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NFL teams can do a number of maneuvers to shake things up, but generally there are two moves that will move the earth: a quarterback change and firing the coach.
The New York Jets did the first one Sunday. Rex Ryan is probably aware of the last remaining option if the Jets don't start playing better.
Ryan has been on the hot seat before and saved his job, but this is going to be a tough one to dig out of. The 31-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers is a low point. San Diego played a great game, and the Chargers are looking like a Super Bowl contender (especially if that great performance by rookie running back Branden Oliver is a sign of things to come) but the Jets' incompetence was on full display.
Quarterback Geno Smith struggled again, and he seems to be feeling all the pressure of the position and that market. Ryan yanked him at halftime for Michael Vick, who looked bad too. He was 8-of-19 for 49 yards. The Jets became the first team in the NFL to get shut out this season.
Ryan stated right away after the game that Smith will start next week, but everyone knows the hook will be at the ready if Smith doesn't play better. Smith hasn't shown much development in his second season. The Jets are backsliding as well, ever since a Week 1 win and a big lead against Green Bay in Week 2 which they eventually blew. New York has lost four in a row and its next two are against Denver and at New England.
Ryan and his outlandish personality is great for the game, and he is very good at defensive Xs and Os. But it's hard to believe he would survive a terrible season. It'll be curious if he could survive a 1-6 start, if it comes to that. Smith was already put on the bench during a terrible game. Will Ryan be next?
Here are the rest of the Week 5 winners and losers around the NFL:
WINNERS
Demaryius Thomas: Thomas, the fantastic wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, struggled for the first three games this season. He dealt with drops, which is uncharacteristic. He talked about letting his struggles affect him mentally. That shouldn't be a problem after his performance on Sunday.
Thomas was the NFL's best player in Week 5 (and his quarterback wasn't far behind). Thomas had eight catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. The Arizona Cardinals like to play man-to-man coverage, but Thomas was too much for Antonio Cromartie, who was beaten often.*
Thomas' big game coincided with the Broncos' offense looking exactly like it did in 2013. Peyton Manning threw for a career-high 479 yards. Even though Montee Ball left with a bad-looking groin injury, Ronnie Hillman looked good with 64 yards in relief. Denver had 568 yards, the most the Cardinals have allowed since 1973. It seems like full speed ahead for the Broncos' offense and Thomas.
Cam Newton: Newton never gets enough credit, for whatever reason, but the Carolina Panthers' quarterback deserves plenty for his team's win on Sunday.
The Panthers trailed the Chicago Bears 21-7 early, and the seven points came on a fluky punt return by Philly Brown. Carolina was on a two-game losing streak and was beat up with injuries and Greg Hardy's suspension. That includes Newton, because who knows how much his rib and ankle injuries are really affecting him.
When the Panthers trailed, Newton set the tone for the comeback with a knockdown block on Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.
Newton had 255 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score to tight end Greg Olsen. He played with a lot of poise when the Panthers didn't have many other options. He wasn't the only reason Carolina came back to win 31-24, of course, but he led the way despite his own injuries, when things looked bleak. That's what a leader does.
Colts defense: You'll probably see the "Andrew Luck for MVP" train get more steam this week, and that's fair. But make no mistake, the Indianapolis Colts' defense deserves the game ball for the win against the Baltimore Ravens.
Indianapolis, taking advantage of a Ravens line that was without injured left tackle Eugene Monroe, rushed quarterback Joe Flacco all day. The biggest play came when the Ravens went for it deep in Colts territory on fourth-and-1, and defensive back Sergio Brown sacked him.
Indianapolis is known as a franchise that has Luck and hopes the defense is good enough to support him. If the Colts' defense continues to play as well as it did Sunday, in that big 20-13 win against a hot Ravens team, that perception may change and we might have to start thinking of the Colts as a real AFC contender.
Brandon Lloyd and Dez Bryant: Lloyd and Bryant each made similar fantastic plays for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Along the left sideline, their quarterbacks threw a pass up and they went over the cornerback to catch them. Bryant's play was an enormous third-down catch in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. Lloyd's was an acrobatic leap that came in the fourth quarter when the 49ers were trailing and needed a spark, and that set up a go-ahead field goal.
The only tough part is picking which one was better:
*
Brian Hoyer: Hey, wasn't Hoyer supposed to be replaced by now? By that one guy ... Jimmy Football? Jamie Football? Eh, something like that.
Hoyer is making Cleveland forget about the rookie quarterback waiting in the wings. That's what happens when you lead the greatest comeback for a road team in NFL history, which Hoyer did Sunday in Cleveland's 29-28 win at Tennessee.
I'm not playing the "Hoyer is a winner!" card, because quarterback wins is a made up stat that makes no sense. But Hoyer is playing well and seems to be a good fit for this team, which still lacks receivers. In four games he has 1,008 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, with a 97.7 rating. Not only does Hoyer look good, he has built up enough good games that it would take a fairly long slump for Johnny Manziel to get his shot. And the way Hoyer is playing, it doesn't seem like that prolonged slump is coming soon.
LOSERS
Detroit Lions: On the power rankings after Week 4's games, I got the most feedback last week on ranking the Lions behind the Green Bay Packers. My answer was usually something along the lines of "I just don't trust the Lions yet."
Now you see what I mean.
We could attribute the 17-14 loss to a kicking debacle, with three missed field goals by Alex Henery (who was the Lions' second kicker already this season), and free-agent Jay Feely is certainly ready for his turn in Detroit:
There's something about that locker room that causes the Lions to mishandle success. I was impressed with the win against the New York Jets last week because it looked like they had matured. It was a great follow-up after beating the Packers.
And then, a faceplant.
Not only that, but they had to watch former coach and current Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz get carried around the field by his players.
The kicking fiasco will get a lot of attention, but the Lions had just 263 yards and 13 first downs. The defense couldn't hold an 11-point lead against a Bills team quarterbacked by Kyle Orton. This doesn't happen to elite teams at home. But we should have known better than to wonder if Detroit was elite.
That 12 men on the field penalty against Kansas City: Some mistakes in the NFL can be excused, but not the failure to field the right amount of players for a field-goal attempt.
With a little more than four minutes left, with the 49ers ahead 17-16, the Chiefs had 12 men on the field for a field-goal attempt. Most folks can't run fast enough or aren't big enough to play in the NFL, or know Xs and Os well enough to coach in the NFL, but we all know the difference between 11 and 12.
That error cost the Chiefs two minutes. The 49ers kept possession and drove for a closer field goal. By the time the Chiefs got the ball back there was a little more than a minute to go, and Alex Smith threw an interception. And the Chiefs didn't have enough time at that point to get the ball back.
Maybe the Chiefs lose without that penalty, but it makes no sense how it can happen in the first place.
Jeff Fisher: Fisher is probably a bit lucky the St. Louis Rams had a nice comeback to save face on Sunday because it keeps the Rams coach from having to answer questions about how bad his team is.
The Rams were thrown for a loop by the Sam Bradford injury in preseason, but that's not the only reason this team has looked so bad. The Rams' three losses are all equally ugly: A blowout loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings, blowing a huge lead to lose to Dallas, and falling behind 34-7 at Philadelphia on Sunday before a late rally fell short in a 34-28 Eagles win.
The quarterback situation is not good (although, in spurts, Austin Davis hasn't looked too bad). That doesn't explain why the Rams' talented defense has one sack all season, an unbelievable stat. It doesn't fully explain why the team's offensive playmakers are underused (Tavon Austin has five catches in three games, including just two on Sunday). Bradford isn't exactly Drew Brees, and he's not the entire difference between the high expectations the Rams should have had and what they've actually produced this season.
Fisher has coached 18 full seasons before this one, and has just six winning campaigns. He'll probably survive another losing season because Bradford's injury is a reasonable excuse, but it doesn't seem like the Rams are maximizing what they have under Fisher.
NFC North (except Green Bay): When the Green Bay Packers were 1-2, it seemed like the NFC North would be wide open. And it still is, but only if the other teams start getting out of their own way.
The Vikings looked like a mess on Thursday night. We talked about the Lions already. And the Bears' complete the trifecta of disappointment this week. Chicago led 21-7 against the shorthanded Panthers. When Robbie Gould missed a field goal that would have made the score 24-7, the Bears fell apart.
The Panthers have a good front seven, even without some key pieces playing on Sunday. There's still no excuse for an offense with Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett to score three points in a half, like it did at Carolina. That comes after the Bears were shut out in the second half last week against the Packers, which is even stranger.
Quarterback Jay Cutler didn't play that bad, but he wasn't very good either. Not good enough for someone in his ninth season who is being paid like a franchise quarterback. Something will have to click better for the Bears, who are a disappointing 2-3. Given how Aaron Rodgers is heating up, the rest of the division can't keep letting games slip away.
The New York Jets did the first one Sunday. Rex Ryan is probably aware of the last remaining option if the Jets don't start playing better.
Ryan has been on the hot seat before and saved his job, but this is going to be a tough one to dig out of. The 31-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers is a low point. San Diego played a great game, and the Chargers are looking like a Super Bowl contender (especially if that great performance by rookie running back Branden Oliver is a sign of things to come) but the Jets' incompetence was on full display.
Quarterback Geno Smith struggled again, and he seems to be feeling all the pressure of the position and that market. Ryan yanked him at halftime for Michael Vick, who looked bad too. He was 8-of-19 for 49 yards. The Jets became the first team in the NFL to get shut out this season.
Ryan stated right away after the game that Smith will start next week, but everyone knows the hook will be at the ready if Smith doesn't play better. Smith hasn't shown much development in his second season. The Jets are backsliding as well, ever since a Week 1 win and a big lead against Green Bay in Week 2 which they eventually blew. New York has lost four in a row and its next two are against Denver and at New England.
Ryan and his outlandish personality is great for the game, and he is very good at defensive Xs and Os. But it's hard to believe he would survive a terrible season. It'll be curious if he could survive a 1-6 start, if it comes to that. Smith was already put on the bench during a terrible game. Will Ryan be next?
Here are the rest of the Week 5 winners and losers around the NFL:
WINNERS
Demaryius Thomas: Thomas, the fantastic wide receiver for the Denver Broncos, struggled for the first three games this season. He dealt with drops, which is uncharacteristic. He talked about letting his struggles affect him mentally. That shouldn't be a problem after his performance on Sunday.
Thomas was the NFL's best player in Week 5 (and his quarterback wasn't far behind). Thomas had eight catches for 226 yards and two touchdowns. The Arizona Cardinals like to play man-to-man coverage, but Thomas was too much for Antonio Cromartie, who was beaten often.*
Thomas' big game coincided with the Broncos' offense looking exactly like it did in 2013. Peyton Manning threw for a career-high 479 yards. Even though Montee Ball left with a bad-looking groin injury, Ronnie Hillman looked good with 64 yards in relief. Denver had 568 yards, the most the Cardinals have allowed since 1973. It seems like full speed ahead for the Broncos' offense and Thomas.
Cam Newton: Newton never gets enough credit, for whatever reason, but the Carolina Panthers' quarterback deserves plenty for his team's win on Sunday.
The Panthers trailed the Chicago Bears 21-7 early, and the seven points came on a fluky punt return by Philly Brown. Carolina was on a two-game losing streak and was beat up with injuries and Greg Hardy's suspension. That includes Newton, because who knows how much his rib and ankle injuries are really affecting him.
When the Panthers trailed, Newton set the tone for the comeback with a knockdown block on Bears linebacker Lance Briggs.
Newton had 255 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score to tight end Greg Olsen. He played with a lot of poise when the Panthers didn't have many other options. He wasn't the only reason Carolina came back to win 31-24, of course, but he led the way despite his own injuries, when things looked bleak. That's what a leader does.
Colts defense: You'll probably see the "Andrew Luck for MVP" train get more steam this week, and that's fair. But make no mistake, the Indianapolis Colts' defense deserves the game ball for the win against the Baltimore Ravens.
Indianapolis, taking advantage of a Ravens line that was without injured left tackle Eugene Monroe, rushed quarterback Joe Flacco all day. The biggest play came when the Ravens went for it deep in Colts territory on fourth-and-1, and defensive back Sergio Brown sacked him.
Indianapolis is known as a franchise that has Luck and hopes the defense is good enough to support him. If the Colts' defense continues to play as well as it did Sunday, in that big 20-13 win against a hot Ravens team, that perception may change and we might have to start thinking of the Colts as a real AFC contender.
Brandon Lloyd and Dez Bryant: Lloyd and Bryant each made similar fantastic plays for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Along the left sideline, their quarterbacks threw a pass up and they went over the cornerback to catch them. Bryant's play was an enormous third-down catch in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. Lloyd's was an acrobatic leap that came in the fourth quarter when the 49ers were trailing and needed a spark, and that set up a go-ahead field goal.
The only tough part is picking which one was better:
*
Brian Hoyer: Hey, wasn't Hoyer supposed to be replaced by now? By that one guy ... Jimmy Football? Jamie Football? Eh, something like that.
Hoyer is making Cleveland forget about the rookie quarterback waiting in the wings. That's what happens when you lead the greatest comeback for a road team in NFL history, which Hoyer did Sunday in Cleveland's 29-28 win at Tennessee.
I'm not playing the "Hoyer is a winner!" card, because quarterback wins is a made up stat that makes no sense. But Hoyer is playing well and seems to be a good fit for this team, which still lacks receivers. In four games he has 1,008 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, with a 97.7 rating. Not only does Hoyer look good, he has built up enough good games that it would take a fairly long slump for Johnny Manziel to get his shot. And the way Hoyer is playing, it doesn't seem like that prolonged slump is coming soon.
LOSERS
Detroit Lions: On the power rankings after Week 4's games, I got the most feedback last week on ranking the Lions behind the Green Bay Packers. My answer was usually something along the lines of "I just don't trust the Lions yet."
Now you see what I mean.
We could attribute the 17-14 loss to a kicking debacle, with three missed field goals by Alex Henery (who was the Lions' second kicker already this season), and free-agent Jay Feely is certainly ready for his turn in Detroit:
Waiting for @Lions to call RT @mtaz23 My only question is.. What the hell is @jayfeely up to these days?
— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) October 5, 2014
That would be a fine excuse if this wasn't what the Lions have done time after time.*— Jay Feely (@jayfeely) October 5, 2014
There's something about that locker room that causes the Lions to mishandle success. I was impressed with the win against the New York Jets last week because it looked like they had matured. It was a great follow-up after beating the Packers.
And then, a faceplant.
Not only that, but they had to watch former coach and current Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz get carried around the field by his players.
The kicking fiasco will get a lot of attention, but the Lions had just 263 yards and 13 first downs. The defense couldn't hold an 11-point lead against a Bills team quarterbacked by Kyle Orton. This doesn't happen to elite teams at home. But we should have known better than to wonder if Detroit was elite.
That 12 men on the field penalty against Kansas City: Some mistakes in the NFL can be excused, but not the failure to field the right amount of players for a field-goal attempt.
With a little more than four minutes left, with the 49ers ahead 17-16, the Chiefs had 12 men on the field for a field-goal attempt. Most folks can't run fast enough or aren't big enough to play in the NFL, or know Xs and Os well enough to coach in the NFL, but we all know the difference between 11 and 12.
That error cost the Chiefs two minutes. The 49ers kept possession and drove for a closer field goal. By the time the Chiefs got the ball back there was a little more than a minute to go, and Alex Smith threw an interception. And the Chiefs didn't have enough time at that point to get the ball back.
Maybe the Chiefs lose without that penalty, but it makes no sense how it can happen in the first place.
Jeff Fisher: Fisher is probably a bit lucky the St. Louis Rams had a nice comeback to save face on Sunday because it keeps the Rams coach from having to answer questions about how bad his team is.
The Rams were thrown for a loop by the Sam Bradford injury in preseason, but that's not the only reason this team has looked so bad. The Rams' three losses are all equally ugly: A blowout loss at home to the Minnesota Vikings, blowing a huge lead to lose to Dallas, and falling behind 34-7 at Philadelphia on Sunday before a late rally fell short in a 34-28 Eagles win.
The quarterback situation is not good (although, in spurts, Austin Davis hasn't looked too bad). That doesn't explain why the Rams' talented defense has one sack all season, an unbelievable stat. It doesn't fully explain why the team's offensive playmakers are underused (Tavon Austin has five catches in three games, including just two on Sunday). Bradford isn't exactly Drew Brees, and he's not the entire difference between the high expectations the Rams should have had and what they've actually produced this season.
Fisher has coached 18 full seasons before this one, and has just six winning campaigns. He'll probably survive another losing season because Bradford's injury is a reasonable excuse, but it doesn't seem like the Rams are maximizing what they have under Fisher.
NFC North (except Green Bay): When the Green Bay Packers were 1-2, it seemed like the NFC North would be wide open. And it still is, but only if the other teams start getting out of their own way.
The Vikings looked like a mess on Thursday night. We talked about the Lions already. And the Bears' complete the trifecta of disappointment this week. Chicago led 21-7 against the shorthanded Panthers. When Robbie Gould missed a field goal that would have made the score 24-7, the Bears fell apart.
The Panthers have a good front seven, even without some key pieces playing on Sunday. There's still no excuse for an offense with Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett to score three points in a half, like it did at Carolina. That comes after the Bears were shut out in the second half last week against the Packers, which is even stranger.
Quarterback Jay Cutler didn't play that bad, but he wasn't very good either. Not good enough for someone in his ninth season who is being paid like a franchise quarterback. Something will have to click better for the Bears, who are a disappointing 2-3. Given how Aaron Rodgers is heating up, the rest of the division can't keep letting games slip away.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab