NFL Takeaways: Week 5
Photo by Kyle Terada from USA Today
The teams that I expected would be top tier in the NFC sure are pulling away from the field.
The AFC, however, remains confusing as ever.
Let’s dive into it.
Bears defeat Commanders 40-20
Maybe it just took a little bit of time for Fields, Moore and the new offensive coordinator to gel.
Because this is back to back games that the Bears offense has looked absolutely excellent.
Let’s see if it continues forward.
Jaguars defeat Bills 25-20
We were waiting for the good Trevor Lawrence to show up this year.
Well, he did.
And he looked outstanding.
Steelers defeat Ravens 17-10
Everyone thinks Matt Canada is bad at his job.
We’re not sure Kenny Pickett is the long term option at quarterback.
There are so many questions surrounding this Steelers team.
And yet, the Steelers are 3-2 and leading the AFC North.
This team still needs changes, but this is who the Steelers are.
Even with questions, they’ll find ways to win.
But that’s not good enough for Pittsburgh, nor should it be.
Falcons defeat Texans 21-19
CJ Stroud’s late game leading drive wasn’t unexpected with what we’ve seen so far this year. He’s played great football.
But Desmond Ridder driving the Falcons back down the field for the win was a very nice surprise after some very bad weeks for the young QB.
A possible momentum starter?
Lions defeat Panthers 42-24
Bryce Young might very well be the answer for Carolina, but them selling the farm to get him and force him to go through these growing pains while not having their first rounder next year might end up being a very bad move.
So was losing Steve Wilks who had the Panthers playing great football.
But that’s neither here nor there.
Colts defeat Titans 23-16
Anthony Richardson is the future in Indy, but Gardner Minshew has done a great job showing the NFL he means business.
It helps that he has a very good coach like Shane Steichen to help him out, but he’ll find himself a starting gig somewhere.
Dolphins defeat Giants 31-16
The Giants offense is a complete disaster.
People need to be held accountable for that.
Saints defeat Patriots 34-0
The Patriots offense is a complete disaster.
People need to be held accountable for that.
Eagles defeat Rams 23-14
The Eagles play so much big boy football that it’s amazing to see.
They waste so much clock, and they make sure they get points at the end of the drives.
They’re really hard to beat, even with people unhappy about the defense or play calling.
Bengals defeat Cardinals 34-20
Once again, the Cardinals hung around and played really, really hard before running out of steam and losing.
Once this team gets more talented, watch out.
Jets defeat Broncos 31-21
Russ played pretty well again when he was scrambling.
Then he stopped that, their offense sputtered and the defense got run all over.
This team is a mess. Sean Payton has to own that.
Chiefs defeat Vikings 27-20
Another one score loss for the Vikings!
What a very dumb, fun team.
49ers defeat Cowboys 42-10
Alright. Let’s dive into it.
Brock Purdy has been good this year. Nobody can disagree with that.
But I’ve said before, he reminds me of the 2019 Jimmy G era.
And think about Kyle Shanahan’s history real fast.
As OC in Houston, he made Matt Schaub a really good QB. He did the same with rookie year RG3.
Matt Ryan won an MVP under him. Jimmy G made one Super Bowl and almost made another.
Hell, Kyle Shanahan made Brian Hoyer (!) a good quarterback while on the Cleveland Browns (!!!!).
So forgive me if I’m a little bit hesitant to crown Brock Purdy a top 5 quarterback in football.
People still criticize Tua because they saw him struggle with Brian Flores and thrive under Mike McDaniel, so clearly he’s a product of the system.
So is Brock Purdy.
Which is fine! There’s nothing wrong with that!
He’s doing his job, and the Niners are clobbering teams. They look like the best team in football.
But Brock Purdy is not elite.
That’s also completely fine.
Raiders defeat Packers 17-13
Is Jordan Love the answer?
I don’t know.
But Aaron Rodgers looked horrible in his first year starting with Green Bay too.
So maybe let’s cut him some slack, eh?
