Graphics: Mali
Analysis 1-16 Fallen
Analysis 17-32 Arod
Raiders (5-0): Matigy has beaten three former playoff teams in consecutive weeks by a large margin. The Raiders are PML’s hottest team through five weeks and looking ahead at their schedule, realistically I can see this team finishing up with 14-15 wins on the season. A few touch matchups against division leaders late in the season present possible challenges, especially if the Raiders end up sitting players in anticipation for the playoffs.
Bears (4-1): Remember Gee Scott? The Ohio State tightend that had so much raw athletic potential coming out of the draft, but ended up being a 59 overall? He’s a 77 overall now and has Superstar development. He’s a crucial piece on the Bear’s offense and is a big contributor to their impressive start this season.
Browns (5-0): Tbandit really is a great guy. The Browns were in jeopardy of getting their first loss of the season when a disconnect happened, but instead of playing the remainder of the game, the Bills elected to run it from the top. The game was close, but the Browns secured a close victory. Deshaun Watson’s 12 TD – 2 INT ratio is just as impressive as the Brown’s undefeated start. Watson was heading down a dangerous path before DOC took over as the head coach.
Colts (4-1): JC is clutch and the Colts just find ways to win. In what was their toughest opponent so far this season, the Colts found a way to take a lead late in the game against the Rams. On an offense full of speed, you wouldn’t think that Pittman would outshine the rest, but his three touchdown performance against a pressed defense helped the Colts secure one of their best starts to a season this cycle.
Ravens (4-1): Pay that man. Lamar Jackson is down in the dumps in real life, but Kingke has the former MVP looking like the dual threat sensation that he is. On just 50 carries, Lamar has over 450 rushing yards and is the top 5 in the league. The Ravens are on an impressive 4 game winning streak and they get the 5-0 Browns next week, this matchup could decide the King in the North.
Rams (3-2): Is it wild to say that I expected more out of the Rams this season? I was very intrigued to see how the Ram’s pass defense would be and I’d have never guessed that through 5 weeks, they’d be the 18th best defense against the pass. Despite suffering their 2nd loss of the season, they still lead the division with the 49ers taking a backseat the past couple weeks despite their hot start.
Packers (4-1): The Packers are off to an impressive start and have strung four wins consecutively after a heartbreaking loss to the Bears in week 1. They boast the best rushing defense in the league, but their last four opponents are a combined 6-14. You can only play the schedule your dealt and the Packers have done that spectacularly. I’m very interested in their week 6 matchup against the Giants, it’s a prove it game for both teams.
Cowboys (4-1): The Cowboys should be 5-0. I firmly believe that they would have beaten CEO, so their one loss comes with an asterisk. They are handling business with a rookie quarterback at the helm. I really like their run first approach, but their week 6 opponent boasts the 3rd best rushing defense in the league, so something has to give.
Bucs (3-2): Jacurri Brown has the athleticism to be a baby Lamar Jackson, but I don’t think he’s as gifted as a passer. Regardless, Codes is getting it done and had an impressive victory over the Dolphins this week. Looking ahead, his schedule is peanuts with a few three win teams to face but majority of the remaining schedule(9 games) are against opponents .500 or less. It’s vacation season already in week 5 for the Buccaneers.
Giants (2-3): I know, I know. How can we have a 2-3 team in the top ten, but here is out. The three losses that the Giants have suffered have been by one score, so with the flip of a coin, they could be 5-0. Offensively, they rank in the top 4 for total points per game, total yards, and passing yards. I highly doubt we see the Giants miss the playoffs this season.
Chiefs (3-2): Trevor Lawrence revenge game victory? I think so. Well, Lawrence had a rough game, but Keaton Mitchell ran for over two hundred years and don’t look now, but the Chiefs are second in the division. Mahomes, who? Chiefs kingdom are in great hands with coach Mali at the helm.
Bills (3-2): Flip flop. What are the putting in the water in Buffalo? The Bills are having quite the turnaround this season. A marquee matchup this week against the Browns turned from a win to a loss, but give Tbandit a whole ton of credit for running a disconnected game from the top, considering most coaches in PML wouldn’t.
Patriots (3-2): Nef is on a three game winning streak, despite Caleb Williams throwing 14 interceptions so far this season. Give his team a lot of credit for being resilient enough not to fall into a crippling hole after losing their first two games. The Que Vs Nef verbal face off happens almost daily in the discord, but Nef can prove himself with an upset over the Dolphins in week 6.
Chargers (3-2): How does a team comeback after getting 51 points put up on them in back to back weeks? They come out and get a victory over a division rival. HD could here the bells calling, because another loss to the Broncos this week could have dismantled playoff hopes in LA. 2-8; that’s the record of the teams the Chargers play the next two weeks, so the Chargers could be 5-2 heading into their bye week if they can settle down and string together some wins.
49ers (3-2): What’s going on in San Francisco? Is the pressure of winning far too high for ANT? The 49ers have lost two back to back games against division rivals and they have one of the worst ranked defenses in the league. There’s so much talk about the Dolphins have so much speed on offense, but the 49ers have three wide receivers with 97, 97, and 95 speed on their starting offense. Trey Lance should be having a field day out there each week.
Titans (3-2): In a wide open AFC South, the Titans have heard the call and have strung together three consecutive wins. However, to seriously contend, there has to be some improvement on offense. Malik Willis leads the team in rushing yards, but with Robinson converting from Punter to starting Halfback, expect to see him putting up 100+ yard games in no time.
Bengals (2-3): Suddenly for the first time this cycle, Cammy is the odd-man out of a competitive divisional race between the Ravens and the Browns. With little margin for error, the Bengals must put up W’s and they have a very good chance this week as the winless Steelers come into town.
Seahawks (2-3): I wouldn’t be too concerned yet because the cream always rises in the end. He’s shown the ability to bounce back after falling behind the standings early. Z knows what needs to be done to fix things, and I anticipate them getting back to .500 this week before a true vs the Colts week 7.
Texans (2-3): There was a lot of talk from Drama on beating Bubba this past week. And we took it as just that, talk. Things aren’t looking up for the Texans right now as Kyler Murray serves the 2nd game of his 2 game suspension, right in time as they head into Los Angeles to play DK and the Rams. Things could get very very ugly in LA.
Vikings (2-3): Don’t look now but the Vikings are a game out of .500 and seem to be making it interesting in the lower end of the wildcard picture if they can continue to pull out victories. Cade Klubnik seems to have gained the confidence of coach CEO and should hold onto the starting job for the time being.
Eagles (2-3): CB starts a 3 game stretch against his NFC east peers with a 23-18 loss to the Cowboys. These were the stretches of the schedule that will ultimately hold the Eagles back from a wildcard push if they cannot squeeze out a few victories in divisional play.
Jets (2-3): Patrick Mahomes threw 4 interceptions in the blowout loss to the Bengals. He was brought into New York so the Jets would compete and win against teams like the Bengals and Ravens. It just hasn’t been the case as Fallen continues to figure out ways to effectively use Mahomes. Luckily they’re a game out of first place, but unfortunately, the Colts are coming into town.
Dolphins (2-3): A team that once graced the cover of our power rankings, continues to fall down the ladder and now under .500. We’ve gotten to the point in Miami that Que’s new arch nemesis is Nef and the Patriots. Has Que sunk, or has Nef improved? Hype Mike’s Masked article tried to answer that but the question is still out there. Get your popcorn ready people, this will be a great one to watch week 6 as the two collide. The question will be answered… for the time being.
Saints (2-3): So much Burn bashing this week on a few platforms. But is it warranted? The Saints sit at 2-3 heading into their bye week, Stroud is protecting the football, and best of all, the Saints only sit a game out of the division. Tough part is Burn thinking what-if going into the bye week as they dropped a close one to the Falcons that would have put them above .500 and first place. What if…
Cardinals (2-3): The Harold Perkins led defense now ranks 1st in PML in total yards given up. The Zach Wilson led offense ranks 26th in points. If somehow we could get these two stats a little bit closer, we could create the perfect formula in Arizona for some winning football. Nevertheless, a big divisional win vs the 49ers as Dlloyd looks to keep momentum heading into Seattle.
Broncos (1-4): Things got ugly in Denver this past week. How ugly? HD high stepping on interceptions ugly. Yup, you know that pretty much sums things up for week 5. Simpson was pulled after 4 interceptions and Russell Wilson injected some life into the offense. I think the rookie GM needs to move on from a year 4 project QB and go with the proven winner before it gets too late. Just my two cents.
Jaguars (1-4): Browns at 3 and Jaguars at 27, and no this isn’t bizarro world folks. This is the current state of PML. The AFC which normally flows through Jacksonville, is now suddenly up for grabs, or is it? Justin Fields returns this week and hopefully so does winning football for the Jaguars.
Commanders (1-4): Another top user suddenly sitting near the bottom is Wimmy and the Commanders. Sam Howell looked like Kenny Pickett season 1 out there throwing 6 interceptions and totally stinking up the field. The Commanders rank in the bottom 3 of most offensive statistical categories, but their defense is just about top 2 in a bunch. The defense needs to call a meeting with Howell and hold him accountable for his play as he is on pace for 56 interceptions this season, surely putting a strain on the team.
Falcons (1-4): Winning football is back in Atlanta! Greeny leaned a bit more on Ridder, and bit less on Taylor. Interesting, but it worrked. As I usually say, its never too late in the NFC south. Win a few games and boom you’re back in the thick of things. Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves though. Greeny has it tough after the bye as the Rams and Bucs are on the schedule out the gate.
Panthers (1-4): Things continue to go south in Carolina until Richarson returns. They will continue to navigate through their schedule with the Bucs, Cowboys, and Bills upcoming. Would trading McCaffrey before the deadline and focusing on the development of Donaldson be off the table?
Lions (1-4): The Lions continue to play with fill-in players on the offensive side of the ball. But again, it is nobody’s fault but their own. It would have been nice to see this dynamic offense playing together, as LQ finally built what he needed to compete in the division. Another what if moment. Seems to be the theme today.
Steelers (0-5): And rounding out the list are your boys the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is very difficult for myself week after week to find new ways to beat myself over the head as best I could. The team flatlined against the Vikings, showing little to no fight early. I mean what more can I say at this point. DeAndre Hopkins signing looks to be a complete bust as he has 2 catches on the season taking a backseat to rookies Helm, Stewart, and FA signing Moore.
