NFL Week 5 Review

Week 5 Review
Winners

1. Tim Tebow: All Tebow has asked for is a chance to prove himself, and it looks like he's going to get it.  Earlier today, Broncos Head Coach John Fox announced that Tebow will be the starter in week seven in Miami.  Denver has a bye this weekend, so Tebow will have maximum preparation with the first team in practice.  Also, the Dolphins are honoring the 2009 Florida Gators championship team that was led by Tebow.  With a lot of gator fans in attendance, it will feel like a home game for number 15.  On top of that, what better opponent to face than the Dolphins?  Miami is 0-4 and 31st overall in passing yards allowed.  Not only does Tebow get his chance, he gets his chance in the best circumstances possible.

2. Andy Dalton: Red-heads can play quarterback after all!  The Bengals are the beneficiaries of possibly the league's easiest schedule, but a 3-2 mark is much better than anybody expected from a team led by a 2nd round draft pick.  Dalton has a better completion percentage than his rookie counterpart Cam Newton and has one fewer interceptions as well (I would include Blaine Gabbert in this discussion, but he's only started three games to Newton's and Dalton's five).  With games coming up against the Colts and Seahawks, Andy Dalton could have his team at 5-2 and be in contention for rookie of the year.

3. Indianapolis Colts: There couldn't be a more convenient time to be losing all of your games.  After edging Kansas City last week in the suck for Luck sweepstakes, Indy is the clear frontrunner for Stanford's prized star. Owner Jim Irsay did say that if his team was in that situation, they would draft Luck, but he has another option that could change his mind.  Fresh off of signing Peyton Manning to a 5-year, $90 million contract, the Colts could trade down for a plethora of picks to build another Super Bowl team around Manning.  And I don't know about you, but having Manning and Luck back-to-back seems a little unfair, right?


Losers

1. Philadelphia Eagles:  The Eagles remain on this losers list until they win or lose too many times to be relevant.  Critical mistakes late in the game cost them a win at Buffalo and dropped them to 1-4.  By the way, only five teams to open the season 1-4 have made the playoffs.  However, I don't believe any team is in as good of a situation as the Eagles to become the sixth.  The NFC East is up for grabs, and Sunday's game against the division-leading Redskins will tell a lot about the Eagles' chances.  If they lose, they fall to 1-5 and 0-2 in the division and are essentially done.  But if Philly wins, they can go into a bye week with hope and spend an extra week addressing problems on the offensive line and in the linebacking core.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  They're still at 3-2, but after getting crushed by the 49ers 48-3, there have to be some doubts about their playoff chances.  With New Orleans playing the way they are, the Bucs aren't going to win the NFC South.  And with the Atlanta starting to figure out their offense (it's unfortunate that they had to play the Packers, because the Falcons are ready to break out), the wild card spot not going to the Lions (or Packers) could have some greater competition.  Also, Tampa has a tough stretch coming up against the Saints, Bears, Saints again, Texans, Packers, and Titans.  They don't get a break until they play Carolina in Week 13.  It doesn't take much to see the Bucs at 3-8 and out of contention.

3. Kansas City Chiefs: With wins against the Colts in Week 5 and Vikings in week 4, the Cheifs have effectively taken themselves out of the Luck sweepstakes.  It's encouraging (in a real "let's try to win this season" way) that their three losses have come at the hands of the Bills, Lions, and Chargers, but Kansas City has too difficult of a schedule this year to contend for a playoff spot, especially with the resurgence of the Raiders.  That leaves the Cheifs in the middle ground - sub-.500 finish but not bad enough to get a great talent in the draft.  A missed opportunity, considering Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles are hurt.  It would have been a great year to follow the Colts' model and go after Luck.


Top 5

1. Green Bay Packers (5-0): The Pack came from behind to defeat the Falcons comfortably, scoring 25 unanswered points.
2. New England Patriots (4-1): It turns out the Pats are also 6th in the league in rushing. Who knew?
3. Detroit Lions (5-0): Calvin Johnson is becoming a legitimate MVP candidate.
4. New Orleans Saints (4-1): Brees is also playing like an MVP, leading his Saints to a 4th quarter win over the Panthers.
5. Baltimore Ravens (3-1): A bye week cost them a spot in my top 5. Sorry.

Playoff Teams

AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Baltimore Ravens
South: Houston Texans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Buffalo Bills
Wild Card: Oakland Raiders
NFC
East: Dallas Cowboys
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons

Commentary: The only reason I chose the Cowboys to win the East is because they're the only team not called the Redskins that didn't suffer a crushing loss over the weekend.  I also replaced the Jets with the Bills because the Bills beat the Patriots and the Jets couldn't.  The Falcons earned the final wild card spot because they lost to the best team in the league while the Bucs got whipped by a team from the NFC West.  Atlanta also has a rather easy out-of-division schedule with matchups against the Colts, Jaguars, and Vikings.