10 key takeaways from Week 5
Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines the significance of those events moving forward.
Packers make a statementThere couldn't have been many people picking the Packers to win Sunday afternoon's game in Dallas. It seemed as though the Cowboys were the perfect opponent to take advantage of a Green Bay front seven that got exposed by Philly's run game last week, and the absence of Davante Adams left Aaron Rodgers without his most - and perhaps only - reliable receiving weapon. Well, so much for that.
The Packers' offense made the necessary adjustments in the absence of its No. 1 target, using running back Aaron Jones as the clear-cut centerpiece. And with 107 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, in addition to seven catches for 75 yards through the air - no other Packers receiver had more than three receptions - he was certainly up to the task.
Such significant development from the offense after things had begun to fall apart under the Mike McCarthy regime is, of course, great to see. But a suddenly elite defense continues to be the story in Green Bay. After limiting Ezekiel Elliott and forcing the Cowboys into a pass-heavy game script, the Packers' pass rush and secondary went to work. Constantly under pressure, Dak Prescott threw three interceptions and took three sacks.
This was by far Green Bay's most complete performance of the young season, coming against perhaps its toughest opponent yet. After a fresh start with a new coaching regime, the Packers appear to have re-established themselves among the NFL's elite.
Colts pull off a stunnerThe Colts are a frustrating team. They possess all the pieces to compete, even without Andrew Luck, but their season has still been something of a roller coaster. Sunday night's win over the Kansas City Chiefs showed everything the Colts are capable of doing at their best. It's tough not to buy into the idea that Indianapolis will put it all together at some point this season.
Indy came away with a stunning prime-time win on the road while holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense to a mere 10 points. The star quarterback completed a few ridiculous throws, as we've come to expect. But he was otherwise contained in a way few opposing teams have been able to manage over the last year.
And to ensure Mahomes' opportunities to get on track would be limited, the Colts' offense ran the ball down Kansas City's throat all night long. With Marlon Mack running behind arguably the league's best offensive line, the Colts can grind the clock down against nearly any opponent.
It's not the sexiest brand of football in 2019, but dominating on the ground and playing strong defense against a typically unstoppable offense is a recipe for success. Don't sleep on the Colts.
Fresh start needed for Falcons
Tim Warner / Getty Images Sport / GettyJay Gruden was the first coach fired this season, and perhaps Dan Quinn should be next. From top to bottom, the Falcons have one of the NFL's most talented, balanced, and endlessly frustrating rosters.
Atlanta underachieved in 2018, but most excused its 7-9 record as the result of major injuries on defense. A 2019 bounce back was a popular preseason prediction.
Now healthy - as healthy as any team can reasonably be after a month of football, at least - the Falcons look as toothless as they have at any time during Quinn's tenure. On Sunday, the Texans marched up and down their home field at will, amassing over 500 yards of total offense. Will Fuller, who entered the contest with 14 receptions for 183 yards and no scores through four weeks, notched 14 catches for 217 yards and three scores against the Falcons in 60 minutes.
At 1-4 and with two of their next three games against NFC powerhouses in the Rams and Seahawks, it's probably too late for the Falcons to save their season. Conventional thinking would have them limping to the end of the season before making carefully considered changes to the coaching staff.
Screw conventional thinking. Dan Quinn was hired to be a defensive specialist, the defense stinks, and so his employment should end now. There are three former NFL head coaches on Altlanta's staff - offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, receivers coach Raheem Morris, and tight ends coach Mike Mularkey. None of them had any sustained success as a head coach, but they can't be worse than Quinn. Give one of them the reins.
McCaffrey making MVP caseAny conversation about the NFL's premier running backs over the last few seasons has started with Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley, and Le'Veon Bell. It's well past time to make Christian McCaffrey part of that group, if not the outright leader.
McCaffrey's ridiculous start to the season continued Sunday with 176 rushing yards, 61 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns in a win over the Jaguars. That puts him alongside Jim Brown as the only two players to tally at least 175 scrimmage yards in four of five games to open a season. It's tough to describe how incredible that level of production is when defenses, not having to go against Cam Newton, can theoretically focus on him even more.
Coming out of Stanford in 2016, McCaffrey's size raised questions about whether he could hold up and produce as an every-down back in the NFL. The Panthers didn't see it that way, selecting him No. 8 overall, and were they ever right.
McCaffrey's do-it-all skill set - thriving between the tackles, giving defenders nightmares in space, and dominating as a receiver out of the backfield - makes him the perfect back for the modern NFL. He's the primary reason the Panthers' offense has stayed afloat, and he's helped the team rack up three straight wins in the absence of its star quarterback.
Gruden silencing doubters
Naomi Baker / Getty Images Sport / GettyThe narrative that followed Jon Gruden upon his return to the NFL last season was that he was, in more ways than not, a football dinosaur. Many assumed that he wouldn't be able to keep up with the modern game after a decade in the broadcast booth, and his quotes about analytics, among other things, were cherry-picked to support the idea that he was too old school for today's game. We're starting to see signs to the contrary.
Sunday's win over Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears is far and away the biggest moment so far in Gruden's second stint with the Silver and Black. In addition to the standout efforts of players throughout the roster, highlighted by first-round rookie running back Josh Jacobs, Gruden and his staff deserve credit for constantly putting a seemingly outmatched roster in a position to succeed.
Taking on a Bears defense that entered the game surrendering a mere 3.0 yards per carry, the Raiders rode Jacobs and their big offensive line to a team total of 169 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. They worked off that running game to utilize a quick-hit passing game that moved the chains when needed and kept Derek Carr clean against an elite pass rush (no sacks, one QB hit).
Don't get us wrong, the Raiders still have a ways to go. But after two straight impressive wins to enter their bye week at 3-2, it's starting to look like they're heading in the right direction under Gruden's watch.
Backups thriving in NFC SouthA long-term injury to your starting quarterback usually means a death sentence for your playoff hopes, but that doesn't apply in the NFC South this season.
With Drew Brees and Cam Newton sidelined, the Panthers and Saints are each 3-0 with their backups running the show.
Teddy Bridgewater did a reasonable impression of Drew Brees in his prime Sunday, throwing for four touchdowns and more than 300 yards against the Buccaneers.
Kyle Allen had a less dazzling day on the scoresheet but did enough to put Christian McCaffrey and a surprisingly feisty defense in position to deliver the team's third straight win.
There's no doubt Brees and Newton will start as soon as they're healthy enough to do so. More importantly, there's no rush for either pivot to return before they're fully healthy.
Ekeler isn't going anywhere
Icon Sportswire / Icon Sportswire / GettyMelvin Gordon was bound to be reacclimated slowly in his first action since returning from his holdout, so his workload in a loss to the Broncos shouldn't be alarming to fantasy owners. Perhaps his performance should.
The Chargers have said publicly that Gordon is their No. 1 back. But considering how well Austin Ekeler has played early in the season, and the minimal impact Gordon made on 12 carries Sunday (31 yards), it should be no surprise if, in reality, he's forced to earn those touches back.
Ekeler is the more versatile back in terms of receiving production, as demonstrated by his 15 catches in the game, and there really isn't much of a drop-off in his ability as a ball carrier. So in the interest of the offense not getting too predictable based on running back personnel, there's an argument to be made for Ekeler having an every-down role. The Chargers likely won't do that, but don't be surprised if this is a 50-50 split as the season goes on, with the advantage potentially even going Ekeler's way, regardless of who's getting paid more.
Tomlin chooses to kick in OTUnless you were watching the Ravens and Steelers in overtime, you may have missed that Mike Tomlin, after winning the coin toss, elected to kick to his opponent in the extra frame. Here's how he explained it:
Tomlin on kick off to in OT: "Man, did you see our kickoff return in this football game? Did you see their kickoff team? Every time they put the ball on about the 2-yard line and Tucker hung the ball at about 4.5 secs, we couldn't get back to the 15. Why would I sign up for that?
- Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) October 6, 2019
Our first thought was that Tomlin was making a mistake. But in some ways, mostly because Pittsburgh was down to its third-string quarterback, his logic makes sense.
Rather than starting with the poor field position he feared, and possibly being forced to punt from his team's own goal line to put the Ravens a first down or two away from game-winning field-goal range, Tomlin trusted his defense. The Steelers ended up forcing a punt themselves and only needed a field goal, not a touchdown, to end it.
It seemed to have a chance of working out before JuJu Smith-Schuster's costly fumble set the Ravens up for the winning kick.
Santos' day to forget
Frederick Breedon / Getty Images Sport / GettyMike Vrabel watched his kicker, Cairo Santos, miss three field goals in a low-scoring game against the Bills on Sunday. Then, trailing by a touchdown and facing a fourth-and-4 in the fourth quarter, Vrabel decided to send Santos out for his longest attempt of the afternoon from 53 yards.
Santos missed, of course.
In the process, he tied the record for most missed field goals in a game since the merger.
Santos almost certainly won't have a job in the NFL next weekend. Vrabel still will. There's no justice in football, sometimes.
Suboptimal schedulingThere were 10 NFL games played at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, then only two in the late afternoon. Red Zone Channel has made it easier to follow multiple games than ever before, but there's no reason fans should have to divide their attention like this. Even with multiple screens, it simply isn't possible to follow 10 simultaneous games.
Next week's schedule features a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff in London, six 1 p.m. ET contests, and four more games in the late afternoon. This should be the template for Sundays.
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