NFL Week 5 Shockers: Unexpected Heroes and Shocking Failures Revealed!

Week 5 of the NFL season rolled in with all the usual drama and then some — jaw-dropping plays, some facepalm moments, and enough plot twists to keep even the most seasoned fans biting their nails. Isn’t it wild how just one game, one drive, or one slip-up can flip our entire view of a team or player on its head? With only 17 games on the schedule, each week feels like a mini playoff round where winners rise, expectations shift, and the unexpected becomes the norm. So, who stomped the field and who fumbled away their chance this week? Let’s dive into the standout stars and those who couldn’t quite catch their breath, and see what it means for the road ahead. LEARN MORE.

Week 5 of the NFL had some incredible performances and some that were … not so incredible. Here were some of the highlights and lowlights.

Every NFL game is an event.

With only 17 games played by each team in a season, what we learn each week can dramatically alter our perception of teams and players.

So, to put it simply, each week there are winners who outperformed expectations and losers who underperformed expectations. We’ll go over each and whether this should reset expectations for these players and teams moving forward.

NFL Week 5 Winners

Rico Dowdle, Carolina Panthers

It’s funny to look back on the preseason and remember that Chuba Hubbard was a popular sleeper fantasy pick at running back because he didn’t have much competition in the backfield.

Now, it seems unlikely that Hubbard gets his job back as the lead back for the Panthers. Dowdle exploded for 206 rushing yards on 23 carries and a touchdown Sunday in the Panthers’ 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins came into the game with a suspect run defense (allowing the fourth-most yards per carry in the league) and the Panthers took full advantage. Dowdle had one of the unlikeliest 200-yard rushing games ever.

It’s not an exaggeration to say the Panthers were playing for their season this week. Coming off a brutal 42-13 loss to the New England Patriots, a loss to the Dolphins would’ve sent the Panthers to 1-4. Instead, the team is within a game of .500 with games against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets next.

If the Panthers want to stay relevant this year, they’ll need to lean on an offensive game plan similar to the one they used in Week 5. Dowdle can’t be expected to hit 200 yards on the ground again, but the Panthers need to run effectively to take the pressure off Bryce Young.

Denver Broncos

Entering Week 5, the Broncos hadn’t trailed for a second in the fourth quarter yet found themselves sitting at 2-2 due to two games that were lost as time expired.

The sophomore season of Bo Nix had gotten off to an inconsistent start and the Broncos defense hadn’t been able to put teams away in the fourth quarter.

So, things didn’t seem great when the Broncos found themselves trailing for the first time in the fourth quarter this year, 17-3, to the defending Super Bowl champions.

But Nix led two straight touchdown drives, with the second one ending in a two-point conversion, to give the Broncos the lead. The first drive was death by a thousand cuts, as the Broncos scored after 10 plays and 64 yards.

The second drive should make Broncos fans excited. The Eagles forced Nix to beat them with his arm, and he was able to do so. He had four completions for 10 or more yards on that drive alone. While three of them were of the catch-and-run variety, he still found his playmakers and hit Evan Engram downfield for an 18-yard completion to start the drive. The Broncos added a field goal drive later for a 21-17 victory.

This was the Bo Nix the team has been waiting to see in his second year. If he can build on his fourth quarter performance, the Broncos could be a true threat in the AFC.

For the Eagles, it was more of the same. They had a lead but were lacking the explosiveness they had at the end of last season. They normally find a way to win anyway (they’ve already got a win when Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a pass in the second half), but they couldn’t do that against the Broncos.

Perhaps a loss will shake the offense out of its Super Bowl hangover. It at least served as a lesson that it’s really hard to win against good teams when you can’t make any plays down the field.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield just keeps finding ways to win.

The Buccaneers, coming off their first loss of the season, were missing key players (including Mike Evans and Bucky Irving) and facing a Seattle Seahawks team that had been very impressive to start the season.

Yet, once again, the Buccaneers engineered a late drive for the win.

It was Tampa Bay’s fourth win of the season and all four have been by three points or fewer. The latest win came on a Chase McLaughlin game-winning 39-yard field goal as time expired after Lavonte David picked off Sam Darnold with under a minute remaining.

The Buccaneers have gone under the radar as a consistently excellent team. But with a clutch Baker Mayfield, a dynamic new receiver in Emeka Egbuka (who went off again for 163 receiving yards and a touchdown) and talent up and down the roster, they will once again be a factor in the NFC.

NFL Week 5 Losers

Giants Rookies

This time last week, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo were the toast of the town. They jumpstarted the Giants offense and led them to a 21-18 upset win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Progress isn’t linear, though, and both were taught the importance of protecting the football this week. Facing a previously winless New Orleans Saints team, Dart turned it over three times, including a fumble where he just seemed to lose the ball while running with it.

That lax ball security won’t lead to many wins in the NFL. Spencer Rattler was the more experienced quarterback and played a great game to lead the Saints to a 26-14 win.

Dart’s turnovers were bad, but the turning point of the game came when Skattebo fumbled and Jordan Howden returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. The Giants were down 19-14 before the play and looked primed to score and take the lead. Instead, they faced a 26-14 deficit that ended up being the final score.

There were still enough flashes from both players to be excited about, and this week’s game can be chalked up to a learning experience. But it was a tough step backward after last week’s exciting win.

Arizona Cardinals

It’s hard to have a more staggering loss than the Cardinals had in Week 5 to the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans looked like the worst team in the league through four weeks and three quarters. The Cardinals held a 21-6 lead going into the fourth quarter, and the game seemed all but over. Emari Demercado put the exclamation point on the game with a 72-yard touchdown run that gave the Cardinals a 28-6 lead.

Except he didn’t. Because while Demercado was running into the end zone, he dropped the ball. The replay review confirmed it was out of his hand before he crossed the goal line, the touchdown was wiped out and the Titans got the ball.

This happens sometimes in the NFL, but you would think players would’ve been extra careful about carrying the ball into the end zone this week considering AD Mitchell just did it last week. But Demercado kept the Titans alive.

Tennessee came down the field and scored their first touchdown of the game on the ensuing drive but crucially missed the extra point that would’ve cut the lead to eight. Instead, the Cardinals still led by two scores.

After a three-and-out by the Cardinals, the Titans drove down the field, but Cam Ward threw an interception in the red zone that cost the Titans their chance at a comeback.

Except it didn’t, because after intercepting the pass, the Cardinals’ Dadrion Taylor-Demerson fumbled the ball, and Tyler Lockett recovered the fumble in the end zone for a Titans’ touchdown.

The Cardinals got one first down on the next drive, but then punted back to Cam Ward and the Titans with 1:53 remaining. Ward led a 71-yard drive that was capped by a chip shot 29-yard field goal from Joey Slye and the Cardinals meltdown was complete.

There have been some bad Cardinals losses over the years (just ask Denny Green if there are any teams we should crown). But this loss to the Titans has to be near the top of worst losses in franchise history.

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