Hot Takes: NFL Week Five

Week five of the NFL season is in the books, which means it’s time for some HOT TAKES!

1. The Undefeated remain Undefeated

It was a great week for undefeated teams as, well, they remained undefeated. The Patriots and Packers were never in any real danger despite Brady taking a lot of hits in the first half and Aaron Rodgers turning the ball over three times. The Broncos were playing the Raiders and have the best defense in the league, which means they were able to survive a couple of Peyton Manning picks in order to win.

The Falcons struggled with a Washington team that is better than expected. Julio Jones was held in check, although that may have been more injury related than anything the Redskins did, but the Falcons cashed on Kirk Cousins being Kirk Cousins. It’s still tough to buy in to the Falcons since it’s tough to imagine that they’ll be able to comeback in the fourth quarter of every game, but they’re winning, and that’s what matters. 

Then there were the Bengals. They looked dead in the water heading into the fourth down by 17 to the Seahawks. But as I’ve said all season, this Bengals team is legit. Andy Dalton led the comeback and the Bengals shocked the Seahawks in overtime. And while I’m still all in on the Bengals winning their division and making noise in the playoffs, this game also proved just how flawed the Seahawks are.

2. Trouble in Seattle

The Seahawks still haven’t won on the road and their vaunted defense gave up 17 points in the fourth quarter. 

The good news for the Seahawks is that they’re back at home this week and they’re playing the weakest undefeated team and a team that has never won after a bye-week under their current head coach; my Carolina Panthers. A win over the Panthers isn’t going to cure all their problems, they still need to win on the road to prove that they’re at least salvageable, but a loss to the Panthers might be the unofficial end to their season. 

I still think their defense can be one of the best in the league, but their offense, specifically their passing offense, is a mess. The line can’t protect Russell Wilson long enough for him to do anything and Jimmy Graham hasn’t been the savior that the team was hoping for. 

On the bright side for Pete Carroll, he didn’t have the worst weekend of past USC head coaches.

3. Are the Lions the Worst?

The Lions are the only team in the league without a win, but there are eight teams with one win and I’ve seen plenty of people question whether or not the Lions are actually the worst team in the league.

OF COURSE THEY’RE THE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE! THEY HAVEN’T WON A GAME!

The Dolphins have already fired their coach and the Saints and every team in the AFC South look terrible, but at least they’ve all won a game and some of those teams weren’t supposed to be good to begin with. The Lions were supposed to have an offense that could hang with any team in the league, and yet, they just benched Matthew Stafford for Dan Freakin Orlovsky. They have the worst rushing offense in the league and Calvin Johnson isn’t playing like the most dominating receiver in the league, not that I fully blame him since Stafford throws it to the other team more than he throws it to him. Combine their deflated offense with a below average defense and you get a team going nowhere.

The Lions suck. There’s no way around it. They are the worst team in the league. They have a quarterback who never took the next step and a head coach who looks dead. They should just trade Calvin to the Panthers, as suggested by Dustin James, and move forward. They won’t get shutout this year, and in 10 weeks they might not be the bottom team, but right now they are and no one can tell me different. 

4. Andy Reid on the Hotseat

I started this rumor weeks ago and Dustin James laughed at me. Now, following a loss to DA BEARS, Dustin James is on board with me. 

Andy Reid has always been a coach who has gotten more out of his players than most, but has always failed when it matters. The Chiefs have a good team on paper. Their defense should be top five in the league, they have a playmaking wide receiver, they have the next Rob Gronkowski at tight end, they have one of the top running backs in the league, and they have Alex Smith. It’s not a bad group of players. Sure, Smith has his limitations, but a smart coach is able to work around those limitations and get the most out of him, which is what Reid has done since joining Kansas City. 

Now the wheels have fallen off. 

Smith, who has never been a good deep ball thrower, doesn’t even try to throw the deep ball, the defense is banged up and playing way below expectations, and now Jamal Charles is done for the year with a torn ACL. Throw in the fact that Andy Reid is Andy Reid, meaning his mishandles the situation in every close game, and it’s a recipe for disaster. 

5. Bring Back Steve Smith

On twitter, I suggested that the Panthers try and trade for the 49ers Anquan Boldin since that team is going nowhere and Boldin is in the last year of his contract. In a column, Dustin James suggested that the Panthers trade for Calvin Johnson since the Lions are going nowhere, but Johnson would be on the books until 2019 and I’m not sure the Panthers can afford him until then.

Now, in this column, I’m suggesting that the Panthers bring back Steve Smith.

The Ravens season ended on Sunday when they lost to the Browns and Josh McCown. Smith has already said that he’ll be retiring at the end of the season. You don’t think that he wants one more shot to win a Super Bowl? That isn’t happening in Baltimore, but it could happen in Carolina.

I know he left the Panthers on slightly bad terms, but I think all can be forgiven as the Panthers are desperate for a #1 receiver and Smith is desperate to compete. It would only be for the rest of this year, so there’s no worry about Smith’s influence on the young receivers moving forward, which is a big reason why they didn’t bring him back. Plus, Smith knows this offense and knows Cam Newton. Cam trusts him and they seemed to have a very good relationship when they played together.

More than anything, I just want to see the practice battles between Josh Norman and Smith. 

Quick Takes

*PANTHERS STILL 4-0!!!!!! And Luke Keuchly is back. They aren’t winning in Seattle though.

*Aren’t you glad you jumped off that Chargers bandwagon?

*The Patriots and Packers are still REALLY PISSED OFF!

*It looks like Matt Cassel will be the Cowboys starter next week. If Matt Cassel is the answer, you don’t want to know the question.

*I still don’t think the Colts are a good team. I’d be shocked if the Patriots don’t beat them by at least two touchdowns this week.

*Jameis Winston is really good at throwing the ball nowhere while falling over like a drunk man.

*Guys getting hurt while celebrating is one of my favorite things. 

*Michael Vick is ruining Antonio Brown.

*I still want Johnny Football.