Fifty things we learned in week 5
‘RedZone’ perfect for fantastic finishes
Charles Woodson, Howard Jones, Jamaal Charles. Whoa.
In honor of Super Bowl 50, here are 50 things we learned in Week 5:
1. Bengals-Seahawks. Redskins-Falcons. Bears-Chiefs. Browns-Ravens. Hard to top those endings, happening simultaneously as the early games came to a close. Wow.
2. Dear Boss: Don’t ever cancel the RedZone channel. Thank you.
3. There’s obviously a lot to like about the Patriots offense, but we want them to give the ball to Dion Lewis on every play. You never know what’s going to happen when the ball is in his hands.
4. We never jumped off the Bengals bandwagon when they fell behind Sunday. But we knew where the emergency exit was.
5. Wonder if we will see a tweet from Marshawn Lynch’s mom after the game Thomas Rawls had for the Seahawks on Sunday.
6. Browns tight end Gary Barnidge’s between-the-legs touchdown catch wins the day. And maybe the season.
7. Charles Woodson picked off a Peyton Manning pass for the first time in his career. Then he did it again. Wish he had hit the Heisman pose, but he is classier than we are.
8. Who is Howard Jones? The world knows now. The Buccaneers linebacker had quite a debut, recording two sacks in his first NFL game.
9. Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins deserved better. Whoa, we fell down as we were typing that.
10. If nothing else, the Bills are consistent. They recover a fumble on the opening kickoff inside the Tennessee 10yard line. But wait. Bills offsides. Play nullified.
11. Jamaal Charles.
Darn.
12. Buccaneers fans must have thought it was a dream. Their new kicker was actually making field goals and the team won at home after losing its last 11 there.
13. Break up the Bears! Oh wait, they are already doing that.
14. Make sure you catch the replay of Rams running back Todd Gurley picking up Clay Matthews’ blitz. Wow.
15. And, of course, that just angered Matthews. The Packers linebacker later buried Rams quarterback Nick Foles with a hit that made us hurt just watching it.
16. Did anybody tell Atlanta fans the Falcons were undefeated coming into the game? The number of fans dressed as empty seats there Sunday was amazing.
17. Brian Hoyer to Ryan Mallett. Back to Hoyer. Trick play? No, just Texans coach Bill O’Brien mishandling his quarterback situation through five weeks.
18. Fantasy Tip I: The fantasy running back picture in Kansas City without Charles is going to be ugly. You’re better off chasing someone from another team — like the Seahawks’ Rawls or the Titans’ Antonio Andrews — than to rely on Charcandrick West or Knile Davis to be your savior.
19. We know he turned it around, but the Eagles’ Sam Bradford threw two interceptions in the end zone in the first half. Heck, Tim Tebow could have done that for Chip Kelly.
20. Cincinnati scored a touch- down on its first drive against Seattle, the first time in 21 drives the Seahawks had allowed a TD.
21. On the first nine touchdowns scored Sunday, the extrapoint kicks were all good. Same for the first four field goal attempts. We figured that had to be some kind of record this season, so we stopped counting.
22. But there was this kicking gem: Matt Bryant of the Falcons had an unusual day. He missed two field goal tries, both clanging off the uprights. He couldn’t do that again if he tried.
23. Browns quarterback Josh McCown threw for 457 yards in a huge win against the Ravens. Maybe Mike Pettine was right. Sorry, Johnny Manziel.
24. The Seahawks have lost the last four times they have faced an AFC team on the road. Makes them happy they switched conferences in 2002.
25. Look at Joe Flacco run!
Elite.
26. The Saints and Seahawks both intercepted their first passes of the season Sunday. So that happened.
27. If nothing else, the Redskins and Ravens provided good cover for the University of Maryland, which announced the firing of Randy Edsall while both teams were playing.
28. Aaron Rodgers’ first-quarter TD pass was his 49th at Lambeau Field since he threw an interception there. Rodgers, of course, then threw an interception. And another. And lost a fumble. Saved it all for one day, Aaron?
29. We’re told this was Rodgers’ first three-turnover game since 2009. During that same span, Jay Cutler has done that 12 times. Sorry, Bears fans.
30. To be fair, Cutler played his second good game in a row. We don’t get to write that too often.
31. Patriots at Colts next Sunday. Deflategate II. And another reminder that if Roger Goodell were judged on his record in court and arbitration decisions, he would be watching games with Joe Philbin on Sundays.
32. With 197 total yards Sunday, Falcons running back Devonta Freeman has at least 149 yards in each of his first three starts.
33. One thing we learned before the games even started: Terry Bradshaw still has a fastball.
34. It probably has been forgotten, but Matt Hasselbeck’s performance Thursday for the Colts was as gutsy as we have seen in a while. One for the old guys.
35. The Titans have blown two consecutive double-digit leads at home. Not good for ticket sales.
36. You have to feel good for Andy Dalton. Just sayin’.
37. The Bears put eight defenders on the goal line when the Chiefs had the ball at the 22-yard line late in the half with no timeouts. They dubbed it the “Red Rover” defense. We love it.
38. Lions quarterback Matt Stafford was benched for Dan Orlovsky after throwing three interceptions against the Cardinals. Another fun week for Jim Caldwell is ahead.
39. The Ravens are 1-4. Yes, we have the names of everyone who picked them to win the AFC.
40. Other teams want to pursue Sean Payton, according to an ESPN report. The way he is coaching, he certainly wants out of New Orleans.
41. At one point, the Eagles scored on five consecutive possessions. That’s not a typo.
42. When is a fair catch not a fair catch? Don’t ask Pacman Jones.
43. The Lions can’t blame the officials for committing four turnovers less than 20 minutes into the game.
44. The Patriots were tied 3-3 after the first quarter in Dallas. It is the latest in a game this season they were tied or behind.
45. It’s one thing for the Chiefs to lose three in a row to teams that were unbeaten, but to the Bears at home? Andy Reid has some explaining to do.
46. From a pure football stance, you can see why there was a bidding war for Greg Hardy’s services in the offseason.
47. Fantasy Tip II: Blake Bortles’ big day signals that he might be the next young quarterback to emerge, at least for fantasy players. But not enough people are talking about how dangerous the Jaguars passing attack has become.
48. Jadeveon Clowney has zero sacks through nine career games. But let’s give him a bit more time before we throw around the “bust” label.
49. If the Chargers’ Antonio Gates catches a touchdown pass Monday, he will become the second tight end in NFL history with 100 TD grabs, joining Tony Gonzalez (111).
50. Oh, Derek Carr. You can’t throw that pick-six when you have a division opponent on the ropes. Lesson learned, we hope.