NFL Week 5: five key talking points - including can the Broncos continue to win with a mediocre Peyton Manning?

The 2015 season has reached the quarter mark and it’s becoming more obvious which teams are primed for the playoffs and which are destined for early draft picks. Week 5 sees the return of several players from suspensions, the expected arrival of the Watt/Clowney show and, hopefully, better kicking.

Gates, Hardy & Co. set to return

A violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy typically brings with a four-game suspension for the player who erred. As four weeks have passed, those who fell foul of the league’s rules are all eligible to return.

The list of returning players includes San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant, New York Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain.

Another player who will make his first appearance of the season is Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy. Originally banned for 10 games of the 2015 season, Hardy’s suspension for his involvement in a domestic violence case involving his ex-girlfriend was reduced to four games in July.

It means Hardy can play in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. He was in joyful spirits when discussing the prospect of playing against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

When asked how he views facing Brady, Hardy replied: “The same way I did last time I saw him, hopefully on the ground,” according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Injuries racking up on the Cowboys offence

While the Cowboys defence is gaining players, the offence is quickly losing them.

With Tony Romo and Dez Bryant already enduring lengthy periods on the sideline, news of Lance Dunbar’s season-ending ACL tear couldn’t have come at a worse time for head coach Jason Garrett.

It thwarts a sensible plan to build the offence around the Cowboys sturdy offensive line and run the ball.

The injuries mean the Cowboys take on the Patriots with Brandon Weeden at quarterback, Terrance Williams their top receiver and Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Christine Michael providing the running threat.

Before Romo, Bryant and Dunbar got hurt, and Brady’s four-game suspension for the Deflategate saga was overturned, Garrett would have favoured his chances in Sunday’s game. Now his chances of victory appear slim.

Clutch kickers proving hard to come by

You had one job.

That would have been the message in several dressings rooms after a number of kickers missed attempts at crucial moments in Week 4.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Jason Myers missed a pair of game-winning field-goal attempts against the Indianapolis Colts. The Philadelphia Eagles will point to a missed field goal and a stray extra point attempt by Caleb Sturgis in their three-point loss to the Washington Redskins. Josh Scobee missed two field goals in the fourth quarter as the Pittsburgh Steelers were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. Two days later, Scobee was released.

The importance of a kicker is often overlooked, but such sloppy performances cannot be condoned given a kicker’s sole purpose is to kick the ball through goalposts that measure 18 feet, 6 inches wide.

Expect better kicking this week.

Can the Broncos continue to win with a mediocre Manning?

The Denver Broncos have their defence to thank for their 4-0 start. Even Peyton Manning would admit as much.

Against the Ravens in Week 1 a fourth-quarter Darian Stewart interception sealed a Denver win. In Week 2 Brandon Marshall forced a fumble from Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles that Bradley Roby returned for a game-winning touchdown. Last Sunday, T.J. Ward’s strip-sack ended the Minnesota Vikings’ attempt at a scoring drive with the Broncos ahead 23-20 in the closing stages.

Only Andrew Luck, James Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick have thrown more interceptions than Manning’s five. He will never return to the 2013 version that scored 55 touchdowns, but if the defence continues to make game-winning plays then Manning certainly won’t care.

Though how far that recipe takes the Broncos remains to be seen. Manning won’t need to be at his best to beat the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, but he’ll have to step it up if the Broncos are to be considered serious contenders.

Watt, Clowney set to dominate

The season is only four weeks old, yet it would be an almighty achievement if the Houston Texans make the postseason. They’re 1-3 in a division that is yet to see the best of the 2-2 Indianapolis Colts, their opponents on Thursday night, as quarterback problems continue to hold back an otherwise talented roster.

It’s at the defensive end position where the Texans are strongest, with J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney both causing havoc.

Watt, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, has four sacks to his name this season. At the same stage last season, the 26-year-old had two sacks, which is scary to think given he ended the year with 20.5.

Clowney is finally healthy after his rookie season was affected by a knee injury and, though he’s yet to take down a quarterback, has shown flashes of the form that encouraged the Texans to use the number one overall pick on him in 2014.

The duo take on an offensive line that has allowed a league-high 68 quarterback hits through four games.

A shoulder injury forced Andrew Luck to miss the Colts win over the Jaguars. Watt and Clowney are the last opponents Luck will have wanted to face on his return.