By Louis Friedl 
Week five in the NFL had some great games with incredibly exciting finishes. There were also some games that weren’t as competitive due to poor performances and sloppy play. Here is the report card grade for every team in week five based on how they played, combined with what their expectations were and who their opponents were.
Jaguars: A-
This game proved that the Jags are for real. They hosted the Chiefs, who came in playing great football, and although they fell behind by 2 scores early, they battled back and even took a lead into the 4th quarter. Trevor Lawrence had two rushing TDs, including the game winner. The defense continues to be the story for the Jags, as they lead the NFL in takeaways and scored on a 99-yard INT return.
Eagles: B-
They had a 14-point lead at home heading into the 4th quarter before allowing 18 points in the final 15 minutes. They still can’t get the run game going. They were too one dimensional and everything fell on the shoulders of Jalen Hurts.
Chiefs: B
They played a good game, but not a great game. Mahomes was excellent, except for his costly interception. Pacheco looked better than he has so far this season, and the defense played well. Blowing a double-digit lead and allowing a TD in the final 30 seconds of the game to lose is not what championship defenses do, so it is something they will need to clean up, especially with the Lions coming into KC this coming week.
Lions: A-
They were in control of the game from start to finish. The defense played great again until garbage time, and the offense had their way with a bad Bengals defense. Both Gibbs and Montgomery scored touchdowns.
Vikings: B+
They let the Browns stick around and relied on a Wentz game-winning drive to win, but scoring 21 points against the league’s best defense is impressive, and a win is a win. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Mason accounted for half of the teams yards.
Chargers: C+
The defense didn’t play as well as we are used to seeing, and the offense didn’t score any points after the first quarter. Justin Herbert looked so good in the first few weeks of the season, but has looked equally as bad the past two weeks.
Panthers: B
They fell down early in this game but battled back and won. Rico Dowdle was the star for them offensively, filling in for the injured Chuba Hubbard. Bryce Young played well and got both Tet McMillan and Tommy Tremble involved in the passing game.
Colts: A+
They dominated this game against the Raiders from start to finish, winning by 34 points and improving to 4-1. Jonathan Taylor rushed for 3 TDs and Daniel Jones continues to play at a very high level for Indy after struggling for years with the Giants.
Commanders: A-
Getting Jayden Daniels back made all the difference for this team as they went on the road to LA and took care of a good Chargers team. JCM was a beast in the running game and catching passes out of the backfield, while the defense played arguably their best game of the season.
Cardinals: D+
They made mistake after mistake after mistake and ended up losing to one of the worst teams in the league. Kyler Murray and the offense seemed to take their foot off the gas after they jumped out to their lead, and it came back to bite them at the end.
Saints: B+
They fell behind early on, but battled back to win their first game of the season. The defense made plays, and the offense was better than expected. Spencer Rattler outplayed Jaxson Dart and earned himself some more starts.
Browns: B
Although they lost the game right at the end, they battled against a great Vikings team. The defense played well, Judkins ran well, and Dillon Gabriel made plays in the passing game. Gabriel should continue to be the starting QB moving forward over Joe Flacco.
Patriots: A
They went into Buffalo in Prime Time and shocked the Bills. The defense stepped up, and both Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs had huge games offensively. This could be a signature win for the Patriots in the Vrabel/Maye era.
49ers: A-
Not only did they win a tough road game against a division rival, but they did it with a backup QB and their top 3 pass catchers all hurt. Mac Jones improved to 3-0 as the starting QB in SF this season and the 49ers might be kicking themselves for paying Brock Purdy all that money.
Seahawks: B+
The defense struggled to slow down Baker and the Bucs, but the offense continues to succeed with Sam Darnold at QB. Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have a great rapport and should continue to put up big time numbers together in the passing game.
Titans: C+
They were down and out until the Cardinals handed them new life, and they took advantage. Cam Ward and the offense came alive on the final drive, and they came away with their first win of the season. This was a situation where they didn’t play that well, the Cardinals just played horribly.
Rams: B
They didn’t play poorly, but they lost a game to a 49ers team that was missing key players. The Rams were the clear favorites coming into and it was a game they should have won. Stafford and Nacua contiue to put up huge numbers in the pass game.
Bills: B-
They played a good game, but get the lower grade because it was a game they were favored to win. They turned the ball over 3 times, and it cost them. James Cook was unable to get things going on the ground and Allen threw an interception in the red zone.
Texans: A-
They went on the road and completely dominated an injured Ravens team. Stroud had his best game of the year, and they were able to run the football with Nick Chubb and Woody Marks. The defense continues to be one of the best in football.
Raiders: D
They played terribly in every facet of the game and were completely dominated by the Colts. Geno Smith is turning the ball over way too often and the offensive line is not creating nearly enough space for 1st round RB Ashton Jeanty.
Giants: C+
They had an early lead and let it slip away against a team that was winless coming into the game. Not a good game from anyone on the Giants, although there were some flashes from QB Jaxson Dart. Cam Skattebo had a costly fumble inside the five yard line too.
Ravens: C-
They couldn’t do anything to stop the Texans offense, and their offense stunk without Lamar Jackson. Cooper Rush is not good enough to win them games, and Derrick Henry continues to underwhelm rushing the football.
Cowboys: A-
The defense played very well until garbage time, and the offense continued to roll even without CeeDee Lamb. Dak Prescott looks great, distributing the ball around to all his play makers and the run game with Javonte Williams continues to be a bright spot.
Buccaneers: B+
The offense was fantastic once again, but the defense struggled to slow down a very good Seahawks team on the road in Seattle. Rachaad White stepped up in the absence of Bucky Irving and rookie WR Emeka Egbuka continues to look like the eventual OROTY.
Broncos: B+
They had a massive come-from-behind win on the road against the defending champions. Their offense was quiet through 3 quarters, but did enough in the 4th to win. Bo Nix made clutch plays when it mattered most.
Bengals: D+
The defense played horribly, as they always do, but it’s the offense that continues to disappoint since Burrow got hurt weeks ago. They scored some TDs late in the game, but they we down by 4 possessions when the offense got rolling. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both had TD receptions.
Jets: C-
The defense really let them down and are the only defense in the NFL that has yet to force a turnover. The offense put up good numbers, but not until garbage time. Breece Hall ran the ball effectively, but they had to abandon the run game due to their large deficit on the score board.
Dolphins: B-
They didn’t play poorly, but they weren’t good either. The offense put up 24 points, and Tua was solid, but the defense allowed over 200 rush yards to Rico Dowdle. If he wasn’t already on thin ice, head coach Mike McDaniel’s time in Miami appears to be coming to an end sooner rather than later.
Teams On Bye Week:
Bears, Falcons, Packers, Steelers
Angel Atienza-Romero