Best Storylines of NFL Week 5: Vikings’ Sam Darnold vs. Jets; How do invoices react after a loss?
Things are getting interesting quickly as Week 5 of the NFL season arrives.
Tensions are rising as potential contenders like the Eagles, Bengals, Dolphins and Browns, to name a few, faced early disaster. Underdogs like the Falcons, Commanders and Vikings have found early success. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, Jets and Bears and other teams that started the season with high hopes continue to fight to gain a foothold.
The unexpected and unprecedented drama remains the one constant of an NFL season.
The first byes of the season take place this weekend for the Lions, Eagles, Chargers and Titans. The break comes at the perfect time for the battered Chargers, and for the Eagles, who are also dealing with injuries and struggling for answers in areas of underperformance.
But there’s still plenty of action on tap. This week’s list started Thursday night with an NFC South matchup, as the Falcons defeated the Buccaneers 36-30 in overtime behind Kirk Cousins’ 509 passing yards. The action continues on Sunday with the first game of the season in London, followed by eleven games in the United States and a game on Monday evening between the New Orleans Saints and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Here are five of the top storylines to follow this week. (Find the week 5 schedule here.)
Sam Darnold and the Vikings are one of only two 4-0 teams along with the Chiefs. (Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Imagn images)
Vikings’ Darnold vs. the Jets
The NFL’s international series resumes with a showdown in London between Aaron Rodgers and the Jets and Sam Darnold (formerly of the Jets) and the Vikings.
The Jets made Darnold the third pick of the 2018 draft, but the USC product never really had a chance given the dysfunction that engulfed the franchise during his three seasons there. Darnold was declared broke, traded to Carolina and then spent a season in San Francisco as a backup. That period helped him reset professionally and learn the game in a way that was never afforded him in New York. Now he is enjoying a career resurgence in Minnesota, where he has led the Vikings to a 4-0 start while leading the NFL in passing touchdowns (11).
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After Darnold was cut, the Jets swung and missed on Zach Wilson (the second pick of the 2021 draft) and turned to Rodgers last season in hopes the future Hall of Famer can finally rescue them from the league’s cellar. Rodgers missed all but four of last season due to an Achilles tendon tear. He’s healthy again, but he’s also 40 and the Jets (2-2) still struggle with inconsistencies. After an embarrassing loss to Denver last week, frustrations seem to be rising: Rodgers wants coaches to do a better job of holding underperforming teammates accountable.
Can Darnold get revenge across the pond? Or will Rodgers get the support needed to get the Jets above .500 for the first time since Week 8 of last season? (Jets vs. Vikings in London, 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday.)
Momentum for Ravens and Bengals
After a slow start, expected AFC contender Baltimore earned a much-needed win in Dallas in Week 3 before dominating fellow conference elite Buffalo at home last Sunday night. Offseason pickup Derrick Henry came into his own when workhorse Lamar Jackson was long missing, and Jackson swung and lugged the rock for touchdowns as the previously disjointed defense returned to form.
Now the Ravens hope to carry that momentum into Week 5, where they travel to Cincinnati to take on yet another expected playoff team in their AFC North rival Bengals. Cincinnati opened the year 0-3 before getting a much-needed win at Carolina last week. This should be another showdown between two of the best quarterbacks of this generation (Joe Burrow of Jackson and the Bengals).
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Jackson has won his last three games against Cincinnati, but the Bengals knocked Baltimore out of the first round of the playoffs two years ago when Jackson was sidelined with a knee injury. Can the Ravens continue their momentum, or was last week the right play the Bengals needed? (Ravens at Bengals, 1:00 PM ET Sunday.)
Texas wide receiver Stefon Diggs will face his former team, the Bills, on Sunday. (Thomas Shea/Imagn Images)
Five teams entered Week 4 with 3-0 records. The Chiefs and Vikings both improved to 4-0, but the Bills, Steelers and Seahawks all suffered their first losses of the season. Now Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Seattle are getting back to work hoping to bounce back quickly.
The Bills head to Houston, where they must show they can better support quarterback Josh Allen. The seventh-year veteran is off to one of the best starts of his career, but he can’t do it alone. An improved rushing attack would help alleviate the pressure on him, and a defense that allowed 271 rushing yards in Baltimore needs to play better. The Bills have done well against the pass, holding teams to 165.3 yards per game (though Baltimore really didn’t throw much because Buffalo was so bad against the run), but the unit will have to work hard to get C.J. Stroud and former Bills in to keep under control. receiver Stefon Diggs. They will have to do this without pass rusher Von Miller, who was suspended last week for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
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Meanwhile, the Seahawks, who lost 42-29 to the Lions on Monday night, hope to take care of business at home against the New York Giants. Geno Smith leads the NFL in completions (115), attempts (159) and yardage (1,182), and his completion percentage (72.3) ranks second. Seattle actually outgained Detroit in total yards (516-389) and dominated time of possession, but a few turnovers proved costly. Seattle ranked among the top 10 in total defense but allowed Detroit to score on all five trips inside the red zone. The Seahawks offense and defense will look to seal the deal against New York on Sunday.
Finally, the host Steelers look to rebound against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Justin Fields is expected to start again at quarterback, and he is coming off his most productive outing of the season (312 passing yards and a touchdown, 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns). But Fields and receiver George Pickens each lost a fumble against Indianapolis last week, and the Steelers’ usually stout defense couldn’t slow down Jonathan Taylor and Joe Flacco. Dallas is short on defense due to injuries to stars Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, and the Cowboys offense remains inconsistent and one-dimensional. If Pittsburgh can capitalize, the black and gold will remain atop the AFC North. (Bills at Texans, 1:00 PM ET; Giants at Seahawks, 4:25 PM ET; Cowboys at Steelers, 8:20 PM ET Sunday.)
The Jaguars losing streak
When new coach Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars 6-1 to end the 2022 regular season, then followed that up with an opening-round playoff win, it looked like Jacksonville would ascend to the regular contenders in the competition. AFC. The same proved true during an 8-3 start to the 2023 season. Then came that stunning collapse of the 1-5 season. And then came the 0-4 start to this season.
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The Jaguars overestimate themselves. Did they overestimate Trevor Lawrence too?
Opponents have outscored Jacksonville 109-60 this season, and the Jaguars rank 29th in the NFL in points scored, 30th in points and yards allowed, and 32nd in takeaways. They came close to getting their first win last week, even leading Houston with 6:16 left in the game. But Stroud pulled off a 24-20 comeback victory, capped by a touchdown pass with 18 seconds left.
Up next: another AFC South matchup against 2-2 Indianapolis. After Sunday’s home game, the Jaguars have back-to-back games in London. How long will team owner Shad Khan’s patience last if Pederson fails to turn this around in the next three weeks? (Colts at Jaguars, 1:00 PM ET Sunday.)
Who will be Patrick Mahomes’ go-to guy with Rashee Rice sidelined with a knee injury? (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The ingenuity of the chefs in the midst of injuries
They had to scratch for it, but the Chiefs got their fourth win of the season last Sunday, trailing the undermanned Chargers 17-10. The win proved costly, however, as Kansas City lost top wide receiver Rashee Rice to a knee injury for at least the next four games. The Chiefs had already lost wide receiver Marquise Brown and running back Isiah Pacheco to injuries. So who will Patrick Mahomes lean on next as he tries to lead the franchise to an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory? The quarterback’s wizardry and Andy Reid’s creativity will certainly be tested.
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Who will fill the go-to guy role that Rice took on this season while among the league leaders in yards and catches? Rookie Xavier Worthy will have to take on a heavier workload. And after looking like a shadow of his former self through three games, Travis Kelce should look more like the man who had seven catches for 89 yards last week after Rice was hurt. JuJu Smith-Schuster registered 32 snaps last week but received no targets. The Chiefs will certainly need more from the 27-year-old who helped them win the Super Bowl two years ago but has since been slowed by knee problems. If not Smith-Schuster, then who? Longtime friend Kareem Hunt added 85 yards of offense (69 rushing, 16 receiving) last week. But if Kansas City’s once well-oiled machine wants to continue rolling toward dominance, Reid and Mahomes will have to pull out all the stops to keep this offense on the necessary climbing track. (Saints at Chiefs, 8:15 PM ET Monday.)
(Top photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
