2017-18 NFL (Week 5)

Watched (some of):
Pats 19-14 Bucs
The Pats still haven't found their overpowering offensive form but the defense finally looked like they can win some games. That said, it really all came down to the fact that the Bucs' kicker missed 3 FG attempts. So are the Pats right again? Well, W on the road in a short week, defensive stand on the final drive, can't complain I guess. But, still....Brady, Belichick....not used to piling up FG's to eke out a W. Bucs are still a work in progress, huh? Yeah, I didn't fall for them this year, been burned too many times waiting for them to get it together. They've had their moments where they look for real but they'll have to make the playoffs at least once--at least!--before I start believing in them. Good W for the Pats, missed opportunity for the Bucs.

Bills 16-20 Bengals
Coming into this year I thought the Bills would have a good defense, so-so offense and be roughly an 8-8 team; I thought the Bengals would rebound from last year's disappointing run, regain their offensive form and the pass rush and take advantage of crappy Browns and Ravens teams and the depreciating Steelers. Well, so far, the Bills have been so stout on D that it makes them look pretty good and the Bengals started so poorly on offense that they've looked positively un-redeemable. That flipped back this week. The Bengals have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot (3 turnovers on Sunday, all flukes, all AJ Green's fault) and when they don't, that offense is actually pretty good. The Bills make the most of their opportunities (but are susceptible to big plays on defense) and keep games close, but that is precisely when the limitations of Tyrod Taylor become glaring (dude, you just knew he wasn't gonna come back and win in the end). There's still time for the Bengals, their division is looking pretty winnable right now; and for the Bills, well, if the Patriots really are devolving, then I guess maybe there's a shot but I don't see them challenging for a wild card. Good W for the Bengals, disappointing L for the Bills.

Packers 35-31 Cowboys
Man, weird call on the Cowboys' first drive turned an FG into a TD and the Packers generally sure-footed kicker kept missing extra points (missed 2 which forced them to go for a 2-pointer late which they also missed); 4 point swing plus a 3 point swing basically gave the Cowboys an extra TD to play with. And yet the Packers still came back and won this game on the road. Impressive performance for Aaron Rodgers and that Packer D stood up in the 2nd half. The Packers continue to win despite offensive line woes and a defense that is nice but not overwhelming. With the Falcons looking so-so, the Seahawks still struggling on offense, and the Cowboys piling up home losses, really looking like the Packers are the class of the NFC (and as they shore up the O-line, they could still yet emerge as a juggernaut). As for the Cowboys, well, they played okay, not a shameful performance but they got the breaks and the Packers didn't and their inability to make the most of them kinda shows that they're a 2nd tier (at best!) team in the NFC. Good W for the Packers, not a good game for the Cowboys.

Chiefs 42-34 Texans
I was watching baseball so I was in and out of this game--though I saw most that wild 4th quarter, where each team seem to be daring the other to score. The Chiefs are looking good, man, not overpowering but reliably solid in all phases of the game. With the Raiders struggling, the Steelers looking old and the Pats not their usual dominant selves, its all lining up for the Chiefs, right? The Texans lost JJ Watt, which is tough, but they've still got a great defense and I still believe in their foundling QB, so while this is a tough loss to a conference foe, I still think they're looking pretty good to win their division. Good W for the Chiefs, tough loss for the Texans (losing Watt more than losing the game).


Other results (surprising):
Panthers 27-24 Lions
I kinda believe in the Panthers, the fact that they're still getting W's without looking at all dominant is a good sign. But I also kinda believe in the Lions, especially at home, and I figured they'd find a way to pull it out against the Panthers. I didn't see much of this one, didn't get a feel for it, though clearly the Panthers came alive in the 3rd. Good road W for the Panthers, seems like a missed opportunity for the Lions.

Ravens 30-17 Raiders
Yeah, the Raiders with EJ Manuel under center are definitely not as strong as they could be, but man the Ravens have looked so bad lately (and not that good even when they were winning), that for them to pile up 30 points on the road against anyone is a shock. Ravens just need to pull it together and they can challenge for a wild card. Not sure about the Raiders, without Carr they might not be any good at all--and they weren't looking that great before he went out. Good W for the Ravens, not a good look for the Raiders.


Other results (not so surprising):
Jet 17-14 Browns
When two really bad teams get together anything can happen. The Jets are 3-2, I'm still convinced they don't win more than 4 games this year (home games against the Bills and Chargers are the only remotely winnable games left). The Browns play hard but they still need a QB, Kizer is not gonna get it done. The play hard though, they'll find some luck by year's end. Might be the last W for the Jets, still plenty more L's for the Browns ahead.

Niners 23-26 (OT) Colts
Ditto. (Except ain't nobody 3-2 in this contest!)

Titans 10-16 Dolphins
In a full-on matchup the Titans should be better and may well have pulled out this game. But without their QB, on the road, this was set up for the Dolphins to manage their way to a victory. Jay Cutler (wouldn't you rather have Matt Moore? I mean, wouldn't you have always preferred Matt Moore? Shouldn't Cutler have been brought to be the backup?), just had to Trent Dilfer his team to victory and looks like that's what happened. The Dolphins still have a pretty good D and pretty good running game, they're not a bad team just not a winning one. The Titans just need to get their QB back, get their identity back, find some swagger and they'll be fine, they've still got a chance to win that division. I kinda think if the Dolphins switch back to Moore, they could still be kinda good this year.

Chargers 27-22 Giants
Man, what an awful awful ugly ugly game. It's easy to say that Eli Manning is done but I'd say he's given little chance to succeed out there--and now without Odell Beckham (ugh! Thiesmann-ish what happened to him!), there's just nothing for NYG fans to look forward to except that top 5 pick which is pretty much guaranteed to be theirs. The Chargers, well, they don't have much to look forward to either, nor does Rivers. This was an ugly match of two ugly teams with ugly futures for their ugly fanbases. I'd say the Giants main priority at this point is convincing Eli to retire so they can start over with a new QB next year (though Odell may have no interest in that scenario). The Chargers just need to find some identity and win over LA.

Jags 30-9 Steelers
This wasn't that surprising to me considering that the Jags pass defense is really good and Roethlisberger is just not right out there (man, that 2004 draft class has finally turned to vinegar, huh?). The Jags have the luxury of playing with reckless abandon every week and against the Steelers I thought they'd have opportunities to make plays. The QB play is still pretty unbearable but that defense is legit. The Steelers, meanwhile, are rotting before our eyes like the portrait of Dorian Gray (and, yes, Oscar Wilde would probably be better than Roethlisberger right now), the defense is nice but not great and the offensive weapons just aren't getting the necessary service. There's still time for the Steelers to get some W's but if the Bengals are gonna be good again and if the Ravens ever figure it out, the Steelers might be in some trouble.

Cards 7-34 Eagles
Cards, too, are deteriorating quickly. Carson Palmer is looking Eli-ish out there: the numbers are actually better--okay even--but he's not getting W's any more. Meanwhile, the running game is completely gone, the special teams has no bite to it and the defense just can't hold it together. The Cards are basically in rebuild mode (wonder if they've figured that out yet). The Eagles are good and getting better. If the Cowboys continue to flounder, the Eagles are going to zoom past them with ease.

Seahawks 16-10 Rams
This was a statement game one way or the other: either the Rams would announce their presence or the Seahawks were would reiterate their dominance. Looks like it was a tough contest but the Rams came up short, which was to be expected. In the grand scheme of things the Seahawks are chasing the Packers, not worried about the Rams, so getting the W on the road was kinda big for them; and for the Rams, well, next week is another chance to show that they belong in the discussion of best teams in the NFC.

Vikings 20-17 Bears
The Vikings got the division W on the road, which is always a good thing, but subbing out Sam Bradford before halftime is awkward and strange, wonder what's up with their offense? And on the other side: Bears turned to the offense over to Mitch Trubisky and though I saw none of the game, early reports seem cautiously optimistic, which is kinda what I figured would happen. 


Typically I've done power rankings after every 4 weeks but this year I've decided to do them every 6 weeks. I find that that final ranking doesn't really matter anyway, so might as well go for thirds rather fourths to get a fuller picture. So I'll do a ranking after next week's games.


Won (covered): Bengals, Jets, Panthers, Colts, Dolphins, Chargers, Eagles, Jags, Ravens, Seahawks, Packers, Chiefs,
Won (didn't cover): Patriots
Push: Vikings, Bears
Lost (covered): Bucs
Lost (didn't cover): Bills, Browns, Lions, Niners, Titans, Giants, Cards, Steelers, Raiders, Rams, Cowboys, Texans