NFL Week 5 Highlights

Vishal Shah ‘18

During the 5th week of the NFL season, there were players who performed amazingly and others who suffered injuries. Specifically, three significant events build anticipation for the remainder of the 2015 season.

One of the most discussed topics has been Jamaal Charles’s injury. Charles, the running back of the Kansas City Chiefs and one of the best in the NFL, tore his anterior cruciate ligament when he attempted to avoid a defender from the Chicago Bears during a game. Before his injury, Jamaal Charles scored seven total touchdowns so far this season; now, the Chiefs’ future success is in jeopardy.

Due to the devastating injury, Jamaal cannot perform for the remainder of the season, and the team now depends more heavily on their new quarterback, Alex Smith. Smith had the best game of all quarterbacks during Week 1; he passed for nearly 250 yards and three touchdowns. After Smith performed extraordinarily well, the expectations were high; however, when he threw zero touchdowns during Week 2, his fans were disappointed.

Audrey Raphaels ’19 remarks, “I think that after the injury of Jamaal Charles, Smith will definitely get more passing yards, but he cannot be compared to other quarterbacks.” While Charles’ injury was devastating, the Chiefs will have to place their trust in Smith for the remainder of the season.

While the Chiefs experienced ups and downs in their first few weeks of the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns celebrated their quarterback Josh McCown’s extraordinary performances. McCown threw two touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown himself during Week 5. During his win against the Ravens, McCown threw no interceptions and managed to throw for more than 450 yards, a new season record for him. Although the Browns may have a losing record, their recent improvement may result in an impressive season as its team members demonstrate success on the playing field. Browns running back Isaiah Crowell also ran for 89 yards and scored a touchdown against the Lions. Wide receiver Travis Benjamin scored two touchdowns and ran over 100 yards in Week 2. Due to these players’ skilled performances, expectations have increased for the Browns, who will be closely watched the remainder of the season.

Finally, the Atlanta Falcons runner Devonta Freeman performed outstandingly for the past few weeks.  While Freeman only achieved one touchdown and 106 receiving yards during Week 2, he played exceptionally well when the starting running back, Tevin Coleman, was injured. Freeman has built up an impressive reputation among the Falcons. In Week 3, Freeman had the greatest game of his career, rushing 141 yards, receiving over 50 yards, and reaching the end zone three times. There were doubts on whether he could repeat such an impressive performance. Surprisingly, in the next week, Freeman scored four more touchdowns.

As Coleman recovers from his injury, the anticipation for Freeman’s performance remains extremely high for the weeks to come. Dylan McCauley ’18 suggests, “I think the Falcons would have a marvelous season with the combination of the excellent performance made by both Tevin Coleman and Devon Freeman.”