It’s been a special start for the 2025 season, with close games aplenty and much to celebrate on the oft-forgotten third phase of football.

There have been 11 special teams touchdowns, the most at this point in 13 years, and the 3,624 kickoff return yards amassed last week is the most in a single week in NFL history.

Week 5 sees the first bye weeks but, even with four squads sitting out, there is plenty of great action in store, starting on Thursday night in L.A.

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GAME OF THE WEEK

San Francisco 49ers (3-1) @ Los Angeles Rams (3-1)

The week’s slate of games gets underway, for the second week in a row, with a Thursday night clash between two NFC West sides. The Rams won both regular season meetings in 2024, staging late comebacks to win, so have the momentum in this fixture between California rivals.

The 49ers dropped their first game of the 2025 season in Week 4, losing 26-21 to the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Rams left it late to beat the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 thanks to an 88-yard touchdown from Tutu Atwell with just 1:33 remaining in the game. This was the longest game-winning scrimmage touchdown in the final two minutes of a game since 1960, and the third longest of any kind in that span.

Brock Purdy returned for the 49ers but, while he put up 309 yards and two touchdowns through the air, the fourth-year quarterback also tossed two interceptions while not exactly looking at his sharpest. Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, has 530 yards from scrimmage in 2025 and is just the third player since 1990 with at least 300 receiving yards and 200 rushing yards in his team’s first four games of season and will look to extend those numbers in prime time. Stud linebacker Fred Warner, too, has a habit of stuffing the stat sheet whenever he plays on Thursdays, with an average of 8.8 tackles per game in such games over his career.

Rams quarterback Matt Stafford has two touchdown passes in his last three games and has tasted victory four times in the last five on a Thursday night. Puka Nacua remains his target of choice, having had 13 receptions for a career-high 170 yards and one touchdown in the win over Indianapolis to leads the NFL with 42 receptions this season, tying with former team-mate Cooper Kupp (2022 with the Los Angeles Rams) and Michael Thomas (2018 with New Orleans) for the most receptions by a player in his team’s first four games of a season.

Davante Adams, meanwhile, has 17 grabs for 269 yards and three touchdowns in his short Rams career, but averages 9.2 receptions for 126.6 yards per game in five career games against the 49ers. Rams running back Kyren Williams had 94 yards from scrimmage against the Colts and has cleared 50 yards from scrimmage in a whopping 32 straight games.

PREDICTION: Rams win their fourth in a row against the 49ers, but they are made to work for their victory.

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WELL WORTH A WATCH

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-1)

There will be a distinctively vintage look about this match-up, as both teams will be marking their 50th anniversary in the NFL (having joined as expansion teams in 1976) by wearing throwback uniforms.

The Buccaneers come into the game after losing for the first time this season to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, while the Seahawks have won two in a row, including a late win over the Arizona Cardinals last Thursday night. Baker Mayfield, who leads the NFL with 77 touchdown passes since 2023, racked up 289 yards and two scores against the Eagles, and received ample support from two young playmakers. Running back Bucky Irving racked up 165 yards from scrimmage and notched a touchdown grab, while rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka had four grabs for 101 yards and a score. Egbuka leads all rookies this season with 282 yards and four touchdowns.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles will be going up against Sam Darnold, the quarterback he drafted to the New York Jets in 2018, and knows Darnold has looked the part for the Seahawks since signing this past offseason. Darnold has completed 70 percent of his passes so far this year and has a 100+ passer rating in his last two games, both Seahawk victories. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has taken on the mantle of the leading receiver with aplomb in 2025, with 26 receptions and 402 yards already. He has at least 75 receiving yards in his last five home games and is looking for a ninth in a row at home with five or more receptions.

The Seahawks defense, meanwhile, has become one of the stingiest in football, with just 16.8 points allowed per game and seven interceptions already on the year.

PREDICTION: Bucs bounce back from their Week 4 reverse to claim their seventh all time win over the Seahawks.

Minnesota Vikings (2-2) @ Cleveland Browns (1-3)

NFL International Series – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

London is calling for the Vikings and Browns, with Tottenham set to host it’s first game of the 2025 International Series. The Vikings come into the game after a close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Dublin, while the Browns ran into a Detroit Lions-shaped buzzsaw in Week 4.

The Vikings are the first team in NFL history to play back-to-back International Series games in different cities, but have good form at this venue after winning here in 2022 and 2024. Carson Wentz will be under center for the Vikings and will be hoping for some better protection from his offensive line after the Steelers teed off on him last week. Wentz still threw for 350 yards and two touchdowns, and has at least two touchdown passes in three career starts against the Browns.

Filling in for the injured Aaron Jones, running back Jordan Mason has racked up 70+ yards from scrimmage in three of his four games this season and leads the team with 271 rushing yards. All-world receiver Justin Jefferson dazzled the Dublin crowd with 10 grabs for 126 yards a week ago, giving him his 35th career 100-yard game and his third straight International Series game with at least six grabs and 90 yards.

Time has probably run out on the Joe Flacco era as Browns starter, as rookie Dillon Gabriel has already been named under center. At least that saves Flacco from having to do better than on his last trip to London and a game which saw his Baltimore Ravens side waxed by the Jaguars in 2017. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins, meanwhile, has started his NFL life well, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances on the Browns, with at least 95 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his last two games.

The Vikings pass protection must be better than last week or Myles Garrett could absolutely wreck this game. The star pass rusher has 4.0 sacks and league-high eight tackles for loss this season, with at least one TfL in his last 11 regular season games.

PREDICTION: The Vikings end their overseas jaunt with a win to go with their souvenirs from Dublin and London.

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ALSO ON IN WEEK 5

Denver Broncos (2-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (4-0)

The Eagles are looking to become the first team to start 5-0 three times in a four-year span since the Colts (2006, 2007, 2009). The Broncos lead the NFL with 15 sacks. Will the Broncos build on their Monday Night Football beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals, or will Vic Fangio have revenge over his old club and help the Super Bowl champs reach 5-0?

Houston Texans (1-3) @ Baltimore Ravens (1-3)

Not many people would have predicted the records of these sides at this stage of the season. The Ravens are decimated on defense and look like they’ll be missing Lamar Jackson for at least this week. Can the Texans show that last week’s win over the hapless Tennessee Titans was a beginning of something special, or can the injury-riddled Ravens get back to normality and continue their dominance over the Texans that has seen them win six of their last seven meetings?

Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-1)

A clash between two sides with few reasons to think highly of Josh McDaniels. Geno Smith is alternating between good and bad, but is 5-1 in his last six road starts. The Rams are third in the NFL in total offense. Can the Raiders stop the self-inflicted wounds and get back to winning ways against a Colts team that held its own against the Rams and, with some luck, might be sitting at 4-0?

Dallas Cowboys (1-2-1) @ New York Jets (0-4)

The Cowboys offense looked incredible against the Green Bay Packers, with Dak Prescott posting his 30th career 300-yard game and 30th career rushing score, but their defense continues to be a welcome sight for opposition offenses as they allow 33 points and 420 yards per game. Can the Jets take advantage of the generosity and pick up Aaron Glenn’s first win as a head coach, or will former Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer see his side pickup their second win of the season?

Miami Dolphins (1-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-3)

Tyreek Hill is done for the season and may have reached the end of his Dolphins tenure. The ‘Fins have slowly started to look more like their old selves in the last few weeks but, after the loss of Hill, can they pick up a third win in a row against the Panthers, who have one of the worst defenses in the league. Or will the Panthers rediscover the groove that saw them shut out the Falcons just two weeks ago?

New York Giants (1-3) @ New Orleans Saints (0-4)

The Giants got the Jaxson Dart era off to a winning start against the L.A. Chargers, becoming the first 0-3 team to beat a 3-0 team since 2008, but lost their star wide receiver Malik Nabers for the season in the process. Saints veteran Alvin Kamara needs two receptions to break into the top five all time among running backs. Can Dart lead his side to another win, or will the feisty Saints offense finally notch one in the W column for first-year coach Kellen Moore?

Tennessee Titans (0-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (2-2)

The Titans look like a team desperate to secure a second consecutive first overall pick, with a misfiring offense paired with a generous defense. The Cardinals, meanwhile, look like a team that can’t put all the pieces together for a whole game. Can Cam Ward notch his first NFL win, or will the Cardinals snap a two-game losing streak to win for the fourth time in five meetings with the Titans and stay competitive in a compelling NFC West?

Detroit Lions (3-1) @ Cincinnati Bengals (2-2)

The Lions offense is humming after three straight wins and leads the league in scoring. The Bengals version, meanwhile, looks bereft of hope after two straight blowout losses. Can Jake Browning rediscover the 2023 magic and help the Bengals to an 11th win in 12 meetings with the Lions, or will the Lions roll to another win in Week 5?

Washington Commanders (2-2) @ Los Angeles Chargers (3-1)

The Commanders looked spunky on offense against the Atlanta Falcons, despite no Jayden Daniels and no Terry McLaurin. Their defense, however, did not. The Chargers, meanwhile, ‘chargered’ against the Giants, losing a game they had no business doing so through mostly self-inflicted wounds, although Justin Herbert posted his league-leading seventh straight game with at least 200 passing yards. Will the Commanders pick up their eighth win all time against the Chargers, or will the home side pick up their sixth win in seven in this series?

New England Patriots (2-2) @ Buffalo Bills (4-0)

Quietly, the Patriots are one of the most efficient offenses in the league after four games. The Bills, who are the fourth team ever to win 14 consecutive home regular-season games and score at least 24 points in each game, are 4-0 but were made to scrap for every point against the Saints. Can the Patriots hand the Bills their first L, or will the Bills pick up a sixth home win in a row in this rivalry and move to 5-0?

Kansas City Chiefs (2-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1)

The Chiefs are starting to look like their old selves offensively, with Patrick Mahomes passing for four touchdowns against the Ravens last weekend. He now has 43 career games with at least three touchdowns in his first nine seasons, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (46 games). The Jaguars defense, meanwhile, is feasting on turnovers, becoming the fifth team since 2002 with at least three takeaways in each of its first four games of a season, and will be looking to become just the third team since 1990 to record two-or-more interceptions in each of their first five games of a campaign. Can the Chiefs win three on the spin, or will the Jaguars keep pace with the Colts in a competitive AFC South?

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