Week 5 of the NFL season has come and gone bringing with it even crazier comebacks and performances by several star players.
For all the moving parts the NFL has had to succumb to due to the on-going pandemic, including a game on Tuesday night between the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans, fans were still treated to some fantastic games such as the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears, and Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles.
What’s more, is that several players were sprung into the spotlight with their performances in Week 5.
Players such as Travis Fulgham, Chase Claypool, Mike Davis, Darrell Henderson, and so many more, had breakout performances that turned heads in both team fandom and fantasy football purposes.
Then there was Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson who once again put his team on the back and rallied for an epic comeback win against the Minnesota Vikings in the closing seconds.
As they say around the league: “Let Russ cook.” Wilson cooked indeed, but will it lead to a league MVP this season?
Without further ado, below are our NFL Week 5 takeaways from the week that was.
NFL Week 5 Takeaways
Dan Quinn Fired in Atlanta
The NFL is as competitive a league as they come, especially true when teams choose to part ways with coaches who had success before. Having past success does not guarantee your future with a team even when you’re just three years removed from appearing in the Super Bowl.
But, alas, the Atlanta Falcons have chosen to fire head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff after an abysmal 0-5 start to the 2020 season. Atlanta had failed to find its footing this season after suffering several high-profile injuries like Julio Jones on offense, coughing up huge leads late in the fourth quarter, and failing to stop anyone defensively.
It’s a tough pill to swallow in this league, but as seasons go by in the NFL, if you’re not a winning franchise or at least in a rebuild mode, then it’s hard to justify the product a team such as the caliber of Atlanta on the field.
Team owner Arthur Blank saw enough and decided it was time for a change.
Chicago Finally Beats Tom Brady
Before the season started, head coach Matt Nagy committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their number one starter instead of leaning on a backup quarterback named Nick Foles. As we know, Trubisky was benched three weeks ago against Atlanta in favor of Foles, who would go on to lead them to a comeback win.
But then the wheels came off the Chicago train a little when Foles would go on to struggle against one of the top defenses in the Indianapolis Colts. However, with a quick turnaround against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, Nagy stuck with his switch in hopes of a similar feat when Foles and Tom Brady met in Super Bowl LII.
While not a true Super Bowl rematch, we were treated to the second outing of Foles versus Brady, and this time, Chicago got the last laugh. Brady entered his career against Chicago with a perfect 5-0 and 109.2 passer rating. Brady, when suited up for the New England Patriots, also saw Chicago every four seasons due to the scheduling of interconference play.
While not a pretty game by both teams, it would end up Chicago with the last (first?) laugh against Brady and the Bucs as a game-winning drive led by Foles, and a fourth-down blunder by 43-year-old Brady, would write the final lines in this story. At last, in 20 seasons, Chicago would finally get the better of Brady.
Horrific Injury in Dallas
If you were watching the game between Dallas and New York, then by now you’ve most likely seen the gruesome injury Dak Prescott suffered on Sunday. While trying to scramble for a first down, New York defender, Logan Ryan, took Prescott to the ground and in doing so, dislocated Prescott’s ankle and sending him to the hospital for emergency surgery.
Prescott has got off to a fantastic year offensively throwing for 1,690 yards and nine touchdowns before going down for the season. Andy Dalton is expected to take over as the starting comeback but all eyes will be on Prescott and recovery from such a tragic injury.
Prescott was also playing in a contract year after both sides failed to reach a mutual contract extension this past season and will no doubt be the talk again once the 2020 season concludes. Injuries are a part of the game, unfortunately, and despite the slow start Dallas had been getting off to, they’re still in contention to win the NFC East.
Just Win, Baby
The Kansas City Chiefs had appeared to be potentially on their way to a 16-0 season as Patrick Mahomes and company looked virtually unbeatable.
That was until they ran into Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The unthinkable happed at Arrowhead Stadium as Las Vegas went toe-to-toe with the defending Super Bowl champs and left with a huge upset win — which hasn’t happened for Las Vegas since they were in Oakland back in 2012.
Carr played a near-perfect game on the road throwing for 347 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. When you’re playing Kansas City, you know you have to almost match them score-for-score to have any chance, and Las Vegas was more than up the task.
Mahomes himself had another stellar outing passing for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, but one thing that was visibly clear as he was under heavy pressure nearly all game. A stout Las Vegas defense forced some hurried throws and pressure, one of which Jeff Heath intercepted leading to a Josh Jacobs rushing touchdown.
Mahomes is usually able to create magical plays out of nothing but give credit to Las Vegas, on the road as the underdog, for making him uncomfortable on Sunday and handing Kansas City their first loss of the season.
