National Football League

NFL Stock Watch: Joe Burrow looks like old self, Bill Belichick's Patriots look lost

Published Oct. 8, 2023 11:22 p.m. ET

The Bengals offense got back in synch, Bill Belichick's Patriots look lost and the Cowboys might not be the contenders we all thought they were.

Here is my stock up and down report for Week 5.

STOCK UP

Mike Tomlin

The Steelers' 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday is the reason Pittsburgh’s head coach has never had a losing season wearing the black and gold. The Steelers did not appear at any point on Sunday to be the better team but uglied up the game enough to get the win. Pittsburgh scored on three field goals, one safety on a blocked punt and one offensive touchdown without converting the two-point attempt. After the Steelers went down 10-0, they forced a Ravens fumble as they were driving to increase their lead. After that, the Ravens did not score. The Steelers forced another two turnovers, sacked Lamar Jackson four times and held the Ravens to 5 of 16 on third down. The Steelers offense is often stuck in the mud and every yard looks painful to gain, but in the end, Kenny Pickett was able to complete a 41-yard pass to George Pickens for their only touchdown. I do hope this win doesn’t cloud any decisions about the offense which needs a change in order for them to maintain winning the rest of the season.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City are 4-1 after five games, sharing the best record in the AFC with the Miami Dolphins. The Chiefs are 4-1 without their offense looking anywhere near what they are capable of. The Chiefs offense is missing a piece and it’s a player I never imagined they’d miss so much. They miss JuJu Smith Shuster, or a similar receiver who can patrol the middle of the field in the short to intermediate passing game. JuJu had 101 targets last season for the Chiefs and caught 78 of those passes with 47 of those going for a first down. When the defense is looking at Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes needs a receiver he trusts. The Chiefs are hopeful one of their young players like Skyy Moore, Kadarius or rookie Rashee Rice can be that guy. Based on targets, it appears Rice is getting the first shot. He’s got the second-most targets on the team and was able to get into the end zone on a slant route on Sunday. That’s what the Chiefs offense needs to reach their full potential. When they do, watch out NFL because they finally have a good defense early in the season. The Chiefs have not allowed more than 20 offensive points in a game this season. They are bringing pressure and winning in coverage. Impressive performance for that unit so far this season.

Cincinnati Bengals offense

Now that’s the Bengals offense we have been waiting to see. Quarterback Joe Burrow has been battling through a right calf injury that has hampered his — and the offense's — ability to move the ball with any efficiency. Until the Cardinals game on Sunday, the Bengals had yet to score a first-half touchdown. That’s just one example of how poorly the offense had performed until Sunday afternoon in Arizona. From the beginning of the game, it was clear Burrow was moving better, and it sparked the offense. Burrow was 36 of 46 for 317 yards. Fifteen of those completions and 192 of those yards went to their superstar receiver, Ja’Marr Chase. Running back Joe Mixon added over 80 rushing yards and the Bengals scored 27 points on offense, their highest total of the season. This game is going to give the offense confidence they can execute once again at a high level. The Bengals host the Seattle Seahawks next weekend before their bye week. Another win and they have to feel good about where they are after six weeks considering Burrow’s injury slowed them down.

Joe Burrow on his health and Bengals defeating Cardinals: 'I'm excited at where I'm at'

STOCK DOWN

Bill Belichick

The New England Patriots are a bad football team. After losing 38-3 against the Dallas Cowboys last weekend they followed it up with a 34-0 loss at home against the New Orleans Saints to fall to 1-4. Entering this game, the Saints had scored four offensive touchdowns in their last four games. It can be forgiven the Patriots defense struggled a bit without their best pass rusher and cornerback, but their offensive performance has no excuse. It’s horrendous. Mac Jones has regressed and it’s likely he’s going to see the bench fairly soon. All of this lack of success falls on Bill Belichick. He’s in charge of personnel and the roster is not good, especially at quarterback. The team has no explosive receiving options. It lacks any depth on the roster. This is all on Belichick.

Has Bill Belichick's legacy taken a hit with Patriots ongoing struggles?

None of this tarnishes the legacy of the best dynasty in the history of the sport and I reject the argument that Belichick was only a winner because of Tom Brady. They both needed each other to win six Super Bowls. However, it’s becoming more clear that Brady helped cover up the personnel issues brought on by Belichick’s poor talent acquisitions. This is absolutely fair to knock Belichick for, and he’s either got to let someone else put the roster together next season or he’s going to lose his job.

New York Giants

The Giants are in the running for the worst team in the NFL after another embarrassing loss on Sunday. The Giants lost 31-16 to the Miami Dolphins, and it wasn’t that close. The Dolphins gained over 500 yards on offense and while the game was still being played with starters on the field, they averaged over 10 yards a play. The Giants scored zero offensive touchdowns and they’ve scored 0,0,6,3 and 3 points on offense in the first half of games this season. That shows the Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones aren’t executing their "first 15" — a scripted set of plays that coaches use to get their offense starting fast. The lack of offensive success has many culprits but it has to start with the offensive line. It’s the worst in the league right now. The Giants are without their star left tackle and their rookie center and it’s resulted in Jones getting hit way too often this season. Jones left the game on Sunday with a neck injury and his status is unknown for next week.

Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma discuss Dolphins' dominating offense in victory over Giants

The Giants defense hasn’t helped pick up any slack as they’ve failed to get stops, hit the quarterback and force turnovers. The Miami game was the first time in five weeks they’ve forced a turnover. The Giants don’t have enough impact players on that side of the ball and their defensive scheme can’t be run as well as it’s designed. The Giants are on track for a top-five pick.

Dallas Cowboys

Big oof for their performance in San Francisco. Sunday night was a measuring stick for a Cowboys franchise that is desperate for postseason success. After the Bay Area trip, it appears the Cowboys are nowhere near the top of the NFC. It started with the 49ers manhandling the Cowboys in the trenches. Their offensive line pushed around the Cowboys and gave Brock Purdy plenty of time to throw. Purdy did the rest. It’s time to admit Purdy is the dude. He’s good. No caveats. He’s accurate and throws to exactly who it’s designed to go to. The 49ers defense hit Dak Prescott all night, forcing bad throws and turnovers. The 49ers defense was flying to the Cowboys running backs and they were never able to get anything generated on the ground. The Cowboys failed this test and now have to figure out what they are. They’ve beaten the zero-win Giants, the one-win Patriots and the two-win Jets.

Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.