Biggest story lines of Week 5: NFC West showdown, Battle of 1-3s, Mahomes vs. NFL top defense
Week 5 starts off with an interstate rivalry from California as the Los Angeles Rams welcome the San Francisco 49ers for a Thursday night showdown.
September has come to an end, and it’s been a month full of dramatic endings, upsets, surprises and unfortunately injuries. Some of the league’s biggest stars have been sidelined already, and that will dominate the headlines coming into Week 5.
San Francisco 49ers vs. LA Rams, Thursday @ 8:15 p.m. ET
NFC West front runners
Week 5 starts with a divisional battle between the two front runners in the NFC West on Thursday night. After the first month of the season the Niners, Seahawks and Rams are all 3-1 making it the best division in football. Despite this, there are still plenty of questions surrounding these teams, especially the 49ers. First and foremost for San Fran is the status of Brock Purdy’s toe injury that flared up in the loss to the Jags on Sunday. They already have a handful of injuries that they have been dealing with, and now they head to LA to play a team that could have been 4-0 if they hadn’t collapsed in the 2nd half against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens, Sunday @ 1:00 p.m. ET
Battle of the 1-3 “contenders”
There was so much hope for both of these teams coming into the season, but after a disastrous September the playoffs seem like a long shot. One thing is for sure, every game from here on out is going to be a must win situation. To say the Ravens defense is banged up would be a serious understatement. Half of the starters are either out, doubtful or questionable for this game, not to mention two time MVP Lamar Jackson who is doubtful with a hamstring injury. The Texans don’t have any issues on the defensive end. They are giving up under 13 points a game, but they are incredibly 1-3 somehow. CJ Stroud and the offense have had a miserable start to the season, but last week they might have caught their stride with a 26-0 blowout over the Titans.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sunday @ 4:05 p.m. ET
Litmus test in the NFC
The Bucs like the Rams have only lost to the Philadelphia Eagles over the first four weeks, and they had a chance to beat them with a late come back bid last Sunday. Baker Mayfield has been a game winning drive specialist over the first few games, but couldn’t deliver against the Super Bowl champs. Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks needed their own late game heroics after almost blowing a big lead on Thursday Night Football in Arizona. They were able to avoid disaster and survive the division road game on a short week, and now they return home for one of the games of Week 5.
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills, Sunday @ 8:15 p.m. ET
MVP in primetime
It’s no secret that the Bills are undefeated. Nor is it a secret that they have dominated the AFC East for the last half decade. They have already beat the Dolphins and the Jets and they have a chance to go 3-0 in the division through the first five weeks of the season. Buffalo are 4-0 but when you look at their schedule outside, you see their opponents have a combined record of 2-14. The Pats showed that this team is starting to click on both ends of the ball. Mike Vrable’s defense is starting to take shape and Drake Maye looks like the most developed QBs of all of the gun slingers selected in last year’s draft. He’ll have his work cut out on Sunday Night when the he goes up against the reigning MVP of the league.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Monday @ 8:15 p.m. ET
KC’s revamped offense taking on Jags
It’s been a long time since the Kansas City Chiefs have looked like the Chiefs that took the league by storm and built up the latest dynasty in the NFL. This season got off to a slow start, especially scoring the ball but the return of the X Man brought that spark back. Xavier Worthy took a big load off of Mahomes and we got flashbacks of what this KC offense looked two or three seasons ago. They will head to Jacksonville to take a Jags defense that have turned into the most game changing unit in the NFL. They lead the league in take aways with 13. They will be looking to make life difficult for Mahomes and the Chiefs on Monday night.
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