Are the Ravens Super Bowl favorites? Time to bench Deshaun Watson? Trouble for the Jets? Here are the NFL Week 5 takeaways
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — There are two undefeated teams and no winless teams left in the NFL this season after Week 5.
The Kansas City Chiefs maintained their perfect record following their Monday Night Football victory over the New Orleans Saints while the Minnesota Vikings also stayed without a defeat by beating the New York Jets in London.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally got off the mark with their thrilling win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Elsewhere, there was drama throughout Week 5’s games, with late winning scores and dramatic finishes punctuating almost every encounter.
Here are the main takeaways from the past week in the National Football League.
Are the Raven Super Bowl favorites?
After starting the season 0-2, the Baltimore Ravens are back on track in the most dramatic fashion.
The Ravens lost to the Las Vegas Raiders and defending back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, but have now won three straight, displaying their Super Bowl contender qualities.
First, Baltimore went on the road against the Dallas Cowboys and got off to a big lead before hanging on for the victory. Then, the Ravens blew away the then-unbeaten Buffalo Bills at home.
In Week 5, Baltimore narrowly beat the Cincinnati Bengals after the Bengals missed an overtime field goal that would have won the game. Ravens’ Justin Tucker would later kick the game-winning field goal as Baltimore left Ohio with a victory.
After the first two underwhelming weeks, the Ravens are firmly back on track and playing well led by their stars.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson – the reigning NFL MVP – has been lights out recently, headlining Sunday’s victory with some typical Jackson plays. With the Ravens down by 10 against the Bengals, he dropped the snap and was able to twice fend off Cincinnati defender Sam Hubbard before finding tight end Isaiah Likely in the endzone in one of the best plays of the season.
To compliment Jackson’s elusiveness, Baltimore’s star offseason acquisition, running back Derrick Henry, continues his hot start.
The 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year is leading the league in rushing through five games and his 51-yard gallop in overtime set up the game-winning field goal.
Between the one-two quarterback and running back punch, paired with the team’s other offensive weapons, Baltimore is beginning to find its groove. And with a well-coached defense and a superstar kicker, the Ravens are looking increasingly like the preseason Super Bowl contenders they were thought to be.
But head coach John Harbaugh said Monday that there is always room for improvement from him, his coaching staff and his players, especially after being down by double digits against Cincinnati.
“I’d rather be up by double digits and hold a lead. But it’s good to know you can do it. I believe we were down by 10 (points) three different times in the fourth quarter. That’s good,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t want to be the guy that dwells on the negative and just says: ‘We weren’t good here, and we weren’t good there.’ We’re going to dwell on that because we’re coaches and we need to – it’s us.
“We look at ourselves and where can we get better; what’s our opportunity. But at the same time, maybe we should get credit for coming back three different times.”
The Ravens host the red-hot Washington Commanders, led by rookie sensation Jayden Daniels, in Week 6.
Time to bench Deshaun Watson?
There is not much positivity surrounding the Cleveland Browns at the moment.
The 1-4 opening to the season is bad enough, but the general performance from the team’s offense has been even worse.
The main subject of criticism has been starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has played well below the huge contract he was given by the Browns after being traded from the Houston Texans in 2022.
Watson’s performance in Cleveland’s 34-13 loss to the Commanders in Week 5 was further evidence of his struggles.
He was 15-of-28 passing for 125 yards with his only touchdown coming in the fourth quarter after the Browns were down 34-6.
The 29-year-old looked skittish in the pocket, missing open receivers on throws and holding onto the ball for too long with defenders in his face.
He is playing behind an offensive line which is missing key players, but the Browns thought they were signing the three-time Pro Bowler from his time in Houston. But so far, they have seen very little of that production.
This season’s offense is off to a historically bad start. The Browns have yet to reach the 20-point mark or total over 300 yards in a game, becoming the sixth team since 2000 to be held under those milestones through the first games of the season, per the NFL.
Despite the offensive struggles, head coach Kevin Stefanski is sticking with Watson.
“We’re not changing quarterbacks,” Stefanski told reporters. “We need to play better, I need to coach better. That’s really what it is.”
With veteran Jameis Winston on the bench, those questions are unlikely to get any quieter if the performances don’t improve. But Watson himself believes the offense is close to clicking.
“We just got to catch rhythm,” Watson told reporters. “I think we have to find what we are great at, what we are good at, and perfect that.”
Trouble in New York?
The arrival of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023 was meant to be a game-changer for the hapless franchise.
But after an Achilles injury wiped out Rodgers’ season last year, things are off to a bumpy start in 2024. And the latest hiccup came in London on Sunday as the Jets suffered a disappointing defeat to the Minnesota Vikings at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was another frustrating performance for the Jets. The defense kept the red-hot Sam Darnold in check for the most part but the offense struggled to get out of first gear.
Rodgers threw two touchdown passes, but also three uncharacteristic interceptions including the game-clincher in the fourth quarter.
The quarterback took some heavy hits from Minnesota defenders and was clearly in discomfort near the end of the game. It was confirmed afterwards that the 40-year-old was dealing with an ankle sprain but should be healthy for New York’s Week 6 home game against the Buffalo Bills.
Following the loss, the Jets dropped to 2-3 this season and have produced some wildly different performances so far.
The Jets opened with a tough trip to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 and were beaten convincingly. They then looked much improved in back-to-back wins against the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots but now have lost two straight, both in disappointing fashion, after Week 4’s 10-9 home loss to the Denver Broncos.
For a team which is packed with star talent, the displays on the field have left fans wanting more from the coaching staff, in particular from head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
And on Tuesday, the organization made the decision to fire Saleh.
The 45-year-old compiled a 20-36 regular season record with no playoff appearances in three-plus seasons on the sidelines. Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will replace Saleh on an interim basis.
“This was not an easy decision, but we are not where we should be given our expectations, and I believe now is the best time for us to move in a different direction,” said chairman Woody Johnson.
Full Week 5 scores
Thursday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) 30-36 OT Atlanta Falcons (3-2)
Sunday
New York Jets (2-3) 17-23 Minnesota Vikings (5-0)
Carolina Panthers (1-4) 10-36 Chicago Bears (3-2)
Baltimore Ravens (3-2) 41-38 OT Cincinnati Bengals (1-4)
Buffalo Bills (3-2) 20-23 Houston Texans (4-1)
Indianapolis Colts (2-3) 34-37 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
Miami Dolphins (2-3) 15-10 New England Patriots (1-4)
Cleveland Browns (1-4) 13-34 Washington Commanders (4-1)
Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) 18-34 Denver Broncos (3-2)
Arizona Cardinals (2-3) 24-23 San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
Green Bay Packers (3-2) 24-19 Los Angeles Rams (1-4)
New York Giants (2-3) 29-20 Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
Dallas Cowboys (3-2) 20-17 Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
Monday
New Orleans Saints (2-3) 13-26 Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)
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