Fans who attempted to erase their memories of watching the Indianapolis Colts-Denver Broncos stinker on Thursday Night Football were treated to an action-packed Sunday.
In Week 5, we witnessed a stunning upset abroad, a 98-yard touchdown in the blink of an eye, the Philadelphia Eagles remain undefeated and a tight end do it all.
It’s time to declare winners and losers from the past weekend of NFL football:
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Winner: Brian Daboll
The New York Football Giants are 4-1.
Brian Daboll, hired to clean up Joe Judge’s mess, has done that and more. He took his Giants across the pond and upset the Green Bay Packers 27-22 in London.
Saquon Barkley is running like 2018 Saquon Barkley. Daniel Jones is just running … a lot. And Daboll might be running away with the Coach of the Year trophy.
Loser: David Montgomery
Not only was David Montgomery held to 20 rushing yards on 12 attempts against an average Minnesota Vikings defense, but also his name was misspelled on his jersey.
Your starting Chicago Bears running back, David Montogomery.
Winner: Taysom Hill, football player
You can start Taysom Hill in your fantasy football TE spot or in the FLEX slot, but on Sunday, the BYU product proved he has his own position group -- HIM.
NFL
Here’s what Hill was up to in the New Orleans Saints’ 39-32 win over the Seattle Seahawks: 112 rushing yards and three scores, a 22-yard passing touchdown to tight end Adam Trautman and 69 kickoff return yards.
All in a day’s work. Whew.
Loser: Tyreek Hill
Normally the centerpiece of the NFL’s most exciting offense, Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill had to spend his afternoon catching passes from rookie Skylar Thompson. Teddy Bridgewater, the Dolphins’ backup quarterback behind the injured Tua Tagovailoa, left the game with an elbow and head injury after one offensive snap and did not return.
Thompson, a seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, completed 19 of 33 pass attempts for 166 yards and one interception. Oof.
Hill also was on the receiving end of a vicious stiff-arm by defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, who has five inches and 112 pounds on the speedster.
Winner: Bill Belichick
Over the years, New England coach Bill Belichick rarely looks happy on the sidelines, even during the height of the Patriots’ dynasty when Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls.
He had to be pleased after the Patriots’ 29-0 shutout of the Detroit Lions in Week 5.
The Lions entered the game as the NFL’s top offense, averaging 35 points per game, but Belichick’s defense kept them off the scoreboard all afternoon.
Belichick completely outcoached Dan Campbell, who is learning he can't rely on grit alone. Belichick's team, heavily constructed by a core of no-name youngsters, outclassed the Lions' up-and-coming studs. New England just might have something in Bailey Zappe, a fourth-round pick who was throwing passes in Conference USA at this time last year. The Patriots gashed Detroit's defense for 176 rushing yards, 161 coming from another one of Belichick's fourth-round steals, Rhamondre Stevenson.
All of that in the flashy but classic "Pat Patriot" red throwback uniforms. That seems like the recipe for a Belichick smirk, at the very least.
Loser: Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers had a few options at quarterback this offseason to improve upon Sam Darnold and cool the flames engulfing coach Matt Rhule’s hot seat.
Carolina was linked to Garoppolo trade rumors when the offseason began, but backed away after reports of the veteran quarterback's shoulder surgery emerged. Instead of betting on Garoppolo making a full recovery, the Panthers traded a conditional fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Baker Mayfield.
On Sunday, Garoppolo stuck it to the Panthers.
In the 49ers' dominant 37-15 victory, Garoppolo threw for 253 yards and two scores on 18-of-30 passing for a 109.4 passer rating, his sixth-best career mark in a contest with at least 30 attempts.
Mayfield, meanwhile, spent most of the evening gazing at the North Carolina stars. He was sacked six times by the elite 49ers’ defense -- the NFL's team leader in that category with 21 -- and that was with Pro Bowl pass rusher Nick Bosa missing nearly the entire second half with a groin injury.
Mayfield’s final stat line: 20 of 36, 215 passing yards, no scores, one interception and one depressing postgame press conference.
Long gone are the days of waking up feeling dangerous.
Winner: Defending bad takes
Tom Brady received a dose of Hall of Fame privilege in Week 5.
With the game within reach, Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett sacked Brady on a critical third down late in the fourth quarter. But wait, a whistle.
Official Jerome Boger thought Jarrett threw Brady down too harshly and threw a flag for roughing the passer.
Instead of Jarrett's sack forcing Tampa Bay to punt, the Buccaneers were awarded a fresh set of downs. Brady picked up another first down three plays later and proceeded to run down the clock to secure the win.
After the game, Boger doubled down on his penalty call.
“What I had was the defender grabbed the quarterback while he was still in the pocket, and unnecessarily throwing him to the ground,” Boger told reporters. “That is what I was making my decision based upon.”
Loser: Pittsburgh Steelers (in 64 seconds)
Kenny Pickett's first career start was decided before the No. 20 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft stepped onto the field.
A muffed kickoff return had the Buffalo Bills in trouble, starting the game's opening drive at their own 2-yard line. But on third down, Bills quarterback Josh Allen reached back and dropped a deep ball right into receiver Gabe Davis' mitts for a 98-yard touchdown.
Sixty-four seconds had run off the clock. Bills Mafia had claimed every last drop of momentum on one play.
The final? 38-3, Bills. Sounds about right.