The first byes of the NFL season came in Week 5 and the reduced slate of games provided arguably the worst football we've seen so far in 2025. Blowouts ruled throughout the day as mismatches both expected and unexpected developed, with few contests being remotely competitive.
These games will count just the same in the standings as the ones from weeks with a better quality of play, so every result does matter in the end. Who are the biggest winners and losers of Week 5?
NFL winners and losers of Week 5
Winner: Denver Broncos
The most notable result from the day was Denver's impressive come from behind win on the road in Philadelphia, with a spirited late effort from the Broncos erasing a 21-3 deficit to hand the reigning champs their first loss. Sean Payton coached with needed urgency in the fourth, going for two to give the Broncos a one-point lead at 18-17 with 7:36 to go, making a late field goal from Wil Lutz vital as the Eagles simply couldn't tie the game with a kick, leaving a late Hail Mary attempt to fall just shy.
After a few rough patches early on, Denver produced a very clean effort in Week 5, controlling the ball for almost 35 minutes and holding the Eagles to just 2-of-11 on third down attempts. With a trip to London to take on the dysfunctional Jets next week, the Broncos have an excellent chance to return to the States with a 4-2 record next Monday.
Loser: Fans of competitive games
Football fans have been spoiled with excellent football for almost the entire month of September, making a slate like today's almost overdue. The games in the early window were particularly atrocious, with a few massive blowouts (see Cowboys-Jets and Texans-Ravens) while "close" games between the Giants and Saints or Dolphins and Panthers weren't exactly sterling examples of quality play.
There were a few highlights on Sunday, including the aforementioned Broncos-Eagles game and a Bucs-Seahawks barn burner at 4:05, but fans hoping for competitive games were left wanting. With good weather across most of the country, there's a good chance more entertainment could have been had going apple picking than watching these games.
Winner: Bryce Young
The 2025 season feels like a referendum on Bryce Young's future and there have been valid data points in both directions so far. Week 5 against Miami falls firmly into the pro column as Young showed impressive resolve to guide the Panthers back from an early 17-0 deficit to beat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 in a game that put Mike McDaniel right back on the hot seat.
While his overall numbers didn't look great (completing 19-of-30 passes for 198 yards with two touchdowns and a pick), Young led five Panthers' scoring drives over the final three quarters, making enough key plays to guide his team to an important victory one week after watching New England put up 42 unanswered points on them. There needs to be more consistency from Young to avoid opening the quarterback can of worms, but seeing Young demonstrate resolve to lead his team to a potentially season-saving win is good stuff.
Loser: Baltimore Ravens
The living embodiment of the "this is fine" meme, Baltimore's season is going up in flames rapidly. While the loss of Lamar Jackson made life difficult against the Houston Texans, a 44-10 blowout loss to a team that was fighting tooth and nail with the Titans last week is a sign of impending disaster for the Ravens, who made C.J. Stroud's offense look like the Greatest Show On Turf.
While there is no doubt Baltimore is ravaged by injuries, they looked non-competitive in this contest, which is unacceptable for a potential Super Bowl contender and a sign of bigger problems for John Harbaugh to solve. With Jackson looking highly questionable for Week 6's tilt with the Los Angeles Rams, who will have three extra days of rest to get ready for this game, Baltimore could be staring at a 1-5 hole when they hit their Week 7 bye.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While Baltimore has crumbled amidst its ongoing injury woes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have shown plenty of mental fortitude despite having a lengthy MASH unit of stars. After fighting back to nearly steal a game in Philadelphia last week, the Bucs came out on top in the game of the day, winning a wild shootout in Seattle 38-35 to improve to 4-1 and secure a critical postseason tiebreaker in the NFC.
Baker Mayfield demonstrated some more of his patented late game magic, driving Tampa Bay down the field for a game-tying touchdown with under two minutes to go and putting them in position to kick the go-ahead field goal after the Bucs' defense intercepted Sam Darnold deep in Seattle territory. While their methods aren't always pretty, it's hard to argue with the results of a 4-1 record that has them well-positioned to begin a defense of their NFC South crown.
Loser: New York Football Fans
The NFL's wasteland has been New York City, and nothing that happened in Week 5 suggests that status will change any time soon. A week after being a huge winner with an upset of the Los Angeles Chargers, the Giants laid an egg in New Orleans and lost 26-14 to the previously winless Saints, putting Brian Daboll right back in the line of fire with a Philadelphia-At Denver-At Philadelphia-San Francisco gauntlet coming up.
Things are somehow much worse for the Jets, who looked entirely non-competitive in a 37-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicated. Aaron Glenn has made plenty of mistakes in his first run as a head coach while the Jets' roster is extremely talent deficient, creating a dangerous cocktail that could see them end up picking in the top three of a draft whose quarterback class has aged poorly since the start of the college season.
Loser: Arizona Cardinals
You, inquisitive reader, may be wondering how the Cardinals ended up a loser after leading 21-6 in the third quarter with Emeri Demercado streaking towards the end zone for a game-icing touchdown. The way they beat Tennessee, however, was far from inspiring as a game that looked to be in cruise control began to violently veer the other way when Demercado wasted a long touchdown run by letting go of the football before he crossed the goal line, turning a potential 28-6 laugher into a much more tense affair.
The Titans got a touchdown on the ensuing drive, cutting their deficit to 21-12, and received a massive gift as the Cardinals fumbled on a Cam Ward pick, Keystone Cops-ing the ball into the end zone where Tyler Lockett fell on it for a touchdown. Ward then had his first big-time NFL moment, nailing a deep pass to Calvin Ridley on his final drive to set up a game-winning field goal, allowing Arizona to (yet again) snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.