The 2014 NFL Season: Five Week Review

It is still way too early to separate the pretenders from the contenders in the NFL this season. However, with five weeks gone, this seems like a good time to evaluate how the teams are doing and how my predictions are doing so far this NFL season. In the early going, it looks like the Giants, Texans, and Chargers are on their way to outplaying my predictions. Meanwhile, the Raiders, Titans, and Jets have been playing a little below my expectations. It is hard to believe that after five weeks, the Raiders are already playing worse than I expected. I mean, I only predicted they would win five games...

Anyways, here is what has been going on in the NFL (in case you missed the first five weeks).

AFC West:

The Broncos are still the top team in the AFC West. The Chargers have looked impressive, grabbing a particularly impressive win against the Seahawks; however, I would still be surprised to see anyone other than Denver win the West. The Chiefs have shown signs that they can be playoff contenders again, especially after an impressive Monday Night win against the Patriots in Week 4. However, I am incredibly stubborn and refuse to believe that the Chiefs are any good this season. And finally, if you want to know how I feel about the Raiders, follow this link (spoiler: I think they suck): Brosh Knows Football: I am a Raider Fan

AFC North:

The AFC North is going pretty much as expected. The Bengals appear to be in their impressive regular season form (as opposed to their unfortunate post-season form). The Ravens and Steelers have looked good, both playing like playoff-caliber squads. The only question is whether or not one of them will be able to challenge Cincinnati for the AFC North title. And finally, the Browns have been a tough team to beat in the early going this season. Unfortunately, Cleveland plays in one of the top divisions in the NFL. It looks like the gauntlet that is the AFC North may be too tough a task to overcome for the Browns this season.

AFC South:

The AFC South belongs to the Colts. I expect the Colts to be the first team to clinch a playoff spot this year. The Colts only sit at 3-2, but their two losses have come from tight games against the Eagles and Broncos. The Texans are making a case for themselves as a playoff contender, but, in my opinion, I expect them to fall short of one of the two AFC wild card spots. This week's Thursday Night Football game between Indianapolis and Houston will be an important matchup for both teams. Meanwhile, the Titans have been quite unimpressive since their Week 1 win against the Chiefs. And, at the bottom of the NFL, the Jaguars have been exactly what we all expected: awful.

AFC East:

I think we all fell for the “Patriots dynasty is over” hoax. After their Week 4 Monday Night drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, it finally seemed like the Patriots may no longer be the clear dominant force in the AFC East. However, they came back one week later, playing at the top of their game, and were able to easily take down the last unbeaten team in the NFL, the Bengals. Meanwhile, none of the other teams in the AFC East have looked good enough to threaten the Patriots' crown. The Bills have played well, earning an impressive comeback win against the Lions in Week 5. However, the Dolphins, and especially the Jets have looked unimpressive early in the season. It looks like the AFC East is heading towards its usual, predictable finish.

NFC West:

The NFC West has been just as exciting as advertised. The 49ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals will all be serious playoff contenders this season. The Seahawks look like the top team in the NFC West, while the 49ers have seen lots of ups and downs already this season. The Cardinals have played well, despite have injury troubles at their quarterback position. Unfortunately, one team must suffer as the weakling of the strongest division in the NFL, and that's the Rams. The Rams have shown signs of hope, but there is no way that they will contend in the NFC West, at least not this season.

NFC North:

The NFC North look wide open. After five games, all four teams should believe that they have a chance to win the division. However, based on the performances so far, I expect the Packers and Lions to be the only two true contenders to win the NFC North. The Packers and Lions are the most complete teams, showing effectiveness on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, the Bears and Vikings have looked good in spurts, but have not shown that consistent form that it generally takes to win a division crown. Unfortunately for Chicago and Minnesota, I think Green Bay and Detroit are just a step ahead of them.

NFC South:

Does anyone want to win the NFC South? The Panthers currently sit in first place, but they have not been convincing. The lack of talent at wide receiver is clearly affecting the offense. Cam Newton can only take this team so far, and I don't see him being able to lead Carolina to the division title. The Saints have been disappointing, but they are still in a great position to contend for the NFC South crown. The Falcons are tied with the Saints at 2-3, but I think the rest of the season may get rough for Atlanta. Although they have looked good at times, their losses have been somewhat unsettling, falling to the Bengals, Giants, and Vikings. And finally, even though they are at the bottom of the division, the Bucs are not out of the NFC South race yet. However, I would be surprised if they were serious contenders in the division by season's end.

NFC East:

Surprise, surprise! Is the NFC East the top division in the NFL? The Eagles and Cowboys both sit at 4-1, but I don't expect their good runs to hold for the entire season. The Cowboys have looked beatable in a lot of their games this season, and with a matchup against the Seahawks looming, their fortunes may take a turn for the worst soon. Similarly, the Eagles have been finding all kinds of ways to win this year. However, they are eventually going to have to rely on their offense to put up points, once their defense and special teams stops scoring touchdowns. The Giants have quietly (as quietly as something can be done in New York) put together three straight wins, after losing to two tough teams – the Cardinals and Lions – to start the season. Are the Giants serious contenders this season? And finally, Washington has had lots of trouble avoiding embarrassing defeats. They looked good against the Seahawks and Jaguars, but the team has seemed in disarray for most of the season. Is Kirk Cousins the answer in Washington? Maybe it's time to change the name of the team and make a fresh start in the NFL.

With 12 weeks left to go, still nothing is clear. Well, almost nothing is clear. The one thing that I can say with some confidence is that either the Raiders or Jaguars will be drafting first overall in 2015. Go Raiders. I'll be at O.co Coliseum on Sunday.