JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS – WEEK 5

Well, hello there. I hope you are doing well. And I hope you recovered from another wild week of business in the NFL. Enough of all that, time for my thoughts on the week that was in the NFL.

1 – Thursday Night – Week 4 in the NFL kicked off in Cincinnati with a battle of two young and talented quarterbacks as the Bengals beat the still winless Jaguars. In the first half, it was all about Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence. I am not sure what Bengals coach Zac Taylor said to his team at halftime, but it sure did work. Bengals second year quarterback Joe Burrow was a man possessed in the second half. Burrow went 17 for 20 for 253 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. It wasn’t pretty, but in the end, the Bengals won the game, and they are now 3-1. The Bengals are a work in progress, but as long as Burrow is healthy, they have a chance to win. The poor Jaguars have now lost 19 straight games and next week they take on the Titans. And they have to do it, while dealing with the controversary surrounding their head coach Urban Meyer. Look, some coaches are not cut out for the NFL. Urban Meyer is exhibit A. The man should have stayed in the NCAA, because he is not made to coach men in the NFL. Coaches of winless NFL teams don’t let their team fly home while they have fun in the bar and become a running joke on the internet. Once again, the Jaguars will be looking for a new head coach in the off-season.

2 – Tom Brady – I can’t lie, ‘Home Sweet Home’ from Motley Crue is still one of my favourite songs, don’t judge me. Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts was home to Tom Brady for a long time. On a rainy Sunday night in New England, Brady made his first return to his old stadium as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brady was okay as he led the Bucs to a 19-17 win over the Patriots. Maybe it was nerves and maybe it was a few defensive twists by Bill Belichick, but it was nowhere near as well as Brady can play. I am glad this is over with, and we get back to focusing on some other players and teams in the league. With time, Mac Jones has the potential to be a decent starting quarterback. Up next, Brady and the Bucs face the injury riddle and slumping Miami Dolphins.

3 – Zona! – Wow! I mean what else can you say about Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals? The Cardinals are the last undefeated team in the NFL. Not only did they beat their division rivals the Rams, but they also did it on the road in LA! Murray is the real deal, and he has some great offensive weapons to work with. The best thing about the Cardinals is that they don’t just win with offence, they also have some playmakers on defence. Coach Kliff Kingsbury is building something special in the desert. J.J. Watt might be the happiest guy in Arizona, he escaped the dysfunctional Houston Texans and landed on his feet with an excellent football team.

4 – New York, New York – For the first time since December of 2019, the Jets and the Giants won on the same day. Better yet, the Jets and the Giants both won in over-time. Daniel Jones passed for over 400 yards and is on pace for a 4,000-yard season. The big story for the Giants was running back Saquon Barkley. A healthy-looking Barley had a very productive game and capped it off with a walk off touchdown run in over-time. The Jets won with a combination of some solid throws from rookie Zach Wilson and some great defence from linebacker C.J. Mosley. Mosley ended up with 13 totals tackles and one sack as the Jets helped Robert Saleh get his first win as a Head Coach in the NFL.

5 – The Bills D – I know they were playing the Houston Texas, but credit where credit is due. The Bills defence posted their second shut-out in three weeks. The Bills defence have not posted two shut outs in a single season since 1990, and this year’s team has two in their past two weeks! As the weather gets colder and the conditions get nastier in Buffalo, facing the Bills defence will only get tougher. The Bills defence will receive a much tougher test in week 5 when they face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

6 – Cleveland Rocks – Good teams win games when they are not at their best. The Browns were not at their best Sunday in Minnesota, and they still found a way to win. A big reason why the Browns were able to pull it off was another solid game by their outstanding defensive end, Myles Garrett. I also liked how the Browns backfield duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 169 yards rushing. The Browns can pound the ball on the ground, they can throw it deep if they have to and with Garrett, they can play defence. Up next, the Browns travel to LA to face the Chargers.

7 – How about those Cowboys? – Dak Prescott and the Cowboys beat a good Carolina Panthers team to extend their winning streak to three games. And bad news for the rest of the NFC East, the Cowboys next two games are against the Giants and the Patriots. Dak is on pace to have an exceptional season, and with Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield, opposing teams have a lot to worry about. The unsung hero of the Cowboys this year is tight end Dalton Schultz. They way the Cowboys offence is rolling right now, there is no reason why they can’t be 5-1 heading into their bye week.

8 – The Chiefs – When they are on and clicking on all cylinders, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs look unstoppable. Well, I should say they look unstoppable on offence. The 2-2 Chiefs have already allowed 125 points. The Chiefs offence is outstanding, but Andy Reid can’t expect them to score 40 points every single week. If the Chiefs are going to avenge the pain of losing in the Super Bow, they have to find a way to tighten up defensively. Tyreek Hill had a ridonkulous game, catching 11 passes for 186 and three touchdowns. That’s awesome, but the Chiefs can’t expect performances like that every week.

9 – Crumbling Steel – In the past three weeks, the Steelers have lost to the Raiders, the Bengals, and the Packers. Not one of those games were even close. That is what so troubling with the Steelers, they are not just losing games, they are getting beat bad. Aside from the odd, good play, Ben Roethlisberger looks a like a shadow of his former self. Big Ben and the Steelers are 4 of 11 on third down conversions. Meanwhile Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were 9 of 15. The Steelers are one of lowest scoring teams in the NFL, ranked down in the basement with the likes of the Jets, Bears and Texans. It is so bad, that Steelers fans are already dreaming of landing Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral in next year’s draft.

10 – Monday Mayhem – Week 4 wrapped up in Southern California as LA’s other team, the Chargers hosted a team that used to call LA home, the Las Vegas Raiders. How ironic is it that lightning forced the delay for a Chargers game? Justin Herbert had another great game, throwing three touchdowns as the Chargers served notice that they are a team to reckon with in the AFC. This was not a stellar night for the Raiders, but this was more about what the Chargers did right, Coach Brandon Staley has Herbert and the Chargers offence humming along like a fine-tuned machine. And the Chargers defence is solid. The one difference between the Chiefs and the Chargers in the AFC West is Joey Bosa and the Chargers defence. The Chargers are ranked seventh in the NFL in points allowed, the Chiefs are next to last. Next week, the Chargers host the Cleveland Browns in a preview of the AFC playoffs.

Week 5 in the NFL kicks off Thursday night in Seattle as Russell Wilson and the Seahawks host Matt Stafford and the LA Rams. Considering how competitive the NFC West is this year, this is a huge game for both teams, especially for the Rams as they try to rebound from their loss to the Cardinals.

(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)