Tuttle’s Takes: Week 5’s offense and quarterbacks

By Emily Tuttle

There is quite possibly nothing that tests your patience more than watching football with someone who doesn’t understand the nuances of the game. Your team is losing, and suddenly, they are saying things like, “Why doesn’t the runner go where there are no people?”

But in week 5, even the most casual football fans could turn on a game and be enthralled with the action. Their eyes glued to the screen, games like the Ravens and Bengals fighting back and forth into overtime, would captivate them.

Offense is back.

Week 5 in the NFL was filled with excitement: game-winning drives, high-scoring games and flashy finishes.

Here are some highlights:

Falcons beat Buccaneers 36-30

Vikings beat Jets 23-17

Bears beat Panthers 36-10

Commanders beat Browns 34-13

Ravens beat Bengals 41-38

Broncos beat Raiders 34-18

Giants beat Seahawks 29-20

Cowboys beat Steelers 20-17

Chiefs beat Saints 26-13

Offensive Firepower:

The offensive thrill started from the driver’s seat. Nine quarterbacks totaled over 330 yards this week, the most QBs to do so all season.

On Thursday night, 36-year-old veteran Kirk Cousins led the charge. My mom would be proud; she tends to root for anyone in the league who is a Christian.

But my mom wasn’t the only one impressed with Cousins’ performance on Thursday. He was in prolific form against the Bucs, totaling 509 yards and four touchdowns. Cousins spread the ball to various receivers and kept the Bucs defense on its toes. I would dub this a career performance for Cousins. 

Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, two of the best in the league, dueled it out in a division matchup. Last week, Borrow said he needed to be “near perfect” to beat the Ravens. His 392-yard, five-touchdown performance was just about as close to perfection as possible, yet it was not enough. After a missed field goal on a faulty hold and conservative play-calling in overtime, the Ravens outfought the Bengals in a thriller. 

The Bengals are now 1-4, their season on the brink of disaster. Will they be able to turn it around?

You just might be in trouble:

But the Bengals aren’t the only team falling down the rankings.

As predicted, the Steelers were not able to sustain their undefeated start. They have lost two straight and are starting to look like every past Steelers team: mediocre. With just 226 total yards against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, they struggled to move the ball and couldn’t capitalize on the ‘Boys three turnovers.

This is much to my chagrin—I really hate the Cowboys.

Stepping down the AFC North rankings, the Browns look like one of the worst teams in the league. It might be better to nix the entire team and start from scratch.

I mean, it’s that bad. 

Quarterback Deshaun Watson is getting worse every week, with a fumble and interception against Jayden Daniels and the Commanders, who keep getting better. Their offense would make even a casual football fan want to gouge their eyes out, as they completed only one of their thirteen third-down attempts and bogged down their offense with nine penalties.

Aaron Rogers is starting to look like he should be watching the game from his couch instead of leading the Jets’ offense. He struggled with accuracy against the Vikings, completing only 53.7% of his passes and tied a career-high with three interceptions.

And would the Patriots just play Drake Maye already?

Things that make me smile:

The Jaguars picked up their first win on Sunday over the Colts as Trevor Lawrence threw for a career-high 371 yards and two touchdowns. The Jags also joined the offensive trend of week 5, with the well-rounded offense scoring 37. This game was another thriller, and Lawrence came up clutch in the fourth quarter when the Colts couldn’t find a way to stifle the offense.

In today’s NFL, if you give up consecutive big plays, even to a winless team, you’re in a nearly impossible hole to climb out of.

Against the Raiders, the Broncos’ Patrick Surtain proved why he deserved his 96 million-dollar extension last month. He had two interceptions, one being a 100-yard pick-six. 

I saw Surtain in a bakery in New York City a few years ago. Taking my focus off my excellent peanut butter cookie, I saw a bunch of college-aged guys gathering around the athlete for a picture. I didn’t know who he was then, and we had to ask the guys after Surtain left.

That said, I feel a strange connection to him now—like he’s a real person, just with much more money than I’d ever hope to have—so I like to see him succeed.

Success was everywhere in week 5, and it was fun. I might have had a fun day watching football because the Eagles were on a bye.

But the pain will return next week, so let’s hope your team and mine avoid it.

Emily Tuttle is a sophomore journalism major and the sports editor for Cedars. She is passionate about Philly sports, weight lifting, and all things silly.