The first month of the NFL season is over. We are starting to see which teams are playoff contenders and which teams will be fighting for the number one pick at the end of the season. Last week brought us the first Giants win of the season and the first game in Ireland, but this week brought us upsets!
Underperforming Bills
The Buffalo Bills enter this week as one of the two remaining undefeated teams in the NFL and currently appear to be one step away from the AFC Championship game. Their opponents this week on Sunday Night Football were the New England Patriots, who have had a mixed start to the season but remain a contender for the playoffs. Could the Bills’ undefeated streak continue?
The game did not get off to the best start. On the second drive of the game, Bills quarterback Josh Allen fumbled the ball on the 50-yard line, losing possession as the Patriots’ defense would scoop up the ball. However, they did not have possession for long, as on the very next play, the Pats would fumble the ball, which would be recovered by the Bills’ defense.
A few drives later, the situation would repeat itself. Keon Coleman would fumble the ball on the Bills’ nine-yard line, giving possession to New England and setting them up with a good opportunity to score a touchdown. However, they were unable to do this, as the drive was unable to move anywhere. The Patriots would settle on a 30-yard field goal from Andy Borregales to give them a slim lead.
The Bills would show some of their offensive strength in the second quarter. Allen and company drove down the field to reach the Patriots’ 13-yard line before the drive stalled. This set up a 31-yard field goal attempt from Matt Prater, which was successful, leveling the scores.
New England was able to retake their lead before halftime. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye brought his team down to the Bills’ one-yard line, but no further. As time ran out, Borregales kicked a 19-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 6-3 lead over the Bills at halftime.
The second half would open with a far better performance from both teams than what the first half brought us. On the opening drive of the half, the Bills made their way down to the Patriots’ six-yard line before Allen found Curtis Samuel for the first touchdown of the game. This also gave the Bills the lead, but this did not last long.
In response, the Patriots also found the end zone. Rhamondre Stevenson would score a four-yard rushing touchdown to restore their three-point lead. Things would get even better for New England on their next drive, as Allen’s pass in the red zone was intercepted by the Patriots’ defense. This mistake would not help Buffalo, as on the subsequent drive, Maye and company would be able to move down to the Bills’ seven-yard line. Here, Stevenson found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give them a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
This lead was quickly reduced to three points when Allen found Coleman for a two-yard touchdown pass on the following drive. Then, on Buffalo’s next drive, they tied the game through a 45-yard field goal from Prater.
This meant that with two minutes left to play and the Patriots with possession, a field goal could be enough to win the game.
Starting from their 29-yard line, the Patriots’ offense made their way down to the Bills’ 34-yard line before Borregales successfully made a 52-yard field goal to give them a three-point lead with 15 seconds left in the game. This would technically be enough time for the Bills to make a few plays quickly and set up a game-tying field goal situation.
However, this never came, and the Bills’ offense did not get anywhere on this drive, meaning that the New England Patriots had defeated the Buffalo Bills 23-20.
This was a surprise win, and one that ends the Bills’ undefeated start to the season. This was a poor performance from Buffalo, who struggled to keep control of the ball. With the win, the Patriots improve to a 3-2 record, while the Bills fall to 4-1 for the season.
Next week, the Patriots face the New Orleans Saints, while the Bills play the Atlanta Falcons.
First Defeat for Philly!
The Philadelphia Eagles were the other team that came into the season with an undefeated start, and they look like the strongest team in the NFC, through their mostly uneventful wins. They faced the Denver Broncos this week, who are taking full advantage of the struggling Kansas City Chiefs and putting themselves into the race for the AFC West. Will another undefeated record end here?
The Broncos would be first to put points on the board. Led by quarterback Bo Nix, the team would slowly make its way down to the Eagles’ 37-yard line, where this drive stalled. This set up a 55-yard field goal attempt from kicker Will Lutz, which was successful. In response to this, the Eagles would also find the uprights. Their drive stalled at the Broncos’ 13-yard line, with Jake Elliot kicking from 31 yards out.
The Eagles would take the lead on their next drive. Starting from their 10-yard line, Philadelphia made its way down to the Broncos’ 2-yard line with ease, primarily thanks to a 52-yard pass from Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith. Here, Hurts found Dallas Goedert for the touchdown pass.
For the final seven minutes left of the half, the teams would trade punts. This meant that at halftime, the Eagles had a 10-3 lead over the Broncos.
This lead was extended on the first drive of the second half. Hurts found Saquon Barkley for a 47-yard touchdown pass to make it a two-possession game. Then, the game had another lull point, with more punts.
The fourth quarter would then start, and it was at this moment that the Broncos’ offense suddenly woke up. On their first drive of the quarter, Nix and company would be able to move down ot the Eagles’ two-yard line before J.K. Dobbins found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to make it a seven-point game.
The seven-point lead became non-existent on the next drive from the Broncos when Nix found Evan Engram for an 11-yard touchdown pass. Denver would then attempt a two-point conversion, which was successful. This gave them a one-point lead.
In response, as with many drives in this game, the Eagles were unable to do anything with the ball and quickly punted back to the Broncos.
However, while the Eagles could not score to save their game, it seemed like the Broncos could not stop them. On their next drive, the team slowly made their way down to the Eagles’ 18-yard line, taking a lot of time off the clock. They could not get the game-winning touchdown score here, but settled for a 36-yard field goal from Lutz. This gave them a four-point lead, but with just over a minute left on the clock, the Eagles had one opportunity to win this game.
This was another drive where the Eagles struggled. They were able to get the ball down to the Broncos’ 29-yard line, but this was more thanks to penalties against Denver rather than any offensive strength. No points were scored.
This meant that the Denver Broncos had defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17, leaving no undefeated teams in the NFL.
This was a poor performance from the Eagles. None of their wins have been that impressive, with their offense being described as “boring” by some. Today, that boring offense meets its match, and it costs them their record. With the win, the Broncos improve to 3-2, while the Eagles fall to 4-1.
Next week, both teams face off against the Big Apple, as the Broncos travel to London to take on the New York Jets, while the Eagles face the New York Giants on Thursday night.
Entertainment in the Emerald City
In a battle of two 3-1 teams who could very much win their division this year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Seattle Seahawks. These are two teams that have had strong starts to the season, but which would lose some momentum in what was set to be a very entertaining affair?
The Buccaneers had the first possession of the game and scored first. Starting from their 20-yard line, the Baker Mayfield-led offense made its way down to the Seahawks’ 12-yard line. This is where the drive stalled, setting up a 30-yard field goal attempt from Chase McLaughlin, which was successful. In response, the Seahawks would also attempt a field goal on their first drive of the game. But the 44-yard kick from Jason Myers went to the left of the uprights.
Tampa Bay would add to its lead on its next drive, with McLaughlin scoring another field goal, this time from 36 yards out.
A few drives later, the Seahawks would make a fatal mistake. Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe was in for this play, but fumbled the ball, which was then scooped up by the Bucanners’ defense. On the subsequent drive, Rachaad White would find the endzone for a seven-yard rushing touchdown.
The Seahawks would be able to put something on the board before halftime. Sam Darnold was able to bring his offense down to the Buccaneers’ six-yard line, and with six seconds left in the half, found Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the touchdown pass.
This meant that at halftime, the Buccaneers had a 13-7 lead over the Seahawks.
The second half would begin strongly for Seattle. On the first drive of the second half, Zach Charbonnet would find the endzone for a five-yard touchdown pass to give them their first lead of the game. But this did not last long, as on the following drive, Mayfield found Emeka Egbuka for a 20-yard touchdown pass. A successful two-point conversion attempt would give Tampa Bay a seven-point lead.
But this lead did not last long, as Darnold found AJ Barner for a two-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. In response to this, Tampa Bay again found the endzone, with White scoring a one-yard rushing touchdown as the third quarter came to an end.
While they entered the final quarter with a seven-point lead, this lead would not exist when the Buccaneers next had possession. This was thanks to Darnold finding Barner for a six-yard touchdown pass. This again tied the game, marking five consecutive drives that have ended in a touchdown.
The Buccaneers would then ruin this streak on their next drive, punting the ball quickly. This punt was very effective, forcing the Seahawks to start their drive on their one-yard line. However, this did not stop their offense from scoring. Darnold and company drove down the field to the Buccs’ 21-yard line. Then, on an important fourth-down attempt, Darnold found Tory Horton for a 21-yard touchdown pass to give them the lead with three minutes left on the clock.
You can probably guess what the Buccaneers did on their next drive. Mayfield would find Sterling Shepard for an 11-yard touchdown pass to level the scores with one minute left on the clock. This did, however, put Seattle in a strong position to win the game. All they needed to do was put the ball into field goal territory.
This is what did not happen. In reality, Darnold’s pass was intercepted by the Buccs near the 50-yard line. With just under a minute left on the clock, this gave the advantage to Tampa Bay, who now only needed a field goal to win.
Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense were able to get the ball down to the Seahawks’ 21-yard line, setting McLaughlin up with a 39-yard attempt. This was a successful outcome, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 38-35.
This was the high-scoring affair that one would expect from these teams. For most of the second half, it looked like the Seahawks were the stronger team. However, a mistake at the worst possible time cost them victory. Tampa Bay improved to 4-1 with the win, while Seattle fell to 3-2.
Next week, the Buccaneers face the San Francisco 49ers, while the Seahawks play the Jacksonville Jaguars.
What Happened to the Other Games?
We had another battle of 3-1 teams on Thursday night, when NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers faced the Los Angeles Rams. 49ers backup QB Mac Jones has again taken the reins after Brock Purdy was not ruled 100% for the game. He would lead the team to another win. A late field goal from Joshua Karty would send this game to overtime, but a 41-yard field goal from Eddie Pineiro gave the 49ers a 26-23 win.
The NFL made its return to London for the first of three games to be played in the city this week, as the Minnesota Vikings faced the Cleveland Browns, who were playing rookie quarterback Dillion Gabriel for the first time. He would throw for two touchdowns in this game, and the Browns were in contention throughout. But a late touchdown from Jordan Addison would give the Vikings a 21-17 win over the Browns.
The in-form Indianapolis Colts faced the struggling Las Vegas Raiders. This game went as expected, with the quarterback/ running back pairing of Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor dominating. The jury is still out on this Colts side; they have not faced any strong opponents this year, bar the Rams (who beat them). Indy would win the game 40-6.
After their 40-40 tie with the Green Bay Packers last week, the Dallas Cowboys had an easier test this week against the New York Jets. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns in their 37-22 win to keep the Jets winless.
The Miami Dolphins’ poor run of performances continued this week against the Carolina Panthers. This was a close game, which was expected from two teams that had been performing poorly. A late touchdown from Bryce Young gave the Panthers a 24-27 win.
The Baltimore Ravens, now without Lamar Jackson, struggled again this week against the Houston Texans. C.J. Stroud threw for four touchdowns in the Texans’ 44-10 win.
The Tennessee Titans won their first game of the season this week against the Arizona Cardinals. This game was marred by the fumble from the Cardinals on the goalline. This error cost the team the win, and a last-second field goal from Joey Sly sealed the Titans’ first win by the scoreline of 22-21.
The Detroit Lions are now seen as the best team in football, and they continued their dominance this week against the struggling Cincinnati Bengals. Jake Browning again had a game to forget, throwing for three interceptions (and three touchdowns). Lions QB Jared Goff also threw for three touchdowns, leading his team to a 37-24 win.
Jalen Daniels made his return for the Washington Commanders this week as his team faced the Los Angeles Commanders. He was able to throw for one touchdown in the Commanders’ 27-10 win.
On Monday night football, the Jacksonville Jaguars faced the Kansas City Chiefs. This was a very close game that went down to the wire. Here, a heroic play from Trevor Lawrence gave the Jags a surprise 31-28 win, which gave them a 4-1 record to start the season.
And finally, coming off their win last week, the New York Giants hoped to continue their newfound form against the winless New Orleans Saints. At halftime, the Giants were easily winning this game, and the rookie QB/RB pairing of Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo was set for another win. Then, numerous mistakes and fumbles allowed the Saints to get into the game, and they would ultimately win the game 26-14.
So that was a look at Week five of the 2025 NFL season. Next week, the Eagles face the Giants, the Lions play the Chiefs, and the 49ers face the Buccaneers in the highlights of the slate.
