Why Browns vs Jets Is Actually a Game Worth Watching in NFL Week 5

Browns at Jets will not headline anybody's Week 5 viewing guide. On The Rich Eisen Show, it got treated like a sneaky turning point for both teams.

The Jets are 1-3. They won the opener and have lost three straight. Cleveland arrives at 3-1, and the conversation acknowledged that this looks like a different Browns team, one that is not "Brownsing" anymore. None of that matters to the people in the stands, the argument went.

"Jet fans do not view that," came the case. If Cleveland is coming into your house and you are 1-3, "it's time to win this football game." In just the second home game of the season, the message to the fans should be simple: "We got this."

Then the path opens up. Beat Cleveland, go to New England and win there, come home and beat Miami, and suddenly the Jets are above .500 before they take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Lose, and the math turns ugly fast. If the Browns are turning things around and the Raiders are turning things around and the Jets are not, it could get difficult "quick."

The flip side matters just as much for Cleveland. The crew figured the Browns are sitting there believing they can go to New York, win, and get to 4-1, with Baltimore coming in the following week. And with the Ravens possibly without Lamar, there was even talk of the Ravens catching a loss in Atlanta first. "That's a big game," the verdict went. "Browns and Jets, with all due respect to everyone else who's looking to disrespect both teams."

The injury report around the league filled out the rest of the segment. Cincinnati, headed to Miami, might be without both of its top receivers. Ja'Marr Chase is still in the concussion protocol, and Tee Higgins was at practice in street clothes. That, someone noted, makes the game a survivor pool consideration. In Baltimore, Lamar was not seen in the media portion of practice. On the Patriots side, one player might be out this week and Rhamondre Stevenson may not practice. New England also worked out Jamaal Williams at running back.

That raised a bigger question: is it just a feeling, or are there more stars missing time early this season?

The answer turned to receivers, because seemingly everyone needs one. "How many teams need a wide receiver right now? Like everybody," went the question that opened the segment. The crew pointed out how strange that is when more and more receivers are going in the first and second rounds, with college offenses running four and five wide and sending serious talent to the pros.

Look at the three 4-0 teams, they noted: the 49ers, Chiefs and Vikings. San Francisco and Kansas City are both in the market for receivers. And the Vikings just signed Odell Beckham Jr. to the practice squad after the Giants cut him.

That move drew some skepticism in the room. One question was whether it signals that Justin Jefferson's injury is more than a simple ankle sprain. The counterpoint: maybe it is a simple ankle sprain, and the timeline is two weeks instead of four to six, and the Vikings just need depth.

The one team that does not need a receiver? Dallas, of course. "Gotti," the crew said in unison. Gotti doesn't need anything, one voice added, "except the defense. That's just a small thing."