The NFL has completed Week 5 of the NFL season and there were plenty of decisions that needed to be made when it game to naming the Gamers & Lamers.
Currently there are nine teams who have one win or less at this point in the season while there are only six teams who already have four wins. While the NFL prides itself on parity, this may a season where it fails to live up to the myth.
The leading cause for this appears to be linked with the offensive side of the ball. Of the top ten scoring teams, who average more than 25 points per game, all of the teams have winning records. When you look at the top ten teams who allow the least amount of points, only 8 have a winning record.
Kyle Orton
Maybe he is not the flashiest quarterback in the league, but one thing is for sure. Orton can get it done. While leading the Denver Broncos to a 5-0 record, he has completed 63% of his passes for 1,236 yards with 7 touchdowns and 1 interception. It looks like Chicago did have a quarterback before Cutler; they just did not know it.
St. Louis Rams
This team is going to make a serious run at the 2008 Detroit Lions record of 0-16. They have less than a handful of winnable games on their schedule. This happens when you defense gives up 29.2 points per game while your offense can only muster 6.8 yards per game.
Cedric Benson
Yes, there were some out there who thought Benson would have a decent season with the Bengals in 2009. No one expected him to be the leading rusher in the NFL after Week 5. Benson has averaged 4.4 yards per carry while totaling up 487 yards. Though it will be hard for him to keep Adrian Peterson at bay, it is still good to see him succeeding.
Derek Anderson
Though Anderson was at the helm when the lowly Browns won the first game of the 2009 season, he had little to do with it. Anderson completed 2 of 17 passes for 23 yards with 1 interception. Though he had a QB rating of 15.1, the Browns still won the game.
The Miami Dolphins
Everyone had the Dolphins dead in the water after starting the season 0-3. They silenced their critics with two straight wins without their leader Chad Pennington. So much for Wildcat going the way of the Dodo bird. The Phins running game combined with the Wildcat formation has helped fuel the wins and allowed them to rush for 401 yards.
Josh McDaniels
Yes we know you won the game and I do like enthusiasm in a coach. But it is a little bit early to go running around like you won the Super Bowl. There is still a long way to go in the 2009 season and a lot could happen. You have to be worried for McDaniels if he does find success in the playoffs, he may have a heart attack celebrating.
