2022 NFL Week 5 Recap
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Joe Toscano – @joeybagovdonuts
Panthers fires Matt Rhule
Matt Rhule has been fired as the coach of the Carolina Panthers less than six full months after owner David Tepper said it could take five, maybe six years to rebuild an organization capable of sustained excellence.
Rhule’s firing on Monday came less than 24 hours after a 37-15 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and less than three years into a seven-year, $62 million contract he was given in January of 2020 to turn around the Panthers the way he did college programs at Temple and Baylor.
He was fired with a record of 11-27, including this year’s 1-4 start. Under Rhule, the Panthers went 1-27 when allowing 17 or more points, including 25 losses in a row. Every other team has multiple such wins in that span, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Giants 27, Packers 22
Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley spoiled the Green Bay Packers’ international debut.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers set the stage by jumping out to an early lead over the New York Giants.
But Jones and Barkley made the key plays in a 27-22 comeback victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday to spoil Green Bay’s first regular-season game outside the United States.
Barkley rushed for 70 yards on 13 carries and had 36 yards receiving — his third consecutive game with more than 100 yards from scrimmage, his longest streak since 2019
Rodgers threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, but couldn’t get any points on the board in the second half. Rodgers connected with Allen Lazard and Marcedes Lewis for first-half scoring strikes.
Vikings 29, Bears 22
Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings established a remarkable rhythm early. Their resiliency surfaced again late.
The reward is being alone in first place in the NFC North.
Cousins scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 2:26 remaining on Minnesota’s fifth third-down conversion of its go-ahead drive, and the Vikings snapped out of another mid-game slump just in time to beat the Chicago Bears 29-22 on Sunday.
Fields went 15 for 21 for a season-high 208 yards and his first touchdown pass in 15 quarters and rushed eight times for 47 yards, but the Bears (2-3) were ultimately overtaken by the Vikings and their skill position stars.
Justin Jefferson finished with a career-high 12 catches for 154 yards and caught a 2-point conversion pass from Cousins to push the lead to seven. Dalvin Cook rushed for 94 yards and two scores against a defense that has been vulnerable on the ground in coach Matt Eberflus’ first season.
Cousins set a franchise record with 17 consecutive completions to start the game, and O’Connell put on a play-calling clinic as the Vikings reached the end zone on their first three possessions for a 21-3 lead midway through the second quarter. Three times last week against the Saints, they had to settle for field goals after crossing the 20.
David Montgomery returned from a one-game absence to an ankle injury and scored Chicago’s first touchdown on a 9-yard run late in the second quarter. Rookie Velus Jones Jr. scored on his first career offensive touch, a 9-yard reception off a jet-motion shovel pass to cap the first possession of the third quarter and make it a one-score game.
Patriots 29, Lions 0
Rookie Bailey Zappe threw a touchdown pass in his first career start, Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a career-high 161 yards, and the Patriots overwhelmed the Detroit Lions 29-0.
The rookie completed 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards with Mac Jones out for the second straight week with an ankle injury and backup Brian Hoyer on injured reserve following a concussion.
Matt Judon had a pair of sacks for New England (2-3), which held Detroit’s top-ranked offense without a touchdown for the first time this season.
Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown returned for Detroit after sitting out last week with an ankle injury. But New England’s defense took advantage of a team that was without running back D’Andre Swift and receiver D.J. Chark, stopping the Lions six times on fourth down.
Bills 38, Steelers 3
Three snaps into what became a 38-3 rout of the Steelers is all it took for Allen to prove his instinct correct.
Allen’s 348 yards passing in the first half were tied for the second most over the opening two quarters in an NFL game since 1991.
Whatever spark the Steelers hoped rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett would provide in his first career start was negated by a defense missing top pass rusher T.J. Watt and starting safety Terrell Edmunds (concussion) and starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring). The injuries mounted during the game with cornerback Cam Sutton sidelined by a hamstring injury and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi ruled out with a back injury.
Pickett finished 34 of 52 for 327 yards and an interception, in taking over the starting job from Mitch Trubisky.
Chargers 30, Browns 28
Brandon Staley trusted his gut, the analytics and his offense.
He got very lucky.
The Chargers coach defiantly defended his decision not to punt on fourth down with 1:14 remaining after Los Angeles held on for a 30-28 win over Cleveland when Browns rookie kicker Cade York missed a 54-yard field goal with 11 seconds left.
Herbert, who came in leading the NFL in yards passing, finished 22 of 34 for 228 yards, ending his streak of consecutive road games with at least 300 yards at seven.
Austin Ekeler rushed for a career-high 173 yards and scored twice as Los Angeles, which came in last in the league in rushing, leaned on its ground game to win its second shootout in two seasons with the Browns (2-3).
The Chargers finished with 238 yards rushing, 174 more than their average and showed they can do more than pass.
Texans 13, Jaguars 6
Dameon Pierce initially got hit behind the line of scrimmage. He slipped Rayshawn Jenkins’ tackle and then six or seven more on his way to a 20-yard gain that was more impressive than the rookie’s 75-yard touchdown run a week earlier.
He might already be Houston’s best player.
And he could be a handful for Jacksonville for years to come.
Pierce ran for 99 yards and a touchdown, a score set up by his determined fourth-quarter scamper through half of Jacksonville’s defense, and the Texans beat the Jaguars 13-6 on Sunday to extend their winning streak in the series to nine.
Lawrence completed 25 of 47 passes for 286 yards and two interceptions.
Davis Mills had 140 yards, Pierce had 99 yards
Saints 39, Seahawks 32
Taysom Hill ran for three touchdowns, including a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter, and threw for another score, and New Orleans snapped a three-game skid with a 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Hill completed the only pass he’s attempted this season for a 22-yard score to fellow tight end Adam Trautman. His other running TDs went for 8 and 9 yards.
Alvin Kamara returned from his rib injury and provided New Orleans (2-3) a boost with 103 yards rushing and 91 yards receiving, highlighted by his 54-yard gain on a screen pass.
Geno Smith passed for 268 yards and three scores, hitting DK Metcalf for a 50-yard TD and Tyler Lockett for touchdowns of 35 and 40 yards.
Jets 40, Dolphins 17
Zach Wilson moved to 2-0 on the season Sunday, as he scored his first career divisional victory over the Miami Dolphins, 40-17. Furthermore, the New York Jets earned their first win over an AFC East team in 13 tries.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was out this week with a concussion, and first-year head coach Mike McDaniel lost his backup Teddy Bridgewater as well almost immediately. On the first play from scrimmage for Miami, Bridgewater suffered an elbow injury along with a potential concussion and was ruled out for the remainder of the game due to the NFL’s new protocols. Seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson took over in his stead.
Wilson did not throw a passing touchdown. He completed 14-of-21 passes for 210 yards
Rookie running back Breece Hall was the star of the show, as he rushed for 97 yards and one touchdown.
Thompson completed 19-of-33 passes for 166 yards and one interception in his first NFL action aside from preseason play.
but Jaylen Waddle was noticeably out of the loop. He finished with three catches for 23 yards.
Buccaneers 21, Falcons 15
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat their NFC South rivals 21-15, running out the clock after the flag thrown against defensive lineman Grady Jarrett kept Brady and the Bucs offense on the field to close out the victory.
Brady threw for 351 yards and a touchdown. He improved to 11-0 vs. Atlanta, including one of his seven Super Bowl victories.
Brady completed 35 of 52 passes without an interception. Leonard Fournette scored two TDs for the Bucs (3-2) on a 1-yard run and a 1-yard reception.
Titans 21, Commanders 17
Titans CB David Long intercepted Commanders QB Carson Wentz at the 1-yard line with 6 seconds left to preserve Tennessee’s third win in a row, 21-17 over the Washington Commanders on Sunday. Derrick Henry again got his team rolling, and Long’s play concluded a goal-line stand that vaulted the Titans (3-2) into first place in the AFC South.
Well before Long was the hero, Henry racked up 102 yards on 28 carries and had two catches for 30 yards, one of them a screen pass that set up Dontrell Hilliard’s 13-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter. He surpassed 100 yards on the ground for the second consecutive game, and the Titans improved to 24-3 when Henry reaches that mark.
49ers 37, Panthers 15
The Philadelphia Eagles survived a frantic comeback attempt by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, thanks to controversial, head-scratching decisions by Kyler Murray in the final minutes of a thrilling 20-17 victory.
Murray and the Arizona offense had Philadelphia on the ropes, facing a second-and-10 on the Eagles’ 34-yard line with 36 seconds left. Murray had a nine-yard run and slid too early, so he didn’t get Arizona the first down at the Eagles’ 25. Instead of running on third-and-1, Murray spiked the ball in a 20-17 game — forcing the Cardinals to attempt a field goal for the tie.
Hurts has six rushing touchdowns this season and 19 in his first 25 career starts, passing Cam Newton for the most by a quarterback in NFL history. (Hurts has made just 24 career starts.)
Eagles 20, Cardinals 17
The Philadelphia Eagles are still the NFL’s only undefeated team, winning their fifth game in a row thanks to a whole lot of grit and a bit of good fortune.
Jalen Hurts ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and the Eagles held on for a 20-17 victory over Arizona on Sunday after Matt Ammendola’s late field-goal attempt for the Cardinals sailed wide right.
The Eagles improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2004, when they won their first seven games and finished 13-3.
Hurts completed 26 of 36 passes for 239 yards. He also ran for 61 yards and kept the Eagles’ offense in good position, switching a few plays at the line of scrimmage
Cowboys 22, Rams 10
Demarcus Lawrence returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown on the Rams’ opening drive, and Cooper Rush remained unbeaten as the Cowboys’ fill-in starter despite passing for just 102 yards in a 22-10 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday.
Bengals 17 Ravens 19
Justin Tucker kicked a 43-yard field goal on the final play to lift the Ravens over the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17 on Sunday night and into sole possession of first place in the AFC North.
Lamar Jackson finished 19 of 32 for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he rushed 12 times for 58 yards. Burrow also had a TD and a pick and was 24 of 35 for 217 yards.
Predictions
LV-KC
JT: Chiefs
Poll Question
What is your favorite unit of the metric system? #NationalMetricDay
Meter- 0%, Gram – 0 %, Liter – 100%, Centimeter – 0%
JT: Meter
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.
