NFL Week 5 2018 is now in the books, so it’s time for your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley to take a look back and sort out the best, or most hilarious, moments from the week that was.
Best of NFL Week 5 2018
If the 2018 season had you confused before Week 5, nothing happened to clear the mess up for you. Actually, if you’re like me, you’re sitting here on a fine Wednesday morning, feeling more confused about the NFL than you were before. So, with that said, let’s hit the highlights of this zany ass week in the league.
Your current stat leaders are:
- Passing Yards: Jared Goff (1,727)
- Passing TDs: Patrick Mahomes (14)
- Rushing Yards: Ezekiel Elliott (480)
- Rushing TDs: Todd Gurley (7)
- Receiving Yards: DeAndre Hopkins (594)
- Receiving TDs: Calvin Ridley (6)
- Sacks: Geno Atkins, J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt (6)
- Interceptions: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Xavien Howard, Donte Jackson, Earl Thomas, Denzel Ward (3)
Drew Brees
Amidst all the chaos stands the quiet, steadying force that is Drew Brees. That’s what this week was all about – in the Saints’ 43-19 rout of the Washington Redskins, Brees surpassed Peyton Manning as the NFL’s all time leading passing yardage leader. Dude’s probably going to break a few more records before he calls it a career.
I actually think he has a pretty damn good shot at winning another Super Bowl this season as well. It couldn’t be happening to a nicer guy – I mean, is there anyone in the NFL more beloved than Brees? Larry Fitzgerald is up there, but not quite. All in all, I don’t think Brees necessarily gets the credit he deserves for the career he’s had. Factor in what he overcame to land with the Saints, and it’s one of the best stories in NFL history – and that’s not even including his work for the city of New Orleans. He’s played in the shadow of the Brady-Manning rivalry for the bulk of his career, but I think he belongs up there with them. One of the all time bests to play the position in the NFL.
The rookie quarterbacks were 4-0
That’s right, boys and girls…this quarterback class that I absolutely trashed, going so far as to say I’d rather have A.J. McCarron than any of these guys, is looking #ActuallyGood. Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a victory over the Tennessee Titans, scoring the game’s only touchdown. Josh Rosen didn’t exactly have the best game, but hey – the Arizona Cardinals upset the San Francisco 49ers. Sam Darnold didn’t have huge yardage and threw an interception, but he put three touchdowns on the board as the New York Jets upset the Denver Broncos. And, then, of course, we have the top overall pick. Baker Mayfield hung 342 yards on the Baltimore Ravens in the upset victory. All in all, it looks like there may have been a reason these guys were drafted in the first round after all. This is a big accountability paragraph on my part….so here’s me acknowledging how much I suck at football.
I have no idea what is happening
No doubt that I flew too high with some teams on this week’s picks. I was ready to call the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens legitimate AFC Championship contenders, and both teams took a huge step back this week. Said the Green Bay Packers would boat race the Detroit Lions, that the Jags defense would stop Kansas City’s offense, that the Broncos defense would demolish the Jets’ rookie quarterback, that the Cowboys would gobble up the Texans, so on and so forth.
The bottom line is that I suck and genuinely have no idea what is happening in the NFL this season.
The AFC is wide open
The Chiefs look like they are far and away the best team in the AFC through five weeks, but after that, it’s wide open. The five remaining playoff spots are completely up for grabs and no one is truly out of the hunt yet…except maybe the Oakland Raiders. They look like the worst team in the AFC.
That tends to benefit the New England Patriots, who have a history of starting slow and finishing strong when it counts. They’re sitting there at 3-2, they seem to have found a little life on offense, and are going to be the primary gunner for the Chiefs’ top spot. Then, you have the Jags and Titans in the AFC South – neither of those teams played particularly inspired football on Sunday, so you wonder about their chances at a deep playoff run.
The real wild cards here are the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers. I could easily see either of these teams getting hot and sneaking up on Kansas City. The Bengals are quietly 4-1, and the only two losses the Chargers have this season happen to be to the two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL.
Finally, don’t look now, but the embattled Cleveland Browns look like they could actually put themselves in contention for a wild card spot.
The NFC East is puzzling
The Redskins get their buttholes wallered out on Monday Night Football, and yet still find themselves atop the NFC East at 2-2. At 1-4, the New York Giants are still only a win away from matching the division leaders. Here I thought this was going to be one of the best divisions in football this year, but each team has its glaring weaknesses.
I still think there’s a chance the Giants can get back into the hunt – they played well against a really good Carolina Panthers team in a game that came down to a field goal. The Eagles certainly have some issues to sort out, as do the Dallas Cowboys. Are the Redskins really the best team in this division, though? It’s hard to say otherwise at this point in the season, but let’s talk in December. This division race is certainly shaping up to conclude with one of those Week 17 ‘winner takes all’ Sunday Night Football games.
Who’s the best?
My quick NFL Power Rankings for the week:
- Los Angeles Rams
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans Saints
- Chicago Bears
- New England Patriots
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Carolina Panthers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
Current Super Bowl Prediction: Kansas City vs. Los Angeles
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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