Things I Noticed: Week 5

In case you're wondering why everyone is wearing pink, it's not because the players all decided to become fair weather fans of their own teams.  The colors are to promote breast cancer awareness month, which is one of the things the NFL does for a great cause.  They will also auction off NFL gear to help raise money for this cause.

Bye Weeks: Dallas, Detroit, Oakland, Tampa Bay

Here are some things I noticed this week:

• Arizona lost for the first time this season in a game that exposed their offensive line as one of their biggest flaws.  Kevin Kolb was sacked 9 times and Ryan Williams averaged a mere 2.4 yards per carry behind a line that couldn't protect them. 
• Williams injured his shoulder in the game and will require season ending surgery.  He'll join Beanie Wells on the IR list, turning a bad backfield situation into a disaster for Arizona.
• The Rams (3-2) have a winning record for the first time since 2006 and already have surpassed their win total from last season.  Jeff Fisher has done a great job since taking over this young team by turning it around and making them competitive again.
• During the win, the Rams suffered a big loss with an injury to top WR Danny Amendola.  He missed almost all of last season with an elbow injury, worked hard to come back, only to be knocked out again with what looks to be a serious injury.  It's a tough blow for the Rams, who rely on Amendola to be their version of Wes Welker, and lack much WR depth behind him.

• Peyton Manning may be wearing a different uniform these days, but anytime he takes the field against Tom Brady, it's still a classic.  Despite a strong effort from Manning (345 yards, 3 TDs), who continues to look stronger with every passing week, it wasn't enough to overcome the Patriots in Foxboro.
• Denver scored the last 14 points of the game to make the Pats sweat out what was looking like a blow out.  Fourth quarter drives stalled for Denver when Willis McGahee dropped an open pass on 4th down on a play eerily similar to the infamous "4th and 2" play that still haunts New England fans from their 2006 playoff loss to Manning's Colts, then later lost a red zone fumble.
• The Riddler was on his way to another big day (career high 151 yards, 1 TD), but a 4th quarter fumble put Denver in position to get back in the game and may have put Ridley in the doghouse.  It's only his first lost fumble this year, but he does have a history of issues holding on to the ball and the Pats have no shortage of capable backs.
• Shane Vereen scored a short TD on his only carry of the game, while Bolden and Woodhead combined for over 100 yards.  Woodhead wouldn't be the ideal solution as a lead RB, but his conversion on 3rd and 17 was a key moment in the game.  It kept a drive alive that concluded with a TD to put the Pats up by 3 scores.
• The NFL has become a passing league, but the Patriots haven't forgotten the importance of keeping a balanced attack.  For the past several years their offense has been all about the pass, but their seasons have ended too often in heartbreaking losses when they weren't able to rely on their running game to help hold late game leads.  The Patriots rushed for over 200 yards in consecutive games for the first time in the Belichick era.  Tom Brady is still an elite QB capable of shredding defenses, but at age 35, he's going to need some help.  Forcing defenses to respect their running game also opens up play action passing, which is where Brady is at his best.
• Miami has blown leads and gone on to lose in OT in each of the past two weeks, but they managed to hang on to the win in regulation this week.
• AJ Green was one of the lone bright spots for the Bengals this week.  He caught another TD pass and now has one in each of the past 4 games.

• The Colts got some troubling news when coach Chuck Pagano was hospitalized to be treated for leukemia.  Fueled by their emotions, the Colts came out "Chuckstrong" in upsetting Green Bay, thanks to a last minute TD pass by Andrew Luck.
• Reggie Wayne has known Pagano since the coach helped recruit him to go to school at the University of Miami, but didn't let the distraction of his coaches health prevent him from focusing on the game. Instead, Wayne honored his ailing coach with a 13 catch, 212 yard, 1 TD performance.  
• The Packers offense hasn't been the same since the playoffs began last season.  After a 15-1 regular season where they had one of the league's most prolific offenses, the Packers were held to only 20 points in an upset by the eventual champion Giants on their home field in their only playoff game.  They've started this season at a disappointing 2-3 and are averaging only  22.4 points per game.
• Aaron Rodgers is averaging only 261.4 yards per game and has only topped the 300 yard mark twice in five games so far this season.  He averaged just under 310 yards per game last year.
• Jamaal Charles leads the league in rushing after another big game (140 yards), but how many times can they hand the ball off 30 times a game to a RB listed at under 200 pounds?  He had 30+ carries, not including his receptions, for the second time in the last three weeks.
• Matt Cassel threw two INTs and lost two fumbles before leaving the game with a head injury.  I'm sure his performance made the heads of Chiefs fans everywhere hurt, but Eric Winston is right - it was pretty tasteless for Chiefs fans to boo Cassel when he got hurt.
• Joe Flacco completed less than half his passes, threw for under 200 yards and turned the ball over without leading a single TD drive, but did manage to make a key play late in the game.  He scrambled for 16 yards on a 3rd and 15 to keep the drive alive and allow the Ravens to run out the clock.
• It sure was nice of the Giants to spot Cleveland a 14 point lead early in the first quarter, because this game wasn't close the rest of the way.  Despite a costly fumble that helped Cleveland get out to that hot start, Ahmad Bradshaw quietly racked up 200 yards and a TD as the Giants ran away with the win.
• Victor Cruz could have put on a salsa clinic with the amount of time he spent in the endzone, as he scored on 3 of his 5 catches.
• Rookie receiver Josh Gordon only caught two passes, but they totaled 82 yards and both went for scores.  They were his first career TDs and the yardage more than doubled his previous high.
• Rashard Mendenhall scored a TD in his season debut, returning from last year's ACL injury, to help Pittsburgh edge the Eagles.  Mendenhall looked explosive on his scoring run, becoming just the latest example of a RB this season that's looked good returning from this serious injury.
• Michael Vick's turnover woes continued, as he lost two fumbles this week, and this time it cost them. Philadelphia (3-2) remains at the top of the NFC East, despite a -19 point differential and an NFC worst 14 turnovers. 
• Matt Ryan (345 yards, 2 TDs) led three 4th quarter scoring drives to keep the Falcons undefeated and move them to 5-0 for the first time in franchise history.

• A lot of tight ends have broken out with huge performances over the past couple seasons, reinventing the position in the process, but the veteran Tony Gonzalez (13 catches, 123 yards, 1 TD) wants to remind everyone that he hasn't gone anywhere yet and won't be easily overshadowed by some of the young studs at the position.
• Many questioned why the Redskins followed their selection of Robert Griffin in the first round of the draft with the selection of Kirk Cousins a few rounds later.  They were reminded of why they needed to add a backup when Griffin was knocked out with a mild concussion.  They were also reminded of why they gave up such a large ransom to move up in the draft to be able to select Griffin.  Cousins is no RG3.  He threw INTs on each of his last two drives to help Atlanta put the game away.
• RG3 doesn't shy away from contact, but this was a clear example of why he needs to be more cautious.  Head injuries are no joke and this one could easily have been avoided by stepping out of bounds instead of trying to force an extra yard or two in an unnecessary situation.
• Cam Newton had a rough day, completing only 12 of his 29 passes, including only 1 of his first 9 attempts.  He was under pressure by an aggressive Seahawks defense all afternoon, getting hit 6 times and sacked 4 times.  Other than a FG to close the first half, the Panthers offense wasn't able to come close to scoring, but at least their defense returned an INT for a score to make it a close game.
• The Seahawks made a bold, but brilliant decision that is rarely seen by intentionally taking a safety late in the game.  Facing 4th down, pinned near their own endzone with under a minute left, Seattle had their punter step out of the back of the endzone for a safety.  That only pulled Carolina to within 4 points, meaning they'd still need a TD.  Seattle needed to punt either way, but by taking the safety it allowed them to punt from their 20 yard line without being rushed by a defense trying to block the kick.  By sacrificing the two points, Seattle ensured they would get a better punt off successfully, leaving Carolina with worse field position and even less time remaining for their final drive.
• Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs both returned turnovers for TDs for the second week in a row.  Has a pair of teammates ever done that in consecutive games before?  Pretty sure it hasn't been done before.
• With 5 TD returns, the Bears defense has nearly as many scores this season as Jay Cutler has thrown for (7).
• Blaine Gabbert threw his first INT of the season last week, but threw two more this week and also lost a fumble.  Then again, this Bears defense seems to be able to make anyone look like a turnover machine.  Too bad they don't get to face the Eagles this season.  Vick's turnovers could have hit double digits in that game.
• Percy Harvin continues to do it all for the Vikings.  After returning a kick-off for a score last week, he caught a TD and ran one in for another this week.  For the past few years, Adrian Peterson has carried a struggling offense.  During the Vikings surprising 4-1 start, Harvin has supplanted him as the team's most dangerous offensive weapon.
• Who would have thought that nearly a third of the way into the season the Vikings would be leading the NFC North division?  They were expected to be the only team in the division not to be a playoff threat, but are well on their way to getting there.  The second half of their schedule is tough, where they play Green Bay and Chicago in four of their final six games, but if they can manage a split with each of them then they could be looking at an impressive 9+ win season.  If it's not enough for the division then they could at least be in the mix for a wild card.
• The struggling Titans on the other hand seem destined to finish near the bottom of the standings.  Jake Locker remains sidelined with injury and Matt Hasselbeck looks washed up.  They have no running game and their defense can't stop anyone, allowing 36.2 points per game.  It could be a long year in Tennessee.
• The 49ers set a franchise record with 621 yards against Buffalo, while also becoming the first team in NFL history to pass and rush for over 300 yards in the same game.  With a storied franchise history that includes all time greats like Montana and Young, the 49ers are setting offensive records with... Alex Smith?
• The 49ers have outscored their opponents 79-3 in the past two weeks against AFC East opponents (Jets, Bills).  They'll get the Dolphins later this season, which could turn into another lopsided affair, but things won't be quite as easy when they face New England.
• Since halftime of the game last week against the Patriots, Buffalo has been outscored 90-10.  In the last two games their defense has given up over 1,200 yards.  This week was the most yards they have given up in franchise history, while last week's collapse against New England was their third worst mark.  Good thing they spent all that money on the defensive line this past off-season!
• Drew Brees broke Johnny Unitas' record with a TD pass in his 48th straight game.  The record came on the first of four TD passes for Brees on the night to help the Saints secure their first win of the season.
• The victory came with suspended coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis in attendance -  in a luxury suite far away from the sidelines of course.  The Saints were given special permission by Roger Goodell to allow them to attend the game to celebrate with Brees on his record setting night.  Even though he wasn't involved in the game, it figures that the Saints wouldn't get a win without Payton around.
• Marques Colston had a monster game with 9 catches, 131 yards and 3 TDs.  With Lance Moore out for this game and Jimmy Graham relegated to decoy duty after tweaking his ankle early in the game, the Saints needed their top receiver to step up and he didn't disappoint.
• Penalties killed the Chargers in this game.  A pick six was negated due to a roughing the passer penalty.  On their final drive, San Diego was flagged for questionable pass interference and holding calls on consecutive plays.  While they did manage to pick up the first down thanks to an illegal use of the hands penalty on the Saints, the flags netted them a loss of 15 yards as time was running out, while also erasing two huge plays that could have put the Chargers in position to tie the game.
• Robert Meachem had yet to click with his new offense in San Diego, but he broke out this week with 67 yards and 2 TDs.  Maybe he was just comfortable being back in New Orleans playing in the familiar dome.  The Chargers are hoping this game jump starts his season, since they were relying on him to fill a big part of the void left by the departed Vincent Jackson.
• Houston joined Atlanta at 5-0, giving each conference an undefeated team.  Arian Foster carried the offense with another huge day (152 yards, 1 TD) and the defense took care of the rest. 
• JJ Watt is blossoming into one of the league's top defensive ends in only his second season.  He leads the league in sacks (8.5) and even when he's not pounding the QB into the turf, he's doing a lot of things to disrupt the passing game by getting pressure on the QB and deflecting passes.  Wade Phillips gets a lot of the credit for turning around a defense that was one of the worst in the league as recently as 2010 to make them one of the best, but the rise of young talent like Watt is a big part of that as well.
• It's no shock that Mark Sanchez struggled against an elite defense, but his receivers did him no favors.  They dropped balls and weren't where Sanchez expected them to be on several throws.  Even Tebow nearly had a long bomb that looked like a sure TD, but the receiver dropped it.  With Santonio Holmes likely done for the season, the Jets are forced to rely mostly on cast offs and rookies.  Even an average QB would have trouble finding success with this stable of receivers and neither Sanchez or Tebow are even average.
• Speaking of Tebow, why wasn't he on the field for the last play of the game?  The Jets got the ball back with only a few seconds left, needing to go 91 yards for a TD.  Basically, they needed a miracle.  So who better to use in that situation than the man that has made a career out of miracle finishes?  Why not put him on the field and see if he can work his magic, what did they have to lose?  Instead, they stuck with Sanchez, who predictably failed to complete a short pass.
• The NFC has dominated in the early part of the season. NFC teams are 15-6 against AFC teams so far. Only five AFC teams have winning records (Texans, Patriots, Ravens, Chargers, Bengals).
• After being the laughing stock of the league the past few years, thanks in part to sending a 7-9 team to the postseason in 2010, the NFC West may now be the league's best division. All four teams in the division have winning records, with the 49ers looking like one of the top teams in the conference.  In a league dominated by offense, this division is getting it done on defense.  None of them have offenses that will scare you, but their defense will give QBs nightmares.