It isn't often that football feels like such an afterthought, but it certainly is today. It's rather difficult to focus on the NFL when, you know, MY ORIOLES ARE IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES. I went to a block party yesterday to watch both the Ravens and the Orioles, and even if the Ravens were in a position to win their game (they weren't), I wouldn't have cared about the outcome of that game one way or the other. I'm much more emotionally invested in the Orioles right now, and it's going to stay that way until the Orioles' season finishes, regardless of how far that goes.
1. The NFC East is a much stronger division than most people had expected. The Cowboys and Giants were both expected to be two of the worst teams in the NFC this season, and the Redskins were a total enigma of team, leaving many to wonder whether they're any good or not. The Eagles were expected to essentially run away with the division. Instead, after 5 weeks, the Eagles and Cowboys are tied for first place, and the Giants are only one game behind them. Once again, we're looking at a very real prospect of the NFC East winner finishing with around 10 wins instead of a more dominant 12 or 13 wins.
2. The Jets are a complete mess. The Jets are one of four teams with only one win on the season (with two more teams who are still winless), and they looked like the single worst team who took any NFL field Sunday. Geno Smith went merely 4-of-12 for 27 yards and an interception during the first half, leading to Michael Vick finally being put in at quarterback for the Jets. Vick didn't play much better, completing 8 of 19 passes for 47 yards. The Jets have heavily invested in drafting for their defense during Rex Ryan's tenure as head coach, with one notable exception in Mark Sanchez drafted 5th overall in 2009 (and he obviously didn't work out). The offensive talent on the Jets' roster is mediocre at best, and the few draft picks used on offensive skill players since Rex Ryan took over the team in 2009 have been largely busts: the aforementioned Sanchez and Smith, WR Stephen Hill, RB Bilal Powell, TE Dustin Keller, and WR Jeremy Kerley. It's highly unlikely Ryan returns next year as head coach now, and whoever becomes the Jets' next coach has to rebuild the entire offense.
3. Are the Chargers the best team in the AFC? In terms of sheer record, yes, the Chargers are the best team in the AFC, with one more win than the Bengals and Broncos since those two teams were on bye last week. However, they have also given up the fewest points in the entire NFL thus far, they're +6 in turnover ratio, and they're averaging over 34 minutes per game on offense. Philip Rivers is having an excellent start to the season, which has masked the injuries they've taken to their running backs. The Chargers play three divisional games in a row the next three weeks, including a Thursday night contest in Denver on October 23. How good they really are will likely be more clear by then.
4. The Goat of the Week Award goes to Alex Henery. Easy call this week. Henery missed three very makeable field goals for Detroit, including one at the end of the game that led to Buffalo taking the ball back and moving down field for an eventual game-winning field goal of their own. Henery even got the job because rookie kicker Nate Freese was just an ineffective. Lions kickers are a pathetic 1-for-9 in field goal attempts over 30 years this season; they're going to need a lot of help on their special teams for the rest of the season.
5. Peyton Manning made history.....again. Manning threw four more touchdown passes on Sunday, the first of which was his 500th career TD pass. He's now only 5 touchdown passes behind Brett Favre for the all-time lead, a record that doesn't look like it won't be broken again any time soon given the active QBs on the list and their career totals. The irony is Manning has never really cared about setting individual records for himself; he truly is a team guy, which has always been a huge factor in why he's such a great leader. The only blemish on his career has been his playoff record, and he's not going to be able to improve that dramatically given the late point he's reached in his career.
6. That's why they're the Jaguars. Look at this tweet from Gil Brandt. Pretty much says it all right there.
7. There's a lot to talk about the Bengals/Patriots game Sunday night. While the quality of talent on the Patriots' roster is clearly not what it once was, they still do not lose consecutive games very often. After they were blown out Monday night in Kansas City, their flaws were collectively exposed on national television, leading many to wonder if they could stay competitive among the better teams in the AFC. Sunday night, they responded doing what they've done for nearly 15 years: they blew out the Bengals, and the game was essentially over after the first quarter.
Meanwhile, the Bengals once again looked like how they've always looked in a big spot. Andy Dalton wasn't awful like he's been in his three postseason games in his career thus far, but he certainly didn't play as well as he did against the Ravens, Falcons, and Titans. He can play well against talent that is either equivalent or inferior, but when it comes to playing against the big boys, Dalton once again did not come through for his team. The Bengals look destined to make another run for the playoffs, only to make yet another speedy exit.
8. Exactly who is the bad guy in San Francisco? The situation brewing between Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers front office is apparently getting worse every day, to the point that Fox's Jay Glazer says this year will be Harbaugh's last in San Francisco, even if the 49ers win the Super Bowl. That's a crazy thought to consider, especially since the 49ers have reached the NFC title game every year in the three years Harbaugh has run the team, and even reached the Super Bowl once. There have been rumors that Harbaugh has even lost player support in the locker room, though those reports have been debated a bit more as to their validity. Still, the bottom line question is who is the most at fault here? The team is still winning, so it's not like the players have completely quit on Harbaugh (though NFL players wouldn't risk losing their jobs just because they don't like their coach). Harbaugh and the front office were on the same page for the first year or two of his tenure there, but it would seem he's much more stubborn and bullish than his brother John. If the 49ers somehow put together another playoff run and even win the Super Bowl, it'd be a really odd press conference later on to announce that the 49ers front office is not retaining him for 2015.
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