By Lucas Camacho
It’s that time again; time to look back at another amazing slate of games in the NFL. This is also the first week we had teams go on a bye. This week, the Lions, Titans, Eagles, and Chargers all got breaks (and no one needed a break more than the injury-ravaged Chargers). The other teams were playing; some got big statement wins, some got upset wins, and others were disappointed. Here’s a recap and analysis of the games of Week Five.
BUCCANEERS 30 – FALCONS 36
It’s a little early in the recap for this, but HOLY MOLE HOLES! Quarterback Kirk Cousins put up video game numbers to lead the Falcons over the Buccaneers in a fierce divisional showdown. Cousins completed a whopping 42 of 58 passes for a mind blowing 509 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Now the question has to be if the Falcons can sustain this amount of offense? Looking at the Saints and how their offense sputtered after a hot start, one would normally say no. After all, the Bucs were missing All-Pro Safety Antoine Winfield Jr. However, the Falcons should still feel optimistic that their offense is capable of a big game. As for the Buccaneers, this game was headed for disaster. Not only were they missing quite a few players, but they had too many missed opportunities. With Tampa leading 30-27, the Bucs’ Tavierre Thomas blocked a field goal attempt with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter, but Bucky Irving fumbled on the ensuing possession. With 1:52 left, Tampa’s Lavonte David intercepted a pass, putting the Bucs on the Falcons’ 28. But Tampa couldn’t get a first down on the drive that followed, actually losing 14 yards, and were forced to punt. This can’t be allowed again if the Buccaneers want any shot at a return to the playoffs.
JETS 17 – VIKINGS 23
Across the pond, the Jets and the Vikings participated in the NFL’s annual London Games. Amid the excitement, cheering, and singing of Neil Diamond’s famous hit “Sweet Caroline”, the Vikings held off the Jets to stay perfect this season. This wasn’t a great performance for Quarterback Sam Darnold at the stadium that the English Premier League’s Tottenham calls home, but it was good enough as he completed 14 of 31 passes for 179 yards (but he was picked off once). The problem was that the Jets were determined to limit top receiver Justin Jefferson as much as possible. He was kept out of the end zone, but Jefferson still hauled in 6 catches for 92 yards. It’s mind blowing to think this was an “off day” for Jefferson, and that should scare everyone. As for the Jets, it may almost be time to pound the panic button. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers had a miserable performance in jolly old England, throwing three interceptions (two in the first quarter) for a career first. He isn’t getting much help from his receivers either. The question now is: can the Jets save their season by possibly trading for Raiders star Davante Adams? It definitely couldn’t hurt, but do the Jets have the capital to entice the Raiders, or will another team like the Steelers beat them to the punch? Either way, the Jets need something to turn things around fast.
COLTS 34 – JAGUARS 37
A breath of relief for one team, a soul-crushing loss for another. The Jaguars finally snapped their losing streak for their first win of the season. The Jaguars definitely needed this win as they look to turn around their season, which is already in deep trouble. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence turned in a pretty good performance, completing 28 of 34 passes for 371 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. This is exactly the confidence boost the Jaguars need before they head to their second home: London. Also, rookie Brian Thomas Jr. continues to blow away my expectations as he hauled in 5 catches for a whopping 122 yards and a touchdown. You may be looking at a prime Rookie of the Year candidate. As for the Colts, they must be hexed. No matter the circumstances, the Colts just can’t beat Jacksonville on the road. Flash back to 2021 when the Colts needed to beat the then one-win Jaguars to secure the last playoff spot…and lost. It’s almost frustrating that the Colts don’t seem to be going anywhere, even with Joe Flacco under center. They need their prized defensive line healthy, because it looks like anyone can score on this defense when injuries plague this line.
PANTHERS 10 – BEARS 36
The real Caleb Williams finally showed up and proved why he was the number one pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Williams led the Bears to an impressive rout over the floundering Panthers. Caleb completed 20 of 29 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns in one of his best performances of the year so far. The offense and defense clicked in a game that might prove to be the turning point for the Bears as long as they keep their players healthy. As for the Panthers, things are not getting better. Yes, Andy Dalton has been playing well, but he’s starting to show his age. The injuries have also taken a toll as the Panthers have lost their center for the season, and now Jadeveon Clowney goes down. The Panthers are expected to put Bryce Young back in the drivers’ seat…which means they didn’t learn their lesson the first two games. The Panthers still claim that Young is their future…which is good for them because no one else thinks that.
BROWNS 13 – COMMANDERS 34
Okay, show of hands: who expected the Commanders to have this great of a start to the season? If your hand is up, you’re either lying or your name is Nostradamus. For all intents and purposes, the Commanders are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL. Rookie Jayden Daniels continues to make a strong case for this year’s Rookie of the Year award, completing 14 of 25 passes for 238 yards, a touchdown, and an interception for a pretty good performance. Daniels also rushed it himself 11 times for 82 yards. The versatility and adaptiveness of Daniels may be the reason that the Commanders have averaged a league best 33.8 points and 409 yards per game. Teams should really keep an eye on the Commanders as a serious playoff, if not Super Bowl, contender. As for the Browns…they’re in major trouble. I struggled to find any redeeming value in this year’s Browns team…and I got nothing. It’s disappointing to see a team with playoff aspirations look instead like a team heading for a top five pick in next year’s draft. The fact of the matter is this: Cleveland hasn’t topped more than 18 points in a game so far, and their defense doesn’t look anything close to the dominate unit that we saw last year. As sad as it is to say: the Cleveland Browns seem to have dug themselves into a hole they can’t climb themselves out of with a record of 1-4 to start the season.
DOLPHINS 15 – PATRIOTS 10
In a battle between two teams with dwindling expectations, the Dolphins triumphed in a close game over their division rivals. To be clear, as evident by the score, this was not a pretty game offense wise at all. Neither team’s quarterback got over 200 yards and neither threw for a touchdown. The technical winner of this quarterback matchup was Dolphins Quarterback Tyler Huntley, who threw for 194 yards, but he was picked off while his counterpart Jacoby Brissett was not while throwing only for 160 yards. Point is, neither team looks great with the Dolphins special teams having a league high 11 penalties this season so far, and the Patriots’ offense continuing its abysmal playing. I know many people say for the Patriots to start playing Drake Maye, but I seriously doubt he can make a difference.
BILLS 20 – TEXANS 23
In what can be described as a big statement win, the Texans knocked off the Bills in a possible playoff preview. Reigning Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud had another amazing game completing 28 of 38 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown (although he was picked off once). Stroud also flashed the wheels rushing 3 times for 27 yards. The only downside was the injury to Wide Receiver Nico Collins, who left the game after scoring a 67 yard touchdown in the first quarter. The Texans seemed to struggle to score after that, but they still have plenty of weapons on offense in Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs. As for the Bills, this was a game full of offensive miscues, which is not something we expect out of a team like the Bills. Josh Allen completed only a third of his passes through the first half of the game, and his receivers weren’t finding ways to get open or stay on the same page. These offensive miscues dug the Bills into a hole that they didn’t have enough time to climb out of, and it can’t happen again as they prepare to face stiffer competition later this year.
RAVENS 41 – BENGALS 38
This turned out to be the game to watch in the Sunday morning slate of games. In a big divisional showdown, the Ravens topped the rival Bengals in overtime. The Ravens looked like the Super Bowl favorites we came to expect going into this season with reigning MVP Lamar Jackson completing 26 of 42 passes for a whopping 348 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson also punished the Bengals on the ground rushing 12 times for 55 yards. While things are finally turning around for the Ravens, the season may be over for the Bengals. Joe Burrow did his best, and even outperformed Lamar Jackson by completing 30 of 39 passes for 392 yards and five touchdowns (but he did throw an interception). The Bengals’ defense is definitely to blame, but there isn’t much they can do to improve it, and time may have already run out on the Bengals to turn things around as they find themselves in a 1-4 hole.
CARDINALS 24 – 49ERS 23
Here we go again: HOLY MOLE HOLES! In the first weekend of October, the Cardinals got a major morale boost by upsetting the Super Bowl favorite 49ers. It wasn’t a pretty game from Kyler Murray, who only passed for 195 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. However, it was good enough as the defense came through even though they had some let downs during the game. The problem was that rookie sensation Marvin Harrison Jr. had a quiet day, hauling in only 2 catches for 36 yards. The Cardinals are going to have to find a way to feed him more to avoid more close calls like this. On the other side, the 49ers do NOT look like the dominate juggernaut we expected them to be. They’ve now dropped two games to divisional rivals with both of them as a result of blowing the lead. It feels premature to hit the panic button for the 49ers, but this is not a good position for them to be in as they start this season 2-3.
RAIDERS 18 – BRONCOS 34
In a shocking turn of events, the Broncos, who had a rough start to the season, are now in second place in their division after giving their rivals, the Raiders, a beatdown. It was a respectable performance from rookie Bo Nix, who completed 19 of 27 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Now comes the tricky part: the injuries are starting to mount on the Broncos’ offensive line. They’ve already struggled to control the line of scrimmage, and the injury situation is not likely to improve their predicament. As for the Raiders (DA RAIDERS!), there is cause for concern. Gardner Minshew didn’t look the same after surrendering a 100-yard pick six to Patrick Surtain II. It was amazing since the Raiders got off to a really hot start, including a 57-yard touchdown pass to rookie Brock Bowers (who continues to blow my mind). The fact of the matter is, the Raiders suffered a major collapse and committed more penalties than they ever had under coach Antonion Pierce. It’s back to the drawing board time for the Raiders, because if they don’t fix this soon…it’ll be time to press the panic button.
PACKERS 24 – RAMS 19
We knew the Rams were hurting going into this game, but I’m certain a lot of Rams fans around LA and Hollywood are getting pretty bummed out. A disastrous second half doomed the Rams as the Packers got the win. This was surprisingly the Packers’ first win of the year with Jordan Love at quarterback. Love completed 15 of 26 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The real hero for the Packers these last few games have been the defense (obviously not last week when they were burned by top receiver Justin Jefferson). Xavier McKinney has been particularly good with an interception in each of the first five games of the season. Things are up for the Packers…same can’t be said for the Rams. However, this is the same story we saw last year. The Rams now head into their bye with little chance of making the playoffs, but that was the case last year as well when they went into their bye at 3-6. It might be too much to expect that again, but stranger things have happened in the NFL. Maybe it’s too late, but there is hope for the Rams, especially with the news that Cooper Kupp may return in Week 7.
GIANTS 29 – SEAHAWKS 20
Maybe the world is flat after all. The team that I had ranked as the weakest team in the NFL pulled off a road upset against the Seahawks. Somehow, the Giants have been playing better each week. They won without Malik Nabers and Devin Singletary, and both the offensive and defensive lines have improved tremendously. For now, it seems Daniel Jones’ job as the starting quarterback is safe. As for the Seahawks, things have taken a turn for the worst. People wondered if the Seahawks were for real after starting the season 3-0. However, this performance says no. Sure, they were playing a healthier team, but that’s no excuse for such a terrible game against a team they should beat in their own stadium. They’ll need feed Kenneth Walker III more, as he only had 5 carries for 19 yards. Geno Smith is not the kind of quarterback that can lead a team to a victory all on his own (he’s not Patrick Mahomes). The Seahawks need to get healthy soon…because a ticked off 49ers team is about to roll into town.
COWBOYS 20 – STEELERS 17
Boy…we waited a while for this game. But after a late start, the Cowboys got a much needed win over the Steelers. Quarterback Dak Prescott had a mixed game; he did throw for 352 yards and two touchdowns, but he also completed barely more than half of his passes, going 29 for 42 and threw two interceptions while losing a fumble. However, the end result is all that matters for the Cowboys, who needed this to avoid a damaging 2-3 start to the season. As for the Steelers, Pittsburg fans are starting to see why Chicago gave up on Justin Fields. It wasn’t a good outing for Fields, who only completed 15 for 27 passes for an anemic 131 yards and two touchdowns. It may not be long before Fields is benched for Russell Wilson, who is still nursing a calf injury. The Steelers are still in good shape at 3-2, but they better not have another lackluster performance or else they risk losing another game like this.
SAINTS 13 – CHIEFS 26
Despite what the score says, this wasn’t close. The defending champion Chiefs dominated both sides of the ball to put the Saints into a 2-3 hole. The Saints also lost their quarterback, Derek Carr, for an unknown period of time with an oblique injury. This team looked unstoppable a few weeks ago when they routed the Cowboys, but now they’ve been figured out. They need to get healthy and fast, because their schedule gets rougher from here. As for the Chiefs, it wasn’t pretty, but they won again. The Chiefs seem to have a problem finishing drives, something they’ll need to address as they head into their bye week. That being said, the Chiefs are one of two teams still undefeated in the league. It shouldn’t be a surprise given that the Chiefs are a dynasty in the making while looking to become a three-peat champion. But the other undefeated team, the Vikings led by top receiver Justin Jefferson, is really the surprise. The Chiefs have been lucky facing teams that are banged up and injured, and they will again when they face the injury ravaged 49ers after their bye. But what’s going to happen when the Chiefs play a team that’s healthy? That’s when the worries will start…
IN OTHER FOOTBALL NEWS…
It’s well documented that Travis Kelce has been linked to international singing sensation, and proud childless cat lady, Taylor Swift. Another fact you may not know is that his brother, retired Eagles star Jason Kelce, has released a holiday album for two years in a row. This year makes it three in a row, and Jason added someone to it. Call it possibly sibling rivalry, but Jason has called in a ringer of his own. For me it basically says “I’ll see your Taylor Swift, and raise you the Queen of Rock and Roll!” That’s right, the legendary Stevie Nicks will be joining Jason Kelce’s Christmas album this year. It’s been rumored for a week now that Jason was going to collaborate with the Fleetwood Mac singer after offering some subtle hints on the podcast that he hosts with Travis. If I may give Jason a bit of advice…it better be good, and don’t embarrass yourself in front of two time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks…
