NFL Weekly Review/Preview: No Fun League

Roger Goodell and the National Football League have been criticized for their handling of different disciplinary situations and their disciplinary measures in general. From Ray Rice to Greg Hardy to Deflategate, there has been a lot of backlash against Goodell and the NFL. they received more criticism this past week for not allowing one player to honor his mother, who died of cancer, by wearing pink all season, and fining another for honoring his late father with eye black. Steelers backup running back DeAngelo Williams told ESPN earlier this week that the NFL said he could not wear pink all season to honor his mother, Sandra Hill, who died of breast cancer last year, because there are no exceptions to the uniform policy. Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward was fined $5, 787 for wearing eye black that had the word "Iron" under his right eye and "Head" under his left eye, honoring his father, Craig, a former NFL player who's nickname was "Ironhead". Craig died of cancer in 2006. It seems just about every week the NFL levies fines for celebrations and such, and now they aren't even allowing players to honor their loved ones. The NFL needs to get with the times and be a little more compassionate. Now let's get to football.
Note: Information courtesy of ESPN.com

Week 5 Review

Observations

• Nailbiters: Ten games last week were within 8 points, five were within four points, and three went into overtime.
• Charles Out: Chiefs running back (and my first overall pick in one of my fantasy football leagues) tore his ACL Sunday in a one-point loss to the Bears.
• Six Unbeaten: The Bengals (in overtime), the Falcons (in overtime), the Packers, and the Broncos all went to 5-0 last weekend, while the Patriots and Panthers are now 4-0.
• One Winless: On the other side of things, the Lions are 0-5 after a blowout loss to Arizona Sunday. It got so bad that starting quarterback Matthew Stafford was Dan Orlovsky in the second quarter.

Play of the Week

This may be the play of the year by Browns tight end "Big Play" Gary Barnidge. Barnidge somehow held the ball between his legs as he went to the ground and reached between his legs to pick it up for the touchdown. Barnidge had eight catches for 139 yards and this sick touchdown to help the Browns beat the Ravens 33-30 in overtime.

Play(s) of the Weak
Everything the Lions did against the Cardinals. Stafford and Orlovsky combined for four interceptions (three by Stafford, one by Orlovsky), and the Lions also had two (almost three) fumbles. Detroit lost 42-17. It was ugly to watch.

Top Game
49ers 27, Giants 30
I could have chosen many games, but I chose the exciting Sunday night game that ended in a game-winning touchdown drive by Eli Manning culminating in a great catch by tight end Larry Donnell. This win put the Giants in first place in the NFC East.

Top Performances
Browns QB Josh McCown vs. Baltimore (W 33-30 OT): 36-51, 457 yards, 2 TD
Johnny who? McCown threw for over 300 yards for the third straight game and broke a Browns regular season record with 457 passing yards. On the season, McCown has 1,203 yards passing, six touchdowns, and one interception.
Giants QB Eli Manning vs. San Francisco (W 30-27): 41-54, 441 yards, 3 TD, INT
Eli came through in the clutch, leading his team on a game-winning drive down four to put them in first place in the division. He also did so with his two top receivers banged up much of the game.
Buccaneers RB Doug Martin vs. Jacksonville (W 38-31): 24 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD
Martin looked like he did his rookie year on Sunday, tearing up the Jacksonville defense. He helped carry the Bucs to a 38-31 win with his success on the ground as well as three catches for 35 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Trending Up: Overtime games...Josh McCown...Thomas Rawls...Eli..."Big Play" Barnidge...Matt Cassel...undefeated teams...officiating errors on Monday Night Football.

Trending Down: The league office...the Chiefs...the Lions...Brandon Weeden...Ryan Mallet...the Ravens...Marcus Mariota.

Week 6 Preview

Quick Picks: (home team listed last)

Last Week: 9-5

Overall: 41-25

Byes: Cowboys, Raiders, Rams, Buccaneers 

Falcons 24, Saints 27 (Thursday, 8:25 PM, CBS/NFL)

Broncos 31, Browns 24 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, CBS)

Redskins 14, Jets 24 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Cardinals 34, Steelers 23 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Chiefs 21, Vikings 17 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, CBS)

Bengals 31, Bills 32 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, CBS)

Bears 20, Lions 21 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, FOX)

Texans 24, Jaguars 23 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, CBS)

Dolphins 21, Titans 28 (Sunday, 1:00 PM, CBS)

Panthers 24, Seahawks 17 (Sunday, 4:05 PM, FOX)

Chargers 28, Packers 31 (Sunday, 4:25 PM, CBS)

Ravens 27, 49ers 30 (Sunday, 4:25 PM, CBS)

Patriots 35, Colts 28 (Sunday, 8:30 PM, NBC)

Giants 34, Eagles 38 (Monday, 8:30 PM, ESPN)

Fantasy Sleepers

Giants QB Eli Manning vs. Philadelphia

Eli has looked really good recently, throwing for three touchdowns the last two games and throwing for 441 yards last week. This week he faces a less-than-stellar Eagles pass defense.

Patriots RB Dion Lewis vs. Indianapolis

Lewis has been a revelation for the Patriots this season. In each of New England's four games, Lewis has at least 30 rushing yards and at least 30 receiving yards. He also goes up against a Colts team that is 22nd in rushing defense.

Titans RB Antonio Andrews vs. Miami

This is sort of a deep-sleeper, since Andrews is currently sharing carries with Bishop Sankey and Dexter McCluster, but he does seem to be the goal line back, as he has a touchdown in each if the two games he's played in, and he's facing the worst rushing defense in the league.

Fantasy Busts

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson vs. Carolina

Although Wilson does provide value with his legs, he hasn't been prolific with his arm, only having one game with multiple touchdowns (two) this season. He also faces one of the better defenses in the league in Carolina.

Bills D/ST vs. Cincinnati

The Bills have a good defense, but this week they face a tough task in Andy Dalton, A.J. Green, and the rest of the Bengals prolific offense, which is averaging 29.6 points per game and 427.8 yards per game.

Steelers WR Antonio Brown vs. Arizona

Yes, I know Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the league, but Big Ben is doubtful this week, and looking at Brown's last two games (both sans Ben), he has 42 and 45 yards, respectively. Plus, this week, Mike Vick gets to go up against the Arizona defense.