Running game resurfacing

The NFL has evolved into a league where teams are always thinking about throwing the football. But every so often we are reminded if a team has a stud at running back, it is never a bad idea to feed him the ball.

Consider this fact, Frank Gore, Fred Jackson, BenJarvus Green-Ellis (The Law Firm) and Jahvid Best had big games and all of their respective teams won. But the running back that played the biggest part in their team’s win was Adrian Peterson. The Vikings star ran for three touchdowns on a season-high 29 carries as the Vikings beat the Cardinals for their first win of the season.

Now it’s time to look back on what happened in Week 5:

Star of the week:

While he didn’t win this week’s award, it’s really amazing to watch Lions receiver Calvin Johnson at work. What a scary player. Matt Cassel, Alex Smith and the aforementioned Peterson all received votes for their superb efforts this week. However the undisputed star of Week 5 was the seemingly indestructible Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. One week after taking a beating against the Texans and playing with a sprained left foot, Big Ben tied his personal best when he threw five touchdowns against the Titans.

Stiff of the week:

There are a number of candidates but, as always, there can only be one winner. This week’s winner is none other than Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb. The man with the big contract that will pay him $20 million dollars in guaranteed money, Kolb threw two interceptions in the Cards loss to the Vikings. He has thrown six interceptions along with only three touchdowns during the Cards current four-game losing streak.

Team on the rise:

If I told you that the Baltimore Ravens have allowed the fewest points per game of any team in the NFL, no one would be really surprised. But guess who is ranked No.2 in the league? The San Francisco 49ers. Mocked in the off-season for sticking with Alex Smith, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is looking pretty smart right now. Smith threw three touchdowns in their resounding victory over a good Bucs team. The 48-3 score was the 49ers’ largest margin of victory since their glory days back in 1987. From out of nowhere, the 4-1 49ers have the inside track to capturing the very winnable NFC West.

Most emotional win:

Most emotional win: This one is a no brainer, it is the Raiders win over the Texans. Saturday, Raiders owner and patriarch Al Davis passed away at the age of 82. On Sunday, Michael Huff intercepted a Matt Schaub pass in the end zone on the final play of the game.. Richard Seymour had two sacks and Sebastien Janikowski tied an NFL record when he kicked three 50-yard field goals in the win. As the game ended head coach Hue Jackson kneeled down on the sideline and started crying. No matter what you think of the Raiders, it was tough not to be moved by Jackson’s emotional post-game speech in which he paid tribute to Al Davis.

The “Dream Team” watch:

After witnessing the Eagles loss to the Bills in person, I can tell you that this is a team with so many issues that it’s impossible to pin it all on one person. Andy Reid can be blamed for a lot of things, but he can’t be blamed when Michael Vick throws four interceptions and his receivers can’t hang on to the ball. Reid does deserve heat for the sorry state of the Eagles offensive line. Vick might not be taking the beating he does if Reid had spent some of that money in the off-season on offensive linemen. It doeesn’t get any easier for the Eagles when they face the first-place Redskins and their tough defense Sunday at FedEx Field.

The Ronnie Lott award:

This award goes out to Seahawks defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove for this devastating hit on Giants running back D.J. Ware.

As you can see from the video, someone on the Giants offensive line blew an assignment and Hargrove came in untouched for the crushing hit, which resulted in a safety.

The unsung hero award:

This award goes out to former Calgary Stampeders defensive back Brandon Browner. Browner, who had five interceptions last year with the Stamps, returned an Eli Manning interception for a 94-yard touchdown in the Seahawks upset over the Giants. It just so happens that Browner's interception return was the longest in the history of the Seahawks.

The catch of the week:

This award has to go out to Dwayne Bowe for this insane touchdown reception. in the Chiefs shocking comeback win over the Colts.

We should point out that since Matt Cassel had his sideline meltdown with head coach Todd Haley, he’s thrown five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Bowe has caught three of Cassel’s touchdowns in the last two games, both wins for the Chiefs.

The big injuries of the week:

A player that has emerged as a key cog in the Bills offense, receiver Donald Jones, injured his ankle and will miss anywhere from four-to-six weeks. The biggest injury was suffered by Texans outside linebacker Mario Williams, who suffered a torn pectoral muscle will miss rest of the year.

League news:

After five games John Fox has done what thousands of Broncos fans in Denver have been clamoring for, he’s named Tim Tebow his starting quarterback. The Broncos are going on their bye week so Fox will have a little extra time to get Tebow ready when the Broncos take on the Dolphins in Miami in Week 7.

What to watch for in Week 6:

The Cowboys facing the Patriots in New England is worth keeping an eye on. The Bills will try to improve to 5-1 when they face the Giants at the Meadowlands. The Eagles are facing a must-win game when they meet the Redskins in D.C. Ford Field will be rocking once again as the Lions host the surprising 49ers. The Bucs host the Saints in a big NFC South match-up. Desperate for a win, the Jets host the winless Dolphins in the Monday night game.

Jim Lang is co-host of Brady and Lang in the morning on SPORTSNET 590 The FAN and a columnist for sportsnet.ca.