Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season is officially in the books. The Bills routed the Chiefs. The Chargers survived the Browns. And that was just a fraction of the action. Sixteen teams logged wins. Sixteen others fell short.
But what did we learn about each of the 32 after another week of action? We’re so glad you asked. As Week 6 draws near, we take a look below at one thing we took away from each team thanks to the latest weekend of football:
Arizona Cardinals
While they’re still the class of the NFC West, and maybe even the NFC, Kyler Murray’s shoulder must be monitored. The QB was favoring his throwing arm late against San Francisco — the same one that plagued him late in 2020.
Atlanta Falcons
They played the Jets, but Matt Ryan doesn’t appear to be done, after all. He’s gotten better each week under Arthur Smith, even if his long-term future isn’t necessarily in Atlanta.
Baltimore Ravens
Besides the fact Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown continue to star as one of the NFL‘s best duos? They thrive in close games. Four of their five matchups this year have been decided by one score. Never count them out!
Buffalo Bills
They’re better than the Chiefs. Simple? Yes. Exaggeration? No. Unlike Kansas City, they actually have a defense, and on top of that, an arsenal of weapons that can score as quickly as any team in the NFL.
Carolina Panthers
Their defense is still for real, but we may have crowned Sam Darnold as a redemption story too early. The Eagles “D” has stood tall against lesser opponents, but Darnold sure looked lesser under pressure despite owning a decent lead.
Chicago Bears
Contrary to popular opinion, they aren’t dead in the water under Matt Nagy. Now, that may be true a month from now, but ugly as they look at times, their run game and defense have earned their winning record.
Cincinnati Bengals
Zac Taylor might be saving his job. There’s still plenty of season left, but at 3-2 after pushing the Packers to overtime, they look worlds better than previous Taylor iterations in Cincy.
Cleveland Browns
Despite dropping 40 against the Chargers and once again showcasing a killer ground game, they’re really banged up. Jedrick Wills was already hurt, and now Greedy Williams, Denzel Ward and Jack Conklin are nursing issues.
Dallas Cowboys
With a sixth pick in the bag, Trevon Diggs really is worth the hype. Is anyone dropping back in coverage with more confidence right now? How suddenly Dallas found itself a No. 1 cover man.
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Denver Broncos
Remember the 3-0 start? This team is in trouble now. Teddy Bridgewater led a comeback effort against Pittsburgh, but neither their defense nor Vic Fangio is overly inspiring in a division that’ll be tough all year.
Detroit Lions
They believe in Dan Campbell. The players, that is. Not sure how else you explain them getting up week after week, ready to take better teams to the wire. The record is 0-5, but the buy-in has been admirable.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers alone ensures they’ll be near the front of the NFC pack this year, but their defense is cause for concern, especially with both Jaire Alexander and Kevin King now down with injuries.
Houston Texans
With his second confident showing in three weeks, Davis Mills at least looks the part, nearly leading Houston to an upset over the Patriots. With more help, he might actually offer something long-term under center.
Indianapolis Colts
They absolutely need a killer stretch against the AFC South. They’ve got some winnable games coming up, but Monday night’s overtime loss is a gut punch. Carson Wentz played well, but their defense ran out of gas, and they’re falling behind Tennessee.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Urban Meyer is not on the same page as Trevor Lawrence. Seriously, what’s the deal with the postgame disconnect over QB sneaks? This is a team consistently two steps behind the opponent.
Kansas City Chiefs
Their defense is an absolute sieve, but we kinda knew that already. Here’s an underrated issue: Patrick Mahomes is playing way too willy-nilly. He thrives as a backyard-style QB, obviously, but he’s left far too many plays on the field this year.
Las Vegas Raiders
Forget the 3-0 start. This looks like a so-so team, after all and that was before Jon Gruden’s shocking resignation on Monday night. Derek Carr has gotten away with chucking it up a few times this year, but not against Chicago. On a day the Bears weren’t great offensively, they were even worse.
Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert belongs in the MVP conversation. It’s a crowded field, but leading five scoring drives on their final five possessions, to finish with nearly 400 yards and four scores in a potential playoff preview against Cleveland? Gold.
Los Angeles Rams
They are the biggest (only?) real threat to Arizona in the NFC West. After taking care of business against Seattle, which is now without Russell Wilson, they’re just one game behind the undefeated Cardinals.
Miami Dolphins
With each passing week, they feel more like a lock for a top five pick. Even when Tua Tagovalioa returns, they offer so little offensive juice, and their banged-up defense is no match for contenders, either.
Minnesota Vikings
It may not always be pretty, but you can count on Kirk Cousins to keep you competitive. A week after he was held in check by the Browns, “You Like That?” went off in crunch time against Detroit to resume a quietly hot 2021 campaign.
New England Patriots
Mac Jones may be poised, but they seem at least a year away from competing. That may have been obvious before, but talk about a steep drop off, going from a close game with the Bucs to a close one with the Texans.
New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston knows how to make plays on the fly. Sean Payton wasn’t always cheery with the QB during an up-and-down outing against Washington, but the QB several times extended or created plays with pressure in his face.
New York Giants
Give them credit for fighting even after losing linchpins like Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, but where is the discipline? Their coaching remains an issue, as evidenced by Kadarius Toney and others crossing the line in crucial situations.
New York Jets
No team might be worse at starting games. Seriously, when has Mike LaFleur’s offense looked prepared out of the gate? Zach Wilson is not the entire problem, but it’s hard for him to be the solution amid the circumstances.
Philadelphia Eagles
Their defense deserves a ton of credit for propelling their upset of the Panthers, but the bigger-picture focus remains on the coach: Nick Sirianni’s play-calling leaves a ton to be desired. How about helping Jalen Hurts with runs and/or non-lateral passes?
Pittsburgh Steelers
The good news: Ben Roethlisberger looked fine airing it out deep early, and their receiver depth should help offset the loss of JuJu Smith-Schuster. The bad: Their secondary is giving up way too many plays considering the reputation of the defense.
San Francisco 49ers
Kyle Shanahan is probably itching to go back to Jimmy Garoppolo. Not because Trey Lance was totally to blame for San Francisco’s loss to Arizona, but because the 49ers need to rebound in a hurry and could only get their rookie going as a runner.
Seattle Seahawks
They’re gonna need a steady hand from Geno Smith. The run game should help offset Russell Wilson’s loss, especially if Chris Carson can stay on the field, but let’s be clear: Wilson’s magic cannot be replaced. They need Geno not to lose games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He looked perfectly fine routing the Dolphins down the stretch in Week 5, but Tom Brady’s apparent hand injury deserves monitoring. Like Kyler Murray, he’s still an MVP candidate, but let’s see if this actually affects him.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry is still their driving force. Of course, if Ryan Tannehill isn’t doing anything, he can’t often carry Tennessee by himself. But boy is his tough running the biggest reason for the Titans actually staying afloat.
Washington Football Team
After five games, this seems safe to say: Ron Rivera’s defense is not good. You can call it Jack Del Rio’s, if you’d like. Why is it so bad suddenly? Blame can be spread around. But they’re surrendering 400+ yards per game.
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