Tons of storylines from an action packed week five of NFL football. We had comebacks, a few blowouts, some horrific roughing the passer penalties, our first head coach fired and much, much more. Things are starting to really heat up around the league as we're into the second quadrant of the 2022-2023 season. So with no further adieu...
Colts 12- Broncos 9
One of the hardest games you'll ever have to watch. AND it gave us seven+ minutes of overtime! Didn't have high hopes for this game but it went above and beyond to not deliver anything. Each quarterback threw two interceptions, ten total sacks were taken, fumbles galore. Just two sloppy, nonrhythmic semblances of offense running into walls until one of the field goals they could muster ended the game. The Colts got that final field goal.
Denver did have a chance to tie or win after Indy kicked a field goal with 5:50 left in the extra period. Russ surprisingly drove them up the field with relative ease, with big plays by Melvin Gordon and Jerry Jeudy. The offense ended up within the Colts' ten-yard line, where they went for it on a 4th and 1 on the 5 instead of kicking a field goal. Wilson's pass to Courtland Sutton was broken up by Stephon Gilmore, particularly to the chagrin of the wide opener KJ Hamler, and Indianapolis stole one on the road. Another strike against Nathaniel Hackett early in his coaching career.
You never apologize for winning, but the Colts owe us one. This was a pitiful performance that neither team should be proud of. Matt Ryan still looks old and the offense is mirroring that. Tough roads ahead for these franchises.
Giants 27- Packers 22
Ultimately it's the players who determine that outcome of each game, but Brian Daboll deserves all the praise in the world right now for this Giants start. They were down 17-3 and 20-10 in the second quarter, but never quit driving. Daniel Jones made a few clutch passes and picked up good chunks of yards on the ground every time big blue needed it. New York outscored the Cheeseheads 17-2 in the second half to improve their record to a surprising 4-1. Credit to the coach for keeping his cool through the lows and sticking to an excellent game plan.
Matt LaFleur did not have as effective of a plan, at least in terms of implementation. The Packers were able to run at will on the G-Men, with AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones combining for 97 yards on 19 carries. It was baffling that they only ran them the 19 times, especially compared to the 39 times Rodgers was asked to throw. Given that they were ahead most of this game, it made no sense.
The cherry on top was having 3rd and 4th and one from the six yard line with a minute and change left, and electing to pass on each. Both were incomplete and that was all she wrote. Cost them the game. This one's on you LaFleur.
Bills 38- Steelers 3
Mike Tomlin is an outstanding coach, one of the best you'll ever come across. Not entirely sure how he felt like it was a good idea to trot out rookie Kenny Pickett for his first career start in Buffalo. The Steelers got absolutely throttled by the Super Bowl favorites. Josh Allen had 348 yards passing at halftime. Gabe Davis averaged 57 yards per catch. This was a debacle, putting it nicely.
Pickett's day wasn't all bad. He had 327 passing yards, only had three 3-and-outs and just one turnover. It was far from an impressive showing, but he had Pittsburgh in more opportune spots then the score will depict. Najee Harris has to feel like he's in quicksand at this point, rushing for just 20 yards on 11 carries. If Kenny and the offense are going to be better, getting their star running back some space to work would go a long way.
Chargers 30- Browns 28
We saw a great back and forth early between these two teams, with the Browns coming out sharp early on the back of Nick Chubb. He had 134 rushing yards in the game and posted both of his scores in the first half to give Cleveland a 21-17 advantage at the break.
Austin Ekeler would not be upstaged however, rushing for 173 yards and getting two touchdowns of his own. He's been otherworldly these last two games. Mike Williams also exploded again in Keenan Allen's absence, snagging 10 catches for 134 scoreless yards.
Ton of drama at the end of this one! The Browns were down by two and driving late when Jacoby Brissett threw an interception to Alohi Gilman at their goal line. Absolute back breaker. Brandon Staley and the Chargers proceeded to mind numbingly go for it on 4th and 1 from their own 46 to try and ice the game. They failed, turning the ball over to Cleveland with 1:10 left on the clock. Brissett led them eleven yards to set up a 54 yard field goal, which Cade York did not convert. Another devastating loss in the dog pound as Justin Herbert's squad escaped with the dub.
Vikings 29- Bears 22
Kirk Cousins hit Jalen Reagor (of all people) for a one yard score to put the Vikings up 21-3 and it felt like the game was over. Minnesota had moved the ball at will and Justin Fields was looking like his usual, incapable self. Then a switch flipped.
The Bears scored on four straight possessions from late in the second quarter well into the fourth quarter, actually taking the lead 22-21 in the final frame. Then Captain Kirk arrived, champion of the one o'clock squeaker vs. inferior opponents. #8 took the Vikes on a 17 play, 75 yard drive that milked half of the quarter and ended with a QB sneak for the go-ahead score. The cherry on top to a solid fantasy day for Cousins.
Chicago had a shot to try and knot things up, but Cam Dantzler made a dazzling play to strip Ihmir Smith-Marsette of the ball at their own 35, closing out the game. You could feel the state of Minnesota collectively exhale after this one. Vikings snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, taking the divisional lead with a 4-1 record.
Patriots 29- Lions 0
I'm not sure I can remember a game where a team looked as hapless as the Detroit Lions did in Foxborough this weekend. They'd at least looked great on one side of the ball through the first four weeks of the season. Can't really compliment a single thing they did Sunday.
Fresh off of a Bailey Zappe interception late in the second quarter and down 6-0, Jared Goff was driving Detroit to the promise land. Then Matthew Judon sacked him, forcing a fumble that Kyle Duggar took 59 yards to the house. The Lions had a three and out and four straight turnover on downs before the merciful conclusion of the game. That's the Goff we thought we knew.
Rhamondre Stevenson had been splitting touches in the backfield with Damien Harris, but took advantage of his running mate's injury to pop for 161 yards on 24 carries. Stevenson has looked substantially more explosive in recent weeks and should have this RB1 job on lock from here on out. Props to Zappe for playing an efficient game, finding Jakobi Meyers early and often as he drove the Pats up and down the field at will. Far from a perfect performance, but what more could you ask for from a third string rookie?
Saints 39- Seahawks 32
What a fun game this was down in the Big Easy. This game had six lead changes throughout as neither defense could do anything to slow their opponents. Seattle entered the fourth quarter down 31-19 but went up 32-31 with 6:54 left in the game.
Then it was Taysom Hill time. Again. He took a carry 60 yards to the house to put the Saints up for good. It was his third rushing touchdown of the game and fourth total, a miserable development for spurned Alvin Kamara owners like myself. Hill was clearly the difference maker in this game, running with authority to the tune of 12.4 yards per clip. Maybe the best game of his career.
Geno Smith was brilliant again, against all odds, going 16/25 for 268 and three turnover-less scores. Take away a DK Metcalf fumble or give him a defense with any bit of competence and Seattle is 3-2 overall, in large part due to Smith's play. He may not be a long-term fix for any team, but he's really locking down a lifetime position as a backup at least-- something I don't think he securely could say prior to this hot start. Kudos Geno, never stop improving.
Jets 40- Dolphins 17
Did you know who the Dolphins third string quarterback was before this game? I sure didn't. Teddy Bridgewater suffered a head injury on the first drive of the game, prompting a Skyler Thompson sighting. The 7th rounder from Kansas State played about as admirably as one could expect, but still lost two turnovers that turned into 14 New York points.
Despite the massive point totals, Breece Hall was the only member of the Jets offense to do anything significant. But boy, was he significant. The rookie turned 20 touches into 197 yards and a touchdown, falling just inches short of a second one. He was electric, really displaying all of the hype that surrounded him during the draft process. Third string QB or not, this was a dominant and impressive divisional win for Robert Salah's team, putting all three New York organizations above .500.
Buccaneers 21- Falcons 15
For three quarters, this game was dramatically one sided. Tampa Bay was moving the ball with ease and held Atlanta to five punts and a missed field goal on their first six possessions. It was 21-0.
Then the Falcons started to quietly click. Caleb Huntley and Tyler Allgeier made a few nice plays on the ground to fuel two touchdown drives by the dirty birds, pulling within six of the Bucs.
On the next drive, Grady Jarrett was called for a game changing roughing the passer penalty on a Tom Brady sack. It was without a doubt the most egregious roughing penalty I've ever witnessed (Edit** until Monday night's game**), Jerome Boger should be arrested for this call, let alone terminated. It was ultimately the difference, as Atlanta had stolen all the momentum prior to the flag. They say don't leave the game in the hands' of the refs, but this was an unacceptable and unfair. Have to feel for the Falcons not at least getting a shot with the ball to win and take the divisional lead.
Titans 21- Commanders 17
It's pretty impressive how many yards Carson Wentz puts up to how few points the Commanders manage. He's currently fifth in the league for yards through the air, yet the team is 7th last in points at 18 PPG. Terrible red zone efficiency and finishing ability, both of which were on display Sunday.
With less then ten seconds to go in the game, Washington had the ball at Tennessee's six. Wentz threw two near-interceptions, followed by an actual pick which ended the game. Almost 400 yards of offense and not even twenty points to show for it. How much longer can Ron Rivera hold down this job? Carson Wentz too for that matter...
Derrick Henry was the driver for the Titans in Washington, logging 28 carries and clearing the century mark. It took the pressure off of Ryan Tannehill, who was able to do just enough to get the road victory. It wasn't a pretty win, but these are the games Mike Vrabel's made his money on as a coach. They still haven't scored in the fourth quarter this year though, a true anomaly through five games, especially for a division leading team with a 3-2 record.
Texans 13- Jaguars 6
Worst game of the day and it's not even close. We won't spend a lot of time on this one.
Dameon Pierce is solid, he's a really nice foundational piece for Houston from this most recent draft. Fellow draftmate Derek Stingley Jr. had his first interception off of Trevor Lawrence. Nico Collins has actually emerged into a decent receiver, currently the WR1 not Brandin Cooks. And Davis Mills has the best QBR of second year quarterbacks through the first quarter of the season. A few bright spots for the Texans as they get win #1 on the year.
The same can't be said about Jacksonville. Since their statement back-to-back victories over Indianapolis and LA, they're 0-2, scoring 13.5 PPG and turning the ball over seven times. Christian Kirk has been aggressively uninvolved and the offense has sputtered as a result. As good as Lawrence can look at times, his wild inconsistency makes him hard to get a true read on.
49ers 37- Panthers 15
Man, we nailed our prediction on this game. San Francisco was simply the better coached and more talented team. Jimmy Garappolo was steady under center, distributing the ball around to seven different pass catchers. Carolina didn't have an answer for him or running back Jeff Wilson, who rattled off 120 yards at 7.1 YPC. Classic 9ers offensive display.
Baker Mayfield's done. We can officially label him a bust. He's currently sporting the worst QBR of his career, with a YPA one below his career average and a completion percentage 6% below. He's also set to miss a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. Sam Darnold will be the starting quarterback when he's back and likely won't relinquish that for the rest of the year.
Happy trails to Matt Rhule, finally let go by the Panthers. He was awful in his tenure as a coach yet still has the team on the hook for $40 mil. Oh the fun of contracts. Fire sale on deck in Carolina?
Cowboys 22- Rams 10
Two takeaways from this game: Dallas' defense is 100% for real and this Rams offense is in a bad spot.
To address the first point: the Cowboys kicked things off with a fumble return touchdown by DeMarcus Lawrence. It really set the tone for the hard nosed type of play Dallas was going to be bringing all game. They blocked a punt and forced three additional turnovers, boosting their differential on the year to +5. Even with the offense only gaining 239 yards, this game never felt in danger for big D.
Onto the second point-- LA is in trouble offensively. They can't run the ball, their offensive lineman wouldn't start on most other teams, they turn it over too often. Matthew Stafford took eleven QB hits, a week after taking seven sacks. Dude can't be comfortable in the pocket, which may explain why he seems to primarily look for Cooper Kupp quick hitters. Even if OBJ resigns, this team isn't going anywhere until they fix up their blocking.
Eagles 20- Cardinals 17
The undefeated streak rides on! Arizona pushed Philly to the brink in this one, tying the game at 17 early in the fourth quarter on an Eno Benjamin 11-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would answer though, with a Cameron Dicker the Kicker field goal with 1:45 left on the clock.
Kyler would get one more chance, driving the Cardinals down the field late in search of a tying score. It was 2nd and 10 at the Philadelphia 34 with 36 seconds left when the quarterback scrambled left, sliding at the 25-yard line-- one yard short of the first down. After a spike to kill the clock, it was fourth and one and the Cards had to kick it. Matt Ammendola trotted out and missed it badly to the right, sealing the Eagles' victory.
This was a Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert type of day for Philadelphia, as the two combined for 18 of the 26 receptions and 76% of the receiving yards. Jalen Hurts added two scores with his legs in a masterful road performance. This team just keeps on winning, regardless of what's been thrown at them. Massive showdown on deck next Sunday night vs. the Cowboys for tops in the NFC East.
Ravens 19- Bengals 17
I love being wrong when I bet against the Ravens to win, especially when their opponents still cover. Sunday's prime time affair didn't offer the fireworks a casual fan may have been looking for, but it was a gritty, traditional AFC North scrap.
Lamar was not great in this one, completing just 59% of his passes and missing wide open touchdown passes at least twice. He was without his top receiver Bateman, but no excuse for not connecting on some of the bombs he missed. With Ronnie Stanley back, albeit on a pitch count, the running game finally got going a little. It was an encouraging sign that the Ravens should be able to build upon as health improves and Gus Edwards returns.
Tee Higgins went left early with an ankle injury and didn't return. This really hampered Cincinnati's offense with Marlon Humphrey locking down Ja'Marr Chase throughout, as Joe Burrow was unable to push the ball downfield with any consistency. He did his part late to put the Bengals ahead 17-16, rushing for a touchdown with just under two minutes left.
But it was too much time for the greatest kicker of all time, who drilled a 43 yarder as time expired to send the Ravens home as winners. Take a minute to appreciate Justin Tucker next time you watch Baltimore-- he's a rare breed of excellence (borderline perfection) on a professional platform. A true unicorn.
Chiefs 30- Raiders 29
What a way to wrap up the week! Raiders game out guns blazing, going up 17-0 during the second quarter. Patrick Mahomes doesn't get blown out though, particularly at home on a Monday night, and by halftime it was 20-10.
Travis Kelce caught three of his record breaking four touchdowns in the following half. The Chiefs moved the ball at will against a Las Vegas defense that had no answers for the explosive attack, ultimately taking a 30-23 lead.
Derek Carr would find Davante Adams deep for his second touchdown of the game to bring the Raiders to within one point. I guess Josh McDaniels sensed that his defense was incapable of stopping KC, which was probably true at that point, and went for two after the score. They were unsuccessful however, as Josh Jacobs was stuffed at the goal line. That would be the difference in this one, sending Adams into a rage that resulted in a cameraman being shoved. Potential discipline on deck for the All-World receiver.
I also want to note that the roughing the passer penalty called on Chris Jones in the second quarter of this game was easily the worst call I've ever witnessed, upstaging even the Tom Brady/Grady Jarrett call from Sunday. This is going to cause huge problems for players, fans and gamblers alike if the NFL can't fix this shit. Absolutely asinine officiating.
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@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
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