Vikings Stay Perfect in Alley Fight, Maye Drops 5 TDs in 45-17 Beatdown, Bengals Survive A potential Trap: NFL Sunday Blast

ANOTHER RAUCOUS WEEK

The Vikings emerge victorious from another alley fight. The offense showed a lot more offense in this one, if you know what I mean. They might be getting somewhere.

The Browns can't keep the good vibes going. The Jets' pass rush took over late to keep Deshaun Watson and the Browns from a four-game win streak. The top of the AFC North is getting crowded — the Steelers handled the Colts.

The Texans got their first win of the season over the Titans, who fall to 0-5. The Chargers join the Titans in misery — they can't hold off the Broncos late. Chargers OC Mike McDaniel can resign; we've seen enough. Justin Herbert failed to reach 150 passing yards. I think he's broken.

Brock Purdy has secured the mantle as the best quarterback in football this season. He didn't play his best ball on Sunday against the Seahawks, but he threw some high-level passes in traffic.

The hype train around San Francisco has built up, but we haven't seen them play a high-level team. The Rams came out uninterested, the Dolphins only count in the win-loss column, and the Broncos only get started after trailing.

How would the Niners handle the Seahawks? They bet the house late, playing Jaxon Smith-Njigba one-on-one in man coverage downfield, and they win as JSN can't complete the late catch. Refs rule Cooper Kupp out of bounds, and the Niners join the Vikings and Chiefs as undefeated in Week 6.

Bengals vs. Dolphins

I didn’t think the Bengals would enter Week Five facing a trap game against the Miami Dolphins. Yet with two of their star offensive players hobbled, Cincy has to face the reality of dropping one of the worst teams in football. If the word “professional” had feelings, the Dolphins, a “professional team,” would knock the word down a notch in integrity.

The Miami Dolphins haven't won a game this season, but they’ve given their last two opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings, trouble closing them out late in games. The Dolphins shut down Kenneth Walker, and their defense didn’t let the putrid Vikings’ offense taste success, forcing five field goals and allowing only one red-zone drive. The Dolphins have struggled to cover tight ends for much of this season, from Travis Kelce to T.J. Hockenson. The Dolphins rank dead last in DVOA against tight ends, so with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase out, Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki becomes a shoo-in for a big game.

The Bengals got Chase back for this game as he escaped concussion protocol just in time to face the Dolphins. Despite a wonky game by the Bengals’ offense—including a sequence in which a Bengals tight end’s Fumble Gets overturned, only for the Bengals to fumble again, the Dolphins to cleanly recover, and then fumble on the return after a punch-out by Ja’Marr Chase—the Dolphins ultimately kept the ball.

ONLY for the Dolphins, and Malik Willis gave the ball back to Cincy on an interception. With five minutes left in the second quarter, Willis had more completions to his opponents than to his own team: two picks and one completion.

The Dolphins couldn’t take advantage of an “off” game by the Bengals in the Miami heat. Willis eventually started completing more passes because he had to, but he looked worse with every dropback. The Dolphins had a red-zone drive in the third quarter set up by a heavy rushing attack, but they went backward at the goal line. Willis got to attempt one pass in three plays, and it went nowhere but into the dirt. Willis completed a few more passes and even threw a touchdown, but the Bengals proved too much. Joe Burrow threw four touchdowns, including a massive 45-yarder to Ja'Marr Chase, who finished with 77 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Lions vs. Cardinals

As much reproach as the Lions’ defense has received this week after coming off the wrong side of a catfight with the Panthers and Bryce Young, the offense holds some of the blame. Kelvin Sampson, the Lions’ defensive coordinator, became a household name this week—sort of—after his defense’s latest embarrassment in Week Four, and rightfully so. But the Lions’ lack of first-quarter success exposes their rot. The offense powers the team, but they’ve yet to score on the first drive and own the seventh-most long down-and-distance plays in the first quarter, which suggests Drew Petzig, the Lions’ offensive coordinator, hasn’t mastered scripting plays for this offense, despite the explosive numbers from Goff and Gibbs.

The Lions get back in the win column after thrashing the Cardinals 45-21, scoring six touchdowns and seemingly taking out their frustration video-game style on the Cardinals. Big game from Jahmyr Gibbs: His two performances broke the record for the most touchdowns by a player before turning 25. Lions legend Barry Sanders held the record before Gibbs tied it with his rushing score in the second quarter, which got the Lions on the board after the Cardinals took an early lead in the first quarter. Gibbs finished with two touchdowns, adding to his career total of 58 touchdowns in four pro seasons, as he racked up 25 carries for 151 yards, giving first-round running backs a good name.

The Lions’ offense got off to a slow start in the first quarter with three straight three-and-outs: nine plays for minus nine yards, yes, minus nine yards, due to the sacks Jared Goff sustained. Unlike in the games against the Panthers and Bills, the Lions would earn the chance to shake off this slow start and turn things around, delivering one of the dominant performances of Week Five: 412 yards of offense, 4-for-4 in the red zone, and 4-for-13 on third down—not great, but after the start of the second quarter, the Lions scored on seven straight possessions into the closing moments of the fourth quarter. Jared Goff: 19/30, 271 passing yards, three touchdowns, a 125.8 passer rating, and he didn’t need to drop back and save the Lions in this matchup because they played the Cardinals.

The Lions’ defense looked Super Saiyan compared to its other performances, handling the Cardinals’ passing offense—and I mean passing offense, because the Cardinals couldn’t run the ball. The Cardinals’ GM should get fired for drafting Jeremiyah Love third overall only to give him 12 carries, as their defense gets Swissed and cheesed by high-powered offenses. Multiple defensive players drafted after Love made plays for their teams on Sunday. Meanwhile, Love could only stand on the sideline with his helmet off, helplessly watching Jahmyr Gibbs put on another histrionic performance.

Jacoby Brissett completely quarterbacked the Cardinals in Week Five. He looked atrocious for a stretch in this game: 29/47, 292 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one pick—just good enough to justify his position as a starter for another week as the Cardinals plummet to the bottom of the standings in the NFC West. The Lions stay in the thick of the NFC North, with Chicago dropping a game to the Packers, but the Vikings stay ahead of every other team.

Bears vs. Packers

In Week Four, the Bears’ defense celebrated a win while Chicago’s running game worked the clock against the Packers. The Bears’ defense couldn’t hide or find shelter as Jordan Love went berserk in a knockout victory for the Packers, 31–7, over Chicago. You could tell the Bears just wanted to get the heck out of Dodge because Love not only completely wrung out the Chicago secondary with his arm, but the Packers could also run the ball—something once thought impossible. Through the first four weeks, Green Bay picked up its first rushing touchdown of the season when Marshawn Lloyd rushed in a seven-yard score for the Packers in the second quarter.

Jordan Love and the confidence he played with: play-caller Matt LaFleur, or the President, gave Love the launch codes, and he plugged them in against the Chicago secondary. Love connected with Christian Watson for 42 yards in the first quarter to put the Packers on the board. Then, in the third quarter, with the Packers up 14–7, Love threw a 43-yard touchdown bomb to J. Michael Sturdivant, but it was taken off the board for offensive pass interference. Some quarterbacks would back off the deep balls. Love dialed back in and launched a 53-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson. The Packers blasted past the Bears to take the lead, 3-2; Chicago dropped to 3-2.

Not all of Love’s deep balls went for touchdowns, but he finished the game 25 of 31, with 368 passing yards, a +11.6 completion percentage over expected, and a 6-of-7 mark on passes of 20-plus air yards. He threw for 258 yards on deep passes—an absolute scorched-earth approach to securing this win for the Packers. Christian Watson caught six passes for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and 23.8 yards per reception. He paired with Matthew Golden, who had 123 receiving yards, five receiving first downs, and 20.5 yards per reception.

The Bears had nothing going against this Packers defense: just seven points, 246 yards of offense, and four sacks surrendered. They got nothing but crumbs on the ground: 3.4 yards per carry and 81 total rushing yards. Starting backup Tyson Bagent was benched after a 12-of-21 start, with two picks and a 27.4 passer rating. The other backup, Case Keenum, stepped in and led a goal-line drive that ultimately ended with a red-zone interception at the Packers’ nine-yard line.

The Bears' final five drives went as follows: interception, interception, fumble, fumble, and turnover on downs—a miserable showing for Ben Johnson and his offense in Week Four. The Bears had five total turnovers and just 3.4 yards per play, with -0.358 EPA per play, so the team will likely burn the tape on this one.

Commanders vs. Giants

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels returned with his injured elbow braced, but the Giants needed a brace more than he did—at least early on. Daniels and the Commanders’ offense raced past the NFC East-leading Giants to take a 27-13 lead after he slipped past several defenders for a 26-yard rushing touchdown, his second big rushing score of the game. With their defense and running game in control, the Commanders held their lead into the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, seemingly securing the upset and putting themselves back in the NFC East race.

Jameis Winston caught fire for the Giants in the second half. He had 72 passing yards at halftime and finished with 326. Winston threw three touchdowns on 54 attempts, all during the final 16 minutes of the game—across three consecutive drives spanning the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. His performance helped the Giants climb back from a 4.4% win probability and force overtime. Tight end Isaiah Likely caught two touchdowns that swung the game, while receiver Malik Nabers caught the other fourth-quarter touchdown to tie it. Likely finished with 11 catches for 94 yards.

Somehow, the Giants’ comeback became the least astonishing part of the game, as overtime would show. Both teams missed chances to seal the win. The Giants fumbled multiple times on running plays, and their kicker missed several field goals, including one in overtime. After getting the ball first in overtime, the Giants drove 39 yards but missed a 46-yard field goal. The Commanders punted, giving the Giants another chance to finish the game—and they took it. Cam Skattebo helped move the ball, rushing for 19 yards to convert a third-and-two and bring the Giants closer to midfield.

Unfazed by his slow start and the shadow of JJ McCarthy, Winston appeared to deal a fatal blow to the Commanders’ hopes—a blow the Commanders would later deliver to themselves—when he connected with Nabers on a 28-yard pass to put the Giants back in field-goal range. Perhaps wary of another miss, the Giants pushed farther downfield with Skattebo, who ran with a bruising style. On his third straight carry, the most feared outcome in overtime came true: the Commanders knocked the ball loose, giving their offense possession with less than a minute to get downfield.

The Commanders made several explosive plays through the air: a 16-yard pass to Terry McLaurin and a 13-yard catch-and-run by Treylon Burks. Along with a 16-yard run by Daniels, those plays put them in position to seal the upset. Daniels totaled 302 yards of offense, including 103 rushing yards on nine carries and 199 passing yards on 17-of-25 completions. He was sacked five times, including once late in the game. Still, he played like Jalen Hurts, who won the Heisman, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year, and helped the Commanders reach the NFC Championship two seasons ago.

Daniels, however, made a costly mistake on the team’s final play with 12 seconds left. After a Rachaad White run, he tried to run the ball despite having no timeouts and was sacked behind the line of scrimmage. The Commanders couldn’t get off another play before time expired, and the teams finished tied, 27-27. Asked why he didn’t throw the ball—or why he ran a play at all—Daniels didn’t answer. Instead, he called it an internal matter between himself and the rest of the offense. Whatever the play call, the Commanders chose wrong.

The ending hurt the Commanders a little more than the Giants, who remained in first place in the division with both Dallas and Philly losing. The Giants had already beaten the Cowboys. The Commanders needed a win to build momentum or start a winning streak. Instead, they head into Week Six unsure of the team’s direction.

Patriots vs. Raiders

The Raiders and the Patriots enter Week Five riding some highs and some lows, needing to build on promising performances as they face each other. The Raiders fell to the Chiefs in a thriller—not because of Patrick Mahomes’ wizardry, but partly because of Kenneth Walker. Vegas also did it to themselves with a late special teams turnover and a risky late blitz call. Both teams have a lot to lose in this matchup. The Patriots and Drake Maye started to look like the Patriots we expected this season, and now New England looks to build on that momentum after a big win over the Bills. The philosophy is simple: Teams don’t need a good run game to run play-action; they need to commit to running. The Raiders' offense runs through tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, making them a unique matchup for teams without defensive players built to slow down receiver types who run short crossing routes. The Patriots rank second in DVOA against tight ends because their roster features linebackers and corners who struggle against them. The combination of Bowers and Mayer is a mismatch for any defense. Bowers got the Raiders on the board with a 13-yard touchdown in the first, and a 14-yard pass interference penalty on Mayer set up Bowers’ score.

The Patriots didn’t need their defense to slow either tight end down because the offense continued its strong surge from Week Four. Drake Maye started the first quarter 6-for-7 with a perfect 156.8 passer rating. His newfound connection with Romeo Doubs has given the Patriots new life. Maye would come alive in this season-defining, tone-setting matchup against the Raiders: 26-for-34, 374 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, zero interceptions, a 150.9 passer rating, and 25 rushing yards. It was his first game without a turnover since Week 18 of last season. The Patriots blew past the Raiders, 45–17.

Doubs dropped a crucial pass in Week One against the Seahawks, and fans blasted the signing of Doubs on social media, but he paid dividends in this game. His penalty set up a 35-yard touchdown drive on the Patriots’ opening possession, putting New England up 7-0 in the first quarter on a 35-yard pass from Maye to Pop Douglas. Doubs picked up another massive penalty yards later in the game, setting up another New England score. After the Raiders tied the game with a touchdown, the Patriots drove for a score. Doubs drew a 27-yard pass interference penalty, his second penalty of more than 20 yards against Raiders corner Eric Stokes. Patriots tight end Hunter Henry caught a seven-yard pass on fourth-and-three to keep a red-zone drive alive. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed in a four-yard touchdown to give New England a 14-7 lead before the second quarter.

Henry couldn’t outshine Bowers on the stat sheet, but Henry’s second-quarter touchdown—set up by a 26-yard reception that put the Patriots inside the Raiders’ red zone-was another score. Neither team had a pretty second quarter. The Patriots fumbled Corey Kiner, but the Raiders couldn’t capitalize, settling for a short-field field goal and missing it. The Raiders’ lack of a run game—and I mean a real lack—really reared its head in this contest: just 1.7 yards per rush in the first half, and the Raiders found themselves in a lot of third-and-long situations (10-plus yards to go).

The Raiders finished the game with 38 rushing yards on 18 attempts, and this time Kirk Cousins couldn’t carry the offense by handling dropback after dropback. He went 19-for-28 for 243 passing yards, one touchdown, and a 106.7 passer rating—just not enough with the defense unable to slow down New England. The blowout loss opened the door for the Raiders to give No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza a run. He went 6-for-8 for 48 passing yards as the Raiders suffered their worst offensive performance of the season so far. Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak will have to find an answer. Protection for Cousins looks shaky, and quick-hitting routes don’t work in an offense designed around tight ends who often win on slower-developing routes downfield. As defenses adjust and take away downfield explosives and short screens to Jeanty, how else can the Raiders generate a short offense?

The Patriots haven’t changed much from their early-season program: The plays just started working, the guys started catching the ball, and the receivers started to get open against weaker defenses, albeit not pro defenses. The Patriots got contributions from the run game across the board, totaling 31 carries, 165 rushing yards, and 536 total yards as New England begins to look like the team and offense fans expected entering the season.