NFL NationOct 5, 2025, 11:37 PM ETCloseNFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.
play0:33Jayden Daniels drops in TD pass to Deebo SamuelJayden Daniels lobs a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel to ice the game for the Commanders.
play0:22Baker Mayfield slings it to Sterling Shepard for Bucs TDBaker Mayfield ties the score with an 11-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard.
play0:54Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets Game HighlightsDallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets Game Highlights
play0:33Saints get 86-yard defensive TD off Cam Skattebo’s fumbleJordan Howden picks up Cam Skattebo’s fumble and returns it 86 yards the other way for a Saints touchdown.
play0:29Jonathan Taylor dances to celebrate his 3rd TD of the gameJonathan Taylor finds the end zone for the third time vs. the Raiders and dances with his teammates in celebration.
play1:03Vikings spoil Dillon Gabriel’s first start with win in LondonCarson Wentz comes up clutch in the end as the Vikings take down the Browns 21-17 in London.
Titans come away with one of the wildest TDs of the season (0:58)Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson fumbles the interception which finds the hands of Tyler Lockett for a fumble recovery touchdown. (0:58)
Jayden Daniels drops in TD pass to Deebo SamuelJayden Daniels lobs a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel to ice the game for the Commanders.
Baker Mayfield slings it to Sterling Shepard for Bucs TDBaker Mayfield ties the score with an 11-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard.
Saints get 86-yard defensive TD off Cam Skattebo’s fumbleJordan Howden picks up Cam Skattebo’s fumble and returns it 86 yards the other way for a Saints touchdown.
Jordan Howden picks up Cam Skattebo’s fumble and returns it 86 yards the other way for a Saints touchdown.
Jonathan Taylor dances to celebrate his 3rd TD of the gameJonathan Taylor finds the end zone for the third time vs. the Raiders and dances with his teammates in celebration.
Jonathan Taylor finds the end zone for the third time vs. the Raiders and dances with his teammates in celebration.
Vikings spoil Dillon Gabriel’s first start with win in LondonCarson Wentz comes up clutch in the end as the Vikings take down the Browns 21-17 in London.
Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season kicked off with an overtime showdown between the 49ers and Rams on Thursday night. San Francisco secured the 26-23 win after stopping Los Angeles running back Kyren Williams on fourth-and-1 at the 11-yard line.
Sunday’s action began in London, as the Vikings salvaged their road trip thanks to a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that lifted Minnesota to a 21-17 win against the Browns. Later, the Texans got revenge from last Christmas against the Ravens, beating Baltimore by 34 points. The Saints grabbed their first victory of the season, topping the Giants 26-14. And the Eagles suffered their first loss, falling 21-17 to the Broncos.
The late-afternoon slate brought two competitive outings: The Bucs won a 38-35 thriller over the Seahawks, and the Titans stormed back late to beat the Cardinals 22-21.
In prime time, the Patriots — led by Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs — handed the Bills their first loss of the season.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
Jump to: CLE-MIN | SF-LAR | HOU-BAL LV-IND | NYG-NO | DAL-NYJ MIA-CAR | DEN-PHI | TB-SEA DET-CIN | WSH-LAC | TEN-ARI | NE-BUF
Stat to know: Stefon Diggs became the first Patriots player with at least 100 receiving yards in consecutive games within a season since Julian Edelman in 2019. Diggs also had 61 yards after the catch, according to ESPN Research, his most in a game since 2022 when he was on the Bills (62, Week 6 at Chiefs). — Mike Reiss
What can be taken away from this defensive performance? This is a unit that has some concerns, and for the first time this season, didn’t have a big-time play to close out a tight game. Injuries continue to plague the Bills’ defense — tackle Ed Oliver missed a fourth straight game, linebacker Matt Milano (pec) sat out the second half — and the secondary and pass rush have some questions evidenced in the struggle of slowing down Diggs, who had 146 yards. There’s work to be done and help needed.
Most surprising performance: Wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. picked up in the first quarter where he left off in the fourth quarter of Week 4. He had 79 yards on a three catches in the first quarter and finished with 98 yards on four catches (out of five targets), giving him the third-best outing of his career. — Josh Weinfuss
Turning point: Washington trailed 10-0 with 8:58 left in the second quarter when the Chargers reached the Commanders’ 26-yard line on a catch-and-run. However, at the end of the run, S Quan Martin jarred the ball loose while delivering a hit. CB Marshon Lattimore recovered, and Washington scored the next 27 points. — John Keim
Jayden Daniels lobs a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel to ice the game for the Commanders.
Stat to know: Perhaps the lone bright spot Sunday was WR Keenan Allen becoming the fastest player in NFL history to collect 1,000 receptions, which took him just 159 games. He finished with five catches for 58 yards, both team highs. Allen has been Herbert’s favorite target since he returned to the team during the offseason. He leads the Chargers in receptions with 29. — Kris Rhim
Trend to watch: Cincinnati has been uncompetitive in each of its past three outings. During that span, Cincinnati was outscored a combined 97-9. Even when the Bengals scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter against Detroit, Chase almost refused to celebrate. There has been little offensive joy for Cincinnati in recent weeks. — Ben Baby
Baker Mayfield slings it to Sterling Shepard for Bucs TD
Baker Mayfield ties the score with an 11-yard touchdown to Sterling Shepard.
Did QB Bryce Young save his job? Young had two turnovers for the third time this season and trailed 17-0 — it looked like Andy Dalton time. Then Young led a drive that he finished with one of his best throws of the season for a touchdown, a 7-yard pass to WR Xavier Legette. Then with 1:59 to play, he had a 4-yard pass to TE Mitchell Evans for the game-winning touchdown. Young finished 19-of-30 with 198 yards and two TDs. He saved his job and potentially saved the Panthers’ (2-3) season.
Most surprising performance: Running back controversy? Rico Dowdle had 83 yards on 28 carries coming into this game. He started for RB Chuba Hubbard (quad) and responded with a career-high 206 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown. His 53-yard run in the third quarter was Carolina’s longest play from scrimmage this season. He was explosive. — David Newton
Trend to watch: The Dolphins owned the league’s ninth-best run defense last season, but it hasn’t transferred over to 2025. Miami allowed a season-high 239 rushing yards. This defense has allowed at least 150 rushing yards in four of its five games this season — a stat that will create job openings in Miami if it continues. — Marcel Louis-Jacques
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets Game HighlightsDallas Cowboys vs. New York Jets Game Highlights
Trend to watch: The Jets made history, becoming the first team since 1933 (when turnovers became an official stat) to record zero takeaways in the first five games of a season. How is that possible? Their defense isn’t devoid of talent, but it’s playing like an expansion unit. At their current pace (31.7 points per game), they would set the franchise record for most points allowed in a season. — Rich Cimini
Most surprising performance: The secondary, particularly the young safeties. Rookie Jonas Sanker has had an impressive start to the season, and Jordan Howden was able to fill in nicely for an injured Justin Reid on Sunday. The duo had a takeaway each, with Sanker recovering a fumble forced by LB Demario Davis, and Howden scooping up a ball punched out by DT Bryan Bresee before running it back for an 86-yard touchdown. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry also had two interceptions. — Katherine Terrell
Saints get 86-yard defensive TD off Cam Skattebo’s fumble
Biggest hole in the game plan: What the heck is going on with the Giants’ secondary? It was a mess in this contest, committing penalties and allowing receivers to run wide open. There was plenty of blame to go around, too. CBs Deonte Banks, Paulson Adebo and Dru Phillips committed costly penalties. S Tyler Nubin lost his leverage, which resulted in an 87-yard touchdown for Saints WR Rashid Shaheed. Rough afternoon for this group. — Jordan Raanan
Trend to watch: Rookie TE Tyler Warren has done it all this season, just as the Colts promised. He had previously lined up and run the ball as a fullback and taken a direct snap under center. But on Sunday, he tried his hand at actually throwing a pass. The goal-line play was well defended and the pass was incomplete, but keep an eye out for the variety of ways the Colts plan to use Warren — something they plan to lean into. — Stephen Holder
Jonathan Taylor dances to celebrate his 3rd TD of the game
Stat to know: Geno Smith’s nine interceptions (two on Sunday) are the most by any Raiders QB in the team’s first five games of a season since Jim Plunkett in 1982 (nine). The last NFL quarterback to record nine picks in his team’s first five games was Zach Wilson in 2021 (also nine). — Ryan McFadden
What to make of the QB performance: Stroud quieted some of the critics after a four-touchdown outing, the second most in his career. He now has thrown for six touchdowns over his past two games, and finished the day completing 85% of his passes (23-of-27) for 244 yards and no interceptions. Stroud looked decisive throughout, taking what the defense gave him, and when it was time to push it down the field, he took his shots. — DJ Bien-Aime
Trend to watch: The Ravens fall to 4-11 (.266) (which includes the playoffs) without two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson. Baltimore has lost its past five games when Jackson hasn’t played. There’s a good chance that Jackson doesn’t play Sunday against the Rams because Baltimore has a bye the following week. In his first start for the Ravens, QB Cooper Rush failed to consistently move the ball, finishing with four three-and-outs and three interceptions. — Jamison Hensley
