What we learned, winners and losers from NFL Week 5
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NFL Week 5 is (almost) in the books, and here are some key takeaways from the games:
➤ Game of the day: Baltimore Ravens 41, Cincinnati Bengals 38 (OT) — This one had many twists and turns. When it was over, the Bengals found themselves in the AFC North cellar with the hapless Cleveland Browns and the Ravens are back in the thick of the division race after an 0-2 start. The Bengals wasted a big day from Joe Burrow. Cincinnati blew a double-digit fourth-quarter lead, missed a field goal attempt in overtime and are left wondering what is going on with this team.
➤ What was that? Raise your hand ✋ if you were among the armchair quarterbacks yelling at the TV when you watched the late-game sequence from the Buffalo Bills against the Houston Texans. With the Bills getting the ball deep in their own territory with 32 seconds left on the clock and the score tied at 20-20, it seemed overtime was inevitable. Well, we thought wrong and the Bills had other plans 🤷♂️. Three straight Josh Allen pass attempts landed incomplete and the Bills were forced to punt the ball back to the Texans with 16 seconds remaining and Houston still owning its three time outs. Moments later, Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 59-yard field goal and the Texans prevailed.
➤ Quotable: "We're not changing quarterbacks. We need to play better. I need to coach better. And that's really what it is." — Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. Don't be so hard yourself, coach. It isn't you, it is your quarterback. Maybe this team should have kept Joe Flacco around.
➤ How about the ...!
- Chicago Bears: Behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears extended their home winning streak to eight games.
- Denver Broncos: Behind rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos have won three consecutive games and might be the biggest threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
- Washington Commanders: Behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have won four consecutive games and might be the team to beat in the NFC East.
➤ What's up with the ...?
- Buffalo Bills: The AFC East still seems like the Bills' division to lose, but that's not saying much ... that division just looks real bad right now.
- San Francisco 49ers: The Super Bowl loser hangover seems to be haunting this team.
➤ Alt uniform of the week: Denver Broncos — The Texans debuted their H-Town alternate uniforms on Sunday, but the Broncos throwbacks get the nod. The 1970s through late-1990s-era uniforms featuring eye-popping orange jerseys and blue helmets with the iconic "D" logo are a decided upgrade from the absolute eyesores the team switched to in 1997 and have worn in the years since (though, the team did tweak its look this offseason).
📸: Alternate and throwback uniforms of 2024 NFL season
NFL Week 5 key storylines
➤ Winners and losers: A marathon Sunday of Week 5 produced plenty of winners and losers, with the 49ers and Bills among the teams sparking concerns.
➤ 32 things we learned: The NFL no longer has any winless teams after the Jaguars triumphed, and several other teams broke through. What were the other Week 5 lessons?
➤ Browns need to bench Deshaun Watson: While other issues inhibit the Browns, Watson deserves most of the blame for their 1-4 start and another season gone by the wayside after Sunday's 34-13 blowout at the hands of the Washington Commanders.
➤ Jayden Daniels continues to dazzle with dual-threat skills: While high-priced veteran Deshaun Watson continued to struggle, the rookie quarterback on the opposing sideline delivered more impressive plays as the Commanders won a fourth straight game.
➤ Packers laud Jordan Love's poise: Love (and the Packers) rebounded nicely after the quarterback threw an embarrassing first half pick-six against the Rams.
➤ Trading for Davante Adams is a must for plunging Jets to save season: Aaron Rodgers evidently wasn’t the only missing piece for the New York Jets. Apparently, Davante Adams might be the guy who’s needed to complete a Super Bowl puzzle that hasn’t been solved in nearly 56 years.
📸: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL Week 5 results
- Dallas Cowboys 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17: Dak Prescott delivered on fourth-and-goal in the game's final minute, throwing the winning touchdown as the Cowboys remain unbeaten on the road this season.
- Denver Broncos 34, Las Vegas Raiders 18: With this win, the Broncos snapped an eight-losing streak against their longtime AFC West rivals.
- Arizona Cardinals 24, San Francisco 49ers 23: The Cardinals pulled off a stunning come-from-behind win in the searing heat in Santa Clara.
- Green Bay Packers 24, Los Angeles Rams 19: Matt LaFleur is now 5-0 against his old boss, Sean McVay.
- New York Giants 29, Seattle Seahawks 20: The shorthanded Giants – playing without receiver Malik Nabers and running back Devin Singletary – went into Lumen Field and left with one of the week's most surprising results.
- Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Jets 17 (in London): The Jets' second-half comeback attempt fell short in a game in which Aaron Rodgers was banged up. The Vikings improved to 5-0 and also remain unbeaten in London games (4-0).
- Chicago Bears 36, Carolina Panthers 10: The Panthers saw what could have been had they not made a trade up for the top pick in the 2023 NFL draft as the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft (the selection traded to the Bears) – Caleb Williams – had his best day as a pro.
- Baltimore Ravens 41, Cincinnati Bengals 38 (OT): The Bengals saw a 10-point fourth-quarter lead evaporate, then a missed field goal in overtime opened the door for the Ravens to prevail.
- Houston Texans 23, Buffalo Bills 20: Just when you thought this game was headed for overtime, the Bills made some questionable late-game play calls.
- Jacksonville Jaguars 37, Indianapolis Colts 34: The Jaguars finally collected their first win of the season, and needed to pull out a wild win over the Colts, who the Jaguars have defeated 10 consecutive times now in Jacksonville.
- Miami Dolphins 15, New England Patriots 10: This game was predictably not great, but the Dolphins did halt a three-game skid.
- Washington Commanders 34, Cleveland Browns 13: The massive bounty paid by the Browns to acquire Deshaun Watson is looking worse by the week. The Commanders, meanwhile, don't have a quarterback problem.
- Atlanta Falcons 36, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30 (OT) (Thursday): This game had everything: A bunch of points, big plays, a head-scratching decision to go for it on fourth-and-15, a blocked field goal, a field goal in the game's final second, the 25th 500-yard passing game in league history, and an unexpected hero in KhaDarel Hodge, who scored the winning touchdown in overtime.
Coming up this week
➤ Monday: We're back to just one "Monday Night Football" game during Week 5, which features the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ESPN2).
➤ Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 5.
➤ Thursday: Week 6 kicks off with an NFC West showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field – which was just rated as the top NFL stadium by Paste BN Sports – on "Thursday Night Football" (8:20 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 6 game.
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