Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #5 - Depleted Pats Face Saints to Stay Relevant

Crowe: The 2023 Season Week #5 - Depleted Pats Face Saints to Stay Relevant

 

That National Emergency Alert test everyone heard earlier this week may have just as well been an alarm locally for your New England Patriots. The boys in Foxboro are 1-3 after being decimated in Dallas, have a confidence issue with starting quarterback Mac Jones, and their top two defensive stars, Matthew Judon (torn biceps) and Christian Gonzalez (torn labrum), are out for the foreseeable future.

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Everything about the organization, from top to bottom, from head coach Bill Belichick to every player on the roster, is being questioned. What Patriots fans thought was a bad offense last year with offensive coordinator Matt Patricia is actually outperforming this year’s offense led by OC Bill O’Brien 16 points to 13 points through four weeks. Yet don’t count head coach Bill Belichick as one who thinks all is lost at 1-3 after losing by 35 to Dallas.

"I said we're better than we were today,” said Belichick after the game when a reporter followed up by asking why, Belichick said. “The last three games we played."

The question is, are they? To stem the tide, New England traded for former Pats cornerback JC Jackson from the Chargers. He’s the same guy they let walk in free agency two offseasons ago. Jackson could join Jonathan Jones, who’s missed the last three games with an ankle injury, in the secondary. Both of those moves should help.

Sunday, the Saints come marching to town with a top-five defense and if the losing continues, how soon with the “T” word start being bantered about? And in case you missed it, that’s tanking for USC quarterback Caleb Williams or another college football player with the top pick in next April’s NFL Draft. No matter who you like in the game, I’d go with the under as both teams struggle to score.

Now, let’s see who’s on the other side of the NFL spectrum with our week 5 power rankings.

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1, Last week, not rated)
If not for a week three home loss to the undefeated Eagles, the Bucs would be higher. Going into New Orleans against a top-five defense coming off that Philly loss is a good sign for Tampa Bay, who now leads the NFC South after four weeks.

9. Seattle Seahawks (3-1, Last week, not rated)
Maybe Seattle should play all their games at MetLife Stadium. They’re now 6-0 after decimating the Giants 24-3. 11 sacks and a 97-yard pick-six from cornerback Devon Weatherspoon have this defense looking like the legendary Legion of Boom.

8. Baltimore Ravens (3-1, Last week ranked 8th)
Start putting those Lamar Jackson for MVP posters together. Four total touchdowns against the Bengals have him at a combined eight for the season to go along with his 1,000+ total scrimmage yards. Baltimore already has division wins at Cleveland and Cincinnati and tight end Mark Edwards is returning to form with two scores in week four.

7. Detroit Lions (3-1, Last week ranked 7th)
There’s more good news for the NFC North-leading Lions as wide receiver Jameson Williams is coming back one week early from his NFL suspension for gambling this week. They probably won’t need him at home against the winless Panthers.

6. Miami Dolphins 3-1, Last week ranked 1st)
The biggest drop in this week’s rankings comes from the Dolphins. That’ll happen when you’re a team that goes from winning by 50 to losing by 28. We know Miami can score; it’s that Vic Fangio defense that still needs some work after giving up 48 to Buffalo. Week five brings the Giants to South Beach, so things should return to normal for the Fins.

5. Dallas Cowboys (3-1, Last week ranked 5th)
The Patriots weren’t much of a challenge last week for the Cowboys but heading out to face the Niners certainly will be one Sunday night in primetime. DaRon Bland certainly stepped up in Trevon Diggs (torn ACL injury) absence with two interceptions including a game-changing pick-six.

4. Buffalo Bills (3-1, Last week ranked 6th)
It looked like Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs took the Dolphins game a little personal, combining for three scores. Buffalo heads to London where they’ll find the Jaguars rested and waiting for them after Jacksonville played there in week four.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (3-1, Last week ranked 4th)
Week two of the Taylor Swift era was quite as easy for the Chiefs, but going up against the Jets' defense isn’t always a cakewalk. Don’t expect quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw two uncharacteristic interceptions the way he did Sunday night.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (4-0, Last week ranked 3rd)
The Eagles seem to be making things harder on themselves than their opponents are so far in 2023. Yet still, Philly stays undefeated, topping Washington 34-31 in overtime in week 4. You wonder when that bites them in the butt.

1. San Francisco 49ers (4-0, Last week ranked 2nd)
Everyone always remarks how quarterback Brock Purdy hasn’t lost a regular season game he’s started for the Niners. Well, neither has running back Christian McCaffery, who’s 15-0 since being traded from Carolina last season. McCaffery continues to amaze with four more rushing scores in week four, giving him six (7 total) for the year to go with his league-leading 460 yards. Dallas comes calling in week 5.

Five top games to watch in week 5
Saints at Patriots (Sunday 1 pm on CBS)
Jaguars at Bills (Sunday 9:30 am on NFL Network)
Giants at Dolphins (Sunday 1 pm on FOX)
Eagles at Rams (Sunday 4:05 pm on FOX)
Cowboys at 49ers (Sunday 8:20 pm on NBC)