Top 10 NFL moments of week five

Welcome to Players View’s breakdown of Sunday’s most definitive NFL moments.  The Monday Morning Hangover takes a look at the largest chunk of the fifth week’s action.

#10 Injuries Ruled the Day

NFL locker rooms substituted for M.A.S.H units there were so many significant injuries that took place. The injuries to quarterbacks such as the concussed RG3 and Matt Cassel grabbed the headlines.

Trust me when I tell you if guys such as B.J. Raji and Troy Polamalu miss any real time, the impact of their losses will also be felt in a major, major way just as those of the gunslingers.

Did the fans that cheered for Matt Cassel’s knockout wake up feeling remorseful this morning?

#9 Is It Time To Sound The Alarm in Green Bay?

The Packers sole definitive win was against the Bears who have since gone on to seemingly whip everyone in their path.

Chronic injuries have not helped their cause but coach Mike McCarthy has to have contingency plans to stop the bleeding once they start to lose their grip on big leads.

Their meltdown against the Colts was preventable by both the players and the coaches.

It’s not time to sound the alarm but you can feel safe resting your finger on the button.

#8 Denver’s Mile High Dreams Were A Myth

Plenty of championship teams have survived rocky starts. The New York Giants know all about that. The Denver Broncos don’t look like they have the fiber to stitch together that kind of year.

The just add Peyton approach was put to the test yet again against the New England Patriots and yet again the Broncos could not get it done.

You hate to use terms like could not hang but the Broncos simply could not hang against the Pats.

We suspect that John Fox is not the right coach for an explosive offense that is designed to run a track meet week after week.

#7 The Eagles Are In Yeah But Mode

To their credit they are right in the middle of the NFC race with a 3-2 record. They have a small window to get it when/if they do they will be one of the fieriest teams on the field.

The primary reason for their ‘yeah but’ status is that their quarterback has to stop fumbling the football. Vick has put a cap on his interception issue.

Now he has to stop putting the ball on the ground every time he gets a love tap from a defender.

 Regardless if they manage to squeak out wins they will remain a ‘yeah but’ if they don’t solve their turnover issue.

Plenty of guys take sacks and don’t cough it up.

#6 Miami Is Quietly Getting Better

The Dolphins started the year as one of the worst teams at the bottom of the NFL barrel. Their strong play has kept them in just about every game that they have played in.

Now they have stepped up to punch a good team in the Cincinnati Bengals in the mouth.  They may not win the AFC East but with a little bit of luck they may become a viable wild card option. Let’s see what happens.

#5 Jacksonville Really Is A Bad Team

Power rankings drop tomorrow and the only one thing that will save the Jaguars from joining the Browns at the bottom of the list is if the Jets lose tonight by sixty points or more to the Texans. The sad thing is that it is entirely possible.

#4 The Saints Were The Saints Again For History’s Sake

How awful would it have been for Drew Brees to takeover one of the NFL’s most sacred records only to lose the game in a nationally televised contest?

All of the ingredients were in place for a Saints win. The gang of Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and Joe Vitt were all in the house.

Brees got the record early.

The crowd in the Super Dome was on fire.

The Chargers almost spoiled the party but it was not to be.

At 1-4 the Saints will most likely continue their downward spiral as their defense outside of a few bright moments looked just awful.

But for one night, the Who Dat Nation partied in the streets.

#3 Imperfect Perfection

As one of two teams that are currently undefeated, the Atlanta Falcons are getting a lot of attention.

The memo that they are circulating is that they still have a lot of work to do and things to fix could keep them focused during their regular season run.

The media’s obsession on their playoff failures will keep them humble.  Scratching out two fourth quarter wins in a row is the ultimate good and bad thing.

They should have beaten both Washington Redskins and the Carolina Panthers from pillar to post.

It’s nice that they have the fortitude to fight to the last tick off the clock. It’s not so nice that they are having a hard time pulling the trigger on teams they should beat.

#2 Chris Johnson Might Not Ever Be The Same

Chris Johnson is no longer the best running back in the NFL and he probably won’t ever hold that title again.

Against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday he averaged 1.6 yards per carry to net him 24 yards on the day.

Let’s stop calling him C2K and just go back to calling him Chris because the guy does not have anything special going for him anymore.

Unless something dramatic changes Johnson will be remembered as a guy that had a couple of great years but was not even close to being the best of his generation.

#1 New England Can Run the Football

Historically speaking, every now and then the Patriots summoned up a strong day on the ground but it always felt flukish. Now with Steven Ridley leading the way, they are pounding the rock with consistency. Who knew?