Here’s 20 reflections of week 5, starting with Monday night’s Vikings-Jets game at the new Meadowlands Stadium:
1. For the second time in five weeks, the opening kickoff for a Jets home game has been delayed because of heavy rain, thunder and lightning. If September and October already pose weather issues for the new stadium, what are we to worry about in February 2014 when this stadium hosts the first cold-weather outdoors Super Bowl? You think NFL owners and commissioner Roger Goodell are having second thoughts? You think Woody Johnson’s asking himself why he and Giants owner John Mara couldn’t figure out a way to fork over the extra cost for a retractable roof? Heck, I can’t wait until Thanksgiving night when the Jets host Cincinnati for the primetime game of the league’s holiday triple header. Wanna bet a logistical nightmare awaits if that game’s delayed after fans have spent the day eating and drinking before they arrive at the Stadium?
2. Boy, Brett Favre really has a flare for the dramatic, doesn’t he? A months-old story about him sexting former Jets reporter Jenn Sterger resurfaces this weekend as Grandpa Brett returns to the Meadowlands to face the team he played quarterback for in 2008. Toss in the return to Minnesota by Randy Moss, and the Vikings were almost as compelling a media circus as the Jets normally are.
3. So Grandpa Brett offers a teary apology to his teammates before the game for causing a distraction because the NFL is investigating him for his antics with Sterger? Are we to understand this is the only distraction he’s created since joining the Vikings last year?
4. Let me get this straight, part one: Favre spills his guts to his teammates in a closed locker room meeting, but placekicker Ryan Longwood is the liaison to ESPN’s Michelle Tafoya so she can report the most inside of scoops during pre-game coverage?
5. Let me get this straight, part two: If all these shenanigans between Favre and Sterger took place during the 2008 season, why is the NFL first investigating things in 2010? Did it really take two years for Sterger to generate the courage to speak up about another professional athlete acting crass towards her, a female media professional?
6. By the way, there was a heck of a game going on at the Meadowlands Monday night. For the first 40 minutes, the Jets seemed to do anything they wanted against the Vikings except score touchdowns. But you knew that 12-0 lead could disappear in a blink if Favre got hot, and for the final 20 minutes, Favre showed why he’s a future hall of famer, passing for 233 yards and three touchdowns. However, true to form, Favre also showed why longevity has him leading all NFL passers in pass attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, interceptions and fumbles. Not only did Favre eclipse 70,000 career yards and 500 touchdowns, he also threw the 319th interception of his career (returned for a clinching touchdown by the Jets Dwight Lowery) and lost two fumbles (the 70th and 71st of his career). So, as is usually the case, we got to see the best and worst of Favre in the same game, a 29-20 loss.
7. Did anyone notice the Jets rushed for 155 yards Monday night, the most the Vikings defense has given up since 2006? Did anyone notice an understated yet steady performance by Mark Sanchez, who’s now gone five straight games without committing a turnover? Did anyone notice that while the Jets settled for a 9-0 halftime lead, their defense held the Vikings offense to a mere 51 yards? Am I the only one wondering if the Jets are indeed the only NFL team capable of beating these Jets?
8. Did you catch Rex Ryan’s post-game comments? If you got past the gloating and relief you heard Rex say that they were able to overcome their own mistake of not eating up enough time on a third-down pass play before the second-half two-minute warning. Isn’t that interesting… overcoming mistakes, as if that’s what championship-caliber teams are supposed to do. What a difference a year makes for Gang Green. Not only are they no longer making excuses for losses, they’re manning up when the going gets tough. Think about the week one 10-9 home loss to the Ravens. Rex made no excuses, and in many respects that loss was on Rex and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for stifling the offense and Sanchez when a more-open passing game could’ve helped turn a close loss into an good enough win. The Jets may lead the NFL in yapping, but so far we haven’t heard any whining over missed opportunities or questionable calls. They talk the talk and walk the walk, and now they’re a very legitimate 4-1.
9. Which 1-3 team has the best chance to turn their season around next week when the Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys? Who thought either team would be in this predicament four games into their season? I’m not sure which team has the better talent, but if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on the Vikings. Why? All you had to see was the guts and discipline they showed Monday night fighting back against the Jets and making the Jets sweat until the last minutes. The Cowboys lack discipline or a sense of urgency. We’ve seen it in their week one loss at Washington and their home losses to the Bears (week 2) and Titans (week 5). In fact, if we look back to their week 3 win at Houston, we might start to wonder if the Cowboys were simply playing up to their level or if the Texans still don’t know how to play consistently enough to rank among the better AFC teams.
10. Is it possible the Texans simply can’t handle NFC East teams? Think about it… they needed an incredible comeback to beat the Redskins 30-27, week 2 in Washington, and outlasted the Raiders 31-24 in a week 4 shootout in Oakland. They started the season with a 34-24 upset over the Colts at home, but lost at home to the Cowboys 27-13 (week 3) and Giants 34-10 this past Sunday. In case you’re keeping score, the 3-2 Texans have been outscored 136-118 so far this season, leading me to wonder if all the hype after winning their final 4 games in 2009 to finish 9-7 was really smoke and mirrors. For a team that has finally found a running game and boasts of a maturing defense, it sure doesn’t seem like the Texans can stop anyone.
11. So how’s the Giants locker room doing now? Funny how Tiki Barber shooting his mouth off about Tom Coughlin losing his players provides a boost for a defense trying to relocate its swagger. Somehow beating the Bears and Texans by a combined 51-13 has quieted down the critics. FYI: the Giants now have the top-ranked defense in the NFL (244.6 yards allowed per game).
12. All four AFC South teams are 3-2: the Colts, Jaguars, Texans and Titans. Only the Colts and Titans have scored more points than their opponents so far this season. I know it’s early and some of this information could be useless several weeks from now, but if you’re wondering how legitimate the Texans and Jaguars are, keep in mind both teams have suffered at least one blow-out loss five games into the season. If you’re hoping to win a divisional title, it’s probably not a good omen if you have to outscore opponents in order to secure wins.
13. So the Detroit Lions have finally won a game, 44-6 at home over the Rams. As I said last week, the Lions are a competitive team that plays close against better teams. Seeing what they did to the Rams makes me think the Lions are not too far away from finally breaking their 23-game road losing streak.
14. Which team is a bigger disappointment so far, the 0-5 49ers or the 2-3 Bengals, both pre-season favorites by many to make the playoffs. In the 49ers case, they’ve lost heartbreaking close games to the Saints, Falcons and Eagles. The Bengals, however, have lost stinkers to the Browns and Buccaneers. While the 49ers are still trying to find themselves offensively with Alex Smith at quarterback, the Bengals offense is an enigma with Carson Palmer at quarterback, who seems only capable to producing big numbers with Terrell Owens. Chad Ochocinco is generally the forgotten man in the offensive scheme and it still seems like Palmer’s favoring his throwing arm and can’t make the tight throws into coverage anymore.
15. Are the Kansas City Chiefs for real, or was their 3-0 start a mirage against three lower-quality teams? It may take a few more weeks to conclusively answer that question, but I was vey impressed by how close they kept the Colts last Sunday in a 19-9 loss. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a defense fluster Peyton Manning, but the fact that they held the NFL’s best quarterback to 244 yards on 26 completions (44 attempts) and no touchdowns speaks very positively for the Chiefs defensive unit. And the Chiefs even sacked and intercepted Manning too!
16. Which NFC North team will run out of healthy bodies first, the Green Packers or the Chicago Bears?
17. At 0-5, there’s little hope for the Buffalo Bills this season. However, one shining member of the Bills roster is quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Say what you will about a Harvard graduate playing NFL quarterback, but this kid can play, and plays with guts. In a 36-26 loss to the Jaguars, Fitzpatrick completed 20 of 30 for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He showed spunk in a 38-14 loss to the Jets (week 4) and now he’s put together two consecutive games that indicate promise for the future. If the Bills are smart, they’ll stop looking for their quarterback of the future and let Fitzpatrick develop.
18. Why is this 2-3 start more disturbing than all other 2-3 starts by the San Diego Chargers? Could it be due to their horrid special teams? So far the Chargers have given up three kickoff returns for touchdowns and last Sunday had two punts blocked – one for a safety and the other for a touchdown – by the Raiders. And the Dolphins felt compelled to fire their special teams coordinator?!
19. Even with all that good fortune by the Raiders special teams, they were gasping for air at the end of a 35-27 win. Why? Phillip Rivers led the Chargers on a comeback, completing 27 of 42 passes for 431 yards. In case you’re wondering, that’s 431 yards against a defense boasting a $16-million cornerback.
20. The Falcons are 4-1, the Bucs are 3-1, and the Saints are 3-2 in the NFC South. I just wanted to remind you that no team has ever repeated as division champ since NFL realignment in 2002.
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