By Week 5 in the NFL had everything: late drama, historic achievements and a game across the Atlantic in London.
Sunday’s action began with the Minnesota Vikings’ victory over the New York Jets at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a win which maintains Minnesota’s undefeated start to the season.
Here are the main storylines from Sunday’s games.
The best photos from the 2024 NFL season
The Cincinnati Bengals thought they were righting the ship. After a back-and-forth encounter with the Baltimore Ravens, they were set up with a 53-yard field goal in overtime to get their second win of the season.
But after a dramatic day of football, there was one more twist in the tale as Evan McPherson’s attempt sailed wide left and the game went on.
And Baltimore made Cincinnati rue that mistake on the very next play, with Derrick Henry galloping 51 yards down the field to set up a 24-yard field goal from Justin Tucker to clinch a 41-38 win for the Ravens.
It was a typically exciting ending to a game full of twists and turns at Paul Brown Stadium.
The two AFC North rivals exchanged offensive blows throughout, whether they were Henry rumbling for scores or explosive touchdown throws from Bengals QB Joe Burrow to Ja’Marr Chase. The former LSU teammates first connected on a 41-yard pass before a 70-yard bomb midway through the fourth quarter extended Cincinatti’s lead to 10.
However, the Ravens – led by reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, who had four touchdowns on the day – were not to be denied, orchestrating a 13-play, 60-yard drive which ended in a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely to pull within three. A Tucker field goal after a Burrow interception sent the game to overtime before the late drama saw the Ravens win their third straight game and improve to 3-2, while the Bengals fall to 1-4.
Henry’s late heroics were crucial in the Ravens’ late comeback on what was a historic day for the running back.
A five-yard run in the second quarter meant he joined the 10,000-yard rushing club, becoming the 32nd player in NFL history to do so and the first since 2017, per the NFL. His first quarter touchdown also saw him become the 14th running back ever with 100 career scrimmage touchdowns.
The 30-year-old has had a striking impact since joining the Ravens in the offseason as he leads the NFL in rushing through five games. But after the dramatic victory, Henry wasn’t reflecting on his personal accolades.
“This win is big because of what transpired today,” he said. “It puts us up two in the division, so we definitely needed this one. It was just as important for us as it was for them. Glad we got the victory. With everything that happened, that just to show you the resiliency of this team, and we’re going to keep on fighting to the end.”
The disappointing result for Cincinnati eclipsed what was predominately an impressive showing from quarterback Burrow, who passed for 392 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
It has been an underwhelming start to the season for the Bengals, and Burrow explained that improvements have to be a team-wide movement.
“There have been tough conversations had,” he told reporters. “I think our coaches are handling it the right way. And whenever you’re 1-4 – whenever you’re in a tough situation – there are going to be tough conversations that are going to be had, that guys aren’t going to like.
“Those conversations have been had. So I’m happy with how we’re going about it. We obviously have to win more. That’s no secret, but I think people are (handling it) the right way.”
There was another clash of AFC heavyweights on Sunday which also ended with late drama, this time in Houston.
A 59-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn as time expired sealed the Houston Texans’ 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium.
It came after an encounter in which both teams’ defenses were the dominant forces throughout.
The Bills managed to hold Houston to just two touchdowns while the Texans piled up the yardage. On the other side, Houston limited Buffalo to just 276 yards with QB Josh Allen struggling with the pressure he saw all day, throwing for just 131 yards and a touchdown.
However, late in the fourth quarter, the Bills had a chance to leave Texas with a victory as they got the ball back on their three-yard line with just over 30 seconds remaining and the scores tied at 20-20.
But three straight incompletions – all of which stopped the clock and allowed Houston to set up its own game-winning drive – ended those hopes. If the Bills had run the ball once, they could have bled the clock and forced the game to overtime.
As it turned out, Sam Martin’s punt went to Houston’s 41-yard line and was returned to Buffalo’s 46 to give Houston a chance. And C.J. Stroud completed a short pass to set up Fairbairn for the long field goal, sparking jubilant celebrations as players rushed the field to lift the kicker aloft.
Second-year Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke about his team’s ability to win close games afterwards.
“These are the type of games you find out who you are as a team,” Ryans told reporters. “Buffalo is an outstanding team. They’re a well-coached team. All their players, the way they play, nothing but respect for them. Tough opponent.
“To beat a team like this, at the end of the day you want to score more points than the other team. It doesn’t matter how you get it done. I’m proud of our guys for gutting it out. Again, it wasn’t all pretty. That’s how games go. It’s about how you finish at the end, and I’m proud of the way our guys finished.”
The victory improves the Texans to 4-1 while the defeat is the Bills’ second in a row as they fall to 3-2.
After suffering a heavy defeat to the Ravens last time out, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said his team was “down” in the locker-room following the loss to Houston.
“There are no moral victories. I did like how they battled. To battle back after getting down like we did,” he said. “We have a lot of young guys particularly on the defensive side battling and giving us great effort in all three phases.
“The margins in the NFL are slim and we’ve got to continue to work to improve ourselves, get some guys healthy at some point here. I think that would help and yet that’s not an excuse. We have to find ways to pull these out.”
Jayden Daniels has been arguably the star of the 2024 season so far and the rookie quarterback continued his breakout year on Sunday.
The No. 2 overall pick threw for 238 yards, a touchdown and an interception as his Washington Commanders comfortably beat the Cleveland Browns 34-13.
The combination of his accurate throwing and mobility – he ran 11 times for 82 yards against Cleveland – continues to be a tough proposition for opposing defenses to stop as he blossoms into a star in his first year in the league.
Against Cleveland, Washington’s balanced offensive outing helped to keep the Browns defense scrambling, throwing for 219 yards and rushing for 215 on the ground. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. ran for two scores while Jeremy McNichols added another.
And Sunday’s game continued Daniels’ historic start to professional football.
He is now the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 1,000 yards and rush for at least 250 in his first five career games, per the NFL.
The Washington offense is also on a historic pace, becoming the first team since 1970 to score 150 or more points across the first five games of a season while starting a rookie quarterback.
The Commanders’ star wide receiver Terry McLaurin finished with 112 yards but also a lost fumble and a dropped catch for a touchdown against the Browns. And he spoke afterwards about his connection with Daniels is getting better each week.
“The great thing about him is that we’re always in constant communication,” the 2022 Pro Bowler told reporters. “So when I have a mistake, he’s always got my back and making sure I’m just keeping focused and staying with him.
“I’m just trying to encourage him when things don’t go right. But you can definitely tell our connection is growing each and every week. And I just want to be the guy that can help continue to develop and be a great teammate for him.”
For the Browns, it was another disappointing offensive performance as pressure mounts on starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson had just 125 yards passing and one touchdown as he looked frantic against a previously porous Washington defense.
But despite the offensive woes of his team, head coach Kevin Stefanski says he won’t be benching Watson anytime soon.
“We’re not changing quarterbacks,” Stefanski said. “We need to play better, I need to coach better. That’s really what it is.”
Away vs. home (winners in bold)
New York Jets 17-23 Minnesota Vikings
Carolina Panthers 10-36 Chicago Bears
Baltimore Ravens 41-38 OT Cincinnati Bengals
Buffalo Bills 20-23 Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts 34-37 Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins 15-10 New England Patriots
Cleveland Browns 13-34 Washington Commanders
Las Vegas Raiders 18-34 Denver Broncos
Arizona Cardinals 24-23 San Francisco 49ers
Green Bay Packers 24-19 Los Angeles Rams
New York Giants 29-20 Seattle Seahawks
Dallas Cowboys 20-17 Pittsburgh Steelers
