Final NFL 2023 Week 5 Observations ... With Dolphins Angles
The Miami Dolphins reclaimed first place in the AFC East in Week 5 with their victory against the New York Giants combined with the Buffalo Bills' loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But we might look back at this weekend as one much more significant in the battle for division supremacy than the final score of those two games.
The Bills' 25-20 loss was devastating not so much because it stopped their three-game winning streak, but because it cost the team two more key defenders. One week after cornerback Tre'Davious White was lost for the season with an Achilles injury in Buffalo's 28-point win against the Dolphins, linebacker Matt Milano (knee) and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (pec) went down, Milano for the season and Jones for a good chuck of it, if not all of it.
The Bills came into the season with perhaps as much depth on defense as any team in the NFL, but it's just awfully difficult replace your best cornerback, best linebacker and one of your top defensive linemen.
The Milano loss was particularly big because he was the heart and soul of that defense — and he had a big game against the Dolphins in Week 4.
The Dolphins, of course, have played all season so far without All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, but they will get back at some point. Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips has missed three of the first five games with injuries, but he should be back soon (maybe as early as this week).
Bottom line is that Bills defense that proved so tough to solve for the Dolphins nine days ago won't look the same when Buffalo comes to Hard Rock Stadium in Week 18.
CHIEFS CHUGGING ALONG
Along with the Dolphins, the Kansas City Chiefs stand as the other team in the AFC with a 4-1 record through five games and the defending Super Bowl champion now have won four in a row still without looking as dynamic as they did last season (or as the Dolphins have).
The Chiefs left Minnesota with a 27-20 victory Sunday after holding off two late Vikings drives, the first one thanks to a problematic no-call on CB Trent McDuffie on fourth-and-12 when he clearly grabbed rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison's jersey with both hands before the ball arrived.
While the Chiefs certainly seem to be on the right side of key questionable calls lately, they're also winning because they continue to thrive on third down (9-for-15 Sunday, NFL-best 51.5 percent on the season) and their defense is now a top 10 unit.
That's the challenge that will await the Dolphins in Germany on Nov. 5.
RAVENS RECEIVERS DROP THE BALL
There likely would have been another 4-1 team in the conference, if not for the Baltimore Ravens receivers' inability to make simple catches in their 17-10 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lamar Jackson had a statistically poor day in that game when he went 22-for-38 for 236 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, but ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky counted eight drops on plays that would have accounted for "at least 185 yards and three touchdowns."
Among the culprits were Nelson Agholor, who dropped a perfectly thrown sideline pass around the 10-yard line and Rashod Bateman, who let a touchdown pass go through his hands in the end zone.
This isn't something new for Baltimore, which has struggled to find dependable receivers for a while now.
With rookie standout Zay Flowers and Odell Beckham Jr. now part of the cast, the Ravens have to hope this was a one-time disappointment and not a sign of things to come.
In any event, it's something to keep watching ahead of the Dolphins-Ravens matchup in Baltimore on New Year's Eve.
QUICK HITTERS
-- Oof! What else to say about the Patriots after a second consecutive spanking, this one a 34-0 loss against New Orleans? It was the second-worst shutout loss in team history, behind only a 52-0 pounding they took in 1972 at the hands of the "perfect" Dolphins.
-- Yes, Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett got a game ball after the 31-21 victory against the Denver Broncos and Sean Payton, who threw him under the bus in the offseason (actually, ran him over with the bus) in describing the situation he was taking over. More importantly for New York, they made Breece Hall the focal point for the offense and he responded with 177 yards rushing, including a 72-yard touchdown, in the same place his 2022 rookie season ended because of a knee injury.
-- The final score of the Eagles' fifth consecutive victory to start the season didn't do justice to how effective they were on offense. In their 23-14 win at SoFi Stadium, the Eagles were 13-for-18 on third-and-1, the team racked up 454 total yards, Jalen Hurts passed for 303 yards and ran for 72, and WR A.J. Brown and TE Dallas Goedert each had over 100 receiving yards. The offense is just getting better each week, with only the Jets left before the Dolphins travel to Philadelphia for the Week 7 Sunday niight game.
-- Yeah, that Dallas defense that the Dolphins will see Dec. 24 didn't look so hot Sunday night, did it? Then again, it's not like any team has been able to slow down the 49ers, who have scored 30 or more in each of their five games while starting 5-0. San Francisco is playing the kind of football right now teams strive for in the postseason and looks like a team with no weakness right now, and QB Brock Purdy has become the betting favorite to win NFL MVP honors (even though he might not even be the best player on his team).
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