Week 5 of the NFL season is now in the books, and many interesting things can be deduced from the action on the Gridiron. For instance, of the 14 matchups during week 5, nine games were decided by one score. It means these games were decided in the fourth quarter, and execution in high-leverage situations decided the outcomes. Another interesting fact is that there are only two undefeated teams left in the league: the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs. These two teams have played the 6th and 7th most difficult schedule so far in the league. Another interesting thing is that there are no winless teams left in the standings after five weeks after the Jaguars defeated the Colts on Sunday. However, let us discuss who were studs and delivered dud performances in a wild week of football.
Studs
1. Lamar outduels Burrow barely- it promised to be a heavyweight battle among superstars in the NFC North, and the quarterbacks delivered on the hype. Joe Burrow lit up the scoreboard by tallying 30 of 39 attempts, 392 yards, and five touchdowns in a virtuoso performance in which Ja’Marr Chase finished with ten catches, 193 yards, and two touchdowns. On the other hand, Lamar Jackson matched the output of his opponent by completing 26 of 42 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns. The game was decided on Burrow throwing a costly interception, while Lamar was spectacular and will remembered for the play in which he fumbled the snap, stiff-armed Sam Hubbard, and fired a strike Isaiah Likely for the touchdown. If Cincinnati starts playing better defense, this could be the first of three battles this season.
2. Jayden and Caleb locked in ROY battle- Jayden Daniels announced himself to the world on Monday Night Football two weeks ago by playing so well that we did not see a punt. Daniels dominated the Browns by completing 14 of 25 passes, 238 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and 11 carries for 82 yards. It was a complete performance, but Caleb Williams delivered a gem on Sunday. Williams completed 20 of 29 passes, 304 yards, and two touchdowns in a blow-out win over the Carolina Panthers. Daniels is the leading candidate for the Rookie of the Year award and is even a candidate for MVP because of his consistency since the start of the season. However, Caleb has reemerged as a viable option with back-to-back solid performance. It will be interesting to track this battle as the season unfolds.
3. Dak saves the season- the Cowboys entered the week teetering on the edge after the Commanders won to push their division lead to 4-1. At 2-2, the Cowboys needed to go on the road to win in Pittsburgh and needed a win to keep pace with Washington. The pressure was ratchet because it was a primetime matchup against a classic rival and an hour-and-a-half weather delay that pushed back the start time. However, the Cowboys responded, and despite missing Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on defense, held Pittsburgh to 17 points, 92 yards, and 3 of 12 on third down. On offense, Dak Prescott would have taken the blame if he had lost this game after throwing two costly interceptions including one in the end-zone, and dominating time of possession by nearly 5 minutes. Instead, Dak engineered a brilliant final drive capped by an incredible throw to Jalen Tolbert. The season was on the line, and Dak delivered to save the day.
Duds
1. Aaron Rodgers struggles- don’t look now but the Jets are 2-3, averaging 286.6 yards per game, 18.6 points per game, and averaging 4.5 yards per play. It means they have an identical record at this point last season while averaging the same or worse in other statistical categories. Yet, the hope was that replacing Zach Wilson with a healthy Aaron Rodgers would have made the difference. Instead, Rodgers appears to be struggling to trust his legs, while his powerful arm has been negated by bad timing and inaccuracy in Nathaniel Hackett’s system. To make matters worse, Rodgers threw three interceptions in the loss to the Vikings and got outplayed by former Jet quarterback Sam Darnold. Despite the disastrous offensive showing, the Jets are just a game behind the Buffalo Bills with a head-to-head showdown looming on Monday Night Football.
2. NFC Heavyweights look like lightweights- the San Francisco 49ers are perennial SuperBowl contenders to represent the conference each year. However, there are some cracks in the 2024 season, and another slip-up occurred on Sunday. The 49ers led the Arizona Cardinals 23-10 at halftime, but instead of increasing their advantage, they collapsed with Jordan Mason giving up a costly fumble in the red zone. The Arizona Cardinals capitalized with Kyler Murray engineering a comeback. On the other hand, the Seahawks failed to profit from the slip-up by losing at home to the lowly New York Giants. The Giants ended the game on a dramatic field-goal-clock-return to clinch the game with a run back. It sets up an interesting matchup between the 49ers and the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football.
3. Jacoby Brissett needs to sit please- the New Patriots are a proud franchise after dominating the landscape for the past two decades. However, the 2024 version of the team has been disastrous, and Sunday made matters worse. The Patriot offense struggled against the Dolphins mustering only 10 points. Jarod Mayo is learning that this quarterback is a journeyman who completes 50% of his passes and will not make explosive plays in the passing or running game. The matchup against the Dolphins was a missed opportunity to start Drake Maye against a struggling team. Mayo will need to decide who will take the snaps under the center for the rest of the season based on the struggles of number 7.