Week 5 Review

Thursday Night Game

Rams 17, Cardinals 3

For St. Louis:

• The Rams are over .500 for the first time sine 2006. That’s great for the Rams’ fans, as they have had to endure some horrible teams throughout their recent history. Sam Bradford and the offense didn’t exactly do much, especially once Danny Amendola left the game with injury. The only real play of note was a bomb to rookie Chris Givens.
  
• The Rams defense is nasty. They had an eye popping nine sacks against the Cardinals beleaguered offensive line. Robert Quinn lead the charge with three of the sacks while six other player chipped in. The secondary also stood out, particularly Janoris Jenkins (Thug4life). 
  

For Arizona:

• I mentioned last week that the Cardinal’s preseason problems reared their ugly head. Same thing this week, but this time the offensive line cost them a game. The offensive line was flat out horrible and Kevin Kolb had no time to operate in the pocket. Consequently he made some poor choices. He tossed several near interceptions and lost a fumble while getting crushed by countless Rams’ defenders.
  
• The Cardinals defense held the Rams in check, outside of that 51-yard touchdown. The offense just could not handle their share of the load in this contest. The question is are the Cardinals done? Maybe. Most national media centers will blow this loss out of proportion and say the Cardinals are a fluke. It may be true, but lets wait to see how they continue playing. One thing is for sure the o-line must play better. 
  

Sunday Games

Dolphins 17, Bengals 13

For Miami:

• The Dolphins continue to show they are a competitive team. Miami is a ways from competing, but they are a tough and disciplined squad that can beat middle of the road teams every now and again. Ryan Tannehill played what Dan Marino called a “clean game”. Tannehill did not make big mistakes like last week, but still made plays when his team needed them. He played well despite the running game never really getting going, although Bush and Thomas both scored touchdowns.
  
• The Dolphins defense continues to be impossible to run on. Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle threw out a great game plan against his former team. He deserves a ton of credit for fielding a very good unit despite a scheme change and with a few players being questionable fits.
  

For Cincinnati:

• They are who I thought they were. I haven’t moved the Bengals up from the 17th spot in my power rankings despite the fact that they were 3-1. I cited the fact that they have yet to beat a good team and they were simply beating powder puff opponents. Well this time they lost to a subpar team. 
  
• Andy Dalton did not play as well as the previous weeks as he tossed two interceptions. A.J. Green had a touchdown but was forbidden to grab a long ball and torch this defense. The BenJarvus Green-Ellis signing still looks like a bust as he was unable to get anything going. He would be best served in a complementary roll to a faster, more complete back. This Bengals team just did not look like a contender. 
  

Colts 30, Packers 27

For Indianapolis:

• Sometimes things just can’t be explained, and this is one of them. After Chuck Pagano went to the hospital to fight leukemia I figured the team would be emotional and ready to play well. I never would have given them much hope to beat the Packers. The Colts did just that, seemingly on the back of Reggie Wayne. The veteran wideout caught 13 balls for 213 yards and the winning touchdown. The winning touchdown was particularly impressive as he just willed his way into the end zone.
  
• Andrew Luck was money in the second half and showed the type of top tier QB he could be. Having Dwight Freeney certainly helped against a disappointing Packers offensive line. He had a sack and the whole team rushed the passer better. 
  

For Green Bay:

•  I really cannot believe the Packers are 2-3*, and more so that they lost to the Colts. All looked right when the Packers were up early, but it did not hold. The Packers lost B.J. Raji, Jermichael Finley, and Cedric Benson to injury and their offensive line seemingly did not want to block a soul.
  
• The Packer’s passing game is a notch off of their otherworldly standards of last year. Greg Jennings being hurt is proving to be a huge issue. Jordy Nelson looks like a number two wideout and none of these guys can win against press man coverage on the outside.
  

  


Ravens 9, Chiefs 6 


For Baltimore:

• It’s pretty unbelievable that the Ravens won all while scoring nine points. Ray Rice was playing well and went over 100 yards, but the passing game did not hold up its end of the bargain. Joe Flacco was constantly pressured and his receivers dropped several passes. He also chipped in with an interception of his own.
  
• The Ravens defense is just not what it once was. Jamal Charles and the Chiefs running attack tore them up on the ground. Ray Lewis in particular was putrid in run defense. The Ravens were lucky they were facing Matt Cassel, as a competent passing game would have made them lose this game. 
  

For Kansas City:

• Matt Cassel threw only 15 passes but still managed to throw two interceptions. That is about al you need to know about him. The coaching staff pressed the run all day because they clearly did not trust Cassel. Jamal Charles ran extremely well, but still has a fumbling problem. 
  
• I would like to comment on the Eric Winston tirade. He is totally right. As a sociologist and football fan I completely agree with the notion that players have become commodified and are no longer seen as humans by the fan. Yes they make too much money but they still do not deserve to be hurt like that. If you cheered for Cassel being hurt, or any player, you need a reality check.
  



  


Giants 41, Browns 27 


For New York:

• The Giants once again showed some resiliency. They were down 14 points early on, but did not panic. Eli Manning stayed cool and threw three touchdown passes, all going to Victor Cruz. Plenty of other weapons for the Giants came out as Ahmad Bradshaw finally broke through for 200 yards and a touchdown.
  
• The two top rookies for New York finally showed up as well. Reuben Randle caught six passes for 86 yards and much-maligned runningback David Wilson busted out a 40-yard touchdown. Frankly, Wilson should be used more. I know it is hard to trust him with his fumbling, but he brings a speed dimension to this team that it does not have otherwise.

For Cleveland:

• 
  
Not good. The Browns started off with some big plays and went up 14-0 early. Josh Gordon showed off his skills as he caught a 62 yard bomb from Brandon Weeden. Trent Richardson also had a nice outing and rumbled into the end zone for the team's first score. 
  
• Everything went downhill after this. The Giants put their foot on the throat and really never looked back. The Browns defense showed no resistance to the Giants passing attack. Brandon Weeden was horrible after this and many analysts are questioning whether he will even be the starter next season. Yes he is a rookie but his older age works against him. 

Steelers 16, Eagles 14 


For Pittsburgh:

• There are two stories for the Steelers in this game. The first is the return of the injured players Troy Polamalu made his return to the lineup, but was promptly injured again. He looks like he is going to miss more time. James Harrison returns just in time because Lamarr Woodley is now hurt. Rashard Mendenhall really impressed me with how he ran in his first game back from a torn ACL. 
  
• The other story is the play of Ben Roethlisberger. He once again was a machine on third downs and while his stats do not jump out at you, he may have played the best of any elite QB this season. He is a total stud, and without him, this team would be nowhere.
  

For Philadelphia:

• A friend of mine joked with me on Facebook that I must have forgot to post this Eagles recap because they forgot to show up. Well really the section did not copy, but hey that makes sense too! What more is there to say about these guys? 14 turn overs on the season and 11 personally by Michael Vick. Yeah thats not very good. Vick needs to be more accountable post game for his fumbling problem and cannot jeopardize his team this way. It does not look like he will ever be the leader this team needs.
• The other recurring problem for the Eagles was here again as LeSean McCoy did not get enough work. I am beginning to think that the problem with the Eagles really are Michael Vick and Andy Reid's poor play calling. I just do not know where to go with the blame anymore. They are still winning some games, but if things keep going this way I see big changes in Philly, because the blame has to rest on Andy and his guy at QB.


  


Falcons 24, Redskins 17 


For Atlanta:

• The Falcons started slowly in this game, including an uncharacteristic interception returned for a touchdown by Matt Ryan. Ryan also could not hook up on a bunch of deep balls to Julio Jones early in the match. Of course the Falcons heated up in the second half and eventually prevailed in the game.
  
• Tony Gonzalez played a fantastice game catching 13 passes for 123 and a touchdown. He certainly has some eroded physical skills, but he can still be an effective tertiary weapon and move the chains for Matt Ryan. The only other player of note was Julio Jones who caught the other touchdown.
  

For Washington:

• The big story is the RG3 injury. The rookie has been phenomenal but he has to learn to not take such blistering hits. He took a legal hit to the helmet while running and refusing to go out of bounds. He is in danger of developing Vick-syndrome, where he just refuses to go out of bounds or slide. He needs to realize that the extra yard he gains is not worth jeopardizing his health, and subsequently his team’s chance of victory.
  
• The two goats of this game were Kirk Cousins and Billy Cundiff. Cousins did not look ready to replace Robert Griffin. He hit a huge 77-yard touchdown due to busted coverage, but went on to throw two interceptions. Cundiff shanked another easy field goal and should probably be kicked to the curb. 
  


  


Seahawks 16, Panthers 12 


For Seattle:

• This is the Seahawks game; play great enough defense to overcome your young quarterbacks mistakes. Bruce Irvin had two more sacks and the Carolina runningbacks were stuffed all day long. It is amazing to me how this young Seattle team seemed to get into the heads of the Panthers with ease.
  
• Russell Wilson had a nice completion percentage early, but he threw two killer interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. This team seems to be good enough to overcome him, but will that continue? Also that punt safety was a stroke of genius by Pete Carroll. Say what you want, the man is a good coach.

For Carolina:

• The Seahawks defense really owned this game. Carolina’s offense did literally nothing all day and came away with only a field goal. Cam Newton at one point was at 10% or 14% completion percentage and missed throws all game. Carolina looked sunk all day from their loss to Atlanta last week. 
  
• Carolina was missing two of their best players, in Jon Beason and Chris Gamble, and a starter on the offensive line. The injuries showed as the Seahawks had countless short competitions and got after Newton all day. 
  

  


Bears 41, Jaguars 3 


For Chicago:

• Chicago did not look good as the game was tied 3-3 at half time, but Jacksonville imploded after the half. The Bears line had an unusual nice day against the Jags pitiful pass rush and Cutler and Marshall once again had big days. 
  
• The Bears defense took two interceptions back for touchdowns and crushed the opposition in the second half. Matt Forte came alive in the second half as Matt Forte went over 100 yards. The Bears had you worried early in the game, but this is what you wanted to see from them. They crushed a bad team with ease. 
  

For Jacksonville:

• Another home blowout loss for the Jaguars. It is getting quite sad watching this team put out such a pathetic performance week in and week out in front of all 10 of their fans. If things keep on this way the team will have to clean house, Blaine Gabbert included. 
  
• I mentioned the Jaguars pass rush in the Bears section. I cannot believe that it had only two sacks coming in to Sunday. Two sacks! The Rams had nine on Thursday night! This level of the defense is absolutely hodign the rest of this unit back. Its just sad at this point, and a big drop is coming tomorrow in the power rankings. 
  


  


Vikings 30, Titans 7 


For Minnesota:

• The surprise of the Season continues; the Vikings are good. I always say that a mark of a good team is when they blow out a bad team with no questions asked. That is exactly what the Vikings did here. Christian Ponder threw his first two interceptions for the season, which is incredible. The Vikings defense also probably played its best game as it stifled the Titans all day long.
  
• Percy Harvin had another dominant performance and really looks like the payer he was at Florida.  He had a score on the ground and the air. He also went over 100 yards receiving. Adrian Peterson also continued his incredible play post reconstructive knee surgery.
  

For Tennessee:

• Matt Hassleback was completely terrible. It is amazing to think that people actually wanted him to start for the Titans this season. He is clearly done. The whole team however, looks nothing like the 9-7 team from last year, particularly on defense.
  
• Chris Johnson once again gave another pathetic showing. He rushed for 24 yards on 15 carries and even lost a fumble. Johnson seemingly proved that his big game against Texans backups was merely a fluke. If he continues this play the Titans should move on from him in the offseason.
  


  


Patriots 31, Broncos 21 


For New England:

• The Patriots once again look like the best team in football. Tom Brady is in peak performance, but this is a complete offense with a punishing running attack. Stevan Ridley looks dominant and punished the Broncos all day, outside of a late fumble. The other Pats running backs got involved and even Shane Vereen scored a TD.
  
• Wes Welker is not being phased out either. He had 13 catches for 104 yards and a score. The Patriots defense is extremely impressive as well. They finally rush the passer well and they now have an opportunistic secondary to compliment. Rookie Chandler Jones again stood out and he is a great player in the making and fun to watch. 
  

For Denver:

• Too little too late is becoming the theme of the Broncos’ season. This teams defense just continues to the offense too dig a hole to overcome. The Patriots led by three scores at one point and ran all over the Broncos early and often. Von Miller still stands out as a premier player as he dominated with two sacks and a forced fumble.
  
• Manning cannot do it all, but this offense seems to be coming along. Damaryius Thomas is turning into a star under Manning, but he had a bad mental mistake as he coughed the ball up early in the game in Patriots territory. Willis McGahee also blew the game with a bad drop on third down and a fumble late in the game when Denver was drinving.
  

 


49ers 45, Bills 3 


For San Francisco:

• The Niners were tied at 3-3 early in the game but that did not last long, clearly. Alex Smith by far player his best game I have seen and was almost flawless with 300 yards and three touchdowns. Some impressive stats fro mthe game: Smith's scores went to Crabtree (6-113), Kyle Williams (2-50) and Mario Manningham (4-26). Both Williams and Manningham torched Aaron Williams. Vernon Davis also had a big game (5-106) and was even wide open on a few occasions. 
  
• he 49ers dominated on the ground as well. Colin Kaepernick once again got some snapes and scored a rushing TD. Frank Gore got 106 yards and a touchdown on just 14 attempts, while Kendall Hunter gained 81 yards on only 11 carries himself.
  

For Buffalo:

• The Bills once again gave away the game in the second half in shocking manner. I was so disgusting I can barely talk about it. Ryan Fitzpatrick continues to show he is not the answer. His interception was nothing short of terrible. It was one of the weakest thrown balls I have seen since my playground days.
  
• The Bills vaunted running attack offered nothing. The defense was clearly putrid. Mario Williams again was nowhere to be found and he already look content to sit on his money. Frankly, signing him was not going to fix all their issues. They go far too deep for that.
  

  


Saints 31, Chargers 24 


For New Orleans:

• Congrats to Drew Brees for another record broken and the Saints for getting their first win. Now that I have got that out of the way here are some issues I have. For one, I did not need to see Sean Payton’s 200 times, but thanks NBC for reminding me again and again he was there. Secondly, the celebration and happiness about that record was way too much. Remember Saints/Brees you’re a huge disappointment at 1-4. 
  
• The Saints offense was explosive but their defense was not a total joke this game. The pass rush finally showed up as they sacked Rivers five times. Martez Wilson is the big hero as he strip sacked Rivers near the end of the game and sealed the game. 
  

For San Diego:

• This is a disappointing loss by the Chargers. They look like the team to beat in the AFC west but they have not had a signature win yet. The Saints are not a good team, but they have mostly just beaten up on bad squads and been blown out by the Falcons. They could be overrated. 
  
• Robert Meachem had a big game against his former team with two TDs. It was nice to see since I called him out on Twitter (@BackyardBanters) before the game. Ryan Mathews was the real star as he ran with power trying to get back into the Chargers favors amid reports they were fed up with him and Jackie Battle starting. If he can stay healthy he could have a big remainder of the season.  
  

Texans 23, Jets 17

For Houston:

• Houston won this game, which everyone expected, but they did not thrash the other team as many expected. However, they still won the game even though they did not play their best. Going on the road and beating team is never easy so really you cannot fault the Texans all that much
  
• There were times when the Texans seemed to be sleep walking and bought into the fact that everyone expected them to win this game easily. Gary Kubiak and the coaching staff needs to make sure this team is not getting too entitled. It is important for this team to stay hungry. Either way the Texans looked like the better team all night and are still the best team in the AFC without a doubt. 
  

For New York:

• The Jets ended up making this game interesting, but they had to pull out all the stops to do so. In order to make up for a poor offense they mixed their quarterbacks, put Antonio Cromartie at wideout, faked punts, attempted an onside kick, and misused Tebow in a college option system. All of that, and a kickoff return score by Joe McKnight, was not enough. Their defense couldn’t stop the run and their offense could not score.
  
• Here is where I think the Jets should go from here. I think they need to start Tim Tebow. Here are my reasons:

1)    This whole switching quarterbacks is NOT working. It throws both guys off. Tebow is the kind of guy who needs to build a rhythm, and they do not let him do that. When Sanchez returns to the game he usually is ineffective. They need to put Tebow in full time, or not at all.

2)    Mark Sanchez looked defeated all night. From the moment the cameras went on he looked like he was depressed and wanted to be anywhere but there. Tebow being here has finally broken an already fragile quarterback. Guys cannot look to him for leadership anymore if he is going to look like that all game.

3)    One of two things will happen if Tebow becomes the starter. He will go out there and stink up the joint. If he does? Good. The Jets can be done with the nonsense and let Sanchez ride out the season and replace him next year (because either way he has busted and needs to go). Or, maybe my worst nightmare comes true. It will be 2011 all over again and Tebow will play well and revitalize this dying team, showing that he deserves a chance to right the ship for good. Either way, it can’t hurt the Jets long term to just go ahead and put him out there and see what happens.

4)    What is there to lose? You really have to move on from Sanchez long term at this point so why not just see what you have in Tebow. I do not think he is the answer, but this team needs to swallow its pride and accept the Sanchez era is over, before the Rex Ryan era is over with it.

• Do I think they will start Tebow? No I do not. Rex Ryan is stubborn and he thinks that as long as his defense is great he does not need an elite quarterback. Well the Jets do not run well or play great defense anymore. Tony Sparano is an awful offensive coach too so this team was doomed from the start. Might as well see if there is any Tebow magic to be had for them.