NFL Week 5

Week 5 action

Redskins 23, Eagles 17 -- Recap | Box
Giants 44, Seahawks 6 -- Recap | Box
Titans 13, Ravens 10 -- Recap | Box
Bears 34, Lions 7 -- Box score
Falcons 27, Packers 24 -- Recap | Box
Colts 31, Texans 27 -- Recap | Box
Panthers 34, Chiefs 0 -- Recap | Box
Dolphins 17, Chargers 10 -- Recap | Box
Broncos 16, Bucs 13 -- Recap | Box
Cardinals 41, Bills 17 -- Recap | Box
Cowboys 31, Bengals 22 -- Recap | Box
Patriots 30, 49ers 21 -- Recap | Box
Steelers 26, Jaguars 21 -- Recap | Box
Vikings 30, Saints 27 -- Recap | Box


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Analysis

• Johnson: 'Wildcat' gives Miami edge
  
• Glazer: Raiders, Rams dysfunctional
  
• Marvez: Broncos elite once again
  

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Video

• Online OT: Week 5 highlights
  
• Buck and Aikman on Redskins
  
• Albert and Johnston on Giants
  

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Photos

• Week 5's best pictures
  
• Raiders' coaching carousel
  

Yes, things are crazy these days, to say the least.

Perhaps no NFL storyline captures the unpredictability of the current state of our nation better than what's going on in the AFC East this season.

Ah, the AFC East, a division that the majority of pundits assumed this summer would consist of the five-time defending division champion New England Patriots and three other NFL squads not worth mentioning.

Yet, here we are more than a month into the season and the AFC East is pretty much wide open. It's quite possibly the hardest division to handicap in the entire league.

For years, while parity and competitive balance existed across the rest of the NFL, the AFC East remained in its own Patriots-colored bubble, isolated from the chaos. Consider that since 2002, no team has ever repeated as champions of the NFC South, while in that same time span, only once has any team other than New England won the division crown (New York in 2002). Year in and year out, it's been Brady's arm, Belichick's hooded sweatshirt, and Kraft's pink ties laying claim to the division title. It's been one never-ending Dropkick Murphys album on loop. All Boston, all the time.

That's no longer the case.

With Brady out with a season-ending injury, the Patriots' grip on the automatic playoff berth is suddenly a lot looser. It just so happens that Buffalo, Miami and New York are all leaps and bounds better than they've been in recent years, as well.

The Bills, though losers last week in Arizona, are off to a tremendous start. Despite giving up 41 points last Sunday, they still boast the league's 10th-rated defense, and for the first time since the late '90s Doug Flutie era are showing consistent signs of a formidable offense. The O is averaging 25 points per game, 11th best in the NFL. Knocked out early in the Arizona game with a concussion from an Adrian Wilson hit, quarterback Trent Edwards will now have two weeks to recover with Buffalo's bye up ahead.

In just his second year, Edwards is having a Pro Bowl-caliber campaign. In four fourth quarters this season, he has completed 27 of 35 passes (77.1 percent) for 360 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Bills won all four of those contests. Who said John Elway was the only clutch quarterback to come out of Stanford?

Buffalo plays Miami, New York and New England back-to-back-to-back after its Oct. 19 bout with the San Diego. If the Bills can escape that four-game set with two or three wins, they'll be right in the thick of the division title chase come the November-December stretch run. With Edwards at the helm, they've got a legitimate chance to play meaningful January football for the first time since 1999.

The Jets are much improved from last season, too. New York's offense exploded two weeks ago vs. Arizona, and Brett Favre seems to be growing more comfortable with Brian Schottenheimer's offense with every passing week. The O is ranked fifth in the league in scoring, with Favre rated as the league's top passer (110.8). Looking ahead at their schedule, the Jets play Cincinnati (0-5), Oakland (1-3), Kansas City (1-4), and St. Louis (0-4) in four of their next seven games. The Jets may have some major leaks on defense, but they have even more leaks in their schedule. They're contenders.

And then there's Miami, perhaps the league's most pleasant surprise. I'll take the Dolphins' 2-2 start on the chin, here, as I'll admit, I did not see this coming. In a preseason column on this very site, I wrote:

Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m.

The good news for the Lions? They've scored every time they've been in the red zone this year. The bad news? They've been in the red zone a grand total of four times. Pick: Minnesota 38, Detroit 13

Oakland at New Orleans, 1 p.m.

The last time Raiders RB Darren McFadden went up against a team from Louisiana, he rushed 32 times for 206 yards, completed three passes for 34 yards and scored four touchdowns in a nationally televised game in which his Arkansas Razorbacks beat No. 1-ranked LSU 50-48. Ah, winning . . . it could be quite some time before McFadden gets to experience that again. Pick: New Orleans 27, Oakland 17

Cincinnati at New York Jets, 1 p.m.

Brett Favre aims to become the first Jets QB since Richard Todd in 1981 to record three or more touchdown passes in three consecutive games. Against the Bengals pass defense on Sunday? Favre could do that in the first quarter. Pick: New York Jets 31, Cincinnati 23

Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.

In four career starts at Tampa Bay, Jake Delhomme is 4-0 with a 96.9 passer rating. Tampa's D will test him, but I like the Panthers in a close one. Pick: Carolina 20, Tampa Bay 17

St. Louis at Washington, 1 p.m.

The Redskins lead the league in turnover differential and have already beaten four of the best teams in the NFC. The Rams, on the other hand, are just really, really bad. Pick: Washington 34, St. Louis 16