After weeks of dominant defensive football, offenses finally kicked into life in Week 5 of the NFL season. High octane shootouts in Cincinnati and Jacksonville provided spectacular entertainment in the early window, with the Jaguars picking up their first win ahead of their annual trip to London next week.

The defenses didn’t lay down completely however. Week 5 marked the first week in NFL history with two 100-yard defensive touchdowns, while two blocked field goals were also taken to the house, just the seventh time that’s happened in the history of the league.

Even with the explosion of scoring, the majority of games remained tight. Another eight games were decided by one score or less. Thus far, 46 games this season have been decided by less than seven points or fewer, more than any other season in NFL history through five weeks.

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At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was still the defenses that dominated. The Minnesota Vikings (5-0) remained unbeaten, frustrating a sputtering New York Jets (2-3) en route to their fourth win in International Series games. With a perfect 4-0 record outside the US, they hold the most wins without a loss on foreign soil.

Under the guidance of former Jet signal caller Sam Darnold, the Vikings looked balanced if unspectacular on offense, opening the scoring with a 54-yard field goal from Will Reichard. Defensively, Brian Flores furthered his case for a head coaching job by giving Aaron Rodgers fits. The former Packer was unable to move the ball against his familiar foes, either failing to connect with his receivers or looking harried in the pocket. A stuttering drive was ended abruptly by a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown when linebacker Andrew van Ginkel dropped back into coverage after appearing to come on a blitz. Rodgers compounded the mistake by throwing another interception minutes later to Camryn Bynum, the first time the four-time league MVP has thrown two picks in the first quarter during his storied career.

Darnold and the offense would further the lead with another efficient drive in the second quarter, C.J. Ham eventually plunged into the end zone to make it 17 unanswered points to start the game. The Jets would respond before the half as, finally able to find some rhythm, Rodgers hooked up with old friend Allen Lazard on a 14-yard score, but neither team could sustain much offense in the third quarter, a Greg Zeurlein field goal the only score as both defenses continued to harass the opposition quarterback. An awkward fall from a hit left Rodgers nursing his ankle, but he was ultimately able to continue.

With the game on the line, both offenses found some success in the fourth quarter. After another Reichard 50-yarder, Garrett Wilson cut the lead to three after a one-yard pass from Rodgers. Crucial connections to both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison allowed Darnold to again work towards a Reichard three-pointer. With the clock ticking down, Rodgers was in position to lead another fourth quarter comeback, but the game was iced when veteran corner Stephon Gilmore corralled another errant throw with 44 seconds left on the clock. Despite his troubles, Rodgers (66,042 passing yards) moved into seventh all-time on the NFL career passing yards charts, surpassing Dan Marino (65,871 passing yards).

The Baltimore Ravens (3-2) outlasted their division rival Cincinnati Bengals (1-4) 41-38 in overtime. Neither team could buy a stop in a scintillating display of offensive football from Joe Burrow and his elite receivers, and the jaw-dropping Lamar Jackson. Cincinnati, particularly, will rue their missed opportunity over a division rival, having held three 10+ point leads during the sixty minutes, behind another explosive performance by Ja’Marr Chase. Chase scored touchdowns of 41 and 70 yards respectively. He now has 10 scores of 60-or-more-yards, becoming only the third player to achieve the feat in his first four NFL seasons. His connection with college teammate Burrow has only flourished in the pros, their 14 touchdowns of 40-yard-or-more is the second-most for a quarterback-wide receiver duo both under the age of 28.

Baltimore rushed for 175 yards in Week 5, their 38th consecutive game eclipsing 100 yards on the ground. If they can continue the streak for another six contests, they will hold the all-time record, jointly held by (you guessed it) the 2018-2021 Baltimore Ravens and the 1974-77 Pittsburgh Steelers. Jackson became the first player in NFL history with multiple career games with at least 300 yards passing, 50 yards on the ground, and four touchdown passes. One of those scores, a six-yard strike to Isaiah Likely that pulled the Ravens back into the game in the fourth quarter, saw Jackson fumble a snap, recover the ball and stiff arm Sam Hubbard to eventually uncork a jumping pass across his body to his tight end.

In a game with too many highlights to mention, overtime saw huge drama. Jackson almost undid all of his fine work, again fumbling a snap which this time was recovered by the defense. Rather than trusting a red hot Burrow to move the ball down the field, Zac Taylor dialled up three runs to give Evan MacPherson a 50+ yard shot at goal. Holder Ryan Rekhown couldn’t get the ball down, handing Jackson another opporunity. Quiet until he was needed most, Derrick Henry rumbled 55-yards on the next play to give Justin Tucker a chip shot game winner. Known for their slow starts, the Bengals may have given themselves too much work to do.

The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) finally picked up a win overcoming a late comeback by the Joe Flacco-led Indianapolis Colts (2-3). The 37-34 victory will be welcome in Duval, as questions around head coach Doug Pederson’s position had begun following an eight-game losing streak. Flacco’s performance, meanwhile, will likely have decision-makers in Cleveland worried for their jobs. The 39-year-old passed for 359 yards and three scores in Week 5, becoming the oldest player in NFL history to log five consecutive starts with at least 300 passing yards and two touchdowns. The former Super Bowl MVP had the Colts offense moving beautifully on the first drive, connecting with Michael Pittman for a one-yard score, but that only jolted the Jags into life, with Trevor Lawrence connecting frequently with rookie wideout Brian Thomas, including on an 85-yard catch-and-run which gave the Jags a second quarter lead.

Both offenses traded explosive plays in the second half. Tank Bigsby scored twice, including a 65-yard tote, while Flacco connected on deep shots to Alec Pierce, once to set up a Trey Sermon score, and again for a 65-yard score for the third year wideout. With the scores tied at 34 apiece in the final moments, the Jags positioned kicker Cam Little for a 49-yard game winner, which he duly converted.

The spectacular start to Jayden Daniels’ career continued apace during the Washington Commanders (4-1), drubbing of the moribund Cleveland Browns (1-4). Daniels totalled 320 yards (238 passing, 82 rushing) during the 34-13 win. Now with 1,135 yards through the air, and 300 on the ground, the second overall pick is the first player in NFL history to surpass 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing in his first five games. Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, meanwhile, is excelling in all facets. The Commanders have scored three rushing touchdowns in four of their first five outings, only the second team to do so in NFL history. Their 13 ground scores is tied for the most through five weeks of an NFL season. Meanwhile, the Browns attack is trending towards one of the worst in NFL history. Per Austin Gayle of The Ringer, the Browns’ offensive success rate of 32% is the worst of any NFL offense since the turn of the Millennium.

Between Daniels, Denver’s Bo Nix, and the Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams, rookie quarterbacks have combined for 10 wins in the young NFL season. It’s the second most victories by first-year signal callers in the first five weeks of a new campaign since 1970.

The Denver Broncos (3-2) continued to support their young leader through opportunistic defense, totalling three takeaways in their 34-18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (2-3). While Gardner Minshew looked assured on two opening drives that resulted in a 59-yard touchdown for rookie tight end Brock Bowers, and a field goal for Daniel Carlson, the Broncos defensive backs quickly deflated the veteran QB’s confidence. With the Raiders again knocking on the door deep in the Broncos red zone, Pat Surtain cut in front of a stumbling Jakobi Meyers to house a 100-yard interception return, equalling the scores following a Will Lutz field goal. This was the first ten of 34 unanswered points for the Broncos. Nix’s assured statline of 19/27 for 206, two passing touchdowns and a one-yard rushing score enough to hold off the Raiders, who brought Aiden O’Connell into the game in relief of a wayward Minshew. Despite the tribulations of offense, an ailing Maxx Crosby was still able to log two sacks. Crosby has gotten to the quarterback at least once in ten straight outings against Denver. He is just the fourth player since 1982 to register such a streak against a single opponent.

Williams, meanwhile, became the fourth rookie quarterback since 1950 to win his first three home games without recording a pick, as he marshalled the Chicago Bears (3-2) to a comfortable 36-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers (1-4). This one was never in doubt after the Bears quickly chalked off Chuba Hubbard’s 38-yard opening score. DJ Moore kicked off a streak of 30-unanswered points for the home team, and would end the day with 105 yards and two touchdowns against his former employers.

In a game that promised a mouthwatering quarterback matchup, as well as a side of Stefon Diggs revenge, the Houston Texans (4-1) 23-20 victory over the Buffalo Bills (3-2) will instead likely be remembered for curious coaching decisions by Sean McDermott. While the Bills would open the scoring through a Tyler Bass field goal, the Texans quickly took control of the game. Cam Akers, deputising for the injured Joe Mixon, scampered to the endzone on a 15-yard score. A few moments later, following a Bills three-and-out, star wideout Nico Collins hauled in a 65-yard bomb from C.J. Stroud. Unfortunately, Collins would later leave the game with a hamstring injury. For the remainder of the half, neither team could muster any offense. Josh Allen looked a shell of himself, at one point missing nine straight passes.

In the third, he returned to form however, making plays on the ground and through the air, resulting in a five-yard score for James Cook, and a 49-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by Keon Coleman. Once more, both offenses became bogged down, until Allen again got the Bills marching with a few minutes left in the game. Attempting to evade the rush, Allen’s head bounced off the turf, resulting in him leaving the game briefly. Deputy Mitch Trubisky handed the ball off once before the star signal caller returned and, when asked about the incident, Allen claimed he’d rolled his ankle, but felt good enough to return. Bass would hit a field goal two plays later to tie the game.

After another stalling drive by the Texans, the Bills received the ball on their own goal line with 38 seconds on the clock. Crucially the Texans had all three timeouts. Rather than play for OT, or force Houston to burn their stoppages, the Bills called three deep passes, all of which fell incomplete. Allen’s final statline on the day of 9-for-30, is the lowest completion rate for a quarterback with that many passes in the past 30 years. Now able to position themselves for the go-ahead score, the Texans ran the ball into range for Ka’imi Fairbairn, who dutifully converted the 59-yarder, capping off a strange game in the Lone Star State.

Xavier McKinney continued to impress his new employers, snagging an interception and a fumble during the Green Bay Packers (3-2) 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams (1-4). Dating back to his last game as Giant, McKinney now has six straight games with a takeaway. He is just the fourth player since 1970 to force a turnover in the first give games of a new campaign. The game was largely defined by turnovers. After a deep bomb to Jayden Reed set up a Josh Jacobs dive to the endzone, the Rams scored back to back touchdowns. One through Kyren Williams, and then later in the second quarter after Jordan Love tried to avoid a safety by heaving the ball carelessly out of the endzone into the waiting arms of Jaylen McCollough. The Rams’ DB had the simple task of walking the ball to the house. Love would flip the script in the second half however, converting two turnovers from the Rams offense into third quarter scores. Tight end Tucker Kraft rumbled to the endzone on a 66-yard catch-and-run, before scoring again from inside the ten-yard line. A late touchdown grab by Demarcus Robinson wasn’t enough to spark a Rams comeback.

Perhaps in the biggest upset of the day, the Seattle Seahawks (3-2) were outplayed on their home field by the New York Giants (2-3), losing 29-20. Even without starter Devin Singletary, and with a missed scoring opportunity early in the game, the Giants were able to control the ball on the ground through the efforts of rookie back Tyrone Tracy Jr. Before Sunday, Tracy had totalled just 30 yards on 12 carries in his NFL career. By the final whistle in Seattle, he’d amassed 129 yards on 18 totes. The scoreline flatters the Seahawks, who opened the scoring on a 102-yard fumble return by safety Rayshawn Jenkins, however it was unclear on replay whether Eric Gray had let go of the rock before crossing the goal line. The game effectively ended on a remarkable play, when Bryce Ford-Wheaton returned a blocked game-tying field goal to put the Giants up by nine in the dying embers.

That feat was replicated by San Francisco 49ers (2-3) defensive back Deommodore Lenoir, whose 61-yard return couldn’t help the Niners secure the victory against their divisional rival Arizona Cardinals (2-3). The Niners looked relatively comfortable early in the game, responding to a Kyler Murray 50-yard touchdown scamper with sustained drives, ending in two field goals and a George Kittle touchdown to supplement Lenoir’s big play. However, patchy play from Brock Purdy saw the offense stall in the second half, allowing the Cardinals to total 14 unanswered points en route to a 24-23 win in North California.

Both the Miami Dolphins (2-3) and New England Patriots (1-4) struggled with poor quarterback play in a 15-10 win for the former. Already without Tua Tagovailoa, Miami suffered a further setback when second-year running back De’Von Achane suffered a suspected concussion. Rookie Jaylen Wright performed admirably in his stead, carrying effectively to put the Dolphins in position for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter. A full back dive by workhorse Alec Ingold gave the Dolphins the ultimate lead in the game with four minutes on the clock. Jacoby Brissett was roundly booed in the final seconds of the game, as he incurred a delay of game penalty in a goal-to-go situation. A few moments earlier, a touchdown to Ja’Lynn Polk was overturned, as the rookie pass catcher couldn’t complete the catch,