There were some great individual performances in Week 5. And the NFL’s lone undefeated team had a little bit of a scare in the desert.
The NFL’s current season has enjoyed five weeks of a full 16-game slate. Now it’s the stretch of the season where teams get a little vacation time. It starts Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas and Tennessee taking Week 6 off.
Meanwhile, offenses around the league performed somewhat better this week. But it’s worth noting that the Colts, Broncos, Lions, Steelers and Jaguars all failed to score a touchdown this past week. So what do the newest NFL Power Rankings look like?
The club’s Week 1 win over the Jaguars has turned into a distant memory as the Commanders haven’t tasted victory since. The losing streak reached four games after a tough loss to the visiting Titans.
Carson Wentz would throw for 359 yards and two scores – both to wideout Dyami Brown. Down by four late in the fourth quarter, he drove his team to what could have been the game-winning score but was picked off at the Titans’ one-yard-line.
Mike Tomlin’s club made its way to Buffalo for the third consecutive year and in hindsight, probably wished his team hadn’t made the trip. A once-proud defense was walloped for 552 total yards and the Steeler trailed 31-3 in the second quarter.
The Bills averaged 10.2 yards per offensive play, embarrassing coordinator Teryl Austin’s unit. Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 327 yards but was picked off and sacked three times in the loss.
The Panthers were home for the third straight week and for the fourth time in five games as they took on the improving 49ers. Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and P.J. Walker were sacked a combined six times and the former served up a pick-six in the 22-point loss.
On Monday, the team parted ways with head coach Matt Rhule, defensive coordinator Phil Snow and special teams assistant coach Ed Foley. And Steve Wilks was named interim head coach.
It’s pretty safe to say that four weeks into the season, not many people would have had the Lions as the highest-scoring team in the league. Dan Campbell’s club headed to New England looking for a much-needed win and instead wound up getting blanked by the Patriots.
Quarterback Jared Goff threw one interception. He was also sacked twice and one of those resulted in a fumble return for a touchdown by the Patriots’ defensive unit.
Entering Week 5, the Texans were the lone winless team in the league. But they were facing a familiar foe in the rival Jaguars, who they had defeated eight straight times entering Sunday.
Rookie running back Dameon Pierce continued to stand out. He totaled 26 carries for 99 yards and the game’s only touchdown which came with 3:11 to play. Houston’s defense gave up 422 total yards but picked off Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence twice.
The ugliness of Denver’s offense continued on a Thursday night at home against the Colts. Nathaniel Hackett’s club couldn’t find the end zone in four-plus quarters and continued to have its issues in the red zone.
Russell Wilson threw for 274 yards but was sacked four times and threw two costly interceptions. In five games this season, Hackett’s team has scored a total of 75 points and has just as many touchdowns (6) as turnovers.
No team in the league had scored fewer points in the season’s first four weeks than the Colts. And on Thursday night at Denver, Frank Reich’s team failed to reach the end zone for the second time in 2022.
But this time around, Indianapolis came away with an overtime victory. Matt Ryan overcame six sacks and two interceptions and guided the team to the deciding field goal. The Colts are 2-0 vs. the AFC West and 0-2-1 vs. the AFC South this season.
It was the battle of the Birds in the desert as Kliff Kingsbury’s team hosted the unbeaten Eagles. The Cardinals continued to have issues protecting their own nest. Make it eight straight home losses for the club as they spotted Philadelphia a 14-0 second-quarter lead but rallied to forge a 17-all tie.
Down by three points, Matt Ammendola missed a 43-yard field goal in the final seconds that would have sent the game into overtime.
The Saints looked to snap a frustrating three-game losing streak as they hosted the suddenly-explosive Seahawks. Dennis Allen’s club owned a 31-19 lead late in the third quarter but the Saints’ defense gave up two long TDs and fell behind by one-point.
Versatile Taysom Hill provided the difference with a 60-yard TD run with 5:22 to play. Hill ran nine times for 112 yards and three touchdowns and threw a 22-yard scoring pass to tight end Adam Trautman.
Bill Belichick’s club was looking to avoid a 1-4 start as they hosted the highest-scoring team in the league. But the Detroit Lions would finish with zero points while rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe made his first NFL start.
He threw for 188 yards and one touchdown (1 interception), running back Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 161 yards on 25 carries and Patriots’ safety Kyle Dugger returned a Jared Goff fumble 59 yards for a score in the second quarter.
Robert Saleh’s club looked to make it two straight wins as they hosted Miami. The Jets had dropped 10 of their previous 12 meetings in this series. New York would score the first 12 points of the game and the last 21 points of the contest.
Rookie running back Breece Hall finished with 197 total yards from scrimmage and had one of the Jets’ five rushing TDs. Quarterback Zach Wilson threw for 210 yards and Saleh’s team played turnover-free football.
Matt Eberflus’ team made its way to the Twin Cities looking to surprise the Vikings. The Bears were overwhelmed early on and found themselves down 21-3 in the second quarter. Chicago would score the next 19 points of the game and took a 22-21 lead with less than 10 minutes to play.
But Eberflus’ defense couldn’t stop Minnesota from putting together a seven-minute drive that resulted in the game-winning TD and a third straight loss to the Vikings.
A week ago, the Seahawks outlasted the Lions in Detroit in a game that featured a combined 93 points. This time around, Pete Carroll’s club was on the short end of another shootout – this time at New Orleans.
It was another impressive outing by quarterback Geno Smith, who threw for 268 yards and three scores. Seattle owned a 32-31 lead midway through the fourth quarter but had zero answers for New Orleans’ jack of all trades Taysom Hill.
The Silver and Black finally got into the win column last week with a win over the Broncos. Now the Raiders faced their third divisional foe in five weeks as they headed to Kansas City for a Monday night clash.
The team jumped out to a 17-0 lead but the Las Vegas defense had zero answers for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The Raiders inched within 30-29 in the fourth quarter and opted to take the lead on a two-point conversion that would fail.
Doug Pederson’s club squandered a 14-0 lead at Philadelphia in Week 4. Now the Jaguars headed home to face a Texans’ team that they had dropped eight straight games to. Jacksonville amassed 422 total yards but could only manage a pair of field goals.
Trevor Lawrence was not sacked and threw for 286 yards. But he also served up two interceptions. The Jaguars’ defense limited Houston to 248 total yards but did not come up with a takeaway.
Winners of two straight, the Falcons headed to Tampa looking to snap a four-game skid to the Buccaneers. The Falcons’ offense was kept in check for better than three quarters and finished the day with only 261 yards of total offense.
Down 21-0 in the fourth quarter, Atlanta narrowed the gap to six points with 4:38 to play. But Arthur Smith’s team never saw the ball again and a controversial roughing the passer call on Grady Jarrett was a killer.
The reigning Super Bowl champion Rams have had their issues on offense. And those problems continued against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Matthew Stafford amassed 308 yards through the air, 75 of that via a scoring pass to Cooper Kupp.
But he was also sacked five times, threw an interception and lost two fumbles – one of those returned for a touchdown by the Cowboys’ defense. The Rams managed only 38 rushing yards in this latest loss.
The Browns returned home to face an unpredictable Chargers’ team in a battle of 2-2 clubs. And the Cleveland defense once again disappointed as Kevin Stefanski’s team was unable to protect a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
All told, Cleveland ran for 213 yards – 134 yards and two scores by Nick Chubb. Joe Woods’ unit was scorched for 238 yards on the ground. Cade York missed a 54-yard field goal late in the game that would have given the Browns the win.
The reigning AFC champions hit the road for Baltimore for a prime time tilt with the rival Raiders. It was a fairly solid evening for the Cincinnati defense, which limited the Ravens to one touchdown and four field goals.
But the last of those kicks by Justin Tucker came on the final play of the game – just like the team’s previous two losses. Joe Burrow threw for 217 yards and one score and also ran for a touchdown but served up one interception.
Teddy Bridgewater replaced an injured Tua Tagovailoa last week at Cincinnati. Now he would get the start vs. the Jets. On his team’s first play from scrimmage, he was not only be called for intentional grounding in the end zone but was knocked out of the game.
Enter rookie Skylar Thompson, who threw for 166 yards but was sacked twice and committed a pair of turnovers. Down 19-17 in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins gave up 21 unanswered points.
The Bolts came up with a solid win last week at Houston and were back on the road once again as the club traveled to Cleveland. Brandon Staley’s team was down 14-0 in the first quarter but battled back with 17 straight points.
The club would hold on for a two-point win but it was the Los Angeles offense that stood out. Austin Ekeler rushed for 173 yards and one touchdown while Justin Herbert threw for 228 yards – his lone TD pass going to Ekeler.
A year ago, John Harbaugh’s club was swept by their division rivals from Cincinnati by a combined score of 82-38. The teams met in Baltimore on Sunday night and the Ravens took a 10-0 second-quarter lead. The Bengals would tie the score by halftime.
But the rest of the night belonged to Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker. He finished the game with four field goals. And his 43-yard boot on the final play of the game gave Harbaugh’s squad a huge victory.
With a victory over the Green Bay Packers in London, the Giants could equal last season’s total of four wins. Things didn’t look good early for Brian Daboll’s team as New York fell behind, 17-3, in the second quarter.
The Giants trailed 20-10 in the second half but scored 17 straight points. Daboll’s club did not commit a turnover and also blanked the Packers’ offense in the second half. Saquon Barkley finished with 70 of the team’s 125 rushing yards.
Be it as a member of the Patriots or the Buccaneers, Tom Brady had never known what it was like to lose to the Falcons. And the 23-year signal-caller still hasn’t experienced that feeling. He threw for 351 yards and one score, wasn’t sacked and Todd Bowles’ club did not commit a turnover.
The Bucs owned a 21-0 lead in the fourth quarter and held off a late Atlanta rally. Bowles’ defense registered five sacks of Falcons’ quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The team started the season with losses to the Giants and Bills. But the Titans were looking for a third consecutive win as they traveled to Washington for the first time since 2013. Derrick Henry ran for 102 yards and two scores on 28 carries and also caught two passes for 30 yards.
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for one touchdown but was sacked five times. But it was David Long’s interception late in the game that preserved Tennessee’s victory.
Matt LaFleur’s team headed overseas to take on the surprising Giants. And the Packers appeared to be on their way to a fourth straight win as they took a 17-3 second-quarter lead.
But the Green Bay defense had its issues after intermission, especially when it came to stopping New York’s offense as the Giants finished 4-of-6 on third down in the second half. Aaron Rodgers threw for 222 yards and two TDs but Green Bay ran for only 94 yards.
The 49ers were coming off an impressive Monday night win over the Rams. But that meant a short week as they headed east to Carolina. But the San Francisco defense flexed its muscles once again.
DeMeco Ryans’ unit racked up six sacks and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley returned a Baker Mayfield interception 41 yards for a touchdown. But the Niners’ defender also suffered a torn ACL later in the game. Jeff Wilson ran for 120 yards and one score.
The surging Cowboys took on the defending Super Bowl champion Rams in Los Angeles. While the Dallas’ offense failed to find the end zone all afternoon, Dan Quinn’s aggressive defensive unit more than made up for those shortcomings.
Linebacker Micah Parsons had two of the team’s five sacks and one of the defense’s two forced fumbles of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The Cowboys won their fourth consecutive game.
Kevin O’Connell’s club had already notched home wins over division rivals Green Bay and Detroit. Now the Vikings looked to go 3-0 vs. their NFC North neighbors as they hosted the Bears. The Purple Gang opened up an impressive 21-3 lead but fell behind by one point with less than 10 minutes to play.
Veteran Kirk Cousins threw for 296 yards and one score (1 interception) and ran for what proved to be the deciding touchdown with just 2:26 to play.
Andy Reid has had his way with the AFC West since becoming Chiefs’ head coach in 2013. And he and the team had defeated the Raiders 15 times in 18 meetings entering Monday night’s tilt at Kansas City.
Reid’s club spotted Las Vegas a 17-0 lead before roaring back thanks to the duo of Patrick Mahomes (292 yards) and Travis Kelce. They combined for four touchdowns on the evening, the last of those scores coming with 7:25 remaining in the game.
Sean McDermott’s team hosted the Steelers and it got ugly early. The Bills outgained their guests 400-139 in total yards in the first half and owned a 31-3 edge at intermission. On Buffalo’s third play from scrimmage, Josh Allen connected with Gabe Davis for a 98-yard score.
The duo later combined for a 62-yard touchdown. Allen threw for 348 yards and four TDs (1 interception) in the first half alone. The Bills rolled up 552 yards by afternoon’s end.
The Eagles were the league’s lone unbeaten team as they headed to Arizona. A pair of Jalen Hurts’ one-yard TD runs in the first half gave Nick Sirianni’s club a 14-0 lead. But Philadelphia struggled to put the Cardinals away and the teams were tied at 17-all with less than 10 minutes to play.
But the Eagles embarked on a 17-play, 70-yard drive that took 7:58 off the clock. And Cameron Dicker’s 23-yard field goal with 1:45 to play was the difference.