Among the four NFC East franchises, not one recorded a win during Week 5 — a circumstance made all the more unusual by the fact that two of those winless clubs were playing against each other that weekend. Four quarters of NFC East football between New York and Washington produced no winner on Thursday, the two teams leaving the field level at 27 apiece while Dallas and Philadelphia — each dropping their own contests that same evening — also came away without a victory.
The Giants avoided defeat through a draw, with a win that had appeared attainable slipping out of reach before the final whistle. A fumble by Giants running back Cam Skattebo, occurring in New York territory with possession carrying game-winning implications, ended the team's overtime chances against Washington after neither side had scored on its opening drive.
A potential go-ahead opportunity for Washington went unrealised. With less than a minute left on the clock and no timeouts remaining, Washington's offense had pushed the ball close enough to attempt a field goal. With the final seconds draining away, Daniels moved outside the pocket and took a knee, after which questions arose about whether he had a clear read on the remaining time. Before the spike attempt could be executed, Daniels had not made it back to the line of scrimmage in time. During the match, Quinn's headset slipped from his grip and struck the floor.
A scoreline of 27 apiece brought the match to a standstill, marking the second time these two franchises had shared the points across their nine most recent encounters — the first such stalemate having come in 2022.
Across the country in San Francisco, a 5-0 record now belongs to the 49ers after they defeated the Seahawks, a result that puts them two games clear of every other team in the NFC West. A 32-29 result against the Seahawks put the 49ers' record at three wins from three against NFC West opponents through the opening stretch of the schedule. Two victories that stand among the more convincing results of the current campaign belong to San Francisco — a lopsided defeat of the Rams and a road win secured in Seattle.
Among quarterbacks drawing MVP attention at this stage of the season, Purdy has positioned himself toward the front of the conversation. A tally of 113 receiving yards was accumulated on the field in Seattle by wide receiver Mike Evans during that contest. Three franchises had yet to absorb a loss at that point in the schedule, though Kansas City had taken the field one fewer time than San Francisco. Heading into their Monday night fixture, the Rams sat at 2-2 in the NFC West, trailing the unbeaten 49ers (5-0) and the Seahawks (3-2), while the Cardinals (1-4) occupied the division's basement.
A physical altercation between 49ers linebacker Greenlaw and Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones — the latter without his helmet at the time — resulted in Greenlaw's ejection, the confrontation having flared up in the aftermath of a late-hit penalty called against Sam Darnold.
A 57-yard field goal from Cam Little in the closing moments handed Jacksonville a 19-17 victory over Philadelphia on London soil, lifting their record to four wins against a single defeat through five games. When starter Ross Matscik went down with an injury, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton took over the long snapper duties in a backup role. With eight seconds remaining, a wayward snap by Hamilton on the extra-point attempt put the Eagles ahead by a single point. That kickoff return by Ameer Abdullah put the offense in position to attempt the field goal that ultimately decided the game. On his second attempt to handle an errant snap, Little converted the 57-yard kick. Jacksonville put together three straight victories during that stretch.
Two players — Jacksonville's Bryan Thomas Jr. at defensive end and Philadelphia's Jeremiah Trotter Jr. at linebacker — were removed from the game after officials flagged both men for unsportsmanlike conduct in an altercation that broke out during the opening kickoff. Before the 2005 season got underway, Jeremiah Trotter — father of the player — had himself been removed following a confrontation that took place before the opening game.
Quarterback Drake Maye ran for one score and threw for four others, completing 26 of 34 passes for 374 yards as New England posted a 45-17 victory over Las Vegas, with Maye's combined rushing and receiving output reaching 403 scrimmage yards across the afternoon. Ball security, absent across his first four appearances where he posted the worst interception and fumble numbers in the league, held firm throughout his fifth outing. A passer rating of 150.9 stood on the books for New England by the time the victory was sealed.
Two straight victories now belong to the Patriots, the second of them following a road trip through Buffalo where the AFC East's division leaders were turned away the week before, with head coach Mike Vrabel's team posting its widest winning margin of the season in the process. A.J., who lines up at wide receiver, was among the players involved. A high ankle sprain has kept Brown sidelined, though a return to play is anticipated within the next few weeks.
A 26-3 final score at Nashville gave the Houston Texans a road win over the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback C.J. took the field for his team's opening drive. Passing for 261 yards, Stroud added a touchdown through the air. Houston's record on the year stood at one win against four losses. History records only one team — the 1992 San Diego Chargers — that reached the postseason after dropping each of its first four contests.
A trade with the Arizona Cardinals brought wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. into the Houston Texans' roster following the game. Arizona received a 2027 second-round selection and a 2027 sixth-round selection from Houston, with the Texans taking Harrison back along with a 2027 seventh-round pick heading the other way. Both Harrison and Stroud had shared a roster at Ohio State before turning professional.
A winless stretch extended to five games for the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, as a late lead against the Denver Broncos slipped away before the final whistle. Four turnovers across the final quarter alone — two of them arriving in the most recent contest — have pushed Herbert's season total to nine, a figure that places him level with the league's highest turnover count through five outings. Over the five possessions that opened the second half, the Chargers held a clear advantage — a grip that loosened and eventually gave way as the game shifted direction. Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel would keep his role, head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters the week before. Two away fixtures await the team — a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs followed by a designated road contest against the Rams.
Detroit put 45 points on the board at home against Arizona, who finished the afternoon on 21. Gibbs put together a 150-plus-yard effort on the ground while adding more than 50 yards through the air, a combined output that placed him alongside just one other player in Lions franchise history to have produced that double in a single outing. No player had reached 58 touchdown passes before turning 25 until he did, a threshold that now stands as the NFL record for that age bracket. Three times before turning 25, he topped 200 scrimmage yards in a single outing — a feat no other player in franchise history had managed.
Through five contests, Goff's arm produced 1,485 yards and 12 touchdown passes while remaining free of interceptions, a combination that placed him alongside Drew Brees as the only quarterbacks on record to surpass 1,400 passing yards across an opening five-game stretch without surrendering a single turnover. Putting up at least 25 points in each of the first five outings, the Lions set a franchise record for consecutive such games to begin a season.
Green Bay absorbed a 31-7 defeat that marked their most uneven result of the season, with Chicago entering the game on the back of a positive run of form. A Green Bay defence that held the league's top rushing attack to just 81 yards on the ground also produced three interceptions and four sacks across the contest. For the third straight outing, a quarterback not listed as the starter took snaps under center for the Bears. Green Bay's record moved to three wins and two losses. Each of Green Bay's three previous victories had been decided by a margin of three points or less.
