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In this episode, Santiago Leon and Joe Toscano recap 2023 #nfl Week 5.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Joe Toscano – @joeybagovdonuts
JAX 25 BUF 20 – London
Buffalo was technically the home team, but Jacksonville — which has made London its home away from home — won across the pond for the second straight week.
Travis Etienne rushed for 136 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the jet-lagged Buffalo Bills 25-20 on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Jaguars (3-2) may not want to leave London after getting back-to-back wins in the British capital, ending Buffalo’s three-game winning streak and proving they can hang with an AFC powerhouse.
The Bills (3-2) had routed their past three opponents but looked tired at times, rushed for only 29 yards, and had a rash of injuries.
Steelers 17, Ravens 10 Pittsburgh scored 17 unanswered points to beat Baltimore for the sixth time in seven tries this decade.
The Steelers scored the game-winning points on Kenny Pickett’s 41-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens with 1:17 left. This came after Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. picked off Lamar Jackson in the end zone on a pass intended for Odell Beckham Jr.
Baltimore turned it over three times, allowed a blocked punt for a safety that sparked Pittsburgh’s late surge and squandered a handful of other opportunities to bury the Steelers (3-2).
Pickett, whose erratic play over the opening month of the season has offered little proof he’s ready to “kill it” in his first full year as the starter, gathered himself enough to drive the Steelers 80 yards in eight plays.
the Steelers did manage 201 yards and scored three times in the second half. Pickett completed 18 of 32 for 242 yards and the touchdown, struggling with his accuracy except when throwing the ball up to the 6-foot-4 Pickens.
Dolphins 31, Giants 16
De’Von Achane had another monster game (151 yards, TD) and Miami broke the 2000 Rams record for the most yards through five games (2,568).
Achane averaged 13.7 yards on 11 carries for a total of 151 yards, becoming the first Dolphins player with three straight 100-yard rushing games since Jay Ajayi in 2016.
The Dolphins’ 524 yards gave them 2,568 for the season, which is the most yards through the first five games of a season in NFL history.
The Giants’ Jason Pinnock returned one of the interceptions 102 yards for New York’s only touchdown. It was the Giants’ first touchdown in the first half of a game this season. The 102-yard interception return tied for the longest in Giants history.
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones left in the fourth with a neck injury after a sack by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel. Tyrod Taylor replaced Jones with 12:11 left and led the Giants on a scoring drive capped by a 51-yard field goal by Graham Gano.
Achane reached 21.76 mph on his touchdown run, according to NFL NextGen Stats.
The Dolphins averaged 9.7 yards per play, and their pass rush looked better after struggling to impact Josh Allen last week. Miami had 14 quarterback hits and seven sacks. Those plays kept the Dolphins ahead despite self-inflicted wounds that prevented them from further pulling away from the Giants.
Falcons 21, Texans 19
C.J. Stroud set the record for most pass attempts to start a career without an interception (177), but Atlanta got the win on Younghoe Koo’s walk-off field goal.
Desmond Ridder passed and ran for touchdowns, providing a response to those who had called for him to be benched, Younghoe Koo kicked a go-ahead 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the Falcons snapped a two-game skid by beating the Houston Texans 21-19 on Sunday.
After Houston took a 19-18 lead with 1:49 remaining, Ridder completed each of his five passes on the final drive to set up Koo’s game-ending kick. The Falcons (3-2) stopped a two-game skid.
Stroud set an NFL record by starting his career with 177 pass attempts without an interception. He broke the record previously held by Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Stroud set the NFL record for rookies a week earlier when he reached 151 attempts without an interception.
Colts 23, Titans 16
Indianapolis won in Jonathan Taylor’s return but lost QB Anthony Richardson to a shoulder injury.
Zach Moss rewrote the script. He upstaged the two big stars by running for a career-best 165 yards, scoring twice while helping Gardner Minshew and the Indianapolis Colts overcome the loss of injured rookie Anthony Richardson for a 23-16 victory Sunday.
The Colts (3-2) snapped a seven-game home losing streak by beating the Titans (2-3) for the first time in six tries.
Richardson was ruled out early in the third quarter after going 9 of 12 for 98 yards. Minshew went 11 of 14 for 155 yards, winning for the second time this season in relief of Richardson.
While Moss ran wild, making play after play, Henry and Taylor struggled to revert to their usual form. Henry had 13 carries for 43 yards and was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Colts 5-yard line with 8:03 left in the game, a play he said he expects to make 99 times out of 100.
Taylor was on a snap count and wound up carrying six times for 18 yards.
Saints 34, Patriots 0
New England has been outscored 72-3 over the last two games and QB Mac Jones has been benched twice. Not great.
Alvin Kamara rushed for a touchdown to become the Saints’ career TD leader, Derek Carr had two scoring passes and New Orleans routed the New England Patriots 34-0 on Sunday.
Tyrann Mathieu added a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown to help New Orleans (3-2) chase Patriots quarterback Mac Jones from the game – the second straight week coach Bill Belichick sidelined Jones in the second half.
Kamara punched in his 73rd career TD, one of his 22 carries for 80 yards. Carr finished 18 of 26 for 183 yards, and Michael Thomas had four catches for 65 yards as New Orleans ended a two-game skid. The Saints outgained the Patriots 304-156.
Jones was 12 of 22 for 110 yards, the pick-6 and another interception that set up a Saints touchdown. He also lost a fumble in the third quarter that was recovered by Jordan and set up a Saints’ field goal. He was replaced by backup Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.
Jones was replaced by backup Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.
Lions 42, Panthers 24
Jared Goff beat Bryce Young in a battle of No. 1 picks as Carolina fell to 0-5 and remained the only team without a win this season.
Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes in the first half and ran for another score in the fourth quarter, lifting the Lions to a 42-24 victory over the winless Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Detroit scored at least 27 points in consecutive first halves for the first time in franchise history and topped 20 points in a team-record 14th game in a row, despite missing receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Young, the No. 1 overall pick, was 25 of 41 for 247 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. The former Alabama star entered the game with two touchdowns, two interceptions and two lost fumbles in three starts.
Goff was 20 of 28 for 236 yards, and his 1-yard sneak early in the fourth put Detroit ahead 35-10.
David Montgomery, with 109 yards rushing, became the first Lion to run for 100-plus yards and score in two straight games since Kevin Jones in 2004. Rookie tight end Sam LaPorta caught two TDs in the first half.
Jets 31, Broncos 21
Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett got a revenge win over the team that fired him, but it was New York’s defense that put this one away.
Jets won behind Breece Hall’s 72-yard touchdown run and Bryce Hall’s 39-yard game-sealing scoop-and-score after Quincy Williams’ second sack of the day, but it was Hackett who was presented with a game ball afterward.
Russell Wilson is now 5-14 as Denver’s starting quarterback after posting a 104-53-1 mark in Seattle.
Hall ran for 177 yards on 22 carries Sunday, a whopping 8 yards per carry. It was nearly a year ago when Breece Hall’s promising rookie season ended at this very stadium when he blew out his left knee after scampering for a 62-yard score.
Zach Wilson, making his fourth straight start in place of the injured Aaron Rodgers, was 19 of 26 for 199 yards and the interception.
Chiefs 27, Vikings 20 Patrick Mahomes is the 10th QB in NFL history to defeat 31 different franchises, and the first to do so before turning 30.
Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter, one to Travis Kelce after the All-Pro tight end had left the game with an ankle injury, and the Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-20 on Sunday.
Mahomes went 31 for 41 for 281 yards and no turnovers in his most efficient performance of the season for the Chiefs (4-1), who once again won while not at their best.
Kirk Cousins threw for scores to Jordan Addison and Alexander Mattison for the Vikings (1-4). They had two chances at the tying touchdown in the final five minutes, but a late hamstring injury to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson and a lack of timeouts from earlier mismanagement of the game were ultimately too much to overcome.
All four of Minnesota’s losses have come by eight points or fewer this year after a record 11 wins in 11 one-score games in 2022. The Vikings lost a fumble on their opening possession, again, a turnover by tight end Josh Oliver that the Chiefs recovered at the Minnesota 45. Isaiah Pacheco’s touchdown run capped the drive and gave Kansas City the early lead.
The Vikings have an NFL-most 12 turnovers, including eight lost fumbles.
Eagles 23, Rams 14
It was yet another narrow victory, but Jalen Hurts and the Birds remain undefeated.
Jalen Hurts passed for 303 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 72 yards and another score, and Philadelphia outlasted the Rams 23-14 on Sunday to remain unbeaten.
Dallas Goedert had eight catches for 117 yards and an early TD for the Eagles, who are off to consecutive 5-0 starts for the first time in franchise history despite never pulling away in this meeting of the last two NFC champions. Philadelphia has won 22 of its last 23 regular-season games.
A.J. Brown had six catches for 127 yards, but the Eagles couldn’t reach the end zone in the second half and had to rely on their defense, which shut out the Rams (2-3) after halftime. Hurts’ surge into the end zone at the halftime gun was the game’s final touchdown, but that was enough for Philadelphia.
Eagles racked up 454 total yards but failed to score at least 25 points for the first time this season.
Philadelphia went 13 for 18 on third downs after struggling in that area last week. Still, the Eagles settled for short field goals by Jake Elliott after drives lasting 17 plays, 15 plays and 10 plays.
Cooper Kupp had eight catches for 118 yards in the former Super Bowl MVP’s dynamic season debut for the Rams, who have lost three of four despite hanging in with three probable Super Bowl contenders during that stretch. Kupp made five catches for 56 yards on Los Angeles’ opening drive, but the offense only made one more TD march.
Stafford passed for 222 yards and hit Tutu Atwell and rookie Puka Nacua for touchdowns, but Los Angeles’ offense didn’t cross midfield in the second half. Nacua finished with seven catches for a career-low 71 yards.
Los Angeles went up 14-10 with 32 seconds left in the first half with a drive including two exceptional throws by Stafford, who hit Kupp for a 39-yard gain before finding Nacua in the corner for a 22-yard TD.
Bengals 34, Cardinals 20
Ja’Marr Chase exploded for 192 yards and 3 TDs as Cincy’s offense topped 30 points for the first time this season.
Joe Burrow threw for 317 yards and three touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase, who finished with a season-high 192 yards receiving, and the Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-20.
Chase set a single-game franchise record with 15 receptions and made tough catches in traffic by repeatedly finding seams in the Cardinals defense.
49ers 42, Cowboys 10
The league’s best team dismantled the league’s best defense as San Francisco won its 15th straight regular-season game.
Brock Purdy threw three of his four touchdown passes to George Kittle, San Francisco’s defense hounded Dak Prescott all night and the 49ers extended their dominance over the Dallas Cowboys with a 42-10 victory Sunday.
Prescott was sacked three times and heaved an interception into double coverage after Dallas fell behind 28-10 in the third quarter. He threw two more interceptions in the fourth quarter with his only highlight coming on a 26-yard TD pass to KaVontae Turpin in the second quarter.
Purdy finished 17 for 24 for 252 yards and has not thrown an interception all season. He connected on a 19-yard TD pass to Kittle on the opening drive, a 38-yarder early in the second quarter on a reverse flea-flicker and then a 10-yarder to put the game away in the third quarter.
Kittle became the first Niners player with three TD catches in a game since Vernon Davis in 2009.
Predictions
GB at LV
The Green Bay Packers are in primetime again in NFL Week 5, and will look for a better result when they visit the Las Vegas Raiders for Monday Night Football. Green Bay (2-2) faced the Detroit Lions in an NFC North showdown on Thursday Night Football in Week 4 and lost 34-20 at Lambeau Field. Now, they’ll head to Allegiant Field for a Week 5 NFL matchup against the Raiders (1-3). Las Vegas has lost three straight games, including Sunday’s 24-17 road setback to the AFC West-rival Los Angeles Chargers. The Packers have beaten the Raiders eight straight times, dating to 1987. The last meeting was a 42-24 Packers victory at Lambeau Field in 2019
Las Vegas is a two-point favorite
JT: GB
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.