Still unbeaten, and this one was earned the hard way. San Francisco won 32-29 at Seattle by forcing four turnovers, including two interceptions from Renardo Green and a strip sack returned for a touchdown by Gracen Halton. Brock Purdy threw two scores and Mike Evans caught seven passes for 113 yards. The 49ers turned it over three times and still found a way.
The Vikings are 5-0 and they are winning on control rather than fireworks. Minnesota held the ball for 39 minutes in a 23-13 win at New Orleans, Kyler Murray completed 24 of 30 for 229 yards, Aaron Jones ran for 113 and a score, and Byron Murphy Jr. intercepted two passes. Will Reichard made all three field goals, one from 55.
Kansas City sat out Week 5 on its bye and drops a spot only because two teams above it kept winning. The Chiefs are still the only unbeaten team in the AFC and still have not lost with Patrick Mahomes back from the torn ACL. A rested roster and a division in which the Chargers are 0-5 makes the schedule ahead look friendly.
Three straight wins, the latest a 19-17 survival of Philadelphia in London. Trevor Lawrence threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns to Parker Washington, who finished with 124 yards, and Cam Little won it from 57 yards. Jacksonville committed 13 penalties for 100 yards and won anyway, which is becoming a theme.
Three in a row for Baltimore, and this one came without Lamar Jackson. Tyler Huntley started and went 24 of 32 for 201 yards with two touchdowns, then scored the winner on a sneak in overtime at Atlanta, 30-23. Derrick Henry ran for 102 and caught an 18-yard touchdown as the Ravens piled up 208 rushing yards.
Buffalo has not played since the loss to New England, with its Monday night trip to the Rams still to come as this published. The Bills remain the AFC East leader at 3-1 and Josh Allen remains the reason their floor is high. A tough road test against a rested Rams team will say more about them than anything in the first month did.
The Giants went to Washington and came back with the league's first tie of the season, 27-27. Jameis Winston threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Malik Nabers caught 11 for 121, and Isaiah Likely added 11 catches and two scores. Dominic Zvada missed three field goals, which is exactly how a win becomes a draw.
Drake Maye was close to perfect in a 45-17 demolition of Las Vegas: 26 of 34 for 374 yards, four touchdown passes, a rushing score and a 150.9 rating. DeMario Douglas caught two of the touchdowns, Elijah Ponder had two sacks, and New England finished with 536 total yards. Two straight wins and the biggest climb in the rankings this week.
Detroit went to Arizona and won 45-21 without turning the ball over once. Jahmyr Gibbs carried 25 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Jared Goff threw three more, and Jameson Williams caught two of them on only two receptions. The defense sacked Jacoby Brissett five times. This is the version of the Lions everyone expected in September.
A 31-7 beating of Chicago at Lambeau, built on five takeaways. Xavier McKinney intercepted two passes, Jordan Love went 25 of 31 for 367 yards with a 137.5 rating, and Christian Watson caught six for 143 and two scores. Green Bay has won two in a row and jumps 12 spots, the biggest move on the board.
Jaylen Warren had the game of his career in a 34-22 win over Indianapolis: 101 rushing yards with a 50-yard run, 87 receiving yards with an 80-yard touchdown catch, and two scores on 21 touches. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns without an interception and Pat Freiermuth caught two of them. Pittsburgh did not turn it over.
Denver won 23-17 at the Chargers with 224 total yards and a 1 for 12 day on third down, which tells you the defense did everything. Nik Bonitto had two of five sacks, Brandon Jones intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble, and the Broncos turned three takeaways into the points that mattered. Bo Nix threw for 123 yards and it was enough.
Joe Burrow was surgical in a 31-24 win at Miami, completing 23 of 32 for 190 yards with four touchdown passes and no sacks taken. The scores went to four different receivers, including Ja'Marr Chase. Jordan Battle picked off two passes. That snaps a two-game losing streak and puts Cincinnati back in a crowded AFC North race where three teams sit at 3-2.
Seattle lost 32-29 at home to San Francisco and the turnovers decided it. Sam Darnold threw two interceptions and was sacked five times, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani both lost fumbles, and the Seahawks gave it away four times in all. Jason Myers made all five field goals and Jaxon Smith-Njigba went for 102 yards, which made the margin look closer than the game felt.
A 31-7 loss at Green Bay with five turnovers and 246 total yards. Chicago used two quarterbacks, Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum, and they combined for three interceptions. Austin Booker had two sacks on a defense that kept getting put back on the field. The Bears are still 3-2, but this was the worst they have looked since Week 2.
Cleveland went to New Jersey and got Deshaun Watson sacked eight times in a 17-12 loss to the Jets. The Browns managed 198 total yards, went 4 for 16 on third down, and Andre Szmyt missed an extra point. After three straight wins put them atop the division, that was a reminder of how thin the margins are here.
The 45-17 loss in New England was the worst performance of the Raiders' season. Kirk Cousins threw for 243 yards before Fernando Mendoza relieved him, Las Vegas rushed for 38 yards, and Brock Bowers caught eight for 110 with a touchdown but also lost a fumble. Two straight losses after the 3-0 start, and the schedule gets no kinder.
The Rams were idle through Sunday with a Monday night home game against Buffalo still to come as this published, so they are ranked on four games. Matthew Stafford has thrown for 1,189 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions, and the giveaways are the thing holding this team back. Davante Adams remains the most dangerous piece of the offense.
Carolina spent Week 5 on its bye and still leads the NFC South, which says more about the division than about the Panthers. At 2-2 with a win over Detroit already banked, this is the healthiest position the franchise has been in for a while. The schedule after the break decides whether the start was real.
The Jets sacked Deshaun Watson eight times in a 17-12 win over Cleveland, with rookie David Bailey recording three of them in a breakout afternoon. Braelon Allen ran for 116 yards and a score and Garrett Wilson caught seven for 104 and another. Geno Smith was sacked four times and lost a fumble, so this was the defense's win.
Three straight losses, the latest 19-17 to Jacksonville in London, and the running game has disappeared entirely: 22 rushing yards as a team. Jalen Hurts threw for 220 yards, Jalen Carter had two sacks, and Philadelphia still could not finish. A team that started 2-0 has now lost three in a row and sits fourth in the NFC East.
Dallas lost 24-16 at home to a winless Tampa Bay team on Thursday night. Dak Prescott threw for 316 yards but was intercepted twice, the Cowboys ran for 50 yards, and they turned it over three times while holding the ball for barely 20 minutes. George Pickens caught nine for 130 and a score in a losing effort.
Atlanta lost 30-23 in overtime to Baltimore and lost Michael Penix Jr. to a late hit along the way. Penix had thrown for 240 yards before exiting, Tua Tagovailoa relieved him and threw the interception that ended it, and Jessie Bates III returned a fumble for a touchdown. Drake London caught seven for 118. Close, again, and no win to show for it.
Spencer Shrader made all five field goals in Pittsburgh, including a 57-yarder, and the Colts still lost 34-22. Daniel Jones threw for 267 yards without a touchdown or an interception, and Jonathan Taylor was held to 45 yards on 15 carries. Settling for field goals five times is how a team loses a game it never turned over.
Jayden Daniels returned and ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-27 tie with the Giants, but Washington blew a fourth quarter lead, had no timeouts left and could not get a final play off in regulation. Drew Stevens missed an extra point that would have changed everything. A tie is better than the four losses, barely.
The first win finally arrived, 26-3 at Tennessee. C.J. Stroud completed 26 of 34 for 261 yards with a touchdown through the air and another on the ground, Ka'imi Fairbairn made all four field goals, and Will Anderson Jr. had three sacks. Houston held the Titans to 187 total yards. One week does not fix 0-4, but it is a start.
Tampa Bay got its first win in Dallas on Thursday night, 24-16, behind a running game that produced 241 yards. Bucky Irving carried 21 times for 165 yards with a 72-yard long and scored twice. Jalon Daniels was efficient at 19 of 25 for 189 yards, and the Buccaneers did not turn the ball over once while holding it for 39 minutes.
A fourth straight loss, 45-21 to Detroit at home. Jacoby Brissett threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns and it was nowhere near enough, because Arizona ran for 56 yards, allowed five sacks and trailed 24-7 at the half. Trey McBride caught nine passes. The Cardinals have now been beaten by three touchdowns or more twice in four weeks.
New Orleans managed 142 total yards in a 23-13 loss to Minnesota and only stayed in it because Jonas Sanker returned a fumble for a touchdown. Tyler Shough completed 16 of 25 for 96 yards with two interceptions, the Saints went 2 for 10 on third down, and they held the ball for barely 20 minutes. Three straight losses.
Miami ran for 217 yards against Cincinnati and still lost 31-24 to fall to 0-5. Malik Willis ran for 74 yards and a touchdown and Ollie Gordon II added 88 and another, but Willis also threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. The Dolphins have found a running game. Everything else, including the three turnovers, is still a problem.
Another one-score loss, 23-17 to Denver, and the Chargers are 0-5. Justin Herbert threw for 121 yards, was sacked five times and lost a fumble as Los Angeles gave it away three times. Kimani Vidal ran well with 57 yards and a score. The defense keeps this team in games and the offense keeps handing them back.
Tennessee scored three points at home against a team that had not won all year, losing 26-3 to Houston. Cam Ward was sacked four times and threw an interception, the Titans gained 187 yards, and Joey Slye's 30-yard field goal was the whole afternoon. Five games, five losses, and the offense has yet to show a pulse.