Dolphins 17, Bengals 13: A wide receiver away from a very good football team
After back-to-back overtime losses, there had to be a thought in the back of the mind of Dolphins fans that their favorite team was going to find a way to blow another winning opportunity. They didn't though, and moved to 2-3 with a 17-13 victory that featured much more successful offense than the score indicated.
The Dolphins banged their heads against a wall some by continuously trying to find success on the ground, running 35 times for an average of 1.9 carries. Where they found success, though, was through the air. Had Ryan Tannehill had a legitimate No. 1 receiver to throw to, the result could've been much lopsided. Several dropped balls stunted the offense and ended drives.
For that exact reason, the Dolphins have to make acquiring a top receiver a priority in the offseason. Perhaps, the only need that could persuade Miami to pass on one of the elite wide receivers that will likely enter the 2013 NFL Draft is another pass rusher to pair with Cameron Wake.
However, that need may be a bit overblown as the new 4-3 defense in Miami ranks No. 1 in rushing defense and No. 7 in sacks. It was three turnovers forced by the Dolphins defense that truly proved to be the difference maker in Week 5.
With a home game against the Rams, the Dolphins have an opportunity to enter the bye week with a .500 record and put themselves in the thick of an AFC East that features two very poor teams with the Jets and Bills.
Bears 41, Jaguars 3: Things are bad for Jacksonville. Everything is.
Everything is very bad for the Jaguars and barring a extreme turn-around, the clock for the whole front office is ticking.
If things do not improve, there is little doubt that new owner Shahid Khan will have no choice but to fire general manager Gene Smith. With Smith out, so too will Mike Mularkey and Blaine Gabbert likely follow. It's not all Gabbert's fault and anyone saying so is over-exaggerating the second year quarterback's role in the collapse that happened against the Bears, but to say he's not a problem is also a fantasy.
The Jaguars are facing the growing reality of a complete over-haul that has fans evaluating just who exactly is worth keeping around. How many players can you say are "must keeps" in the case of an over-haul?
Maybe 10?
Against the Bears, the sole player that continued to inspire hope offensively was Eugene Monroe. Facing one of the NFL's best pass rushers, Julius Peppers, he again eliminated a defense's best pass rusher entirely from the stat book. Peppers' sole contribution in the game was recovering a fumble that bounced straight to his feet. No sacks. No tackles even.
Other than that, everything on offense was bad and a defense that ranked No. 6 in the NFL in 2011 continued to look ineffective against both the run and pass.