Imagine being a fan of a team that has a below-average offensive line that allows sacks left and right. That’s me: a fan of the New York Giants. The G-Men allowed seven sacks, and both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor suffered injuries. Welcome to misery… Anyway, a lot of other things happened this week. Here are my NFL Week Five Takeaways.
49ERS TAKE CARE OF COWBOYS ON PRIMETIME
Many questioned how good the Dallas Cowboys were heading into Sunday night’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Sure, they had a record of 3-1 but they beat two subpar New York teams and an unraveling Patriots team. This game against the 49ers would be their first true test of the season.
They failed.
Led by four touchdowns by MVP candidate (yes, you read that right) Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers accumulated 25 first downs and 421 total yards on their way to a 42-10 win. So much for a close game between two (what seemed like) elite teams.
Christian McCaffrey (51 rushing yards, one touchdown) wasn’t his dominant self, but didn’t need to thanks to Purdy’s arm. Tight end George Kittle had a day, with all three of his receptions being for touchdowns.
HAT TRICK FOR GEORGE KITTLE ? pic.twitter.com/OAue7Ddnku
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 9, 2023
The offense wasn’t the only group rolling for San Francisco. Their defense held Dallas to just 197 total yards, making Dak Prescott’s life miserable as it could be (three interceptions, three sacks). Tony Pollard couldn’t get anything rolling on the ground, as could anyone else.
It was a game that clearly got out of hand at halftime (21-7 in favor of San Francisco), and the 49ers would not stop putting the pedal to the metal.
It’s clear the 49ers are one of (if not the) best teams in the NFC. They have dominant players on both sides of the ball. As for Dallas, question marks arise in regards to an offense led by a subpar Dak Prescott and a defense who are supposedly “elite”.
THE JAGUARS RUN LONDON
They sure do. After beating the Falcons in London last week, they had to take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills on Sunday (once again, in London).
Jacksonville had an 11-7 lead heading into halftime, but the scoring from both teams started to heat up in the second half. Okay, more specifically: the fourth quarter is where the scoring began.
It started with a Travis Etienne touchdown run to make it 18-7. Then, Josh Allen found Gabriel Davis for a 19-yard touchdown to make it 18-13 (failed two-point conversion).
After another touchdown run from Etienne, the score was 25-13 with just 2:56 left in the game. Once again, Allen immediately drove his team down the field. He found wideout DeAndre Harty for a 43-yard gain, and then Davis again for a 29-yard gain. Two plays later, Allen walked in for a three-yard touchdown to make it 25-20.
The Jaguars would punt the ball back to Buffalo and gave them a chance to come back and win. But, the defense would have none of it.
Jacksonville recovers it
— Jaguars Fan Battle (@JagsFanBattle) October 8, 2023
AND ITS TRAVON WALKER pic.twitter.com/4y7bJt7KVx
Trevor Lawrence threw for 315 yards and a touchdown, making it a solid game against a tough Buffalo defense. His college teammate Travis Etienne ran all over the Bills with 136 yards and two touchdowns. Calvin Ridley (122 receiving yards) and Christian Kirk (78) also played well too.
As for the Bills, Josh Allen had three total touchdowns but also had an interception. Stefon Diggs had eight catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
With this win, the Jaguars improve to 6-5 in London. Maybe they are London’s team?
LIONS KEEP ON ROARING, TAME THE PANTHERS
Well, this was quite the game for Detroit.
Carolina got the ball first to start this game. Their first two possessions? A punt and an interception were the results. As for the Lions, they responded to the punt with a three-play drive that ended with this.
DAVID MONTGOMERY TAKES IT IN FOR SIX!
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 8, 2023
?: FOX pic.twitter.com/cJBHbYWBAu
Then, the Bryce Young interception led to a five-play drive that ended in a touchdown pass from Jared Goff to tight end Sam LaPorta.
Detroit led 28-10 at halftime, and wouldn’t stop scoring as they ended up winning 42-24.
THE REVERSE FLEA FLICKER
— Barstool Detroit (@BSMotorCity) October 8, 2023
pic.twitter.com/I2ZP8t1nz3
Call me crazy, but Jared Goff is playing like an MVP candidate. The signal-caller threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding in a rushing touchdown. His QBR this season is good for fifth-best in the league, and have led this Lions offense to an impressive four wins thus far. Let’s remember: he performed the way he did against Carolina without Amon-Ra St. Brown.
David Montgomery has found himself in Detroit, leading the team once again in rushing yards (109) and added another touchdown to his resume.
As for Carolina, the struggles continue as they fall to 0-5. Bryce Young had three touchdowns but also had two critical interceptions. The young rookie was sacked just once on Sunday, but another loss has to hurt his morale along with the rest of the team.
SAINTS ARE MARCHING, PATS ARE NO LONGER A DARLING
I tried my best to make it rhyme. Anyways, let’s start with the Saints real quick.
Derek Carr threw for two touchdowns against New England but had just a measly 183 yards. Alvin Kamara was the star of the offense, rushing for 80 yards and a score along with three receptions for 17 yards.
But, more importantly, how about this New Orleans defense? Tyrann Mathieu picked off quarterback Mac Jones in the first quarter and returned it for a touchdown. They held the Patriots to just eight first downs and a 1-14 conversion rate on third down. The Patriots had just 156 total yards on the day, struggling to create through the air or the ground.
Tyrann Mathieu PICK SIX ?@Saints take the early lead! (via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/uQkechw3KQ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 8, 2023
Three turnovers don’t help for this Patriots group. Quarterback Mac Jones was responsible for two of them and was benched again in favor of Bailey Zappe. I don’t know how they go about the future at quarterback, but it’s clear there is no confidence in Jones under center anymore. Starting Zappe for a few games may be the way to go.
It’s clear the lack of dynamic playmakers is hurting the Patriots. There is no guy that can make big plays on this offense, especially at wide receiver. If Rhamondre Stevenson (eight carries, 24 yards) isn’t getting anything going on offense, then this team falls flat on its face.
This is the second straight blowout loss for New England, who lost 38-3 to the Saints last week. A combined 72-3 margin through two games is something that will not be tolerated by head coach Bill Belichick. He will (hopefully) have a solution.
JETS WIN THE HACKETT BOWL
Remember Sean Payton criticized Nathaniel Hackett for his coaching job last year?
This game meant a lot to Nathaniel Hackett for sure. Coaches are lining up to congratulate him on the win.
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 8, 2023
Sean Payton called Hackett one of the worst head coaches of all time.
Hackett got the last laugh today.
pic.twitter.com/OvkMkeBGiT
No one likes Sean Payton. I can promise you that.
In the inaugural “Hackett Bowl”, the Jets were able to grind this win out for their offensive coordinator facing off against his former team. Breece Hall (with the limitations/snap counts off of him) ran for 177 yards and a touchdown. Zach Wilson had just 199 yards but did just enough to lead the Jets.
Great throw from Zach Wilson, but what an effort from Tyler Conklin❗️
— Harrison Glaser (@NYJetsTFMedia) October 8, 2023
He fought for every single inch
BEAST ?#Jets | #TakeFlight
pic.twitter.com/oEfUjhbneS
Despite Russell Wilson‘s two passing touchdowns on the day (and just 196 passing yards), it just wasn’t enough to get the win. Down 24-21 with 29 seconds left, Wilson tried to extend a play after getting pressured in a hurry.
Former #UVa cornerback Bryce Hall returns a Russell Wilson fumble for a TD to clinch a road win for the New York Jets in Denver. pic.twitter.com/YXEOVhMZ4q
— John Shifflett (@John_Shifflett) October 8, 2023
A costly fumble, indeed. Karma’s a b****, ain’t it Sean Payton?
New York gets an important win to keep them within reach (believe it or not) for the AFC East title. As for Denver… They have some work to do. Especially defensively. Allowing 407 total yards is very concerning.
OTHER TAKEAWAYS
- The Dolphins handle the Giants with ease and speed. Big question is Daniel Jones‘ neck injury thanks to a sorry offensive line who are paid to block and can’t.
- Younghoe Koo kicks the game-winning field goal to help the Falcons beat the Texans (on a day where Bijan Robinson was brought down to earth).
- Anthony Richardson gets hurt again, but the Colts manage to still beat the Titans.
- Steelers win ugly 17-10 game over Ravens, with Pittsburgh scoring 14 points in just the fourth quarter
- Cooper Kupp (eight receptions, 118 yards) is back, but Eagles improve to 5-0 with 23-14 over the Rams.
- Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase found each other for three touchdowns, leading the Bengals to a 34-20 win.
- Travis Kelce gets banged up, but comes back and scores a touchdown as the Chiefs hang on to beat the Vikings and improve to 4-1.
- Packers attempt a fourth-quarter comeback, but Amik Robertson picks Jordan Love to seal the deal and the win on Monday night.
- Bears hang a 40-piece on the Commanders, thanks to a big day from Justin Fields (four touchdowns and 282 yards) and D.J. Moore (eight catches, 230 yards, and three touchdowns).
Thank you for reading! Make sure to visit Belly Up Sports every week and follow me on Twitter/X!
Featured Image: Candice Ward/Getty Images
