2015 Week 5
On the bubble:
16. Rams, 15. Cowboys, 14. Jets
13. Ravens, 12. Colts, 11. Eagles
The Top 10:
10. Carolina Panthers (4-0)
Last Week: 15th
Best Ranking: 10th (Week 5, Free Agency)
9. Buffalo Bills (2-2)
Last Week: 8th
Best Ranking: 8th (Week 4)
Instead of building on their momentum from their big win last week in Miami, the Buffalo Bills fell flat on their home field, losing to the Giants. The Bills have a soft October schedule and had a chance to gain some momentum, but they blew that opportunity Sunday. They fell to 2-2 for the fourth consecutive season and now must avoid their first losing streak since last November. The Bills will be back on the road next week, but might not have running back LeSean McCoy or receiver Sammy Watkins, so they'll need their offense to sort out its problems in the upcoming week. - Mike Rodak
Last Week: 7th
Best Ranking: 6th (Week 3)
The Steelers' defense has regained its respectable status, but make no mistake -- this is a slightly-above-average team that must grind out wins until Ben Roethlisberger returns. Michael Vick played well in spots but he still had 124 yards passing on 26 attempts. Hard to win that way. The chemistry between Antonio Brown and Vick is lacking, as is to be expected. The good news for the Steelers is Le'Veon Bell got it going with 129 yards. He had several dynamic cut-backs in the open field. - Jeremy Fowler
7. Atlanta Falcons (4-0)
Last Week: 13th
Best Ranking: 7th (Week 5)
The win over the Houston Texans, in general, put the Falcons at 4-0. Remember, they went 4-12 two seasons ago. And there's every reason to believe the Falcons can continue their early-season success with the Washington Redskins coming to the Georgia Dome this Sunday, followed by New Orleans, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and San Francisco before the bye. The Saints, Titans and 49ers games are on the road. - Vaughn McClure
Last Week: 5th
Best Ranking: 4th (Week 2, 1,
Preseason, Post-Draft)
While it is certainly not the formula their faithful have become accustomed to over the previous three season, these Denver Broncos continued to grind their way through the season Sunday with a 23-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Despite two interceptions from quarterback Peyton Manning, the Broncos cranked up just enough of a running game (145 yards) to keep themselves among the league’s undefeated. This team’s defense, with seven more sacks added to the list against the Vikings, will be the biggest reason the Broncos are in any postseason conversation. The Broncos had three sacks in the Vikings' first 19 snaps - Jeff Legwold
5. Cincinnati Bengals (4-0)
Last Week: 6th
Best Ranking: 5th (Week 5)
Cincinnati's victory against the Chiefs means the Bengals are 4-0 for the fourth time in franchise history (in the three previous years the Bengals began 4-0, they finished with 11 or more wins), and it greatly enhances their chances for returning to the playoffs this season. Even after his stellar September, QB Andy Dalton opened October with a solid outing that included a touchdown pass and more than 300 passing yards against Kansas City. If he can keep this going, good things are in store for the Bengals. - Coley Harvey
Last Week: 3rd
Best Ranking: 3rd (Week 4)
The magic ran out on the Arizona Cardinals’ offense in a loss to the Rams Sunday. After scoring 126 points in their first three games, the fourth-most in NFL history through the first three games of a season, the Cardinals couldn’t find the end zone. Not even from the 4-, 9-, 20- and 11-yard lines. The first four trips in the red zone produced 12 points. However, the Cardinals are still 3-1. They travel to Detroit to play the lowly Lions (0-3), who will have a short week after facing the Seahawks on Monday night. - Josh Weinfuss
3. Seattle Seahawks (2-2)
Last Week: 4th
Best Ranking: 1st (Week 1, Post-Draft)
The Seattle Seahawks came ever so close to staring 1-3 in the face Monday night. But the defense showed up, allowing the Seahawks to preserve a 13-10 victory. It turns out the game saving play should have been called illegal, but the defense still looks like the unit that led this team to the Super Bowl the past two years. A bigger test than the Detroit Lions awaits next week against the Cincinnati Bengals. With the Seahawks' offensive line looking shaky and Marshawn Lynch banged up, Seattle may need to rely on its defense now more than ever. - Sheil Kapadia
Last Week: 2nd
Best Ranking: 1st (Week 3, 2, Preseason)
Coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t willing to concede it last week when his team got to 3-0; he said he wanted to see his team start 4-0 before he would agree that one of the biggest focuses of this offseason had come to fruition. Well, you can officially say the Green Bay Packers are off to a fast start. Green Bay beat another NFC West foe, the 49ers, who had given them all kinds of trouble. It was their first win over quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had beaten them three times (including twice in the playoffs), and it should establish the Packers as the team to beat in the NFC. - Rob Demovsky
1. New England Patriots (3-0)
Last Week: 1st
Best Ranking: 1st (Week 5, 4, Free Agency)
With the 38-year-old Brady turning back the clock and playing at an MVP-caliber level, and tight end Rob Gronkowski arguably the toughest player to cover in the NFL, the Patriots have one of the league's most lethal 1-2 combinations. Also, with the overall quality of play around the league looking unbalanced, the Patriots are currently well positioned to once again be in the mix for the playoffs. Coming out of an early bye week, the Patriots will play a Dallas Cowboys team without Tony Romo or Dez Bryant, followed by a match against the Colts, whose QB Andrew Luck may not be at full strength. - Mike Reiss
No comments:
Post a Comment