While Week 5 of the NFL was distracting sports fans everywhere, the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros gave us a game for the ages.

Before we go into the details, we need to properly set the stage.

First we have the Braves. The owners of the proverbial middle ground. 14 straight division titles. Only one World Series Championship. They are one David Justice home run away from being the Buffalo Bills of baseball.

On this day they were once again fighting for their playoff life, trailing the Astros 2-1 in games in this best-of-five National League Division Series.

The Astros, on the other hand, were attempting to move on to the opportunity at a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Braves held the upper hand early, taking a 6-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning.

Houston was not to be denied -- and in grand fashion.

Lance Berkman’s grand slam home run pulled the Astros to within one, but the drama was far from over.

In the ninth, Chipper Jones walked before Andruw Jones grounded into a double play. Julio Franco followed with another groundout to send the game into its final act…

… Or, so we thought.

In the bottom of the ninth, Jason Lane and Jose Vizcaino grounded out off Kyle Farnsworth. Next up would be Brad Ausmus and the opportunity for Farnsworth to show whether or not he was worth trading for in July.

First pitch … ball one.

Second pitch … ball two.

Third pitch … GONE!

Brad Ausmus sends the game into extra innings with the Astros down to their last out.

Little did anyone know, the battle was just beginning. What followed was another game’s worth of managing, pitching, and defense that kept everyone watching from being able to sit.

Chris Burke’s solo home run in the bottom of the eighteenth inning finally gave the Astros the win and sent the Braves home early once again.

As amazing as this game was, the question bears asking: how many times can the Braves finish without a championship and still be content? I said it before and I’ll say it again- they’ve won fourteen straight division titles. To make the playoffs in baseball that consistently is no easy feat.

They have appeared in five World Series during that time, and all but once they have gone home without a championship.

If this was New York, manager Bobby Cox would be hung in effigy. Fans would be outraged. The media would go berserk.

But in quiet and calm Atlanta, Georgia they seem just fine with it.

No one seems to see a problem with only having one championship to speak of, despite having the likes of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones spend their best years in a Braves’ uniform.

Every year they surprise everyone by staying at the top, and at the end they surprise absolutely no one by bowing out early.

Some franchises strive for greatness, even perfection. Apparently, the Atlanta Braves are not one of them.

Their manager is not going anywhere. Pitching coach Leo Mazzone is considered one of the greatest at his job of all time. The only shakeups on this team have occurred due to coaches being offered managing jobs elsewhere.

Yes, the Atlanta Braves seem happy to play second fiddle. After all, it’s what they’re good at.