Week 5 NFL Top 10 Poll

 

 

 

The San Francisco 49ers are a buzzsaw right now—and running Christian McCaffrey is the blade. and might have Dallas in trouble this week. They’re not perfect tho. Through four games, the Niners have allowed touchdowns on six of nine drives they've allowed to reach the red zone, a 66.7% rate that is tied for 23rd in the NFL. McCaffrey aside, the defense makes you earn every point. San Francisco is going to have a chance to notch a statement win Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, and the way the Niners are playing, betting against them would be unwise.

 

 

How about that Philadelphia vaulted defense says few? The Eagles are 27th in passing yards allowed (260.8 per game) and have yielded the third-most passing touchdowns with nine, trailing only the Broncos (13) and Bears (10). They still have Hurts to carry the team. Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns against Washington while adding 34 yards on the ground. At day's end winning is all that matters. And with the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets next up, there's an excellent chance the Eagles will be a perfect 6-0 when the Miami Dolphins come calling in Week 7.

 

 

Was that a statement game Buffalo game division foe Miami on Sunday? 

Bills quarterback Josh Allen authored that statement as the Buffalo quarterback threw for 320 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another in a game the Bills controlled from start to finish. The Bills defense also had a say. As great as Allen was in Week 4, the Bills defense may have been even better. Buffalo held Miami's high-octane offense in check, forcing two turnovers and sacking Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa four times. The defense did receive bad news. On Monday, coach Sean McDermott announced that the former All-Pro cornerback White is out for the season with a torn right Achilles suffered in the team's win over the Miami Dolphins.

 

 

The performance against Arizona in Week 3 still resonates: 222 yards allowed, 180 in the first half, 7.4 yards per carry. However, with dominant defense, the team went right back to blowing opponents out and gave New England thorough beating. The Cowboys surrendered just 253 yards of offense and 10 first downs against an overmatched Patriots team. Dallas forced three turnovers, returning two for touchdowns. In the Cowboys' three victories this season, they have waylaid opponents by a combined score of 108-13. But on Sunday we will find out just how good these Cowboys truly are. Week 5 brings with it a trip to Santa Clara to face the undefeated 49ers. The Cowboys know opponents will want to run on them each week, and San Francisco (No. 3 in rushing) is up next, with two games against Philadelphia (No. 2) in the near future. 

 

 

The Bills are a significant hurdle if the Dolphins are ever going to be considered legit Super Bowl contenders. Last week, the Miami Dolphins scored the most points in a game since 1966 and racked up the second-most yards in a game in NFL history. The team was the talk of the NFL. Well, the Dolphins are once again one of the league's biggest stories—for a very different reason. Because in Week 4, it was the Miami defense's turn to be embarrassed. There are several problems that plague the Dolphins' defense, including its inability to get off the field on third down. Miami is allowing opponents to convert on 46% of their third-down attempts -- tied for the eighth-worst rate in the NFL. The 414 yards of offense Miami allowed isn't that gaudy a number. But not counting a kneel-down at the end of the first half, Buffalo scored on eight of its first nine possessions. They’re back to the drawing board. 

 

 

After outlasting the New York Jets on Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs are 3-1 and where they usually are; all alone atop the AFC West. But these aren't the Chiefs of years past—and that's cause for some concern. The Chiefs have five takeaways, tied for 11th in the NFL. That's not good enough for a team that thrives on the pressure it puts on the opposing offense. Mahomes will be able to magically lead the Chiefs to victory despite a lack of passing-game weapons outside tight end Travis Kelce, a suspect offensive line and an average defense. And any team with Patrick Mahomes is a dangerous one. But many have doubts as to whether these Chiefs can get back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years.

 

 

Sunday's blowout win over the rival Cleveland Browns admittedly carries with it an asterisk as the Ravens pounded on a Browns team that was short both star running back Nick Chubb and starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. The question is whether these Ravens can hang with the likes of the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs and claim a spot as one of the AFC's true heavyweights. In the past two weeks, the Ravens have allowed three runs of 20 yards or longer -- only the Broncos and Cowboys have given up more in that span. The problem has been setting the edge with young outside linebackers. Or maybe they also have a problem on offense. Ravens topped 130 yards on the ground on Sunday but needed 40 carries to do so. Quarterback Lamar Jackson accounted for four touchdowns but threw for less than 200 yards and averaged just three yards per carry. We could say that the Browns defense is that great or we will wait and see. 

 

 

Stopping the run has been the only thing Seattle's defense has done consistently well. Everything else has been downright poor, with the Seahawks' third-down defense standing out as the culprit. The Seahawks ranked second-to-last in third-down percentage, allowing opponents to convert more than 57% of the time. When the top contenders in the NFC are mentioned, it's almost always three teams; the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. Putting the Seattle Seahawks in that company may be stretching things a little as they try to move up the ladder. Note that quarterback Geno Smith is out for four weeks. Against the Giants, the Seahawks tallied just 281 yards of offense and 13 first downs. Seattle converted just three of 12 third downs so they have ways to go. After struggling over the first three weeks of the season, the Seahawks defense was dominant against the Giants. Seattle harassed Daniel Jones incessantly, piling up a whopping 11 sacks. The Seahawks had three takeaways, including a 97-yard pick-six from rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon. The Seahawks will have the bye week and the team's other banged-up players to rest up. It may be a while before we know exactly how good these Seahawks are or not. They don't play a team with a winning record until a Week 9 trip to Baltimore.

 

 

The team's last playoff win came all the way back in 1991 but yet, the Lions faithful are loud about this season. Few are laughing at these Lions now, not after they went into Lambeau Field and manhandled the Packers on the way to seizing first place in the NFC North. Here’s a roadblock to consider. The pass rush has certainly improved from the past two seasons, but the Lions' pass rush win rate is 32.3% through four games -- which ranks 29th in the league. The Lions have an outstanding offensive line and ground game. The defense is light-years better than last year's league-worst unit. And while Jared Goff may not be Patrick Mahomes, he's not Zach Wilson either. Here’s our final verdict:?Detroit is legit and the best team in the NFC North.

 

 

We love this! Baker Mayfield is back.

Mayfield has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 3-1 record and first place in the NFC South. Last week he threw three touchdown passes in a convincing win over the New Orleans Saints. Mayfield currently ranks sixth overall in quarterback efficiency. Instead of worrying who may be the team's next quarterback, the Bucs just may have found their guy. The Bucs' defense is giving up 17 points a game -- seventh best in the league. But it has given up 16 pass plays of 20 or more yards -- fourth worst in the NFL. There's also the matter of Tampa having played one really good team; a two-touchdown loss to the Eagles. But the Bucs head into the bye a first-place team with a week to get healthy before their second real test of the season; a home date against the first-place Detroit Lions. Their 3-1 start and a division lead in the NFC South are nothing to overlook. Mayfield has been everything the team hoped he'd be and more.