(Photo By AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Written By: Matt Di Domenico
Twitter: @didomenicomatt5
LinkedIn: Matt Di Domenico | LinkedIn
Week #5 in the NFL was a bad day to be a kicker! Many kickers missed field goals and PATs that had you shaking your head, especially if you were a Green Bay Packers fan like myself. Also, this week in the NFL had some great performances that are worthy of recognition. Lots of teams had huge wins that will be huge come playoff time. Below are the 3 winners and 3 losers for week #5 in the NFL.
Losers:
1. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs and star QB Patrick Mahomes were absolutely defeated in this game against the Buffalo Bills with a final score of 38 to 20. Mahomes did not have a good day when he went 33 for 54 with 272 passing yards, 2 TDs, and 2 INTs. Mahomes and the Chiefs are off to a rough start in 2021. Many wonder if the teams in the AFC have caught up to the Chiefs. To me, the Chiefs defense is just too poor right now. Having a bottom of the league defense is going to make it very challenging for your team to win games. Mahomes has also been lacking with producing big plays this year and that was evident in this game. There is still a lot of time left in this season and the Chiefs will be taking on Washington next week to get back to a .500 record.
2. QB Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
There is an argument to be made that Sam Darnold should be at the number one spot on this list with this performance in week #5. Darnold had an awful game against the Philadelphia Eagles when he went 21 for 27 with 177 passing yards, 1 TD and had 3 INTs. Throwing 3 INTs certainly is not going to help your chances of winning. Sure the Carolina Panthers were in the game till the very end but Darnold has to play better than this. Especially when going against a struggling team that does not have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers will take on the Minnesota Vikings next week at home.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
After having a very hot start in the season, the Las Vegas Raiders now have dropped to a record of 3-2. What makes matters worse is head coach Jon Gruden was caught under fire this week when an email was discovered from back in 2011. The email included Gruden using vulgar criticism and racially based references based on the NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. More information has come out Monday night and Gruden has resigned as Raiders head coach. You could tell that the Raiders were completely out of it playing against the Chicago Bears this week because of the distractions off the field with the Gruden emails. The Bears were able to knock QB Derek Carr out of the game and control the Raiders all day. The game ended with an ugly final score of 20 to 9. The Raiders now will have to try and turn things around when taking on the Denver Broncos at Mile High next week with a new head coach.
Winners:
1. QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I have kept the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady as the number 1 team in my power rankings for a reason. The Buccaneers are proving that they are still the best team in the NFL and Brady is not slowing down as he races for the league MVP crown. Brady had a field day against the Miami Dolphins with a final score of 45 to 17. Brady went 30 for 41 with 411 passing yards and had 5 TDs. Brady has to be the MVP favorite so far with how he has been playing. Sure he had a hiccup last week against his former team but I see Tampa getting right back to the Super Bowl if Brady continues to play like this.
2. RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
King Henry just keeps on doing his thing every year in the NFL. Henry had a monster day against the Jacksonville Jaguars where he rushed for 130 yards on 29 carries. Henry also ended the day with 3 TDs that allowed the Titans to walk away with a 37 to 19 win. Henry needs to continue to carry this offense because of the injuries they have had so far. Next week will be a huge test as well for Henry and the Titans when they take on the red hot Buffalo Bills. Last year Henry had a big game against the Bills so it will be interesting to see if he can do it again.
3. QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Speaking of an MVP candidate, Justin Herbert is proving that he is worthy of being in that conversation with Tom Brady. Herbert put on a show against the Cleveland Browns and just could not be stopped. Herbert went 26 for 43 with 398 passing yards and had 5 total TDs. Every time the Los Angeles Chargers needed a big score, Herbert would come through. Every week Herbert has proven that he is a top 5 QB in the NFL. If Herbert keeps it up, I think he will win the MVP but it certainly will be a challenge. The Chargers walked away with a huge 47 to 42 win over the Browns who are a very good football team.