Week 5 began with poor Londoners fooled into believing that Carson Wentz was a good quarterback. But across the league, there were thrills and comebacks galore as Week 5 introduced matchups with crucial consequences for both conferences.
49 – IRs still have some fight
Someone should really conduct a background check on the San Francisco 49ers’ strength and conditioning staff. Coming into their Week 5 game against the division rival Los Angeles Rams, the 49ers had almost all of their offensive stars out. Quarterback Brock Purdy aggravated his toe injury, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall had a knee injury and wide receiver Jauan Jennings injured himself against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tight end George Kittle was still suffering from a hamstring injury sustained in Week 1, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was still recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the 2024 season.
Things didn’t look particularly promising on the other side of the ball either, as it was already revealed that star edge rusher Nick Bosa is out for the season. Depth was further thinned after defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos suffered an injury in the third quarter against the Rams.
Despite the setbacks, backup quarterback Mac Jones and the 49ers second-string offense marched into Los Angeles, energized by Sofi Stadium being taken over by the 49ers faithful — with approximately 61% of attendees rooting for San Francisco.
The Rams made multiple mistakes in the game, fumbling twice — once on the 49ers one-yard line with a minute left in the game. A missed extra point attempt by LA kicker Joshua Karty didn’t help either. The 49ers capitalized on these errors, gaining the ball first in the overtime period and scoring a field goal, forcing the Rams to score during their turn on offense.
The short-staffed 49ers put up an immense fight to win the game in overtime, stopping LA running back Kyren Williams on a crucial fourth down. This win has to be credited to coach Kyle Shanahan, who ensures that everyone in his system can succeed — that includes Jones, who was battered and battled through an apparent leg injury, as well as wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who had 10 receptions for 142 yards. As usual, defensive captain Fred Warner was brilliant, galvanizing a beat-up defense to win the game and elevate the 49ers to the best record in the NFC.
Snow melts in Maye
A prime-time game is a scary prospect for a young quarterback. A prime-time game away against an undefeated division rival is an even scarier one. Yet, sophomore quarterback Drake Maye and the New England Patriots marched into New York and shocked the undefeated Buffalo Bills on a last-second field goal to hand the Bills their first loss of the season.
The Bills debuted their “cold front” uniforms for this game, shedding their traditional blue and red uniforms for white uniforms with blue outlines. This new appearance did not affect Maye and the Patriots, however, as Maye took apart the Bills defense — completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards with no turnovers and leading a game-winning drive in the final minutes. Maye became the second youngest quarterback to beat the reigning MVP quarterback on the road, the first being Dan Marino in 1984.
This also served as a statement game for Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who spent a large part of his career in western New York with the Bills before demanding a trade in 2024. Diggs had 10 receptions for 142 yards. The Patriots’ upset shook things up across the AFC as the Bills fell to second place in the conference, behind the resurgent Indianapolis Colts.
While this win may not enable the Patriots to fight for the division crown, fans can feel heartened by strong performances from Maye, Diggs and unsung hero Will Campbell. Campbell was the fourth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft and more than held his own against veteran defensive end Joey Bosa, repaying the faith Mike Vrabel and the Patriots franchise have placed in him.
While it may be an overreaction to assume the Patriots are heading back to the Tom Brady-era of dominance, the victory over the Bills is certainly a step in the right direction and a huge confidence boost to a young Patriots team and coaching staff.
Ja’Marr Chase: Dual threat
Ja’Marr Chase can do everything. He can catch touchdowns, he can make tackles, and with the current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback situation, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him throwing passes in a few weeks. On top of his six receptions and 110 yards against the Detroit Lions, Chase had three solo tackles — all on backup quarterback Jake Browning’s interceptions — and a few pass breakups to prevent an even more embarrassing statline for Browning.
Things were so dire that Chase led the team in tackles at one point, and by the end of the game, he was tied for second in the team in terms of solo tackles. This cannot be a sustainable strategy for the Bengals, who are already missing quarterback Joe Burrow. Forcing Chase to make plays outside of his traditional role can expose him to higher risk of injury.
Desperate times called for desperate measures, and the Bengals front office reacted, signing veteran quarterback Joe Flacco as a temporary replacement for Burrow. However, Flacco is 40 years old and not the most mobile quarterback. Flacco is protected by the ninth-worst offensive line in the league in terms of sacks allowed, having given up 15 in three games. He now faces a Green Bay Packers defense that features linebacker Micah Parsons.
It doesn’t seem to get easier for the Bengals, and it will be a long season ahead for Chase and the rest of the offense.
Let Em(eka) bake
Are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decisive or just lucky? With a 38-35 win over the Seattle Seahawks Oct. 5, the Buccaneers had all of their games decided by one possession. Scrutiny over these results should take nothing away from the offense’s performance however, as quarterback Baker Mayfield and rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka have been nothing short of brilliant. In the win over Seattle, Mayfield threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns, while Egbuka stepped up in Mike Evans’ absence for seven receptions and 163 yards. Egbuka also caught a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the game.
The Buccaneers have 13 touchdowns on the season already, with Mayfield throwing 10. This is good enough for third in the entire league. Mayfield is also fourth in the league in passing yards.
Egbuka, on the other hand, is tied for second in the league in terms of touchdown catches and fourth in terms of receiving yards. At the rate at which he is processing, Egbuka is projected to have 1,513 yards on 85 targets by the end of the season. With Mayfield under center, Egbuka is the early frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
But the Buccaneers struggle on defense, conceding an average of 310.8 yards per game. This could be a problem, especially as they come up against a 49ers team with the most prolific passing attack in the game. Even if the 49ers are missing their star players, the win against the Rams showed they cannot be underestimated with Jones under center. The Buccaneers will need to sort out issues on defense if they want to contend for the Super Bowl, even if they have the firepower to contest offensive shootouts every single week.
Week 6 Predictions: Who should you start and sit?
This is a week for the veterans as injuries continue to plague teams across the league. Each team must rely on a different part of its game in order to achieve success. Here are the players you should sit and start for Week 6.
Start
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR, SEA) (Away vs. JAX)
The Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has easily been one of the most impressive players this season. He has racked up 534 receiving yards, the second most in the league this season, including a season high 132 yards against the Buccaneers Oct. 5.
This week, the Seahawks take on a weak pass defense in Jacksonville. The Jaguars’ defense has allowed the fifth most receiving yards in the NFL at 1,302. Smith-Njigba will likely be the most targeted player on the Seahawks’ offense this week, as the Jags’ defense allows just 97.8 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Sam Darnold is once again finding his footing, passing for 341 yards and four touchdowns Oct. 5.
With a good quarterback at the helm, Smith-Njigba should have no problem navigating the defense, making catches and finding the end zone.
Christian McCaffrey (RB, SF) (Away vs. TB)
The San Francisco 49ers have been riddled with injuries this season, with Purdy, Jennings, Pearsall and Kittle all sidelined.
One player that seems immune, however, is running back Christian McCaffrey. He stands as the only starting offensive player in complete health for the 49ers this week. Although McCaffrey has yet to find the end zone this season, the time for that to change is now. He will be the go-to player for San Francisco so long as key receivers are out. McCaffrey is an extremely talented veteran running back with 6,669 career rushing yards and 4,853 receiving yards. With all of this experience, he is the ideal candidate to put points on the board and get his team back on the right track.
Expect to see McCaffrey targeted the most of any player in the 49ers’ Oct. 12 showdown against the Buccaneers.
Matthew Stafford (QB, LAR) (Away vs. BAL)
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is one of the most experienced players in the league with 16 seasons under his belt. So far this season, he has been in fine form. He currently leads all quarterbacks with 1,503 passing yards and is second in the league in touchdowns with 11.
Much to the surprise of NFL fans everywhere, the Baltimore Ravens are struggling on both sides of the field, but the defense has seen the biggest impact. It has allowed 1,313 passing yards, which ranks second from the bottom in the league.
Stafford is not a rushing quarterback. He has rushed for -4 yards this season. So, he will be looking to his receivers in this week’s matchup. Wide receiver Puka Nacua is having a spectacular season and seems to be catching every pass thrown his way. It will be easy for Stafford and his receivers to exploit the Ravens’ defense, which has allowed 1,351 receiving yards.
Stafford will have good numbers this week and is exactly the kind of player you want on the field.
Sit
Derrick Henry (RB, BAL) (Home vs. LAR)
Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is having a disappointing season, and he hasn’t been able to turn it around. In the first three games of the season, he made three game-changing fumbles, something that is out of character for Henry.
Henry is averaging 3.2 yards per carry in his last four games and only has one game of triple digit rushing yards. On top of individual issues, he is going up against a very talented Rams defense that has allowed just two rushing touchdowns this season.
Henry is still an extremely talented running back and will go down as one of the best to ever do it. However, he’s not showing it this season. It is best to go with a different option at running back until Henry is back in his true form.
Jameson Williams (WR, DET) (Away vs. KC)
Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams seems to be living in the shadow of his teammate and fellow wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. With 223 receiving yards and one touchdown off of 11 receptions, Williams is not producing at the level expected of a WR2. Last week, Williams received only one target in his team’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lions receivers will have trouble this week against the Kansas City Chiefs whose defense ranks seventh in receiving defense in the league with 999 total yards allowed. With that, Detroit’s running back tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery should see more action, as the Chiefs’ rush defense is significantly weaker.
An emphasis on the run game will mean bad news for Williams. When the Lions do choose to pass, the ball will be headed toward St. Brown as a first option. Unfortunately for him, the trend of single digit targets will continue for Williams.
Daniel Jones (QB, IND) (Home vs. ARI)
Six seasons into his NFL career, Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones finally seems to have found his place. He has made a few impressive showings this season, throwing for 1,290 yards with a 71.3% completion rate.
Despite this, Jones did not throw for a touchdown in two of his last three games for the Colts. In fact, he has only thrown three passing touchdowns total this year. Running back Jonathan Taylor is one of, if not the best, at his position. His 94 carries, 480 yards and six touchdowns all rank first in the league. With such a strong runner, the Colts will not be relying on their quarterback’s passing abilities as much. Last week, Jones attempted just 21 passes against Las Vegas Oct. 5.
Although he has been finding himself, there are a number of better options at quarterback than Jones this week.
