Bleacher Report's Week 5 NFL Awards

The cream is rising to the top in the NFL.

And in 2015, there's more cream than ever before. Through five weeks of the NFL season, six NFL teams remain undefeated. Five pulled out wins Sunday, including an improbable comeback by the Cincinnati Bengals over the two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.

The Elias Sports Bureau (via SportsCenter) says this is the most teams with at least 4-0 records in NFL history.

Of course, that wasn't the only news across the NFL in Week 5. In the NFC East, the New York Giants continued to surge while the Dallas Cowboys continued to stumble. The Detroit Lions fell to 0-5 and benched their starting quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs dropped to 1-4 and lost the heart and soul of their offense.

In a week with no shortage of storylines across the league, there were plenty of performances for eight analysts and lead writers here at Bleacher Report to choose from as the best and worst from Week 5.

Here's what that esteemed group had to say.

Team of the Week

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Cincinnati Bengals (seven votes)

Last year, the Cincinnati Bengals took a 3-0 record into a matchup with the New England Patriots. The Bengals may have been talked up as an AFC contender heading into that matchup, but after a 43-17 drubbing at the hands of the Pats? Not so much.

Well, for a time it looked like deja vu all over again Sunday. The 4-0 Bengals were receiving run as a Super Bowl contender heading into their matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, but down 24-7 in the fourth quarter, it looked like once again the Bengals were going to fail their first true test of the season—miserably.

The thing is someone forgot to tell Andy Dalton and the Bengals, who reeled off 17 unanswered points to tie things up as the final gun sounded, and then three more off the foot of kicker Mike Nugent to prevail 27-24 in overtime.

As Kenneth Arthur of Rolling Stone reported, after years of futility and playoff disappointments, everything finally seems to be turning in the Bengals' favor. Even the planet:

"

Nugent nearly bungled the game-winning kick, but fate would finally be on Cincinnati's side: The ball hit the upright and banged through.

(Well, it might've been fate, but according to Neil deGrasse Tyson, it might've also been the Coriolis effect. Which technically could be the same thing – like Earth saying, "You guys have suffered long enough.")

The Bengals are 5-0 for the first time since 1988. That was also the last time they advanced past the divisional round, and ended with the most "Bengals moment" of all-time, a Joe Montana touchdown pass with 34 seconds left that gave the San Francisco 49ers their third Super Bowl championship. Cincinnati has been trying to recover from that moment ever since.

We won't know for sure if they have until the postseason gets here. The Bengals haven't won a playoff game since 1991, but after seeing everything go in their favor on Sunday, the idea of them actually getting back to the Super Bowl seems like a real possibility. Especially now that even the Earth is rotating in their favor.

"

There's a lot of football to be played, but with each passing week this looks like the year Cincinnati might finally be ready to put those disappointments behind it.

Others receiving votes: Arizona Cardinals (one vote)

Coach of the Week

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Winner: Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals (four votes)

Believe it or not, there is only one head coach in the National Football League who has been in his current job longer than Marvin Lewis has been the head man in Cincinnati.

That coach? Bill Belichick.

Of course, Lewis hasn't exactly enjoyed the postseason success Belichick has with the New England Patriots.

OK, so Lewis hasn't enjoyed any playoff success. Six times the Bengals have made the playoffs under Lewis. Six times the Bengals have been one-and-done.

Lewis has long been a relatively quiet, reserved coach, more prone to coachspeak than fiery sideline tirades. But as Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote, the Bengals have the look of a veteran team that has completely bought in to Lewis' philosophy:

"

On Sunday, the Bengals showed they have It, however you'd like it interpreted. This was a special win, with a chance to be defining. Will the Bengals trip over January again?

No telling. But not likely.

It's not just that the Bengals are winning every game. It's how. They are a coach's cliche dream. They don't give up, they play together, they're rewarded for the work they provide. God love 'em, they're sounding so much like Marvin Lewis, they proclaimed this just another game and swore they were already thinking about their next game at Buffalo.

"

More than once during the Bengals' recent playoff woes has the call for Lewis' head sounded around the Queen City.

No one's asking for it now.

Others receiving votes: Chip Kelly, Philadelphia Eagles (two votes); Mike Pettine, Cleveland Browns (one vote); Hue Jackson, offensive coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals (one vote)

Goat of the Week

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

"Winner:" Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions (six votes)

You know things aren't going well for a football team when all three candidates for Goat of the Week hail from said team.

That's the case for the Detroit Lions in Week 5, compliments of a beatdown by the Arizona Cardinals that not only kept Detroit the only winless team in the NFL one year after making the playoffs, but also resulted in the benching of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Stafford, who leads the NFL in interceptions after tossing three against the Redbirds, has made a ton of money for a quarterback who hasn't won a single playoff game.

Kyle Meinke of MLive.com didn't pull any punches after Sunday's debacle, stating flat-out that Stafford may be the NFL's worst signal-caller at present:

"

His passer rating is a horrific 74.8, which ranks 33rd. Not to get too advanced metric-y, but Stafford is not only dead last in the league according to PFF (out of 37 qualifying QBs), but his grade of minus-16.5 is nearly twice as bad as the next closest guy (Joe Flacco at minus-9.6). In other words: According to the most respected advanced metrics site out there, Stafford has been nearly twice as bad as any other QB in the league. ... So while acknowledging a quarterback's performance hinges on many factors outside his control, there's very little disputing that Stafford is playing some of the worst football in the league at his position right now -- and it would not be a stretch to say he has been the worst. The benching he got against Arizona was well-deserved, and now it will be on him to bounce back in some kind of fashion next week against Chicago.

"

In other words, according to Meinke, when Stafford takes the field against the Chicago Bears, he will be on the short end of the quarterback stick—with Jay Cutler.

Jay Cutler!

Just...ouch.

Others receiving votes: Jim Caldwell, head coach, Detroit Lions (one vote); Detroit Lions offense (one vote)

Rookie of the Week

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Winner: Jaelen Strong, WR, Houston Texans (four votes)

I will confess that I didn't vote for Houston Texans wide receiver Jaelen Strong this week. My vote went to Seattle Seahawks running back Thomas Rawls, the undrafted rookie free agent who gashed the Cincinnati Bengals for over 150 yards on the ground Sunday.

But while I have a vote, I don't make the calls here, and group support for the first-year wideout was, well, Strong.

Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week, folks.

Strong only caught two passes in his first game action of the 2015 season. In fact, the youngster was only targeted twice. But Strong made the most of those grabs, scoring a pair of touchdowns, including a 42-yarder at the end of the first half that evoked comparisons to his "Jael Mary" play to beat USC last year.

Strong's big day may have caught the Indianapolis Colts off guard, but Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports at least one person wasn't at all surprised:

"

"We saw it happen last year, so I was kind of surprised the Colts didn't try to at least cover him," said Alexis Strong from her home in Philadelphia. "Jaelen has always been able to go up for those balls and get them. It's not anything genetic, but his father did that a lot and he was a basketball player. Jaelen did that a lot in high school.

"I'm always amazed when they don't cover him. I'm very proud of him, but I know that play surprised a lot of people. I'm a mom; I always worry about him. But he proves me wrong at every level he goes."

"

As usual, momma knows best.

Others receiving votes: Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams (two votes); Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks (two votes)

Best QB Performance

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Winner: Josh McCown, Cleveland Browns (four votes)

Yes, you read that right. No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.

And yes, we mean Josh McCown, the 63-year-old journeyman starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

OK, so he's 36. Whatever.

Kidding aside, the Baltimore Ravens weren't laughing after McCown torched them for a franchise-record 457 yards in an overtime win by the Browns that dropped the Ravens to 1-4.

Neither was Peter King of the MMQB, who gave McCown his due after the Ravens rallied to tie the score at the end of regulation:

"

Since McCown has taken the reins back, Cleveland has called pass plays on a remarkable 72 percent of the snaps. "When I came here, I was thinking maybe 30 throws a game," McCown said. "But in our quarterback room, we have the attitude that we don't have to be babysitters. We can win the games." On this overtime drive, there was a key third-and-1, and Baltimore expected run. McCown delivered a strike to [Gary] Barnidge for 19 up the seam. That got Cleveland near field-goal range. After nibbling at Baltimore's exhausted defense a little more, the Browns set up for Travis Coons' winning 32-yard field goal.

"

Not for nothing, but in four starts this year McCown is averaging over 300 passing yards a game. He's thrown six touchdown passes against only one interception and sports a passer rating over 100.

That, with a group of pass-catchers that includes such household names as Travis Benjamin, Gary Barnidge and Dwayne Bowe's corpse.

Maybe I should stop making fun of him.

Others receiving votes: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (three votes); Eli Manning, New York Giants (one vote)

Best RB Performance

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Winner: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (six votes)

Back in 2012, Doug Martin piled up over 1,900 total yards as a rookie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Muscle Hamster appeared well on his way toward joining the NFL's elite among running backs.

Then the Martin Express came off the tracks. Two straight injury-marred seasons in which Martin failed to crack 500 rushing yards. A slow start to 2015.

Now, it appears the train may be back on the tracks.

Martin followed up his 106 yards on the ground against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4 with his best game in a very long time—158 total yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Not only did Martin's big day give Lovie Smith his first home win as head coach in Tampa (five games into his second season...that has to help season ticket sales), but as Joe Kania of the team's website shared, it also vaulted Martin to the head of the class at his position:

"

Through the first five games of the 2015 season, Doug Martin has been the top running back in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Martin, who ran for a season-high 123 yards in the Buccaneers' victory over Jacksonville in Week 5, has an overall rating of +11.5, significantly ahead of second-rated Carlos Hyde, who's earned a cumulative grade of +7.1.

"In five games he has posted five consecutive positively-graded performances, and if anything, appears to be getting better as the season progresses," PFF's Sam Monson wrote. "The yardage totals tell a similar story, with his past two outings topping triple digits, and this most recent mark of 123 rushing yards being his best since Week 2 of the 2013 season." ...

"Against Jacksonville, Martin's +4.0 grade was the best mark of his entire career," Monson wrote, "actually eclipsing that epic (251-yard) performance against the Raiders in his rookie year."

"

So what Monson is saying is Martin had a good game.

No argument here.

Others receiving votes: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (two votes)

Best WR Performance

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Winner: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans (four votes)

Want proof the NFL can be weird sometimes?

Both the Rookie of the Week and top performance from a wide receiver in Week 5 (per our panel) hail from a team that didn't even win its game.

The Houston Texans may have come up short last Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, but it certainly wasn't the fault of DeAndre Hopkins. He was a one-game wrecking crew against the Colts, catching 11 passes for 169 yards. It marked the third straight game in which Hopkins reeled in at least eight passes and topped 100 yards.

As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported, it continued a theme for both Hopkins and the Texans:

"

As the last-place Texans' slide continues, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins continues to pile up numbers and has established a torrid pace.

Through five games, Hopkins leads the Texans with 42 receptions for 578 yards and three touchdowns and is having a Pro Bowl-caliber season.

Hopkins is on pace to finish the season with 134 catches for 1,849 yards and nine touchdowns.

"He's done a good job," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said of Hopkins. "He's been a very productive player for us."

"

Of course, this award is probably even less consolation for Hopkins than those stats as the losses continue to mount in Houston.

Others receiving votes: Odell Beckham, New York Giants (two votes); Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers (two votes)

Best TE Performance

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Winner: Gary "The Demigod" Barnidge (seven votes)

As I mentioned earlier, the Cleveland Browns aren't exactly loaded with talent where pass-catchers are concerned. Their leading receiver this season is an eighth-year journeyman tight end who has already set career highs across the board...five games into the season.

That player is tight end Gary Barnidge, who has averaged over 100 receiving yards a game over the past three weeks, with a touchdown grab in each game.

In fact, as Pat McManamon of ESPN.com wrote, it's the touchdown grab in Sunday's win over the Baltimore Ravens that probably got Barnidge the nod as this week's top tight end.

Since Barnidge didn't catch the ball with his hands:

"

Under pressure from the 18-yard line, quarterback Josh McCown threw a 9-iron-like pass to the goal line, where Barnidge and Will Hill jostled for the ball.

The ball dropped through both players' hands and onto Barnidge’s left ankle as he hit the ground. As he lay on his back, Barnidge somehow had the presence of mind to squeeze the ball between his legs, reach down and grab it.

As he did, he fell into the end zone.

"It was a little bit of luck and a little bit of awareness because I felt the ball," Barnidge said. "But a lot of it was luck too."

"

Take a gander at the video that goes with that link, and you'll see why Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine quipped, "I told him on the sideline that if that's not the No. 1 play of the week, then there's something wrong."

And that's why Bleacher Report NFL National Lead Writer Mike Tanier gave Barnidge that nickname.

Others receiving votes: Larry Donnell, New York Giants (one vote)

Best Defensive Performance

Michael Perez/Associated Press

Winner: Fletcher Cox, DE, Philadelphia Eagles (five votes)

He doesn't get the same run as J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans. Or Muhammad Wilkerson of the New York Jets. Or Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals. But in his fourth NFL season, Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles is quietly staking his claim as one of the NFL's best 3-4 defensive ends.

However, as Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice reported, Cox wasn't quiet at all in Week 5. "Fletcher Cox wrecked the Saints offense, collecting six tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery," Kempski wrote. "He has emerged as perhaps the Eagles' best player on the team who can cause havoc from a variety of positions along the defensive line."

It wasn't just arguably the best game of Cox's NFL career. As the former Mississippi State star told Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News, that three-sack outburst was a personal first:

"

Probably never. Not even in college, high school, never. First time I've ever had three sacks in one game. ...

We preach it all the time. No quarterback likes people around their elbows, around their arms. That's always the goal. Instead of going after the big hit, go after the football.

"

Cox may not get the due he should, but this week the spotlight belongs to him.

Others receiving votes: Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks (one vote); Cory Redding, DE, Arizona Cardinals (one vote); Rashad Johnson, FS, Arizona Cardinals (one vote)

Best Decision

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Winner: Tyler Eifert seam routes (three votes)

Ever since Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham took the National Football League by storm in 2011, teams far and wide have searched high and low for their own version of an athletic pass-catcher who can stretch the field and create mismatch nightmares for opposing defenses.

The Cincinnati Bengals hoped to have found just such a player in Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert a few years ago. And in Year 3 of his NFL career, Eifert appears to be coming into his own.

The former first-round pick was a huge part of the Bengals' overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, routinely abusing the vaunted Legion of Boom secondary over the middle.

The result? Eight catches. Ninety yards. Two scores. And the highlight-reel grab that set up the game-tying field goal to force overtime.

Teammate Wallace Gilberry told Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer that Eifert's big day didn't surprise him at all.

"You hear a lot about Gronk. But that kid, he's one of the best tight ends in the business," Gilberry said. "It's so effortless how he catches these balls and gets these yards."

Of course, a player is only as good as the scheme he plays in, and just as he has all season, Cincinnati offensive coordinator Hue Jackson found Eifert could exploit the middle against Seattle and then attacked it mercilessly.

And now the Bengals are 5-0 for the first time since 1988, the last year they played in a Super Bowl.

Others receiving votes: Benching Matthew Stafford (two votes); letting Eli Manning sling it (one vote), handing ball to DeMarco Murray 20 times (one vote); attacking Cary Williams (one vote)

Worst Decision

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

"Winner:" The Detroit Lions showing up for Sunday's game (seven votes)

Fans of the Detroit Lions might want to just skip this slide.

Of course, fans of the Detroit Lions might want to just skip this season. The last time the Lions lost their first five games was 2008. That's the year the team went 0-16.

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press thinks it's time for (another) ground-up rebuild:

"

It shouldn't stop at head coach Jim Caldwell. He's the highest-ranked organizational face that anyone sees. He's the highest-ranked organizational figure at whom reporters can fire questions.

Ford needs to put on notice team president Tom Lewand, general manager Martin Mayhew and every other football employee who has fattened themselves at the family trough for years.

Firing Caldwell accomplishes nothing unless Lewand and Mayhew join him in the unemployment line. It's crazy singling out the head coach without holding those who hired him equally responsible.

The Lions simply aren't as talented as many thought.

Yes, Caldwell must be blamed. He hired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. He has stuck by him. The Lions' offense stinks. Matthew Stafford resembles a quarterback interested in plotting the next chapter of his NFL career -- for his sake, with another team.

But here's where the Fords have gotten themselves into trouble before. The Lions are in self-preservation mode. It doesn't matter that everyone's falling off the cliff, all that matters now is who best convinces Ford that they've earned a safety net.

And everyone wonders why this franchise remains a joke?

"

Granted, there were variations on a theme. Two voters cited the Lions kicking a field goal against the Cardinals down 35-7. Another said, "Anything Lions-related." Yet another mentioned the "Lions' game plan [and] general existence."

But they all said the same thing. The 2015 Detroit Lions are awful.

Others Receiving Votes: Titans punt three times in Buffalo territory in a one-point loss (one vote)

Player of the Week

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Winner: Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (five votes)

Hey, what did you expect when the Bengals' come-from-behind win was easily the biggest victory of Week 5?

In many ways, Dalton has personified the team he leads in recent years. Sure, Dalton and the Bengals were good enough to win some 1 p.m. games, enough to make the playoffs even. But when the sun went down and the bright lights of prime time or the postseason came on, Dalton and the Bengals faltered.

As Peter King of the MMQB wrote after the team's big win, that hasn't been the case in 2015:

"

The chemistry now is so good in Cincinnati. Dalton (mostly) is kept clean to make the right decisions. His coordinator knows what the quarterback does well, and with the rare exception of the [Rex] Burkhead play, understands defensive concepts of teams he sees as seldom as Seattle well enough to know when he can push the envelope. And Dalton just makes the right decisions and the crisp throws—with the confidence of his team. Cincinnati's 27-24 win in overtime was a tribute to talented people who have worked together long enough to know what works and what doesn't.

"

Dalton told reporters that while Week 5 was just a Sunday in October, he isn't going to dismiss the importance of the team's big comeback.

"It's huge," Dalton said. "We played a really good team. Seattle's going to win a bunch of games. Yeah, they're 2-3 now, but let's see what their record is at the end of the year. This was a big game, because we were facing a good team."

Yes, football is a team sport. But against the Seahawks, Dalton threw for 300-plus yards for the third straight game. He now has 11 touchdowns against only two interceptions. Against arguably the best secondary in the National Football League, Dalton posted a passer rating of over 95.

Say what you will about Dalton's past. In the present, he's playing as well as any signal-caller in the NFL.

Others receiving votes: Travis Coons, K, Cleveland Browns (one vote); Fletcher Cox, DE, Philadelphia Eagles (one vote); Josh McCown, QB, Cleveland Browns (one vote)