The St. Louis Rams set the standard for offense each of the previous three years. Rich Gannon and the Oakland Raiders have picked up the baton.
The winless Rams (0-5) host the unbeaten Raiders (4-0) Sunday in what was supposed to be a possible preview of Super Bowl XXXVII. Instead, it may just be another chapter in the demise of the injury-riddled Rams.
The Raiders are the NFL's lone remaining unbeaten team while producing points at an impressive rate, even resembling the Rams' offense that scored more than 500 points each of the previous three years.
With Gannon, running back Charlie Garner and receivers Jerry Rice, who turns 40 on Sunday, and Tim Brown, the Raiders are averaging an astounding 40.5 points through four games.
"We're not conservative on offense," Raiders first-year coach Bill Callahan said. "We're going to continue to press the ball down the field. The schedule is going to get increasingly difficult, but this team thrives on it."
Gannon has completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. The Raiders have four players with at least 200 yards receiving and Rice leads the bunch with 24 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns.
Whereas the Raiders are firing on all cylinders, the Rams' machine has been derailed by injuries. Quarterback Kurt Warner is sidelined with a broken thumb and Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace has missed the last two games.
The Rams are off to their worst start since the 1963 Los Angeles Rams also opened 0-5 en route to a 5-9 finish.
The Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) have also piled up the points, averaging 34 in their first five games. In Week 6, they will visit the San Diego Chargers (4-1), who are third in the league in scoring defense (12.8 points), in an AFC West matchup.
Priest Holmes, the reigning NFL rushing champion, is the league's leading rusher with 590 yards. With 10 touchdowns, he is the sixth player all-time with 10 or more touchdowns in a season's first five games. The last was Emerson Boozer of the New York Jets with 10 in 1967.
San Diego's Marty Schottenheimer gets another shot against his former team. With the Chiefs from 1989-1998, Schottenheimer compiled a 101-58-1 record. He spent two years as a television analyst before taking the Washington Redskins job last season.
Schottenheimer met up with his former team last season and his Redskins were handed an embarrassing 45-13 loss.
After leading the Chargers to a 4-0 start, Schottenheimer saw his team endure their first loss last week, a 26-9 defeat to the Denver Broncos.
Brett Favre and Tom Brady duel for the first time, but the spotlight will be on enigmatic receiver Terry Glenn when the Green Bay Packers (4-1) visit the New England Patriots (3-2).
Favre is a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player who became the eighth player to eclipse the 40,000-yard passing plateau in Green Bay's 34-21 victory over the Chicago Bears last Monday night.
Brady is a Boston hero after becoming the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl at age 24 last season.
The showdown is intriguing, especially with the presence of Glenn, who was unhappy in New England and shipped to Green Bay for a fourth-round pick in 2002 and a conditional selection in 2003.
The deal served as a much-needed fresh start for Glenn, who was suspended on three separate occasions last season and kicked off the team by coach Bill Belichick in the playoffs.
Losing Glenn did not hurt the Patriots, who won the Super Bowl with Troy Brown and David Patten as the starting receivers.
Despite Glenn's troubles in New England, Packers Coach Mike Sherman could not resist the urge to acquire the talented receiver for Favre.
"Terry has brought us a dimension we needed," Sherman said. "His presence also impacts the coverages on players like Donald Driver and Javon Walker."
Glenn's impact was certainly felt on Monday when he caught eight passes for 154 yards in the win at Chicago.
The Patriots secondary is among the most physical in the league with cornerback Ty Law and strong safety Lawyer Milloy. They intimidated St. Louis' talented set of receivers in Super Bowl XXXVI and will be looking to pop Glenn at every turn.
On Sunday night, the Denver Broncos (4-1) will try to contain Ricky Williams, who has rushed for more than 100 yards four times in five games, when they host the Miami Dolphins (4-1). Last week, Denver held LaDainian Tomlinson to 48 yards on 14 carries.
The Dolphins have a 12-game winning streak against AFC West teams, but the Broncos have won 15 of their last 17 home games.
Miami has scored 156 points in the first five games, only scoring more in 1984 (164) when advancing to Super Bowl XIX.
Steve Spurrier has entrusted rookie Patrick Ramsey with the "Fun 'N' Gun" offense. On Sunday, the Redskins' first-round pick will make his first start when the Washington Redskins (2-2) host the New Orleans Saints (4-1).
In last Sunday's 31-14 victory at Tennessee, Ramsey replaced the injured Danny Wuerffel and completed 20 of 34 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
Ramsey is the Redskins' third quarterback this season, but if Spurrier has his way, he will be the last.
"He's our guy," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, he can stay healthy and keep getting better and go the distance."
New Orleans has won four of its five games and is coming off a 32-29 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Saints should be confident in their abilities to win on the road as they have gone 13-6 away from the Superdome since Jim Haslett became coach in 2000.
Defense is the name of the game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1), who share first place in the NFC South with New Orleans and host the Cleveland Browns (2-3) on Sunday. Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch almost was reduced to tears after his last game. The Bucs will be looking to add to his anguish.
In last Sunday's 26-21 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Couch left the contest early in the fourth quarter with a concussion. Following the game, Couch choked back tears during an expletive-laced tirade at his locker, saying he was disgusted with fans who cheered while he was laying on the field hurt.
Couch could have even a bigger headache this week against the Bucs, whose defense has allowed just 27 points while scoring four touchdowns during a four-game winning streak.
Linebacker Derrick Brooks leads the Bucs with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Defensive tackle Warren Sapp is rebounding from a disappointing 2001 season and has four sacks and an interception.
The Indianapolis Colts (3-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1) are tied for first place in the AFC South. On Sunday, the Colts host the Baltimore Ravens (2-2) and the Jaguars meet the Tennessee Titans (1-4), who have dropped four in a row.
Drew Bledsoe hopes to continue rolling up the yardage when the Buffalo Bills (2-3) visit the Houston Texans (1-3). Bledsoe has two 400-yard games this season and leads the NFL with 1,762 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Michael Vick, the league's fastest quarterback, will not start due to a sprained non-throwing shoulder Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons (1-3) visit the New York Giants (3-2).
Emmitt Smith needs 234 yards to surpass Walter Payton (16,276) as the NFL's all-time leading rusher. He will cut into that total when the Dallas Cowboys (2-3) host the Carolina Panthers (3-2).
Two winless teams -- the Minnesota Vikings (0-4) and Cincinnati Bengals (0-5) -- have division home games on Sunday. The Vikings meet the Detroit Lions (1-3) and the Bengals play the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3).
On Monday night, the San Francisco 49ers (3-1) face the Seattle Seahawks (1-3).
The Philadelphia Eagles (3-2), Arizona Cardinals (3-2), Chicago Bears (2-3) and New York Jets (1-4) are idle.
