NFL Week 5 Recap

Bears 20, Buccaneers 19

This was a sloppy game for the offenses, but Chicago was able to pull it out despite only having 243 total yards on offense and losing the time of possession battle. Tampa had a chance to drive for the game winning field goal, but the drive stalled after Tom Brady appeared to lose track of the downs. Nick Foles threw for 243 yards and a touchdown to Jimmy Graham. David Montgomery also added a touchdown. Ronald Jones scored the only Bucs' touchdown after Foles threw a 1st quarter interception.

Panthers 23, Falcons 16

Well, this game ultimately led to the dismissal of Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff. The Atlanta defense, especially the secondary, has not been good this year, and Sunday was no exception. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns for Carolina. Robby NAderson added 112 receiving yards, and DJ Moore and Mike Davis each had a touchdown catch. Carolina built a 20-7 first half lead, then held off an attempted rally with Juston Burris interception in the endzone. Todd Gurley had the only touchdown for Atlanta to go along with 121 rushing yards.

Raiders 40, Chiefs 32

One of two huge surprises this week. The Raiders have done a pretty good job of scoring points this year, but I don't think anyone thought hey could out score Kansas City. Derek Carr threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns to lead Vegas to an upset win. The teams traded scores in the first half, resulting in a 24-24 tie after the first 30 minutes of play. After trading punts to begin the second half, the Raiders would use a field goal and two Josh Jacobs rushing touchdowns-- one coming off an interception-- to take a 40-24 lead. Pat Mahomes would lead a KC scoring drive to cut the lead in half, but Vegas would ultimately run out the clock. Mahomes threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, while Travis Kelce had 108 receiving yards and a touchdown to lead the Chiefs.

Cardinals 30, Jets 10

The Jets are a bad team and were playing without starting QB Sam Darnold. Kyler Murray's 380 passing yards and DeAndre Hopkins's 131 receiving yards with a touchdown helped the Cardinals get the win. Scoring-wise, the game was pretty close for the first 3 quarters. The teams were about even in rushing yards for the game, but Arizona had three rushing TDs and threw for 207 more yards than the Jets could manage from Joe Flacco. New York's offense could only manage one touchdown the entire game: a Flacco pass to Jamison Crowder in the third quarter to cut the lead to seven. After that, RB Kenyan Drake would lead Arizona down for another score. The Jets would have to punt, and Murray would find Hopkins for a touchdown to seal the deal.

Steelers 38, Eagles 29

Rookie WR Chase Claypool had a breakout game for Pittsburgh--accumulating 116 total yards and four touchdowns. The Steelers would take a 31-14 lead early in the third, but Philly would come roaring back. Carson Wentz would fin Greg Ward and Travis Fulgham for touchdowns, cutting the lead to just two points after a two point conversion. The Eagles would get a chance to take the lead after recovering an Eric Ebron fumble, but Jake Elliott would miss a 57 yard field goal. Claypool would haul in another touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger-- who threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns-- before CB Steven Nelson would pick off Wentz for the second time to end the game. Fulgham had 152 yards and a touchdown on ten catches during a career day for the Eagles.

Rams 30, Washington 10

The biggest takeaway from this game has nothing to do with the score. After Kyle Allen took over for a benched Dwayne Haskins at quarterback for Washington, veteran Alex Smith had to replace Allen due to an injury. It was Smith's first game action since he suffered a gruesome leg injury that required 17 surgeries, and almost took his career and his leg. He looked pretty cautious, but overall, he was okay. As for the rest of the game: An Allen TD run in the first quarter and a Dustin Hopkins field goal just before the half was all Washington could manage to score. Darrell Henderson scored twice for the Rams, while Jared Goff threw for 309 yards with two touchdowns--one passing and one rushing-- and an interception. The Rams defense held Washington to just 108 total yards, while the LA offense put up 429 total yards. It was a game completely controlled by the Rams from start to finish.

Ravens 27, Bengals 3

Lamar Jackson threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns in this one. Leading receivers Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews each caught a touchdown pass. Cincinnati struggled to get anything going against a vaunted Baltimore defense but did manage a Randy Bullock field goal at the end of the game. Joe Burrow was sacked seven times and threw for just 183 yards-- his second-lowest total on the season. The Ravens' defense forced three Bengals' turnovers, including a 53 yard fumble return for a touchdown by rookie LB Patrick Queen. It wasn't a flashy win, but the better team was able to dominate.

Texans 30, Jaguars 14

First game without Bill O'Brien= First win. Houston looked somewhat rejuvenated as it took the field under interim coach Romeo Crennel. Deshaun Watson had a big day-- throwing for 359 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Turnovers and missed field goals doomed the Jags in this game. In the first half, they missed two field goals late in the second quarter that would have tied the game--at the very least-- going into halftime. They also weren't able to capitalize on either interception from Watson; missing a field goal on the first and fumbling the ball back to Houston after the second. The Texans would capitalize to go up by two scores. Gardner Minshew would find Collin Johnson on a 4th and goal to cut the lead to one score on the next drive. Houston added a field goal, and Minshew would fumble the ball back. Watson would find Brandin Cooks, who had 161 yards and a touchdown, to put the game out of reach. Minshew's 301 yards and two touchdowns were not enough for Jacksonville in this one.

Dolphins 43, 49ers 17

This was probably the surprise of the week. The wily vet, Ryan Fitzpatrick, threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns against what is supposed to be one of the league's best defensive units. Miami held the Niners to just one first half score-- while adding three touchdowns and three field goals themselves-- en route to a commanding 30-7 halftime lead. Preston Williams was the primary target for Fitzpatrick; hauling in four passes for 106 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy Garoppolo was eventually benched after throwing 2 interceptions on just 17 passing attempts. CJ Beathard led them on two scoring drives, but it was such a substantial deficit that they couldn't come close to coming back.

Browns 32, Colts 23

Wait, are the Browns for real? Cleveland is now 4-1 on the season after an impressive win over the Colts. Considering its the only good team they've beaten, I'm not buying the hype yet. Baker Mayfield threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns to help pace the Cleveland offense. The Browns' defense held the Colts to just one offensive touchdown all game. After Ronnie Harrison returned a Philip Rivers interception for a touchdown, the Browns had a 27-10 lead and seemed to be in complete control. Isaiah Rogers would return the ensuing kickoff for an Indy touchdown, and an interception by LB Bobby Okereke would lead to a field goal to cut the lead to seven. The Colts would force a Cleveland punt but give them points on a safety. Indy would be able to get a field goal to cut the lead to six, but Cody Parkey would ice the game with a field goal of his own for the Browns.

Cowboys 37, Giants 34

This was an extremely entertaining game to watch. The Giants got out to a quick 17-3 lead, but an Ezekiel Eliot TD run and an Anthony Brown fumble return quickly tied it up. New York would kick a field goal, and Dak Prescott found Cedrick Wilson for a touchdown as the Cowboys took a 24-20 lead into the half. Prescott would throw for 166 yards before suffering a gruesome injury in the 3rd quarter. Andy Dalton played well in relief-- going 9/11 passing with 111 yards and leading Dallas to a game-winning field goal as time expired. Elliott had 91 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while rookie Ceedee Lamb had a career high 124 receiving yards. QB Daniel Jones threw for 222 yards--129 to WR Darius Slayton-- but they couldn't hold Dallas long enough.

Seahawks 27, Vikings 26

Seattle loves to play on Sunday nights. This is their second SNF game already this year that came down to the last possession. The Vikings took a 13-0 lead to the locker room at halftime behind a Dalvin Cook rushing TD and two field goals from Dan Bailey. Seattle woke up in the 3rd quarter, impressively scoring three touchdowns in 1:53 to take the lead. The Vikings would use a heavy dose of backup RB Alexander Mattison (20 carries, 112 yards), and Kirk Cousins would find Adam Thielen in the endzone twice to take the lead back for Minnesota. Then, Russell Wilson did what he does best-- lead his offense down the field for a game winning score. Wilson found DK Metcalf for a his third touchdown pass of the game with 15 seconds left, giving Minnesota almost no time. Cousins would be sacked on the final play of the game.

Saints 30, Chargers 27 (OT)

The Saints offense has been substantially underwhelming without Michael Thomas. Drew Brees hasn't looked like the same player at all, and they're struggling to get the ball vertically down the field. In this game, they fell behind 20-3 before a Brees touchdown cut the deficit to ten at the half. Chargers QB Justin Herbert looked excellent as he threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns on the night, 109 yards and two of those TDs coming form Mike Williams. However, the New Orleans defense got the stops it needed in the second half-- allowing just one score in the final two-plus quarters. That score came just as LA seemed to be seizing momentum back, but Taysom Hill (and the extra point) would tie the game up on a crucial 3rd down play. Chargers kicker Michael Badgley would miss a 50 yard field goal as time expired in regulation (his second missed kick of the night). Will Lutz would make a field goal in overtime for the Saints, and their defense would cause a series of incompletions from Herbert to seal the victory.

Titans 42, Bills 16

The Titans emerge unscathed form the battle of the unbeatens behind four touchdowns-- three pasisng and one running-- from Ryan Tannehill. The teams were pretty even in total yards and plays, but Buffalo had untimely turnovers and penalties that put them in a big hole. The Titans held the Bills to just a touchdown and a field goal in the first half, while scoring three touchdowns themselves. Derrick Henry was held to just 57 rushing yards over the course of the game but scored twice, and Jonnu Smith had two touchdown catches. Buffalo had chance to cut the lead to four at the beginning of the third quarter, but Josh Allen would throw an interception after driving his team into Tennessee territory. The interception would set the Titans up with prime field position at the Buffalo 12, and they would cruise from there. Stefon Diggs had 106 receiving yards for Buffalo. Allen didn't have a great game but still threw for 263 yards with two touchdowns. Buffalo suffers its first loss of the season.