Week 5 Takeaways for the 2026 NFL Season
We’ve reached our first byes of the season, so no Chiefs or Panthers this week. Even without them, we witnessed plenty of action. A rookie defender became a star, with Jets’ DE (and #2 overall pick) David Bailey earning a trio of sacks against the Browns. Three games went to overtime, with one ending in the most unbelievable way possible. And sadly, I’d be remiss not to note the passing of Bears legend Mike Ditka, whose dual careers as a TE and a coach made him a larger-than-life figure in the football world. Rest in peace Iron Mike. With all that and much more happening, here are my week 5 takeaways for the 2026 NFL season!
TNF: Bucs Hang on Against Cowboys for First Win of Season
Neither side could really afford to lose this contest. Tampa Bay falling to 0-5 would’ve likely ended their season, even in the NFC South. Dallas also needed to beat an inferior team to keep pace with the Giants (yes, really) in the NFC East. Dallas went 70 yards in 9 plays after the opening kick and scored an effortless TD. RB Javonte Williams (12/45/1) got it as usual, but after his score, Dallas didn’t run the ball nearly as much as they should’ve. Tampa’s opening drive was the bigger surprise. UDFA rookie QB Jalon Daniels, making his first road start, went a perfect 8/8 on the 10:58 drive, TB’s longest since 2007.
After that though, the scoring mostly stopped for both teams. We had a sequence of 6 straight punts before Dallas added an FG before the half. Lost in the Buccaneers’ poor start has been their sneaky good defense. Despite the loss of guys like S Antoine Winfield Jr to injury, the unit has held up well. Much of their opponents’ scoring has come off TB turnovers. To that point, HC Todd Bowles was really cooking here. Bowles is known for his blitz schemes, but Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is known for excelling against the blitz. Not in this game. S Tykee Smith kept coming off the edge in different ways, keeping Dallas out of rhythm.
Perhaps even more importantly, CB Zyon McCollum held star receiver CeeDee Lamb to 1 catch for 4 yards before Lamb left with a quad injury in the second half. Recall that Lamb exploded just a few days earlier. This had to be a George Pickens (9/130/1) game, and fellow WR Ryan Flournoy (3/90) helped too. None of it really mattered though, as the second half belonged to Tampa, especially the third quarter. The Bucs came out of the locker room and ran 2 plays: a 72-yard run by RB Bucky Irving (21/165/1; 2/10/1 receiving), and a 14-yard TD rush on a jet sweep by WR Emeka Egbuka (6/38).
Dallas played horrific defense in the third quarter, and they really missed CB Joey Porter Jr (illness). The offense imploded too, with an INT on a batted ball that led to more mistakes. Tampa scored a TD off the turnover, scooped up a fumble on a KaVontae Turpin KR, and converted a 3rd-and-21 before kicking an FG. The Cowboys’ desperation showed on a 4th-and-3 at their own 43, which Dallas went for near the end of Q3. Prescott’s pass sailed high thanks to another Smith blitz. TB tried to give the game away. Facing 4th-and-goal at the 1 while up 24-10, Bowles opted to go for it instead of going up 3 scores. They got stuffed.
Dallas did immediately produce a 99-yard TD drive, but luckily for the Bucs, the Cowboys didn’t want their gift. CB DaRon Bland dropped a sure pick six (Dallas has 0 INTs on the year), and Prescott threw another deflected INT, this time on a drop by TE Jake Ferguson (his second of the game). One more Irving burst, and the game was over, 24-16. Irving set a career high in rushing yards and had his first 2-TD game, so it was fitting that he got to finish things. TB still has plenty to clean up (14 penalties for instance), but they’re finally on the board, which must feel good. The Cowboys are pretenders. They’re going nowhere with that defense.
Three OT Games, One Ridiculous Ending
Normally, when I group more than one game into a section, I start with the earlier one. This time, I have to begin with the last two games of the week because the other OT game was nuts. Atlanta continued their run of primetime games by hosting the Ravens on SNF. With Tyler Huntley in at QB for the injured Lamar Jackson (ankle), Baltimore had low expectations. After a slow start, Huntley (24/32, 201 yards, 2 TDs; 6/20/1 rushing) was quite good. RB Derrick Henry (24/102; 1/18/1 receiving) also did his thing. Drops, a Mark Andrews fumble (which S Jessie Bates took for the game’s first TD), and a porous pass defense were the problems.
The Ravens held RB Bijan Robinson (17/86; 4/32 receiving) in check, at least by his standards. WR Drake London (7/118) completely tore them up though. As well as they moved the ball, however, Atlanta never pulled ahead by more than 1 possession. That allowed Huntley to charge all the way back and tie the game at 23 shortly before the end of regulation. The Falcons tried to win before OT, but a strip sack of QB Michael Penix Jr (19/32, 240 yards, TD) left him with injured ribs. He only missed one play, but his return also lasted just one snap, and he gave way to Tua Tagovailoa (2/3, 34 yards, INT) for overtime.
In OT, the Ravens chose to receive, which is a bit unusual. Normally, you want to go second now that a possession is guaranteed barring a defensive score. It made sense once Baltimore ate 7 minutes of clock on their TD drive, which ended with a Huntley sneak. Atlanta had to burn both timeouts and still felt rushed on their possession. Tagovailoa threw a 20-yard laser on the first play, but a Kyle Hamilton INT ended the game one play later. We don’t yet know Penix’s prognosis, but this is sadly just the latest in a series of nonstop injuries. Baltimore moves ahead of a trio of 3-2 AFC North teams, stealing a win with their backup QB.
On Monday Night Football, the Rams hosted the Bills in a potential Super Bowl preview. The game did not disappoint whatsoever. It started slowly as the offenses struggled to get going. Neither team wanted to test the other deep, but LA threw the ball a lot. They just went with short passes for a while. Buffalo opted to run the ball, with 19 pass attempts versus 40 rushes. You can’t blame either side, as they went with what worked. Following a first half that saw Buffalo lead with a score of just 13-7, the defenses stepped aside and let the offenses shine in the second half. Seven TDs on 9 drives, with 6 in a row to end regulation.
Bills QB Josh Allen (12/19, 210 yards, TD, INT; 10/121/1 rushing) and RB James Cook (25/111/2, 2 FUM, 1 lost) formed a ridiculous two-headed rushing monster. RBs even had 110 of the team’s receiving yards. LA knows where their bread is buttered: QB Matthew Stafford (40/54, 383 yards, 3 TDs) and the passing game. WRs Puka Nacua (17/138/1) and Davante Adams (5/51/2) were obviously at the center. Nacua set a career high in catches, while Adams continued to be the best redzone weapon of all time. RBs Kyren Williams (16/49/1; 6/27 receiving) and Blake Corum (6/19/1; 3/53 receiving) contributed too, as did TE Tyler Higbee (5/83).
After the scoring bonanza, we reached OT tied 34-34. Buffalo got the ball first and moved easily, but Cook lost a crucial fumble, his second time coughing the ball up. DT Aaron Donald recovered it, but LB Nate Landman (13 tackles, 2 FFs) punched it out. LA reached FG range and should’ve won, but they got oddly conservative and trusted K Harrison Mevis, who missed from 50 yards in the first quarter, to convert from 48 yards and win the game. Bills DE Greg Rousseau, who’s having a breakout year, blocked the kick. Allen played RB from there and worked the ball down the field himself, and K Tyler Bass converted his GW kick.
Special teams problems are a recurring pain point for the Rams. This has been the case for more than 2 years. Aside from the two missed FGs, they allowed a 70-yard KR on the game’s first play, setting up an easy Buffalo score. The third side of the ball directly cost them a win that Stafford and the offense deserved. I’m expecting major changes to that unit. On the other sideline, Allen earned his 1st OT win in 8 tries, which is an odd stat. This game brought Buffalo back to their first two contests, where the offense carried the defense with overpowering performances. With one blocked kick, all is right for the AFC East leaders.
Over in Washington, the football world anticipated the return of QB Jayden Daniels from a dislocated elbow. Wearing a large brace, his passing numbers (17/25, 199 yards, 5 sacks taken) were limited, but he was once again a force on the ground, with 9 carries for 103 yards and 2 TDs. A sluggish start by the Giants led to a 27-13 Commanders lead in the 4th quarter, but then we got the good part of the Jameis Winston (33/54, 326 yards, 3 TDs, FUM) experience. The mercurial QB led 2 TD drives, peppering WR Malik Nabers (11/121/1) and TE Isaiah Likely (11/94/2) with completions as Washington went cold. Then we headed to OT.
A “comedy of errors” doesn’t even begin to describe what happened. The Giants had a solid first drive (Washington went the traditional route and deferred), but rookie K Dominic Zvada missed a 46-yard FG, his 3rd miss of the game. After luckily recovering their own fumble, Washington had to punt, and New York moved smoothly yet again. They ran the ball a bunch to make their game-winning FG attempt easier, but RB Cam Skattebo (11/59) fumbled at the WAS 24, squandering the opportunity. Washington, not trusting their own rookie K Drew Stevens after a missed PAT earlier in the game, wanted a close-range FG too.
The Commanders’ offense did well, working the ball to the NYG 24 with 55 seconds left. Then came the worst clock management I’ve ever seen. Washington let a ton of time come off the clock, and then with 12 seconds left, Daniels ran for no gain despite having no timeouts remaining. As everyone watched in astonishment, the clock ran out, and we had a 27-27 tie. I don’t know if Daniels was unaware of the timeout situation or if someone failed to tell him that he needed to throw the ball away or in the dirt there, but this was inexcusable. A clear victory stood in front of them, and a collective brain fart threw it away. Just insane.
Sean Payton, DeMeco Ryans Take Over Play Calling Duties and Win
One of the biggest off-field stories of the week was Broncos HC Sean Payton wresting the headset from OC Davis Webb and retaking his place as the team’s offensive play caller. If anyone expected an instant and significant improvement, they likely felt disappointed by Denver’s results against the Chargers. Yes, the Broncos won the game (as did everyone who played LA in weeks 1-4), but they once again made things difficult for themselves. Statistically speaking, the offense performed just as badly as (or worse than) it did under Webb, with just 224 yards of total offense and a 1/12 third-down conversion rate. Not good numbers.
The 4th-quarter magic was still there though. Buoyed by a defense that forced a punt, a turnover on downs, a fumble, an INT, and an end of game on the Chargers’ last 5 possessions, Denver managed to take a 17-10 deficit and emerge with a surprisingly comfortable 23-17 win. That they did so without injured CBs Patrick Surtain II or Riley Moss (plus S Talanoa Hufanga left early) is even more impressive. Still, QB Bo Nix (16/27, 123 yards, TD) does not look fully comfortable, and the running game is merely average. As Payton re-implements the things that Nix does well, I expect improvement, but there’s no instant gratification here.
The 0-4 Texans also made a play calling change, with HC DeMeco Ryans taking over for DC Matt Burke. Houston’s defense, despite being #1 on paper by a mile, had not performed up to expectations through the first month of the season. Like the Chargers, Houston’s opponent (Tennessee) was an incredibly soft matchup. That team doesn’t have a functional offense, but they REALLY struggled against the Texans. Titans QB Cam Ward (23/36, 170 yards, INT) did nothing, and he’ll probably see DE Will Anderson Jr (3 sacks) in his nightmares. That man is an early DPOY favorite, and he leads the league with 7.5 sacks.
Tennessee couldn’t run against Houston’s front either, averaging just 3.2 YPC. The Texans’ 7 TFLs played a role in that. Put it all together, and you (finally) have Houston’s first win of the year! Houston’s offense was once again competent, but in this game, they had a low-stress environment. They get a new toy in WR Marvin Harrison Jr (see my trade grades for more on that) starting this week, a sign that the front office still believes in this team. Only one team has ever recovered from 0-4 to reach the postseason, but these Texans feel capable. They’ll need to continue stringing wins, and this was an excellent start.
Jaguars, 49ers Earn Victories in Mistake-Filled Contests
Unsurprisingly, teams playing overseas (London in this case) tend to make more mistakes than they do at home. In the game between the Eagles and Jaguars, that was incredibly true for Jacksonville. They committed 13 accepted penalties, many of the procedural variety, that short-circuited their drives. Even worse, they had first-and-goal at the 1 on two separate occasions and scored 0 points. The play calling in those spots was horrible, and it should’ve cost the Jags the game. However, Philly did their typical “unable to score in the second half routine”, so their 14-10 lead stood until Jacksonville was ready to take over.
Special teams played a major role. Jaguars LS Ross Matiscik left in the first quarter with an injury, so NT DaVon Hamilton had to handle the snaps on kicks and punts. Many were high, and one led to a missed PAT on Jacksonville’s go-ahead score. He was sufficient though, and P Logan Cooke did amazingly as a holder. Regardless, that lost point proved costly when the Eagles scored their first points since week 2 and took a 17-16 lead with just 8 seconds left. Philly opted to make their subsequent kickoff returnable, and KR Ameer Abdullah broke off a 53-yard return. For K Cam Little, the game-winning 57-yard FG was easy.
I want to contrast the Eagles’ approach with that of Dallas in their Rio game. Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer took major heat for kicking the ball through the end zone for a touchback. That gave Baltimore good field position to pull off a miracle. Ironically, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is accepting blame for making the opposite move, which also backfired. While Dallas had a bit more time on their clock, I think Philly actually made the correct choice. This was a failure of the kick coverage unit, not the coach. If that’s a normal KR, we’re talking about the Jags having 1 play to go 70 yards. I’ll take my chances with his approach every time.
The NFC West heavyweight fight between Seattle and San Francisco also featured a bounty of errors, but theirs came in the form of turnovers. Out of 61 total points scored, 38 came off takeaways. That included the game’s first two scores, where SF scored off an INT (one of two for CB Renardo Green) and Seattle capitalized on a muffed punt. In total, we had 7 turnovers, and the team with less (San Francisco with 3) came out on top. Those mistakes also led to an odd situation in which we had a high-scoring game but excellent defensive performances from both sides. However, the flashy positions (QB, RB, and WR) played a big role.
Niners QB Brock Purdy (19/29, 189 yards, 2 TDs, INT) didn’t have his best game of the year, but he really delivered in the second half. Seahawks QB Sam Darnold (18/29, 195 yards, TD, 2 INTs) also heated up late, but his pair of picks really hurt. I’m growing a bit worried about his errors becoming more frequent like they used to be. SF RB Christian McCaffrey (11/68/1; 3/15 receiving) had an efficient but low-volume day. However, his counterparts George Holani (4/7; 4/24 receiving) and Emanuel Wilson (20/61/1) each losing a fumble. Holani’s was forced and recovered by DT Gracen Halton (sack) in the end zone for a TD just before halftime.
Finally, we have the receivers. The Niners’ Mike Evans (7/113/1) completely took over in the second half and powered his offense. Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (5/102/1) starred too, but a rare drop on 3rd-and-10 during the game’s final drive arguably ended his team’s hopes. Overall, this game was a mess but plenty of fun. San Francisco now has 2 divisional wins and easily claims the title of “league’s best team” for the time being. Seattle has the upside to match (or even exceed) the Niners, but they need to play cleaner football. The good news is that this game came early, so there’s plenty of time to regroup and fix the mistakes.
Patriots, Packers Unexpectedly Blow Out Respectable Opponents
Those watching at home have probably heard a lot about how Las Vegas is exceeding expectations and how Chicago is thriving without injured QB Caleb Williams. Conversely, the sky may as well have been falling for the Patriots and Packers, two expected contenders who stumbled to unimpressive 2-2 starts out of the gate. All of those narratives flipped in just one week. In Foxborough, New England pummeled the Raiders 45-17 on the back of a masterpiece from maligned QB Drake Maye (26/34, 374 yards, 4 TDs; 7/25/1 rushing). In addition to his 5 TDs, Maye also had his first game of the season without a single turnover.
Las Vegas didn’t even play that poorly on offense. The running game was awful, but they committed no turnovers and threw the ball well. Their defense took this one on the chin, and the score became so lopsided that we got the regular season debut of #1 pick Fernando Mendoza (6/8, 48 yards). Spoiler: not much happened. New England suddenly has a two-game win streak, which seemed unlikely just two weeks ago. I’ll remind you that the Raiders are in a rebuild, so stumbles like this are expected. The story here is the Pats and especially Maye, whose confidence is fully back. Maybe the Super Bowl hangover is over!
Chicago went to Green Bay with backup Tyson Bagent getting the nod once again. Though the Bears beat the Jets easily last week, Bagent wasn’t that great. His flaws became apparent against the Packers. Bagent (12/21, 87 yards, 2 INTs) couldn’t hit his targets at all and gave his team no chance to win. He was benched late for Case Keenum (11/19, 108 yards, INT, FUM), who played better (his INT was an unanswered 4th-down prayer) but suffered a similar fate against a GB pass rush that tallied 4 sacks, 2 per QB. DT Devonte Wyatt had an especially good day, stifling Chicago’s running game while racking up 2 sacks from the interior.
As bad as Chicago’s offense was, Green Bay’s was stellar. No, the running game (2.7 YPC on 26 carries) isn’t any better, but the passing attack shined. QB Jordan Love (25/31, 367 yards, 3 TDs) seemingly chucked the ball deep on every play, and yet he completed 80.7% of his passes. WRs Matthew Golden (6/123) and especially Christian Watson (6/143/2) tore up the Bears’ beleaguered secondary en route to a 31-7 laugher. Chicago could get Williams back next week (or start Keenum instead of Bagent), so there’s hope for Ditka’s team. Green Bay finally has some positive vibes, which they’ll hope to carry over to next week.