Week 5 Story Lines

Four teams enter week 5 without a win. The Detroit Lions (0-4), The St Louis Rams (0-4 Bye Week), The Cincinnati Bengals (0-4) and the Houston Texans (0-3).  Will any of these teams break out of their slumps? The Bengals play on the road in Dallas, so look for Detroit or Houston to have a slump buster kind of day. The Bears and Colts defenses are both dealing with injuries and/or suspensions and could be vulnerable. Coming off a bye week the Colts are ranked 31st in the league vs. the run. Steve Slaton  is averaging 4.5 yards per carry and could have a career day against Indy. Meanwhile the Bears are giving up 246.5 yards a game against the pass and could set up a Lions air show if/when the run game fails. Coming off a bye week the Lions are hungry for a win and should play a rival Bears team tough.

How good are the Washington Redskins? Coming off a big win against the Cowboys on the road, the challenge doesn’t get any easier in the Eagles. If they can somehow squeeze out another win on the road against a very tough Eagles team, you have to look at Washington as one of the power teams in the league and not just the NFC. There’s been no argument that the NFC East is the toughest division in Football, but heading into week 5 did anyone think that the Redskins would be ahead of both Dallas and Philly in the division? Jim Zorn showed his inexperience in Week 1 against The Giants making mistakes on several key decisions, but that being said, let’s give the guy his props. He’s found ways to win against New Orleans, Arizona and Dallas, but can he go 2 for 3 in divisional games?

Will Aaron Rodgers play? We were quick to praise Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy after the first two weeks, but let’s be real here; if Flynn is in, the Pack won’t win. One of the underrated or under-appreciated assets to Rogers game is the fact that he’s been in Green Bay for the last few years, learning the offense and getting prepared to play the game. Matt Flynn can be a good Quarter Back in this league, but not now, not yet, he isn’t ready. The problem I have with Thompson and McCarthy is a simple one. They put all their eggs in the same basket. Green Bay was a team considered by most to be a contender heading into the season. When you have a team that has a legitimate window to win a championship, you don’t head into battle without a backup plan. Green Bay should of acquired a backup QB heading into the season for this type of situation specifically. That being said… Will Rodgers play? And if he does, how effective will he be?

Can Brian Griese be turnover free? Sure his workload has increased over the past few weeks but turning the ball over seven times in 2 games (6 INT’s, 1FUML) is certainly not part of the game plan. The protection has been good and hasn’t allowed a sack in two weeks. The fact that he hasn’t been sacked since week 2 should be a good indicator of the time he is getting in the pocket to throw the ball. The Broncos are 23rd in the league with only 6 sacks on the season and 31st against the pass giving up 276YPG.  This will be a good test for Griese and should give us further insight into whether or not he can handle the rock for the Bucs.

What story lines are you looking forward too on Sunday? 

Also, a reminder to join us this weekend all day for all your football talk here at STB. 

Enjoy the games this weekend! 

Dan Legroulx

danlegroulx@gmail.com

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Tags: NFL, NFL Story Lines, NFL Week 5