Winners
1. Philadelphia Eagles: Eagles fans can always count on games at Washington for big wins. Last year, Vick and the Eagles dismantled the Redskins in what would be one of the most epic offensive performances in recent memory. This year, the game was a little closer, but may have been more critical. By winning on Sunday, the Eagles may have turned the corner on a forgettable start. Even though they're only 2-4, their 1-1 divisional record is tied with the Redskins for the best in the NFC East. If the offensive line continues to improve (as they undoubtedly did last week) and the defense can keep forcing turnovers to mask the linebacker issues, the Eagles could get back into the playoff picture - and I'm not just talking Divisonal Round.2. Jim Harbaugh and his San Francisco 49ers: After winning a close game in Detroit, I believe it's time for all of us to take the Niners seriously. After starting out 4-1 most of us assumed they would win the dismal NFC West, but following Sunday's performance, we can only imagine how far Harbaugh can take this team. Harbaugh is clearly excited, and his team is excited with him. Now if only they could get a decent quarterback.
3. Mike Brown, Carson Palmer, and the Cincinnati Bengals: Nobody knows how to drive down the value of his players like Mike Brown, but it turns out that nobody knows how to drive up player values like the Davis family. Carson Palmer gets his wish granted and is leaving the Bengals, who will be rewarded with possibly two first-round picks to build around the surprisingly good duo of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. In a league where Donovan McNabb was traded for two sixth-rounders and Brandon Lloyd was just dealt for late draft pick, you could only call this one thing for the Bengals: a steal. They get rid of a player who wasn't playing (and his contract) and get a gold mine of talent in return. In a couple of years, watch out for the Bengals.Losers
1. Dallas Cowboys: Nobody really expected them to beat the Patriots this week, but they should have been able to muster more than 16 points against the league's worst passing defense. But no. Tony Romo and the Cowboys couldn't get it done in the red zone, twice settling for field goals of less than 30 yards. In a game that was lost by four points, a couple of touchdowns could have gone a long way to turning this loss into a victory. Also, Dallas is now 2-3, which they are under .500 through their first five games for the second straight year. The team that was projected to win last year's Super Bowl is underperforming yet again. Expect to see them in the "loser" section often.
2. Jim Schwartz and the Detroit Lions: Not only was Detroit unable to pull out a close win, but Jim Harbaugh made Jim Schwartz look like a sore loser after the game. Yes, Harbaugh was extremely rude with his "handshake" and alleged profanity, but Schwartz has to keep his temper and walk away, not chase down Harbaugh and start a fight. All of a sudden, the attention has turned away from the fact that Calvin Johnson was shut down (for the most part) and Brandon Pettigrew has butterfingers and is now looking at issues that have nothing to do with the game itself. Franchises hate it when this happens (see Philadelphia Sign-Gate issue), and the only thing they can do to make people forget is win. Fortunately for the Lions, they're still in a great position to do that.3. Sean Payton and the Saints: When Jimmy Graham rolled into Saints Head Coach Sean Payton, a lot more was hurt than Payton's leg. In the locker room with a broken tibia and torn meniscus, Payton was unable to call plays for the Saints, which most likely contributed to their 26-20 loss to Tampa Bay. Payton had surgery yesterday, and while the results were good, the fact that he won't be able to walk for a while is a concern. However, he should be able to make it up to the press box to call plays now, and his quarterback is still Drew Brees. The Saints should be fine despite Payton's injury.
BONUS
Oakland Raiders: The trade for Carson Palmer could be looked at as a genius move that made Oakland a perennial playoff team. Or it could go down as a desperate trade that only destroyed the Raiders' future for years to come. When quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collarbone and was pronounced out for the season, it looked like the Raiders' 4-2 start would be all for nothing. The list of replacements was thin at best with free agent QB David Garrard having surgery and Kyle Boller as the backup. In a last-ditch effort to save their season, the Raiders' front office pulled off huge trade just hours before the deadline. Choosing the present over the future, Carson Palmer was acquired for the steep price of two first-round picks - a move that would make the late Al Davis happy. Only time will tell whether it was worth it. I think it was.
Top 5
1. Green Bay Packers (6-0): They don't face a true test until they go to San Diego in Week 9.
2. New England Patriots (5-1): The Pats have the league's best passing offense and worst passing defense. I bet Tom Brady throws for 500 yards and 4 touchdowns every practice.
3. Baltimore Ravens (4-1): Anquan Boldin had his first 100-yard receiving game since week 1 of 2010. If he can stay hot, look out.
4. San Francisco 49ers (5-1): All of this with Alex Smith, who is 28th in the league in Quarterback Rating (ESPN's fancy new QB stat).
5. Detroit Lions (5-1): It's okay Detroit! It's only one loss! You can put away the paper bag masks!
Playoff Teams
AFC
East: New England Patriots
North: Baltimore Ravens
South: Houston Texans
West: San Diego Chargers
Wild Card: Oakland Raiders
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC
East: Philadelphia Eagles
North: Green Bay Packers
South: New Orleans Saints
West: San Francisco 49ers
Wild Card: Detroit Lions
Wild Card: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Commentary: First, the AFC. The Tennesee Titans and Houston Texans play this week, and that will tell us a lot about the AFC South. Also, I replaced the Buffalo Bills with the Pittsburgh Steelers because Rashard Mendenhall appears to have gotten his legs back (both teams are 4-2). Yes, Carson Palmer will take the Raiders to the playoffs. Whether he wins a game remains to be seen. As for the NFC, it took a lot for me to not include the New York Giants. I honestly (and objectively) think that the Eagles will take the division. The last wild-card spot is a toss-up though between the Giants and Bucs. This week, I hand it to the Bucs because they were able to rebound from their loss to the 49ers and take down a very good Saints team without their starting running back (LaGarrette Blount will be out for at least one more game). Next week it could be a completely different story.
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