Week 5 started with the Jaguars and Bills tangling in England, a game marred by myriad penalties and an injury to Buffalo’s star linebacker Matt Milano. Jacksonville leaves London on a two-game win streak after its 25–20 win over Buffalo.
In the early slate, we had an AFC North matchup between the Ravens and Steelers at Acrisure Stadium decided late by a George Pickens’s touchdown grab. Then there was an intriguing tilt between two young quarterbacks in the Texans’ C.J. Stroud and the Falcons’ Desmond Ridder, with both leading late drives leading to points before a last-second field goal gave Atlanta the win.
The late window saw the Chiefs outlast the Vikings, with rookie receiver Rashee Rice scoring the winning touchdown. In Arizona, the Cardinals fought but fell to the desperate Bengals, who got a 300-yard performance from Joe Burrow.
Finally, on Sunday night, the age-old rivalry between the 49ers and Cowboys in Santa Clara turned into a rout.
SUNDAY
Chiefs 27, Vikings 20
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- What it means for Chiefs: Kansas City is now 4–1, but the offense still hasn’t found a rhythm. Patrick Mahomes threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns, but the Chiefs only gained 334 total yards against a lackluster defense. Still, Kansas City is finding ways to win, with the defense playing at a top-10 level. There are issues, but the Chiefs are right where they need to be.
- What it means for Vikings: Minnesota can’t afford to make mistakes. In the fourth quarter, running back Alexander Mattison dropped a potential touchdown on a well-timed screen pass. On the first play of the game, tight end Josh Oliver caught a pass and then lost a fumble, resulting in Kansas City taking a 7–0 lead. Minnesota has talent, but the errors have them in a 1–4 hole.
49ers 42, Cowboys 10
- What it means for Cowboys: Dallas needs to do more offensively, and it starts with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have scored nine offensive touchdowns through five weeks. Prescott has yet to throw for 265 yards in any game, and against the Niners, he couldn’t make the big play while tossing three interceptions. If Dallas is going to compete with the NFC’s elite, Prescott needs to be better.
- What it means for 49ers: Brock Purdy is more than good enough. In fact, he’s leading the way alongside the established stars playing quarterback. Purdy torched the Cowboys for 252 passing yards and four touchdowns. He’s now at nine touchdown passes with no interceptions on the year. People need to forget the notion that Purdy is a weak spot for the Niners. Somehow, he’s another strength.
Eagles 23, Rams 14
- What it means for Eagles: Outside of an interception in the end zone, Philadelphia should feel great about Jalen Hurts’s performance. After a mediocre three weeks to begin the year, Hurts had his first 300-yard game in Week 4 and then backed it up, going for 303 yards (8.0 YPA) to run Philadelphia’s record to 5–0. If the passing game has been squared away, there’s nothing holding back the Eagles from another dominant campaign.
- What it means for Rams: It’s a tough loss to drop Los Angeles under .500, but there was plenty to like. The Rams got receiver Cooper Kupp back and watched him catch eight passes for 118 yards. Paired with rookie sensation Puka Nacua, Los Angeles will move the ball plenty. The big question is whether the Rams can run effectively. Coming into Sunday, Los Angeles ranked a middling 18th in the league.
Jets 31, Broncos 21
- What it means for Jets: New York has life. The Jets have now seen Zach Wilson play solid football for two consecutive weeks, while running back Breece Hall has amassed 233 rushing yards on 28 carries (8.3 YPC) across that span. With a stout defense, New York has a chance to climb back into the playoff picture if Wilson continues to play passable, complimentary football.
- What it means for Broncos: Denver continues to play no defense. New York scored 24 offensive points, the most it has tallied since Week 12 of last season. Additionally, the Jets moved the ball for 6.6 yards per play, which for context, would rank second in the NFL if on a per game basis. Over the next four weeks, the Broncos play the Chiefs twice, the Packers and Bills. Not ideal.
Bengals 34, Cardinals 20
- What it means for Bengals: If Cincinnati gets this version of Joe Burrow, they’ll be in the playoff race for the remainder of the season. The Bengals scored three offensive touchdowns across four games to start the season, but then matched that total against Arizona with all three going to Ja’Marr Chase. At 2–3, Cincinnati has work to do, but it got a critical win in uplifting fashion.
- What it means for Cardinals: Arizona has fought hard this season, but the talent discrepancy is tough to overcome some weeks. The Cardinals were within a score into the fourth quarter, but quarterback Josh Dobbs only had 15 completions for minimal yardage. For Arizona to pull off a few upsets going forward, it needs Dobbs to be the efficient player he was the past few weeks.
Saints 34, Patriots 0
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- What it means for Saints: New Orleans’ defense struggled last week against the Buccaneers, but it was dominant against New England. Safety Tyrann Mathieu got everything rolling with an early pick-six, before totaling two more takeaways. With new quarterback Derek Carr still finding his way in New Orleans, the defense is good enough to handle business.
- What it means for Patriots: It’s time for Bill Belichick to make the move… permanently. Mac Jones struggled once more, throwing for 110 yards and two interceptions through three quarters before being lifted for Bailey Zappe. While Zappe might be nothing more than a stopgap, Jones needs to sit down and reset. At 1–4, the Patriots have very little to lose. Give Zappe a real chance to keep the job for 2023.
Dolphins 31, Giants 16
- What it means for Giants: It’s now five games into the season, and New York has shown zero signs of offensive life. New York was gifted 10 points against a Miami defense which ranked 26th entering the day. On its own, the Giants’ offense did nothing. It also gave up seven more sacks, making it 30 on the year, most in the NFL. While running back Saquon Barkley could be back next week, his presence alone isn’t enough to fix all of New York’s offensive ills.
- What it means for Dolphins: Miami showed some mental fortitude. After a humbling loss to the Bills last weekend, the Dolphins could have sulked against a bad opponent and suffered a letdown. Instead, Miami plowed the Giants, with Tua Tagovailoa’s two interceptions being the only blight on an otherwise great day. It’s the kind of performance contenders put forth.
Colts 23, Titans 16
- What it means for Titans: Tennessee won’t feel good about this game, and rightfully so, but the offense is showing progress. After comically being limited to 94 yards against the Browns in Week 3, the Titans gained 400 yards last week facing the Bengals, and then another 347 this weekend. If the offense can improve on its red-zone execution (Tennessee ranked 29th entering Sunday), there’s reason to believe.
- What it means for Colts: Indianapolis has a coach. Shane Steichen has done a tremendous job considering his limited offensive talent, coaxing the Colts to a 3–2 record. Against the Titans, the combination of Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew went for 236 passing yards on 9.7 yards per attempt. The offense is well-coached and well-designed. Of course, the big question is Richardson’s health after he left with a shoulder injury.
Steelers 17, Ravens 10
- What it means for Ravens: Baltimore needs much, much more from its receivers. The Ravens’ wideouts took turns sabotaging the offense with three dropped touchdowns, including two from Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman on consecutive throws. Lamar Jackson had a critical error late in the fourth quarter with an end-zone interception, but he was largely excellent. His receivers are letting him down.
- What it means for Steelers: Pittsburgh needs its defense to continue playing lights out. While the Steelers were undoubtedly bailed out at times with the Ravens’ aforementioned drops, they still notched four sacks and five tackles for loss. Pittsburgh has a popgun offense, not likely to score more than 20 points or so. The defense must be almost perfect to win.
Lions 42, Panthers 24
- What it means for Panthers: Carolina is 0–5 and doesn’t have a first-round pick. There’s little to play for save for youthful development, which should be coach Frank Reich’s sole focus. The Panthers should be testing rookie quarterback Bryce Young, figuring out what he can do and his limitations. The rest of this season should be allowing Young to test his boundaries, stats and record be damned.
- What it means for Lions: Aaron Glenn should get ample buzz as a coaching candidate next year if this keeps up. The Lions’ defensive coordinator had his unit improving the second half of last year, and it’s continued this season. Detroit entered the day fourth in defense and shut down the Panthers, intercepting Young twice while holding Carolina to 267 total yards before a garbage-time scoring drive. Paired with a solid offense, it’s a winning formula in Motown.
Jaguars 25, Bills 20
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- What it means for Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence wasn’t perfect (25-of-37, 315 yards, TD), but he’s one of the best in the NFL at hanging in the pocket and delivering big-time throws. With left tackle Cam Robinson working back from a suspension and right tackle Anton Harrison only a rookie, there will be pressure at times. But Lawrence made winning plays under duress on Sunday, highlighted by a 32-yard connection with Calvin Ridley to help clinch the win late in the fourth quarter.
- What it means for Bills: Buffalo’s offense will be fine, but the defense is a concern. Now potentially without Milano, the unit has to figure out its second level. Additionally, the Bills have been largely awful against the run. Buffalo entered the day surrendering a league-worst 6.3 yards per carry, and Jacksonville notched 197 rushing yards, averaging 5.1 YPC.
Falcons 21, Texans 19
- What it means for Texans: Houston suffered a tough loss in Atlanta, but it’s impossible to miss the signs of an up-and-coming team. The Texans got another solid outing from rookie C.J. Stroud, who threw for 249 yards and a touchdown and no turnovers. Although the defense permitted 447 total yards, it’s shown life in games against the Jaguars and Steelers. Houston is on the right track, led by Stroud.
- What it means for Falcons: After a week of calls for his job, Desmond Ridder had the best game of his young career. The second-year man from Cincinnati threw for 329 yards and a touchdown, while driving Atlanta down the field in the final moments to set up a game-winning field goal. At 3–2, the Falcons should be encouraged about their prospects in the wide-open NFC South.
