Things are getting interesting in a hurry as Week 5 of the NFL season arrives.
Tensions are rising as would-be contenders like the Eagles, Bengals, Dolphins and Browns, to name a few, have encountered early calamities. Underdogs like the Falcons, Commanders and Vikings have found early success. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, Jets and Bears and other teams that entered the season with great hopes continue to fight to gain their footing.
The unexpected and unmatched drama remains the only constant of an NFL season.
The first byes of the season take place this weekend for the Lions, Eagles, Chargers and Titans. The break comes at the perfect time for the battered Chargers, and for the Eagles, who are also injury-riddled and struggling for answers in areas of underperformance.
But there’s still plenty of action on tap. This week’s slate kicked off Thursday night with an NFC South matchup, as the Falcons beat the Buccaneers 36-30 in overtime behind Kirk Cousins’ 509 passing yards. The action continues Sunday with the first London-based game of the season, followed by 11 games stateside and a Monday night contest between the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are five of the leading storylines to follow this week. (Find the Week 5 schedule here.)
Sam Darnold and the Vikings are one of just two 4-0 teams, along with the Chiefs. (Mark Hoffman / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Vikings’ Darnold vs. the Jets
The NFL’s international series resumes with a showdown in London between Aaron Rodgers and the Jets and Sam Darnold (formerly of the Jets) and the Vikings.
The Jets made Darnold the third pick of the 2018 draft, but the USC product never really had a chance given the dysfunction that engulfed the franchise during his three seasons there. Declared a bust, Darnold was traded to Carolina and then spent a season in San Francisco as a backup. That stint helped him reset professionally, and learn the game in a manner he was never afforded in New York. Now he’s experiencing a career revival in Minnesota, where he has led the Vikings to a 4-0 start while leading the NFL in passing touchdowns (11).
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After shipping Darnold off, the Jets swung and missed on Zach Wilson (the second pick of the 2021 draft) and last season turned to Rodgers in hopes that the future Hall of Famer can finally rescue them from the league’s basement. Rodgers missed all but four snaps with an Achilles tendon tear last season. He is healthy again, but he is also 40, and the Jets (2-2) are still struggling with inconsistencies. After an embarrassing loss to Denver last week, frustrations appear to be percolating — Rodgers wants coaches to do a better job holding underperforming teammates accountable.
Can Darnold exact revenge across the pond? Or will Rodgers get the support necessary to nudge the Jets above the .500 mark for the first time since Week 8 of last season? (Jets vs. Vikings in London, 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday.)
Momentum for Ravens and Bengals
After a slow start, projected AFC contender Baltimore got a much-needed win in Dallas in Week 3, and then dominated fellow conference elite Buffalo at home last Sunday night. Offseason pickup Derrick Henry hit his stride as the workhorse back/sidekick Lamar Jackson has long lacked, and Jackson was slinging and toting the rock for touchdowns while the previously disjointed defense rounded back into form.
Now the Ravens hope to carry that momentum into Week 5, where they travel to Cincinnati to take on yet another anticipated playoff team in their AFC North rival Bengals. Cincinnati opened the year 0-3 before pulling off a much-needed win in Carolina last week. This should be another showdown between two of this generation’s top quarterbacks (Jackson and the Bengals’ Joe Burrow).
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Jackson has won his last three games against Cincinnati, but the Bengals bounced Baltimore from the first round of the playoffs two years ago with Jackson sidelined by a knee injury. Can the Ravens continue their ascension, or was last week the get-right game the Bengals needed? (Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs faces his former team, the Bills, on Sunday. (Thomas Shea / Imagn Images)
Five teams entered Week 4 with 3-0 records. The Chiefs and Vikings both improved to 4-0, but the Bills, Steelers and Seahawks all suffered their first losses of the season. Now, Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Seattle get back to work in hopes of quickly rebounding.
The Bills head to Houston, where they must show they can better support quarterback Josh Allen. The seventh-year veteran is off to one of the best starts of his career, but he can’t do it alone. An improved rushing attack would help ease pressure on him, and a defense that allowed 271 rushing yards at Baltimore must play better. The Bills have done well against the pass, holding teams to 165.3 yards per contest (although Baltimore really didn’t throw much because Buffalo was so bad against the run), but the unit will have to work hard to contain C.J. Stroud and former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs. They’ll have to do so without pass rusher Von Miller, who was suspended last week for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
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Meanwhile, the Seahawks, who lost 42-29 to the Lions Monday night, hope to take care of business at home against the New York Giants. Geno Smith leads the NFL in completions (115), attempts (159) and yardage (1,182), and his completion percentage (72.3) ranks second. Seattle actually outgained Detroit in total yards (516-389), and dominated time of possession, but a pair of turnovers proved costly. Seattle had ranked among the top 10 in total defense but allowed Detroit to score on all five trips inside the red zone. The Seahawks’ offense and defense will look to seal the deal Sunday against New York.
Lastly, the host Steelers aim to rebound Sunday night against the Cowboys. Justin Fields is again projected to start at quarterback, and he is coming off his most productive outing of the season (312 passing yards and a touchdown, 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns). But Fields and receiver George Pickens each lost a fumble last week against Indianapolis and the Steelers’ usually stout defense couldn’t slow Jonathan Taylor and Joe Flacco. Dallas is shorthanded on defense because of injuries to stars Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, and the Cowboys’ offense remains inconsistent and one-dimensional. If Pittsburgh can capitalize, the black and gold remain atop the AFC North. (Bills at Texans, 1 p.m. ET; Giants at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET; Cowboys at Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Jaguars’ losing streak
When new coach Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars on a 6-1 surge to close out the 2022 regular season, then followed that up with an opening-round playoff victory, it seemed as if Jacksonville would ascend to the consistent contenders in the AFC. The same appeared true during an 8-3 start to the 2023 season. Then came that perplexing 1-5 season-ending collapse. And then came the 0-4 start to this season.
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Opponents this season have outscored Jacksonville 109-60, and the Jaguars rank 29th in the NFL in points scored, 30th in points and yards allowed and 32nd in takeaways. They came close to snagging their first victory last week and even led Houston with 6:16 left in the game. But Stroud directed a 24-20 comeback victory capped by a touchdown pass with 18 seconds left.
Up next: another AFC South matchup against 2-2 Indianapolis. After Sunday’s home game, the Jaguars have two straight in London. How much further will team owner Shad Khan’s patience extend if Pederson fails to turn this around in the next three weeks? (Colts at Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)
Who will be Patrick Mahomes’ go-to guy with Rashee Rice sidelined by a knee injury? (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
Chiefs’ resourcefulness amid injuries
They had to scratch and claw for it, but the Chiefs earned their fourth victory of the season last Sunday, edging the undermanned Chargers 17-10. The victory proved costly, however, as Kansas City lost top wide receiver Rashee Rice for at least the next four games to a knee injury. The Chiefs already had lost wide receiver Marquise Brown and running back Isiah Pacheco to injuries. So who will Patrick Mahomes lean on now as he tries to guide the franchise to an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory? The quarterback’s wizardry and Andy Reid’s creativity certainly will be put to the test.
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Who will emerge to fill the go-to guy role Rice had assumed this season while ranking among the league leaders in yards and catches? Rookie Xavier Worthy will have to assume a heavier workload. And after looking like a shell of himself through three games, Travis Kelce needs to look more like the guy who had seven catches for 89 yards last week once Rice got hurt. JuJu Smith-Schuster logged 32 snaps last week but received no targets. The Chiefs certainly will need more from the 27-year-old who helped them win the Super Bowl two years ago but has since been slowed by knee problems. If not Smith-Schuster, then who? Old friend Kareem Hunt did add 85 yards of offense (69 rushing, 16 receiving) last week. But if Kansas City’s once well-oiled machine is to keep rolling toward dominance, Reid and Mahomes will have to pull out all of the stops to keep this offense on the necessary ascension track. (Saints at Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. ET Monday.)
(Top photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)