NFL Winners and Losers from Week 5 Sunday Action – NBC Chicago

The first football Sunday in October is here.

With four teams on the bye week and the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings playing in London, the starting lineup was thinner than it has been all season. There were only six games at 1 p.m. ET, but there was plenty of action.

The four games in the late window also had no shortage of content and delivered unexpected results, including a collapse in the Bay Area.

Here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s Week 5 promotion:

WINNER: Anyone who watched Bengals vs. Ravens

Game of the year? This is what fans were treated to during the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens fight.

The Bengals were leading 38-28 midway through the fourth quarter when Joe Burrow threw his fifth touchdown. The Ravens stormed back by 10 points in the final 5:24 to force overtime. In OT, Lamar Jackson’s fumble seemingly gave the Bengals a win, but Evan McPherson missed a 53-yarder as they played it safe offensively.

On the very next play after McPherson’s miss, Derrick Henry launched a 51-yard rush to set up an easy 24-yard kick for Justin Tucker. The Ravens are now 3-2 after starting 0-2, while the Bengals are a disastrous 1-4. The margin for error for Cincinnati is virtually nil down the stretch, while the Ravens’ offense has opened up a new dimension with Henry.

LOSER: Bills collapse in closing moments

The Buffalo Bills were poised to force overtime after previously trailing the Houston Texans 20-3. Then everything collapsed.

An intentional grounding penalty pushed the Texans out of field goal range with 40 seconds left, and the Bills took the lead after a punt at their own 3-yard line. Josh Allen, who was briefly sidelined with a head injury, threw three straight incompletions and Buffalo was forced to punt from its own end zone with 16 seconds left. Field position gave Houston a 59-yard field goal, which Ka’imi Fairbairn promptly clinched the win.

Allen’s health was obviously a concern, but his decision on the final ride was confusing. The game was scheduled for overtime and instead ended in a regulation loss. This is the Bills’ second straight loss to an AFC rival as they are now 3-2 this season. The Texans, meanwhile, improved to 4-1 despite injuries to Nico Collins (injured on Sunday) and Joe Mixon (missed three straight games).

WINNER: Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels have arrived

Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels looked like seasoned veterans on Sunday.

The No. 1 overall pick led the Chicago Bears to a 36-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers, the team that ironically gifted Williams to the Bears in the Bryce Young trade. While Young sat on Carolina’s bench, Williams had his best game as a pro. He completed 20 of 29 for 304 yards and two touchdowns. DJ Moore, who was also included in the trade, scored two points against his former team.

Daniels, meanwhile, kept things moving in Week 5. The No. 2 overall pick picked up another win, bringing the Washington Commanders to 4-1, this time beating the Cleveland Browns 34-13. This wasn’t necessarily the breakthrough for Daniels as it was for Williams, but that’s because the LSU product has already broken through. Sunday was just a continuation of an outstanding season.

LOSER: Anyone who watched Patriots vs. Dolphins

If you didn’t watch the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins, don’t worry about it.

Miami escaped with a 15-10 win to improve to 2-3, but it wasn’t pretty. Let’s start with the winners. The Dolphins had 179 passing yards, but a solid 193 rushing yards allowed them to control possession. They held the ball for over 34 minutes as Tyler Huntley got his first win as the Dolphins’ starter.

Then there are the Patriots, who put together a pathetic offensive performance. Jacoby Brissett couldn’t move the ball (18 of 34 for 160 yards), and one has to wonder when No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye will take over.

WINNER: Finally Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars

They nearly lost their 14-point lead in the final minutes, but the Jacksonville Jaguars held on for their first win of the season with a late field goal from Cam Little. The loss dropped the Indianapolis Colts to 2-3.

Trevor Lawrence had his best game of the season, completing 28 of 34 passes for 371 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Jags led 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but both offenses exploded in the final 15 minutes. Tank Bigsby’s 65-yard score with 5:09 to play gave Jacksonville a 34-20 lead, then Joe Flacco uncorked two deep balls to tie the game.

Lawrence then orchestrated an eight-play drive to set up Little’s game-winning 49-yard kick. The Jags were the last winless team this season, so now every NFL team can get a win in 2024. The win also ended Lawrence’s nine-game losing streak as a starter, with his last win before Sunday coming on November 26, 2023.

LOSER: Kyle Shanahan, 49ers miss second double-digit lead

To think that the San Francisco 49ers could be happy with a 4-1 record despite their numerous injuries…but that’s far from reality. After blowing a double-digit lead and losing on the road to the Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers did it again just two weeks later when they blew another home game against the Arizona Cardinals and lost 3-2.

Self-inflicted wounds from lackluster play, red zone conversions and turnovers all cost San Francisco, with Brock Purdy throwing two tip interceptions and Jordan Mason fumbling late in Arizona territory.

James Conner led Arizona’s offense in the second half while the 49ers’ defense continued to show more red flags. The window for Kyle Shanahan could close sooner or later, and it will be his own undoing regardless of whether the injury returns on deck.

WINNER: Broncos end five-year divisional hiatus

Eight games and five years later, Denver finally cleared the hurdle to beat the Las Vegas Raiders. Bo Nix had his best game as a rookie, completing 19 of 27 passes for 206 yards, two touchdowns and no picks in a 34-18 home win. He brought one in too.

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce benched struggling Gardner Minshew for second-year signal caller Aidan O’Connell, but the performances didn’t differ.

While neither team is expected to make much of a splash this season, it is positive news for Denver that the tide may be turning against their AFC West opponents.

LOSER: The Seahawks’ competitive status

Seattle grabbed a lot of headlines with its 3-0 start under new head coach Mike Macdonald, but things have predictably changed.

The Seahawks fell short in their first real test at the Detroit Lions on Monday, then fell 29-20 at home to Daniel Jones and the New York Giants after a potential game-winning field goal was blocked late and returned for a touchdown.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. shined on the ground for New York, rushing for 129 yards on 18 attempts, although he didn’t score a touchdown. For Seattle, Geno Smith delivered a solid dual-threat performance with 73 rushing yards on four carries, 284 passing yards and a touchdown on 28 of 40 completions, but it wasn’t enough.

LOSER: Rams fall to 1-4 at home

A slow second half for Sean McVay and the Rams led them to fall to 1-4 on the season, losing 24-19 at home to the Green Bay Packers.

Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams recorded the offensive touchdowns, including an unorthodox three-yard pick-six when Jordan Love awkwardly tried to evade a safety.