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Gregg Rosenthal catches up on everything you need to know as we move from week 5 to week 6.
There are times in each season when a head coach declares what type of team he is leading. Jason Garrett faced one of those moments Sunday night in Houston and collapsed.
This complaint is not just about the analysis. Garrett's decision to give the ball to Houston in overtime clearly impaired the chances of the Cowboys to win statistically, but it also showed a lack of confidence in Garrett's self-proclaimed principles. It is impossible to pass through a Cowboys press conference without a reference to the establishment of the race and the practice of a "physical" football. Ezekiel Elliott was the league's best forward at the start in the fifth week and Dak Prescott remains one of the best quarterbacks in career. Even without a Travis Frederick center, the Cowboys have two All-Pro linemen and one of Pro Football Focus's top ranked blockers. A day when Rams coach Sean McVay relied on his attack to pick up a construction site on the side of L.A. to seal a win late in the fourth quarter, Garrett's decision stood out even more.
Garrett said after the match that the fourth and first day on Houston's 42-meter line was "long," although Prescott had amassed two yards in a similar situation at the end of the first half. The decision to kick up raises some philosophical questions that Garrett and Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, must answer (although Jones made it clear that he did not agree with the decision to kick from rescue): If the Cowboys are not the kind of team that believes they can win a (long) yard with a game on the line, what kind of team are they? If Garrett is not confident in his own bromures when it matters, why should his players be?
Before moving on after Sunday's fifth week, in which several teams would be separated from the big middle section of the NFL, let's look at other curious decisions of the day.
Curious calls
1) Eagles coach Doug Pederson has taken on one of the worst challenges I've ever seen at the start of the fourth quarter against the Vikings. Pederson lost a timeout by contesting a first-down pass from the Viking's Stefon Diggs, after Diggs got two feet in the box with about two meters behind him and a "third foot" for good measure. This challenge came just minutes after Pederson had passed the allotted time before a key conversion to fourth position because the Eagles' offense had not arrived at the scrum line fast enough.
The Eagles committed a lot of unchallenged, negligent mistakes during their loss to Minnesota. Wendell Smallwood dropped a pass near the goal line, Jay Ajayi lost a fumble inside the 10-yard line and the Eagles offense was sanctioned five times. The improper use of this challenge by the coaching staff and their precious time was the most surprising mistake because they were so devoid of character.
2) Panthers coach Ron Rivera was bailed out by Graham Gano's striking goal kicker, who broke the game record for 63 yards. Rivera did not seem particularly excited after the Panthers' 33-31 victory over the Giants on Sunday, possibly because of Carolina's defeat in the fourth quarter. The fact that Carolina called to set up Gano's moment was also strange. Facing a third and one of the Giants' 46-yard line without further downtime, the Panthers called on Christian McCaffery to play in the inner zone, a difficult situation to consider. One meter and 18 seconds later, the Panthers blew the ball. Cam Newton expressed it well after a game during which he survived two big interceptions.
"Gano is doing a lot of wrong," said Newton.
The win pushed the Panthers to 3-1, making it one of six teams that will start the sixth week with one loss or less. The results of this week have created even more separation for the teams at the top of the NFL mountain.
Sunday of separation
Twelve of the 16 AFC teams have lost two or three times. The Texans quickly went from 0 to 3 in a first-place match in AFC South. All focus in the middle makes the Kansas City 5-0 mark all the more significant, especially now that the Chiefs have defeated potential playoff teams like the Jaguars, Chargers and Steelers. His very Early, but a win at Foxborough next weekend would already put the Chiefs on the road to a playoff start and a potential field advantage.
The NFC is not as confusing, although eight teams enter the sixth week with two or three losses. The Rams have almost completed the NFC West with their daring victory in Seattle, now three games against the Seahawks with a win in hand tied.
FiveThirtyEight.com expects the Chiefs to win nearly three more games than the nearest AFC team (Cincinnati), while the Rams are expected to win two more games than the next NFC team (Saints). Of course this prediction can and will change, but this season is already deep enough so that nothing less than a playoff start is a big disappointment for either team or teams. This is especially true for Chiefs if they can win next week in New England. The Chiefs' ability to win a big game against the Jaguars on Sunday with a lot of help from their defense is a strong indicator that this team will not go away.
Sneaky
1) It was good of the Redskins' defense to play the role of Washington Generals for Drew Brees' record-breaking record on Monday Night Football. Brees seemed sharper than ever this season. He could make a sentimental run at his first reward to the most valuable player through the Saints' offensive. Mark Ingram will return from his suspension in the fifth week and rookie receiver Tre "Quan Smith would pose a serious threat. They both scored two touchdowns Monday night.
But the underrated heroes on Sean Payton's offensive reside in the front. This is the Saints' best offensive line since the team's Super Bowl season. Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk are the best pair of tacklers in football. The combination of seamless protection, the accuracy of Brees and the cool-blooded Payton game should lead to more fun nights this season in New Orleans.
2) The decisive pass for chiefs Dee Ford is enjoying a career year, with one sack, four wins in QB and another squeezed Sunday against Jacksonville, added to his record this season, according to PFF. Ford – like defensive tackle Chris Jones – was eliminated from the Jaguars game because of penalties. But this duo and Justin Houston, who suffered a thigh injury against Jacksonville and could miss a few weekscould wreak havoc if they all play well at the same time. The return of security Eric Berry (heel) would also give a boost to the Chiefs, although it is unclear when he will return.
3) Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler are back in the Backgers with 3,216 rushing yards this season, which could set a record for the Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram duo last year (3,094). Gordon runs like a possessed man, he rarely comes down to first contact. Ekeler is perhaps the best substitute in the league. The field distance of the Chargers is divided almost equally between running and receiving, an excellent change of pace from all these years. Philip Rivers has received too little help from his halves.
4) Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell are not fantastic, but the duo will not be the reason the team loses in a given week. Sunday against the Broncos, they made a big contribution to the Jets' victory, totaling 318 yards on the ground. This greatly helps the Jets' offense because both backs can handle each assignment, so knowing which player is in the game in a given situation makes no difference.
5) The Vikings were forced to make only two defensive ends Sunday with Everson Griffen and Tashawn Bower. Stephen Weatherly took the opportunity to start counting, playing almost every slamming and beating Lane Johnson inside the Eagles, inside, to force a fumble from Carson Wentz. This strip-tack led to one of the greatest touchdowns of all time, a 64-yard triumph through the nose, Linval Joseph, who recovered the ball.
6) The Bills and Titans totaled 200 yards in a match in 2018. Buffalo found a way to defeat the defeat as his defenseman Jerry Hughes and linebackers Matt Milano and Lorenzo Alexander continue to play. The bills now have as many wins as touchdown passes this season.
Sneaky bad
1) The Falcons' defense deserves the greatest responsibility for the depressing start of the team (1-4), but the offense did not take place in two outings to the outside. , averaging 14.5 points in two losses (Eagles and Steelers). The return of Devonta Freeman did not wake up the game in action, the three halfbacks of the team combining an average of less than three meters on 18 attempts in Pittsburgh.
2) Watching the dolphins try to score quickly at the end of their loss to the Bengals was painful. Ryan Tannehill used to put the stick away from third base, but it was revealing to see him fall to the ground five in a row pass after the team has lost 10 points and less than three minutes. There was bad luck in returning the ball three times in the fourth quarter, but you can not blame everything for the lack of luck when the Dolphins' offense only keeps a player going. all the game with more than two first tests.
3) The total number of yards receiving Amari Cooper this season is 9, 116, 17, 128, 10. Cooper has been targeted once every game against the Chargers, six times less than Seth Roberts.
4) Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was discouraged after Sunday's loss to Rams, aware of the opportunity his team had missed. He lamented the presence of a touch call on guard D.J. Fluker, who otherwise had an exhibition game. Carroll had to upset that the Seahawks' besieged offensive scored 31 points, which earned him 190 yards at pass speed, but Carroll's mosaic defense failed to hold off the lead. the negociation. Jake Martin, Jarran Reed, Poona Ford and Quinton Jefferson, who have seven career bags to their credit, represented a decisive lead in the second period.
5) The Raiders defense gives 6.8 yards per game. It's no secret. Oakland is struggling, but this figure is the fourth among all defenses after five weeks since the merger in 1970, according to Pro Football Reference.
6) The Eagles' offensive line was to be a force for the season, but she played a key role in the disappointing start of the team on a score of 2-3. Two quotes stood out after the match:
"Right now, we are fighting on the offensive line because we have to lock in longer.We have a quarter that comes from an injury and he wants to play a game," said left tackle Jason Peters. "We just have to block longer for him to play."
Goalkeeper Stefen Wisniewski said this about why he was arrested for Sunday's match:
"I'm going to be honest," he said via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "J & # 39; I played pretty well. I really do not think it was that. I have some theories, but I will not share them publicly. … it's frustrating. If I were not a Christian, I would probably lose my mind. "
Defending a Super Bowl title is difficult for any team. In Philadelphia, reporters and fans looking for cracks in armor will be particularly painful. The Eagles and Giants have the chance to eliminate the bitter taste of week 5 this Thursday night, the losing team finding themselves in a really desperate situation.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
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