Monday 31 October 2016 15:49, UK
Neil Reynolds discusses the week five talking points as Tom Brady returns to action, the Colts win the week after London and Atlanta show they are for real.
The NFL has lost some of its star power this season with players such as Adrian Peterson, JJ Watt, Tony Romo, Sammy Watkins and Dez Bryant gone for extended periods of time.
And week five also saw Carson Palmer out of action for the Arizona Cardinals and Cam Newton on the sidelines for Monday's clash between Carolina and Tampa Bay.
But one of the brightest stars in the NFL shone on his return to action and Tom Terrific leads my six most notable headlines from this week's action.
He's back!
I don't care that it was only against the Cleveland Browns, Tom Brady was simply outstanding and looked like he had never been away while leading the New England Patriots to a 33-13 win.
Brady was sharp and in sync with his receivers from the opening drive of the game and threw for 406 yards and three touchdowns. But what was most evident was how much this man who has already played in six Super Bowls and won four Vince Lombardi trophies still loves the game and has a hunger for even more success.
Brady was clearly having fun on the field but there will be a burning anger beneath the surface over the 'Deflategate' affair and I don't think he will be truly happy this year unless NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has to hand over the Super Bowl crown on that stage at Houston's Reliant Stadium in February.
Falcons are for real
There is a headline I never thought I would be writing this season but it's definitely time to take the Atlanta Falcons seriously. Last week, they put up 48 points in a win over the Carolina Panthers and on Sunday they completed the other half of the Super Bowl 50 finalists double with a 23-16 road victory in Denver.
This was a total team effort. Matt Ryan hit seven different receivers, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman made plays out of the backfield and the defence, which has been the one serious worry through the season's opening month, turned up the heat on rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch, sacking him six times.
Perhaps most impressive was the fact that the Broncos took away wide receiver Julio Jones (two catches for 29 yards) and I would argue that the seven point difference in this result flattered the Broncos. The Falcons were worthy winners and while I am not ready to say they are Super Bowl-bound just yet, they are definite playoff contenders for this season.
Post-Wembley Luck
There were plenty of story-lines around the NFL on Sunday night but one which might sneak under the radar is the significant fact that the Indianapolis Colts ran out 29-23 winners over the Chicago Bears.
The Colts not only became the first team to play the immediate week after an International Series game in London, they won as Andrew Luck threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns. A lot will depend on the feedback given by players and coaches on the quick turnaround, but the Colts did show you can play the week after a game in the UK and get the required result.
That could be big in the eventual placement of a franchise in London because not every team in the UK can take a bye week after playing overseas. So the more times we see teams like the Colts play on back-to-back weekends, the closer we inch towards having a franchise of our own.
Still Romo's team in Dallas?
The Dallas Cowboys are going to have a very nice problem when Tony Romo is fit and healthy at quarterback. I still maintain that it is his team and rookie passer Dak Prescott will make for the sidelines. But how do you bench such a successful quarterback?
Prescott has now won four games in a row and has still not thrown an NFL interception. He has tossed up 155 passes without a pick to start his career - the record is 162 set by Tom Brady in 2000 and 2001.
The young signal-caller is ably-supported by the best offensive line in the NFL and the league's leading rusher in fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott, who had 134 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-14 romp over the Cincinnati Bengals that was more one-sided than the final result would suggest.
Regardless of what they do when Romo is available for selection once more, at least this time around the Cowboys have survived the loss of their starting quarterback. When Romo went down in 2015, the wheels came off and the season was lost. Not this time, thanks to the young rookies in the offensive backfield.
Vikings march on
They may have lost some high-profile players to injury as we have discussed quite a bit already this season, but the Minnesota Vikings are the sum of their parts and a total team. As a result, they are the last undefeated club remaining in the NFL with a 5-0 record.
Sam Bradford continues to play very efficiently at quarterback and threw for 271 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-13 win over the Houston Texans. But the good thing about this team is that Bradford never has to do it alone.
The defence was outstanding once again and special teams contributed through a Marcus Sherels punt return touchdown covering 79 yards. It's very early and there is a long, long way to go… but there is no reason at all why this Vikings team cannot be the NFC representative in Super Bowl 51.
Big Ben strikes again
On a busy Sunday in the Sky Sports studios, the performance of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger never got completely lost, but it probably was overlooked in comparison to Tom Brady's return, the Falcons' dominance in Denver and the Vikings rolling to 5-0.
That is probably a sign of the ridiculously high levels being occupied by the Pittsburgh offence at the moment. Big Ben completed 34 of 47 passes for 380 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in a 31-13 win over the New York Jets and we barely batted any eye. It has become the most enjoyable norm.
Over the past two weeks, Roethlisberger has been playing at an NFL Most Valuable Player level, throwing for 680 yards, nine touchdowns and no picks.
Lots of things change on a week to week basis in the NFL, but the big-play capability of the Pittsburgh attack seems to be one element we can rely on every Sunday. And that makes them a dangerous and genuine Super Bowl contender in the AFC.
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