Week 5 NFL Quick Hits

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh - The Titans were a trendy pick coming into the game. With James Harrison on the shelf and the duo of Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith out it was looking like Chris Johnson would run all over them and turn his season around. Well, as it turns out, sometimes things don't work how they are supposed to. The Titans defense, which has flown under the radar but is quite good, gave up five touchdowns to a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger and Johnson rushed 14 times for 51 yards before exiting with hamstring tightness. Considering all of their injuries you would have to say that the Steelers stole this one but it was obvious that even though they were shorthanded, they are simply the better team than Tennessee. The Titans, on the other hand, are still in the thick of their divisional race but at some point they have to get Johnson going. Matt Hasselbeck has been great this year and he's the best quarterback the team has had since Steve McNair but Johnson was signed to be the focal point of their offense and he simply isn't getting it done (if you want a fun read go to some fantasy football forums on the Internet and look at all of the CJ2K propaganda leading into this game, with his fullback returning and all of the Steeler injuries all of his owners were certain this was the breakout game).

Cincinatti @ Jacksonville - In a clash of the cats it was the Bengals who walked away victorious in a game that was also a showdown of rookie quarterbacks. Andy Dalton continued his steady march towards being an above average quarterback in the league and it also helps that A.J. Green can just make defenders look silly at times. They also did it without Cedric Benson getting the ground game going (24 rushes, 53 yards). Blaine Gabbert had better statistics in the defeat but, unlike Dalton, he really doesn't have a go-to wide receiver (don't even start with this Mike Thomas nonsense). Don't look now but the Bengals are tied for second in the AFC North (with the aforementioned Steelers, the Ravens were on a bye) and though we all know they won't be there at the end of the year it's nice to see such a maligned franchise have success. You just have to wonder if the Jags would be in the thick of the AFC South battle with David Garrard.

New Orleans @ Carolina - Cam Newton keeps getting the Panthers close and eventually some of these small losses will turn into Ws. On Sunday, though, Drew Brees wasn't going to allow his Saints to drop a game that would put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division. After Newton hooked up with Greg Olsen in the fourth quarter it seemed like the Panthers had all of the momentum in the world and that they could hang on. With 50 seconds on the clock, though, Brees found Pierre Thomas in the end zone and put the Saints on top for good. With Newton we have to start thinking about where to place him in the league. A lot of rookie quarterbacks have come along and taken the league by storm before burning out but it doesn't seem like Newton will be one of those guys. In fantasy football he's already a must start, top-5 guy at the position and you have to at least think he's a top-10 quarterback in the NFL right now. Last year the Panthers would have been run off of the field in this game and this year they were leading in the fourth quarter. I also must apologize to DeAngelo Williams, who rushed only nine times but picked up 115 yards. That's two weeks in a row that he has outplayed Jonathan Stewart and maybe there's some pep left in those legs after all. Also, did it surprise anyone else to find out that Steve Smith is second in reception yardage this year? Crazy.

Oakland @ Houston - I won't say that the Raiders were going to try extra hard to win this game in remembrance of Al Davis. Every time they step on the field they obviously want to win. However, you just had to know that they wanted this one extra badly. Sebastian Janikowski kept Oakland in the game and actually put them ahead with field goals from 54, 55, 50, and 42 yards. I don't know if there is a single player in the NFL that can make that much of a difference in a game. Every skill position player is dependent on one another and can they guarantee points from 50 yards out? Darren McFadden only got 51 yards on the ground and Jason Campbell only managed 190 yards through the air. Another Raider that stepped up was Darrius Heyward-Bey, who I have made my fair share of cracks at. He showed a burst on the 34-yard touchdown and Oakland needed every bit of his 99 receiving yards. Surprise, surprise, the Texans struggled without Andre Johnson. Arian Foster couldn't break through the stout Raider defensive line on the ground and though Matt Schaub had 416 yards through the air only 99 of them were to the WRs (Foster, Joel Dressen, and Owen Daniels did the heavy lifting). Jacoby Ford, who replaced Johnson in the starting lineup, only had a catch for nine yards and continues to show why fantasy owners curse his name on an annual basis.

Philadelphia @ Buffalo - Uh oh. I've run out of words to say how much trouble the Eagles are in. Their odds of the playoffs are in single digits. Fans are calling for players to get traded or cut, coaches to be fired, and some are just angry that they have to put up with this crap after the Phillies bowed out of the playoffs. Obviously this is a team that is talented enough to go on a run and still finish with a great record and a comfortable seat in the playoffs. However, things get to the point where a bad start just turns into a bad season and sitting at 1-4 they absolutely have to beat Washington next week. As for the game itself, it was a mess. Michael Vick had a record setting afternoon but he also threw four interceptions and took so major hits that once again had him grimacing. Yes, the Eagles came back and the last pick wasn't Vick's fault, but letting a team jump out to a 28-7 lead is usually a recipe for disaster. The Bills are really, truly legit and Fred Jackson has turned into what Peyton Hillis was last year for the Browns. He can rush for 100 yards and also lead the team in receptions and though teams know what's coming, they struggle stopping it.

Arizona @ Minnesota - I'm sure if the Cardinals ever threatened a comeback in this game we would have seen Adrian Peterson with six touchdowns if that's what the Vikes needed. Donovan McNabb wasn't asked to do much of anything in this one and the Viking defense was suffocating. Kevin Kolb put the ball up 42 times but failed to find pay dirt. The Cardinals defense has a lot of problems right now and I have no idea how they are going to go about fixing it. Patrick Peterson will grow up in coming years and become everything we thought he would be but their defensive line and linebackers couldn't stop the Peterson in purple. It didn't help that AD carried and bullied defenders on the outside as well. This was a game where the Vikings could take out their frustrations on an inferior opponent and now we have to start talking about the Cardinals being in deep trouble in the NFC West. Who would have thought that the two teams most people picked (myself and Bryan included) to win the division would be closer to Andrew Luck than the playoffs?

Kansas City @ Indianapolis - After the devastating injuries that both of these franchises faced I circled this game as the "Suck for Luck Bowl." At first, it seemed like the Chiefs just wanted it more, spotting the Colts a 17 point lead in the second quarter. Pierre Garcon continued to be the best player on the Colts offense and it seemed like Indy had decided they were finally going to win a game. Then, out of nowhere, Matt Cassel decided he didn't want to lose his job and brought the Chiefs back to win the game with 21 unanswered points from the end of the second quarter onward. Dwayne Bowe made a fantastic catch in the end zone for the lone score of the third quarter and Jackie Battle made everyone forget Jamaal Charles for a week (and as such probably leapfrogged Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster on the depth chart). The Colts got hit with another injury, this time losing Joseph Addai but really, at this point, they should just stop the charade. Jim Irsay took to Twitter to say there was a shot that Peyton Manning could return this year but everyone knows he isn't walking through that door. The Colts are already done and even if they manage to out-tank the Dolphins and other contenders for his services, they need a lot of help elsewhere on that team.

Seattle @ NY Giants - This loss epitomizes the New York Giants. Earlier this week I was talking to Bryan and told him it would be hilarious if this was the year that the Giants finally won the NFC East, given all of the hype to the other teams in the division. Yet somehow, some way, the Giants managed to struggle and eventually lose to the Seattle Seahawks. The very same Seahawks that have a running back whose rushing yardage per game was 33, 11, 73, and 24. Marshawn Lynch managed to get 98 yards on the ground against Big Blue and that seriously may end up being his season high. The Giants actually knocked Tarvaris Jackson out of the game but little did they know they were unleashing Charlie Whitehurst, who went on to carve up their secondary and lead three scoring drives. Doug Baldwin and Victor Cruz seemed to trade catches and yardage all day but Cruz ended up having the crucial mistake at the end of the game that led to pick six that sealed the win for the Seahawks. Still, Eli threw two other interceptions on the day and if he keeps making turnovers the Giants are going to be in a lot of trouble. Congrats Seahawks, you managed to make me eat crow for two weeks this year when I was sure you were going to be Colts levels of terrible. Giants fans, I'm sure you're use to this by now.

Tampa Bay @ San Francisco - Oof. All hail our new 49er overlords I suppose. This is a team that is mostly in tact and their biggest offseason addition, Braylon Edwards, is hurt. I spent some of this week reading about the San Fran players and their comments on Jim Harbaugh and it is apparent they have absolutely bought in. I don't know what he has done to make Alex Smith into a NFL quarterback and turn the 49ers into a juggernaut but somehow he's done it. Last year the 49er defense was highly touted and many actually said it was the top defense in fantasy football. It seems like those estimations were a year early and they may have the best defense in the NFC. They were all over Josh Freeman all afternoon and he was never comfortable. LeGarrette Blount only mustered ten rushes between the scoreboard and a knee injury and the Bucs looked every bit as bad offensively as they did against the Patriots in the preseason. I think that I'm ready to admit that I was wrong about the Bucs and they need another year or two together before they can make a long postseason run. The 49ers, though, look every bit the part of a Super Bowl contender. I don't see any reason that Harbaugh can't have levels of success equal to what his brother has done in Baltimore, especially if Frank Gore can stay healthy and productive.

San Diego @ Denver - I don't know if you were aware of this, but the Chargers were on the field and won a football game in Denver on Sunday. With all of the Tim Tebow hype it gets lost that the Chargers are off to a great start and that Ryan Mathews continued to dominate. Philip Rivers actually got a rushing touchdown, which is significant because it's only the third of his career. He did suffer a calf injury but luckily for the Chargers they're on a bye this week. Mike Tolbert is also injured and suffered a concussion but with an extra week he should be fine going forward. Now for the Broncos, who the far more interesting team to read and write about at the moment, even if they are only 1-4 and nowhere close to being relevant. Kyle Orton absolutely stunk and while I think a lot of it is the fact that he has been looking over his shoulder all year he needed to be pulled. Instead of going to their second string quarterback, Brady Quinn, the Broncos and John Fox decided to put Tebow into the game. Tebow responded by throwing a handful of loopy, windup incompletions. Then things started to click and Tebow used his athleticism to extend and make plays. He ran in a 12-yard touchdown and a few minutes later threw for another on a screen pass to Knowshon Moreno. At the end of the game the Broncos actually had a shot to win the game and Tebow nearly completed a long pass in the back of the end zone after running around and dodging Charger defenders. I watched Tebow in the SEC and I also saw him tear my team and others apart. I like a good Tebow joke as much as the next guy but he's interesting and one of the most fun players to watch in the NFL. Denver made the right choice by appointing him the starter and we'll see where things go from here.

NY Jets @ New England - Ground and pound was on display in this game. I've talked enough about Tom Brady and Wes Welker so I'll focus on someone else in New England. BenJarvus Green-Ellis is the best running back that this team has had since Corey Dillon and he's absolutely perfect for the offense. Lawfirm (who inspires me to yell "CASED CLOSED" or "MOTION GRANTED" at every touchdown) rushed 27 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns and even though the Jets knew what was coming at the end of the game they struggled to stop him. Even some of the best running backs in the league, including Chris Johnson and Rashard Mendenhall, struggle with making a single cut and running into the hole. BJGE will never be confused for a top flight back in the NFL and fans always focus on the "other guys" (Danny Woodhead last year, Stevan Ridley this year) but I think all Pats fans should appreciate what Lawfirm does for the team and what he did on Sunday. The Jets struggled early on, going three and out on all four of their drives in the first quarter. Even though Mark Sanchez faced little pressure the Jets refused to challenge the historically awful Patriots secondary down the field. Brian Schottenheimer refused to let Santonio Holmes go deep and make plays and thanks to that the Jets never seemed to really challenge in this game. Yes, the score was close at times and it wasn't a blowout, but it almost seemed like the game was over at halftime. Shonn Greene had a great game but I would take it with a grain of salt. The Jets got back Nick Mangold and the Patriots defense is terrible so we'll see if Greene can become the bell cow that Rex Ryan dreams of. As a final point, what's with this Darrelle Revis-Wes Welker thing? For some reason it seems like Rex doesn't like putting Revis on Welker all game and leaving him there, and when he takes him off Welker burns the Jets defense. I know that Tom Brady shares the wealth and it makes sense to put Revis on Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski, and even Deion Branch at times, but Welker's damage was done when Revis was away. Revis did release Welker to a safety, which ended up in a long gain that would have been a touchdown had Revis not chased Welker down, but I'll never understand why they don't take Welker out of the game entirely with their best player.

Green Bay @ Atlanta - The Packers lost both of their starting tackles and were down 14 points early in the second quarter. Yet it still felt like the Packers were going to win this game and eventually they did. Aaron Rodgers was terrific once again and he completed passes to 12 different players and that's just about what you can expect from Green Bay. Atlanta got out to a fast start but Matt Ryan ended up with two interceptions and without John Abraham they were unable to hurry and make Rodgers uncomfortable. Michael Turner continues to chug along but I was actually surprised to see him with 56 yards at the end of the night and 3.5 yards per carry. Julio Jones was made into a non-factor, which obviously hurt the Falcons because they need his explosiveness. He rushed once for 17 yards and had a single catch for 16 yards. Tony Gonzalez led the team in receiving yards once again and Roddy White had a boneheaded unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to go with his touchdown. Green Bay is every bit as good as last year and may be even better but Atlanta may be the second most disappointing team in the NFL right now (behind the Eagles). They're already two games behind the Saints and if it weren't for a Michael Vick injury they may be 1-4 right now. Matt Ryan had only 167 yards and when the team needed him to march them down the field he failed to do it. He'll never be pulled out of the starting job, of course, but I don't know the Falcons will ever win anything of significance with him as the triggerman.

Chicago @ Detroit - This was a statement game for the Lions and it was also their first Monday Night game in a decade. Even though they only had three sacks of Jay Cutler, he was under pressure the whole night and never looked in sync with his offense (I'm shocked). Matt Forte got another 116 yards on the ground and had four receptions and continues to play without a long term contract for some inexplicable reason. Roy Williams continues to be a sink hole and I think we can all agree that Mike Martz isn't going to fix the guy, so quit putting him out there because it's painful to watch. Cutler did complete 74% of his passes even though he was under duress but once the Lions took the lead you knew it was for good. I love this Lions team, Matt Stafford didn't have his best game but he was picked up by Jahvid Best and the asses he did complete to Calvin johnson and Brandon Pettigrew were backbreakers for the Bears. Best had 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground, four catches, and one of the rushes was an 88-yard that showcased just how fast he is. Remember, the Lions drafted Mikel LeShoure in the second round this year because there were durability concerns with Best. LeShoure tore his Achilles before the season began so Best may be playing for his football future as something beyond a third down/hybrid back. Calvin Johnson, at this point, has one of the strongest cases for the MVP in the league. He won't win it, because wide receivers rarely win the award, but I can't imagine Detroit having this success without him. Oh, and we had a Nick Fairley sighting on Monday night. He looked rusty, as you could expect, but as he rounds into shape I can't imagine how bad things may get the next time the Bears and Lions play.