NFL week 5 winners and losers

OK, folks, we are down to the last two games of week 5. I will update this thread as the games happen. Each week will add more clarity on which teams are winners, losers, or remain listed as "more evidence is needed." The original post is the one that will keep being updated, and each time I do it, I will post a reminder that new updates are in. Feel free to comment with agreement/disagreement, predictions, etc.

Week 5 games (East Time):

Thursday October 5

Patriots at Buccaneers

Sunday October 8

1:00 PM
Jets at Browns
Panthers at Lions
49ers at Colts
Titans at Dolphins
Bills at Bengals
Chargers at Giants
Jaguars at Steelers
Cardinals at Eagles

4:05 PM
Seahawks at Rams
Ravens at Raiders

4:25 PM
Packers at Cowboys

8:30 PM
Chiefs at Texans

Monday October 9

8:30 PM
Vikings at Bears

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If you want to consult the state of affairs as of Week 5, click [here]

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Week 5 Winners and Losers:

Losers:

Buccaneers - We had the Bucs as "more evidence is needed" because they had a late start with the hurricane, then some good and some bad, got to 2-1... then Nick Folk happened to you Bucs people. From kicking a winning field goal one week, to missing three the following week (two of them quite easy), squandering and demoralizing what your offense was trying to accomplish, Folk behaved and looked on the sideline as the utmost loser. It's not like the Bucs are the most horrible losers in the league; there are plenty of worse teams, but when you look at the NFC South and you get a resurrecting Panthers who just beat on the road the team that just dominated you at home, with Cam Newton going from pitiful to a QB rating of 130, then you have the Falcons as well in your division (they lost last week but who didn't lose one except the Chiefs?), well, you are not going anywhere. Sorry Bucs, you are not a bad football team, but for the sake of this exercise, yeah, you're losers.

-Bucs for one, fire Folk. Left 9 points hanging. It's one thing to go 2-3, it's one thing to miss a 56 yarder, a 49 yarder....but you cant make a 31 yarder!? Yea in that division, theyre not going anywhere. Carolina and Atlanta both imho are looking like playoff teams. Can Bucs slip in, it's possible, 3 teams in one division have had 3 playoff teams but it's rare. With Lions/Dallas/Seattle....I dont see it for the Bucs. Losers

Patriots - Sorry Pats but this ugly win doesn't take you out of the losers list. See, before the onside kick you were leading by only 2 points... after your opponent's kicker squandered nine. Just add a decent punter to Tampa Bay and you're toast - you'd be down by 7 and your opponent wouldn't be trying an onside kick that gave you 3 more points. It is true that the Pats have won 3 games out of five, but they looked utterly vulnerable in two out of these three. They could just as easily be 1-4. Today Brady got picked, was forced to fumble, got sacked... Sure, your defense improved today as compared to the disaster that it was in the first four games (last in the NFL), but you are a victim of the very high expectations you've created. You've been predicted to go 19-0 this season and repeat as champions, and instead, you had one good game and four bad ones (won by a hair in two out of these four, could have lost all four). Sure, we can never count you out when you have the GOAT and you do, and you also have the best coach. But somehow the pieces are off, and you're not clicking. After 5 games, your vulnerability is glaring. In my prediction, there is no way you'll win the Super Bowl this year, and that's what you set up to accomplish, so if you can't do it, you're losers.

-You play to win. You do what you gotta do, and at least the defense kept TDs off the board. The kicker has to convert those points, he didnt. Not NE fault, they did what they needed to do. Theyre hanging in there.I do agree with high expectations..but when you make the playoffs year after year, have 7 super bowls with 5 cashes, and as long as you got Brady and Bellicheck, there is a way. I gotta say = Need more evidence.

49ers - Two losers played today and took it to OT. One had to win. I comfortably placed both here even before the OT ended. OK, now it has ended. The 49ers lost. No doubt that they belong here.

-Poor 49ers. Hyde is about the only piece I see from them. Losers

Colts - Two losers played today and took it to OT. One had to win. I comfortably placed both here even before the OT ended. OK, now it has ended. The Colts won. They still look like losers, but they are surviving 2-3 without Luck, and could still turn around if Luck returns and is not too rusty. Still a long shot to get out of the losers list but depending on what happens to Luck, they could move up. Not today, though.

-With Jacksonville on the raise, Houston have a QB...I feel Indianapolis doesnt have enough time. Sure they beat 49ers..who doesnt? = Losers

Cardinals - Well, they seem to be aiming for the first pick in the 2018 draft, if they didn't have such strong competition on this, from the Browns and the 49ers. Enough said.

-WTF Happened here!? My god they turned bad fast. - Losers

Giants - dropped to 0-5 and lost OBJ. Jesus!

-0-5, ODJ probably done for the season (Poor fantasy owners) Marshall looks hurt. Jesus christ Giants are bad, I was so wrong about them. BAD BAD BAD = Losers

Chargers - 1-4 after beating another 0-4 team of course doesn't free them from the losers list.

-I love "Battle of the 0-4 teams" one has to break. You beat another 0-4 team, yay? = Losers

Browns - Managed to lose to the Jets. They are also trying to get first pick in the draft.

-Hey the Jets are 3-2. Browns look god awful = Losers

Jets - Amazingly, 3-2 by now, when people expected 0-5, but is beating the Browns enough to stop being losers? I don't think so. When this team starts playing against some good teams, their bubble will burst.

-I agree....but theyre 3-2. Maybe..maybe, I wanna see more = More evidence needed

Steelers - I'll tell you what, I wasn't convinced from the beginning, and today, after being clobbered by the Jaguars 30-9 with Ben throwing no fewer than five interceptions, there's no way to call the Steelers anything other than losers.

-Who the hell is gonna win this division!? Browns suck, IDK wth to think of Baltimore, maybe Cincy is getting their footing back? IDK man....but when your QB throws 5 INT, give up 30 to Jacksonville = Losers

Bengals - Another one that is hard to place, now. Should they go to the "more evidence is needed" after beating the Bills and winning another game in a row (even though last week's victory was against the Browns)? Hm... I still don't feel like removing them from the list of losers.

-IDK what to do, as I said, someone has to win this division, and they beat the Bills (Who someone on here claimed was the best team in the NFL). AJ Green went on fire and someone has to win this division. IM not sure what to do. If Im not sure, Ill go with = Need more evidence.


Titans - Going downhill fast, after being obliterated last week and giving away 57 points, and without Mariota, looking toothless against the not-so-good Dolphins. So, losers they remain.

-Yikes my Texans sure did kill their confidence. Lost to....Miami!? Tennessee going downhill fast as you said = Losers

Raiders - look lost without Carr.
Agreed, this team is two different teams with/without Carr = Losers.

Winners:

Panthers - definitely back to form after their rusty start, now 4-1. Cam Newton orchestrated a great game again, with astronomically high passer rating. The defense performed wonderfully until late in the fourth quarter when they got exhausted, lost a couple of players to injury, and almost allowed a comeback but the team as a whole did enough to secure the win on the road against an excellent team, and this, after they beat the Patriots in Foxboro, so the Panthers now are solidly installed into the winners list.

-I like the team they beat (Lions) (Looking below me, seems you do too). I asked what is wrong with Cam and he does this. Cam is coming back as a top 10 QB...4-1, won in Foxboro....cant ask for me. Look out NFL = Winners

Lions - They lost another close game at home against a good NFC South team. But still, I can't see them as losers and not even as more evidence needed, because it was a great game and they played very well in the beginning and the end; just got a stretch in the middle when they got dominated on both sides of the ball by an extraordinary performance by both the Panthers' offense and defense. It's not a shame when you lose a close game to a good team, while fighting hard to come back. If this game had another two minutes, the Lions might have won it. So they remain, like last week, as winners.

-Agreed, I like the Lions, theyve been solid on defense, today they didnt look as good, but Im stickin with winners = Winners

Eagles - Very solid by now. Even though the opponents were pitiful, the Eagles are a force to reckon with, and improve to 4-1. Great TNF game coming up, when they receive another 4-1 team, the Panthers.
-4-1, go ahead 2 games in front of Dallas....I cant wait to see Carolina game = Winners

Packers - That's what happens when you have a great quarterback. You win games. Wow, what a game! They were already on the winners list last week, and clearly remain there.

-You dont leave that much time for Aaron, you dont do it. Zeke gains 8....and you throw!? Take time off the clock, make them use that time out. Huge costly mistake for Dallas....but Dallas mistake is GBs +++ = Winners (PS - This is why I wasnt posting on the NFL update thread, this game had me glued to my TV!)

More evidence is needed:

Jaguars - What do do with the Jaguars? They look great, then pitiful, then fabulous, then horrible, then good again... Today they routed the Steelers. This is is the utmost "more evidence is needed" team, with their irregular play. It's not excluded that they'll explode and make the playoffs, but it is also not excluded that they'll sink and remember that they are the Jaguars.
-What a bi polar team. W/L/W/L/W....so I guess they lose next week, lol. I wanna see more = Need more evidence.

Bills - They did look much improved last week, after a good week 1 win, a good defensive effort against the Panthers even if they lost, and a win against the Broncos, followed by a win against the undefeated Falcons. Some caution, though: we've seen this film before; the Bills do have a history of strong starts and weak second halves of the seasons. And then, comes week 5, and what do they do? Lose to the lowly Bengals. So, yeah, they get moved from winners to more evidence is needed. If they do again their old trick of fooling everybody into thinking they are good in the first few games, then sinking to bottom feeders... best to be prudent and require more evidence.
-This is why I dont trust the Bills. Lost to...Cincy!? This is what Buffalo seems to do = Need More evidence

Dolphins - Another up-and-down team. They won the first game by a hair, almost lost. Then they got clobbered by... brace for it... the Jets!!! Then they laid another egg in London. And then they won again, beating the Titans (a Mariota-less Titans, but still). What to make of them? More evidence is needed.
-Im sorry, Cutler, Jay Ajayi looks like crap (maybe Im bitter because this first round draft pick burned me....could have had Hunt, Gordon, Gurley, Green.....and I took this sob! Well....least I didnt nab David Johnson I guess). I just dont like what Im seeing, and they beat a Ten team with no Mariota and got their confidence hit on a 57 loss game. = Losers

Seahawks - Like I said last week, Seattle needed to beat the Rams to get out of the losers list in the fight for the division, and they did. Now they are tied with the Rams 3-2, so with more evidence they could possibly get back in control of the division.
-Yea, Im with you = Need more evidence.

Rams - Got to be winners last week but then lost the first battle for the division against the Seahawks so now they downgrade to more evidence is needed.
Agreed = Need more evidence

Ravens - They now got to be tied with the Steelers for the division lead, so where they go from here remains to be seen.
Agreed again = Need more evidence

Cowboys - One great game in week 1, one terrible game in week 2, a win against the toothless Cardinals in week 3, a loss in week 4. Then a close loss to the Packers in a game where they played very well and Rodgers was brilliant, so, I had said if they lost, I'd move them from more evidence to losers, but the thing is, they lost honorably. They get another lifeline for one more week but at 2-3 they don't have a lot of leeway left. Next they get a bye, and then they get another bye... they play the 49ers. So they'll be 3-3, and this kind of record screams for more evidence being needed.

-Yea, I wanna see more from Dallas....I love Lawrence, he gives them a pass rush. They get a bye at the right time, they could use Lee. = Need more evidence

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Enjoy the games and thanks for participating in this thread!