NFL Week 5: 10 Biggest Winners and Losers

With Week 5 of the NFL season nearly over, it's time to look at who played well and who had games that they would like to forget.

Adrian Peterson shined for the Minnesota Vikings, while Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggled mightily in Week 5 action.

Here are the biggest winners and losers of this past weekend's slate of games.

Winner: Dwayne Bowe

Chiefs wideout Dwayne Bowe had a huge day for his team on Sunday.

The Pro Bowl receiver led the team with seven receptions for 128 yards and two TDs in Kansas City's win against the Colts.

He also had an amazing tip-touchdown catch with a defender draped all over him.

Bowe is on his way to another Pro Bowl this year, as he is now has over 400 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the season

Winner: Victor Cruz

Not only did he have a great game, but receiver Victor Cruz had one of the best catches in New York Giants history versus the Seahawks Sunday.

After a long Eli Manning pass where Cruz was being double-teamed, the ball was tipped up into the air, only to see the Giants wideout grab it with one hand and run to pay-dirt for the 68-yard touchdown.

He also added seven more catches for 93 yards on the afternoon.

The former UMass star is really making a name for himself as a reliable target for Eli Manning this season.

Winner: Adrian Peterson

All-Day Adrian Peterson was on display against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The All-Pro running back had 29 carries for 122 yards and three TDs in the Vikings win.

He helped wear down the Arizona defense, providing a lift for his struggling quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Surprisingly, it was only his second 100-yard rushing game of the 2011 season.

Winner: Nick Barnett

Nick Barnett had arguably the best individual defensive performance in the league for Week 5.

To say that he was everywhere for the Buffalo defense on Sunday would be a large understatement.

The Bills linebacker had three tackles and two interceptions, including one he brought back 31 yards for a touchdown in the first half against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Because of his defensive effort, the Bills were able to beat the Eagles, dropping the "Dream Team" to 1-4 on the season.

Big Winner: Arian Foster

I doubt that you could find a bigger individual winner than Arian Foster in Week 5.

The Texans back had 184 yards from scrimmage, including 116 yards in the passing game.

Although he wasn't able to find the end zone versus the Oakland Raiders, he did a great job of keeping Houston in it by making play after play.

He also appears to back to his old form after a nagging hamstring injury sidelined him for much of the offseason and early season.

Loser: Kevin Kolb

Cardinals QB Kevin Kolb struggled mightily against the Vikings on Sunday.

He completed 50 percent of his passes for 232 yards, while throwing two interceptions and coughing up a fumble as well.

Kolb has to play better for Arizona to have any chance of success in the future.

Loser: Josh Freeman

Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman had one of the worst games of his career Sunday.

He only completed just over percent of his passes for 187 yards and threw two INTs to go along with zero TDs on the day.

The 49ers defense gave him fits all day, as he was never able to get in a rhythm against San Francisco.

Loser: Bucs Defense

Along with their QB Josh Freeman, the Tampa Bucs had a terrible day on defense against the 49ers in Week 5.

They gave up 48 points and over 400 total yards of offense in a laugher against San Francisco.

Maybe worst of all, they gave up 213 yards on the ground, including 125 to running back Frank Gore.

The Bucs will have to somehow pick up the pieces and just try to forgot about this bad loss altogether.

Loser: Kyle Orton

Denver Broncos QB Kyle Orton is slowly losing grip on his starting job.

The former Purdue star was benched in favor of the polarizing second-year QB Tim Tebow after another rough first half versus San Diego..

Orton was just 6-of-13 for 34 yards and an interception against the Chargers.

The clock is ticking on Orton, and things are quickly going downhill for the Broncos starter.

Big Loser: Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are by far the biggest loser in Week 5 of the current NFL season.

They became the first time to go 0-5, after losing to the 2-3 Chiefs on Sunday.

I realize that the All-Pro and universe QB Peyton Manning has yet to play for the 2011 season, but there is no excuse for Jim Caldwell's team to be winless after the first five weeks of action.

Unless the team is able to defy all expectations and turn things around soon, it is looking to be a very long season for the Indianapolis Colts in 2011.