NFL Week 5: Chargers Win Insane Shootout, Diggs Picks #6

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Posted: Oct 12, 2021 | Updated: 1 year ago

NFL Week 5 was chock full of close games, statement wins, and breakout performances. The Titans put their Week 4 debacle behind them and took it out on their opponent. The Bills and Chargers both solidified their spots atop the AFC. Trevon Diggs continues the streak he started in Week 1, intercepting his 6th pass in five games. Kyle Pitts emerges as one of the elite rookies, as many knew he would eventually. Oh yeah, we also got to see 6 rookie quarterbacks start this Sunday!

Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers

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Two of the best defenses in the league clashed, so why wouldn’t we get an offensive shootout. The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers battled for supremacy in the AFC, knowing that the winner would have an all-important tiebreaker advantage that was sure to be relevant in the AFC playoff picture. Here’s how it all happened.

The scoring in this game started early as the two teams traded long scoring drives throughout the first quarter. Cleveland did dominate the time of possession, however, and it was starting to look like the type of game that they could potentially take over with the run. All of that change, though, when the Chargers struck quick at the start of the 2nd quarter.

After the Browns took an early 10-7 lead, LA struck quick with a 72-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams. This would be the Chargers’ high point of the first half, however, as the Browns would go on to take command from here.

After the big=play from LA, the Browns would settle down the pace of the game again. They went on a 6-minute, 11-play, touchdown drive, capped off with a touchdown run from Kareem Hunt to reclaim the lead. From here, Cleveland would only continue to roll even more.

The Bolts’ next possession ended as quickly as it started, as Greedy Williams forced a fumble on the very first play, returning the ball to Cleveland. They tacked on a field goal right before halftime to take a full touchdown lead. All total in this first half, the Browns held onto the football for 21 minutes and 37 seconds, forcing their will upon the Chargers.

This stretch of dominance continued into the second half, as Cleveland got the ball first and drove the field for a Nick Chubb touchdown and 27-13 lead. Little did anyone know, this would be the high point for the Browns.

At this point, the Chargers took a page out of the Browns’ playbook and went on a 6-minute drive of their own. Herbert satisfied the drive himself, with a touchdown run. This would be the last score third quarter as the two teams traded punt until the 4th.

And then, the insane third quarter began. It started off with another huge strike from Herbert to Williams. This resulted in a 42-yard score, giving the Chargers a 1-point lead.

The Browns saw their two-score lead completely vanish, so they decided to dial up a big play of their own: a 71-yard touchdown strike from Baker Mayfield to David Njoku. The shootout was officially on as the two teams would continue to trade scores at a rapid pace.

A pair of touchdowns for Austin Ekeler (one from Herbert) and a second score from Hunt would add to the blazing pace these teams established in the 4th quarter. A missed extra point from Vizcaino, however, left the Chargers down by 1 point, sending the ball back to Cleveland.

It was time for the Los Angeles defense, which had been absent all day, to contribute. And they did just that. Joey Bosa, Kyzir White, and the defense forced a quick 3-and-out, giving the Chargers the ball back down by 1 with 2 minutes left to play.

Los Angeles took the ball down to the 1 yard way too quickly, however, and realized they needed to slow down to not give Cleveland another opportunity to score. Unfortunately for them, the Browns had different plans. On the next play, they pulled Ekeler into the endzone, conceding the score to the Chargers to give Baker a minute and a half to generate a comeback.

The Chargers’ D needed a final stand to preserve the win. And they got just that. Derwin James, Asante Samuel, and the rest of the secondary came up huge, stalling the Browns around midfield.

The Los Angeles Chargers win a thriller over the Cleveland Browns, 47-42.

Green Bay Packers at Cincinnati Bengals

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Philadelphia Eagles at Carolina Panthers

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The Carolina defense came into this game ready, wanting to atone for their debacle versus Dallas the previous week. And they did just that in the first half. They gave up a mere 72 yards and 6 points by halftime. The Panthers’ D also added an interception and safety, leading their team to a 15-6 lead.

This stretch of dominance lasted well into the 3rd quarter. The Eagles’ first three possessions of the 3rd totaled them 8 yards, as two turnovers and a 3-and-out continued to plague the day. But then, something clicked, Jalen Hurts was done being contained.

On their very next series, Hurts led the Eagles to more yards in one drive than they had in the game up until that point. 76 yards later, Hurts ran it in for the score himself, cutting the Panther lead to 15-13.

The newfound Eagles’ offense put the pressure back on the Panthers, so they responded in kind. Darnold and company drove and scored a field goal, stretching their lead to 18-13.

Then, Carolina’s D stepped up again: Reddick, Jackson, and Carter all made plays to help turnover the Philly on downs. All the Panthers needed to do was get an insurance field goal. Instead, they went 3-and-out. But wait, it was worse than that.

Edwards came through and blocked the punt for Philly, setting them up with a short, 27-yard field. And Hurts capitalized on that. He quickly drove his team and ran in his second score. a 2pc attempt from Hurts to Devonta Smith gave Philly a 3 point lead.

On the next series, Philadelphia iced the game with an interception from Steven Nelson as the Panthers were driving. This plus, a 2 interception game from Darius Slay gave the Philly defense 3 turnovers on the day.

Despite the loss, Carolina held another opponent to under 300 total yards, surrendering 273 to Philly. The Eagles’ defense was incredibly sharp too, limiting the Panthers to 267 yards. A truly great game for those who appreciate good defense.

The Philadelphia Eagles slug out a victory over the Carolina Panthers, 21-18

SNF NFL Week 5: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

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The Buffalo Bills came out and delivered a huge statement in their blowout victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The game was close for about a quarter, but when Buffalo took a 14-10 lead at the start of the 2nd period they did not look back from there. This lead was taken on a touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Emmanuel Sanders. The two would go on to hook up a second time later that night.

After this score, the Bills defense held the Chiefs to a quick 3-and-out, as rookie Greg Rousseau came up with a huge stuff for the Buffalo D. Little did we know, this was going to be the first of several impressive series for the Bills’ defense as they would make an even greater statement versus Kansas City.

The offense tacked on a field goal, and the defense followed up their success on the next series. This time it was on great coverage from Jordan Poyer to turn the Chiefs over on downs. The Bills’ offense immediately capitalized, as Allen hooked up with Dawson Knox on a 53-yard touchdown.

This incredible defense dominance continued into the second half as on back-to-back series Micah Hyde and Rousseau ended long Chiefs drives. Hyde’s was a pick-six. Fittingly, the Chiefs’ final possession ended with Tre’Davious White recovering a botched snap. In the second half, the Buffalo D came up with 3 turnovers, 2 drives with less than 20 yards surrendered, and a single touchdown, against a supposedly high-powered offense.

The Buffalo Bills manhandle the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-20

MNF NFL Week 5: Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens

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The Indianapolis Colts came out ready to play and dominated the Baltimore Ravens’ offense for the better part of three quarters. It all began on Indy’s first series of the game when Jonathan Taylor hauled in in a short pass from Carson Wentz and he took it 76 yards for the touchdown. It turned out that would be the only endzone trip for either team in the first half, as the two teams would go on to trade field goals for a 10-3 Colts’ lead at halftime.

Indianapolis wasted no time once the second half kicked off, as a 42-yard touchdown pass from Wentz to Michael Pittman came just a minute after halftime. Then, the Ravens took the ball and traveled 79 yards of their own before their ill fate struck again. Lamar Jackson fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line and Darius Leonard scooped it up to give the Colts the ball again. Indy drove the field and Taylor ran it in for his second TD on the night.

Indianapolis had a 22-3 lead near the end of the 3rd quarter, then everything began to change. Baltimore got the ball back after that and instead of going on a long drive they finally got into the endzone with a few quick strikes, the last being a 43-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Hollywood Brown. They had cut the lead and looked good doing it, sadly they missed on the 2pc.

Also, apparently, the Colts weren’t done either. In response to a quick score from the Ravens, Indy drove the field and consumed 4 minutes off of the clock, padding their lead with a field goal. The 4th quarter had begun with Indy leading 25-9.

The Ravens finally divided to go to work. On back-to-back drives, Lamar and company drove the 78 and 75 yards, capping each of them off with a touchdown pass and 2pc pass to Mark Andrews. These scores were bookended around a blocked field goal attempt by Calias Campbell, and before we knew it the score was tied at 25 with less than a minute left in regulation.

Somehow, the Colts were able to get into field goal range, but Blankenship’s woes on the night continued, missing a 41-yard attempt to end regulation. The Ravens headed into halftime with all of the momenta.

Fortunately for Baltimore, the current narrative continued. They won the coin toss, got a good return, and proceeded to drive the length of the field. The drive was capped off with Jackson’s second TD pass to Brown.

The Baltimore Ravens came back on the Indianapolis Colts in overtime, 31-25

In Other Action

Arizona Cardinals 17, San Francisco 10

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Late game heroics from Kyler Murray to Deandre Hopkins and JJ Watt kept the Arizona Cardinals undefeated on the season. Hopkins caught 6 passes for 87 yards and the game-winning touchdown, after making a brilliant toe-tapping catch on the sideline to extend the drive.

The Arizona defense was the real story of the game, however. In Trey Lance’s first start, the Cards’ D limited him to 186 yards passing. Budda Baker had an interception, and Watt had two key tackles for loss and a deflected pass to preserve the win. The Cards’ D had 2 sacks and 5 tackles for loss on the game.

Atlanta Falcons 27, New York Jets 20

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Kyle Pitts finally had his breakout game, hauling in 9 receptions for 119 yards, and a touchdown in the first London game of the season. Matt Ryan looked sharp for the first time this season, completing 33 of 45 passes for 342 yards, and a pair of scores.

Cordarrelle Patterson continued his streak of touchdowns, contributing 114 yards and a score. The defense contributed an interception, 2 sacks, and 4 tackles for loss.

Minnesota Vikings 19. Detroit Lions 17

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Greg Joseph nails a 54-yard field goal as time expires to give the Vikings the win. This kick came just 37 seconds after Deandre Swift scored a touchdown and 2pc to give the Lions a 1-point lead.

On the game, Cousins threw for 275 yards and a score, while Alexander Mattison added 153 all-purpose yards. Justin Jefferson paced all WRs with 7 receptions for 124 yards.

Eric Kendricks led the defense with a clutch interception and a 9 tackle performance.

New Orleans Saints 33, Washington Football Team 22

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Marquez Callaway caught a hail mary touchdown pass at the end of the first half and another score in the second half to help propel the Saints to victory. He hauled in 4 receptions for 85 yards all total. Jameis Winston was “better” than he has been, finally throwing for a respectable 279 yards, but still only completed half of his passes.

Alvin Kamara also enjoyed a huge game, piling up 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The defense added a pair of turnovers, 2 sacks, and 4 tackles for loss.

New England Patriots 25, Houston Texans 22

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New England overcame a 22-9, second-half deficit by controlling the clock for 19 minutes in the second half. The game ended when Matthew Judon recovered a fumble to close out the Texans.

Mac Jones led the Pats on a 7-minute drive to eat up the clock and produce the game-winning field goal as time wound down in the second half. All total, he threw for 231 yards and a touchdown. The score was thrown to Hunter Henry, who hauled in 6 passes for 75 yards.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45, Miami Dolphins 17

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Tom Brady and the Bucs offense shellacked the Dolphins. They piled up 558 offensive yards, including 437 through the air. Brady also threw for 5 touchdowns: 2 to Antonio Brown, 2 to Mike Evans, and 1 to Gio Bernard. AB and Evans were his two favorite targets, hauling in in 7 passes for 124 yards and 6 passes for 113 yards respectively.

The defense was sound. Shaq Barrett contributed 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and 4 tackles. While Jamel Dean intercepted a pass to go with his 5 tackles.

Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Denver Broncos 19

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Najee Harris collected 142 yards of total offense and added a touchdown on the ground. Chase Claypool and Dionte Johnson both added scores. Claypool caught 8 passes for 130 yards. Big Ben got good blocking for a change and looked decent in the win.

The Pittsburgh secondary was strong all game. James Pierre intercepted a pass and had 6 tackles, while Minkah Fitzpatrick posted 10 tackles and 1 additional for a loss.

Tennessee Titans 37, Jacksonville Jaguars 19

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Derrick Henry was at it again, rushing for 130 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tannehill continues to have a lower volume in the absence of key weapons but was proficient in adding 200 yards and a TD.

The defense wasn’t good, but was opportunistic, forcing 2 turnovers and 2 turnovers on downs in the 4th quarter. Harold Landry led the charge for the D with 7 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 tackles for loss.

Chicago Bears 29, Las Vegas Raiders 9

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With an upsetting story involving their head coach brewing, the Raiders played a brand of football to match. Meanwhile, the Bears showed up ready to have their way. Da Bears D held the high-powered Raider offense to just 259 yards, 188 passing yards. They turned Vegas over once, collected 3 sacks, and 4 tackles for loss.

On the offense, Khalil Herbert and Damien Williams combined for 139 yards and a touchdown, filling in for the injured David Montgomery. Justin Fields is now 2-0 as a starter.

Dallas Cowboys 44 , New York Giants 20

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Trevon Diggs intercepts his 6th pass in 5 games, as fellow Cowboys CB, Anthony Brown returns an interception for a touchdown. In total, the defense forced 3 turnovers.

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot continue to dominate through the air and on the ground. Dak threw for 302 yards and 3 scores, Zeke ran for 110 and contributed 2 touchdowns. The offense clicked as a whole with 515 total yards, 201 of them on the ground.

The game was close until the Giants lost starting QB Daniel Jones and starting RB Saquon Barkley to a concussion and ankle injury respectively.

Additional Highlights

Week 5 top touchdowns

Every Touchdown from Sunday

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Week 5 Football Friday and Power Rankings on the J-MiL4Real Podcast

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