Reflections on Week 5

The games have all been played now for this week in the NFL, and there were some interesting developments this week.

First, I'm feeling better and better about our loss to the Cincinnati Bengals a few weeks ago. Boy, have they ever put the pieces together! Not only did they come into Lambeau and beat the Packers, they went on to defeat the defending champion Steelers the next week. And now, this weekend, they went into Baltimore and beat a team that many were thinking might be one of the best in the NFL. And if it hadn't been for that fluke play at the end of their Week One game against Denver, the Bengals rather than the Broncos would be the surprise undefeated team heading into Week 6.

Speaking of the Broncos, wow! I wasn't fully persuaded about them going into this week, but you've got to be impressed by their handing it to the Patriots. Clearly New England is not the wrecking machine that it was in 2007, but still they're an amazing organization, they've got great players, and they're led by a phenomenal coach. This one was a real coup for Josh McDaniels and Denver. After so unpromising an off-season, I can't help but be impressed by the Broncos (even though I don't like them).

Elsewhere, how ugly are things in Washington? What's the over-under on the number of days that Jim Zorn will remain the coach of that team? And now, to make matters worse, they get to host the 0-5 Chiefs this Sunday. The timing only draws more attention to the Redskins' soft schedule to-date, and the prospect of losing to another winless team is almost unbearable.

Likewise, how painful is life in Titans-land? Can there be any fan-base in the NFL so crushed by disappointment in 2009? We all go in with expectations, and sometimes they are exceeded, while other times they are disappointed. But there can't be any greater disparity between expectation and reality this year than in Tennessee. And after struggling to an unthinkable 0-5 start, now the Titans have to play in New England!

And I can't imagine the Patriots losing this one. They were somewhat humbled by the trip to Denver, and they clearly have some issues, but I don't see them losing two in a row. They caught a break when the Dolphins upset the Jets on Monday Night, and so they're still right there in the hunt in the AFC East. Plus, they almost have to win since the Jets get to host the Bills.

And the Bills are pathetic, aren't they? A 6-3 loss to Cleveland. More than that, a 6-3 loss to a team whose starting QB went 2-17 with an interception. How do you lose that game?

But the Bills and Browns are just two members of what seems to be an uncommonly large collection in this year's NFL: that is, really embarrassingly bad teams. In addition to their futility-fest on Sunday, the Bucs got beaten by 19 points, the Titans by 22, the Rams by 28, the Raiders by 37, and the Jaguars by 41. The NFL doesn't usually feature point-spreads like that. These are the kinds of whoppings you expect to see in the early weeks of the college football season, when the big boys are bringing in the out-of-conference cupcakes as their warm-up acts.

Meanwhile, our own Division unfolded as expected in Week Five. The Vikings won a game they should have won and the Lions lost a game they should have lost. On the other hand, the Lions looked competitive against the Steelers, and so they shouldn't be overlooked by the Packers.

Week Six is setting up to be a very interesting one. 'More on that in a few days.