Top NFL Week 5 storylines: Vikings' Sam Darnold vs. Jets; How do Bills react after a loss?

As Week 5 of the NFL season begins, things quickly get interesting.

Tensions are rising as potential contenders like the Eagles, Bengals, Dolphins and Browns, to name a few, have experienced early disasters. Underdogs like the Falcons, Commanders and Vikings found early success. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, Jets and Bears and other teams that started the season with high hopes continue to struggle to find their footing.

The unexpected and unparalleled drama remains the one constant of an NFL season.

This weekend sees the first byes of the season for the Lions, Eagles, Chargers and Titans. The break comes at the perfect time for the struggling Chargers and for the Eagles, who are also injury-plagued and searching for answers in areas of underperformance.

But there's still plenty of action. This week's slate began Thursday night with an NFC South matchup in which the Falcons beat the Buccaneers 36-30 in overtime behind Kirk Cousins' 509 passing yards. The action continues on Sunday with the first game of the season in London, followed by 11 games in the United States and a Monday night contest between the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.

Here are five of the top storylines to watch this week. (Week 5 schedule can be found here.)

Sam Darnold and the Vikings are one of only two 4-0 teams, along with the Chiefs. (Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Darnold of the Vikings against the Jets

The NFL's international series continues with a showdown in London between Aaron Rodgers and the Jets and Sam Darnold (formerly Jets) and the Vikings.

The Jets made Darnold with the third pick of the 2018 draft, but the USC product never really stood a chance given the dysfunction that gripped the franchise during his three seasons there. Declared a bust, Darnold was traded to Carolina and then spent one season as a backup in San Francisco. This time helped him reorient himself professionally and learn the game in a way that would never have been possible for him in New York. Now he's enjoying a career resurgence in Minnesota, where he led the Vikings to a 4-0 start while leading the NFL in passing touchdowns (11).

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After getting rid of Darnold, the Jets traded for Zach Wilson (the second pick of the 2021 draft) and turned to Rodgers last season in hopes that the future Hall of Famer can finally rescue them from the league's cellar. Rodgers missed all but four snaps last season due to a torn Achilles tendon. He's healthy again, but he's also 40 and the Jets (2-2) are still struggling with inconsistency. Frustration appears to be simmering after last week's embarrassing loss to Denver – Rodgers wants coaches to do a better job of holding their underperforming teammates accountable.

Can Darnold get his revenge across the pond? Or will Rodgers get the help he needs to get the Jets over .500 for the first time since Week 8 of last season? (Jets vs. Vikings in London, Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET.)

Momentum for Ravens and Bengals

After a slow start, likely AFC contender Baltimore picked up a much-needed win in Dallas in Week 3 and then dominated fellow conference elite team Buffalo last Sunday night at home. Postseason newcomer Derrick Henry came into his own when workhorse back/sidekick Lamar Jackson was missing for a long time, and Jackson slung and hauled the rock for touchdowns as the previously disjointed defense got back into shape.

Now the Ravens hope to carry that momentum into Week 5, where they travel to Cincinnati to take on another highly anticipated playoff team in their AFC North rival Bengals. Cincinnati opened the year 0-3 before picking up a much-needed win in Carolina last week. This should be another showdown between two of the best quarterbacks of this generation (Jackson and Joe Burrow of the Bengals).

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Jackson has won his last three games against Cincinnati, but the Bengals swept Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs two years ago with Jackson sidelined by a knee injury. Can the Ravens continue their climb, or was last week the game the Bengals needed? (Ravens at Bengals, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)

Texas wide receiver Stefon Diggs will face his former team, the Bills, on Sunday. (Thomas Shea/Imagn Images)

Five teams entered Week 4 with 3-0 records. The Chiefs and Vikings both improved to 4-0, but the Bills, Steelers and Seahawks all suffered their first losses of the season. Now Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Seattle are getting back to work, hoping to bounce back quickly.

The Bills travel to Houston where they need to show they can better support quarterback Josh Allen. The seventh-year veteran is off to one of the best starts of his career, but he can't do it alone. An improved rushing attack would help ease the pressure on him, and a defense that allowed 271 rushing yards in Baltimore needs to play better. The Bills have done well against the pass, holding teams to 165.3 yards per game (although Baltimore really hasn't thrown much because Buffalo has been so bad against the run), but the unit will have to work hard around CJ Stroud and keeping former Bills receiver Stefan Diggs in check. They will be without pass rusher Von Miller, who was suspended last week for violating the league's personal conduct rules.

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Meanwhile, the Seahawks, who lost 42-29 to the Lions on Monday night, hope to take care of business at home against the New York Giants. Geno Smith leads the NFL in completions (115), attempts (159) and yardage (1,182), and his completion percentage (72.3) is second. In fact, Seattle outscored Detroit in total yards (516-389) and dominated time of possession, but two turnovers proved costly. Seattle was top 10 in total defense but allowed Detroit to score on all five of its appearances inside the red zone. The Seahawks' offense and defense will look to seal the deal on Sunday against New York.

Finally, the host Steelers want to catch up against the Cowboys on Sunday evening. Justin Fields is expected to start again at quarterback and is coming off his most productive outing of the season (312 passing yards and one touchdown, 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns). But Fields and receiver George Pickens each lost a fumble against Indianapolis last week, and the Steelers' normally stout defense couldn't slow down Jonathan Taylor and Joe Flacco. Dallas is shorthanded on defense due to injuries to stars Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, and the Cowboys' offense remains inconsistent and one-dimensional. If Pittsburgh can capitalize on this, the black and gold will remain atop the AFC North. (Bills at Texans, 1 p.m. ET; Giants at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET; Cowboys at Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)

The Jaguars' losing streak

When new coach Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence led the Jaguars to a 6-1 finish to close the 2022 regular season and then won the opening round playoffs, it appeared as if Jacksonville would be promoted to perennial contenders in the AFC. The same appeared to be the case with an 8-3 start to the 2023 season. Then came the stunning 5-1 collapse at the end of the season. And then came the 0-4 start to this season.

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Opponents have outscored Jacksonville 109-60 this season, and the Jaguars rank 29th in the NFL in points scored, 30th in points and yards allowed and 32nd in takeaways. They nearly got their first win last week, even leading Houston with 6:16 left in the game. But Stroud scored a 24-20 comeback win with 18 seconds left, capped by a touchdown pass.

Next up is another AFC South match against Indianapolis, 2-2. After Sunday's home game, the Jaguars have two straight games in London. How far will team owner Shad Khan's patience extend if Pederson fails to turn things around in the next three weeks? (Colts at Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET.)

Who will be Patrick Mahomes' go-to guy if Rashee Rice is sidelined with a knee injury? (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

The Chiefs' ingenuity despite injuries

They had to fight hard for it, but the Chiefs got their fourth win of the season last Sunday, defeating the undermanned Chargers 17-10. However, the win proved costly as Kansas City was without top wide receiver Rashee Rice for at least the next four games due to a knee injury. The Chiefs had already lost wide receiver Marquise Brown and running back Isiah Pacheco to injuries. So who will Patrick Mahomes lean on as he tries to lead the franchise to an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl victory? The quarterback's magic and Andy Reid's creativity will certainly be put to the test.

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Who will fill the go-to-guy role that Rice has filled this season while ranking among the league's leaders in yards and catches? Rookie Xavier Worthy has to expect a higher workload. And after looking like a shell of his former self through three games, Travis Kelce needs to look more like the guy who had seven catches for 89 yards last week after Rice's injury. JuJu Smith-Schuster logged 32 snaps last week but received no targets. The Chiefs will certainly need more from the 27-year-old, who helped them win the Super Bowl two years ago but has since been slowed by knee problems. If not Smith-Schuster, then who? Old friend Kareem Hunt added 85 yards of offense (69 rushing, 16 receiving) last week. But if Kansas City's once well-oiled machine is to continue rolling toward dominance, Reid and Mahomes will have to pull out all the stops to keep this offense on the upward trajectory it needs. (Saints at Chiefs, Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET.)

(Top Photo: Stacy Revere/Getty Images)