NFL Week 5

AFC EAST Power Rankings
1. New York Jets 4-1
2. New England Patriots 3-1
3. Miami Dolphins 2-2
4. Buffalo Bills 0-5

The Jets deservedly are the talk of the division at this point. True indeed that MNF showdown b/w the Jets and Vikings was a star-studded event with so many subplots from Favre vs. Jets, to Moss returning to the Viks, to Ladainian Tomlinson’s resurgence, Moss and Favre finally playing together etc. The sheer talent and athleticism on display had the look and feel of a Super Bowl match up. I kept thinking man for man, these are the two most talented teams in the league. Both teams’ rosters have been built in much the same fashion as a fantasy team on Madden. The most eye popping stat to come out of it has to be the Jets record-tying 4-game streak without a turnover. The Jets are certainly living up to the hype and the scary part is there is no evidence to support them sliding. Fresh into the starting rotations are LB Calvin Pace, WR Santonio Holmes and a rested CB Darrell Revis. Not to mention QB Matt Sanchez is looking very Phil Simms-esque and thus far has yet to throw a pick. At some point he is expected to have a down game but with perhaps the best O-line in the league, a stifling defense and a coaching staff devoted to a conservative quick-strike attack, the sky is the limit.
There is no way to convince most that New England upgraded with Moss’ departure, but they did re-acquire speedy WR Deion Branch from Seattle, and it will help keep defenses honest. Of course the saying is as long as Brady and Belicheck are together this team is a top contender, but the Pats have a tough road ahead in pursuit of a playoff spot this year. Consider over the next month they play host to Baltimore (10/17), Minnesota (10/31) and Indianapolis (11/21). In addition they have road games against San Diego (10/24) and Pittsburgh (11/14). All said, the Patriots will play 5 of the league’s toughest opponents in the next 6 weeks, and they figure to be underdogs vs. all but the Chargers. It will make or break their season.
The Dolphins are hard to figure here. They have Brandon Marshall and a two-headed running attack but the defense is solid, not overpowering. They are capable on any given Sunday of stopping some top offenses, but consistency is going to be key for the young squad. They have losses to NE and NY already, and a brutal six week stretch ahead playing the Packers, Steelers, Bengals, Ravens, Titans and Bears. Most assuredly come Nov. 21^st, either Miami or New England will be on the ropes in the AFC playoff picture.


AFC NORTH
1. Baltimore Ravens 4-1
2. Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1
3. Cincinnati Bengals 2-3
4. Cleveland Browns 1-4

Well, Baltimore’s narrow defeat of Pittsburgh two weeks ago had most observers catapulting them to the top of their lists. Don’t forget this is essentially the same team that reached the AFC Championship two seasons ago with a pair of rookies at head coach and QB. Only the 2010 has considerably more offensive firepower as RB Ray Rice was then at Rutgers, and WR’s Anquan Boldin, Dante Stallworth and TJ Houshmandzadeh were lacing up in other NFL venues. Also remember that when they travel to New England this week, it will be a rematch of last years wild card game, which was easily the Patriots worst playoff performance in the Brady-Belichick era.
The T.Ocho show, as the new VH1 reality show is termed, is not particularly working in Cincinnati. Terrell Owens is playing his you know what off, but of course, it takes a 53-man effort to win in this league. Once again, in another year and for now his 5^th team, T.O. came out publicly questioning the Bengals offensive approach. Last season en route to capturing the AFC North title and returning to the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons, the Bengals established themselves as a hard nosed team with gritty defense and a strong run game led by rejuvenated Cedric Benson. Of course for years prior they were an air it out team. They seem to be a bit of both at this point and in any case a clear strategically identity is crucial for a top contender. So far this season they rebounded nicely to an opening week loss to NE to defeat Baltimore in a really bruising game 15-10. Then they cruised to a win over winless Carolina before losing two really tight games to underdogs Cleveland and Tampa Bay. The have a bye this week but then it gets really tough as they play Atlanta, Miami, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis in successive weeks, Man for man Cincinnati is really a good team. This next month will tell the story of how they match up with the league’s best.
Big Ben is back in Pittsburgh and it will be interesting to see how well he performs as it will be his first real game action since last December.

AFC SOUTH
1. Houston Texans 3-2
2. Indianapolis Colts 3-2
3. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-2
4. Tennessee Titans 3-2

Whoever wins the Jags-Texans game will be in sole possession of first place. The Jags are playing way beyond anyone’s expectations. I mean, some radio show hosts had them pegged as one of the worst teams in the league the last time I did this post two short weeks ago. Since then they defeated Indy and came back hard to win against a game Buffalo unit. People are saying the Colts don’t look as dominant but the fact is Peyton Manning is having his best season to date. That says a lot considering he is the league’s only 4-time MVP. He still has weapons in the passing game and the team showed against KC that the run game can get gritty if need be with Michigan alum Mike Hart. The defense isn’t especially good against the run but conventional wisdom suggest that since it never really was anyway so what’s the concern? The Colts are in the midst of an unprecedented streak having won at least 12 games in 7 straight seasons. The defending AFC Champs (who remember could and should have finished 16-0 last season) have a young secondary that even without oft-injured S Bob Sanders, plays smart and agile. They also still have the speediest set of DE’s in perhaps NFL history in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Don’t count on Indianapolis casually letting the division crown go just yet; though with everyone in the division over .500 after 5 weeks, they have a considerably tougher task than most expected. .


AFC WEST
1. Kansas City Chiefs 3-1
2. San Diego Chargers 2-3
3. Denver Broncos 2-3
4. Oakland Raiders 2-3

KC’s strong effort in Indianapolis proves to me they are a serious contender. Granted, the season is still young, but there is no denying the Chiefs impressive cluster of young athleticism. They passed a huge psychological hurdle in handling San Diego in week 1 and clearly they are playing like they believe they belong with the elite. You can see they are playing with swag and confidence. Not to mention they have a very formidable 1-2 punch with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, a combo of runners perhaps unmatched in the league. That alone figures to make them competitive week in and week out.
The Chargers have quietly put up the most points and yardage in the league thus far. Though their record is currently below .500, remember they lost in the final minute in two of those, most recently against Oakland; a team they consistently dominate and had all the motivation on their side.
The Chargers figure to right the ship as they have in years past, most notably two seasons ago when they rebounded from a 4-8 start to finish 8-8, which was good enough to win the division. They carried that momentum all the way to the AFC championship. I have seen nothing to suggest they won’t be right there in the end this season as well. San Diego five weeks in is still the favorite
Not so much for Oakland or Denver. The Broncos are solid but not elite in any way, particularly with their run-by-committee backfield. To date, QB Kyle Orton has played the best football of his career, as has WR Brandon Lloyd. They just don’t have enough talent to contend down the stretch in a loaded conference.


NFC EAST
1. Philadelphia Eagles 3-2
2. Washington Redskins 3-2
3. New York Giants 3-2
4. Dallas Cowboys 1-3

Washington has a veteran core. They are really an old team in many ways. They have a lot of been there, done that to them, with the likes of QB Donovan McNabb (11^th season), LB London Fletcher (12^th); WR Joey Galloway (15^th), D. Linemen Phillip Daniels (14^th) and Vonnie Holliday (12^th), and slow, over the hill RB’s Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson. Even their FB Mike Sellers is a 10 year vet. Beyond that, deep threat WR Santana Moss is in his 9^th year as is DE/LB Andre Carter. Cornerback Phillip Buchanon is in his 8^th year along with DT’s Albert Haynesworth and Ma’ake Kemoeatu. The owner Daniel Snyder has a reputation as a big free agency spender, and in the last decade has created a culture of thrown together units. They have young talent also of course but there is something to be said for chemistry, growing together through struggles and developing unity (Patriots/Colts/Steelers?). This is truly a do or die situation. They could possibly come together as a unit and do something magical. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall said the right things in the press conference after their win over Green Bay (their second OT win of the season), about the team defying doubters. You like to see and hear that competitive fire. The thing about it is the season is 16 weeks long. They have a squad of castoffs really, and keeping that energy through a 16-game season appears to be a daunting task.
For the sake of brevity I will say that the Giants are back. They dusted off Chicago, Tennessee and Houston in successive weeks. They appear to be the strongest, most situated team in the NFC East. Remember the team that stopped the Patriots undefeated season? They are for the most part still together. This group of young Giant receivers is developing into the best in their franchises’ illustrious history. Really. Watch out for the G-men. If Dallas loses this week to Minnesota (the team that knocked them out of last years playoffs in humiliating fashion), which I believe they will, heads will roll come seasons end because 1-4 is too big a whole for them to climb out of and reach the playoffs given their schedule.

NFC NORTH
1. Chicago Bears 4-1
2. Green Bay Packers 3-2
3. Minnesota Vikings 1-3
4. Detroit Lions 1-4

The Bears came crashing to earth last week in the form of a 9-sack beat down at the hands of the Giants. Its not time to write them off of course, but that week one bad call that negated a late Detroit score looms large. This is a strange season, unusual in that any number of perhaps a dozen teams have been tagged as potential champs. Chicago (believe it or not) was tagged as one of those teams. I feel they should have lost to Detroit and QB Jay Cutler is overrated. They just beat a winless Carolina squad to go to 4-1 and they should be favored against Seattle this week. The week after that they host Minnesota, then travel to Buffalo Nov. 7^th. So looking at the schedule Chicago could/should very well be 6-2 by midseason.
But check their second half schedule: at Dolphins, Eagles, at (revenge-minded) Lions, Patriots, at Vikings on MNF, Jets, and they end the season at Green Bay. The way I see it they can go 3-5 in the second half and make the playoffs in a comparatively weaker NFC. However it develops, the best case scenario is an early playoff exit.
The Lions are showing so much heart that I honestly respect them as a good football team. They should be 2-3 and their 44-6 win over the lowly Rams emphatically illustrates how far they have came in a short time. Remember they won just 3 games the last two seasons. Very similar to the Chiefs in terms of youth and athleticism, I’m not expecting many more wins this year, but they will be the ultimate spoiler down the stretch.

NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta Falcons 4-1
2. New Orleans Saints 3-2
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3-1
4. Carolina Panthers 0-3

The Falcons franchise began in 1966 and until last season had never put together back-to-back winning seasons. They are off to a great this season after impressive wins over Arizona (41-7), and a squeaker over defending champ New Orleans. Their wins over winless San Francisco and one-win Cleveland the last two weeks were by no means easy, and the game winning interception return by DE Kroy Biermann was exactly the kind of play top teams are supposed to make in crunch time.
The Saints are struggling offensively against everyone. No one saw their loss to Arizona coming, and its hard to recall another game in which the winner put up 30 points despite scoring just one offensive touchdown. The Saints stand at 3-2, but would be 4-1 were it not for that chip shot missed FG vs. Atlanta. The mistakes they have made seem easy to correct, but year after we see the defending Super Bowl fail to live up to expectations.
Tampa Bay apparently has a team full of gamers. No one saw them defeating Cincinnati. The poise they displayed down the stretch in the fourth quarter will be a defining moment should this team continue to excel and end up actually competing for a playoff spot; which still no one is anticipating. Still, they have played really well, opened some eyes and appear headed in a great direction as a franchise with QB Josh Freeman under center.

NFC WEST
1. Arizona Cardinals 3-2
2. Seattle Seahawks 2-2
3. St. Louis Rams 2-3
4. San Francisco 49ers 0-5

Two weeks ago I was really firm in my belief that the Cardinals had returned to the bottom half of the league and were for the most part finished as a contender. They had just been destroyed by Atlanta 41-7 and narrowly defeated (24-23) seemingly lowly Oakland, and QB Derek Anderson took most of the blame. Then they were crushed again 41-10 by San Diego. Hence, it was easy to have this take on a franchise who really has had just one ten win season in 30 years. They limped out of weak NFC West into the playoffs at 9-7 before catching fire, during their Super Bowl run of 2008. The thing is once you reach a Super Bowl, the respect you earn last for a couple seasons. That said, they held off some nonbelievers (myself included), with a spectacular defensive effort to defeat defending Champion New Orleans last week. Free agent rookie QB Max Hall did nothing particularly impressive, but they still won. To me that speaks volumes about the makeup and resolve of this roster and staff. They have Seattle and Tampa Bay up next, two teams in similar limbo, struggling to establish themselves as contenders. Arizona is actually second to last in points thus far, so it will be interesting to see if they can find some offensive consistency because you can’t expect to get three Tds every week from defense and special teams.
Seattle ranks near the bottom of nearly every statistical category and before their byte last week were smashed 20-3 by the Rams, a truly no-name team in the midst of a major overhaul. The Rams lost 44-6 to Detroit last week, so now Seattle’s loss looks even worse. They just traded for Buffalo castoff RB Marshawn Lynch to join Justin Forsett in the backfield. So Head coach Pete Carroll has two University of California products to tote the rock. Aging QB Matt Hasselbeck is the team’s second leading rusher with 33 yards so the Lynch acquisition can’t help but be an improvement.
The Seahawks in recent years have acquired and since let go a pretty decent fantasy team worth of WR’s when you consider Nate Burleson, TJ Houshmandzadeh and most recently Deion Branch didn’t work out there. The have a good defense on paper but little else at this point.
San Francisco has to be the best 0-5 team I have ever seen. They have played hard in narrow defeats against Philadelphia, New Orleans and Atlanta, prompting team brass to declare coach Mike Singletary’s job safe. it’s a good thing because they have a strong nucleus on both sides of the ball. I do think QB Alex Smith is a clear bust as a former #1 pick unfortunately.