NFL: Week 5 knee-jerk reactions
October, 9, 2012
10/09/12
2:10
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
You’ve heard the chatter by the sports pundits and on the talk shows. Heck, you may have even heard it here. So are the knee-jerk reactions about your team based in reality? Our NFL bloggers weigh in.
NFC Knee-jerk Reactions | AFC Knee-jerk Reactions
WEEK 5
| Team | Knee-jerk reaction | Reality or not? |
|---|---|---|
| NFC EAST by Dan Graziano | ||
 | Eagles lose! Redskins lose! Yeah, Giants win, but we beat them. Big week for the Cowboys even though we were on bye. We're back in it, baby! | All of the issues that surfaced in last Monday night's loss to the Bears still exist. The Cowboys are a .500 team that'll look good some weeks and bad in others and probably won't make the playoffs. |
 | Ahmad Bradshaw ran for 200 yards? Is that a misprint? Man, if we can run the ball now, and with Eli playing the way he's playing, our offense is going to be unstoppable. | Yes, if Bradshaw and the run game can get going, the Giants' offense will be nearly impossible to stop. But he had exactly one 100-yard game last year and one so far this year. Let's see it again. |
 | Two more turnovers by Michael Vick in a game we lost by two points? He's costing us games with his sloppy play! When is Andy Reid going to bench this guy and put in Nick Foles? | Vick is 3-2 and has led four go-ahead fourth-quarter drives in five games. His 11 turnovers are far too many, but to think a third-round rookie who's never played real NFL minutes would be better is folly. |
 | Wow. RG3 got a concussion in his fifth game? That works out to three concussions per year. How are they ever going to be able to protect this guy? He's our only hope, after all. | RG3 ran fewer designed run plays in Sunday's game than in any of the first four. It just so happened he got knocked out of the game on one. He has to run, and they'll forever be seeking ways to balance his talent with the appropriate level of caution. |
| NFC WEST by Mike Sando | ||
 | Kevin Kolb, after taking 17 sacks in two games, will be lucky to last another week or two. | The Cardinals need better play from Kolb and their receivers to avoid falling behind and inviting pressure. That was the primary problem the past two games. Sacks should fall. |
 | Alex Smith has finally proved he's an elite quarterback and even an MVP candidate. | It's hard to argue those points. Smith leads the NFL in passer rating and Total QBR. He has good talent around him and is making good use of it. |
 | This is the best defense in Seahawks history. | Hard to argue that one. Seattle has held up against good and bad quarterbacks alike. The defense has allowed two touchdowns in the past four games. |
 | The Rams can contend for a playoff spot after going 2-0 in the division. | Let's see how the injury situation shakes out. Receiver Danny Amendola was one of the players St. Louis' already limited offense could least afford to lose. |
| NFC NORTH by Kevin Seifert | ||
 | The Bears' offense has hit its stride with receiver Brandon Marshall as the centerpiece. A 501-yard performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars is the evidence. | The offense didn't get rolling until the Bears' defense staked it to a lead. The Bears' defense has played the biggest role in a 4-1 start. |
 | The Lions need to come out of their bye with a victory at the Philadelphia Eagles to save their season. Otherwise, they will start 1-4. | A 1-4 start doesn't have to be a death knell, but the problem is their next game is a "Monday Night Football" matchup at Chicago. In other words, it doesn't get any easier. |
 | The loss of running back Cedric Benson will make the Packers a one-dimensional offense, which will further limit its effectiveness. | That might be a bit dramatic, but Benson is the only runner coach Mike McCarthy has trusted consistently this season, and even then, the Packers haven't always been balanced. |
 | Although they are 4-1, this still doesn't look like a team that will compete for the playoffs. | At some point in the NFL season, teams that stack wins have to be considered playoff contenders, even if they weren't expected to be or don't look like one. |
| NFC SOUTH by Pat Yaskinskas | ||
 | Tight end Tony Gonzalez has only gotten better with age. | This guy still is pretty darn good, as evidenced by his 13 catches on Sunday. But Gonzalez is thriving in large part because defenses are devoting all their attention to receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones. |
 | Coach Ron Rivera and general manager Marty Hurney are on the hot seat after a 1-4 start. | That may become true if this season really gets out of control. But Hurney has a close relationship with owner Jerry Richardson, and Hurney's also the guy who hired Rivera. I sense there's still time for this duo. |
 | Now that they've won a game, the Saints will go on a roll. | New Orleans is still 1-4 and that's a deep hole. But there were some signs the defense is starting to pick up Steve Spagnuolo's system, assistant head coach Joe Vitt will be back soon and the offense remains potent. |
 | The Bucs are going to take the cuffs off quarterback Josh Freeman as they come out of the bye. | I don't think Freeman suddenly will get to throw as much as Brees. But I think the Bucs recognize they need diversity in their offense and they need to let their young quarterback do more. |
NFC NORTH SCOREBOARD
Sunday, 9/8
1:00 PM ET Cincinnati Chicago 1:00 PM ET Minnesota Detroit 4:25 PM ET Green Bay San Francisco
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Kevin Seifert
Seifert joined ESPN.com in 2008 after covering the Minnesota Vikings for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for eight years. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and children.
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