Analysis
10/10/22
13 min read
What We Learned: 33 Expert Takeaways From Week 5
There were a number of surprising performances and interesting developments on Sunday in the NFL. The 33rd Team’s experts weighed in with 33 takeaways from the day’s games:
Giants 27, Packers 22
1. "In my opinion this was the best coached game by Brian Daboll and his coordinators this year. It was continuity football at its best. So impressive! Not many have stopped Aaron Rodgers on a final drive. Shoutout to DC Don 'Wink' Martindale. This Giants team played 'smart' football." — Marc Trestman
2. "We now have to own the fact that the Giants are a good team. They are much improved from what we've seen in previous years, and what we've seen in previous weeks. These wins weren't flukes. They are a team that can stick in it and stay in the game." — Greg Jennings
3. "Daniel Jones played incredibly well and was very accurate with his ball placement. This win is especially impressive considering Saquon Barkley missed time during the game in addition to several of their top wide receivers all being out with injury. Credit goes to defensive coordinator Don Martindale for bringing a lot of pressure, especially in the second half. Martindale went 'Cover 0' multiple times and it paid off. Green Bay’s offense didn’t score a point after halftime." — Mike Tannenbaum
4. "This is just a blip on their path to where [the Packers] want to go. This team isn't geared up for the Super Bowl right now, they're not trying to make a Super Bowl run right now in this young season. However, you can't lose games you feel like you should win. And this is a game, I think we can all agree, that we're kind of scratching our heads trying to figure out how the Green Bay Packers dropped this one." — Greg Jennings
5. "In the offseason, the Packers moved financial resources away from their already limited offensive weapons, with the theory that they could use those resources to build the defense. This is not playing out as they had hoped so far." — Joe Banner
Patriots 29, Lions 0
6. "Dan Campbell talking about biting knee caps, grit, toughness and old-school football is fine, but there are other things you must do as well. You can’t have more than 80 yards in penalties, you can’t play poorly in the red zone, you can’t have two turnovers, you can’t allow Bailey Zappe to outplay Jared Goff, and you can’t allow a 160-yard rusher and a 111-yard receiver. There comes a point where the players lose faith in the rhetoric." — T.J. McCreight
7. "The huge surprise here is that the Lions' top-rated offense, which has moved the ball on everybody they played so far, was completely shut down. After watching Hard Knocks, many were promoting Dan Campbell as coach of the year and the Lions as a surprise team to watch. However, football is much more complicated than that. Most teams play hard regardless. As many of us expected, they still have a ways to go before they are competitive against the better teams in the league." — Joe Banner
8. "Let’s make this very clear if there are any doubts: Bill Belichick is still a brilliant strategist and coach. The game he coached on Sunday against the Lions — previously the NFL's No. 1 scoring offense — was a work of art." — Marc Trestman
9. "Is there a QB controversy potentially brewing in New England between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, or is Detroit's defense just that bad?" — Rick Spielman
Chargers 30, Browns 28
10. "I hated what Brandon Staley did at the end of the Chargers-Browns game. Punt the ball, pin them back and make Jacoby Brissett drive 60-plus yards to get into field goal range. Most coaches will say afterward, “We don’t apologize for being aggressive.” But he put his team in a terrible position and there is a reason coaches have punted the ball for decades in that situation. And, you rarely get a defensive penalty called on fourth-and-short with the game on the line." — T.J. McCreight
11. "In a game where neither defense seemed to be able to do much, it was decided by a Chargers' interception followed by a defensive stop – ultimately forcing a 54-yard field goal that wasn’t even close. The Browns hoped to be 6-5 once Watson returned in Week 12, but this loss will make that much harder to achieve" — Joe Banner
12. "It was certainly a shock that the Chargers and coach Staley went for it on fourth-and-2 in dangerous territory there. Cleveland can't stop the clock, all their timeouts are gone, so you punt it, play good defense, and you win. I was amazed and disappointed they did that. He'll have to justify that this week I'm sure. It'll be a tough week for him with the media, and ownership will have some questions for him. That's just not a good call at all." — Mike Martz
Texans 13, Jaguars 6
13. "Whether it’s Davis Mills or [some other quarterback] the Texans draft next April, Dameon Pierce is going to be the identity of this Texans team for a long time." — Jim Nagy
Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
14. "Tampa continues to play below expectations but still comes away with wins. Despite keeping Byron Leftwich as OC and some continuity on that side of the ball, the Bucs' offense doesn’t look anything like it has the past few years. Time will tell whether that’s just the injuries to the OL or the Bruce Arians influence no longer controlling the offense." — Joe Banner
15. "Atlanta seems to be playing smart, and as we look forward, could be a strong candidate for a team that’s laying the foundation for a successful turnaround." — Joe Banner
Bills 38, Steelers 3
16. "Pittsburgh's defense has just looked atrocious, and that's a Mike Tomlin deal, and that's problematic for him. They'll have to address that and have a 'come to Jesus' with what's going on defensively because they didn't do anything right. Offensively, they're probably good enough with Pickett. He did some good things, I like him, he made a lot of good third-down throws early, and they can certainly run the ball. But it's got to be close; they're not good enough to come from behind. They're going to have to slug it out a bit." — Mike Martz
17. "After two tough weeks, the Bills — as expected — are reasserting themselves as probably the best team in the NFL. They have strong line play, great coaching, and a QB who’s certainly in the top five in the league." — Joe Banner
18. "At 1-4 it certainly looks like the Steelers will end the season under .500 for the first time in Mike Tomlin’s career, but I am betting on them to rebound and claw their way to seven or eight wins. The organization has too much stability and Tomlin is one of the best coaches in sports. I understand I am on an island with this opinion, but don’t bury the Steelers just yet." — T.J. McCreight
Jets 40, Dolphins 17
19. "Once Teddy Bridgewater got hurt and Miami was playing a third-string QB, it didn’t have much of a chance — especially against a team playing with some momentum like the Jets. New York is 3-2 but still has a long way to go to be even in the playoff conversation." — Joe Banner
20. "There was some encouraging stuff from Zach Wilson — 210 yards, but 100 yards were to running backs. So it's really 110 yards to receivers. A win is a win, but Miami's a little bit down right now. I think some of Miami's early wins were a little bit of smoke and mirrors and a little bit more good fortune than necessarily great play, but to get that, to get two in a row from Wilson coming back from injury — much better than it was last week — there's a lot to be encouraged by there." — Eric Mangini
Vikings 29, Bears 22
21. "The matchup of the overrated Vikings and struggling Bears was more interesting than many thought. In my opinion, the only real chance Justin Fields has to succeed as an NFL QB is to run a Jalen Hurts-like offense that takes advantage of his speed and running ability in order to force the defense to contain him. The Vikings continue to find ways to win but have not played really well on either side of the ball in most of their games. I believe time will prove their record to be misleading." — Joe Banner
22. "The one thing you have to realize is the Bears are really, really well-coached, particularly on defense. They remind me of a Belichick team — they're just not going to beat themselves and they do everything right. And all the fundamentals on both sides of the ball, they're really good at them. They don't ask the quarterback to do dumb stuff, something that he's not ready to do yet." — Mike Martz
Titans 21, Commanders 17
23. "The Wentz interception on the last drive is going to get all the highlights and talk, but his 'throw away' two plays before that that was barely out the back of the end zone, caught by a defender, and around none of his own receivers. That was the most egregiously bad play of the drive." — Mitchell Schwartz
24. "Some had buried the Titans, but they’re in a weak division and have a strong coaching staff. It will be interesting to see how the rest of their season goes." — Joe Banner
Saints 39, Seahawks 32
25. "The Saints should continue to start Andy Dalton even when Jameis Winston returns. Neither are the future for the Saints, but ride the hot hand." — Rick Spielman
26. "The Seahawks, and Geno Smith specifically, continue to be the biggest surprise of the season. Smith continues to play well, and the offense continues to put up points. One of the best player comeback stories we’ve seen in a long time." — Joe Banner
49ers 37, Panthers 15
27. "The Panthers are a difficult team to watch. Baker Mayfield is not good enough to put a team on his shoulders and carry them to the promised land. They need more production from their skill players to take some of the targets away from the often-injured Christian McCaffrey. I just don’t see a lot of firepower, explosiveness or imagination. I am sure Matt Rhule is a great recruiter, but I don’t see a coach who can get in the weeds and fix the problems that need to be fixed." — T.J. McCreight
Eagles 20, Cardinals 17
28. "Life is not always fair, even when you’re an NFL player. Kyler Murray is getting paid about 28 times more than Jalen Hurts this season. I would say that the Eagles are getting some bang for their buck. Rough end of the game for Murray — missed Zach Ertz on a throw and then the early slide. Not good." — T.J. McCreight
29. "The Eagles are for real. They are putting teams in a bind because Jalen Hurts can run the ball. He's known more so for running than for throwing. He's improved so much as a passer, and drafting DeVonta Smith in the first round and bringing in A.J. Brown this year has allowed him to take his game to another level. Nick Sirianni's done a good job of having his team ready to play week in, week out." — Samari Rolle
Cowboys 22, Rams 10
30. "All NFL GMs ask this question when it comes to backup QB spot: 'If we lose our starter for a month, could we go 2-2 with the guy?' The Cowboys are now 4-0 with Cooper Rush. Dak Prescott should be the starter when healthy, but Rush probably earned himself 4-5 more years in league this past month." — Jim Nagy
31. "On all three levels, the Cowboys' defense came to play. The defensive line led by DeMarcus Lawrence, the linebacking corps led by Micah Parsons, and the secondary led by Malik Hooker and Trevon Diggs. They played a great team game, and they basically shut down the Rams. The Rams' offense wasn't doing a lot compared to last year, but Dallas basically let them know early out of the gate that they weren't having it. Besides the Cooper Kupp breakdown on his touchdown reception, Dallas was solid all day defensively." — Samari Rolle
Ravens 19, Bengals 17
32. "If any respected, contending team needed a win this weekend, it was Baltimore, after two blown games at home with big leads and five straight losses at home dating back to last season. How did the Ravens get it done? Difficult, and cleansing. Down 17-16 late (after leading almost the entire game), Baltimore and Lamar Jackson launched the drive of the 2022 season for them. And to have it culminate in the game-winning kick that many thought should have been called for just a week ago?! Baltimore once again showed its DNA and determination to 'Play Like A Raven!' " — Charles Davis
33. "The Bengals showed me some signs of life in the running game. I felt like they should have run Joe Mixon a little bit more. That being said, they weren't able to take advantage of the Baltimore pass defense because they didn't have Tee Higgins. I think if they have the team healthy and they run the ball a little bit more, that would make that offense come together fully, and then we'll start to see of the Bengals offense we saw late last year that got them to the Super Bowl." — Tank Williams
