The 32 things we learned from Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season:

0: Number of winless teams following the Jacksonville Jaguars’ – dare we say it – thrilling 37-34 defeat of the undermanned Indianapolis Colts.

1: Number of wins Jags QB Trevor Lawrence has had over his past 10 starts, Sunday’s victory snapping his personal nine-game skid – which followed the team’s 8-3 start to the 2023 campaign. Nice way for Lawrence to celebrate his 25th birthday.

2: Number of plays covering at least 45 yards Sunday by Colts WR Alec Pierce, who finished with 134 receiving yards and a TD – on three hookups with backup QB Joe Flacco.

3: Sacks by Jacksonville DE Travon Walker, establishing a career high, in Sunday’s win. The No. 1 pick of the 2022 draft continues to show steady improvement and is projecting toward what would be personal-best 17 sacks in 2024.

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4(-0): The Minnesota Vikings’ record in games played in London, where they beat the New York Jets 23-17 on Sunday, giving them the best all-time mark in International Series games.

5(-0): The Vikes’ surprising mark, the league’s best. The reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs can match it by beating the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.

6: The number of times Jets QB Aaron Rodgers has thrown three interceptions in a game – which included the trio, including a pick-six and one on his final throw, he served up in Sunday’s loss.

6(0,000+): The number of regular-season career passing yards – 60,148 to be exact – compiled by Rodgers, the ninth NFL quarterback to reach that plateau.

7: Don’t look now, but – in this moment – Rodgers might be the second-best quarterback in the greater New York market after Daniel Jones (257 yards, 2 TDs passing) helped engineer an upset of the Seahawks in Seattle despite the absence of Giants wunderkind WR Malik Nabers (concussion).

7a: Jones only has one turnover in his past four games, and his Giants (2-3) pulled even with the Jets despite vastly different expectations around the respective teams.

7b: Incidentally, since 1990, teams starting a season 2-3 have about a 77.5% chance of missing the playoffs, though the expanded postseason field might provide a larger margin of error.

8: Number of consecutive regular-season games that Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams has scored a touchdown, currently the league’s longest streak.

9: Number of completions (on 30 attempts) for Bills QB Josh Allen in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans and former Buffalo WR1 Stefon Diggs. Allen was 0-for-3 on the Bills’ regrettable final possession, which remained anchored to their 3-yard line and necessitated a punt – one that helped set up Houston’s game-winning 59-yard field goal on the game’s final play. Allen didn’t complete more than two passes to any of his teammates – leading receiver Khalil Shakir was out with an ankle injury – and his 30% completion rate was the lowest of his seven-year career.

9a: Number of combined TD passes between the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow in the game of the day Sunday – Baltimore’s 41-38 overtime triumph in Cincinnati.

10: Number of catches by Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, who scored touchdowns covering 41 and 70 yards. His 193 receiving yards are a league high for a game to this point of the season.

11: However P Ryan Rehkow’s blown hold on a field-goal attempt in overtime likely cost the Bengals their much-needed second victory. A real shame after his five punts averaged nearly 51 yards, four winding up inside of Baltimore’s 20-yard line.

12: Baltimore has rushed for at least 100 yards in 38 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in league history behind the 1974-77 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2018-21 Ravens, both managing to do it 43 times in a row.

12a: Baltimore’s Jackson and Derrick Henry have 935 combined rushing yards, most ever by a quarterback-running back combo through five games in league history.

12b: As for Henry, he can just about punch his ticket to Canton. Sunday, he became just the fifth player in league annals with at least 10,000 rushing yards and 100 TDs in his first 125 NFL games. Three of the other four are all in the Hall of Fame: Jim Brown, Emmitt Smith and LaDainian Tomlinson – and Adrian Peterson is likely to follow.

13: Steelers pass rusher extraordinaire T.J. Watt, the only man with three official NFL sack titles, notched his 100th career sack Sunday night in just his 109th game. Only Hall of Famer Reggie White hit that century benchmark in fewer games (96).

14:Washington Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels came back to earth a bit, completing a pedestrian 14 of 25 throws in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns after connecting on at least 70% of his passes in his first four NFL starts (and better than 85% in the previous two). Still, Daniels’ league-leading 77.1% mark on the season is second only to Drew Brees in 2018 (77.9%) in terms of the most accurate start to a season through five games.

15: Winners of four in a row, the first-place Commanders, per NFL Media, are the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to average 30 points through five games while starting a rookie quarterback.

16: Daniels joins Joe Ferguson (1973 Bills) and Dak Prescott (2016 Dallas Cowboys) as the only rookie QBs since the merger to go 4-1 at the start of a season.

17: Speaking of rookie QBs, the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams has improved on his passer rating in every game since Week 2 – culminating with a season-best 126.2 in Sunday’s 36-10 rout of the Carolina Panthers.

18: The Bears – the Bears! – have now won eight in a row at Soldier Field, currently the longest home heater in the league.

19: With Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos also cruising past the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the three rookie quarterbacks currently starting in the league have gone a collective 6-0 over the past two weeks and are 8-1 since Week 3.

19a: Makes you wonder how much longer the New England Patriots are going to keep rookie Drake Maye out of the lineup after they lost at home to the decimated Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

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20.92: The top speed (in miles per hour, per Next Gen Stats) of Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II on Sunday, making him the first defender of 2024 to break 20 mph on pick-six – which covered 100 yards in his case.

21.27: The top speed in mph, per NGS, of the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray on his 50-yard TD run Sunday, the fastest posted by a quarterback in the NGS era (since 2016).

22.15: The top speed in mph, per NGS, of Jags rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. on his 85-yard TD reception in Sunday’s win. Nobody’s run faster this season or for the Jags in the last eight years.

23: Can we just stamp Green Bay Packers S Xavier McKinney into an All-Pro slot already? He picked off a pass and recovered a fumble in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams. McKinney has generated at least one takeaway in all five games this season, six overall. His INT streak now stands at six consecutive games, including his final one with the Giants in 2023.

24: It appears San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk’s personal preseason is over after he broke out for eight catches and 147 yards Sunday – nearly doubling his yardage output (167) through four games and following his lengthy offseason holdout. Still, wasn’t enough to get the Niners a win.

25: That’s partially because Chad Ryland hit three field goals, including the game-winning 35-yarder with 97 seconds left, for the victorious Cardinals. Both Arizona and San Francisco were without their regular kickers – the Cardinals’ Matt Prater inactive (knee), while the 49ers’ Jake Moody was hurt Sunday while making a tackle.

25a: The Cards might’ve also enjoyed something of a road-field advantage, temperatures in the 49ers’ Silicon Valley home pushing close to 100 degrees.

26: Sacks suffered by Browns QB Deshaun Watson, most in the league, after being taken down seven times by the Commanders on Sunday. Watson has been bagged 18 times in the past three games, including a career-worst eight in Week 3.

27: The Bills-Texans game was the only one in Week 5 pairing teams with winning records.

27a: That’s partially due to this parity reality: 20 of the league’s 32 teams are within one game of .500.

28: But it would be nice to have some juicier morsels to look forward to on a football day that spanned 15½ hours, from London to storm-delayed Pittsburgh.

29: Seahawks S Rayshawn Jenkins returned a fumble 102 yards for a TD against the Giants. Along with Surtain’s pick-six, this was the first week in the league’s century-plus history to feature two defensive touchdowns covering at least 100 yards.

30: Former league MVP Matt Ryan went into the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor on Thursday night, only to watch QB Kirk Cousins break his single-game team record by passing for 509 yards in a 36-30 OT victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

30a: Cousins became the first player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to throw for 250 yards before and after halftime of the same game.

31: Elsewhere, former NFL pass rushers Jared Allen and Osi Umenyiora became the first inductees into NFL London Ring of Honour. Doesn’t seem like the highest bar to clear, but cool nonetheless.

32: Lots of uniform notes this week – starting with the Falcons, who should clearly revert to their oh-so-sweet original threads, in which they are 2-0 this season (and 1-2 otherwise).

32a: The Bengals have worn four varieties of tiger-striped pants in their five games … but are 0-2 in their new orange ones. Could be a sign, fellas.

32b: The Broncos honored their first Super Bowl squad – the 1977 Orange Crush – and our eyes by successfully throwing it back Sunday. Again, wouldn’t mind a permanent switch in this case.

32c: The Texans victoriously debuted one of their two new alternates in 2024 on Sunday. Kinda meh, but also appreciated by Houstonians who have been waiting more than two decades for a little variety (and wait for the other ones to hit the field) …

32d: And we’ll end where we started, with the Jaguars – who are apparently now old enough to officially go retro, and their result also speaks for itself.

***

(This story has been updated to include a new video.)

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

PALM DESERT, Calif. — Bronny James arrived at his press conference Sunday night looking subdued.

Maybe a tad disappointed.

Or frustrated.

That would be cause for Los Angeles Lakers fans to feel good about LeBron James’ son after after the famous NBA rookie missed his only shot, had four turnovers in 13 minutes and … made remarkable history.

Bronny and LeBron became the first father and son in NBA history to play in the same game. They took the court together at the start of the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena. After the game, LeBron called it ‘a moment I’ll never forget.’

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But Bronny knew it was the wrong time to celebrate, even on his 20th birthday. At least not in public.

During a four-minute stretch on the floor with his father, Bronny had three turnovers, a foul and missed his only shot. In the Lakers’ preseason opener Friday, Bronny shot 1-for-6 from the floor, but also had a game-high three blocks.

‘He’s tough,’ Lakers star big man Anthony Davis said. ‘Obviously he’s defensive-minded. Some great blocks. And the physicality he gets over screens. He’s good with his hands with deflections and steals. But he’s also still learning. He’s still trying to figure everything out.’

What he seems to have figured out he still needs to prove he belongs in the NBA.

During Bronny’s press conference with the media Sunday, a reporter told him the media had just heard from LeBron how much the moment means to him for Bronny to get to this point. And what was Bronny’s perspective?

His voice almost monotone, Bronny said Lakers coach JJ Redick informed him before the game he’d play with LeBron.

‘So I was pretty psyched for that,’ he said, sounding less than psyched.

Was he able to reflect on the historic moment before or after the game?

‘Nah,’ Bronny replied. ‘Just being prepared for another game that I’m going out and trying to play my best at.’

He seemed far more interested in having been in the game as the Lakers and Suns battled in the final minutes.

‘Yeah, just getting those reps in every game and trying to find my role,’ he said. ‘That’s my main focus every time I go the court.’

Or on what Redick is asking of him.

‘JJ has really emphasized that defensive end and being a pest on defense, so that’s just what I’ve been trying to focus on when I’m stepping on the floor.’

And on for the full 94 feet of the court and ‘blowing up’ screens.

‘JJ has told me to be as disruptive as possible, forcing me to disrupt the ball and pick up 94 feet, disrupt the ball screen and stuff like that,’ he said. “So yeah, I’m just trying to focus on what I can do my best and my role is best, and yeah, it’s been pretty good.’

Pretty good. Not great. Lots of work to do.

The celebrations for Bronny James can wait.

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In a Week 6 chock-full of significant college football upsets, the ACC escaped the worst of the carnage.

On the road, its top-ranked team mounted a 25-point comeback to avoid a rough, late-night loss on the West Coast, though it may have gotten some help to do so with a second-straight controversial ending. Another team saw their coach surpass a historic conference record, passing a legendary coach on a field named after him.

Here’s how the 17 teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference rank after Week 6 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC)

Last week: 1
This week: BYE

For the second straight week, Miami and Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Ward had to make a furious comeback in the second half to escape with a one-score win. Miami trailed Cal 35-10 with ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ in attendance. Ward led the Canes to a late score with 26 seconds left. However, Miami was aided by a controversial no-call on a targeting call to allow itself to get its final, game-winning possession. Still, Miami remains unbeaten and is in the driver’s seat in the conference.

2. Clemson (4-1, 3-0)

Last week: 2
This week: at Wake Forest

Clemson racked up 500 total yards of offense as Dabo Swinney earned career win No. 174, surpassed late Florida State coach Bobby Bowden for the most career wins by an ACC coach — ironically, on the field bearing Bowden’s name. The Tigers look to have recovered from the season-opening loss to Georgia.

3. Pitt (5-0, 1-0)

Last week: 3
This week: vs. Cal

For the first time in school history, Pitt defeated North Carolina on the road, knocking off the Tar Heels 34-24 and picking up its first conference win of the 2024 season. The Panthers’ 10-point road victory helped them gain the No. 24 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

4. SMU (5-1, 2-0)

Last week: 6
This week: BYE

There should be no question as to whether the Mustangs belong in the ACC following a 2-0 start in the conference, including a 34-27 road victory over then-No. 22 Louisville in Week 6. SMU’s only defeat this year was a close 18-15 loss to BYU, which looks better each passing week as the Cougars have risen to No. 15 in the latest Coaches Poll.

5. Virginia (4-1, 2-0)

Last week: 11
This week: vs. Louisville

The Cavaliers outscored Boston College 18-0 in the fourth quarter to complete the 24-14 comeback victory at home and rise six spots in the rankings. Virginia continues its best start since the 2019 season.

6. Syracuse (4-1, 1-1)

Last week: 8
This week: at NC State

The Orange started Week 6 for the ACC with an impressive 44-41 overtime victory on the road over No. 23 UNLV. Despite a loss to Stanford earlier in the season, Fran Brown has impressed in his first season at Syracuse, with help from Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord.

7. Boston College (4-2, 1-1)

Last week: 4
This week: BYE

The Eagles were outscored 18-0 in the fourth quarter and blew a 14-0 first-half lead after being shut out in the second half. Boston College’s last score came with 13:08 left in the first half — a shocking development with the return of quarterback Thomas Castellanos from injury.

8. Louisville (3-2, 1-1)

Last week: 5
This week: at Virginia

Following a 3-0 start, the Cardinals have lost back-to-back games vs. Notre Dame and SMU, both ranked opponents. Louisville has combined to commit four turnovers over the last two games, which have cost the team in a pair of seven-point losses.

9. Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2)

Last week: 1
This week: at North Carolina

The Yellow Jackets snapped a two-game conference losing skid with an impressive win over undefeated Duke at home. Georgia Tech out-scored the Blue Devils 14-0 in the fourth quarter after blowing a 10-0 lead.

10. Duke (5-1, 1-1)

Last week: 7
This week: BYE

Duke falls three spots and below the Yellow Jackets following the Week 6 head-to-head loss in Atlanta. The Blue Devils are still just one win away from reaching bowl eligibility in Year 1 under Manny Diaz, and will head into the bye week with a few things to work on.

11. Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1)

Last week: 14
This week: BYE

The Hokies dominated Stanford in an impressive 31-7 road victory. Virginia Tech nearly defeated Miami a week ago and lost its three games by a combined 14 points, showing that this team could be a threat coming off its bye week in Week 7.

12. Cal (3-2, 0-2)

Last week: 10
This week: at No. 24 Pitt

The Golden Bears have lost their two ACC games by six combined points. Cal hosted ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ for the first time and built up a 35-10 lead on Miami. However, Cal witnessed a Heisman-esque performance from Ward in the second half and were on the wrong end of a controversial targeting call, which ended a potentially time-killing drive with less than two minutes left in the fourth.

13. Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1)

Last week: 17
This week: vs. No. 11 Clemson

Wake Forest snapped a three-game losing streak and a five-game conference losing streak with a four-point victory over NC State on the road after trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter.

14. Stanford (2-3, 1-2)

Last week: 12
This week: at No. 12 Notre Dame

Not all newcomers to the conference are enjoying success right away. The Cardinal was limited to just seven points in a 31-7 home loss to Virginia Tech. Stanford has been out-scored 71-21 in its last two games vs. the Hokies and Clemson.

15. NC State (3-3, 0-2)

Last week: 13
This week: vs. Syracuse

The Wolfpack injury added to insult during Week 6 of the college football season. Not only did NC State fall 34-30 to last week’s basement dweller in these rankings, but also lost quarterback Grayson McCall to a scary injury in the first quarter.

16. North Carolina (3-3, 0-2)

Last week: 15
This week: vs. Georgia Tech

The bottom has fallen out for the Tar Heels in the last three weeks. UNC allowed a school-record 70 points in a pay-game to James Madison, blew a three-touchdown lead to rival Duke, and fell by 10 points at home to Pitt after being outscored 10-0 in the fourth quarter.

17. Florida State (1-5, 0-4)

Last week: 16
This week: BYE

Even a quarterback change couldn’t get the Seminoles’ offense rolling. Since last season, they have failed to rack up 300 yards of offense in nine straight games. FSU heads into its second of three bye weeks seeking answers, as it needs to go 5-1 the rest of the season against Duke, No. 6 Miami, UNC, No. 12 Notre Dame, Charleston Southern and Florida to avoid missing a third bowl game in five years under Mike Norvell.

The random nature of sports makes it impossible to foresee every game’s outcome. A whole lot of well-lit buildings in the desert stand as testimony to this reality.

College football is especially prone to such randomness. Most of the time, analysts might feel like they have a handle on which team might prevail in a head-to-head encounter. Then there are Saturdays like the one we’ve just witnessed that make us question our entire world view.

An overreaction? Perhaps, but that’s what we’re here for in this space. Here are the top five overreactions from Week 6, one of the most chaotic in recent memory.

Jalen Milroe just lost the Heisman

Let’s be clear. Alabama’s historic loss at Vanderbilt was not entirely Milroe’s fault. Yes, his pick-six put the Crimson Tide in an early hole. And his fumble in the fourth quarter was costly. But his defense’s inability to get off the field severely limited his opportunities, and as such every mistake was magnified.

His heroics of a week earlier in the victory against Georgia still happened, however, and just as the award isn’t won with a single performance, neither is it lost. That said, his lead in the race has been reduced. He’ll have plenty of other high-profile games in the second half of the season, but so will numerous other candidates.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Alabama’s upset leads Week 6 winners and loss

UNTHINKABLE UPSET: Vanderbilt’s win one of sport’s biggest surprises

The ACC replay booth is in the tank for Miami

It’s fairly indisputable that the ACC’s best chance of landing two teams in the playoff is for Miami and Clemson to win out and face each other in the league finale. This has led to much, shall we say, questioning of motives on the internet over the last couple of weeks as the Hurricanes benefited from controversial replay decisions in consecutive weeks.

We don’t normally like to give oxygen to conspiracy theories, and the idea that the league office would go to bat for a program that has caused it more than its share of headaches over the years by playing fast and loose with NCAA rules seems far-fetched. Then again, one can understand how the events of the last eight days might make folks wonder.

The reversal of the last-second Hail Mary touchdown that preserved the Hurricanes’ win against Virginia Tech last Friday might indeed have been the correct call, or at least have negated a wrong one made on the field. This week’s decision not to assess a targeting foul for a hit on California quarterback Fernando Mendoza seems significantly harder to justify.

Imperfect officiating has been part of the sport since time immemorial, of course, and the implementation of replay review can’t eliminate that aspect entirely. Miami probably shouldn’t count on such disputed outcomes to continue going its way, despite public perception of alleged favoritism.

The Big Ten will get more playoff spots than the SEC

As the perceived top-tier teams of the SEC began playing each other, some of them taking losses was inevitable. But now that several of those expected contenders have taken losses at the hands of lower-echelon conference members, it’s fair to question how many losses can be absorbed to earn at-large consideration in the newly-expanded 12-team playoff era.

As a result, it is the Big Ten that now has three teams ranked in the top five of the US LBM Coaches Poll. That trio has thus far avoided such losses to mid-tier squads. But can they continue to do so, and will the crowded SEC manage to sort itself out? It’s impossible to know at this point, but it will certainly make for an interesting next two months.

Vanderbilt is going bowling in 2024

Vandy’s rare triumph against a top-five opponent has fans of the SEC’s perennial gridiron doormat dreaming of even bigger things. The next box for the Commodores to check will be qualifying for a bowl game, something that hasn’t happened since 2018 and has occurred only nine times in the program’s history.

It could happen, but even with the win against the Crimson Tide in the Bank it isn’t a guarantee. For one thing, that Week 3 loss to Georgia State can’t be undone. That result as well as the overtime heartbreaker against Missouri leaves the Commodores still in need of three more wins. One of those should come in a couple of weeks in their final non-conference contest against Ball State, so two more ‘W’s in conference play must be found. Next week’s date with Kentucky and a Nov. 2 meeting with Auburn are winnable, but both are on the road making them 50-50 propositions. There’s also a home date with an up-and-down South Carolina squad. But if the Commodores can’t win two of those, they’ll have to spring another upset against Texas, LSU or Tennessee. Can they do it? Sure. Will they? Stay tuned.

Army and Navy will play twice

With the Black Knights and Midshipmen both starting 5-0 for the first time since 1945, fans of academy football are daring to dream that their storied rivalry might be contested twice this season, once in the American Athletic Conference championship game in which both are league members for the first time, then again a week later in their annual stand-alone game.

Such a scenario was spelled out by the conference when Army agreed to join prior to this season. All the Black Knights have done so far is win their first four AAC contests in decisive fashion. The Mids for their part are 3-0 in conference and also handily dispatched the third member of the academy triumvirate, Air Force, over the weekend.

Nearly halfway there then, but still a long way to go. Most other AAC members have only played a game or two in league, so it’s hard to discern where the toughest tests will come from. For now, it appears Navy’s Nov. 16 home date with Tulane and Army’s Nov. 9 trip to North Texas might be the most significant obstacles. It’s also worth noting that both academies will get a crack at Notre Dame, a potential resume booster that might even merit playoff consideration. This is a long-shot scenario to be sure, but after a weekend in which the sport was practically turned on its head, why not think big?

PITTSBURGH – It was Dak Prescott’s game to win or lose. 

Sure, it’s a team game. Yet no player was destined to leave a mark of the marathon Sunday night game quite like the embattled Dallas Cowboys quarterback. 

Near the end of the first quarter, Prescott became posterized as the 100th sack of T.J. Watt’s career, and the milestone came with him coughing up the football in the red zone. 

Ugh. 

Just before halftime, Prescott was intercepted at the goal line by Donte Jackson. It was some sort of miscommunication. Prescott zigged. CeeDee Lamb zagged. Jackson picked. 

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Argh. 

Somewhere, some armchair quarterback must’ve grumbled about Prescott being the NFL’s first $60 million man.  

In any event, early in the fourth quarter, Prescott heaved it for Jalen Tolbert, running a deep post pattern. It was so overthrown that it seemed as though Joey Porter Jr. was the intended receiver more than intended interception. 

Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times, as they say, is a trend. 

Prescott’s three turnovers left him trending as the perfect gift for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who keep leaning on their big-play defense to cover for the inconsistent offense. 

But Prescott found his superhero cape in the nick of time. He shook off all the adversity from a memorable visit to Acrisure Stadium – including a one-and-a-half-hour weather delay before the opening kickoff – to essentially will the Cowboys to a last-minute drive that sealed a 20-17 victory. 

“I personally was pissed about the two-minute before halftime, obviously, throwing an interception there,” Prescott said about his crunch time mindset.  

He settled it with a on a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It was a precise throw to Tolbert in the short corner of the end zone, connecting with the ideal out route at the perfect time. Yet that might not have even been Prescott’s defining play on the 15-play, 70-yard drive. The Cowboys (3-2) would have never had a chance for the fourth-down drama if, two plays earlier their unquestioned leader didn’t dive headfirst to the turf to recover a Rico Dowdle fumble. The football was punched out as the running back – who provided a jolt with a career-high 87 rushing yards – tried to jump over the pile from the one-yard line. 

Instincts took over. 

“They always stress, follow the ball,” Prescott said. “More than ever, that’s the reason why. Just examples of things in practice, coming up over and over again.” 

Prescott passed for 352 yards, which is the type of big number you’d associate with a quarterback needing to put on his back a team that was missing two stalwarts, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, from a beleaguered defense. He’s down a starting receiver, too, with Brandin Cooks expected to miss at least a month with a knee infection. And the running game has been so suspect, which is why Dowdle’s big night and the fact that Dallas logged 31 rushes offered some hope. 

Yet Prescott, who completed 29 of 42 passes, was no sure thing. He was nearly flawless on a 16-play, 90-yard drive capped with a 22-yard pass to Dowdle early in the fourth quarter, then came back on the next drive with a throw he wanted back on the pickoff Porter. Then again, it’s a team game. The Cowboys had a way of short-circuiting themselves. The two turnovers in the red zone came on a night when they committed 11 penalties for 87 yards. 

But still: It was the type of mess that begged for a steady hand when it mattered most. 

“He doesn’t blink,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said, reflecting on the final drive. “He doesn’t dwell on mistakes. There was no doubt we’d go down and score.” 

It gets no easier. The Cowboys host the Detroit Lions next weekend, then a trip to San Francisco is on the docket later in October. Yet they proved something about their mettle by emerging from a tough environment with a win.  

McCarthy called it a confidence-builder. There’s no doubt about that. Yet it was also a case where the team looked to Prescott’s composure to help save the day. 

“You’re just thankful,” he said, “especially in a game when I had turnovers, that I still got a chance an opportunity and we could go win the game.” 

And so it was on another ho-hum day for Dak at the office. 

PALM DESERT, Calif. — About 125 miles east of Los Angeles, in front of a crowd of 9,494 at Acrisure Arena, the home of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, a minor league hockey team, is where it happened.

LeBron James and his son Bronny took the court together Sunday night at the start of the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason game against the Phoenix Suns.

They became the first father and son in NBA history to play in the same game.

On Bronny’s 20th birthday, no less.

‘It’s definitely a moment that I’ll never forget,” LeBron said.

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But Bronny looked far more serious than celebratory after the game.

“It’s a lot of stuff going around, just trying to focus on what my job is and what I’m supposed to be doing,’’ Bronny said. “I feel like that’s the thing that keeps me grounded.’

Statistically, the four-minute stretch during which father and son shared the court was not how the script was supposed to go for Bronny. He had three turnovers and an offensive foul and missed his only shot – a 3-pointer after his father fed him a short pass.

LeBron fared better during that stretch, making a 3-pointer and a layup while getting fouled (yes, he converted the free throw) and grabbing two rebounds. And would have relished the assist if Bronny had made the 3-pointer.

“Only shot one shot, so there’s not much to say about that,’’ Bronny said of his 25-footer that clanked off the back of the rim when asked about his shooting ability. “But yeah, just again, just trying to find my role and play as hard as I can.’’

Bronny finished the night scoreless, attempting only the one shot, with two rebounds and four turnovers in 13 minutes. In the preseason opener, Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he had two points on 1-for-6 shooting and had a game-high three blocks along with a rebound, an assist and a turnover.

After the Lakers fell to the Suns, 118-114, those statistics seemed like an afterthought when LeBron addressed the significance of the night.

Less than 15 months ago, after all Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest.

“Even with the situation last year, he came out of that and continue to work, continue to put himself in a position where he can even be drafted and it’s just work in progress,’’ LeBron said. “Wants to continue to get, continue to learn and he’s doing it every single day. So it was great to see.’’

LeBron, who will be 40 in December, looked about a decade younger. Held out of the Lakers first preseason game, he had 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, five rebounds and four assists in only 16 minutes.

But ultimately, the numbers were an afterthought after the game when he was asked about being on the court with his oldest son.

“It’s pretty cool for both of us and especially for our family,’’ LeBron said. “It’s cool. You just think of (LeBron’s wife) Savannah watching home, the thoughts of your entire extended family.’’

When asked what it meant to him as a father, LeBron made reference to his having grown up fatherless in Akron, Ohio.

“I mean, for a father…it means everything,’’ he said. “For someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have influence from your son to be able to have moments with your son. And then ultimately, to be able to work with your son, I think that’s one of the greatest things a father could ever hope for.’’

Yet Bronny seemed far more focused on basketball than on history. As he’s attempting to carve out a role on the team under the watch for first-year Lakers coach J.J. Redick.

“J.J. has really emphasized that defensive end and being a pest on defense, so that’s just what I’ve been trying to focus on when I’m stepping on the floor,’’ he said.

He heard something else from Redick before the game. Tonight would be the night for father and son to share the court together.

“I’m thrilled that I get to be a part of this,’’ Redick said. “I really am. …I think it speaks to LeBron’s, certainly longevity, but also his competitive stamina that he’s able to still be doing this in year 22 (in the NBA).

“It speaks to the work that Bronny has put in to get to this point, and really just the fatherly care and love and certainly the motherly care from Savannah as well. Bronny, he’s such a great kid and he’s a pleasure to be around.’’

Oh, and that shot Bronny took.

“I was really hoping that wing three on the little side… had gone in,’’ Redick said. “That would’ve been a cool moment. But they’ll have a lot of moments together, I’m sure.’’

(This story was updated to add new information.)

LANDOVER, Md. – The good people of Cleveland, Ohio, do not deserve this. May the populace seek solace in the Guardians this October instead. The Browns are incapable of invoking anything other than pity.

While other issues inhibit the Browns, quarterback Deshaun Watson deserves most of the blame for their 1-4 start and another season gone by the wayside after Sunday’s 34-13 blowout at the hands of the Washington Commanders. The Browns guaranteed Watson generational wealth, and he rewarded the franchise with sub-mediocrity and borderline ghastliness. 

Next week will be his sixth start of 2024, the number he made in each of his first two seasons with the Browns. Coach Kevin Stefanski shouldn’t let him make it that far, though he remains committed to Watson. At this point, though, why not try and see what Jameis Winston can do? It’s still early enough to make a change and try to ride the team’s solid defense to another postseason berth. 

But the Watson Era should end. If it works with Joe Flacco, the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year and Browns savior last season, completely sputters with the man worth $230 million fully guaranteed, then Stefanski is well within his rights to make the change. Perhaps Watson’s paycheck and orders from above prevent him from doing that. Those forces would damn the Browns to more losses. After the game, Stefanski said he had no designs of a quarterback change.

‘We’re not changing quarterbacks,’ a dejected Stefanski said. ‘We need to play better, I need to coach better and that’s really what it is.’

All things Browns: Latest Cleveland Browns news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Watson moves like a quarterback who does not trust himself. Take his fumble that was initially ruled an interception – that type of turnover – in the third quarter for example. He took a shotgun snap. No Browns receiver revealed himself open. Watson panicked and lost the ball, which ended up in the hand of Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu. 

‘Continue to lead this offense and play better,’ Watson said when asked what he needs to improve upon. ‘This offense, it’s going to go as far as I go. At the end of the day, if we’re not doing enough offensively, as a quarterback, you take all the pressure, you take all the heat, you take all the blame.’

By that point, it had already been a brutal afternoon for Watson and his unit at Northwest Stadium. When the Browns offense walked off the field with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, they had gained a total of 47 yards. Watson was 6-for-14 with 34 passing yards (2.6 yards per attempt). The Browns trailed 24-3. Watson finished the half 8-of-18 for 67 yards; Cleveland punted to end the half and failed to convert any of the eight third downs it faced. Meanwhile, the Commanders had racked up 221 yards of total offense. 

‘The plays are there,’ Watson said. ‘We just got to finish them.’

The player Watson once was couldn’t be further in the past. This is not the same quarterback who earned three Pro Bowl nods from 2018-20 and led a game-winning touchdown drive in the national title game to finally lift up Clemson and knock off dynastic Alabama. He finished Sunday 15-for-28 with 125 yards and a touchdown. Watson was sacked seven times, and his longest completion was 19 yards.

‘We just got to catch a rhythm,’ Watson said. ‘I think that’s the biggest thing. We just got to find what are we great at, what are we really good at and we got to perfect that.’

Watson was asked what, exactly, are the Browns ‘really good’ at. His response? They’re still trying to figure that out.

In 2022, a suspension following the league’s investigation into the more than two dozen claims of sexual harassment filed against Watson – last month, a 27th woman filed a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault arising from massage requests – during his time as quarterback of the Houston Texans limited him to six starts that season. Watson underwhelmed then and rust was the excuse, as he’d sat out all of the 2021 season too while disputing his deal with the Texans as the allegations surfaced. Injuries limited him to six appearances again in 2023; he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last November. 

Seemingly every member of the Browns organization asked about Watson’s play Sunday stood by the quarterback.

‘We need to play better as an offense,’ Stefanski said. ‘We need to be able to move the ball on first and second down, convert when we get to third down, score in the red zone. We’re not doing that. We need to play better as an offense. We need to coach better as an offense.’

On Sunday, the slimmest possibility of turning things around came early in the third quarter. The Browns defense forced a fumble on the Commanders’ first play from scrimmage. Watson found receiver Amari Cooper for back-to-back completions all the way down to the Washington 2-yard line. But the Browns had to burn a timeout and also took a delay of game penalty – Stefanksi looked offended on the sideline – and settled for a field goal. Stefanski took the blame for the sequence.

‘To be honest, I don’t think Deshaun is the problem at all,’ wide receiver Amari Cooper said. ‘I think we could all play better for him.’

The Browns didn’t find the end zone until 7:02 remained in the game. That made it 34-13 in favor of a Commanders team whose defense certainly isn’t impenetrable but apparently was against the Browns. The Browns’ own defense that was supposed to be among the league’s best folded and allowed the game to become a laugher. 

‘I’m doing what I need to do, as far as just trying to get the ball out as fast as possible,’ Watson said. ‘Get to the ball to the guys, make the correct reads. Not everything’s going to be perfect, but at the same time, try to create and make plays whenever nothing is there.’

Watson is saying the quiet part loud there in that the pass protection, with the Browns managing injuries to the offensive line, has not been ideal to start the season. The book is out on Cleveland: dial up the pressure, and you’ll likely have success.

The good news for Cleveland is that there’s still plenty of room for change within the AFC North. Pittsburgh leads the division race at 3-1 entering Sunday night’s game against Dallas. The Browns haven’t played a division opponent yet. Myles Garrett hasn’t been completely healthy, and running back Nick Chubb’s return could be ahead in the coming weeks. 

This doesn’t have to be a completely lost season. Going to Winston at least isn’t throwing in the towel. Watson is now just another name Browns fans can add to the endless list of quarterbacks who have disappointed.  

(This story has been updated with new information and headlines.)