Sunday’s NFL Week 5 action brought us a ton of good. It also provided many lowlights, including the New England Patriots being shutout for the first time since October of 2022.
Across the pond in London, the Jacksonville Jaguars put up a statement win over a Buffalo Bills team that was dominating opponents heading in.
Stateside, the Detroit Lions dropped 42 points on the Carolina Panthers while the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a late win over the division rival Baltimore Ravens.
These are among the highlights and lowlights from Sunday’s NFL Week 5 action. Let’s check in on them and others below.
Highlight: Jacksonville Jaguars statement win in London
Sitting at a mediocre 2-2 on the season heading into NFL Week 5, the Jaguars needed that one statement win to get things going after earning a surprise playoff appearance last year. No one really thought they’d get it against a Bills team that had outscored its past three opponents by a combined margin of 123-33. In fact, Jacksonville found itself as five-point underdogs in this one.
The game did not go according to this script. Jacksonville found itself up 11-7 after three quarters. When Darious Williams picked off Josh Allen early in the fourth quarter, things started going the Jaguars’ way.
Jacksonville would go on a 10-play, 93-yard drive, culminating in a Travis Etienne touchdown run. That drive saw Trevow Lawrence complete 2-of-3 passes for 30 yards, but it was Etienne who dominated a previously elite Bills defens throughout (136 yards, two touchdowns).
Even though the Bills were able to put up two long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, it was not enough for Josh Allen and Co. to pull off the comeback. Instead, Jacksonville came out on top by the score of 25-20 to put up that statement win.
Related: NFL Week 5 power rankings
Lowlight: New England Patriots hit rock bottom
A week after Bill Belichick suffered the worst loss of his career, a 38-3 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, the Pats hit rock bottom. New England fell at home to the New Orleans Saints by the score of 34-0 on Sunday. It was bad. Really, really bad.
Mac Jones threw two interceptions and lost a fumble before being benched for the second time in as many games. The Patriots tallied all of 156 total yards and eight first downs. It was a disaster class of epic proportions.
For Belichick, it’s looking to be a sad ending to what has to be considered one of the greatest coaching careers in the history of the NFL.
At 1-4, the Patriots are going nowhere fast. It will lead to renewed speculation that Belichick is playing out his final season in New England. More embarrassing losses moving forward might lead to owner Robert Kraft finally pulling that trigger after the 2023 campaign.
Related: It’s time for the New England Patriots to end the Mac Jones era
Highlight: Detroit Lions looking like a real contender
Detroit entered Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers as 9.5-point home favorites. It represented the largest point spread in the Lions’ favor in over a quarter century. From pretty much the get, Jared Goff and Co. showed why they were big time favorites. That included taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter via an 81-yard touchdown drive and an Aidan Hutchinson interception setting up another score.
The end result was a 42-24 Lions win with Goff tallying three touchdown passes and zero interceptions. Stud rookie tight end Sam LaPorta caught two touchdowns while running back David Montgomery went for 109 yards on the ground.
It was earlier this season that Detroit lost to the Seattle Seahawks at home following a huge season-opening win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Some were concerned that consistency issues would impact Detroit after it took out the Green Bay Packers. That did not happen during NFL Week 5, leading to further belief that the Lions are the real deal.
Related: NFL Week 5 Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Lowlight: New York Giants are now a bottom-rung team
No one expected the Giants to really go into South Beach and compete with the high-flying Miami Dolphins after losing three of their first four. Despite picking off Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa, the inevitable happened. New York fell by the score of 31-16 while giving up 524 total yards of offense. Its defense just could not contain the Fins’ attack.
That included a 76-yard touchdown run from Dolphins rookie De’Von Achane.
Later in the game, Tua hit Tyreek Hill on another long touchdown to pretty much put this one away.
Offensively, Daniel Jones was sacked another six times before having to exit the game with a neck injury. The embattled quarterback has now gone down 28 times in five games and is on pace to be the most-sacked quarterback in NFL history.
The end result here was another humiliating effort and a 1-4 start to the season. The Giants are going nowhere fast. What we saw during Sunday’s NFL Week 5 action added another layer to this.
Related: New York Giants’ failure of Daniel Jones setting franchise back years
Highlight: Amid fire Matt Canada chants, Pittsburgh Steelers come through
Pittsburgh had put up just over 100 total yards of offense midway through the third quarter at home against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. It led to renewed calls from Steelers fans to fire offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
Down 10-3 heading into the fourth quarter, things were not looking good for the home team. That’s when both sides of the ball did their thing. It started with a blocked punt by Miles Killebrew for a safety to pull the Steelers to within 10-5. After a Steelers field goal made it 10-8, rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. picked off Lamar Jackson in the end zone to keep it a one-score game.
Pittsburgh then drove down the field 80 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens.
The end result was a shocking 17-10 comeback win for the Steelers and a 3-2 record. This could very well act as a turning point for Mike Tomlin and Co. Big time win for Pittsburgh when things were looking bleak.
Related: NFL Week 5 defense rankings
Lowlight: Stefon Diggs airs frustration once again
The backdrop to Buffalo’s NFL Week 5 loss in London was more frustration displayed by enigmatic wide receiver Stefon Diggs. It had been a major talking point after what we saw during the playoffs a season ago. Whether this was yet another issue with quarterback Josh Allen remains to be seen. But it was not a good look.
We’re not sure how this is going to play out. But Diggs’ attitude on the sideline has been a continual issue for Buffalo over the past calendar year or so.