It’s easy to sit here and play armchair Pro Bowl GM, and while indeed all of us have the ability to influence the player selections, that doesn’t mean as a collective group that we get it right. So as always, there were a few players, even after injury substitutions were announced, who are home this weekend instead of playing in the Pro Bowl in Miami—players who truly deserved a spot on the NFC or AFC roster. Here are a few glaring omissions as we see it:

Cedric Benson, RB, Cincinnati Bengals—For as good as the Bengals’ defense was in 2009, they won all those games early in the season in part because their running game was downright dominant. And a big reason for that was Benson, whose 96.2 yards per game was second only to Tennessee’s Chris Johnson. Benson, who just turned 27 in December, has been injury prone most of his young career, but this was by far his best season, and he even led the NFL in rushing for a bit before Johnson caught fire. Of course, Benson’s six touchdowns are probably what kept him out of the Pro Bowl (Maurice Jones-Drew had 15 and Johnson 14), but there is no question about how valuable he was to the Bengals, helping them to exceed all expectations.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers—With all due respect to every other QB in the AFC, how do David Garrard and Vince Young get in ahead of Big Ben? I can sort of understand Young, who took the Titans on his back and may have even warranted MVP consideration. But Garrard? Roethlisberger had 4328 yards, 26 TDs and 12 picks, while Garrard threw for 3597 with 15 TD throws and 10 interceptions. Of course, Ben also dealt with concussions, so I can understand an injury keeping him out, but he’s not listed with the injured players selected, so that means more people than not left him off the roster. Does that make sense to anyone?

Brent Celek, TE, Philadelphia Eagles—This one was purely a numbers game, because you absolutely can’t argue with Jason Witten and Vernon Davis getting in ahead of Celek. But that’s not his fault. Look, I’m a Giants fan so it’s not easy for me to admit this, but I love this kid as a football player. He’s tough, makes big catches with consistency, and is always open for Donovan McNabb in the end zone. He’ll also take a defender’s head off if they get in his path. Of course, Celek’s numbers were stellar too–he caught 76 passes for just under 1000 yards (971) with 8 scores. They should have allowed an extra NFC tight end just this once.

Andre Carter, DE, Washington Redskins—I get why Jared Allen and Trent Cole made the Pro Bowl roster, but I don’t get how Andre Carter missed out while Julius Peppers got in. Peppers has the name recognition, but Carter led all defensive ends in solo tackles (48) and had twenty more total tackles than Peppers (62 to 42). He had 11 sacks to Peppers’ 10.5, sure, but when you look at the whole picture, somebody blew an assignment. And the thing is, everyone talks about Albert Haynesworth, but Carter never gets the credit he deserves, not even on his own team.

James Laurinaitis, LB, St. Louis Rams—I get why Jon Beason is the top dog at ILB for the NFC, and I also get why London Fletcher finally made the roster when Jonathan Vilma’s Saints reached the Super Bowl. I’m just not sure why rookie Laurinaitis didn’t make it in ahead of Vilma. Laurinaitis led all rookies in solo tackles with 107 (Vilma had 87), and in the NFL he trailed only Patrick Willis, Beason and Kirk Morrison in that department. Laurinaitis also had 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. This kid was a beast in the middle on a team that won only 1 game in 2009, and short of having to pay dues, I’m not exactly sure how he was left off the Pro Bowl roster.

Many football fans have been asking this question since Week 2 when they fell to 0-2, but what in the hell happened to the Jacksonville Jaguars this season? This was a team that not only was supposed to push the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South once again, but possibly compete for a Super Bowl, too.

For three quarters Monday night in Houston (a 30-17 Texans’ victory), they were absolutely unbearable to watch. They couldn’t run the ball (their staple over the years), their defense couldn’t stop Sage Rosenfels and rookie Steve Slaton, and David Garrard couldn’t even drop back to pass without having his center step on his feet and falling down.

The Jags are a perfect example of what happens when a good team (or any team for that matter) doesn’t have an offensive line. Their line has been riddled with injuries this season and everything has fallen apart. Last year the o-line was opening up MAC-truck-sized holes for Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor. This year you couldn’t fit mail between those slots.

Another piece of the puzzle missing this year is Mike Smith – the Jags’ former defensive coordinator who is now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Many people noted that Smith essentially just ran Jack Del Rio’s defense over the years, but maybe “Smitty� had a bigger impact than people think because Jacksonville’s defense just isn’t the same nasty unit this year as they were in year’s past.

With all that, it’s still amazing how far they’ve fallen. Again, they were rough to watch last night and that was easily the worst Monday Night Football Game of the year. (Although Slaton was fun to watch and I think the Texans’ found a solid running back in last April’s draft.)

They’ve put their fans through misery this season, but for at least one week the Cincinnati Bengals gave them something to cheer about. The Bungles notched their first win of the season on Sunday, beating the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars 21-19.

Amazing what a team can do when its defense plays well. Things got hairy in the fourth quarter, but the Bengals defense played its best game of the season by continuously coming up with huge plays all afternoon, including stopping the Jags on a 2-point conversation that could have forced overtime.

What happened to Jacksonville? This was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender and they can’t even beat a winless Bengals team. Not only that, but they allowed former Bears’ castoff Cedric Benson to rush for 104 yards and a touchdown, Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw for two scores and Chad Johnson (who had been non-existent before today) to snatch two score his first two TDs of the season.

Everything that worked so well for the Jags last year is working against them this year. David Garrard hasn’t been as sharp, the running game hasn’t been as productive and the defense isn’t as dominant. Jack Del Rio has his work cut out for him in getting his team back on track. It might be too little too late, however.

Sunday’s Best: Redskins (3-1) at Eagles (2-2) 1:00 PM ET FOX
Who would have thought after four weeks that the Washington Redskins would be right in the thick of things in the NFC East? Especially after they bombed in the opener against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. But they are, and a big reason for that is the maturity of QB Jason Campbell, who has looked comfortable running Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense the past three weeks. But he’ll get a major test this weekend against Jim Johnson’s blitz-happy defense. The WCO is predicated on short timing routes and getting the ball into the hands of receivers so they can get yards after the catch. If Campbell can’t get the ball out of his hands quickly, Philly is sure to produce plenty of sacks and turnovers. Whether or not the Eagle offense converts those turnovers into points remains to be seen, however. In their loss last week to Chicago, Donovan McNabb struggled getting the Eagles into the end zone without the threat of Brian Westbrook in the backfield. Westbrook will be a game time decision, although he has seen a fair about of practice time this week, which might be a good sign that he’ll play. Expect another physical matchup between NFC East rivals.

Upset Watch: Bills (4-0) at Cardinals (2-2), 4:15 PM ET CBS
I’m not fooling oddsmakers by calling this a potential upset because they’ve already established the Cardinals as 1-point favorites. But considering how well the Bills have played this year and how Arizona surrendered 56 points in last weeks loss to the Jets, a Cardinal victory would be an upset. The fact of the matter is that the Cards just flat out play better in the desert than they do on the road. They’re a completely different team and while dynamic wide out Anquan Boldin is not expected to play after suffering a nasal injury last Sunday, the Cards have more than enough offensive weapons to pull out a win. The key will be Kurt Warner not turning the ball over and for the team to play all four quarters. Buffalo has trailed in the second half of three of their four victories this year, which means that they’ve been outstanding in the clutch. Arizona will have to play a complete game to earn a win, but an upset could be in the making.

Intriguing Matchup: Steelers (3-1) at Jaguars (2-2), 8:15 PM ET NBC
The Steelers may be 3-1, but they can’t feel too good about the way things are unraveling as injuries continue to mount. Not only will Pittsburgh go into this game without their top two backs in Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, but Ben Roethlisberger is also dealing with shoulder and hand injuries and OT Kendall Simmons is now lost for the year. The Steelers had offensive line issues coming into the season with Simmons in their lineup. Now they have to play without him, which isn’t good news for Big Ben and the rest of the offense. The Jaguars started the year 0-2 but are now gaining confidence after beating the Colts and Texans in dramatic fashion over the past two weeks. The running game has opened up the passing attack for David Garrard, who is starting to play like the quarterback who led the Jags deep into the playoffs last season. We’re going to see what Pittsburgh is made of, because Jacksonville is starting to show signs of the Super Bowl contender that everyone that they’d be in preseason.

Other Notable Games:
Titans (4-0) at Ravens (2-1), 1:00 PM ET
Tennessee is one of only two teams still undefeated and perhaps is playing the best defense in the AFC. Rookie Joe Flacco looked like he was starting to come into his home against the Steelers, so it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against a tough Titans’ defense.

Buccaneers (3-1) at Broncos (3-1), 4:05 PM ET
This is one of the best matchups on the Week 5 schedule as it pits Monte Kiffin’s defense against the Broncos’ offense, which has been one of the best units in the league so far. Can Denver bounce back from its embarrassing loss to the Chiefs last week? Can the Bucs further convince people that they’re a contender with Brain Griese under center?

Bengals (0-4) at Cowboys (3-1), 4:15 PM ET CBS
Ocho Cinco vs. Grab Your Popcorn. Should be a good one.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Jaguars squeezed past their division rivals on Sunday, beating the Texans 30-27 thanks to Josh Scobee’s 37-yard game-winning field goal in overtime.

For the second week in a row, Jacksonville had to rally late to claim victory. After Houston took the lead 24-20 on Matt Schaub’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter midway through the fourth quarter, David Garrard led the Jags down to the Texan 8-yard line before facing a 4th and 8. Garrard then scrambled up the middle for a first down and after the two-minute warning, ran for a 5-yard touchdown to give Jacksonville a 27-24 lead.

Schaub then hit Andre Johnson for a 32-yard pass on the ensuing possession, which set up a Kevin Brown 47-yard field goal to tie it. But Houston’s defense couldn’t stop Garrard from finding Matt Jones on a big passing play in overtime, which set up Scobee’s game-winner.

Not many people figured that Jacksonville would be 2-2 right now and barely beating teams like the winless Texans, but the main thing is that the Jags appear to be getting back on track. The defense didn’t play as well today as it had in previous weeks, but the running game (139 yards today) has looked good the past two games and Garrard has been clutch. Don’t write off the Jags just yet.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are finally off the schnide. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Jaguars earned their first victory, beating division rival Indianapolis 23-21 thanks to a 51-yard field goal by kicker Josh Scobee.

It was over when…
In a fourth quarter that saw three lead changes in the final 2:36, Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee kicked a 51-yard field goal to put Jacksonville on top with four seconds remaining in the game.

Game ball
Maurice Jones-Drew got the glory with a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but Fred Taylor did much of the dirty work all day, pacing the Jaguars with 121 yards on 26 carries. On one punishing 34-yard run in the third quarter the 32-year-old running back lowered his head and broke at least four tackles to set up Jones-Drew’s go-ahead touchdown.

Key stat
After recording just 97 total yards in Jacksonville’s first two games, Taylor and Jones-Drew combined for 228 yards on 45 carries against the Colts, who were playing without safety Bob Sanders. Jacksonville’s success running the ball allowed the Jaguars to dominate the time of possession (41:35-18:25), including a 26:01 to 3:59 advantage in the second half.

Noteworthy
Jones Drew finished with 161 yards from scrimmage and has now scored at least one touchdown in five career games vs. Indianapolis. … The Colts defense has allowed a 100-yard rusher in every game this season, including two Sunday in Taylor and Jones-Drew.

Well, something had to give. Jacksonville hasn’t been able to run the ball the last two weeks because of a banged up offensive line, and Indianapolis hasn’t been able to stop the run. The Jaguars rushed for 236 yards and looked like a completely different team than they had the previous two weeks. Fred Taylor (26 carries, 121 yards) was outstanding and his 34-yard run was amazing. David Garrard looked better today too, completing 16 of 22 passes for 167 yards, although he did throw a pick. With Houston and a banged up Pittsburgh coming up the next two weeks, the Jags have a chance to get back on track after this win.

The Colts got away with having a poor run defense the year they won the Super Bowl, but it doesn’t look like that will be the case this year. At some point you’d think that Peyton Manning (15 of 29, 216 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) will get it together and start producing 300-plus yard games with no interceptions. But as of now he looks shaky will he continues to recover from an offseason knee procedure. It’s crazy to think that the Colts are 1-2 right now, but it’s even crazier to think that they’re 0-2 at home. Should have stayed in the RCA Dome.

1. How will the San Diego Chargers respond?
By now, everyone knows that Ed Hochuli blew the call that cost the Chargers a win last Sunday. It’s a done deal – plain and simple. But how will the Chargers respond? Over the past couple seasons, the book on the Chargers reads that they’re a good team, but one that can’t seem to stay focused when things don’t go their way. Case in point, last Sunday they gave up 31 first half points to the Broncos after being beat on a last-second touchdown pass against Carolina the week before. Head coach Norv Turner was rightfully furious over Hochuli’s call, but he has to put it behind him and get his team ready for Monday night where San Diego will host the Jets. While Brett Favre looked good in the season opening win over Miami, he looked equally bad in the Jets’ loss to the Patriots last week. There isn’t a more perfect time for the Chargers to recover than hosting an average New York team on a national stage. But can the Bolts put the past behind them for once?

2. Can Aaron Rodgers continue his hot play?
Rodgers has been absolutely phenomenal so far this season, throwing for 506 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. But he’s also played two suspect defensive backfields in Minnesota and Detroit, so this Sunday’s matchup with Dallas will be a true test of his development at quarterback. The Packers’ offensive line has been excellent in giving Rodgers time to throw, giving up just one sack so far on the season. They’ll need to be equally as good Sunday night, because the Cowboys like to disguise their blitz packages so that LB DeMarcus Ware cannot be double-teamed while rushing the quarterback. Rodgers could use a solid performance out of RB Ryan Grant to help ease the pressure, although Grant didn’t look that good last week against a suspect Detroit front seven. The Eagles proved Monday night that the Cowboy defense is susceptible to giving up the big play, so it’ll be interesting to see whether or not Rodgers can take advantage and keep his team undefeated on the season.

3. Jags’ banged up offensive line vs. the Bob Sanders-less Colts’ run defense
Which will give in first? The Jaguars have had major issues running the ball because of injuries along the offensive line and it has had a trickle down affect on QB David Garrard and the passing game. But Jacksonville will face a weak Colts’ run defense without their best run-defender in safety Bob Sanders, who will miss the next 4-6 weeks because of a high ankle sprain. If the Jags’ running game were every to get back on track, this would be the week to do it, but you can bet Indy will stack the box with eight defenders in hopes that Garrard and the Jacksonville passing game won’t get into a rhythm.

4. Can Gus Frerotte lead the Vikings? Will Adrian Peterson play?
The Vikings dominated the Colts in every phase of the game last Sunday, but walked away with a loss because they settled for field goals instead of being able to punch the ball in for six. This week they face a confident Panthers team, who welcome wide receiver Steve Smith back from a two-game suspension. During the week, Minnesota head coach Brad Childress benched former starter Tarvaris Jackson for 37-year old Gus Frerotte at quarterback. The veteran Frerotte should be an upgrade in the passing game, although if RB Adrian Peterson is limited because of a hamstring injury, Carolina’s defense will be relentless in crashing the pocket. Peterson is expected to play, but it remains to be seen how effective he’ll be.

5. Which ’07 playoff team will still be winless after this week?
Jacksonville, Seattle and San Diego are still winless on the year, but the Seahawks and Chargers have favorable matchups this week. Seattle hosts a Rams team that has been absolutely brutal in both of their games this season, while San Diego is at home against the Jets on Monday night. The Jaguars won’t have it easy on the road against the Colts, but Indianapolis hasn’t looked sharp so far this season, either. It’s hard to imagine that all three of these teams will still be winless after this Sunday, but anything is possible in the unpredictable NFL.

The Seahawks were supposed to be the favorites to win the NFC West again this year. The Browns were supposed to contend for a playoff berth in the AFC. The Vikings were the chic-pick in the NFC. The Jaguars and Chargers were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders.

But all five of these teams have started the 2008 season 0-2. And all five teams have major issues.

So is it time for these teams to the hit the panic button? Let’s take a closer look.

Cleveland Browns

What’s gone right: Not much. The only real bright spot offensively has been TE Kellen Winslow Jr., who has 12 receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown. And DT Shaun Rogers, the team’s top offseason acquisition, has made an immediate impact with 10 tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.

What’s gone wrong: Everything. The defense was brutal in Week 1 against Dallas, but bounced back in Week 2 against Pittsburgh (thanks in large part to bad weather conditions and Ben Roethlisberger’s bum shoulder). The offense that averaged over 25 points a game last year has managed just 16 points total in two games this year. Turnovers, penalties, poor quarterback play (Derek Anderson currently has a QB rating of 57.1), and bad coaching have buried this team so far.

Time to hit the panic button? Yes. The Browns’ poor preseason play has carried over into the regular season and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with the Ravens, Giants, Jaguars, Broncos and Bills coming up over the next eight weeks. Outside of Rogers, the offseason acquisitions Cleveland made on defense have not paid off and the offense has been non-existent. Worse yet, the Browns aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year and Romeo Crennel is starting to look overmatched once again.

Take a look at this list of fantasy QBs, in order of Average Draft Position. The ADP is from Antsports’ 12-team league drafts from 8/1-9/1, and the last number on each line is the player’s average points per game in Antsports’ High Performance scoring system.

QB7 (5.09) Derek Anderson, 9.5
QB8 (5.11) Donovan McNabb, 30.4*
QB9 (7.04) Jay Cutler, 28.5
QB10 (7.05) Matt Hasselbeck, 10.6
QB11 (8.04) Brett Favre, 15.3
QB12 (8.07) Marc Bulger, 10.3
QB13 (8.08) Eli Manning, 20.4
QB14 (8.09) David Garrard, 11.7
QB15 (9.04) Matt Schaub, 18.5*
QB16 (9.07) Phillip Rivers, 26.4
QB17 (9.11) Jake Delhomme, 13.0
QB18 (10.04) Jon Kitna 19.8
QB19 (10.05) Aaron Rodgers, 26.7
QB20 (10.12) Vince Young, 7.9*

* only one game of data is included

Save for Favre, Delhomme and maybe Schaub, each of these quarterbacks is either greatly outperforming or severely underperforming in relation to their preseason expectations. I see two distinct groups: Boom and Bust.

Boom: McNabb, Cutler, E. Manning, Rivers, Kitna and Rodgers

Bust: Anderson, Hasselbeck, Bulger, Garrard and Young

Sure, it’s early, but think about it this way – if you had a QB in the Bust group, is there any possible trade for a player in the Boom group (i.e. Anderson-McNabb, Hasselbeck-Cutler, etc.) where you wouldn’t pull the trigger? I was high on Garrard before the season, but after two weeks of watching the Jaguars disappointing pass offense in action, I’d be more than willing to make a Garrard-for-Kitna swap if the opportunity presented itself (although Kitna is a little dicey because his job isn’t that secure). Likewise, if you have a Boom player, would you trade him for any of the players in the Bust group? I wouldn’t.

Chances are that a few quarterbacks in each group will return to the mean. Some in the Boom group will cool off while some in the Bust group will heat up. But right now, there is a big disparity within this group of quarterbacks.