As temperatures dip as the calendar flips to October, Week 5 in the NFL saw a number of teams lose their cool.
On Sunday alone, five teams had double-digit leads give way to eventual losses. The day also featured the NFL's only two remaining undefeated teams – the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles - being dealt their first blemishes, while several struggling franchises – including the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens - suffered their most deflating defeats yet. Throughout the league, the time for excuses is up as the march toward midseason begins.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 5 in the NFL:
Mike Vrabel's first impression as the Patriots coach left many feeling a little empty, as the Patriots stumbled to a 1-2 mark with mistake-riddled setbacks against the Las Vegas Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet a 23-20 breakthrough against the Bills gave reason to believe that the many imported pieces are coming together. An uncharacteristicly sloppy outing from Sean McDermott's crew provided a massive opportunity for New England, which failed to fully capitalize on the errors in the early going. But the defense did its part to keep Josh Allen (22-of-31 passing for 253 yards) in check while also bottling up James Cook (49 yards on 15 carries), and Drake Maye did superlative work to fuel Stefon Diggs' revenge game effort. Now standing at 3-2 after their first back-to-back wins since 2022 with their next three games coming against three one-win teams, the Patriots are shaping up to be serious threat for the wild-card mix.
