Week 5 Review Heading to Week 6

[PFCritics]

(Here is my Week 5 review heading into Week 6. For the original format, go here: http://www.pfcritics.com/news/PokornysWeekinReview.php and enjoy)

To start the NFL season I would only write columns to predict the results of games in the upcoming week. Now, I am adding a weekly review, where I will look back and determine how teams fared. I will also include an update on injuries and how they will effect teams in the coming weeks.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I was surprised by two announcements. First, I heard that Braylon Edwards would miss the Browns' game against the Bears. There were not any reports that I had known about hinting towards this. Since I picked the Browns, I worried at first if the Browns would be able to overcome his absence. However, since the Bears passing game is not very good and the Browns were only using Edwards as a slot receiver primarily, I wasn't too concerned.

The second surprising announcement was that Michael Vick would not be playing. I know that he only had a "50/50 chance" of playing against the Patriots, but I felt the Falcons would risk it in a game of this magnitude. I thought about switching my pick from the Falcons to the Patriots, but I stuck with it.

In the Browns game, Edwards' presence may not have made a difference. Trent Dilfer was not on fire for most of the game, and he may have made a worse mistake if he was trying to force a ball to Edwards. Still, Dilfer came through with two clutch throws in the end - which was plenty to defeat the Bears.

In the Falcons game, Matt Schaub really stepped up. So did Tom Brady. The Falcons were supposed to win this game because of their defense, but Brady was able to overpower them, just as he did to Pittsburgh down the road a few weeks ago. Schaub looks much better right now than Kyle Orton, Alex Smith, and JP Losman. I know Schaub has had some preseason and a little game experience, but he should draw some eyes from a few teams.

Speaking of JP Losman, I was 100 percent in favor of bringing in QB Kelly Holcomb to replace him. Holcomb is able to find his receivers and get the ball to them - a basic thing that Losman could not accomplish. With Cleveland, Holcomb had some big games and then some quiet ones. His one major fault is that he was often injured, but the Bills cannot caution with him based on the past. If he gets injured again, then it was worth the shot.

How bad are the Ravens right now? And how annoying is coach Brian Billick in his post-game interviews? I'm not trying to be a Raven-hater right now, but they are starting to become a laughingstock. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Kyle Boller probably gives the Ravens the best chance to win. And no, that's not saying much. For the Detroit Lions' fans, don't get the least bit excited about winning this game.

Green Bay's comeback has officially begun. They were 1-4 last year, and they are 1-4 this year. This year, there is no serious threat even in front of them. Losing Najeh Davenport won't help, but the Packers are starting to get used to utilizing their backups and getting production. That's a similar approach that the Panthers used last year.

You have to give credit to the Jets for their win over Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers had a very hot defense, but the Jets defense stepped it up and were able to keep the Bucs to just four field goals.

I knew the Rams and Seahawks game would be a shootout, but was surprised to see the Seahawks pull off the victory. This marks another road game in which they've looked good(not defensively of course though). The Seahawks are flying under the radar in the NFC right now, but appear to be a contender.

Tennessee's offense can throw up points. The Texans should be embarrassed that they allowed the Titans' defense to sack David Carr yet again. Time to re-build a team that was never there it seems.

Peyton Manning "struggled" against the 49ers compared to what his stats would look like last year. No biggie though; the Colts won 28-3. I know it's a reach, but this looks like a team built to go 16-0.

Josh McCown should remain the quarterback for the Cardinals. He is simply on fire right now. Although his yardage would go down probably if they started running the football successfully, the Cardinals really need to get either Marcel Shipp or JJ Arrington going. Carolina hung in there again, but there defense is not looking sharp still.

Why in the world do you send out McNabb, who is ailing, in a game already out of reach in the 4th quarter? Koy Detmar should have been in one series earlier. The Cowboys best move in the offseason: getting Drew Bledsoe. It may be one of the best offseason moves this season.

Washington and Denver are making me a believer. For those of you giving up on the Redskins already, give me a break. They started 3-0, were on the road against a hot Denver team, and nearly made another great comeback. Mark Brunell is putting up points and are staying competitive in a tough division. Give credit to Jake Plummer for not making the mistakes I continue to preach he'll be making each and every week.

The Bengals best test - the Jaguars - resulted in a loss. This is not a game where you toss away the Bengals either though. In my predictions, I said that the Bengals would not be able to come from behind in this game. I could say that I was right, but then I'd sound foolish since they could have easily won the game near the end. On the same note, the Jaguars defense held up well.

The Saints losing Deuce McAllister for the season is a killer for them. Absolute killer.

QB of the Week: Tom Brady - 350 yards passing, 3 TDs, 1 INT - It's not easy to torch the Falcons' defense. If anyone can do it after a loss though, it's Brady.

RB of the Week: Tatum Bell - 12 carries, 127 yards, 2 TDs - If Bell doesn't get even one of the big runs that he did, the Broncos may not have won.

WR of the Week: Joe Jurevicius - 9 catches, 137 yards, 2 TDs - In a game where the Seahawks were without their two starting wideouts, Jurevicius' performance will make it hard to keep him out of the lineup.

DEF of the Week: Dallas Cowboys - They may not have caused any turnovers, but they completely shut down McNabb and the Eagles' entire offense.

Rising Team: Green Bay Packers - A 52-3 win at home after an 0-4 start to the season will always warrant a "comeback of the week" award.

Falling Team: Baltimore Ravens - Coming off a victory, they had a chance to turn it around against a bad Detroit team. We all know how that turned out.

Stat(s) of the Week: Atlanta's punter kicked a season-high 58-yard field goal heading into half-time against the Patriots. The Bears' first, second, and third round draft picks each fumbled once against the Browns. Arizona's main receivers - Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin - each had over 100 yards receiving again. Two punts were blocked this week that I know of.

Play of the Week: Tom Brady's heave pass to Bethel Johnson in the corner of the end zone. That was one high-thrown football.

I will update this column with a note about the Monday Night game tomorrow, since the game is currently in progress. I'll be back with my predictions later in the week. Until then, so long.

-Chris Pokorny

Thanks for reading...any comments are appreciated