Neil Reynolds' Week 5 Wrap

The NFL returned to London on Sunday and it was another memorable day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Minnesota Vikings recorded a 23-17 victory over the New York Jets and inducted Osi Umenyiora and Jared Allen into the NFL London Games Ring of Honor became.

But I feel like I have to start 4,000 miles away in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the hometown Bengals suffered a 41-38 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It was a wonderful game full of great plays, drama and moments that showcased some of the league's stars.

Lamar Jackson was incredible for much of this game, especially considering his Ravens were down 10 points at three different points in the second half. He kept playing and producing big plays. At the end of the day there were 348 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

It may only be Week 5 just entered the books, but Lamar set an early marker for that with his six-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely that brought the Ravens within three yards late in the fourth quarter Game of the season. After escaping the pressure, Lamar threw stiff-armed 270-pound defensive end Sam Hubbard out of reach twice before darting back across the middle of the field to a rejuvenated tight end who had been quiet for a few weeks after a big opening night was Kansas City.

The Ravens have now won three straight after their 0-2 start, and I would consider each of them quality wins against Dallas, Buffalo and a Cincinnati team that is now 1-4, but still in my opinion can be pretty good.

Quarterback Joe Burrow told the media after the game that the Bengals were not playing at a championship level. I agree that they are failing to win, and they continue to have serious issues on the defensive side of the ball. But they have one of the best quarterbacks in the league who can lead a defense.

Burrow threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns in a losing situation and must have felt bad when the crucial snap and hold wiped out Evan McPherson's game-winning 53-yard field goal attempt in overtime. Shortly afterwards, Derrick Henry made a great run (51 yards) and Justin Tucker's chip shot field goal brought the Ravens back to Baltimore with the victory.

The Bengals must be in a world of pain right now at 1-4, but as long as they have Burrow at the helm, I believe Cincinnati is very much alive. Cleveland Browns fans can forget it, but Pittsburgh Steelers fans may not agree with what I'm about to say next… I believe we've seen the two best teams in the AFC North, and this division will continue to compete either the Ravens or the Bengals.

That's the power of an elite quarterback who transforms into an absolute “hold my beer” baller in big moments.

Ja'Marr Chase… The Bengals may be 1-4, but their weapons are humming now and Ja'Marr Chase showed just how special he is with 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. Over the last three weeks, Chase has caught 19 passes for 396 yards (20.8 average) and five touchdowns. With Tee Higgins also getting back up to speed (he scored two goals on Sunday) after missing the first two weeks of the year with a hamstring injury, Cincinnati's passing attack is looking strong once again.

Caleb Williams… The 3-2 Bears have won two straight and their rookie quarterback – who was taken first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft – is becoming more comfortable in his NFL environment every week. In Sunday's 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, Williams continued to make the “wow” plays that make us sit up and take notice, but he also makes the bread-and-butter plays that push an offense down the stretch. His receivers are healthy, D'Andre Swift is a factor in the backfield and the Bears travel to London at 3-2 and in good spirits.

Washington's offense… The Commanders are off to their best start since 2008 at 4-1 and their offense has been revitalized under rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. In Sunday's 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns, Washington scored its first 30 points and totaled 434 yards of offense for the third straight game. Washington completely dominated the Browns, although Daniels was merely solid in the passing game, throwing for 238 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But Washington has tremendous balance and ran the ball 34 times for 215 yards and three touchdowns, helped by Daniels' 82 yards on the ground. It's still early, but the mood in Washington is actually very positive.

The New England Patriots… It's going to be tough for the New England Patriots and rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. Sunday's 15:10 home defeat against the seemingly powerless Miami Dolphins was a heavy blow and marked the fourth defeat in a row. The offensive line isn't good and the receivers are very average at best, but that's no reason to keep first-round rookie quarterback Drake Maye on the bench for a moment longer. Maybe the child can create a spark? Jacoby Brissett threw for just 160 yards and no touchdowns on Sunday. New England only reached the end zone once and missed the chance to win despite 19 rushes for 151 yards and a touchdown. There are rumors of dissatisfaction in the locker room, and one way to resolve the issue could be to get Maye into the lineup next weekend, or certainly in time for the London game against Jacksonville.

The New York Jets offense… New York fell behind early against the Vikings in London, falling 17-0. But they scored before halftime and were never put out. That's why it's baffling to me that they had 57 passing plays (54 Aaron Rodgers throws and three surrendered sacks) compared to just 14 runs for 36 yards. Rodgers can still throw the ball. I was down on the field in the corner of the end zone when he threw his first half touchdown to Allen Lazard and the thing moved like a laser beam! But don't ask him to work without balance. Rodgers is 40 years old and has gone 25 times without scoring in the last two games – contests in which he left with knee and ankle injuries.

The Cleveland Browns… A year ago the Browns were a playoff team, now they are 1-4 and are likely to be one of the more disappointing teams in the league this season. It should be noted that Cleveland was also all at sea last year before Joe Flacco came to their rescue. That can't happen this year, but a quarterback change can hardly make things worse. The Browns have yet to reach 300 yards of total offense in a game this year and Deshaun Watson is a big problem. Yes, his team isn't playing well and is missing some key stars, but he looks like a shadow of his former self. Head coach Kevin Stefanski insists there will be no changes at QB, meaning there is no Jameis Winston yet. Things look equally depressing on defense and it could be a long year in Cleveland.

• It was an absolute privilege to host the NFL London Games' first-ever Ring of Honor ceremony, welcoming our own Osi Umenyiora and former Minnesota Vikings star Jared Allen to the Class of 2024. It was just another special moment in what has been an incredible 17-year journey for the NFL here in the UK. And with games #38 and 39 still to come in the next two weeks, there's a lot to look forward to. You, the fans, were incredible once again on Sunday and it was lovely to meet so many of you (what felt like 61,000) outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the game. I love how we all come together as an NFL UK community at games like this and that we were all able to celebrate great NFL ambassadors and players with Osi and Jared.
• I'm sure there are many tactical and technical reasons why the Arizona Cardinals posted an impressive 24-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. But for me it's easy. The Niners held a 23-10 halftime lead and never put their cards down. When you let a team hang around with an athletic quarterback, you're asking for late drama. San Francisco didn't score a single point in the second half and Arizona won on Chad Ryland's 35-yard field goal with 1:47 left. Where was the 49ers' killer instinct?

• The weight lifted from the shoulders of head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence must have been immense on Sunday as the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off an all-too-dramatic 37-34 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The Jags led by 14 with five minutes left but were forced to trail, 34-34. Pederson and Lawrence must have thought, “Here we go again.” But Lawrence — who threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns — led a late drive that culminated in Cam Littl's game-winning 49-yard field goal. If ever a team needed a win, it was the Jags in Week 5. Next stop: back-to-back games in London.
• The Houston Texans posted a 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, capped by Ka'imi Fairbairn's 59-yard field goal as time expired. This winning streak was initiated by a strange Buffalo sequence in which they threw three passes out of their own end zone in the closing moments of the game, with very little time off the clock and setting the table for Houston's victory with excellent field position. Given the precarious field position there, why didn't the Bills just play for overtime? What was also concerning in this game was that Bills' quarterback Josh Allen only completed nine of 20 passes. His MVP talk has become very quiet over the last two games.
• Let's go back to Thursday night for a moment, when the Atlanta Falcons moved to the top of the NFC South with an impressive 36-30 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kirk Cousins ​​and the previously stalled offense came to life for the then-Falcons as the quarterback rushed for 509 yards and four touchdowns, a career-best. I don't think the Bucs are going away, so the race between them and the Falcons could be exciting in the second half of the year.

Starting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and ending with a 90-minute, rain-delayed contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium; Week 5 was the longest NFL Sunday since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Wall-to-wall football lasted 15 hours and 27 minutes.

We've already seen some false premonitions in this young NFL season. It wasn't that long ago that the Baltimore Ravens were in trouble and the Buffalo Bills were on their way to the Super Bowl. This particular narrative has been turned on its head in the last two weeks. Therefore, it is risky to make hasty statements or get carried away. But I believe the Minnesota Vikings' 5-0 record is real. Sunday's win against the Jets in Tottenham strengthened my belief as it was achieved without any major offensive fireworks. The Vikings saw Sam Darnold throw for just 179 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, and the ground attack didn't fare much better with just 82 yards on 30 carries. But defense can carry the Vikings on days like these, and it was fitting that this game was sealed with a third interception by Rodgers. That's what good teams do – in crucial moments, one side of the ball can hold up the other.