Week 5 was kind to us New Jerseyans, desperate for feelings of joy amidst the oncoming autumn and winter months destined to keep us inside until baseball season. We got to wake up bright and early to watch the New York Giants defeat the Green Bay Packers in England. Later, the New York Jets put up 40-points to put themselves above .500 through the season’s first month. The South Jersey fans got in on it, too (though we don’t claim them). The Philadelphia Eagles continued their undefeated campaign out in Arizona.
The Jersey sweep was nice and all, but the rest of the league played, too, and the football gods weren’t as kind. What can we take away about the NFC from Week 5’s action?
New York Giants 27 – Green Bay Packers 22
Giants fans celebrated in soccer style Sunday morning after taking down the Packers, inflammatory chant included. And they should have. They outlasted a talented team, led by a hall of fame quarterback, and now get to fly home victorious.
“Oh, but Aaron Rodgers is throwing to insurance salesmen!”
Daniel Jones is, too. Rodgers and co. have to get it together, quickly.
The Giants’ 4-1 start has been subsequent to a strong run game, just enough defense, and quarterback play that hasn’t sunk the ship. In many ways, they parallel the 2017 Buffalo Bills. Connected through the likes of Tyrod Taylor, both featured first-year administrations without a franchise quarterback or a strong supporting cast.
Through the powers of strong coaching, easy schedules, and a slight bit of luck, both got off to hot starts. Buffalo made the wildcard that year before drafting their franchise quarterback, resetting, and torpedoing their division for what seems like the next two decades. Can New York do the same?
Tennessee Titans 21 – Washington Commanders 17
I’d love to just write “Carson Wentz is horrible” and move on with my life, but I’ve got word counts I’m encouraged to hit.
Wentz is, in a word, bad. Wentz is, in a few more words, wretched, no good, miserable, pitiful, disappointing, distressing, and ultimately not good enough.
The Washington Commanders traded for Wentz with their sites atop a lowly division. They wilted once it became clear double-digit wins would be necessary to host a playoff game. They’ve embraced mediocrity, and are now destined for a few more years in quarterback purgatory.
How many teams would start Wentz next Sunday?
Dallas Cowboys 22 – Los Angeles Rams 10
The Dallas Cowboys wouldn’t. Cooper Rush is undefeated and has kept their playoff spot warm for Dak Prescott to secure. It is unclear when Rush’s final frontier will emerge, but there’s little reason to doubt them. Sure, Rush hasn’t *actually* been good, but he’s done enough to keep them in games. From there, the defense has won them.
That defense showed out on Sunday, completely overwhelming the Los Angeles Rams. If they keep playing at this elite level, they’ll quickly earn the talk show topics about who the NFC East’s best team truly is.
On the other hand, Los Angeles, what are we doing? Matthew Stafford is scaring me. The offensive line is bad and it has completely changed the outlook we should have on the Rams offense. This has become strictly a Cooper Kupp career mode simulator. They seem no longer concerned about actually putting up points, just making sure Kupp hits his quota.
The trench play has sabotaged the run game and the progression-based passing offense that found so much success last season. If an elite defense isn’t there to bail them out, what evidence do we have to back the Rams?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21 – Atlanta Falcons 15
Leave it to NFL referees to bail out Tom Brady in a big spot. The striped sycophants stole a prime opportunity for the Atlanta Falcons to win a game. The Buccaneers won on the planet’s softest roughing the passer call. Rightfully, the Falcons were dismayed. At least they covered the 10-point spread.
Beating Brady isn’t easy. It’s even harder when he is humming at home. It’s impossible if the refs are out to get you.
Is there anything to take from this game? Atlanta got screwed, Tampa Bay is winning the south, and everyone involved has taken their displeasure to social media.
Maybe this is karma for the routes Drake London was assigned during this contest.
BASIC TIPS
This article mentioned the Falcons “covering” a 10-point spread. This is a wager where Atlanta is “given” 10 points. Essentially, their score, plus 10, the spread, must be greater than their opponents in order to hit/cover/win. On the flip side, Tampa Bay was -10, meaning their score, minus 10, must be higher than Atlanta’s. These bets can be taken by themselves or combined with other bets in a parlay to boost your odds while increasing risk.