An absolutely wild afternoon slate of Week 5 games is in the books. We were treated upsets galore, nail-biting finishes and a whole host of defensive touchdowns. The Vikings and Jets got things started in London, and then we had photo finishes involving the Texans and Bills, Ravens and Bengals, Jaguars and Colts, Dolphins and Patriots, Cardinals and 49ers, Giants and Seahawks and Packers and Rams.
It was an exciting afternoon of games. We know it must have been hard to keep an eye on everything that unfolded throughout the day, so we created a one-stop shop for everything that Week 5 threw at us. Below, you can find our highlights blog where you can see all the top plays along with game recaps.
All times Eastern.
Thursday
Falcons 36, Buccaneers 30 (Takeaways)
Sunday
Vikings 23, Jets 17 (in London) (Takeaways)
Texans 23, Bills 20 (Takeaways)
Ravens 41, Bengals 38 (OT) (Takeaways)
Commanders 34, Browns 13 (Recap)
Bears 36, Panthers 10 (Recap)
Jaguars 37, Colts 34 (Recap)
Dolphins 15, Patriots 10 (Recap)
Cardinals 24, 49ers 23 (Recap)
Broncos 34, Raiders 18 (Recap)
Giants 29, Seahawks 20 (Recap)
Packers 24, Rams 19 (Takeaways)
Cowboys 20, Steelers 17 (Takeaways)
Monday
Saints at Chiefs, 8:15 p.m. (Preview)
A last-ditch comeback attempt for the Rams fell short, and the Packers picked up a win on the road. Their offense never really got in much of a rhythm, but the defense come up with a pair of takeaways (both courtesy of Xavier McKinney) made a massive difference. The Rams had more total yards, first downs and time of possession, but Green Bay got the win thanks to the turnover battle.
Were it not for a 101-yard fumble-return touchdown, this game wouldn't really have been close. It took a blocked-kick-touchdown to really clinch the game at the end, but the Giants pretty dramatically out-played the Seahawks -- in Seattle. Tyrone Tracy Jr. ran for 129 yards in place of Devin Singletary, while Darius Slayton had a monster game (8 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown) with Malik Nabers sidelined in the concussion protocol.
The Seahawks lined up for a potential game-tying field goal late in the game against the Giants, but Isaiah Simmons had other ideas. Simmons leaped over the Seattle offensive line and block Jason Meyers' kick, which was scooped up by Bryce Ford-Wheaton and taken all the way to the end zone to extend New York's lead to 9 points. It was the first touch of Ford-Wheaton's NFL career.
Bo Nix and Co. got a home victory against the division rival Raiders, who benched quarterback Gardner Minshew miudgame in favor of Aidan O'Connell. A 100-yard pick-six from Patrick Surtain II was the highlight-reel play, but Nix was efficient with 206 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air and another score on the ground.
Arizona came back from a 23-10 halftime deficit that remained 23-13 at the start of the fourth quarter, to steal a win on the road in San Francisco. The 49ers' offense sputtered after halftime, with Brock Purdy tossing a pair of interceptions and Jordan Mason losing a fumble deep in Arizona territory. Meanwhile, James Conner ran all over the San Francisco defense, racking up 86 yards on 19 carries. The loss drops the Niners to 2-3, now technically behind Arizona (also 2-3) in the standings.
The Cardinals are in comeback mode against the 49ers, and they got themselves a massive fourth-down conversion to keep their hopes alive. How'd it happen? Kyler Murray ran the "f--k it, Marv's down there somewhere" play.
The Broncos hold a lead over the division rival Raiders, and they extended it with Bo Nix channeling Drew Brees to sneak the ball over the goal line and into the end zone. How many times did we see Brees do this for a Sean Payton team in New Orleans?
We just told you that Xavier McKinney had forced a turnover in each of the Packers' first five games of the season. Well, now he has an interception in each of the first five games of the season. McKinney ball-hawked his way to this one, flying over the top of a Matthew Stafford deep ball and plucking it out of the sky. He's the first player since at least the AFL-NFL merger back in 1970 to have an interception in his first five games with a team.
Stop me if you've heard this before, but Xavier McKinney has taken the ball away from the Packers' opponent. McKinney has at least one takeaway in all five of Green Bay's games this season. He had an interception in each of the first four, and now he's got a fumble recovery courtesy of Kyren Williams.
On the ensuing drive, Jordan Love found tight end Tucker Kraft for a looooong catch-and-run touchdown to put Green Bay back in the lead.
It's not a late-afternoon game without the defense getting on the scoreboard, apparently. The Rams became the latest team to find their way into the end zone, although this score was quite a bit shorter than the previous few. Jordan Love did all the hard work for the Rams, throwing the ball up for grabs while stumbling in the back of the end zone and trying to avoid a safety. Unfortunately for him, Jaylen McCollough does not play for the Packers. He was there to snatch the ball out of the air and walk it into the end zone and give L.A. a lead.
It's a defensive-touchdown party, folks. For the third time this afternoon, the point-prevention unit has found its way into the end zone. Leading 13-10 late in the second quarter, the Niners blocked a field goal, which Deommodore Lenoir scooped up and took 61 yards to the house.
Mere minutes after the Seahawks' 101-yard defensive touchdown, the Broncos picked up a score that was nearly as long. Gardner Minshew floated a pass into the flat on a bootleg, and it fell right into the waiting hands of Patrick Surtain II. The star defensive back went to work from there, taking it all the way back to the opposite end of the field for the touchdown.
New York began its first drive of the game by averting a near-disaster, with a Daniel Jones fumble of the opening snap resulting in what eventually became a 16-play, 79-yard drive. But that drive ended with a fourth-and-goal from Seattle's 1-yard line that actually did lead to disaster. Eric Gray pushed toward the goal line but got stripped by Jerome Baker. Rayshawn Jenkins picked up the fumble in the end zone and took it all the way back the other way to give Seattle an early lead.
In one of the most entertaining games of the season, Baltimore prevailed over its division rival in overtime. The Ravens put together a game-tying drive toward the end of regulation, then got the ball first in the extra period. They marched across midfield and appeared well on their way to a score... but Lamar Jackson fumbled a snap and gave Cincinnati possession in plus territory. It then looked like the Bengals had things wrapped up; but three straight runs left them with a long field goal attempt, which Evan McPherson pulled to the left of the uprights. Then Derrick Henry went to work, ripping off a monster run to set up the game-winning field goal.
Kyler Murray is fast. When he hits the jets in the open field, you are not going to catch him. The 49ers learned that the hard way as Murray broke through the first line of defense and motored all the way to the end zone for a 50-yard score on Arizona's opening drive. According to the FOX broadcast, it was the longest run by a Cardinals quarterback since 1952.
As time expired, Ka'imi Fairbairn booted a 59-yard field goal to give the Houston Texans a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills. C.J. Stroud threw for 331 yards, a touchdown and an interception in the win. That lone touchdown was a 67-yard bomb to Nico Collins, who did leave this game due to a hamstring injury. Josh Allen, who also was banged up in this game, completed just 9 of his 30 pass attempts for 131 yards and one passing touchdown.
After a quiet game last week, Bowers didn't take long to make his presence known against the division rival Broncos. Gardner Minshew chucked up a prayer to his rookie tight end, who snagged it out of the air and took it 57 yards to the house.
It was another sensational showing for Jayden Daniels as the rookie quarterback threw for 238 yards, a touchdown, and interception in the win. Daniels also rushed for a game-high 82 yards. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. was a key factor in the red area, rushing for two touchdowns on the day.
It was a breakout performance for Caleb Williams in the Chicago Bears' victory over the Panthers. The No. 1 overall pick completed 20 of his 29 throws for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Both of those touchdowns went to wideout DJ Moore, who added 105 yards receiving. D'Andre Swift was also a key outlet for Williams, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown while adding 47 yards on two receptions.
The Dolphins have moved to 2-3 on the season thanks to a road victory in Foxborough over the Patriots. It was a defensive slog for both sides, and Miami's unit came up clutch late with a red zone stand that kept New England from taking the lead. The Dolphins took the lead late thanks to an Alec Ingold goal-line touchdown.
At long last, the Jaguars are in the win column. Jacksonville earned its first victory of 2024 via a shootout with the Colts. Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdowns in the win to go along with 371 yards through the air. 122 of those yards went to Brian Thomas Jr., while Tank Bigsby rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
All of a sudden, it's a tie game in Jacksonville. The game was knotted at 34 apiece thanks to a 65-yard touchdown throw by Joe Flacco to Alec Pierce, who is up to 134 yards receiving on just three receptions.
For the second time this afternoon, Lamar Jackson has found tight end Isaiah Likely for a touchdown. This has been a high-scoring affair between the Bengals and Ravens, and Baltimore is now within a field goal with the score sitting at 38-35 following the touchdown. Jackson displayed tremendous poise and mobility after a botched snap and somehow was able to find likely.
With under five minutes to play, Miami has taken the lead over the Patriots. Alec Ingold's goal-line touchdown capped off a 15-play scoring drive that traveled 80 yards total. Miami did try to go for the 2-point conversion, but were unsuccessful.
The Jaguars are pulling away from the Colts on the scoreboard, and Tank Bigsby is pulling away from them on the field. The back ripped off a 65-yard touchdown run to put the Jags up 34-20 over Indy. That's Bigsby's second touchdown on the day.
Are the Bengals back to normal? Week 5 has seen Cincinnati enjoy an offensive explosion against the Ravens, and the latest score may be the most impressive. Wideout Ja'Marr Chase popped off for a 70-yard touchdown to put Cincy back up by 10 and puts the receiver at 174 yards receiving on the day.
Baltimore is keeping pace with a white-hot Bengals offense and is now within a field goal with nine minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Lamar Jackson found Charlie Kolar for a goal-line touchdown, marking the quarterback's second passing score on the day.
Joe Flacco is showing us firsthand that age is just a number. The 39-year-old quarterback put the Colts in the red zone after scrambling for 21 yards on a third-and-8 play.
The Jaguars are inching toward their first win of the season as they have now taken a double digit lead over the Colts with less than 10 minutes to play in regulation. Trevor Lawrence threw his second touchdown of the afternoon, finding Brenton Strange for a 4-yard score.
Cincinnati is back up double digits over the Ravens to begin the fourth quarter as Joe Burrow tossed his fourth touchdown of the day, the latest going to running back Chase Brown.
