The 7th Report Weekly Recap: NFL Regular Season Week 5

NFL regular season
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are off to a red-hot start as they are 5-0 so far this NFL regular season (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Humor me for a minute. Think of the 2017 NFL draft class and remind me which rookies have disappointed so far this season production wise? Non come to my mind, at least not this early in the NFL regular season.

Today, we dive into the significant week five injuries, offensive/defensive players of the week, best/worst plays of the weekend, updated divisional standings, news around the league, interesting statistics to know from week five, and as promised, the “mini-mailbag”. Let’s get started!

NFL Week Five Injuries

Week in and week out the NFL’s stars are dropping like flies. This week, the NFL lost icons J.J. Watt, Brandon Marshall, and Odell Beckham Jr. to season-ending injuries. Read here for more week five injuries.

Week Five Awards

Offensive Player of the Week: Leonard Fournette – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars

For the second week in a row, the offensive player goes to a rookie. This week, it’s Leonard Fournette.

Here is every play involving Fournette from Sunday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

People ridiculed Leonard Fournette for telling the media that “he thought the NFL would be faster”. Is there a chance he is right? During a run against the Steelers, Fournette proceeded to stiff-arm the outside linebacker, turn the corner, and waive to the cornerback to come hit him. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Defensive Player of the Week: Jacksonville Jaguars Defense

I don’t like picking entire defenses for this award, but how can you not? The Jaguars manhandled the Steelers in every facet of the game and dominated as a whole.

Offensive Honorable Mentions:
Cam Newton – QB – Carolina Panthers (26/33 passing for 355 yards and 3 touchdowns)
A.J. Green – WR – Cincinnati Bengals (7 catches for 189 yards and 1 touchdown)
Carson Wentz – QB – Philadelphia Eagles (21/30 passing for 304 yards and 4 touchdowns)

Defensive Honorable Mentions:
Vontaze Burfict – LB – Cincinnati Bengals (13 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defense)
Darian Thompson – S – New York Giants (11 tackles, 1 interception, 2 pass defenses)
Rashad Jones – S – Miami Dolphins (7 tackles, 2 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown, .5 sacks)

Best/Worst Plays from the Weekend

Here are the best and worst plays from week five.

Best

Jalen Ramsey continues to improve on the outside. He has the potential to be one of the best cornerbacks in the National Football League.

This may be one of the dirtiest stiff arms I’ve ever seen.

When the 2017 NFL draft came along, I was on record saying David Njoku had the highest ceiling of all the tight ends in this draft. This catch backs that statement up.

Cam Newton has been under some serious fire recently, but he didn’t let it affect his play on Sunday. He drops this throw right in a bucket.

Never, ever let Aaron Rodgers get the football late in the fourth quarter.

This is possibly the best 2-point conversion play you’ve ever seen. You’ll have to watch it more than once.

Worst

Sam Bradford’s internal clock has to be ringing during this play, right?

Nick Folk had a rough week.

Updated Divisional Standings

Here are the current NFL divisional standings.

AFC East

  1. Buffalo Bills (3-2)
  2. New York Jets (3-2)
  3. New England Patriots (3-2)
  4. Miami Dolphins (2-2)

AFC West

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
  2. Denver Broncos (3-1)
  3. Oakland Raiders (2-3)
  4. Los Angeles Chargers (1-4)

AFC North

  1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
  2. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)
  3. Cincinnati Bengals (2-3)
  4. Cleveland Browns (0-5)

AFC South

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)
  2. Houston Texans (2-3)
  3. Tennessee Titans (2-3)
  4. Indianapolis Colts (2-3)

NFC East

  1. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1)
  2. Washington Redskins (2-2)
  3. Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
  4. New York Giants (0-5)

NFC West

  1. Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
  2. Los Angeles Rams (3-2)
  3. Arizona Cardinals (2-3)
  4. San Francisco 49ers (0-5)

NFC North

  1. Green Bay Packers (4-1)
  2. Detroit Lions (3-2)
  3. Minnesota Vikings (3-2)
  4. Chicago Bears (1-4)

NFC South

  1. Carolina Panthers (4-1)
  2. Atlanta Falcons (3-1)
  3. New Orleans Saints (2-2)
  4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-2)

Only one team remains undefeated through five weeks.

News Around the NFL

Record-Breaking Performances 

This week was filled with great accomplishments by players who have put in a lot of hard work. Tom Brady tied Brett Farve and Peyton Manning for most regular season wins ever at 186.

Only two players have a reception in more consecutive games than Larry Fitzgerald – Jerry Rice and Tony Gonzalez. On Sunday, Fitzgerald recorded his 200th straight game with a reception.

In Dallas Cowboys history, only two players have found the end zone 70 times. Those two players are Emmitt Smith and now Dez Bryant.

On Sunday, Philip Rivers passed Frank Tarkenton for 10th all-time in passing yards. He has thrown for 47, 198 passing yards in his career.

There have only been two players in NFL history to record 100+ yards from scrimmage in their first career five games – Adrian Peterson and now Kareem Hunt. I’d say the rookie is off to a great start.

Dannon Drops Cam Newton, adds Dak Prescott

Cam Newton said some pretty irresponsible things last week. And because of it, he lost his Dannon yogurt sponsorship. However, Newton posted a sincere apology video on his Twitter page a few days later.

Dannon chose a different quarterback that is known for making good decisions. They signed Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback, Dak Prescott.

Miami Offensive Line Coach Resigns

A video was leaked on Sunday night of Miami Dolphins offensive line coach Chris Foerster snorting a line of an unknown white powdery substance. The team conducted an internal investigation and allowed Foerster to resign. To read more, click here.

Eric Reid Speaks Out Against the Vice President

Vice President Mike Pence flew out to Indianapolis to watch the Colts and 49ers play. Apparently, he had strict orders from the President to leave the game if there were any protests. Interesting proposition because the 49ers were the first team to allow a player to kneel. Eric Reid and other players chose to kneel and as the President wished, Pence left the game early.

49ers safety Eric Reid addressed this in his comments after the game.

Later, the NFLPA released a statement in regards to players protesting.

The oval office has yet to comment on the Vice President leaving the game early.

Interesting Statistics to Know From Around the League

Need to up your game in the random statistics department? I’ve got you covered.

The 7th Report: Mini-Mailbag

Below are the questions you had for me regarding week five.

HH: Thanks for the question, Clint. Four is a long way off from thirteen. I would say that there is a very slim chance that Hogan breaks this record. With the healthy return of Gronk, look for Hogan’s numbers to slightly decline.

“Is Big Ben washed up?” – Jeffrey Robben via LinkedIn

HH: Great question, Jeff. I don’t think so. Was it a rough game? Absolutely. In my opinion, I think Ben Roethlisberger has more in the tank. This offense can be so dynamic, but it appears they are in a funk. The Steelers are currently atop the AFC North with a bye week coming in three weeks. If they don’t have it figured out by then, the bye will certainly help.

“Thoughts on Dak’s TD at the end? Should he have stopped short? – E.J. Francis via Facebook

HH: I like the question, E.J. No, I don’t think so. Hindsight is 20/20. The Cowboys needed a touchdown and Dak gave them one with 1:10 left on the clock. Is that too much time for arguably the most talented quarterback this league has ever seen? Apparently. But the Cowboys needed points and the defense needs to do a better job throughout the entire game; no game is won or lost on one play. Aaron Rodgers is just that good.

“Is Deshaun Watson the bomb?” – David Long via Facebook

HH: Thanks for the question, David. Yes, I thought he was the best quarterback from this 2017 NFL draft class and so far he is that. I am excited to watch him prove his doubters wrong. He is a great man on the field and a better one off it.

“Low scoring 3-2 game or high scoring game?” – Kyle Graves via Facebook

HH: Fun question, Kyle. I am not of the norm. I would absolutely prefer to watch a defensive game. Is there fun and excitement around an explosive offense? Absolutely, and I do enjoy that. However, I enjoyed great defense and tough-nosed play over flashy.

Thank you for your questions! If you want your questions answered in next week’s “mini-mailbag”, tweet them to @the7threport. See you at the same time for week six of the NFL regular season.

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