Josh Allen threw for a career-high 424 yards as the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 38-3 in week five
Another big week in the NFL, with another exciting game in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. It was great having the Green Bay Packers and their fans for the first time; These are my other important takeaways from week five…
1) Dallas’ defense is real
It was a standout performance from the Dallas Cowboys defense on Sunday, albeit against a Los Angeles Rams offensive line that is really struggling. We saw how dominant Micah Parsons is.
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Highlights from the Dallas Cowboys against the Los Angeles Rams in week five of the NFL season.
As the Cowboys wait for Dak Prescott to return from injury at quarterback, they have become a well-rounded team. Once he comes back, it will be great to see you.
A big matchup looms this Sunday night as the Cowboys go on the road to take on the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, but Dallas has the defensive weapons to go toe-to-toe with the Eagles.
They just need Cooper Rush to continue without making mistakes. That’s all they’re asking of you right now and you’re delivering.
I think it promises to be a very competitive game against the Eagles.
2) Josh Allen for MVP in 2022?
As the Buffalo Bills beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 38-3 on Sunday, we were reminded that their quarterback Josh Allen is a definite MVP candidate this season. Right now, there is no one playing football better than him.
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Highlights from the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Buffalo Bills in week five of the NFL season.
He makes ‘wow’ plays every week, and now his arm strength is being matched by his accuracy. He has weapons all over the field and makes the players around him better every week.
He’s exactly what I thought he was going to be going into the season, an MVP candidate. And the same goes for Buffalo, a Super Bowl contender.
3) Niners have perfected Jimmy G’s game plan
We saw this weekend, with their handy 37-15 victory over the Carolina Panthers, how the San Francisco 49ers plan to win football games, enough of Jimmy Garoppolo included.
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Highlights from the San Francisco 49ers against the Carolina Panthers in week five of the NFL season.
They are going to trust the midfielders around them and that superb defense of theirs.
I think defense is ultimately what will drive this team. If San Francisco becomes a stronger force this season, defense will be a big factor.
The 49ers have good depth, on both sides of the ball, are well coached and are proving they’ll be in the mix when the crunch comes.
The NFC West is very tight, but if you asked me right now who I’m leaning toward taking it, it would be the 49ers. That’s saying something, considering the defending Super Bowl champions are in that division, but they just don’t look good right now.
4) Is Seattle better with Geno Smith at QB?
It feels like an awesome question to ask, but I asked it in the sky sports study Sunday night: Are the Seattle Seahawks better with Geno Smith at quarterback than Russell Wilson?
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The highlights of the Seattle Seahawks against the New Orleans Saints from week five of the NFL season.
But when you think about how much Wilson is struggling and how bad the Denver Broncos look right now, that’s actually a good question, because Geno, meanwhile, is working flat out for the Seahawks.
He’s playing for free, he’s playing for fun, and he’s enjoying this second chance he gets.
Seattle can’t really play defense right now, which won’t please coach Pete Carroll, but Geno, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are clicking on offense. They’re making the Seahawks exciting to watch.
5) Let’s talk about the Jets
The New York Jets proved with their 40-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday that there is a truly bright future just around the corner for this franchise.
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Highlights of the Miami Dolphins against the New York Jets in the fifth week of the NFL season.
They are 3-2 through the first five weeks, which is off to a very good start. But it’s not even necessarily about this season; they have so many great young players stepping up every week.
Breece Hall had 197 yards from scrimmage, Zach Wilson scored on a touchdown run, Sauce Gardner had a safety and an interception that set up a TD.
They’ve had a couple of good draft classes and it really bodes well as head coach Robert Saleh looks to build a winning culture there in New York. I’ve been very impressed with the way the Jets have racked up wins in different ways over the last two weeks.
Player of the Week: Josh Allen
Allen ran for the gates against the Steelers on Sunday. He had a 98-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Davis on the first drive.
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Josh Allen found Buffalo Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis while running for an incredible 98-yard touchdown run against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He threw for a career-high 424 yards in the game, but that could have easily been 624! The Bills wrote off the Dogs in the second half; Allen had 348 yards, the stats for a complete game, at halftime.
The guy is elite. And he’s up against another elite quarterback in Patrick Mahomes this weekend: His matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday is a massive game.
Given what happened in the playoffs last year, this means something for Allen and the Bills. This could be the new rivalry between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Allen and Mahomes are already two NFL giants.
Play of the week: cameron dantzler
It is one thing to intercept a pass that has been thrown in the air, it is another to recover a fumble that has already been thrown to the ground.
But when the ball is firmly in the hands of the opposing receiver, and you just take it from him and start running in the other direction, you’re not just taking the ball, you’re crushing his spirit and fighting for the game. of the Chicago Bears.
It was another level of turnover from Cameron Dantzler to win for the Minnesota Vikings against the Bears on Sunday. An incredible piece of work!
Coach of the Week: Brian Daboll
What Brian Daboll has done with the New York Giants has been remarkable through the first five weeks of the season.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll led his team to a surprising comeback win over the Green Bay Packers in London on Sunday.
To have that team 4-1, when they’re not completely sold on quarterback Daniel Jones, they’re paper-thin at wide receiver and they’re bringing young players on defense, it’s been amazing.
It simply talks about Daboll’s training. He talks about buying the team too. There is a hardness there; they dug deep against the Packers in London on Sunday, having found themselves in a 17-point hole in the first half.
I’m very impressed with the Giants, and particularly with their offensive creativity under Daboll.
On My Radar: Jaguars disappoint for second week in a row
That has to be the worst result for Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars this season, losing at home to the then-winless Houston Texans.
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Highlights from the Houston Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth week of the NFL season.
Lawrence had all five turnovers in Philly the week before, four of them fumbles against the Eagles, and then he follows that up with two interceptions against Houston, which is very disappointing.
The reason they’re on my radar is that I’ve backed the Jags to be good and competitive this year… so now how do you respond?
It’s a much more talented and much more mature team than it showed on Sunday, so how do Lawrence and Jacksonville bounce back after a rough couple of weeks? I will be anxious to see.
Join Neil Reynolds and guests for his two-hour NFL Review show retracing the best of the weekend’s action, every Tuesday from 9:00pm on Sky Sports NFL.