49ers Fight With Rams, Broncos Catch the Eagles, the Patriots Win in Buffalo, and the Chiefs…? - NFL WEEK 5.
Week 5 of the NFL season did not disappoint football fans and the intensity keeps rising with every week passing. We saw the last two undefeated teams, the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills, both lose their 4-0 start to the season, the 49ers took the Rams all the way to the 4th and got out with a field goal, and the Chiefs lay down to the Jacksonville Jaguars on a Mahomes pick-6. Let’s take a recap and dive into the games that made this 2025 Week 5 in the National Football League.
Starting from the top, Thursday Night Football took place at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Rams hosted their California rival, the San Fransisco 49ers. Looking out into the stands during the game, you saw more 49ers Red than Rams blue, probably the first sign we should’ve taken on who might have the momentum of the game. Matthew Stafford threw for an impressive 389 yards and 3 touchdowns, two of which went to Kyren Williams and one to star receiver Puka Nacua. Although veteran receiver Davantae Adams had 88 yards, his productivity in the offensive output was minimal as he dealt with an underlying hamstring issue. On the other side, 49ers QB Mac Jones (in for Brock Purdy - injured) and RB Christian McCaffrey combined for an amazing game with Jones throwing for 342 yards and McCaffrey having 139 rushing and receiving yards. TE Jake Tonges cashed in on a touchdown along with back up receiver Kendrick Bourne getting 10 catches for 142 yards. With this game being a big offensive matchup, it came down to the 49ers winning by a single field goal - final score 26-23.
Mac Jones 2nd quarter TD pass to McCaffrey, via NFL and Prime.
Moving into Sunday, the Vikings come away with an overseas win against the Cleveland Browns in London, winning 21-17. Justin Jefferson had an All-Pro appearance with 7 catches for 123 yards. Next man up, Jordan Addison, had 5 receptions for 41 yards and TE T.J. Hockenson grabbed 6 targets for 38 yards. Minnesota’s Jordan Mason also had 52 yards in this match. Cleveland put QB2 Dillion Gabriel in the game and he recorded 190 yards with 13 completions on 33 passing attempts. Offensive productivity mostly ran through Quinshon Judkins who rushed for 110 yards, and David Njoku who pulled down 6 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota will move on to a 3-2 record with this 21-17 victory.
Josh Oliver receives late 1st quarter TD, via NFL.
Coming back across the pond in true American fashion to Pennsylvania, the low-powered Broncos offense took down the rather more-recently bland Philadelphia Eagles. The Philadelphia Eagles have experienced some turbulence after their iconic Super Bowl LIX win. We’ve seen star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith make a few complaints on their offensive game plan and their role in it. The Eagles offense has relied heavily on the run game with Barkley and Hurts and has also been under the tush-push regime for quite some time. This does bring questions upon Jalen Hurts and his ability to win an NFL game throwing the ball. As in this game, we saw Eagles offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo, send down more passing plays - the Eagles lost after leading until the 4th quarter. Although the Denver Broncos didn’t pick up their offensive output until the second half, Bo Nix, who’s barley thrown for 200 yards this season, recorded 242 yards with 24 completions on 39 attempts. J.K. Dobbins provided 79 rush yards along with Courtland Sutton contributing 99 recieving yards for the Broncos 21-17 victory. Eagles lose their undefeated record and drop to 4-1.
J.K. Dobbins for a 4th quarter goal line TD, via NFL and CBS Sports.
We saw outstanding performances from the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. The Cowboys took down the New York Jets at Metlife, winning 37-22. Potential MVP favorite, Dak Prescott, had a great game with 237 yards coming from 18 completions on 29 attempts. Dak Prescott has been playing at an MVP pace, having over 200 yards per game since the opening night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. *ZACHARYARTISTE USA/The ARTISTE Creative Arts Company does not support the Dallas Cowboys in any form or fashion*, but we will give credit to those who play well - and Dak Prescott is showing up. The fan-favorite Colts defeated the Las Vegas Raiders and smashed the Black & Silver in a 40-6 victory. Daniel Jones, who’s also having an MVP caliber season, threw for 212 yards on 20 completions and has maintained his 200 yard/game quota.
Out west to Seattle, we saw a QB shootout - a classic high offense game with both Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold taking the show. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers survive a trip to Washington state by a single field goal, winning 38-35. Still, this was an amazing performance by both teams. Mayfield stunned the arena with 379 yards thrown and Sam Darnold was right on his heels with 341 passing yards. Both teams recorded several touchdowns, but it came down to a final interception that placed the Buccaneers in perfect field position to win the game. Emeka Egbuka for Tampa Bay caught 7 balls for 163 yards right with Cade Otton who recorded 81 yards on 4 catches. The Buccaneers sit at a record of 4-1.
Sunday Night Football was an action packed show that had everyone in a frenzy from start to finish. The New England Patriots came into Buffalo, New York and stole a victory, 23-20, over the Buffalo Bills. This game started off very volatile and turned into a turnover fest by the end of the first quarter. By the end of the game, star receiver Stefon Diggs gave us a show with 146 yards on 10 catches. Drake Maye outperformed MVP QB Josh Allen, recording 273 passing yards, and Allen recording 253 for this outing. The Bills only recorded two touchdowns in this loss, one from Keon Coleman and one from Curtis Samuel. The Bills also lose their undefeated record and drop to 4-1.
Stefon Diggs for 10 catches/146 yards, via NFL & NBC
Out of the weekend, Monday Night Football was truly pure entertainment. The once larger-than-life Kansas City Chiefs are reduced to under .500, to a 2-3 record. The Jacksonville Jaguars played until the final seconds and finished with Trevor Lawrence stealing the last touchdown on a goal line drive. Patrick Mahomes threw for 318 yards on 29 completions on 44 attempts. That 318 yards got washed away with one interception by Mahomes that gave the Jaguars their comeback opportunity. Trevor Lawrence had an impactful game with 221 passing yards on 18 completions. RB Etienne contributed 49 yards and fan-favorite Travis Hunter gave the team another 64 yards. Brian Thomas Jr recorded 80 yards. The Chiefs have had some trouble enter paradise and at this current point in the season, they are close to losing their championship identity. The Jaguars take this victory 31-28 and move to a 4-1 record.
Closing out this week, I think it’s safe to say no lead or record is safe in the NFL and you should never underestimate any NFL team - they can beat you. The 49ers, Lions, Jaguars, Bills, Eagles, Colts and Buccaneers all sit at a 4-1 record. In other news, Joe Flacco has just been traded to the Bengals in wake of their QB slowdown. Joe Burrow isn’t set to return for months and QB2 Jake Browning seems to not be the man for the job. We will see how Week 6 turns a new chapter in this ongoing NFL season.
