of Baltimore is the Ravens will see how Jackson responds during the week before making any sweeping determinations about his injury outlook. But playing this week doesn’t look like the safest bet. The Ravens have a Week 7 bye, so if Jackson isn’t at full strength over the next few weeks, perhaps Baltimore holds him out until Week 8. The game plan changes with Cooper Rush, who is not as mobile (no one is, to be fair).

• Mobility and decision-making are the primary reasons that the Browns named Gabriel the starter for Week 5 and sent Flacco to the bench. The Browns like how Gabriel operates Kevin Stefanski’s play-action-heavy offense. And they have had problems with the offensive line due to injuries. Gabriel’s ability to move better than Flacco will help. The Browns have a stout defense and need to limit turnovers offensively, which Flacco (six interceptions) struggled to do. But his receivers didn’t help him much, either, so Gabriel won’t be walking into a perfect situation. Cleveland is really high on rookie playmakers Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr. and Isaiah Bond. This is a chance for the rookies to coalesce together on offense.

• The table is set for Carson Wentz to get a third consecutive start for Minnesota. J.J. McCarthy is recovering from an ankle injury, and with Minnesota in the second leg of a two-week European swing, the Vikings could use the Week 6 bye to let McCarthy reacclimate and prepare for Philadelphia in Week 7. Let’s see what the injury report brings — perhaps McCarthy’s injury improves quickly this week. But that’s my early read on the situation.

• As for Daniels in Washington, he’s getting closer, as Dan mentioned. I was told that if all goes well in practice, he should be in a good position to play Sunday vs. the Chargers. He has been progressing nicely and pushed to play last week, but doctors didn’t clear him.

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• Romeo Doubs has emerged as the Packers’ No. 1 receiving option in a contract year. The trade rumors surrounding Doubs, who has four touchdowns through four games, never made much sense. That conversation was understandable last season, when the team suspended Doubs for one game for missing practices for personal reasons. But the Packers have shown no interest in trading him, and my sense is they have more interest in potentially extending him.

The sides have had cursory talks, keeping in contact about the future. Doubs staying in Green Bay beyond 2025 is at least a possibility. But getting a bargain deal for an emerging receiver without a 1,000-yard season — think Buffalo’s four-year, $53-million pact with Khalil Shakir — is getting increasingly harder. Doubs is building a case as the No. 1 free agent option. Mike Evans, Jakobi Meyers and Jauan Jennings are in the class but aren’t entering their second contract like Doubs, who is 25. Youth always pays. Indianapolis’ Alec Pierce will also be in the free agent mix as a potent vertical threat.

• Travon Walker’s presence looms large for Jacksonville’s meeting with the Chiefs. He saw a specialist this week over his wrist injury suffered Sunday. I’m told Walker’s injury won’t be season-ending, but it could jeopardize his status Monday in what is suddenly a marquee showdown for teams coming off back-to-back wins.

• The league will be reviewing Houston linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s hit on Cam Ward on Sunday for a potential fine or discipline. Al-Shaair is a repeat offender, but this feels more like an instance worthy of a fine than a suspension.

• Pretty incredible stat on Puka Nacua, via ESPN Research: He’s the first NFL player to record at least 500 receiving yards in his first four games in two different seasons. Nacua did so in 2023 (501) and this year (503). The Rams are thrilled with how the presence of Davante Adams as the prototypical X receiver has opened things up for the rest of the offense, Nacua included.

• When I asked about the Giants making a move to add a receiver via trade or free agency, the response I got was, “There are no replacements for Malik Nabers. You can’t replace that guy.” Very true. So the Giants seem inclined to roll with what they have at this point.



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