NFL Week Five Thoughts

Jacksonville Jaguars def. Buffalo Bills

Jacksonville seems to be a pretty underrated team in terms of stats, they held dynamic rookie C.J. Spiller to 31 yards rushing.  They do still have problems, but they won a game everyone expected them to win.  Fitzpatrick didn't look bad starting, we'll see if this holds up.
New York Giants def. Houston Texans

The Texans are reliant on long drops, and the Giants know how to victimize teams like that.  What's more impressive is that they held Arian Foster to 25 yards.  If this team can minimize penalties and mistakes they can make some serious noise down the stretch.  Don't panic just yet, Houston fans, there aren't a lot of great secondaries that can stop Matt Schaub like the Giants can.
Kansas City Chiefs def. Indianapolis Colts

What kills me in picks is when teams are perfectly capable of winning a game and just let it slip away.  KC showed the weak part of their team, and that's their receiving corps.  Key drops could have gotten the Chiefs one of the biggest upsets of the year.  The game also showed that their defense still has to play its absolute best to keep up with a QB like Manning, though.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. Cincinnati Bengals

Another one of those games that makes picks grueling, the Bengals could've won it if not for three picks by Palmer.  Is he really falling off as many are predicting?  Who knows, but Josh Freeman is shining an a performance where not only did his opponents gain 50 more yards rushing then his team, but his defense gave up 21 points.  The bottom is going to fall out eventually, though, when they play some tougher opponents.
Washington Redskins def. Green Bay Packers

When do I love being wrong?  When I pick the Pack to win.  Donovan McNabb hasn't lost a step and might even be improving, but the biggest story is the Redskins holding the Pack to 13 points.  They'll be right in the division mix near the end of the season if they can keep this up.

Detroit Lions def. St. Louis Rams

Well, the Rams' luck had to run out sometime and the Lions were bound to win one at some point, now can they break last season's record and win two more?  It appears Sam Bradford does have a weakness: pressure, and despite Steven Jackson putting on a clinic the Lions were able to shut down the Rams' scoring.  Most impressive, though, is that Shaun Hill threw three touchdowns against what is supposed to be an underrated secondary.  The jury is still out on the Rams after this game.
Chicago Bears def. Carolina Panthers

A lot of people touted the Bears' rushing performance, but I'm a little more pessimistic as most of those yards came on a handful of big runs.  Still, it's something to be optimistic about.  I also had an excuse ready for the usual naysayers should they point out what I just mentioned, that the run game would have been more successful in the second half had we been able to throw with any consistency.  Cutler coming back will be a huge boon to this team.
Atlanta Falcons def. Cleveland Browns

Pretty textbook here, all the Falcons' playmakers dominated the game as expected.
Baltimore Ravens def. Denver Broncos

I am surprised that Kyle Orton was able to put up as many yards as he did against the Ravens defense, but like I said that Ravens' offense has too many playmakers for an average defense like Denver's to handle.
Arizona Cardinals def. New Orleans Saints

This one is really ridiculous, New Orleans beat Arizona in every category except the one that matters most, final score.  Alright, I take that back, they lost the turnover battle which many consider key.  Drew Brees threw three interceptions in one game, really?  You can't even blame the lack of PT and Reggie Bush, the New Orleans run game completely outperformed that of the Cardinals.  The Saints' problems have to be blamed on execution.

Tennessee Titans def. Dallas Cowboys

You can blame it on mistakes all you want, but most of those interceptions were created by a very good and very underrated Titans' secondary.  Tony Romo and the Cowboys aren't bad, the teams playing them are just good, although their offensive line and secondary could use some improvement.
Oakland Raiders def. San Diego Chargers

Another game that should have gone the other way.  San Diego is just looking horrible at times, especially on special teams.  You can't blame it all on special teams, though, as the Chargers defense got gouged on the ground.  Still, for a team with this much expectation the Chargers really need to show more discipline.
Philadelphia Eagles def. San Francisco 49ers

The offense is clearly to blame in this loss.  Not only did the San Fran defense come up with some big plays that put them in a position to win, but the offense coughed up the ball on multiple occasions and failed to sustain drives.  Blame Alex Smith all you want, I though he played well under the circumstances.  He was under heavy pressure, his receivers were making key mistakes, and once Singletary got him riled up he showed some poise.  I'm putting the blame on Singletary, this team is too good to be where they are right now.
New York Jets def. Minnesota Vikings

What a difference Randy Moss makes.  It's still not enough to get them past a good team like the Jets, but I wonder what impact it will have when Minnesota faces their division rivals later in the season.