Ken Hawk's Tuesday Morning Quarterback - Week 5

Week 5 of the NFL season comes to a close and Coach Hawk, who goes 13-1 (his only loss due to his mandatory upset pick) in his picks this week, is all over the X's and O's in this edition of Tuesday Morning QB.
The defending champs hit a three game losing slump upon falling to the Chargers Sunday Night. Rusty has been the word people have been using for the Steelers this season but I struggle to see what is really happening here; the offense hasn't been consistent in it's running or receiving, even with the veterans like the great Hines Ward there's dropped passes and people failing to come up with the ball. In the past three games Ben has thrown 0 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Overall it looks like there's a loss of confidence on both sides of the Pittsburgh game and I'm really hoping this team can pull itself out of this hole; this is far from the club that took down Cincinnatti, Indianapolis and Denver on its way to the Super Bowl.
At the same time, San Diego looked GOOD. Despite a slow start Philip Rivers gave doubters a show by tearing through a physical Pittsburgh defense. I'm interested in seeing more of Rivers, though you have to give him credit for the primetime performance on Sunday, but the strength of the Chargers run game and the stiff defense has convinced me over the past several weeks. Last week, I didn't take away from the Chargers after that loss, and at the moment, I am thinking San Diego might be the best looking team in the AFC. It isn't about records or win streaks, its all about substance.
Elsewhere the Giants returned from their bye week to hold the Redskins to a field goal in their victory. After three declining performances I was thinking my original NFC Super Bowl pick was a bust. The criticism amongst the team and staff following that loss to the Seahawks wasn't quite at mutiny, but it made news, and that got louder. From the way the Giants handled things yesterday it appears these ripples have been settled for the time being. It will take a few weeks to see how this NY team will move ahead.
Indianapolis ended up with the win at the end of the day yesterday but their defense's performance over the season isn't fooling anyone, the rigid shield that the Colts amassed last year after years of problems with the D is simply not there anymore. Not to take away from the Titans, at all, who shut down the Indianapolis offense for a good slice of the game. And not too bad for a team who suffered such a humiliating round against Dallas last week, how about Young's TD run there? It's too bad there's some poor decision making here, maybe the Titans could pull it together in the next few years.
Indianapolis hasn't really clicked for me lately. You will see peoples power rankings each week (which I think would be a awesome thing to implement at this site) where the winners rise and the losers drop, and I mean, what the hell is that? Don't be fooled by the buzz, this is not the way to look at things, why do you think these guys move their #1 teams and apologize every week? Honestly, the Colts defense problems have stuck with me for weeks, and yesterday was enough for me to take them down a notch in my personal power rankings. This is a great team, but the defense problems will expose them this season. There are better rounded teams out there. Upcoming contests against the Redskins, Broncos, and Patriots will test that undefeated record of the Colts.
As a Chicagoan, and as a fan of the game, I was very impressed by the Bears' victory over the Bills. There is much talk out there of "the best team in the league" and already there are Bears fans buying Super Bowl tickets, and while I agree the Bears have found a successful offensive attack while holding one of the most vicious defenses in the league, I'm interested in seeing a match against a formidable AFC team. The Week 12 game against New England will be interesting. I don't look to be a downer but a voice of common sense with Chicago football fans. Hey, I'm all about the Bears. I love Chicago. The Bears could well be bound to win the NFC, I've been backing them every week! My point: enjoy the ride, but don't support yourself underneath hype you don't understand. There's too many folks reading the papers saying 5-0, hey, the Bears are perfect this year!
Monday night gave us an inside look at one of the breakthrough teams of the season, the Baltimore Ravens, when they headed to Denver for a primetime showdown. For the past few weeks I have been critical of the team's last-minute comebacks that some claim are the makings of a great QB while others simply claim it a bad habit. This was the epitome of a defensive game, you can't take away from either teams D with what an unrelenting contest both gave. In the end, the Broncos would come away with the victory and spoil the Ravens' undefeated season, and we would have some insight into the core of the Baltimore game. My conclusions, the Ravens defense IS that good. They were over Denver all night and only showed some weakness through hesitation and the rushing up the gut (and that TD in the last 2 mins). The talent on the Baltimore D is unquestionable, "unorganized chaos" is actually a fair description. However, I still have my doubts of the Baltimore attack. Steve McNair is a terrific athlete and a great complement to this Ravens team, but I had my doubts early and I hold them now, I do not see this team yet as the one that looks to suprise the AFC. One can't but help reminisce of the 2000 Ravens who took the season by storm despite a lackluster offense however this is a new year, and as I said these past few weeks, last minute luck will only get you so far.