The Paydirt Report: Week 5We are down to 3 undefeated teams after week 5. Baltimore takes their first loss of the season while Indianapolis, Seattle and Tampa Bay all survive another week. Minnesota is now the lone team without a win as the NY Giants comes up with a big upset over Cleveland.
But our Game of the Week comes to us from the state of Georgia where the Atlanta Falcons nipped the New Orleans Saints in a tough NFC South divisional game 21-20. A 54 yd TD strike from Atlanta's QB Mullens to WR McCulloch was the game winner. It was a must win game for the Falcons who are trying to keep pace in the Super South.
In player news, Carolina RB Pat Stacy continues his torrid pace in the ground attack as he ran for his 4th 100 yd day in 5 games. That puts him at 564 yds for the season along with his 4 TDs. Tampa Bay's Carlos Walker added another Int to his league leading 6 interceptions. Houston's DE Poe, Arizona's DE Curtis and Seattle DE Runner are all tied with 7 sacks on the year. But enough with all that individual stuff. This is a team game so lets get to the division races.
AFC
WestDenver(4-1) keeps on truckin as they win their 4th in a row and extend their Wild West lead to 2 games. Thanks to Kansas City's(2-3) 3rd straight loss and Oakland's(2-3) upset win over San Diego(2-3).
EastBuffalo(2-3) rebounds to grab a share of the East lead as they downed the NY Jets(1-4). Miami(2-3) shares the lead with the Bills after their loss to Carolina. New England(1-4) received a beat down by Tampa Bay. Some of those points coming via blocked punts.
NorthCincinnati(4-1) wins the showdown with Baltimore(4-1) to knot up the AFC North. They will meet again in the final week of the season. Think that game might mean something? Cleveland(3-2) had a chance to make it a 3 way atop of the North but they got upended by the NY Giants. It looks like Pittsburgh's(1-4) ride to glory will have to wait another year unless they can find some answers fast.
SouthIndianapolis(5-0) keeps their undefeated hopes alive as they held on to win a close win with Tennessee(1-4). Houston(2-3) wins their 2nd in a row just to stay as close as 3 games. Jacksonville(2-3) dropped their 2nd straight.
NFC
EastDallas(3-2) once again finds it's name at the top of the leaderboard with a huge win over Washington(3-2). Philadelphia(2-3) wins with interim GM ai at the helm. As mentioned above the NY Giants(1-4) break into the win column in a big way. Now to chase down the leaders.
WestSeattle(5-0) dominance continues in the NFC West as they stay undefeated with a big win over Los Angeles(2-3). Arizona(2-3) also went down in defeat as they and the Rams lose a critical game to the Seahawks. San Francisco(1-4) has dropped 4 in a row and looks like they are bowing out of the race early. But it's not too late to jump into Wild Card contention.
NorthThe North looks a whole lot different than it has over the last few years. Detroit(4-1) has control as of now over the chasing Chicago(3-2) team that hasn't seen success in many seasons. Green Bay(1-4) has finally got a win while Minnesota(0-5) is still looking to get their new GM OffensiveTaco his first win in the purple n gold.
SouthThe Super South remains just that.....Super. Tampa Bay(5-0) holds the top spot in week 5 with defending Super Bowl champions Carolina(4-1) right on their heals. With Atlanta's(3-2) big win over New Orleans(3-2) the Falcons and Saints both are trying to hunt down a playoff spot. Too early to talk about playoffs? A win in September counts the same as a win in December. And divisional wins can count double when it comes down to the wire as the NFC South always seems to.
Games to Watch: Week 6Dallas @ Baltimore
Cincinnati @ Cleveland
New Orleans @ Carolina
Buffalo @ Miami
Indianapolis @ Denver - Battle Royale
Chicago @ Seattle
