What We Learned From Week 5

Added on Oct 09, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

Week 5 of the 2012 NFL season was a mixture of nail-biting finishes and lopsided laughers with almost nothing in between. Six games were decided by four points or less, while five resulted in double-digit blowouts for the victors. The Saints marked their first check in the win column and the Falcons remained one of two unbeatens. Andrew Luck out-dueled Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady once again bested his old nemesis, Peyton Manning. What did we learn from this topsy turvy weekend? Let’s take a look.

Pack sacked – Green Bay has already lost three times as many regular season games as they did in 2011. Adding to their woes, starting running back Cedric Benson will be sidelined indefinitely with an injured foot. And reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers still looks shaky. It might be the banged up receiving corps, or it could be defenses have deciphered Mike McCarthy’s playbook. Whatever the case, their porous defense is once again failing them when it counts.

Flacco goes wacko – And not in a good way. Flacco was mediocre at best on Sunday, which follows his career pattern, especially when playing on the road. Listen, the Chiefs are always tougher at home and they did get some healthy bodies back on defense, but going 13/27 for 187 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception is puzzling. The Ravens need Flacco to stop laying eggs if they want to secure home field in the AFC. They won the game, but that had more to do with the Chiefs giving it away four times.

Cam slam – The ridiculous preseason Super Bowl talk has quieted to a peep in Carolina. Why? For various reasons, chief among them being Cam Newton’s uninspired play. The second-year wunderkind completed a woeful 41% of his passes versus a stout Seahawks defense. His yardage numbers have declined every week since the opener, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with Dallas, Chicago, Washington and Denver on the horizon. Welcome to the NFL, kid.

Risky RG III – It was only a matter of time before Redskins rookie Robert Griffin III experienced the hard knock life that is pro football. While scrambling for a touchdown, he got his bell rung by Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, causing a “mild concussion” for the heralded young signal-caller. He’d do well to remember that the sideline is his best friend. Chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Same ol’ Jags – New head coach, same awful team. The Jags rank dead last in points scored, total offense and passing offense. Once again, Maurice Jones-Drew is carrying the weight of the entire dysfunctional franchise on his back. Blaine Gabbert is showing no signs of improvement and the defense lacks star talent. The good news is they’ can count on another top 10 draft pick next April. Of course they’ll probably screw it up, again.

Ground “Chick” – Bill Belichick has transformed the vaunted Patriots aerial attack into a lethal ground assault spearheaded by Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden. With Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski struggling to stay healthy, adjustments have been made and so far the switch in philosophy is paying big dividends. Wise coaches know the best way to protect a leaky secondary is by draining the lock with run game. Smart guy, that Belichick.

Niners power – Granted, they came against the Jets and Bills, but the Niners just delivered two of the worst back-to-back drubbings in recent memory. How does 79-3 sound? How about 556 yards rushing? Or an 80% red zone efficiency rate? Even Alex Smith is looking like a Pro Bowler. At this point, San Fran is dominating in all facets making them the clear team to beat in the NFC. Good luck to the rest of the conference.