Week 5: You hip to the jive?

Despite my football fandom taking a backseat to baseball fandom (and with good reason-- H2O <3), I in no way will be shirking on my NFL duties.  Especially when my fantasy teams are really hitting their stride.  Here's a glimpse at the wild (really) week that was:

Going into the season, or even into this week, if you saw the following games on the docket, how many upsets would you be predicting:
Raiders/Chargers
Titans/Cowboys
Cardinals/Saints
Redskins/Packers
Buccaneers/Bengals

Going into the season, you probably would pick NONE of those upsets.  Going into this week, MAYBE you pick the Titans or Redskins, but you're definitely not picking 3 of 5.  Eliminator pools probably dropped like flies here, and the Colts gave us quite a scare.

Speaking of the Colts, how 'bout those top quarterbacks (at least in fantasy)?  Brees, Rodgers, Manning (the good kind), and Schaub average 253 yards (respectable, but not impressive), 0.75 TD, and 1.5 INT.  On the other hand, KYLE ORTON has thrown for at least 295 yards in every game this year.  This is the same Kyle Orton that got beaten out by Rex Grossman for the Bears quarterback job because he didn't make enough plays.  Oops!

How about these little surprises!

-The Chiefs are 3-1, with their only loss being in a low-scoring, close game with the Colts!  Under the not-surprising banner, though, is that Dwayne Bowe has 152 yards and a touchdown through the first 4 games.  He hurts me inside.  Miles Austin and Malcom Floyd both did better THIS WEEK.  I have Bowe in all three of my fantasy leagues, and I think I may have to let him go in two of them.

-After Kurt Warner retired, I don't think ANYONE picked a team other than the 49ers to win the NFC West.  Through 5 weeks, the Rams are two games up on them.  The Rams.  With a rookie quarterback.

- I know they had fallen off in the last couple years, especially defensively, but the Chargers are pitiful.  Going into the season, I think that most people would have guaranteed at least a 5-1 start for the Bolts against the likes of the Chiefs, Jaguars, Seahawks, Cardinals, Raiders, and Rams.  They're 2-3 through the first five, with close losses in away games and blowout wins in home games.  Peculiar indeed...  The teams that they have played through the first five (excluding next week's matchup with the Rams) were a combined 31-49 last year, and that includes a Kurt Warner-led Cardinals team that certainly doesn't have that kind of offensive firepower anymore.

-Brett Favre has a controversy that has nothing to do with him retiring.  If it turns out that he actually did do the sexual-harassment-type stuff that has been suggested, it could pretty much kill any respect that the public has for him, which he lost a lot of over the last few seasons.


Oh, and the Phillies are in the NLCS.  Again.  Eat that, Mets fans.  And Marlins fans.  And Nationals fans.  And Cardinals fans.  And Brewers fans.  And Astros fans.  And Pirates fans.  And Rockies fans.  And Dodgers fans.  And Padres fans.  And Diamondbacks fans.  And Cubs fans.  And soon-to-be Braves fans.