NFL Week 5 Winners, Losers: 49ers lose again vs. Cardinals originally aired on NBC Sports Bay Area
The first soccer Sunday of October has arrived.
With four teams in their bye week and the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings playing in London, the opening lineup was the lightest of the season so far. There were only six games as of 1pm ET, but there was plenty of action.
There was no shortage of content in the final four games, with unexpected results including the collapse of the Bay Area.
Here are the winners and losers for Sunday’s games in Week 5.
Winner: Everyone who watched Bengals vs. Ravens
Game of the year? That’s what fans were treated to at the Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens game.
The Bengals took a 38-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter when Joe Burrow threw his fifth touchdown. The Ravens hit back hard by scoring 10 points in the final 5 minutes and 24 seconds, sending the game into overtime. In OT, a Lamar Jackson fumble appeared to give the Bengals the win, but Evan McPherson, playing safe offensively, missed 53 yards.
On the play following McPherson’s miss, Derrick Henry rushed for 51 yards, setting up Justin Tucker for an easy 24-yard kick. The Ravens started 0-2 and are now 3-2, while the Bengals are 1-4. While there was virtually no room for error for Cincinnati for the rest of the game, the Ravens’ offense took on new dimensions with Henry.
Loser: The bill collapses at the moment of ending.
The Buffalo Bills were trailing 20-3 by the Houston Texans but were ready to force overtime. Then everything fell apart.
An intentional grounder penalty with 40 seconds left pushed the Texans out of field goal range, and the Bills took over, punting at their own 3-yard line. Josh Allen, who was briefly sidelined with a head injury, was sidelined for the third consecutive game, forcing Buffalo to punt from its own end zone with 16 seconds left. This field position gave Houston a 59-yard field goal, which Kaimi Fairbairn quickly converted to seal the victory.
Allen’s health was clearly a concern, but his decision-making on the final drive was puzzling. The game was supposed to go into overtime, but it ended in a regulation loss. The Bills are currently 3-2 on the season, so this is their second straight loss to an AFC contender. Meanwhile, the Texans improved to 4-1 despite injuries to Nico Collins (injured on Sunday) and Joe Mixon (missed three consecutive games).
Winners: Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels arrive.
Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels looked like veterans Sunday.
With the No. 1 overall pick, the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 36-10. The Panthers are ironically the team that gifted Williams to the Bears in the Bryce Young trade. While Young sat on the bench at Carolina, Williams played his best game as a pro. He completed 20 of 29 for 304 yards and two touchdowns. DJ Moore, who was also traded, scored two goals against his former team.
Meanwhile, Daniels continued to perform well in Week 5. Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick, won again, improving the Washington Commanders to 4-1, this time defeating the Cleveland Browns, 34-13. This wasn’t necessarily a breakout game for Daniels like it was for Williams, but that’s because the LSU product had already broken out. Sunday was a continuation of what has been a great season so far.
LOSER: To everyone who watched Patriots vs. Dolphins.
If you missed the New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins game, don’t worry.
Miami won 15-10 and moved up to 2-3, but it wasn’t a good result. Let’s start with the winner. The Dolphins had 179 passing yards, but a solid 193 rushing yards, allowing them to dominate the ball. They held the ball for more than 34 minutes as Tyler Huntley picked up his first win as a Dolphins starter.
And the Patriots had a pathetic offensive performance. Jacoby Brissett hasn’t been able to move the ball (18-of-34 for 160 yards), making it interesting to see when No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye will take over.
Winner: Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, finally.
After nearly surrendering a 14-point lead in the final minutes, the Jacksonville Jaguars clinched their first win of the season on Cam Little’s late field goal. With this loss, the Indianapolis Colts fell to 2 wins and 3 losses.
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 entering the fourth quarter, but both offenses exploded in the final 15 minutes. Tank Bigsby’s 65-yard score with 5:09 left gave Jacksonville a 34-20 lead, then Joe Flacco hit two deep balls to tie the score.
Lawrence then orchestrated an eight-play drive that set up Little’s 49-yard winning kick. The Jags are the last undefeated team of the season, meaning every NFL team will win in 2024. The win also ended Lawrence’s nine-game losing streak as a starter, with his last win before Sunday coming on Nov. 26, 2023.
Loser: Kyle Shanahan, 49ers take double-digit lead for the second time.
Despite all the injuries, it’s hard to imagine the San Francisco 49ers being comfortable at 4-1, but that’s far from reality. After blowing a double-digit lead and losing to the Los Angeles Rams on the road, the 49ers came back just two weeks later to fall to 2-3 at home against the Arizona Cardinals on another run.
Lame play-calling, red-zone conversions and self-inflicted turnovers plagued San Francisco, as Brock Purdy had two tipped interceptions and Jordan Mason fumbled late in Arizona’s half.
James Conner spearheaded Arizona’s offense in the second half as the 49ers’ defense continued to show red flags. Kyle Shanahan’s window of success could end sooner or later, and any recurrence of the injury on deck would be his own undoing.
Winner: Broncos, ending five-year division drought
Eight games and five years later, Denver finally got over the hump by defeating 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 also gave it a shot.
Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce benched the struggling Gardner Minshew in favor of second-year signal caller Aidan O’Connell, but it made no difference to his performance.
Neither team is expected to make much noise this season, but the positives are that Denver could turn the tide against their AFC West opponents.
Loser: Seahawks competitive situation
Seattle made a lot of headlines with its 3-0 start under new head coach Mike McDonald, but as expected, things have changed.
The Seahawks failed their first real test against the Detroit Lions on Monday, then suffered a late potential tying field goal at home against Daniel Jones and the New York Giants that was blocked and returned for a touchdown. They were defeated 29-20.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. shined on the ground for New York, racking up 129 yards rushing and 18 attempts despite failing to score a touchdown. Seattle’s Geno Smith had solid two-way production with 73 rushing yards, 284 passing yards, and a touchdown on 28 of 40 completions on four carries. That wasn’t enough.