Joey A's Final Drive: Week 5

In this new segment (which I imagine will replace my non-Bear game recaps), I’ll shoot through some of the NFL’s more interesting outcomes of the prior week.

Carolina Panthers 34, Kansas City Chiefs 0

Did anyone think that the Chiefs would be this bad? All we heard over the off-season was how they had the best draft class in the NFL.  Now all they can say for their season thus far is a surprising win (their only win overall) over the AFC West leading Denver Broncos. Carolina pushed Kansas City around on Sunday as DeAngelo Williams rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Jonathan Stewart got into the fun as well with 72 yards on 19 carries. Jake Delhomme seems to have completely rebounded after have Tommy John surgery. It’ll remain to be seen how his arm holds up over 16 games, but Jake has been at his best through five. Muhsin Muhammad has found his old self after returning to Carolina, finding the end zone on a 47 yard reception.

Atlanta Falcons 27, Green Bay 24

The Falcons may not win the NFC South, but they’re definitely keeping pace thus far. Matt Ryan has been a pleasant surprise for Atlanta after their gamut of quarterback issues over the past two seasons. However, the real shock has been the play of newly acquired running back Michael Turner. He’s leading the NFL in rushing after five weeks, which does nothing but help rookie Ryan as he tries to avoid making the big mistakes. Wide receiver Roddy White is continuing his ascension from last season as he caught eight balls for 132 yards and a score. Green Bay has gone in the opposite direction, dropping three straight after impressively winning their first two. Aaron Rodgers has played well in spite of these losses, as the Packer defense has failed to play their best. Missing cornerback Al Harris is starting to show its true effect, as Charles Woodson now takes the responsibility of covering the offense’s best receiver, formerly Harris’ role in the defense. Green Bay could be in trouble, and it has nothing to do with missing Brett Favre.

Miami Dolphins 17, San Diego Chargers 10

The team that won one game all of last season has beaten both participants of the last AFC Championship. Miami’s turnaround under Tony Sparano is another great example of parity in the NFL. They won’t win the AFC East, but they’ll hover around .500 for a bulk of the season in my eyes. Their “single wing” offense is successful for another week as Ronnie Brown seems to baffle defenses when he goes under center. Chad Pennington simply plays efficient football, which is exactly what this team needs to have success. San Diego continued its annual “start slow and scare the pundits who picked us to go to the Super Bowl” tradition by dropping to 2-3 behind their division rival Broncos who lead at 4-1. LaDainian Tomlinson has been slowed by an injured toe and horrible offensive line play. Back-up Darren Sproles is making a name for himself, becoming the next L.T. backup to eventually leave for a starting job somewhere else. San Diego needs to rebound like they did last year, or it’ll be another season of disappointment for Charger faithful.

Washington Redskins 23, Philadelphia Eagles 17

After week one of the NFL season, everyone had already condemned Jim Zorn to a 6-10 record. Now people are racing to justify calling them the best team in the NFL. (Sorry ‘Skins, but that distinction still belongs to the Giants.) Four straight wins against quality opponents is a good reason for the excitement in Washington, and as a plus they’ll play their remaining division games at home. Jason Campbell and the offense still haven’t turned the ball over, and Clinton Portis is pummeling opposing defenses. Philadelphia has had no such luck, dropping three straight. Granted, they’ve played against good teams, but a playoff caliber squad has to find a way to win. With Brian Westbrook’s status in question with broken ribs, Philly’s rushing game may not get back on track anytime soon. Donovan McNabb may have to shift into an even higher gear if his Eagles are to play in January.

Tennessee Titans 13, Baltimore Ravens 10

This game was a slugfest, featuring two defensive teams that play smash-mouth defensive football. That being said, it was a questionable penalty that gave the Titans the second chance to win. An awful roughing the passer call against Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs extended a Titan drive, which veteran QB Kerry Collins ensured ended in a touchdown. It was only fair, as two personal foul penalties led to both Baltimore scores. Tennessee should feel pretty good about their ranking after five weeks. Even though they’ll lose eventually, they’ve positioned themselves to hold onto the AFC South, and at the very least are locking into a wildcard berth. The Ravens can’t feel too bad after this tough loss. They’re 2-2, which is probably better than anyone would have predicted, and Joe Flacco is still ironing out his NFL game. He has some rough spots to work through still, but their defense will keep them in most games.

Indianapolis Colts 31, Houston Texans 27

Houston simply coughed up this surefire win. Peyton Manning and the Colts came back to score 21 points in the final five minutes to come out on top. Texans QB Sage Rosenfels manned up after the game, taking all of the blame for his team’s collapse. I respect that immensely, but it is also completely true. His two lost fumbles while running for first downs on two consecutive drives allowed the Colts to save their season. He even had a shot to lead his team down and take back the lead with under two minutes left, but he threw a horrible pass for an interception, ending any hope of saving face. Texan fans are rightfully distraught about their team’s home opener, as it retracts any thoughts of challenging for a playoff spot. Indy, on the other hand, breaks even at 2-2, when it could very easily be 0-4. Peyton Manning gets better each week, so all the Indy defense needs to do is hold the fort until Bob Sanders returns to the line-up.

Arizona Cardinals 41, Buffalo Bills 17

Undefeated no longer, the Buffalo Bills have bigger problems to worry about. Trent Edwards’ concussion could be a lingering issue if they rush him back on the field. Luckily, their schedule works in their favor, as they have the bye in week six. J.P. Losman has been a decent back-up, but Edwards is the better quarterback in his second year. If Edwards can’t play, the strategy won’t differ too much, as the deep ball to Lee Evans is Losman’s best throw, and running back Marshawn Lynch will pick up the slack. Arizona broke their two game losing streak to beat one of the best teams in the AFC. Injured wide-out Anquan Boldin should return sooner rather than later as he recovers from the fractured sinus he suffered in week four’s loss to the Jets. Kurt Warner finds All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald with great consistency, and that should keep Arizona in the NFC West lead.

Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Jacksonville Jaguars 21

Much like Tennessee v. Baltimore, this was a contest between two heavy-hitting teams that normally focus on running the ball effectively and not asking their quarterbacks to do too much. That philosophy changed for Pittsburgh out of necessity, as their top two running backs were out. Ben Roethlisberger showed yet again why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league by making big plays in big situations, though he still took way too many hits. He kept the Steelers in this one, and led them to victory late against a stout Jacksonville defense. Ben needs to focus on getting the ball out quickly and picking his spots to make plays in the pocket. Every defense knows he stands in the pocket too long, so they’ll be sure to send blitzes his way to try and capitalize. Jacksonville started off strong, with corner Rashean Mathis picking off Ben’s first throw and running it back for six, but the Jaguar offense didn’t help him out at all. QB David Garrard had a decent game passing, but the running game never found its stride against a vicious Pittsburgh front seven. They only accumulated 38 yards on 19 carries, a paltry sum for a normally successful backfield. The Jags can’t afford to lose these games, as Indianapolis is due for a winning streak.

Minnesota Vikings 30, New Orleans Saints 27

This game was just weird. When Drew Brees goes for over 300 yards passing and Reggie Bush gains over 250 all-purpose yards with two touchdowns, one would assume the Saints are on the right side of a blowout. The problem is, between Brees and Bush, there were five fumbles, of which New Orleans lost two. Brees also added two interceptions to the turnover pile, and kicker Martin Gramatica missed two field goals; one early which was returned by Viking Antoine Winfield for a touchdown and the other late from 46 that could have put the game away. Gramatica should be released by the time you finish reading this sentence. The Saints wasted a great defensive performance by an oft-maligned unit. New Orleans fell to 2-3 after the loss, which puts them at the bottom of a competitive NFC South. The Vikings, led by Gus Frerotte, never found their running game, as Adrian Peterson crazily only ran for 32 yards on 21 carries. Instead, the deep ball was Minnesota’s savior, as Bernard Berrian tried to make up for drops on short passes by making big plays downfield. Brad Childress’ decision to start Frerotte has paid off for him, netting two wins in three games. This win was huge for the Vikings, as it put them at 2-3 next to the Packers in the division (but the Packers still hold the head-to-head win as a tie-breaker). In a lackluster NFC North, this kept the Vikings in the hunt.