Week 5 NFL Recap

Week 5 NFL Recap

St. Louis Rams over Arizona Cardinals

Well the Cardinals seem to finally be going back to earth after their crazy hot start.  The Cardinals offense just looked completely inept.  Kevin Kolb was sacked 9 times, while the “Battering Ram” Ryan Williams, now on the IR, was held to 33 yards on 14 carries.  The Cardinals, while defensively still quite strong, offensively seem to be a mess.  Their offensive line is a total mess, Kevin Kolb just isn’t that good, the running game isn’t good, and they don’t have a real playmaker outside of Larry Fitzgerald.  The Rams moved to above .500 with this win and might be much better than initially thought.  Their only loss this year was to the Bears, who seem like they are one of the best teams in all of football.

Miami Dolphins over Cincinnati Bengals

Well the Bengals finally seemed to prove the team they actually are.  As a team that hasn’t beat a good team in the longest time, a loss against the Dolphins shows a lot about the team.  Dalton struggled considerably as the entire offense did.  The defense played pretty well but was playing the rookie quarterback who is playing shockingly well.  The Bengals could still be a playoff team this year in a weak AFC, but they might have just lost to a team that could take their spot.  The Dolphins have been playing really well this season and definitely look like a possible playoff team.  The defense is a good unit, Reggie Bush has turned into a great player, and if Ryan Tannehill is able to keep playing this well then I can’t see why they couldn’t be a playoff team. 

New York Giants over Cleveland Browns

The Giants offense this year is scary good.  Eli Manning this season maybe more than last season has proven himself as an elite quarterback and this year has arguably been the best quarterback in all of football.  This team can score points in bunches and can under no circumstances be counted out of a game.  This team while defensively inconsistent is offensively extremely dangerous with an explosive running game and vastly improved running game.  For the Browns, after getting off to a hot start, they were unable to hold the lead against the Giants.  The Browns have been right in every game they have played this year, but still haven’t won a game; a victory has to be coming for them soon.

Indianapolis Colts over Green Bay Packers

Andrew Luck got his most impressive victory to date in the big comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers.  Andrew Luck is extremely impressive and completely looks like the quarterback everyone expected him to be.  Reggie Wayne has been completely reinvigorated by his presence, and is putting forth the best season of his career.  The Colts have a shot of making the playoffs this year and if they do so then it will be by the arm of Andrew Luck.  The Packers on the other hand move below .500 as they try to find out their identity as a team.  The team just isn’t as prolific as last year’s team, and this is mostly due to the decline in Rodgers play.  Rodgers has still been a great player this season, but he hasn’t been the all-time great performer he was last year.  If he isn’t playing like that, then as a team the Packers quite simply aren’t that good.  There is a good chance that the Packers will be missing the playoffs this year, and it might not come down to the debacle in Seattle.

Pittsburgh Steelers over Philadelphia Eagles

The Steelers got an important victory over as Big Ben pulled out a last second victory over the Eagles.  The team moved to .500 and keeps themselves in the hunt for the playoffs.  The team is considerably better defensively when James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are on the field and showed so on Sunday.  They probably could have won by more but had to settle for 3 short field goals in the game.  The Eagles on the other hand got snake bitten by their fatal flaw, turnovers.  Michael Vick seriously cannot hold onto the football and this problem without question will plague them all season.  The team is extremely talented offensively and defensively, but any team that is going to turn the ball over frequently, especially in a tough conference is going to have difficulty making the playoffs.

Atlanta Falcons over Washington Redskins

The Falcons move to 5-0, a start that should make them the favorite for the 1^st seed in the NFC.  This team while impressive is now 3-0 in games decided by a touchdown or less, something that is likely unsustainable.  However, the team has still been impressive this season and seems destined for a top spot in the playoffs.  Matt Ryan continues to build on his MVP candidacy, as the Falcons prolific passing attack continues to impress.  The most important moment in the Redskins game was the terrifying hit on RGIII.  RGIII is the face of the franchise and really the future of the team, seeing him getting hit like that is terrifying, even for someone who isn’t a fan of the team.  Hopefully he isn’t rushed back from the concussion and this doesn’t become a constant thing with him, there is no reason that it would, and I wish him the best.

Baltimore Ravens over Kansas City Chiefs

The Ravens should really be embarrassed this week after their performance against the Chiefs.   Quite simply, offensively or defensively, this Chiefs team just isn’t that good.  Before allowing 9 points to the Ravens they allowed 40, 35, 24, and 37 points in their first 4 games, so clearly this defense isn’t good.  The Ravens inability to score on this team doesn’t bode well for their future.  Joe Flacco struggled mightily, and while definitely an improved quarterback needs to become more consistent if he is going to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.  The Chiefs are one of the worst teams in football with an elite running back, Jamaal Charles, to me the previous games prove more about the defense than their performance this week.

Chicago Bears over Jacksonville Jaguars

After their total annihilation of the Jaguars, the Bears have to be considered one of the best if not the best team in football.  Their defense might be best in all of football, shocking considering that each year they are considered to be “aging” defensively.  The offense is substantially improved over last year’s team with the additions of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey at receiver along with backup running back Michael Bush.  This is a great team that is on the short list of teams that can win the Super Bowl.  The Jaguars on the other hand are on the short list of teams that can finish with the worst record in football.  The offense and defense are both horrible and I don’t see this team improving any time soon.  Blaine Gabbert seems to be reverting back more often than not to being one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, and when your team isn’t that talented outside the quarterback position, then that tends to be an issue. 

Seattle Seahawks over Carolina Panthers

The Seahawks moved to 3-2 in a close fought game against the Carolina Panthers.  The game showed then again what seems to be the general consensus about them.  Defensively they are a great team that can contend with just about any unit in football, while offensively they struggle.  This team will be playing in a lot of low scoring games like this one and will have to keep winning them if they hope to contend for a playoff spot.  The Panthers on the other hand moved to 1-4 as the team seems to haven’t improved at all over last year’s team.  Cam Newton seems to have seriously regressed, or been figured out by the NFL.  The Panthers are going to have to change the way they run their offense because it is quite obvious that the team as currently constructed is quite easy to defend.  The team that built itself around its running quarterback and running game seems too easy to give up on that attack if it struggles early, and if Newton is forced to throw the ball consistently, then that will prove to be problematic for the team. 

San Francisco 49ers over Buffalo Bills

This season just seems to be getting worse and worse for Bills fans.  Offensively and defensively this team is just horrific right now.  Ryan Fitzpatrick has been completely figured out as a quarterback and the team falls behind so early that it can’t rely on its running game.  The defense is frankly embarrassing and is just completely unable to get a stop right now.  Somehow after adding a healthy Kyle Williams, Mario Williams, Mark Anderson, and Stephen Gilmore to the team the defense suddenly became the worst in football.  It is hopeless to stop anybody, and while I don’t normally support rash decisions when it comes to firing people, a defense that it set records of futility that haven’t been matched since the New York Yankees… something has to change.  Now on the other hand the 49ers came out of this game looking like the best team in football.  Their defense is still near the top of the league, and the offense seems vastly improved over last year’s attack. 

New England Patriots over Denver Broncos

The Patriots won again to move to 3-2 in a well-played game over a quality opponent.  Their team seems like it probably has the best offense in football, combining Tom Brady’s stellar passing attack with a vastly improved running game.  The defense seems slightly improved over last year’s unit which might be just enough for them to improve.  After a slow start the Patriots seem destined to another hot finish to their season.  The Broncos again fell behind big before their comeback attempt fell short.  The Broncos biggest problem over the course of their season over anything else may be their schedule.   They might play the hardest schedule in all of football and this could prove extremely difficult for the team as it attempts to fight for a playoff spot.  Peyton Manning seems to be if not completely back to his old self, still one of the best quarterbacks in the league.  This Broncos team is quite dangerous and may end up missing the playoffs for factors outside of their control.

Minnesota Vikings over Tennessee Titans

The Vikings played the game they needed to in order to prove that they are a legit playoff contender.  They played a bad team at home and blew them out decisively in an impressive performance.  Percy Harvin is proving week in and week out that he is one of the best players in all of football, the man can score catching the ball, running the ball or taking kickoffs.  Every time he touches the football he is a threat to score and this is shown in the performance by the team.   The Titans look like one of the worst teams in all of football, Chris Johnson, reverted to being awful and offensively and defensively the team just seemed inept. 

New Orleans Saints over San Diego Chargers

The Saints won their first game of the season in a game they were fairly lucky to win.  Brees played great in his record breaking performance as the Saints offense seemed to return to their normal ways.  The team still doesn’t look like a great team by any means and I have a very hard time seeing this team recover in any way to make a substantive run toward the postseason.  The Chargers played pretty well but miraculously pulled off not being able to score after the 12:27 mark in the 3^rd quarter against the Saints defense.  Considering the Saints probably have the worst defense in all of football that is quite a difficult task to accomplish.  That is what happens sometimes when Norv Turner is your head coach; you will put forth performances like that.   

Houston Texans over New York Jets

The Texans improved to 5-0 in a 6 point victory over the New York Jets in a game that honestly didn’t seem that close.  The Texans seemed to be able to run the ball at will against the Jets with Arian Foster and seemed to be all over the Jets’ offense.  J.J. Watt is probably the best defensive player in all of football and played like it again on Monday Night with a sack to go along with 3 pass deflections.  The Texans are clearly the early favorite in the AFC as their only weakness right now seems to be their special teams.  The best thing I can say about the Jets’ performance Monday was that they competed.  In a game where I expected them to completely roll over they put up a tough performance against one of the best teams in all of football.  They could have easily quit, like some other AFC East team, but didn’t and gave themselves a chance to win the game.  This team has some serious flaws, but if they are able to continue playing like they did on Monday then they still have a chance at a playoff spot.

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