NFL Week 5 Sunday Takeaways: Rodgers Defies Father Time, Coen Gets Bailed Out, 49ers Survive Ugly Performance

We’re five weeks into the NFL season and some of my early takes are already aging poorly. Aaron Rodgers apparently has plenty of football left after I declared his career over. Fortunately, the Dolphins remain the worst team in football, so I wasn’t wrong about everything.

AARON RODGERS DEFIES FATHER TIME WITH ANOTHER THREE-TOUCH PERFORMANCE IN STEELERS’ VICTORY

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

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen didn’t have his best game in Week 5, but his team saved it with a last-second field goal. (AP Photo/Kelley L. Cox)

Here’s what I remember most from each Week 5 Sunday game.

Jaguars 19, Eagles 17

Takeaway: Liam Coen comes away with one of the worst coaching performances of his career.

A lot of people are going to criticize the Jags head coach for going for fourth-and-goal twice and failing rather than scoring a field goal. However, having to use a backup long snapper definitely adjusted the math.

The biggest issue, for me, was the play call. A jet sweep on fourth and goal from the 1? A wild formation on first and goal from the 1 that led to a false start? And if the long snapper was such a problem, why not go for two after the go-ahead touchdown instead of trying for that extra point, which was missed due to a bad snap?

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And then none of that mattered because his special teams saved it with a big kick return (thanks to a terrible decision by Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to even allow a kick return in the first place) followed by a field goal. Is it 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 pulled out a victory against 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 of postseason success.

Patriots 45, Raiders 17

Takeaway: Drake Maye appears to have righted the ship.

I’ve documented the young New England quarterback’s struggles this season, but his last two games look 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. Additionally, the upcoming schedule looks favorable with games against the Jets, Bears and Dolphins over the next three weeks.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has played much better over the past two weeks than he did in the first three games. (Getty Images)

Bengals 31, Dolphins 24

Takeaway: The Dolphins are the NFL equivalent of free space on the bingo card.

The Miami Dolphins are in full tank mode and continue to look forward to the 2027 NFL Draft. At this point, 0-17 isn’t out of the question. This would be incredible because the Dolphins could be the only franchise in NFL history to finish a season 17-0 and finish a season 0-17. The offense is a complete disaster; in fact, the 24 points scored against Cincinnati were a season high and 14 were scored in the fourth quarter with Cincinnati in complete control of the game.

Packers 31, Bears 7

Bottom line: 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 as starters. But even an offensive genius like Johnson can only do so much. Bagent was 12 of 21 for just 87 yards and two interceptions before being benched. Keenum came in and threw his own interception. In total, the Bears turned the ball over five times, and you’re not going to win many games like that.

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Vikings 23, Saints 13

Takeaway: You can only beat teams on your schedule.

The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 thanks in large part to their opponents. The Vikings faced the Packers, Bears, Bucs, Dolphins and Saints. Their last three opponents have a combined record of 2-13. But that’s not Minnesota’s fault and, at the end of the day, you still have to beat the teams scheduled on your schedule.

Jets 17, Browns 12

Takeaway: Of course, it depended on which team made the biggest mistake.

Would you expect anything different from a game between the Browns and Jets rather than which team made the biggest mistake? Well, that’s what happened. It looked like it would be the Jets after Geno Smith fumbled the ball with New York down two with just over four minutes left. But, on the ensuing possession, the Browns botched a punt to cap off a drive that lost 29 yards. Then Cleveland inexplicably gave up a 22-yard touchdown to Braelon Allen on a third-and-9 play. An ugly play with an ugly ending seemed fitting.

Steelers 34, Colts 22

Takeaway: Aaron Rodgers defies Father Time.

I admit that I thought Rodgers was cooked heading into the 2026 season, and his performances in Weeks 1 and 2 didn’t inspire much confidence. But over the past three weeks, the 42-year-old has played solid football, throwing for 826 yards and nine touchdowns. Pittsburgh is now 3-2 and in a three-way tie with the Browns and Bengals, one game behind the 4-1 Ravens in the extremely competitive AFC North.

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Indianapolis Colts 34-22. The 42-year-old has now thrown for nine touchdowns in his last three games. (Getty Images)

Giants 27, Commanders 27 OT

Takeaway: What was this game?

Jameis Winston deserves a lot of credit for erasing a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit by leading two 70-plus yard touchdown drives in the final 11 minutes of regulation. He also put the team in position to win in overtime before Cam Skattebo committed a cardinal sin by fumbling with the Giants already in range for a game-winning field goal.

But the Giants really should never have been in this position. The Commanders scored a touchdown two minutes into the game and never trailed, but still blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Then, after Skattebo’s fumble, Washington got in range for a game-winning field goal and inexplicably let time run out without attempting a kick. It was such a bizarre game that I’m still at a loss for words.

Broncos 23, Chargers 17

Takeaway: Denver shouldn’t be too excited about this win.

Of course, the Broncos would rather win a game with a bad performance than lose a game with a good performance. But they also preferred to win a match with a good performance, and this wasn’t it. The winless Chargers continue to be a complete mess, but they could have won without two costly late turnovers. The Broncos nearly lost to an 0-4 team that had just 12 first downs and 219 total yards of offense before its final drive. Justin Herbert needed a few late throws against a prevent defense just to cross the 100-yard mark.

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Lions 45, Cardinals 21

Takeaway: Where were these Lions all year?

Detroit’s explosive offense was on full display in Week 5 against Arizona, with four different players recording catches of at least 20 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs adding a run of 20+ yards. But the takeaway is not about the offense; everyone knows the Lions can score. It was a big game for the defense, which had allowed an average of 31.8 points per game entering Week 5.

After allowing Arizona to score a touchdown on its first possession, Detroit forced five straight three-and-outs. The 21 points look worse than they were; Arizona scored 14 points in the second half, with Detroit already ahead by several touchdowns. Yes, it was just the Cardinals, but it was a significant positive step for the much-maligned unit.

Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions finally played a complete game in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals. (IMAGINE IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

49ers 32, Seahawks 29

Takeaway: This wasn’t the play you’d expect from two Super Bowl contenders.

Yes, you would expect the match to be closely fought and end in the final minutes, which is what happened. But that’s not what I mean. These are two teams that should be in the conversation in January, but both have played very sloppy football.

The Seahawks had one of the worst turnovers in the NFL this season, fumbling in their own end zone and giving the 49ers a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the first half. Then Sam Darnold threw an interception on the second play of the second half. Not to be outdone, the 49ers missed a field goal on the ensuing drive, then turned the ball over on their next two possessions.

The two teams combined for seven turnovers, which won’t make either head coach happy. But Kyle Shanahan is certainly happier than Mike Macdonald as his team is now 5-0 and has a two-game lead in the NFC West.

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Ravens 30, Falcons 23 (OT)

Takeaway: Jesse Minter makes his first pitch for NFL Coach of the Year.

Replacing a franchise legend like John Harbaugh doesn’t exactly make your first NFL head coaching job any easier. We also won’t go on the road without Lamar Jackson against a Falcons team that had scored 80 points in its previous two games. But Jesse Minter took Tyler Huntley to Atlanta and came away with an overtime victory, even after the Ravens appeared to be headed for a loss late in the fourth quarter. Yes, Minter inherited a lot of talent, but his best player was unavailable Sunday night. Winning either way is a pretty good way to get into the Coach of the Year conversation.