32 things we learned from Week 5 of the 2019 NFL season

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SportsPulse: Week 5 had some shocking results. Trysta Krick reacts to all the biggest games and moments from a wild weekend in the NFL.
USA TODAY

The 32 things we learned from Week 5 of the 2019 NFL season:

1. Following the Chiefs’ surprising loss at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night, home teams are 33-43-1 this season.

2. Aaron Jones Aaron Rodgers …

2a. … just this once.

3. With Dallas suddenly on a two-game skid (against good teams) after a 3-0 start (against awful teams), Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s contract negotiations with owner Jerry Jones might be retrograding. Boss man didn’t look too happy Sunday as Prescott served up three interceptions to the Packers (he has four picks in the past two games). Dallas’ offense also looked lifeless for much of the day — same as at New Orleans in Week 4 — before piling up a bunch of yards and points that mostly proved cosmetic in a 34-24 setback. Pressure on Dak and company now mounts with the Eagles having forged a first-place tie in the NFC East.

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3a. However, those career-high 226 receiving yards won’t hurt WR Amari Cooper’s bottom line next time he’s at Jones’ negotiating table.

3b. At least Dallas has a bye to get right next week. Er, a game against the Jets. Whatever.

4. Including his Super Bowl XLV win against Pittsburgh, Rodgers is now 4-0 as a starting quarterback at JerryWorld.

4a. Fueled by Aaron Jones’ career-best four TDs and 182 yards from scrimmage, Rodgers and the Packers (4-1) are again Kings in the (NFC) North.

4b. Meanwhile, the Queen in the North was at the Bears-Raiders game Sunday. Wuddup, Sansa?

5. London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium staged its first NFL regular-season game as the Raiders “hosted” the Bears. The venue, home of the Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, opened in April after being built at the cost of roughly £1 billion (that funky icon means pounds, Yanks). Might the 187th game venue in the NFL’s 100 seasons host the league’s first Super Bowl on foreign soil one day? Appears like a nice enough yard for such an occasion … assuming league games don’t also become subject to tariffs …

5a. The contest in London was the Raiders’ first “home” game since Sept. 15 and the last until they play again in Oakland on Nov. 3.

5b. The last nine teams to win International Series matchups have reached the playoffs, a streak that began with the 2016 Raiders. Will the 2019 Raiders extend it?

6. Also in England, Jon Gruden apparently got the last laugh from Khalil Mack as the Raiders upset Chicago 24-21.

6a. The Bears and Mack were held without a sack against his good buddy Derek Carr while Oakland turfed Chicago backup QB Chase Daniel four times.

6b. But Gruden’s brother, Redskins coach Jay, probably didn’t find much humor in a day when winless Washington was blown out 33-7 by the Pats, and he was fired Monday morning.  

6c. Memo to my colleague Nancy Armour: Apparently Da Bears are not better without starting QB Mitch Trubisky. Shrug.

7. Elsewhere, in New England, Patriots fans are celebrating their team’s first 5-0 start since 2015. 

7a. FYI, the 2015 campaign was the last in which the Pats did not reach the Super Bowl.

7b. While throwing for 348 yards Sunday, Patriots QB Tom Brady overtook Brett Favre for third place on the NFL’s all-time list. With 18 more, Brady (71,923 yards) will bypass Peyton Manning for second place behind Drew Brees.

7c. For the fifth consecutive week, a McCourty picked off a pass. But Sunday, it was Patriots CB Jason McCourty. Twin brother Devin’s INT streak was snapped at four games.

8. The natives in Atlanta are getting restless for Dan Quinn’s head, too, after his “pretty basic” defense (according to Texans WR Keke Coutee) was filleted by Houston for 592 yards.

8a. Falcons QB Matt Ryan has thrown seven INTs … matching his total from 2018 and 2016, when he was the league MVP.

9. If you had Texans teammates Deshaun Watson (426 yards passing, 5 TDs, 47 yards rushing) and Will Fuller V (14 catches, 217 yards, 3 TDs — all career highs) on your fantasy team, you’ll be crowing Monday morning.

9a. Houston drubbed Atlanta 53-32 one week after scoring 10 points, the fewest in any of Watson’s 27 regular-season starts.

9b. And, arguably most impressive, the Texans prevented Watson from getting sacked for just the second time in his career and first in the past 15 games.

10. The Vikings’ receivers don’t have much to whine about this week … especially Adam Thielen, who caught seven balls for 130 and two TDs from Kirk Cousins in Sunday’s win against the Giants.

10a. The same goes for Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs, who’s been acting like a guy who has more than one 1,000-yard campaign in five NFL seasons that don’t include a Pro Bowl.

10b. Weekly reminder: RB Dalvin Cook, with a career-best 218 yards from scrimmage Sunday, remains the Vikings’ most important player.

11. Welp, new Baltimore FS Earl Thomas and second-year Pittsburgh QB Mason Rudolph are now officially etched into the Ravens-Steelers rivalry, arguably the league’s most physical and contentious over the past two decades.

11a. Here’s hoping Rudolph is OK after going down in a heap following Thomas’ highly illegal launch to deliver a helmet-to-jaw blow. What Ryan Shazier must have been thinking …

12. Meanwhile, perhaps fresh concerns over Ravens sophomore QB Lamar Jackson, who’d seemingly allayed questions about Baltimore’s passing offense a few weeks back? But Jackson’s passing yard totals have declined each week — just 161 at Heinz Field on Sunday — and he’s got five turnovers over the last two games. The Ravens were fortunate to survive the Steelers and third-string QB Devlin Hodges in overtime. 

13. If Rudolph can’t go next week, Pittsburgh will either have to sign another quarterback or promote Paxton Lynch or Taryn Christion from its practice squad.

14. The Jaguars’ defense isn’t very good without CB Jalen Ramsey, no matter how unhappy he might be.

15. Another week, another round of evidence that Jacksonville’s Gardner Minshew II (374 passing yards, 2 TD) and Carolina’s Kyle Allen (4-0 career record as starter) could keep injured QB1s Nick Foles and Cam Newton, respectively, on the pine longer than initially anticipated.

16. Is Saints QB Teddy Bridgewater the league MVP after five weeks? OK, probably not, but he did tie a personal best with four TD passes in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers, and his 131.2 passer rating is the second best of his career. Taking the helm in the absence of Brees, Bridgewater has three consecutive wins over surging opponents, almost surely saving New Orleans’ season.

17. Is Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey actually the league MVP? He began Sunday with a league-best 629 yards from scrimmage … then piled 237 more (plus 3 TDs) on the Jags in Carolina’s 34-27 victory.

18. Or is Russell Wilson the MVP? He has yet to throw a pick in 2019, and his completion rate (73.1%), TD pass total (12) and passer rating (126.3) all paced the league entering Sunday.

18a. And can you imagine Seattle without Wilson? The Seahawks are 4-1 … but are lucky to not be 1-4.

18b. Whatever the case, give Wilson and Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett credit for the prettiest TD of the season, a 13-yard hookup that had just a 6.3% completion probability, per Next Gen Stats — the unlikeliest in the league since 2017. 

18c. The best TD throw/catch combo since Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII?

18d. Finally, we know the Seahawks love to pound the ball on the ground. But why not just have Wilson throw to Lockett every play? RW3’s QB rating when targeting Lockett is a perfect 158.3 going back to last season.

19. This MVP debate wouldn’t be so topical if the man who won it last year, Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes, wasn’t suddenly struggling in the box score (1 TD pass the last two games) and on the field with what looks to be an increasingly problematic ankle issue.

19a. And the Chiefs’ record streak of scoring at least 25 points ended at 25 games after their 19-13 loss to the Colts. 

20. With 143 yards from scrimmage and two TDs on Sunday, Raiders RB Josh Jacobs has laid an early claim to offensive rookie of the year honors.

21. Rams WR Cooper Kupp has surpassed 100 receiving yards in each of his past four games. Early claim laid to comeback player of the year honors.

22. Rams OLB Clay Matthews still can’t get a break from NFL officials, his roughing call against Wilson in Thursday’s loss a complete travesty.

22a. Unfortunately, Matthews did catch a break from Seattle RB Chris Carson — in the form of a broken jaw. Bummer for USC product Matthews, who was enjoying a nice renaissance amid his L.A. return, his six sacks four more than any other Ram.

23. Shoutout to Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and QB Kyler Murray, who tasted NFL victory for the first time Sunday as their “Air Raid” attack generated 514 yards, 127 more than any other contest this season.

24. Shoutout to Broncos coach Vic Fangio, who also notched his first win as a head coach — and 500th in Denver history.

25. The Broncos have never started a season 0-5. Still true.

25a. The Bengals are 0-5 for the seventh time since 1990.

26. Good thing RB Melvin Gordon is back. He cranked out 38 yards from scrimmage in his 2019 debut as the Chargers were ambushed by previously winless Denver. In case you were wondering why his holdout bore no fruit …

27. Much focus has been devoted to New Orleans’ offense since Brees’ injury. But don’t forget to credit a Saints defense that effectively shut down Dallas in Week 4 before limiting the Buccaneers to 24 points and 252 yards Sunday. Bruce Arians’ bunch had averaged 43 and 481.5, respectively, over its previous two outings.

28. With another seven grabs for 125 yards and two scores, Tampa Bay WR Chris Godwin continues to be the breakout star of 2019.

28a. Meanwhile, Bucs teammate Mike Evans was held without a catch for only the second time in his career and first since 2015, his second season.

29. Props to Eagles DE Brandon Graham, who enjoyed the first three-sack game of his 10-year career Sunday.

30. And props to the Jets, who snapped their string of 12 consecutive quarters without scoring an offensive TD — longest in the league since 2010 — thanks to Vyncint Smith’s 19-yard fourth-quarter score.

30a. Even including Smith’s TD, the NYJ managed just 128 total yards, averaging 2.3 per play. Backup QB Luke Falk spearheaded the “effort” with three turnovers. 

30b. The Jets are now 0-11 all time against Philadelphia. No team has played another more times in league history without notching at least one W.

31. Keepin’ it 100: The #NFL100 game of the week was Bills at Titans. Yawn. We knew we weren’t getting an epic Buffalo playoff comeback against the … Oilers … or a Music City Miracle. So let’s just keep it real next time and slap the honorific on ‘dem Ice Bowl teams … even though Packers-Cowboys was nearly as unwatchable for most of Sunday afternoon.

32. But hearty congrats to Tennessee rookie G Nate Davis, who notched his first NFL start Sunday. Yo, Coach Vrabel: How about letting my boy kick next time, too, given your guy — Cairo Santos — was 0-for-4 on field goals in that mind-numbing 14-7 loss?

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis

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