Five weeks into the season, we have some idea of what to make of most teams. Some, though, have been so erratic and inconsistent that they remain a mystery. A mystery, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce. The following are the five most befuddling teams in the league to this point.
5. Houston Texans (3-2)
Inconsistency is a pretty reliable byproduct of poor pass defense. Through five weeks, the Texans have given up more than 400 yards passing in 40 percent of their games, which is not good. The best performance they've had against the pass this year was when they gave up 278 yards to the very much non-legendary Bruce Gradkowski. As a result, they've lost two of their last three, and were destroyed this week by the Giants. I don't think that's what Texans fans had in mind after they opened the season with a win at Indianapolis.
4. San Diego Chargers (2-3)
If a team's good enough to have two blowouts in their favor already, you'd think it unlikely that they were 0-3 in the rest of their games, especially if two of them were against the Seahawks and the Raiders. The Chargers ran through the Jags and Cardinals by a combined score of 79-23, but in their three losses, they've given up an amazing six special teams scores, and have lost seven fumbles. Can they get past this, or are these fundamental breakdowns an indelible part of the team's personality?
3. Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
The Cardinals are here mostly because of their bizarre win this week over the Saints. Where the hell did that come from? Everything else seems pretty much in line for the Cards: beaten down by the Chargers and Falcons, and closely contested pillow fights against the Rams and Raiders. Then, all the sudden, they can take down the Saints? How does a team with a combined quarterback rating of 59.0 have a winning record? "Befuddling" is the kind adjective. "Fluky" might be the more accurate one.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-2)
This isn't a new phenomenon for the Jaguars, either. It seems like they're in this position every year, where nothing would surprise you from them in any given week. They've got a win against Indy, but have been mauled by both the Eagles and the Chargers. The other two wins, for whatever they're worth, have come against Denver and Buffalo. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for anything that happens with the Jags.
1. New York Giants (3-2)
The Giants opened the season by handling Carolina -- right on track. Then they get dismantled in consecutive weeks by the Colts and Titans, and it looks like it might be a disappointing year for Big Blue. But then they follow up the blowouts with maybe the most dominant defensive performance of the year against Chicago. This week, they come out and put a thumping on the Texans. Up, Down, Up. Pick a direction, Giants.
Mia Kirshner Mía Maestro Michael Michele Michelle Behennah Michelle Branch
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