Tuesday Takeaways: NFL Week 5 Reactions

1.  Can the DPOY come from the secondary?

Since 2010 the AP Defensive Player of the Year has gone to a non pass rusher just four times (Polamalu, Suggs, Kuechly, Gilmore). Pat Surtain II is making a case to add a fifth non pass rusher to this list. This offseason the Broncos made Surtain the highest paid corner in the league, and he is rewarding them by leading the Denver Broncos defense to a dominant start to the season. Through the first five games Surtain has allowed 10 catches on 15 targets for only 109 yards. He has not allowed a touchdown and even added a 100 yard touchdown himself this past week against the Raiders. Opposing QBs have a sub 50 passer rating when targeting Surtain. If his play continues at this level and the Broncos defense continues to have the success they have so far, then Surtain may just be your 2024 DPOY.

2. Cleveland, what are you doing?

It is well past time for the Cleveland Browns to take their loss and bench Deshaun Watson. Enough is enough. Yes their offensive line sucks, yes they are missing Nick Chubb, but their biggest problem is they have maybe the worst QB in the league under center. Watching them play, it is hard to believe that just a few years ago there was a legitimate argument that Mahomes was the only NFL player you would start a franchise with over Watson. Fast forward to now, and you see a QB who is simply in over his head. His $250 million contract is the worst in sports history. Off the field problems aside, Watson should not be playing. Kevin Stefanski has already said they are not making a QB change. This makes no sense. You are 1-4, your QB is horrendous, and you have a very good backup. It seems that Browns fans will have to suffer through 12 more games of watching Lord Voldemort play QB for their franchise, simply because the front office does not want to officially admit their gargantuan mistake.

3. Cincinnati, defense matters.

The Bengals lost a thriller to division rivals this weekend in which they looked promising. Yet, they are 1-4 and the path to the postseason looks quite difficult. The offense is finally starting to look like the explosive juggernaut we expected with both Higgins and Chase making plays and Burrow looking like the elite QB he is often called. Their problem is their defense sucks. They rank 31st in opponents points per game, only ahead of Carolina, and 26th in opponents yards per game. The Bengals are the 4th highest scoring team in the league and are top ten in yards per game. With that offensive production you would expect the Bengals to be competing at the top of the AFC like most pundits predicted during the preseason. But it has not translated to success. Compare that with the Denver Broncos, a team wildly expected to miss the playoffs. The Broncos offense has not been very great as they rank 28th in points per game and yards per game. However, their defense has been elite, ranking 2nd in opponents points per game and 3rd in opponents yards per game. Despite their lackluster offense the Broncos are sitting in 6th in the AFC playoff race, while Cincinnati is last. With offensive weapons like the Bengals have you do not completely rule them out of a playoff hunt, but through five games it looks grim. And the defense is the #1 reason.

4. I do not know what to make of the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers are a confusing team to try and figure out. They have been the cream of the crop of the NFC for the past few years and their team looks elite on paper once again. Yet, they sit at 2-3 and are 3rd in their division. The offense is second in the NFL in yards per game and Purdy looks good. Their defense has not been bad but definitely not as dominant as they have been in years past (despite Fred Warner being maybe the best defensive player in the league). While Jordan Mason has been very good, it is obvious they miss Christian McCaffrey. He opens up so many possibilities in the passing game and the runs that Mason takes for 20 yards, CMC takes for 45 yards. That is just the difference between really good players and the elite players. Despite the losing record, there is no reason to panic for San Fran. All of their losses have been by a single possession and there have been some flukes occurring in all those games. Warning alarms have not gone off but the 49ers are not as good as I thought they would be. They may just be average? And average for a team expected to dominate seems bad. I cannot figure out if they just have been unlucky through 5 weeks or if the expectations for them entering the season were too high. Only time will tell.

5. Did the Cowboys find their RB1?

I have been on record for saying the Cowboys running back room leaves a lot to desire, but Rico Dowdle opened some eyes this past Sunday, against a formidable Pittsburgh defense. Each week Dowdle has seen his usage go up and it is clear he is the best RB Dallas has. He looked very explosive in the run game and had a very impressive receiving touchdown against the Steelers. We will see if he can perform consistently, but if Dallas has a competent RB1 I look to them to rise back to the top of the NFC.

EXTRA*: Robert Saleh fired?!

As I was posted this article, I got the notification that the New York Jets fired head coach Robert Saleh. This caught me off guard! I actually think this is the right move. I do not think Saleh is a head coach, but I also do not think he is the only person to blame for their lackluster start. Nathaniel Hackett is also a bad coach and Aaron Rodgers has not been great and continues to blame everyone but himself for not reaching expectations. I do not know what this means for the rest of the season but it is a very interesting thing to monitor looking forward.