This past week in the NFL offered up some great drama while also providing one of the worst NFL games of recent memory. The best division in the league is the NFL East just like everyone expected…not. We got our first coach firing, a Justin Tucker walk off, and there’s a quarterback out West not named Mahomes or Herbert who is playing as well as just about anyone.
Mahomes Goes All In On Kelce Against Vegas
We keep saying it, but the Chiefs keep reminding us that their offense doesn’t need Tyreek Hill to thrive. At this point the concern for losing Hill just seems laughable. Patrick Mahomes is just unbelievable and his chemistry with Travis Kelce is maybe the best QB-TE connection we’ve seen in the last twenty years this side of Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski. They were at it again as Kelce caught all four of Mahomes’ touchdown passes in route to the 30-29 win.
The Raiders have deserved better this season. They may be the best 1-4 team in the NFL and played well enough to win on Monday Night. They didn’t turn the ball over offensively, but 11 penalties extended drives for a Chiefs team that you can’t give more opportunities to. Las Vegas now finds themselves alone at the bottom of the AFC West division.
Kansas City on the other hand stays locked step in step with the Buffalo Bills as the top two teams in the AFC. The Chiefs will welcome the Bills to Arrowhead Stadium this upcoming weekend in a game to claim the top spot in the conference for the time being.
Justin Tucker, The King of the Walk Off Winner
Tucker isn’t actually the all time leader in game winning field goals, it just feels like he would be. Much like some of the all time great MLB closers, if you see Tucker walking on the field for a game clinching field goal and you are cheering for the Ravens’ opponent, the punch to the stomach is probably already setting in. Tucker closed out another one with a 43 yard game winning field goal as time expired to give the Ravens a 19-17 win and the lead of the AFC North.
The hard fought division battle was neither team’s best game, especially offensively, as the two teams barely combined for 600 yards of total offense. Both Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson struggled with accuracy issues and only found the end zone through the air once.
At the end of the day, the game which featured Tucker and the Bengals kicking phenom, Evan McPherson, came down to what team could get into field goal range more frequently and that ended up being the Ravens.
These two teams will meet again in the final week of the season, a game that may very likely be deciding the division crown.
How ‘Bout That Cowboys Defense?
Cooper Rush may be the name people hear each week considering his undefeated record filling in for Dak Prescott, but the true spotlight belongs on the Dallas Cowboys’ defense. They dominated the defending champion Los Angeles Rams offensive line in route to a 22-10 win on the road.
The Cowboys defense sacked Matthew Stafford five separate times and caused three turnovers while holding the Rams offense to only 323 yards. In a game where the Rams defense showed their own strength in holding Dallas to just 239 yards of total offense, the Cowboys defense allowed their offense to get away with just the bare minimum.
It’s hard to know just how truly good Dallas can be. Prescott hasn’t played since Week One, but even upon return no one can really be certain how he will perform. The one constant is that this defense behind coordinator Dan Quinn seems like it is one of the premier units in the league and should keep them in any game.
That will be put to the test next weekend as they battle the Eagles in Philadelphia for the NFC East division lead.
New York’s Giant Comeback Sends Packers On Long Flight Home From London
London received a wild NFC battle in back to back weeks as the Giants scored 17 straight points out of halftime to take a permanent lead over Green Bay and earn a 27-22 win.
The Giants defense held the Packers scoreless in the second half with Green Bay’s only points coming off a New York intention safety in the final seconds to burn additional clock. New York’s defense held the Aaron Rodgers led offense to only 300 yards of total offense.
This was the second time in three weeks the Packers offense was shutout in the second half as Rodgers hasn’t been able to build any consistent chemistry with the young receiving core. Even more concerning was how the Green Bay defense, viewed by many as their strength, capsized to the New York offense in the second half.
This was an extremely big win for New York, whose only loss came to Dallas, in order to hang with the Cowboys (4-1) and Eagles (5-0) in the NFC East race.
The Packers will need to make additional ground now that they are one game back of Minnesota in the NFC North with a loss already in hand to their division foe.
A Thursday Night Football Horror Show
Denver and Indianapolis gave NFL fans a great nomination for “Worst Game of the NFL Season” on Thursday Night Football. The game that featured seven field goals and zero touchdowns ended with a Colts 12-9 win after a game winning field goal by Chase McLaughlin in overtime.
Denver lost the game and can’t feel any form of positivity after the home loss, but the real losers were the viewers. This game was like watching the movie The Room. A game so terrible that it almost perfects the word “bad”.
The Colts and Broncos went a combined 6-31 on 3rd down conversions. Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson never found the end zone, but both threw two interceptions. Wilson finished with a rating of only 54.9. Ryan finished with a slightly better 60.1.
Wilson’s second interception was on 3rd & 4 from the Indy 13 with only 2:13 left to play. Upon replay, KJ Hamler was wide open for a would be touchdown. Even a field goal would’ve extended the Denver lead to 12-6. The high expectations Denver had entering the season after acquiring Wilson have not paid off. Denver is now 2-3 and Wilson is looking more like Joe Flacco or Trevor Siemian than John Elway or Peyton Manning.
The Vikings Taketh, The Giveth, Then Taketh Back A Win
This was supposed to be the game the Vikings made quick work of a team. The Chicago Bears may have two wins to their name, but they haven’t looked anything more than a team that should be drafting in the top ten of the 2023 NFL Draft. Minnesota just has the ability to make bad teams look competent.
The Vikings actually opened like a team that matches their now 4-1 record by jumping out to a 21-3 first half lead off of Kirk Cousins franchise record breaking 17 straight completions to open the game. A late first half Chicago touchdown by David Montgomery left the door open though.
That door was even more wide than imaginable as the Bears scored 12 straight points in the second half to take a 22-21 lead.
For the third straight week the Vikings required a late offensive drive to take the lead back and this time it ended with a Kirk Cousins rushing touchdown from the goal line followed by a successful two-point conversion pass to Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings closed the game on a play that represented the entire game perfectly. With 1:12 to go in the game, the Vikings defense gave up a 15 yard pass that would’ve put Chicago into their territory with plenty of time until Cameron Dantzler ripped the ball away from Ihmir Smith-Marsette for a game clinching turnover and 29-22 win.
The Vikings will travel to Miami next week to play a team down two quarterbacks after Sunday. Considering how badly the Dolphins lost to the Jets, even a win on the road in South Beach may not convince football fans that Minnesota is the real deal.
Questions After Week Five
With Matt Rule being fired in Carolina, who will be the next head coach to be removed?
Ron Rivera looks like he will be next in line. Houston isn’t firing Lovie Smith in year one. If Mike Tomlin were fired, he’s earned the right for the entire season. Seattle is playing better than expected and even so, Pete Carroll has earned the same right as Tomlin. As bad as Indianapolis is, Frank Reich’s team is in the “best of the worst” race in the AFC South.
The only coach who could be a potential firing before Rivera could be Dan Campbell in Detroit. Considering he’s only year two and a couple of the team’s best weapons have been injured, it would seem unlikely. However, let’s say the Lions lose their upcoming matchups against Dallas, Miami, and Green Bay then drop a game to Chicago on the road. Dropping to 1-8 in a season with much higher expectations than the past might be enough for Detroit to make the move.
The ultimate reality though is that Washington is just a horrid football organization and are playing in a division with three teams who are a combined 13-2. As it stands, Rivera is basically 1.85 feet out the door.
Who have been the best five quarterbacks so far this season?
Quite frankly, there hasn’t been a ton of stand out quarterback play thus far this season. The three most obvious choices would be Josh Allen (14 Passing TDs, 4 INTs, 107.4 RTG), Patrick Mahomes (15 Passing TDs, 2 INTs, 1,398 passing yards) and Jalen Hurts (1,359 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TDs, 2 INTs, 6 Rushing TDs). Where Allen and Mahomes continue to torment teams through the air, Hurts provides a little bit of ice and fire with his dual threat ability. They are also the quarterbacks of the best three teams in the NFL right now.
The other top two quarterbacks are harder to identify, but I think it comes down to three options after Week Five. Unfortunately, Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t qualify with his hot start due to not playing in every game because of his injury. Without listing player names, I’ll list season stats below for you so you can make the decision for yourself:
Player #1: 1,478 Passing Yards, 10 Passing TDs, 2 INTs, 66.5 CMP%, 65.6 QBR, 100.8 RTG
Player #2: 1,067 Passing Yards, 12 Passing TDs, 5 INTs, 59.3 CMP%, 63.5 QBR, 97.9 RTG, 374 Rushing Yards
Player #3: 1,305 Passing Yards, 9 Passing TDs, 2 INTs, 75.2 CMP%, 74.6 QBR, 113.1 RTG
Now obviously I know which player is each, but let’s just break it down. Players #1 and #3 are essentially even minus quite a separation in completion percentage, QBR, and RTG which all break in favor of our third mystery player. To make matters more impressive, Player #3 also holds a higher yards per pass attempt than #1 by an advantage of 8.3 to 7.4. In my mind, #3 is having the better season thus far.
The dead giveaway for Player #2 is the rushing yard stat line so he has some dual threat ability where the passing numbers have been less impressive from an accuracy standpoint. Although the completion percentage is rather low, #2 still gets the ball in the end zone and has nearly equal QBR and RTG ratings. The ability to provide the additional rushing ability with a yardage that is in the top 10 of all players in the NFL leaves me deciding that #1 is just outside of the top five after five games while #2 and #3 take the last two spots.
Now for the player reveal:
Player #1: Justin Herbert
Player #2: Lamar Jackson (as I said, rushing yards being a dead giveaway)
Player #3: Geno Smith
Yes, Geno Smith is playing like a top five quarterback right now.
How long is Philadelphia likely to remain undefeated?
Since the NFL merger, only the 1972 Dolphins and 2007 Patriots have even had undefeated regular seasons. This Philadelphia team is good, but they aren’t “undefeated good”. The most obvious team that has an opportunity to deliver a loss to the Eagles is Dallas on Sunday Night Football this upcoming weekend. Although the game should be a good one, it is still a home game for Philadelphia.
If the Eagles get by Dallas with a win, they will enter the bye week and be poised to go several more weeks before experiencing their first loss. Their next four games after the bye are against Pittsburgh (home), Houston (away), Washington (home), and Indianapolis (away). Even though those are weak opponents, it’s not that unlikely that the Eagles could finally slip up in one of those games. Just Sunday they were a Kyler Murray clock management mistake and missed Arizona field goal from heading to overtime or even a final minute loss.
If Philadelphia does in fact get to 10-0, it is likely their first loss comes from one of their next three games against stronger opponents: Green Bay (home), Tennessee (home), or the New York Giants (away). This team won’t go undefeated, but considering the schedule, the Eagles could easily finish with a win total around 13-15.
“Everybody Loves to Hate-read Power Rankings so Go Ahead and Hate-read” Power Rankings
- Philadelphia Eagles (5-0)
- Buffalo Bills (4-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
- Dallas Cowboys (4-1)
- San Francisco 49ers (3-2)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-1)
- Miami Dolphins (3-2)
- Los Angeles Rams (2-3)
- New York Giants (4-1)
- Green Bay Packers (3-2)
- Los Angeles Chargers (3-2)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
- Tennessee Titans (3-2)
- Denver Broncos (2-3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3)
- Cleveland Browns (2-3)
- Arizona Cardinals (2-3)
- Las Vegas Raiders (1-4)
- New England Patriots (2-3)
- Indianapolis Colts (2-2-1)
- New Orleans Saints (2-3)
- New York Jets (3-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (2-3)
- Seattle Seahawks (2-3)
- Detroit Lions (1-4)
- Chicago Bears (2-3)
- Houston Texans (1-3-1)
- Carolina Panthers (1-4)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4)
- Washington Commanders (1-4)
Week Six Game Watchability Rankings
Teams on Bye: Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Tennessee
14. Commanders vs Bears: This is as easy a choice as the best game of the week. Washington and Chicago are two of the worst teams in the NFL and hardest viewing experiences. If you are not a fan of the Commanders or Bears the only other reason to watch this game is if you have money on it. If you are betting on Commanders-Bears you also may have a gambling problem.
13. Cardinals vs Seahawks: As much as the Rams seem to want to join these two teams, Arizona and Seattle are the weaklings in the NFC West. Both team enter with 2-3 records after close defeats this weekend in games that were there for the taking. Quite frankly, this game might provide lots of fun plays and be an entertaining game. Unfortunately, the importance of this game is very minimal in the landscape of the entire NFL.
12. Buccaneers vs Steelers: Let’s all just pour one out for Kenny Pickett now. Makes his first official start against maybe the best team in the NFL in the Buffalo Bills and doesn’t find the end zone the entire game. Week 6? Facing Tampa Bay, another elite defense and the team with Tom Brady. The Bucs haven’t been overly impressive so far so Pickett should be in a slightly more comfortable position playing them at home, but he is getting a quick rapid course in “Welcome to the NFL”.
11. Panthers vs Rams: The Baker Mayfield experiment is not working in Carolina. After a loss to San Francisco in which Carolina didn’t look like they belonged on the same field, the Panthers will travel to the West Coast to take on another NFC West opponent. The Rams have had their own struggles with zero run game and limited weapons offensively beyond Cooper Kupp. It’s a long season, but a loss to Carolina, who just fired there coach, at home would be a terrible follow up to their home loss to Dallas.
10. 49ers vs Falcons: San Francisco has been one of the stronger looking teams in recent weeks. It could be argued that beyond Philadelphia and Dallas, the Niners have been the most impressive NFC team despite their two losses. To the Falcons credit, they have made most games competitive despite their lack of talent all over the field. San Francisco will likely get tested by the Falcons, but no one should expect it to be enough.
9. Patriots vs Browns: Two teams that have AFC Wild Card hopes, but find themselves 2-3 and without their starting quarterback. Obviously the Browns won’t see Deshaun Watson for several more weeks, but there’s hope for the Patriots that Mac Jones could return. It’s likely that both of these teams end up on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, but the winner of this game would have a big chip in a potential playoff tiebreaker.
8. Jaguars vs Colts: And just like that Jacksonville’s season is trending down again after an uninspired home loss to the previously winless Houston Texans. The Jags will try to get their mojo back when they play their second and final game (playing a divisional opponent twice this early should be banned) against Indianapolis, a team they shutout 24-0 in Week Two. Since that game the Colts haven’t been easy on the eyes, but they have gone 2-1 with wins over Kansas City and Denver. The reality is this game is still an important AFC South game where both of these teams are in the running for the division crown as sad as that may be.
7. Jets vs Packers: The New York Jets have not had an above .500 record five games into the season since 2017. With the Jets dominant win over the Miami Dolphins, they now find themselves with an unexpected record of 3-2. Green Bay may also find their 3-2 record unexpected, but that has more to do with higher expectations. Needless to say, Green Bay will look to erase from their minds the London loss to the Giants and long flight home by taking it out on the other team from New York.
6. Bengals vs Saints: Cincinnati might be the best 2-3 team in the NFL. The Saints haven’t been healthy enough to make that claim, but still have talent all over the field. A game in New Orleans will not be an easy matchup for any team. The Bengals will really want to stay on pace with the Ravens so a win on the road would be huge for them.
5. Broncos vs Chargers: After Thursday’s loss to the Colts, the Denver fans have to be concerned that what was once an exciting move to acquire Russell Wilson just might not work. The offense is just plain bad and Wilson has been mostly unimpressive. The Broncos will also be playing a road game against a Los Angeles team that wants to push them farther back in their rear view mirror. The Chargers are also the type of team that will likely let Denver hang around if they get a lead. If so, will Denver even be able to take advantage of it?
4. Vikings vs Dolphins: The quality of this game will definitely depend on who is playing quarterback for Miami. If Skylar Thompson is playing, this game could be a tough watch. Best case scenario from a viewing experience, Tua Tagovailoa is medically cleared and the Miami Dolphins who started the season so well are back to full force. Minnesota needs some validation to go with their 4-1 record as they’ve won games, but haven’t necessarily played good football the last four weeks, primarily on defense. A win in Miami would be a big statement game if the Dolphins are relatively healthy.
3. Ravens vs Giants: Baltimore continues to make an argument that they are one of the best teams in the NFL. The Giants are 4-1, but don’t get anything close to as much credit. That could all change with a win over Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. This is a big game for Baltimore when it comes to AFC seeding considering either the Chiefs or Bills will lose because they play each other (barring a tie).
2. Cowboys vs Eagles: The NFC East is back and Sunday Night Football gets a look at the top two teams in the division. Much like Buffalo and Kansas City being the top teams in AFC and playing in Week Six, the same could be said about Dallas and Philadelphia in the NFC. The Eagles are still the only remaining undefeated team in all of the NFL while the Cowboys continue to ride their stellar defense as Cooper Rush remains undefeated filling in for the injured Dak Prescott. These teams don’t like each other and the winner will take first place of the division. Spicy!
1. Bills vs Chiefs: The most obvious game is the best game of the week. Buffalo and Kansas City are the best the AFC (and maybe the NFL) has to offer. High flying offenses, the two best quarterbacks in the NFL, good coaching, and recent playoff history. This will be the favorite to be the AFC Championship Game and as of right now if one of these teams represents the AFC in the Super Bowl they will likely be favored to win the whole thing. Not only the biggest game of the week, but the biggest game of the early season.