Week 5 in the NFL served up some compelling counters to prevailing narratives throughout the league.
Perhaps it should have been clear that the week wouldn't unfold as expected when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tripped up the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday for their first win of the season. And when the Philadelphia Eagles surged back late against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London only to cede their advantage in the final seconds, it was clear that the slate would serve up several surprises.
With that in mind, here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday's NFL action:
Winners
San Francisco 49ers
It's easy to envision things going differently in the 49ers' narrow 32-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks. After all, both teams combined for seven turnovers, and the result came down to a Schrödinger's spot officiating ruling in determining that Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp came up short of the sticks while falling out of bounds on fourth down. Still, this is a rare instance where the outcome for San Francisco might matter more than the process. Kyle Shanahan's crew is now 5-0 and has created some separation from both the Seahawks and Rams in the divisional standings. And the upcoming schedule looks highly favorable, too, with the next four matchups coming against the Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
San Francisco probably can't feel too comfortable within the NFC West, especially given how integral Seattle's four takeaways were to jump-starting the offense. But Brock Purdy's resolve in two late scoring drives and Mike Evans delivering in critical late stretches should give Shanahan more confidence that his team can persevere against Mike Macdonald's group, even if the 49ers can't fully crack the Seahawks' defense.
Drake Maye
The New England Patriots' 45-17 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders felt like a bit of a return to normalcy on several fronts. After exceeding expectations in every facet except the run game, the Raiders seemed to get a reality check on both sides of the ball. But portraying this as some sort of inevitable regression to the mean would unfairly discredit the laudable work New England did to set things straight after a turbulent first four weeks for its offense.
Building off last week's impressive showing against the Buffalo Bills, Maye once again played within himself rather than forcing things, throwing for 374 yards and four touchdowns. Superlative pass protection kept the NFL MVP runner-up comfortable and let him pick apart a young secondary that hadn't been this out of sorts so far this year. Meanwhile, a surprisingly consistent performance from the typically uneven rushing attack helped keep the Patriots on schedule and reduce the ask of Maye. Injuries to left tackle Will Campbell and running back TreVeyon Henderson could be cause for concern, and Maye can't afford to let his decision-making falter when opposing pass rushes ramp back up. But the quarterback's reclamation of his composure should be highly encouraging for Mike Vrabel, especially amid the downturn in available skill-position assistance.
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DeMeco Ryans
Is this the start of another surge for the Houston Texans? It feels premature to say a 26-3 win over the hapless Tennessee Titans will spark a real upswing. But if Houston is to become just the second team in league history to make the playoffs after a 0-4 start, it at least took several important strides on Sunday.
With Ryans reclaiming the defensive play-calling duties, the Texans' woefully underperforming unit finally looked closer to its previous form. Houston held Tennessee to just 187 total yards and sacked Cam Ward four times. That might not exactly be definitive proof of a turnaround given how extensive the Titans' offensive struggles have been this season. But it's at least a starting point for a group that had surrendered more points than any other AFC team entering the week. Meanwhile, regardless of whether the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade provides a lift to the suspect receiving corps, C.J. Stroud continues to show remarkable poise in light of challenging circumstances. If Houston can prop up its woeful ground game with the expanded jumbo-package looks it employed Sunday, there might be a way for this team to claw back to at least the fringes of postseason contention.
Kyler Murray
During their 4-0 start, the Minnesota Vikings repeatedly encountered their offense as something to overcome rather than an actual propellant. In Murray's fourth start, however, the quarterback finally showed signs of settling into Kevin O'Connell's attack.
Minnesota didn't enjoy a full-on fireworks display in a 23-13 win over the New Orleans Saints. But an offense that completed 11 of its first attempts looked far more potent than it did in the first month of the season. By mixing in a handful of scrambles to complement his precise passing, Murray seemed to strike the kind of conceptual balance O'Connell had been seeking when he installed the signal-caller as his starter. Signs of real progress appeared in his burgeoning connection with Justin Jefferson, who posted six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown to pace a passing attack without Jordan Addison and with tight end T.J. Hockenson sidelined with a concussion.
Matt LaFleur
Choosing not to engage with Ben Johnson's bravado, the Green Bay Packers coach has represented the more subdued half of the contentious rivalry with the Chicago Bears. But after coming up short in crushing fashion in the previous two meetings, LaFleur now has cause to brag, even if he won't take the opportunity to do so.
The Packers had little trouble dispatching their shorthanded counterparts in a 31-7 walk. While that outcome might not say much about what's ahead for the team, the big story was the re-emergence of a downfield passing game that previously had been rendered obsolete by rampant protection problems. Quarterback Jordan Love connected on six of eight passes for more than 20 air yards, accounting for 258 of his 367 yards and both of his scoring strikes. Green Bay harnessed that aggressiveness despite the continued lack of threat from the ground game, which managed just 70 total yards. They still have plenty to work on to ward off more prolific pass rushes, but the Packers have put themselves back in the thick of an NFC North hunt that could come down to the wire.
Jordan Battle
The Cincinnati Bengals safety came under fire last week for detailing Miami Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis' supposed tendency to tap the ball just before throwing. Maybe he did have a bead on his opponents' intentions after all. Battle intercepted Willis twice – the first multi-pick game of his pro career – to help fuel a 31-24 win. The South Florida native's big day in his home state might not have been a product of any specific tell, as Willis shrugged off the remarks after the game, saying, "Everybody pats the ball." But there's little question that his contributions were vital on a day when the Bengals' defense was far from perfect, even though Miami didn't capitalize on its opportunities.
Losers
Nick Sirianni
In a game in which his opponent committed 13 penalties and twice short-circuited at the goal line, Sirianni still managed to stand alone with the unquestioned biggest gaffe. After the Eagles took a one-point lead with just 8 seconds remaining, Sirianni had kicker Jake Elliott deliver a returnable kickoff to Jacksonville, even though the Jaguars had no timeouts. Ameer Abdullah caught the ball at the 8-yard line and raced to the Eagles' 39-yard line before being tackled with 1 second remaining. Once holder Logan Cooke corralled the ball from fill-in long snapper DaVon Hamilton, there was no doubt about Cam Little's game-winning 57-yard field goal. Sirianni took responsibility afterward, but amid mounting personnel losses, it sure seems as though the coach squandered an impressive display of resiliency by his team and what could have been a turning point for a season that's rapidly slipping away. For a CEO-style head coach, this failure of stewardship could hang over him for some time.
Washington Commanders
Don't bother rationalizing the nearly minute-long mismanagement. The finishing sequence to a 27-27 tie with the New York Giants defied all reasoning and saddled Washington with the only kind of stalemate that could leave such a sour taste. Despite getting into prime position for a potential game-winning field goal, the Commanders relegated themselves to mere bystanders as the clock ticked out. Jayden Daniels said after the game that the outcome was "on me" after he went down with eight seconds remaining and seemed to have no urgency in getting the offense back to the line of scrimmage. But with Quinn saying after the game that the intended final play was an outside throw to gain more yards or stop the clock, it's clear this was a multifaceted meltdown. Even though the NFC East appears up for grabs after a week rife with missteps, Washington now sits at just 1-3-1 ahead of meetings with the 49ers, Eagles and Rams. Quinn already appeared to be firmly on the hot seat, and this is the kind of calamity that can come to color the end of a tenure.
Tua Tagovailoa
Remember when the former Dolphins signal-caller was seen as actual competition – and perhaps even a front-runner – for the Atlanta Falcons' starting job? After missing out on both the top job and a chance to keep Michael Penix Jr.'s seat warm, Tagovailoa seemed relegated to the background as the Falcons found new life in recent weeks with Penix back in the fold. But with the strong-armed third-year passer suffering a rib injury toward the tail end of Atlanta's prime-time tilt with the Baltimore Ravens, Tagovailoa finally got his turn to lead the offense down seven in overtime. On his third throw of the evening, however, Tagovailoa telegraphed a pass that Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton easily jumped for the game-sealing interception. He might be a preferable backup to Cooper Rush given how the Falcons' attack hit rock bottom with the journeyman at the helm, but Tagovailoa doesn't even look like a viable stopgap solution at this point.
Cleveland Browns offense
This kind of performance seemed bound to hit a front that was bringing together five new starters. Still, in a 17-12 loss to the New York Jets, Deshaun Watson was under an untenable level of duress throughout the day, taking eight sacks – a season-worst for any team – while facing a 59.1% pressure rate, according to Next Gen Stats. That consistently put an offense with few easy answers at its disposal – and even fewer without rookie KC Concepcion, who left the contest after a first-quarter concussion – in an inescapable hole. But the even more foreboding sign for this offense is the continued inability to get the rushing attack going, with Quinshon Judkins finishing the day with just 44 yards on 14 carries. Watson's limitations in extending plays and escaping oncoming rushers make it unworkable for Cleveland to be a one-dimensional operation, so remaining competitive could hinge on improvement there. Judkins, however, left the stadium in a walking boot, per multiple reports, and the Browns have scant depth behind him.
Indianapolis Colts defense
Hard to believe that Lou Anarumo's defense was viewed as one of the league's most vexing at this point last year. Right now, the only group this unit looks capable of frustrating is its own coaching staff. Unable to corral all-purpose threat Jaylen Warren, who Next Gen Stats credited with 130 yards from scrimmage after missed tackles, Indianapolis repeatedly proved unable to push the Pittsburgh Steelers out of their comfort zone in a 34-22 loss. Repeated whiffs have loomed large for this group for some time, with particularly problematic play at the second level and over the middle. With so few reliable ways to generate pressure or tilt games in their favor, the Colts could see their season unravel if they can't get a better handle on the basics soon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL winners, losers for Week 5 include two major gaffes in NFC East