Jump to a gameSUNDAYCowboys 20, Steelers 17Ravens 41, Bengals 38 (OT)Cardinals 24, 49ers 23Texans 23, Bills 20Vikings 23, Jets 17Packers 24, Rams 19Commanders 34, Browns 13Bears 36, Panthers 10Giants 29, Seahawks 20Broncos 34, Raiders 18Jaguars 37, Colts 34Dolphins 15, Patriots 10Falcons 36, Buccaneers 30 (OT)
Week 5 got off to a wild start.
How wild? It began with the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers accounting for 66 points while Kirk Cousins went for a career-high 509 passing yards in the Falcons’ 36–30 overtime win Thursday night.
On Sunday, the action began early in London, as the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings beat the New York Jets, 23–17.
Week 5 NFL takeaways | Jayden Daniels–Deshaun Watson comparison | Jets need Davante Adams
In the early window, the AFC took center stage. Stefon Diggs got his revenge as the Houston Texans beat the Buffalo Bills on Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 59-yard field goal as time expired. In Cincinnati, the Bengals hosted the Baltimore Ravens in a key AFC North matchup, with the Ravens winning an offense-fueled, overtime thriller behind 300-plus-yards passing by Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.
In the late afternoon games, the Green Bay Packers (3–2) tallied another win with Jordan Love, beating the the Los Angeles Rams 24–19, while the Arizona Cardinals pulled off an upset with a 24–23 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Finally, gave us a classic matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, with Dallas winning 20–17 in the final seconds on a touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert.
SUNDAYCowboys 20, Steelers 17
My take: Nobody is ever going to talk about this game in reverent tones. That said, Dallas (3–2) found a way Sunday night, beating Pittsburgh (3–2) on Tolbert's touchdown reception with 20 seconds left. However, the main takeaway from the game? Neither the Cowboys nor the Steelers are contenders in their current forms. Dallas makes too many mistakes, evidenced by its three turnovers (all by Dak Prescott) and 11 penalties, including two fourth-quarter personal fouls. As for Pittsburgh, it can’t generate consistent offense and has limited personnel on that side. Playoff teams? Maybe. Not serious Super Bowl threats.
Stock up: T.J. Watt continues to dominate. After posting three sacks in four games to start the year, Watt was everywhere Sunday night, registering 1.5 sacks along with eight tackles, including one for loss. There are other candidates, but Watt is the most dominant defender in the game.
Stock down: The Steelers are going to have a hard time competing against good teams with this passing attack. Justin Fields went 15-of-27 for 127 yards, albeit with two touchdowns and zero turnovers. It’s not good enough. Pittsburgh needs more punch in the passing game, and that might mean adding a receiver as well.
Up Next: Lions at Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET Oct. 13; Steelers at Raiders, 4:05 p.m. ET Oct. 13
