Week 5 Analysis

Game Recaps

Browns 6 Bills 3

After last week’s close call against Cincinnati, it was only a matter of time until the Browns pulled a win out of their hat. But is it possible to win a game when your starting quarterback goes 2-17 with an interception for the entire game? Apparently, the answer is yes. The game was an all-around pathetic showing by both teams, on both sides of the ball. The only entertainment that could have come out of this was a Terrell Owens breakdown, but like we say every week, I guess we’re just going to have to wait.
Game Ball: Jamal Lewis had 31 carries for 117 yards, but hey, with 31 carries, who wouldn’t break 100?

Cowboys 26 Chiefs 20

After his performance this week, we’d be really surprised if Dallas didn’t change their playbook to include Miles Austin a little more. Both Austin, who started for Roy Williams, and Tashard Choice, who started for Felix Jones, had amazing performances. However, the game shouldn’t have been this close. Just one turnover-less game for Tony Romo would restore our faith in the Cowboys quarterback. On the other side of the ball, apparently a mid-week temper tantrum from Todd Hailey did nothing to help the 0-5 Chiefs.
Game Ball: Who are you calling a backup? Austin caught 10 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while Choice had 8 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Vikings 38 Rams 10

Every week we can say the same thing about St. Louis, but it won’t change anything. Although they were never really in this game, the stats don’t lie. They are even with offensive and defensive numbers, but turnovers and penalties will kill them every week. The Rams were 0-4 in the red zone, had four turnovers, and 82 yards in penalties. As if Jared Allen could get any better than last week, he had a fumble return for a touchdown. Minnesota continues to play like the champions we hesitantly thought they could be.
Game Ball: Percy Harvin tops himself every week, but this week he had four receptions for 66 yards.

Oakland 7 New York 44

It only took Eli Manning a half of football to get a lead big enough that he was confident in leaving the game. We expected a blowout, but it also appears that head coach Tom Cable has lost all faith in JaMarcus Russell, and took the game out of his hands. The only problem with doing that is that there are no trick plays that can save them, and no running game as a back-up plan. The Giants glided to 5-0 without a problem, but we wonder – couldn’t David Carr has won this by himself.
Game Ball: Ahmad Bradshaw had a breakout day, rushing for 110 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown, but also one reception for 55 yards.

Tampa Bay 14 Philadelphia 33

Everyone was anxious to see how many plays Donovan McNabb would need to be back in his rhythm. The answer: Two. The game was an obvious mismatch from the start, but McNabb didn’t flinch when he got hit and that is a huge plus for Eagles fans everywhere. The Eagles defense held the Bucs to only 85 rushing yards, had three interceptions (two from Asante Samuels and one from Sheldon Brown) and a safety. However, it was the rookie Jeremy  Maclin who turned heads by catching six passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
Game Ball: Donovan McNabb went 16 for 21 with 264 yards and three touchdowns, but also ran twice for 30 yards – a team best – in his return.

Pittsburgh 28 Detroit 20

Even if they finish with only one win, a major thing that has changed about Detroit this season: They are competitive. The Steelers brought the house down on the Lions today – Ben Roethlisburger threw three touchdowns, James Harrison had three sacks, and Rashard Mendenhall ran for a touchdown – and Detroit stayed in it. The only downside was that Daunte Culpepper was average at best. Keep this up and the Lions could even manage two wins this season.
Game Ball: Ben Roethlisburger quietly went 24 for 30 with 277 yards and three touchdown passes.

Washington 17 Carolina 20

Carolina needed a win, and they got it, but what boggles out minds is how Washington is finding new ways to lose. The Redskins played a good game until the last ten minutes – even quarterback Jason Campbell was playing well – before everything fell apart. There were no standout players, although Steve Smith did seem to find a rhythm with five catches for 65 yards. Even in the win, Jake Delhomme threw an interception, which begs the question: will Delhomme ever be turnover-less?
Game Ball: Jason Campbell had his best week yet, doing 17 for 23 with 143 yards and one touchdown.

Cincinnati 17 Baltimore 14

The Bengals knew this was a big game, a statement game, and they got everything done the right way. Every one of their key players performed in the win and didn’t panic, which was important when you are facing a defense like Baltimore. To go from the basement to the top of the league in passing offense is great, but we kind of knew it couldn’t last. Joe Flacco had arguably his worst outing so far this season, and his two interceptions were obviously an issue. This may have been the first time we’ve watched the Baltimore defense, led again by Ray Lewis, fight for something and not win.
Game Ball: Cedric Benson has 27 carries for 120 yards and one touchdown.

Atlanta 45 San Francisco 10

We knew the Niners would have an off week, but we never predicted a blow-out. We thought this would be a competition – San Fran has done so much against big teams and looked convincing, and Atlanta wasn’t looking that great going into the by week – but we take it back. Even if the 49ers were on their game, we aren’t sure anyone could have stopped Michael Turner, who burned everyone ever time he touched the ball. We are glad to see Matt Ryan and the Falcons are looking better after the bye week. It will be interesting to see if Mike Singletary can rally the troops and learn from this.
Game Ball: Michael Turner was the star, with 22 carries for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Yes, we said three.

Jacksonville 0 Seattle 41

Matt Hasselbeck must be feeling better. In his first start back from a rib injury, Haseelbeck showed what he could do if he was healthy and out to prove something. Jacksonville showed little emotion as they were pummeled, especially quarterback David Gerrard, who barely completed 18 of 31 passes. The Jags didn’t even have their run game to rely on, as Maurice Jones-Drew was limited to 34 yards, as he averaged only 2.8 yards per carry. Adding insult to injury, the Jags could only get to Hasselbeck once in the entire game. Seattle played disciplined, inspired football, and that not only gave them a win, but allowed them to dominate.
Game Ball: Matt Hasselbeck returned to Seattle to complete 18 of 30 pass attempts for 241 yards and four touchdowns. 

Houston 21 Arizona 28

To be honest, we didn’t expect this game to be this exciting. Matt Schaub and Kurt Warner battled for most of the game, but it was Schaub’s interception that sealed the deal for Arizona. This week, however, Schaub also didn’t have a running game behind him, as Steve Slaton virtually disappeared. The defense for the Cards was the story, although they didn’t get to Schaub at all. The only encouraging plays of the game came when Warner connected with Larry Fitzgerald, and those Super Bowl flashbacks danced in the heads of Cardinals fans everywhere.
Game Ball: Larry Fitzgerald had five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

New England 17 Denver 20

Tied at 17 going into overtime, we knew this game was worth the wait. Denver sailed to 5-0 behind Brandon Marshall and rookie running back Knowshon Moreno, and an unlikely hero in Kyle Orton. Orton threw one interception, but he was calm when push came to shove. This really showed what Denver could do – yes, they beat good opponents, but this was against a seasoned team who knew what was coming, a quarterback that rarely ever loses, and a coach who adjusts to every move you make. Coming back from ten down in the second half to win a game in overtime is big enough, but against a healthy Tom Brady with Wes Welker as a target is commendable. We were critical of Josh McDaniels to start the season, but could he have been right? Everything is working out for Denver, and we can’t say we are upset about it.
Game Ball: For the second week in a row, Brandon Marshall gets the game ball, for being a game-changing receiver, with 8 catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns. 

Colts 31 Titans 9

After the loss Sunday night, someone told us that Tennessee was the best 0-5 team in history, and we can’t say we disagree. Tennessee should be winning – they have all the pieces, minus Albert Hainsworth who hasn’t done much this year – but the problem seems to be Kerry Collins. Collins was a problem again for the Titans, and his interceptions make his team lose hope. We just wonder what has Jeff Fischer so mad at Vince Young that he won’t start him. With New England on the horizon, it looks like the Titans are going to be in an 0-6 hole heading into their bye. On the other side of the ball, Peyton Manning is continuing his excellence. Manning threw three touchdowns, including two to new favorite target Auston Collie. We are happy for Manning, but even happier that Dwight Freeney got another sack and is continuing his Pro-Bowl type play.
Game Ball: Austin Collie caught eight of the nine passes thrown his way, collecting 97 yards and two touchdowns.

Jets 27 Miami 31

There were flashes of good football throughout the whole first half… then, there was the fourth quarter. With the lead changing five times, this had to be up there with the most exciting games this year. The thing is, to beat Miami, your running game needs to at least be on the field. Although Leon Washington had a good first half  he was invisible for the Jets in the fourth quarter, which allowed Miami and Ronnie Brown to control that game. Not to mention that Chad Henne actually took control of the game in the waning minutes to force a win (a quarterback, in Miami! What is this?). The Jets got one thing out of this game: Braylon Edwards seems to have some chemistry with Mark Sanchez. We are predicting many, many more connections with the two.
Game Ball: Chad Henne forced Tony Sparano to consider playing real football because when he was in under center, he was incredible. Henne went 20 for 26 with 241  yards and two touchdown passes, including one momentum-changing 53 yard pass to Tedd Ginn Jr.

Week 5 Wrap Up

-  Injury Report: San Francisco safety Michael Lewis received his third concussion this year when he tackled Michael Turner this week. The 49ers are expecting Lewis to be out for quite awhile, seeing as he’s had to many head injuries in so little time… Tennesse corner Nick Harper was hurt in a collision on the opening kick off Sunday night. X-Rays revealed the corner had broken his arm, and is expected to miss at least six weeks… The Manning brothers are both overcoming pain to continue to play. Peyton Manning is said to be battling a sore left knee, while Eli Manning is wrestling with heel injuries. Both won on Sunday… In that scrimmage, I mean game, against Cleveland this week, both of the Bills’ linebackers suffered season-ending knee injuries. Kawika Mitchell injured his right knee, while Marcus Buggs has injured his left. Buffalo will have to sign free-agent replacements to continue the season…New England left tackle Matt Light was seen exiting the team’s plane using crutches after injuring his left knee. We all know Bill Belichick will never tell us what’s wrong.
-  While Oakland continues to struggle on the field, off of the field, their lives are a mess. Ex-Defensive assistant Randy Hanson went public this week with his allegations against head coach tom Cable. Hanson claims Cable threw him from a chair and broke his jaw with a sucker punch in a during preseason training.
-  The Eagles have apparently begun talking to head coach Andy Reid about a contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia. Reid’s contract expires after the 2010 season.
-  While the ownership issue in St. Louis has yet to become a battle, Players’ Union director DaMaurice Smith has written an open letter to Commissioner Rodger Goodell, explaining why he thought Rush Lindbaugh’s bid to buy the team would be a bad idea. “Sports are meant to unite,” he said, and later commented that  he knows he has absolutely no say in those matters.
-  The NFL is investigating an injury to Browns rookie running back James Davis. ESPN has reported that Davis was injured in a post-practice drill where he was playing without pads, against linebackers who were. This is just an addition in a string of investigations into Eric Mangini and the Browns, who has also been accused of injuring a wide receiver in practice this preseason.

And the UDU Game Ball Goes to…

Miles Austin hasn’t caught more than three balls the entire season, but given his chance in Week 5, he showed Dallas coaches why they should give him more chances. Austin caught 10 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns, and still, Cowboys officials came out quickly after the game to confirm he would not be the starter.