Week 5 was a very key NFL picks week. We actually learned a whole lot about the teams that suited up. Moving forward, the question is how will we benefit from these learnings? Here we go, rapid fire.
Lessons Learned Week 5
1. The Dolphins are a bleepin’ mess. This team couldn’t catch a cold! Ryan Tannehill is not the answer and they could look to blow this thing up midseason, and go for a top pick
2. The Eagles are human. Even after a bye week, they couldn’t make quick work of the Lions. Detroit jumped on them early and then hung on. Philadelphia clearly took them lightly and paid dearly for it. They missed a golden opportunity to remain atop the division.
3. Washington is picking up steam. Kirk Cousins wasn’t lights out, but he was effective enough. Washington continues to win ugly after a bad start. If they want to contend, they’ll have to be a little more consistent with the ground game, as Matt Jones couldn’t get anything going.
4. The Pack are back. A hard fought win over the Giants Sunday night signalled that the Packers are ready for any type of game. Aaron Rodgers did his job and the Packers defense showed up.
5. The Vikings are that damn good. Head coach Mike Zimmer knows how to build a defense and his players will run through a wall for him. Even without Adrian Peterson and Teddy Bridgewater, they are good enough to vie for the conference championship.
6. Trevor Siemian is good. The Broncos didn’t start Trevor Siemian and it showed. Atlanta’s defense had the least amount of sacks in the league, yet they got to Paxton Lynch routinely in this matchup.
7. Of the lessons learned week 5: the 49ers are in trouble. This is a top 5 pick season for the Niners. Rather than remain competitive by giving Colin Kaepernick a shot, they continue to play Blaine Gabbert in an effort to be as bad as they possibly can.
8. It’s like the Old West in Oakland. Derek Carr is a legit gunslinger and the Raiders will be in the thick of this division race all season. That was a gutsy, exciting win over the Chargers.
9. Someone want to figure out the Rams for me? That defense couldn’t stop the Bills at home. Looks like we’re getting a 8-8 season from Jeff Fisher’s boys.
10. Dak Prescott is for real. The Cowboys more than passed a big test versus the Bengals on Sunday. At 4-1, the sky is the limit for the young QB and this team.