The only people who fear the truth are those with something to hide.

That might seem obvious. But it’s worth remembering as the attorney for the woman who said she was sex trafficked and abused by Vince McMahon asks World Wrestling Entertainment to release current and former employees from non-disclosure agreements.

If WWE and parent company Endeavor Group Holdings are as committed to rooting out a toxic, misogynistic culture as they claim, they should have no objection to waiving the NDAs. They should want all the misdeeds and indignities committed by McMahon and his minions laid bare so there can be no confusion about what the company stands for, and what it will and won’t tolerate going forward.

If they don’t, the very obvious question is why not.

“If they have nothing to hide, then they should prove it,” Ann E. Callis, the attorney for Janel Grant, who detailed years of exploitation and degradation in a January lawsuit against McMahon, told USA TODAY Sports.

NDAs are designed to allow companies to protect private information. Trade secrets. Business practices. Financial information. Customer lists. It’s reasonable to see why a company wouldn’t want those matters made public and why employees would be asked to promise that they won’t.

But the NDAs that Callis is referring to, the NDAs that WWE seems to have made liberal use of under McMahon’s leadership, serve only to harm.

Often tied to financial settlements, these NDAs are meant to silence people, both those who were subjected to abuse and those who were witness to it. That is problematic enough, cloaking those who’ve been wronged in shrouds of secrecy and shame. Worse, though, is that these NDAs allow the people causing the harm, and those who’ve enabled them, to duck responsibility.

If no one knows the boss is a sexual predator because those who do are legally barred from saying anything, he can continue to prey on other employees. If no one is allowed to speak about a hostile workplace environment, there will be no incentive to change it.

“The toxic and sexualized culture at WWE during Mr. McMahon’s tenure as CEO and Chairman was open and notorious. Yet what has been publicly reported is only part of the picture,” Callis wrote in a letter sent Monday to attorneys and leadership for WWE and Endeavor.

“We have had witnesses come to us confidentially and describe a sexualized culture at WWE that victimizes women and men. We have received reports that many victims are currently afraid to come forward because of punitive non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements,” Callis continued. “… Survivors are revictimized every time they are muzzled and forced to live in fear of attack from a multi-billion-dollar business that can hire an army of lawyers to bury them in legal fees if they speak the truth.”

Companies might say these NDAs protect people who’ve been abused, that they keep the world from knowing embarrassing details about their lives and shield them from criticism. But that’s a convenient excuse. They’re a way for companies to sweep their dirty little secrets under the rug so no one else will know.

Daniel Snyder used them when he owned the Washington Commanders to quash details about the abusive behavior that he was both condoning and committing. USA Gymnastics forced McKayla Maroney to sign one after she acknowledged being sexually abused by former team physician Larry Nassar.

Serial predators Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and Bill O’Reilly used NDAs so often they prompted the rarest of all things: bipartisan agreement in Congress. The Speak Out Act, which became law in December 2022, prohibits the enforcement of NDAs and non-disparagement clauses related to sexual assault or sexual harassment.

When Snyder, Cosby and Weinstein are the company you’re in, it’s a sign — a flashing neon one — that you might want to rethink your actions.

If you really do want to change your company’s culture and ensure it’s no longer a breeding ground for abuse, that is.

Grant’s NDA with WWE might be unenforceable because her lawsuit wasn’t filed until January, more than a year after Speak Out became law. But there are an untold number of other WWE employees whose NDAs pre-date Speak Out, and they need to be heard, too.

No doubt it will be embarrassing for WWE for more tawdry stories to pour out. Until there’s a full accounting of all the wrongs McMahon did and all the people he harmed, however, there’s always going to be something else out there, another secret certain to cause damage when it’s finally spilled.

Honesty isn’t simply the best way forward for WWE. It’s the only way.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

The New York Jets’ sudden announcement on Monday that head coach Robert Saleh was out and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich was taking over on an interim basis left a major question unanswered: If the team’s offense was the biggest contributor to a disappointing 2-3 start, why didn’t offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett also get the boot?

Through the first five games, the Jets rank 27th out of 32 teams in total offense (286.6 yards per game) and dead last in rushing (80.4 ypg), despite having a four-time MVP quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and one of the NFL’s top running backs in Breece Hall.

Hackett’s relationship with Rodgers – who was the quarterback when Hackett served as the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2021 – may have helped save his job. At least for now.

Where else has Nathaniel Hackett coached?

In between his stints as offensive coordinator for the Packers and Jets, Hackett served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

He was selected to succeed Vic Fangio in Denver at the start of the 2022 season, but lasted only 15 games before he was fired from his first NFL head coaching job with the Broncos’ record at 4-11 and two games remaining.

Before joining the Packers, Hackett served as offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he was removed from his post in 2018 before the end of his third season there.

He was also the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2013-2014, and a quality control coach for the Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in his career. In addition, he worked as an assistant in the college ranks at UC Davis (his alma mater), Stanford and Syracuse.

Who is Nathaniel Hackett’s father?

Hackett, 44, is the son of former college and NFL coach Paul Hackett.

During his distinguished 40-year coaching career, Paul Hackett also served as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator from 2001-2004.

The New York Jets went to London in Week 5 hoping to improve to 3-2 on the season. Instead, they dropped to 2-3, and that was enough to prompt a major organizational change.

The Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh just five games into the 2024 NFL season. The 45-year-old becomes the first NFL coach to be fired during the 2024 season, and he is expected to be replaced by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich on an interim basis.

New York hired Saleh after his impressive four-year stint as the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator in the hopes he could turn around the Jets’ struggling franchise.

While Saleh turned the Jets defense into one of the best stop-units in the NFL, the team never became a true playoff contender. They finished with a losing record in Saleh’s first three seasons and a slow start to the 2024 season prompted his dismissal.

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Here’s what to know about the Jets’ decision to fire Saleh and his overall record with the Jets.

Why did the Jets fire Robert Saleh?

The Jets fired Robert Saleh after struggling to consistently win under his leadership for three-plus years.

‘This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations,’ Jets owner Woody Johnson wrote in a statement announcing the firing. ‘I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction.’

Saleh posted just a 20-36 record with the Jets and, while his defenses routinely ranked among the league’s best, New York’s offenses fell at the opposite end of the spectrum.

The Jets ranked bottom-10 in both yards and points in each of Saleh’s three-plus seasons in charge of the Jets. That included rankings of 27th in yards per game and 25th in points per game to begin the 2024 NFL season despite having Aaron Rodgers available and an upgraded offensive line in front of him.

Saleh was dealt a tough hand at quarterback, as the Jets started six different players at the position during his 56 games in New York. They were:

Zach Wilson, 31 games
Mike White, 7
Aaron Rodgers, 6
Joe Flacco, 5
Trevor Siemian, 3
Tim Boyle, 2

It would be tough for any NFL coach to post a winning record with that stable of quarterbacks, but Saleh was given plenty of time to fix the team’s offensive issues. He hired two different offensive coordinators – Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett – during his three-plus seasons and was effectively granted a reprieve for the Jets’ 2023 struggles after Rodgers’ Achilles injury four snaps into the season.

But, simply put, the results weren’t there. As such, the Jets believed it was the right time to make a move and try to spark them in what figures to be a tight AFC East race.

There also appeared to be some tension between Rodgers and Saleh during Year 2 of their partnership. The coach fined his star quarterback in June for missing minicamp for a pre-planned trip to Egypt and the two had some awkward exchanges early in the 2024 NFL season.

Notably, Rodgers seemed to shrug off a hug from Saleh during the Jets’ Week 3 win over the New England Patriots. Saleh also criticized Rodgers’ sophisticated pre-snap cadence after the team’s 10-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, as the coach felt it played a part in the team’s numerous false start penalties.

Rodgers downplayed the notion of a rift between him and his coach ahead of the Jets’ London game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.

‘I think there’s some driving force trying to put a wedge (from) outside the facility between Robert and I,’ Rodgers told reporters, per ESPN.

Woody Johnson also insisted Rodgers had nothing to do with Saleh’s firing. In a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, the Jets owner explained that he had spoken to Rodgers on Monday night but that the two didn’t specifically discuss Saleh before Johnson decided to fire the fourth-year coach.

Either way, Saleh is now gone and heading toward the open market while Rodgers will look to turn the Jets around under Ulbrich’s leadership.

Robert Saleh coaching record

Saleh posted a record of 20-36 during his three-plus seasons with the New York Jets. His winning percentage of .357 ranks 181st all-time among 201 qualifiers and was only better than that of the New Orleans Saints’ Dennis Allen (26-49, .347) among active coaches.

Below is a year-by-year breakdown of Saleh’s record as the Jets head coach. He didn’t finish any of his seasons with a winning record.

2021: 4-13
2022: 7-10
2023: 7-10
2024: 2-3 (fired after Week 5)

Robert Saleh contract details

For those wondering, Saleh was under contract with the Jets through the 2025 NFL season. His deal was worth $5 million per season, according to Front Office Sports. That tied him with Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni as the 12th-highest-paid coach in the NFL entering the 2024 NFL season.

Alabama fans grieve on ‘Finebaum’ after humiliating loss, but Kalen DeBoer enjoys path to recovery. It’s simple, really. Make the playoff.
Kalen DeBoer attains his Louisiana-Monroe moment, but this situation differs from Nick Saban’s Year 1 setback.
After losing to Vanderbilt, Kalen DeBoer fields criticism ranging from his game plan to his fashion.

Losing to Vanderbilt, though, constitutes a collapse, an inability to clear the SEC’s lowest hurdle, not the highest bar, a failure to win a game in which then-No. 2 Alabama was a 24-point favorite.

Losses like Alabama’s 40-35 Saturday stupefier in Nashville don’t just halt a first-year coach’s honeymoon. They threaten the marriage’s long-term health.

“In many ways, this is the most shocking and shattering loss I have ever seen,” Paul Finebaum, the SEC’s chief orator and host of “The Paul Finebaum Show” on the SEC Network, told me on Monday.

When an Alabama coach loses to Vanderbilt for the first time in 40 years, everything is subject to criticism.

Alabama fans, inflamed by the loss, are questioning DeBoer’s every move – from his game plan to his player discipline all the way his wardrobe choices. DeBoer wore a T-shirt for the game. Big deal, right? Well, welcome to the South, where everything Alabama football is a big deal, down to the coach’s game-day threads.

Finebaum has covered Alabama football in various capacities since 1980. He was present the last time Alabama lost to Vanderbilt, in 1984. It’s not just the opponent DeBoer lost to Saturday that left Finebaum gobsmacked, but the timing of it.

Alabama fans resided in DeBoer’s palm just one week ago. After he guided the Tide to a toppling of Georgia, DeBoer could’ve wandered onto any street corner in Tuscaloosa and sold out a rack of his now-infamous T-shirt.

That was then.

And now?

DeBoer wore a polo to his Monday news conference. Call it a step toward peace.

Saban knew the power of his pulpit. He’d work himself into a frenzy at press gatherings, delivering rants or lectures that he wanted to travel back to his team or fans. That’s not DeBoer. He spoke in his usual even-keel, monotone way. He’ll leave the histrionics to others.

“I’m extremely frustrated – we all are – but we’re not going to lose our cool,” DeBoer said.

Alabama fans won’t forget this loss. Even if they wanted to, their rivals won’t let them forget. DeBoer can’t force amnesia with a magic wand, but he can earn forgiveness.

No one expects DeBoer to win six national championships in Year 1. Just make the playoff, and beat someone when you get there.

If that’s too much to ask, he’s in the wrong job.

The alternative to playoff qualification would be Alabama fans waking up every morning – and calling Finebaum’s talk show in the afternoons – faced with the horrifying reality that Vanderbilt prevented Alabama from making the playoff.

“If this school doesn’t get to the playoffs, this is going to be the scarlet letter around his neck,” Finebaum said. “Let’s say Alabama goes 9-3. He’s going to go through the offseason on the rubber chicken circuit and in recruits’ homes having to answer the question, ‘You didn’t make the playoffs because you lost to Vanderbilt?’”

BOWL PROJECTIONS: Playoff gets overhaul after upset-filled Week 6

CALM DOWN: Jalen Milroe, Miami lead Week 6 biggest overreactions

Kalen DeBoer gets his Louisiana-Monroe moment at Alabama

The all-caps declaration stretched across five columns of newsprint.

STUNNED.

So read the headline in the Opelika-Auburn News the morning after Alabama lost to Louisiana-Monroe in 2007.

Leave it to a newspaper from enemy territory to announce Alabama’s agony in typeface large enough to declare the Titanic had sunk.

Alabama suffered that humbling defeat amid a four-game losing streak at the end of Saban’s first season. That result gains companionship from DeBoer’s majestic flop – ULM also was a 24-point underdog – but the circumstances were much different.

Saban inherited a team that had not qualified for a bowl game in the previous season, and the program had lost some luster in the years since Gene Stallings retired, while a carousel of coaches twirled through Tuscaloosa. Saban’s initial roster – “a hapless team,” as Finebaum described it – paled in comparison to the one DeBoer inherited.

“Saban’s first year, that wasn’t a particularly loaded team, and that team didn’t really play super hard for him all the time,” said Neal McCready, at the time a sports columnist for the Mobile Press-Register. McCready, who now works for Rivals.com, described Alabama’s 2007 team as ‘unsalvageable.’

Meanwhile, Saban was on a recruiting heater. Optimism swelled about the program’s direction, regardless of Alabama’s record.

“There was embarrassment of losing to ULM,” McCready said, “… but, if you were following along, you knew that Saban was going to win, probably sooner rather than later.’

That didn’t prevent the barbs in the immediate aftermath of losing to ULM.

McCready, in his column for the Press-Register, wrote that Saban showed in defeat he “isn’t some omnipotent football god who can reverse the fortunes of a struggling program merely by showing up.”

Finebaum, who also was then a columnist at the Press-Register, opined that the “embarrassing scene” against ULM caused Bear Bryant to roll over in his grave.

Saban compounded the situation days later, when he spoke of the loss in catastrophic terms. While attempting to make a point that change comes in the aftermath of tragedy, Saban drew a link from Alabama losing to ULM to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. He also asserted that an alcoholic must hit rock bottom before he has hope of recovery.

Consider that presser a rock bottom of Saban’s otherwise historic tenure.

Saban cleansed the palate by winning 200 of his next 223 games. All forgiven.

After Alabama football loses to Vanderbilt, a ‘Legend’ speaks

Finebaum’s four-hour talk show hit the SEC Network’s airwaves a decade ago, but Alabama remains the show’s heartbeat. And the show becomes appointment viewing after an Alabama loss.

Anticipation for Finebaum’s Monday show began bubbling throughout the weekend after Alabama’s unfathomable defeat. Finebaum, for his part, didn’t want to steer the show off the rails.

“I’ve insisted to our crew: Let’s try to keep it normal,” he said.

And, by “Finebaum” standards, most callers stayed within bounds. At least no one confessed to a felony live on air.

Instead, fans of opposing teams phoned to express their glee at Alabama’s demise, while Tide fans called in to vent or receive some tollfree therapy from Finebaum.

Finebaum knows how shows like Monday’s usually go. They’ll start innocently enough before the callers work themselves into a fever pitch in the show’s final hour.

Sure enough, Monday’s show reached a crescendo in Hour 4 when a ‘Legend’ of the show dialed in. Finebaum’s regular callers are like supporting actors in his drama, and an Alabama fan known as Legend is among the most colorful and established regulars. Legend had plenty to say about this humiliation. While ranting across more than six minutes of airtime, he described the loss as ‘pathetic’ no fewer than five times.

“Paul, I’m in sports hell, brother. I’m in sports hell,” Legend lamented, while still warming up. “I never thought I would utter these words: Vandy is my daddy. Can you believe that? Vandy is my daddy. Do you hear that, Coach DeBoer?”

“We are Alabama. We don’t lose to Vandy,” the Alabama devotee and bombastic caller concluded. “Understand, Coach DeBoer. Wake the hell up. We don’t lose to Vandy.

‘Strike friggin’ 1!”

DeBoer’s officially not in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or Seattle anymore. He’s at Alabama, and it doesn’t lose to Vandy.

At least, it didn’t used to.

DeBoer reached the inflection point of his tenure just five games in. If he recovers and produces national championships, this loss will be shifted into footnote status, like Saban’s loss to ULM. Or, it will become the guillotine that persists over his tenure.

Alabama fans won’t forget this moment, but they can forgive DeBoer. What must he do? It’s simple, really. Make the playoff. Or, just win 200 of his next 223 games. And wearing a shirt with a collar won’t hurt.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

Subscribe to read all of his columns.

As it turns out, there was not a lot of gas and plenty of brake during the Robert Saleh era.

The New York Jets stunningly moved on from the head coach after Week 5, ending the brief working relationship between the head coach and Aaron Rodgers, whom the Jets traded for in 2023.

Rodgers played only four snaps for the Jets last season before injuring his Achilles, leaving some to wonder what the Saleh-Rodgers working relationship would look like when they were all-systems-go. As it turns out, it wasn’t pretty: The Jets offense has sputtered this season and New York sits at 2-3 entering a crucial matchup vs. Buffalo in Week 6.

While there was never true, outward acrimony between the head coach and his future Hall of Fame quarterback, there were a number of instances since the beginning of the year that maybe showed a small bit of a fracture between the player and the coach.

Here’s what they were:

All things Jets: Latest New York Jets news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Aaron Rodgers’ Egypt vacation

While it sounds like a National Lampoon movie, Aaron Rodgers’ Egypt vacation raised some eyebrows, seemingly including that of the head coach.

Saleh’s response to Rodgers skipping out on mandatory minicamp was the first sign of trouble in paradise this year. Saleh announced that Rodgers was fined for missing on mandatory minicamp, for an ‘inexcused absence.’

While Saleh leaned on the CBA as reason for why it was labeled ‘inexcused,’ some weren’t satisfied with the coach’s explanation.

‘Selfishly, I want our guys here all the time, but when you get to these mandatory things, you make the best decision for yourself,’ Saleh told reporters at Jets headquarters in Florham Park, New Jersey. ‘Obviously, selfishly, want all of the team here all the time. But he made a decision, and that’s where he went.’

Rodgers would later downplay any notions that he and the head coach were split over the decision for his to make his trip. Still, it was a few weeks of headlines and distractions that, potentially, could have been avoided.

The Aaron Rodgers-Robert Saleh non-hug

If there was ever an exemplary moment of the Rodgers-Saleh relationship not being rosy, this was it. And it happened on national TV, too.

Following a scoring play during a ‘Thursday Night Football’ matchup between the New England Patriots and the Jets, Saleh went in for a hug for Rodgers, which the quarterback turned away in an awkward moment.

Both would, again, downplay the incident following the game. Still, it was a confusing bit of chemistry – or lack thereof – between the coach and the player.

‘He’s not a big hugger,’ Rodgers told reporters. ‘I didn’t know he was going for a hug.’

Both offered somewhat confusing explanations for the moment, including something about the Jets needing to go up a few scores. Still, it was more than a little weird.

The Aaron Rodgers-Robert Saleh ‘cadence’ debate

The most recent example of a potential disconnect between the two sides happened after the Jets’ disastrous Week 4 loss to the Denver Broncos, during which they scored just nine points and committed a bevy of penalties on the offensive side of the ball.

A decent amount of those penalties came pre-snap, with several false starts coming on Rodgers’ signature hard count cadence. Following the game, Saleh made it clear that, perhaps the Jets aren’t jelling well enough to utilize the tool.

‘We’ve got to figure it out,’ Saleh said following the game. ‘Whether or not we’re good enough or ready to handle all the cadence. Cadence had not been an issue all camp. Felt like our operation had been operating pretty good. Obviously, today, it took a major step back.’

Rodgers took issue with Saleh saying that the cadence was potentially an issue, explaining that toning back on the cadence issue was only one solution. The other: Hold players accountable for their mistakes.

‘That’s one way to do it,’ Rodgers said. ‘The other way is to hold them accountable. We haven’t had an issue. … It’s been a weapon. We use it every day in practice. We rarely have a false start, and to have five today, it seemed like, four or five, it seems like an outlier. I don’t know if we need to make mass changes based on kind of an outlier game.’

In the following days, Saleh would walk back his comments on the cadence, saying there was no issue. Now, one of the biggest issues Saleh has is wondering where his next job will be.

Remember when the predictions for Week 6 of the college football season implied there wasn’t going to be much drama due to a bland schedule? We couldn’t have been more wrong.

There were four upsets among teams on the top 10, and the impact could be felt from the College Football Playoff down to the rest of the postseason lineup in this week’s bowl projections. Leading the winners was idle Texas. The Longhorns are now the top seed following Alabama’s stunning loss to Vanderbilt. The Tide remain in the playoff field but now are slated for a first-round game.

Also moving up into one of the top four seeds is Clemson. While Miami wasn’t an upset victim thanks to a questionable non-call during its miraculous comeback at California, the Hurricanes fall out of the ACC championship spot in favor of the Tigers. There are two newbies to the field. Boise State earning the nod among the Group of Five champions with UNLV and James Madison both losing. And Notre Dame returns after Tennessee’s surprising defeat at Arkansas.

CALM DOWN: Jalen Milroe, Miami lead Week 6 biggest overreactions

That’s the picture entering Week 7. But there’s even more change ahead with several key matchups Saturday. The biggest sees Ohio State and Oregon clash for the top position in the Big Ten. In the SEC, Texas could get a test from longtime rival Oklahoma and LSU and Mississippi meet in a matchup that likely knocks one team out of playoff contention. There’s also potential danger for projected Big 12 winner Kansas State at Colorado.

So when you check back here next week expect the picture to change again. But isn’t that what we love about college football?

Note: Legacy Pac-12 schools in other conferences will fulfill existing Pac-12 bowl agreements through the 2025 season.

The Chiefs got creative in their domination of the Saints on Monday night.

Without Rashee Rice, Kansas City had to piece together offense a bit more than usual, and they did just that: Patrick Mahomes connected with eight different receivers, tossing 303 yards in the matchup. Mahomes, though, didn’t throw a touchdown pass in the game. Instead, a pair of rushing touchdowns and four Harrison Butker field goals pushed the Chiefs ahead of the Saints, 26-13.

The Chiefs notched nearly 40 minutes in the time of possession column, thoroughly beating the Saints in almost every facet of the game on Monday night.

DO YOU LIKE FOOTBALL? Then you’ll enjoy getting our NFL newsletter delivered to your inbox

In the process, Saints quarterback Derek Carr was injured with what the team is calling an oblique injury. Carr dropped to 1-9 overall vs. Mahomes, his poor Raiders record following him to New Orleans.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates, highlights and more from the ‘Monday Night Football’ game in Week 5 below:

Chiefs vs. Saints highlights

End of game: Chiefs dominate Saints

The scoreboard wasn’t indicative of the Chiefs’ domination of the Saints on ‘Monday Night Football.’ Kansas City came away with a 26-13 win over New Orleans, pushing KC to 5-0. The Saints lose their third consecutive game.

Saints’ Jake Haener enters game for injured Derek Carr

Carr wouldn’t be back on the field following his injury (ESPN reports it’s an oblique injury), leading to Jake Haener making his second appearance of the 2024 season.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Butker hits fourth field goal

The Chiefs have had a small issue getting into the end zone, but they haven’t had a problem scoring. Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker nailed his fourth kick of the night to give the Chiefs a 26-13 lead with 3:03 left in the game.

Derek Carr injury update: Saints QB heads to locker room

Saints QB Derek Carr took a brutal hit from Chiefs DB Chamarri Conner on an incomplete pass. Carr looked to be grabbing his back after the hit, and headed to the blue medical tent after the hit. He would be examined and then head to the locker room afterwards.

Saints turnover on downs after Derek Carr incompletion

Time is the enemy of Derek Carr and the Saints, but now so is field position.

The Saints needed to convert a fourth-and-8 to keep their drive going. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo dialed up some pressure, forcing Carr to throw off his back foot. Still, Carr got off a perfect pass to Mason Tipton, and the ball went right through the wide receivers hands.

Chiefs take over at their own 41-yard line with 9:32 left in the contest.

Xavier Worthy gifts mom Nicky Jones ball after TD run

Xavier Worthy is something of a momma’s boy.

The Chiefs wide receiver found his mom Nicky Jones in the stands after his touchdown run, tossing her the ball and getting a big hug from mom in the process.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Xavier Worthy rushes in a touchdown

Classic Chiefs creativity was on display in the fourth quarter.

Xavier Worthy scored his second rushing touchdown of the year after taking a handoff from Travis Kelce, taking it three yards to the house to answer the Saints’ score. A Butker extra point put the Chiefs up 23-13 with 11:56 left in the game.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Derek Carr connects with Foster Moreau for TD

The Saints made good on a red zone visit after Derek Carr found Foster Moreau for a six-yard TD pass. Blake Grupe would miss the extra point, meaning it’s still a three-point game with the Chiefs getting the ball back.

End of third quarter: Saints in scoring position, Chiefs still lead

Neither team scored in the third quarter thanks to a Patrick Mahomes red zone interception. Now the Saints have an opportunity to score, sitting inside the Chiefs 10-yard line to start the fourth after a Alvin Kamara catch and run. The Chiefs are up 16-7 entering the last frame.

Patrick Mahomes throws interception off JuJu Smith-Schuster drop

Interceptions are killer. Red zone interceptions more so.

The Chiefs were angling for their second touchdown of the day, when a Patrick Mahomes pass off the hands of JuJu Smith-Schuster landed in the mitts of defensive tackle Khalen Saunders. Saunders got his big-boy rumble on, with a healthy return.

Harrison Butker misses field goal after refs don’t flag Saints for PI

It’s a nine-point game in Kansas City after Harrison Butker clanked a field goal try off the right upright. The miss was preceded by a non-pass interference call in which referees decided not to flag the Saints after a lot of contact between cornerback Paulson Adebo and wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

LeBron James offers insight on ‘MNF’ Saints vs. Chiefs matchup

‘The King’ recognizes an NFL GOAT.

LeBron James took to X during the Chiefs-Saints ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup to heap praise on Patrick Mahomes.

‘KC just so good man! Doesn’t matter who’s not in the lineup as long as QB1 is!’ James posted.

JuJu Smith-Schuster stats vs. Saints

Patrick Mahomes may be finding a little bit of a spark with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The veteran wideout has two catches for 20 yards, but seemed to be wide, wide open on both of his catches. He may be one to watch in the second half.

Halftime: Chiefs lead Saints 16-7

It was a half of the Chiefs trying to get creative in a few different ways, mainly thanks to their tight ends. Patrick Mahomes found a groove with JuJu Smith-Schuster, but the Chiefs O found the end zone just once in the half thanks partly to a stout Saints defense. KC leads NO 16-7 at the half.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Harrison Butker kicks third FG

The Chiefs had another golden opportunity before half, but Mahomes couldn’t quite get in sync with his receivers in the red zone. Instead, they settled for another Butker field goal to extend their lead to 16-7 with nine seconds left before half.

Jamaal Williams nearly botches kickoff return

Saints running back and return man Jamaal Williams nearly had an brutal botch on a kickoff return before half. Williams nearly took a knee just outside the goal line, which would have placed the ball at the 1-yard line. Instead, he opted to return the ball and got out to the 21-yard line. The Saints would punt back to the Chiefs soon after.

Rashid Shaheed stats vs. Chiefs

Fantasy managers looking for a last-minute victory over their rivals may have some hope left if they have Rashid Shaheed on their rosters. Shaheed has two catches for 58 yards and a touchdown with 1:20 left before halftime.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Harrison Butker kicks FG, extend Chiefs lead

The Chiefs couldn’t quite follow up on their second-and-34 efforts, faced a third-and-long and instead kicking a 34-yard field goal attempt after they couldn’t convert. Kansas City leads 13-7 with 1:32 left in the half.

Chiefs convert after facing second-and-34 thanks to Travis Kelce pitch

The Chiefs offense is still the Chiefs offense, even when it doesn’t look like the Chiefs offense. After facing a second-and-34 and a third-and-22, the Chiefs converted a fourth-and-1 opportunity to put themselves in good position to score before halftime.

Highlighting the effort on the drive was a Travis Kelce pitch to Samaje Perine which put the Chiefs in position on a fourth-and-short opportunity, which they converted.

Wanye Morris injury update: Chiefs left tackle reenters game

Whatever Morris was dealing with turned out to be not serious: He reentered the game to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside soon after he was pulled with that knee injury.

Wanya Morris injury update: Chiefs tackle injures knee

Left tackle Wanya Morris injured his right knee, but walked off gingerly to the side line. He’s replaced by Kingsley Suamataia. Cameras caught trainers working on Morris’ knee on the sideline.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Saints get on board with Rashid Shaheed TD

Derek Carr connected with Rashid Shaheed on a post route for a TD. The speedy Shaheed caught the Carr deep ball, a 43-yard strike for the TD. A successful extra point means this is a 10-7 game in the second. Chiefs lead.

Travis Kelce dinged up on tackle

Travis Kelce took a rough hit from Saints linebacker Anfernee Orji right on his shoulder. ESPN cameras caught Kelce wincing a bit after the hit, but he wouldn’t end up in the blue medical tent.

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Harrison Butker nets field goal

The Chiefs had a golden opportunity to go up two touchdowns, but an inopportune holding call followed by a Patrick Mahomes miss of Samaje Perine in the end zone means Kansas City settled for a field goal. They lead 10-0 in the second.

End of first quarter: Chiefs lead Saints 7-0

The Chiefs ended the first quarter with an interesting stat: Patrick Mahomes didn’t target a wide receiver once in the quarter. Instead, a steady dose of Kareem Hunt rushes, some throws to KC’s trio of tight ends and some timely Mahomes rushes keeps KC moving and ahead of the Saints 7-0.

Saints punt again after another Bryan Cook near-INT

Derek Carr has been slightly off so far during ‘Monday Night Football,’ the most exemplary showing of that is a bomb thrown into triple coverage that nearly landed in the hands of Bryan Cook once again. Instead, it landed just incomplete out of the reach of Rashid Shaheed, and the Saints would punt.

Another angle of Bryan Cook’s acrobatic interception

There are interceptions and then there are complete thefts. Bryan Cook’s was the latter. The slo-mo of the Chiefs’ safety picking off Derek Carr one-handed is even prettier the second time around:

Chiefs vs. Saints score: Kareem Hunt hits pay dirt for TD

Well, that was about as Chiefs as Chiefs gets.

After connecting with Travis Kelce on a few chunk plays and tight end Noah Gray, Kareem Hunt bullied into the end zone to cap off a Chiefs scoring drive, putting KC up 6-0. Harrison Butker would net the extra point to make it 7-0 Chiefs in the first quarter.

Patrick Mahomes sends daughter Sterling a message before ‘MNF’

It’s a school night, after all, so it’s a bit late for the children of football players to take in some ‘MNF.’ That much Patrick Mahomes made clear prior to the game vs. the Saints, telling his daughter Sterling hi, but also letting her know it’s past her bedtime.

Chiefs’ Bryan Cook comes up with leaping interception

The Saints were moving the ball well in the first quarter. That was until Derek Carr tossed an ill-advised deep ball which landed in the hands of Chiefs safety Bryan Cook. Cook brought it the distance the other way for a pick-six, but refs ruled him down by contact.

Saints wearing color rush alternates on ‘Monday Night Football’

Look good, feel good, play good: The Saints are again wearing their white color rush alternates with their new second, black lids. They’re a sharp look for ‘Monday Night Football.’

Chiefs vs. Saints start time

Date: Monday, Oct. 7
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET

The Chiefs vs. Saints game will conclude Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season at 8:15 p.m. ET. After two weeks of doubleheaders, it’s the lone game on the Week 5 ‘MNF’ slate.

What channel is Monday Night Football on tonight?

TV channel: ESPN

ESPN is the broadcast home of ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 5. Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentary), and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter) will be on the call.

ESPN’s popular alternate broadcast, the ‘ManningCast,’ returns after a two-week hiatus. The two former NFL quarterbacks will break down the action, along with a typically star-studded guest list that will include former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, among other talent. On Monday night, Peyton and Eli’s father, Archie Manning, as well as actor Paul Rudd join the show.

Saints at Chiefs predictions, picks

Here are the USA TODAY Sports staff’s predictions for the Chiefs-Saints game:

Lorenzo Reyes: Saints 17, Chiefs 13
Tyler Dragon: Chiefs 25, Saints 21
Jordan Mendoza: Chiefs 23, Saints 19

Chiefs vs. Saints live stream 

Live stream:Fubo, ESPN+ 

Fans who want to catch the ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup between the Chiefs and Saints via live stream have a few options. 

Fubo carries the ESPN family of networks, as well as ABC, CBS, Fox, and NFL Network, meaning you’ll catch all NFL action throughout the year. 

ESPN+ will also carry the game. 

Chiefs vs. Saints odds, moneyline, over/under 

The Chiefs are favorites to defeat the Saints, according to BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024 including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code. 

Spread: Chiefs (-5.5) 
Moneyline: Chiefs (-250); Saints (+200) 
Over/under: 43 

Not interested in this game? Our guide to NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered with “Thursday Night Football” odds and ”Sunday Night Football” odds. 

New to sports betting? USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with the best online sportsbooks and sports betting sites. 

FEELING LUCKY?  Here are the best parlay bets and odds for NFL games this week  

Taylor Swift arrives at Chiefs game for ‘Monday Night Football’

She’s nothing if not a ‘Lover.’ Taylor Swift has arrived at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to cheer on the Chiefs and her boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Chiefs inactives vs. Saints

No surprises on the inactive list for the Chiefs. They will, of course, be without wide receiver Rashee Rice. Rice was placed on IR, sidelining him for at least four games. His status for the remainder of the 2024 season is still unclear.

Saints inactives vs. Chiefs

The Saints will be without right guard Cesar Ruiz, who is dealing with a knee injury. Taysom Hill will also not play.

LB Willie Gay Jr.
TE Taysom Hill
LB Pete Werner
G Cesar Ruiz
DT Khristian Boyd
DE Payton Turner
QB Spencer Rattler (designated emergency third quarterback)

AFC West standings 

The Chiefs are the lone undefeated team remaining in the AFC heading into Monday night.  

Kansas City Chiefs: 4-0 
Denver Broncos: 3-2 
Los Angeles Chargers: 2-2 
Las Vegas Raiders: 2-3 

NFC South standings 

With a win on Monday, the Saints will move into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South. By way of tiebreakers, they would slot into second place behind the Falcons ahead of the Buccaneers. 

Atlanta Falcons: 3-2 
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-2 
New Orleans Saints: 2-2 
Carolina Panthers: 1-4 

Chiefs vs. Saints weather update

4th & Monday: Our NFL newsletter always brings the blitz  

Do you like football? Then you’ll enjoy getting our NFL newsletter delivered to your inbox.  

Get the latest news, expert analysis, game insights and the must-see moments from the NFL conveniently delivered to your email inbox. Sign up now! 

Check out the latest edition …

NFL Week 5 takeaways: Ravens win wild one, 49ers and Bills trending down

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY operates independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.