Wednesday 14 October 2015 15:17, UK
Neil Reynolds analyses six NFL talking points from Week 5, including, the Cowboys big defeat, Andy Dalton's impressive form for the Bengals and the Broncos brilliant defense.
There's a famous old saying in American sports that "it ain't over until the fat lady sings." Well, the larger-than-life lady was warming up her vocal chords several times on Sunday but was stopped short of breaking into song on a night of dramatic comebacks.
We should be used to such wild Sundays but this one was breathtaking even by NFL standards as Cincinnati came from 17 down to win, Cleveland trailed by 12 and beat Baltimore, Chicago were 11 down before beating Kansas City and Buffalo dug themselves out of a 10-point hole to overcome Tennessee.
So let's take a look at six storylines that caught the eye in NFL Week 5.
Bengals pass a big test
There has been a lot of talk about the Cincinnati Bengals and their form in the first month of the 2015 season. The Bengals have been outstanding but there has still been a fair amount of chatter centred on Andy Dalton's winless playoff record and a seeming inability to win big games.
Well, Sunday was a big game with the reigning NFC champion Seahawks rolling into Cincinnati. And it appeared as if the Bengals were going to fail their test as they fell behind 24-7 in the fourth quarter. This was the kind of scenario where the stage previously appeared too big for Dalton and the wheels fell off.
But not on this Sunday. Dalton dragged the Bengals back into the game by throwing and running for fourth-quarter touchdowns before landing a late field goal to send the contest into overtime. The Bengals ended up winning a massive contest on Mike Nugent's 42-yard field goal to send the AFC North club to 5-0 for just the third time in franchise history.
There is a lot to like with these talented Bengals but most impressive on Sunday was the way they dug themselves out of trouble against a high-quality opponent in the Seahawks.
McCown stars for Cardiac Kids
Over the last couple of years, the Cleveland Browns have been far from perfect, but they have been pretty exciting to watch. That was the case during the 2014 season and they have started out in a similar vein in 2015.
Last week, the Browns lost a 30-27 thriller to the San Diego Chargers. But on Sunday evening, the 'Cardiac Kids' came out on the right end of things with a 33-30 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. That in itself was notable because the Ravens had won 13 of the previous 14 meetings between the AFC North rivals.
Josh McCown was the star of the show for the Browns as he hit on 36 of 51 pass attempts for 457 yards and two touchdowns. And Cleveland might have found themselves an emerging star in the form of tight end Gary Barnidge, who caught eight passes for 139 yards and the most incredible touchdown catch you will see all season long as he trapped a McCown throw between his ankles before rolling into the end zone.
Frustration for Jaguars
With the Jacksonville Jaguars committed to playing regular season games in the UK each season, Gus Bradley's men have a growing fan base on these shores. And that fan base must be extremely frustrated as what was supposed to be a season of progress is turning into another long and miserable campaign.
The Jags fell to a disappointing 38-31 loss at the hands of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that was riding an 11-game home losing streak. It seems to me that these Jags cannot get a complete performance and need to learn how to win.
Last week, Jacksonville's defense showed up big time in a loss to Indianapolis, but the offense got really bogged down in the second half. This week, Blake Bortles exploded with 303 passing yards and four touchdowns but the defense capitulated when facing rookie quarterback Jameis Winston.
And it does seem as if Jacksonville cannot handle success. They led 24-23 in the second half but when Carey Grant fumbled near his own goal-line and Jacquies Smith recovered for a touchdown. The Bucs never looked back and Jacksonville lost another game they could very easily have won to fall to 1-4 on the season.
Cowboys in trouble
When Tony Romo went down with a broken collarbone in a Week 2 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, we talked in the Sky Sports studios about how the Dallas Cowboys just needed to survive without their star passer.
With Romo on the sidelines for approximately 10 weeks, we spoke about the Cowboys scratching out a 5-5 record during that time and merely positioning themselves for a playoff run when their stars returned to the fray.
That plan is not working out so well because after Sunday's 30-6 hammering at the hands of the New England Patriots, the Cowboys have lost three in a row without Romo and while he is short on help at the skill positions, Brandon Weeden is not getting the job done.
American football is the ultimate team game but Dallas - who are missing Romo and Pro Bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant - are proving that you also need your superstars to be truly successful.
Cardinals stomp all over Lions
The Arizona Cardinals got back on track after suffering their first loss of the season last weekend and they did so with a 42-17 hammering of a worryingly-poor Detroit Lions team.
Carson Palmer threw another three touchdown strikes for the free-scoring Cardinals. As for the Lions, they looked every inch the worst team in the league and it was a rough night for quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was intercepted three times before being replaced by Dan Orlovsky.
It is shocking how bad the Lions have become so quickly after making the playoffs a year ago. They are the biggest disappointment of this season to date and head coach Jim Caldwell must be feeling his seat getting warmer by the minute.
Better late than never
The Denver Broncos improved to 5-0 on the season with another hard-fought win that was built with defense. With Peyton Manning continuing to struggle, the Broncos ground out a 16-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders that was cemented with a 75-yard interception return touchdown by Chris Harris.
That's the good news for the undefeated Broncos. Now, you can call me a pessimist if you like, but all I could think of while watching the Broncos remain undefeated on Sunday evening was that this defense has come two years too late.
Manning could have used this defense in 2013 when he was leading one of the best offenses in NFL history. With this defense and that offense, maybe Denver would have given Seattle for more of a game in that New York Super Bowl? Now, the Broncos have a Super Bowl calibre defense but I'm not sure they have a quarterback they can rely on to take them all the way.
