NFL Roundup for Week 5

[IWSfan4life]

Top 10:

1. Chicago 5-0

A great defense gets better each week, they beat on a solid Buffalo team and Thomas Jones is now healthy. NFC Championship, here they come.

2. Indy 5-0

It wasn't pretty and it almost didn't happen, but Manning pulls it out in the end. The NEED to learn to stop the run, but they are still a force.

3. Philly 4-1

A big win and a great offensive performance vaults Philly up this week in my rankings. Westbrook isn't healthy and Stallworth is out, and McNabb is still playing like a god. This is a damn good team.

4. Seahawks 3-1

Dangerous offense that needs to bounce back from the Chicago game. With the Defense rested and Branch in the lineup, they are the in the NFC's top 3

5. Patriots 3-1

Tom Brady wins with whoever he has. Their 3 headed run game is one of the best in the league. They will always be a contender.

6. Ravens 4-1

The offense disappoints bigtime this week, but it was a nasty rainy game and the line didn't protect all that well. But they still have good chemistry and one of the top 3 Defenses around.

7. Chargers 4-1

Beat the Steelers with Rivers arm more than anything, and thats the biggest question on the team. They win a few more games like this and they are a major AFC contender.

8. Bangles 3-1

A championship caliber offense with an improving D. More consistant play may get them a division title if they can protect Carson.

9. Saints 4-1

Pulled out another tough win. This team has already locked up the NFL's most improved team award, and they could easily be a playoff team. Bush scored, Duece is healthy and looking great, and Scott Fujita may be the best free agent pickup in the NFL

10. Falcons 3-1

They play the Saints on a different night and they may be 4-0. That run game is excellent, and they have a few major playmakers on D. As long as Vick keeps it honest and they control the clock, they will be back in the playoffs.

Just outside the top 10:

Carolina
Denver

Team Notes:

Denver- I still can't put them in my top 10. Jake the snake looks like a fraud to me, and even though they won he still only had 106 passing, and is INT happy. Until he fixed that or sits, I don't think Denver is the real deal.

Pittsburgh- Pretty much crapped away their season after another loss. For a 1-3 team with a stacked division and a tight conference, there isn't much hope unless they can win all their division games and pick up some tough wins. I can't tell you how disappointed I am.

Teams to watch:

Washington
Dallas
Jacksonville

-Jason

[Agent Kev]

Barely making it in before the deadline....

1. Chicago 5-0 (2)
Last Week: Beat Buffalo 40-7
Ever since they survived against Minnesota they have put an ass beating on Seattle and Buffalo. Right now the Bears are the best team in the league based on their last two weeks performances. The question will be if they are peaking early and if they can sustain this level of performance into the playoffs. They match-up really well against Arizona this week since Arizona has one of the worst offensive lines in the league, will be without their star wide receiver and is starting a rookie quarterback that has shown the propensity to turn the ball over at the worst times over the last two weeks. Looking down the road it is realistic to think that this team may go 14-2 since they have the easiest schedule (BY FAR) in the NFL this year.
This Week: @ Arizona (1-4)

2. Indianapolis 5-0 (1)
Last Week: beat Tennessee 14-13
Limped their way to victory against a winless Tennessee team. Everyone has their bad weeks but Indianapolis has been on the brink over the last 2 weeks against the Titans and the Jets. Indianapolis's defense has really been exposed as susceptible to the running game as they are giving up 5.2 yards per carry so far this year. Luckily for them they have a bye this week before they have some interesting match-ups with Washington, Denver and New England.
This Week: BYE

3. Denver 3-1 (4)
Last Game: beat Baltimore 13-3
All of the early talk of benching Jake Plummer in favor of Jay Cutler has seemingly stopped since Denver has won 3 straight against quality opponents. Denver's defense has been phenomenal this year as they still are yet to give up 20 points in a game and have held their opponents under 10 points during the last 3 games. That being said, this team needs to find an offensive rhythm if they expect to be a factor this year.
This Week: Oakland (0-4)

4. New England 4-1 (5)
Last Game: beat Miami 20-10
Just win baby, that's what the Patriots seem to do week in and week out and year in and year out. They also have the benefit of playing in the weakest division in the AFC this year. They should coast to a division title.
This Week: BYE

5. Baltimore 4-1 (3)
Last Week: lost to Denver 13-3
Their offense was non-existent last week due to the Broncos and the weather. McNair must get the offense back on track as the defense can only do so much when you have offensive juggernauts like Cincinnati and Indianapolis in your conference. Their game this week against a dangerous Carolina team will tell a bigger story than their lost to Denver last week. Baltimore is only averaging 3.5 yards per carry this year and need to get the running game going.
This Week: Carolina (3-2)

6. San Diego 3-1 (6)
Last Week: beat Pittsburgh 23-13
So far their wins have come against teams that are bottom feeders like Oakland and Tennessee and a struggling Pittsburgh. The jury is still out on this young, talented team. They will get a good test in two weeks against Kansas City.
This Week: @ San Fransisco (2-3)

7. Atlanta 3-1 (7)
Last Week: BYE
Most teams prefer to have their bye at the middle of the season but the Falcons needed it last week to get John Abraham, Patrick Kerney and possibly Ed Hartwell healthy and possibly to have the defense at full strength for the first time this year. This week will be a huge test against a dangerous NY Giants team who showed up big last week against the Redskins. This definitely has the potential to be a swing game for both teams. Manning tends to play better at home so this game will rest on his shoulders and if he can step up and make plays when the Falcons get pressure on him.
This Week: NY Giants (2-2)

8. Philadelphia 4-1 (9)
Last Week: beat Dallas 38-24
Won a big showdown game last week against TO and the Cowboys 38-24. This was an important game because it's the first quality win Philly has this year (as the others have come against San Fransisco and bottom feeders Houston and Green Bay). That being said Donovan McNabb has made a huge turnaround this year from his injury laden 2005 season and looks to be the league MVP if the season ended today. This week will be a good test as they play the third "quality" opponent on their schedule so far this year. They are 1-1 against the other two so they need this one to prove to themselves that they are truly back from a disappointing 2005 and to stay ahead of the game in the their division.
This Week: @ New Orleans (4-1)

9. Cincinnati 3-1 (10)
Last Week: BYE
Coming off of a bye week after getting punched in the mouth by bully New England. They have an easy match-up on paper against the winless Bucs but Tampa Bay played much better than their record last week and their rookie QB Gradkowski played a lot better than expected last week.
Next Game: @ Tampa Bay (0-4)

10. Carolina 3-2 (11)
Last Week: beat Cleveland 20-12
They are 3-0 with Steve Smith in the line-up and are back to their old "not pretty but we get it done" selves as they have racked up victories at Tampa and at home against New Orleans and Cleveland. These next 3 weeks are huge as they face Baltimore, Cincinnati and Dallas. Winning 2 out of 3 of those games would be big, sweeping them would be huge.
This Week: @ Baltimore (4-1)

11. Jacksonville 3-2 (-)
Last Week: beat NY Jets 41-0
Showed a lot of heart last week in their 41-0 drubbing of the Jets as they could have laid down after losing two straight close games to Indianapolis and Washington. They have a bye this week so they can game plan how to take 3 out of their next 4 games against the likes of Tennessee and Houston (2x).
This Week: BYE