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NFL Week 5: 6 Teams Who Need A Win

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After tough starts to the 2016 season, these six team’s could desperately use a win in NFL Week 5.

The San Francisco 49ers would have been on this list, but they’ve already lost their NFL Week 5 game on Thursday Night Football to the Arizona Cardinals. But don’t worry, there are plenty of teams that can be listed for their not-so-great play or even bad luck thus far in 2016. Many teams through the first four games haven’t reached the expectations handed to them this offseason.

These teams come in all shapes and colors. Some teams enter NFL Week 5 needing a win because they’ve not met preseason expectations and need to stay in the playoff hunt. Other teams need a win because, well, they haven’t had much success as a whole leading up to now. Either way, that leaves several teams coming into their matchups needing a big victory.

For teams in those types of situations, it would be in their best interest to have a Week 5 victory. If they lose yet again, a lot could change with their franchises in the very near future, as the NFL is a “win now” league.

Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Browns (0-4)

The Browns are the lone team in the NFL to not have a win this season. Though we all know they won’t be making the playoffs this season, Cleveland is a team that has had a mix of poor play and bad luck, too. The Browns have not been able to hold on to leads. They also have the curse at quarterback with three different players earning a start in four games, including rookie Cody Kessler. In all honesty, though, did they really believe Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown would stay healthy with their style of play?

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The much-needed win may not come this week as they won’t have Josh Gordon returning after all at wide receiver. They are the unlucky team who has to face the New England Patriots in the return of possibly the best quarterback ever and one angry Tom Brady following his four-game suspension.

Cleveland is the underdog this week for sure, even if they are the home team. Looking at this game, it is between one franchise that has done nearly everything right the past 15 years and another franchise who has done the opposite in the same time frame. You can guess which franchise is which.

One player for the Browns who can make a difference this week is wide receiver Terrelle Pryor. To be completely honest, he won’t be able to do a whole lot just because of some of his teammates on the offensive side of the ball. But he’ll make the Browns’ offense interesting if the ball can be thrown in his direction.

Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws a pass during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit Lions (1-3)

This team can’t be trusted to pick up a win on any given week. They had an almost guaranteed win in the Chicago Bears handed to them on a silver platter last Sunday. However, the Lions did what the Lions always do and didn’t live up to the expectations to win that game. They lost to the Bears 17-14. After a loss like that, the Lions are in desperate need for a win. If not, especially after missing the playoffs last season, a lot of folks could be looking over their shoulders if the losing continues.

Detroit’s quest for a win won’t be handed to them this week with the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on the schedule, a team who is coming off a bye week ready to roll. Remember, though, the Lions did defeat the Eagles, 45-14, last season. But that seems like ages ago.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has to play a more complete game and his offensive line needs to keep some of the pressure off of him as well. If the offensive line play picks up, that could also help the running game, too. Detroit’s running game is ranked 22nd in the league at 92.2 yards per game.

The Lions have enough talent on both sides of the field, but it is just a matter of them getting it all straightened out before they get too far back in the NFC North standings.

Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (top, left) and wide receiver Travis Benjamin (bottom, left) react on the sideline after they both had fumbles late in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Chargers (1-3)

The Chargers take on the Oakland Raiders this week in AFC West action. The Chargers are already two games behind the Raiders in the standings, so things need to improve quickly for the Bolts.

San Diego can’t afford to get any further behind the top teams in their division if they want to be realistic about being a contender. If they do lose this game, I think it is safe to say they will have a lot of trouble in terms of reaching the playoffs.

The Chargers need this win for a morale boost, too. They’ve already lost some key starters on offense and defense and they still don’t know if San Diego will even be their home in the near future. One of those players was linebacker Manti Te’o. On offense, the loss of Keenan Allen was a big hit.

From afar, things seem to be slipping away, but a win against the Raiders would help smooth things out for a week. A win against Oakland isn’t easy anymore, either. Oakland has a 3-1 record and, like their friends in San Diego, they also aren’t sure if they will have a new home in the near future.

Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) passes against the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants (2-2)

The Giants are a better team than their showing on Monday Night Football where they lost by a 24-10 score to the Minnesota Vikings. New York can compete in a wide-open NFC East as there are questions surrounding the rest of the teams in that division, too.

Having a new head coach in Ben McAdoo, falling to 2-3 in the first five weeks of the season would be a bit unacceptable, especially with the talent they have at quarterback in Eli Manning. Plus they have a trio of players who can be considered a “big-three” at wide receiver.

The Giants aren’t getting the play they need from Odell Beckham Jr. and his lack of success this season has hampered the rest of the offense. Beckham has 22 receptions for 303 yards and zero touchdowns this season. With a player like Beckham, that can’t happen. The other two at wide receiver in Victor Cruz and rookie Sterling Shepard have done well with their roles through four games.

Add all that with not having a sturdy rushing game (19th in the NFL) due to injuries doesn’t help matters either for the Giants on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, the Giants rank 15th in points allowed, so they need to be a little better than average as well to help this team get back to the playoffs.

Oct 2, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) throws in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

New York Jets (1-3)

The New York Jets have been disappointing this season. That is a straight fact as they were one win away last season from the playoffs. At times in 2016, they’ve looked like they have trouble figuring out why they are even on a football field.

The Jets really need a win to avoid falling to three games under .500 so early in the season. When you have wide receivers like Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, a team needs to have at least two wins through what will be their fifth game of the season.

If the Jets do fall to under .500, they will almost surely not make the playoffs in the AFC. Part of that potential record is because of their stagnant offense. And quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t helping matters at all. The Jets are 22nd in points scored (19.8) and 15th in overall offense. Their defense is 21st in points allowed (26.2) and they’ve had trouble stopping the pass with a 26th overall ranking.

The Jets may need a win more than the aforementioned Cleveland Browns this week. That’s because at least the Jets had some aspirations to make the playoffs when this season began. A 1-4 record in the AFC would be really tough to overcome for the remainder of the season. It isn’t impossible to overcome, but the Jets haven’t shown that fire to be a team that would be able to get past that type of adversity.

Sep 25, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) gains yards against the San Diego Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Indianapolis Colts (1-3)

The Indianapolis Colts are facing the Chicago Bears this weekend. This season, the Colts have looked pedestrian until their backs are against the wall in a game. When that happens, the Colts are forced to make a comeback. Indianapolis played in London, England last Sunday and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars by three points.

With Indianapolis facing the 1-3 Bears this Sunday, this is a good chance for them to get things rolling once again. The Colts really need to take a hard look and make some changes to their offensive line because that is a big issue with their offense.

If they fall to 1-4 and continue to get franchise quarterback Andrew Luck beat up, the guess is a lot of folks will be looking for employment elsewhere before the season is up. That should be the case, because when a team has a quarterback with the talent of Luck, he should have a top-tier offensive line blocking for him.

The defense of the Colts is 30th in points allowed this season. They rank no higher than 19th in total yards allowed per game, passing yards allowed per game, or rushing yards allowed per game. That needs to be repaired too or, like their offense, changes will need to be made.

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