NFL Week 5 breakdown: NFC East is most competitive division, more concussion protocol controversy
NFL Week 5 is (almost) complete. Here are the biggest developments from Sunday's action:
- Teddy Bridgewater's removal from Sunday's game will be a hot-button debate topic.
- The Ravens assumed control of the AFC North after Sunday night's big win over the Bengals.
- Cooper Rush improved to 4-0 as the Cowboys' starting QB with Dak Prescott out with an injury.
- The Giants (4-1) and Jets (3-2) are now a collective 7-3.
- Lions DB Saivion Smith collapsed and was taken to a hospital.
Biggest moments of NFL Week 5
- The referees gifted Buccaneers QB Tom Brady with a controversial roughing the passer call during the win against the Falcons.
- Even Tom Brady couldn't defend that roughing the passer call.
- A big hit on Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett led to a skirmish in Buffalo.
- Cardinals QB Kyler Murray appeared to lose track of downs ahead of a field goal miss late in Sunday's loss to the Eagles.
- The Jets' Michael Carter mocked Jaylen Waddle's signature celebration during a rout of the Dolphins.
Key storylines from NFL Week 5
- Winners and losers: With the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles all off to strong starts, the NFC East is the NFL's most competitive division.
- 32 things we learned: While victories by both the Giants and Jets meant both New York teams have winning records, Teddy Bridgewater's situation and updated protocols kept concussions at the forefront.
- Undefeated Eagles display traditional recipe for NFL success: It’s not a fluke that Philadelphia is 5-0 this season.
- Cowboys are perfecting a fine formula for winning without Dak Prescott: Prescott missed his fourth consecutive game on Sunday, and for the fourth consecutive game, the Cowboys won.
- Teddy Bridgewater case shows NFL still has more rule tweaking to do: Bridgewater was healthy enough to continue in Sunday's Jets-Dolphins game, but a spotter's ruling automatically ended his day after one play.
- NFL updates concussion protocol after Tua Tagovailoa case: The change is the addition of the term "ataxia" – an abnormality of balance, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech – as a no-go symptom.
NFL Week 5 results
- Ravens 19, Bengals 17: Justin Tucker was clutch again for Baltimore in this big AFC North matchup.
- Eagles 20, Cardinals 17: At 5-0, the Eagles are off to their best start since 2004.
- Cowboys 22, Rams 10: While Cooper Rush remained undefeated as a fill-in for Dak Prescott, the Rams don't look at all like defending Super Bowl champions.
- 49ers 37, Panthers 15: The surging 49ers added to the woes of Panthers QB Baker Mayfield and head coach Matt Rhule.
- Saints 39, Seahawks 32: Taysom Hill accounted for four touchdowns as the Saints won this thriller.
- Titans 21, Commanders 17: David Long's interception of Carson Wentz at the goal line in the final seconds gave the Titans their third straight win and first place in the AFC South.
- Vikings 29, Bears 22: This victory over the division-rival Bears put the Vikings in control of the NFC North.
- Jets 40, Dolphins 17: Things went from bad to worse at quarterback for the Dolphins, who – already without Tua Tagovailoa – lost backup Teddy Bridgewater after one play Sunday.
- Bills 38, Steelers 3: Josh Allen and company delivered the Steelers' worst defeat since a 51-0 season-opening trouncing against the Cleveland Browns in 1989.
- Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15: Tom Brady avoided his first three-game losing streak since 2002, when he was with the New England Patriots.
- Texans 13, Jaguars 6: The Texans got their first win of the season, while also earning a ninth consecutive win over the Jaguars.
- Chargers 30, Browns 28: The Chargers were bailed out by their head coach's baffling decision when the Browns missed a potential game-winning field goal attempt.
- Patriots 29, Lions 0: All happy and fun optimism from "Hard Knocks" has turned into utter disappointment for Detroit.
- Giants 27, Packers 22 (in London): This come-from-behind win for the Giants should have Brian Daboll in early consideration for coach of the year.
- Colts 12, Broncos 9 (OT, Thursday): A day after this horrendous display of football, Broncos QB Russell Wilson underwent shoulder surgery.
The week ahead in the NFL
Monday: Week 5 wraps up with an AFC West rivalry showdown between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). Kansas City has won three straight and eight of the past nine in the series.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 5.
Thursday: Week 6 kicks off with the Chicago Bears hosting the Washington Commanders at Soldier Field (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 6 game.
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