Hawks in the NFL: Week 5

We’re back for Week 5! Sorry to miss Week 4 - I was in the hospital with my wife and the delivery of a baby and “missed” the whole day. I saw that the Bears somehow lost a home game they led 28-7 to the putrid Broncos. That’s ok, as Week 4 doesn’t touch Week 5 for former Hawks. We’ll mostly stick to the high notes. George Kittle rides again!

George Kittle and Chauncey Golston

The premier game of Week 5 was supposed to be Dallas at San Francisco. Perhaps the best rivalry in the NFL. Games that always meant something.

One problem - Dallas is a little banged up after their hot start and San Francisco is not, which turned this game into a 42-10 laugher for the Niners.

Kittle caught 3 passes in this game for 67 yards. Ho hum. Only those 3 receptions all went for touchdowns, his first career three score game. Here are all three in one tweet.

This offense is just insane - Big Cock Brock Purdy has been excellent since he became the starter last year and is clearly over the elbow injury suffered in last year’s NFC title game, Christian McCaffrey has been an MVP-caliber player this year, and Purdy has awesome targets in Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk. Their defense is excellent. They are the best team in the NFL right now, the clear favorite to win the Super Bowl, and it’s great seeing Kittle featured like this. He also wore this during the game, a throwback to when this was the best, most intense game in the NFL. Oh to have the early-to-mid 90s Dallas-San Francisco rivalry back...

On the other sideline, Golston tallied two tackles. We should mention here, in Week 4 against the laughably bad Patriots, Golston caught a 2-point conversion in Dallas’s 38-3 rout. Man, when are the Patriots of New England ever going to catch a break???

Sam LaPorta and Ihrim Smith-Marsette

Right behind Kittle in the touchdown department was LaPorta, who has been one of the revelations of the season. I mean we knew this guy was good, but THIS good? Dang.

LaPorta finished his fifth NFL game with 3 receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns in Detroit’s 42-24 hammering of Carolina.

Biggest tidbit on LaPorta the last two weeks? He’s drawing...wait for it...comps to Rob Gronkowski. And that’s from Gronk himself. WOAH!

LaPorta is now at 25 receptions for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns through 5 games as a pro. What a start to his career.

On the other sideline, ISM had 1 punt return for 3 yards. This Carolina team...woof. They drop to 0-5 for the year, while Detroit improves to 4-1.

5 touchdowns from former Hawks this week. Meanwhile...

A.J. Epenesa and Micah Hyde

The Bills jetted out to London on Thursday - a tad late given Jacksonville played in London last week then stayed there, which makes all the sense in the world - and dropped a stinker, a 25-20 loss to the Jags. Eppy shone through though, lodging 4 tackles (2 solo), 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery, while Hyde lodged 6 tackles.

Epenesa is now at 6 tackles on the season, with 3 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and a touchdown. Not bad! Hyde, meanwhile, is at 23 tackles and 2 interceptions.

T.J. Hockenson

T.J. had another solid day for the Vikings, taking in 5 receptions for 51 yards. Unfortunately for the Vikes, they dropped another tight game, a 27-20 decision to the Chiefs. The loss dropped the Vikings to 1-4. They also lost Justin Jefferson, and it was announced this morning he’s going on IR. GULP.

Josey Jewell/Broncos Corner

Jewell had 5 tackles for the Broncos Sunday in Denver. They lost to the Jets, 31-21. Denver has perhaps the worst defense I’ve seen from an NFL team. They can’t stop anyone. This is a ridiculous organization right now. Way short on talent, and with a shortage of picks since they traded most of it for Russell Wilson. They play the Chiefs on Thursday, a team that’s beaten Denver 15-straight times. Thursday will make 16, and then it will be 17 when they play again in a couple of weeks. This will get worse before it gets better and they will move any tradeable assets they can between now and the trade deadline on October 31. What a disaster zone.