If you stayed up to watch Drake Maye lead the New England Patriots to a road win over the Buffalo Bills to shake up the AFC East power rankings then you saw the team New England always thought it would be in the post-Tom Brady era. It was a team that, when it plays like it did Sunday night, can be a sleeper team in the AFC. How high should their ceiling be for a team that’s spent way too much time at the bottom of the NFL standings?
They aren’t the only team turning heads either. The Baltimore Ravens are turning heads for all the wrong reasons as their season is rapidly spiraling out of control with injuries and Lamar Jackson at the forefront. This could be the beginning of the end of their championship window if they don’t get it right.
That’s just scratching the surface though, here’s some overreactions after Week 5 of the NFL was as exciting as we needed it to be.
Drake Maye will lead the New England Patriots back to the NFL playoffs this season
This might not be the overreaction you think it is because if you watched the game-winning drive by Drake Maye on Sunday night, you saw a player that is turning into one of the future faces of the league. I’ll pump the brakes a little bit on the hyperbole, but this is what New England always expected after Tom Brady left the northeast.
The Buffalo Bills have been terrorizing AFC East teams for years and even when Miami was relevant, it still wasn’t a real threat to the Bills’ dominance in the division. That felt like it changed Sunday night. Bills Mafia doesn’t know what it’s like to lose at home often so suffering a loss to a team they’ve ran through for years was a shock.
It’s also proof that the Patriots are a much better team than they have been. Stefon Diggs torched his former team to the tune of 146 yards. The Patriots defense, led by Christian Gonzalez, held one of the top offenses to a season-low 20 points. This wasn’t just a big win for New England, but it is a heads up to the rest of the NFL they’re a legit playoff contender.
AJ Brown will force his way out of Philadelphia this season
The Philadelphia Eagles offense has had its problems this year and it’s less about struggles with consistency and more about struggling to be dynamic. Much like last year, this Philadelphia offense is focused on running the ball and letting that open up the passing game. Even then, the Eagles have one of the worst passing offenses in 2025.
AJ Brown has three games with five or more receptions, one 100-yard game this year, which is also the only time he’s had more than 50 receiving yards in a game this season. He’s being underutilized and that can’t be sitting well with him. Sure he’s being professional in how he’s outwardly handled this year, but he can’t be pleased with his usage.
I’m not sure the Eagles will be interested in trading him before this offseason, but it might not be their choice. The Eagles traded for Brown going into the 2022 season and his role has essentially decreased each season. Though he had at least 1,400 yards his first two seasons in Philadelphia, he’s on pace to have the fewest receptions in his career and his second straight season with less than 100 targets.
The Eagles aren’t using him like they used to and they might as well sell high where they can get a solid enough return to either improve the offensive line, add some draft capital or add to their secondary.
Mike McDaniel’s days are number in Miami after horrible start to 2025
It’s safe to say that Mike McDaniel might not survive this season if the Dolphins don’t turn things around quickly. Their struggles this season go much further than just dealing with the Tyreek Hill injury. This team in shambles and McDaniel won’t escape the blame much longer. Since he’s taken over Miami, they’ve been to the playoffs twice with no playoff wins.
McDaniel and his offensive mind weren’t just supposed to save Tua Tagovailoa, but this offense too and now both look worse since the Dolphins have missed the playoffs the last two years. Not only has Miami had a negative point differential in each of the last two seasons, they’ve also had a bottom-half of the league offense. It’s time to start thinking about moving on from McDaniel if you’re Chris Greer.
Pete Carroll won’t save the Las Vegas Raiders like we thought he would
Pete Carroll came out of retirement to not only take over a team that had no hope of turning things around, but instead of turning to Sam Darnold, looked at Geno Smith, who he worked with in Seattle. That’s fallen flat on its face five games into the season. Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders are on a four-game losing streak, Smith has a league-high nine interceptions and the third most sacked quarterback this year.
This couldn’t have gone worse for Carroll and with all the offseason excitement about the Raiders, it’s clear Carroll isn’t going to save them. They currently have just four opponents remaining this season against teams with a losing record and they still have to play the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos twice while also having Philadelphia left to play.
Things are about to get out of hand in Las Vegas and Carroll might be out of a job again after this season. The Raiders had a lot of optimism entering the year and that’s since dissipated. It’s not farfetched at all to think their a lost cause moving forward.