Around the NFL: Week 5

In Week 5 of the NFL, multiple teams hopped back on the struggle bus; meanwhile, some teams never left.

Eagles vs. Rams

The build-up to this game was the return of Rams all-pro receiver Cooper Kupp.

Kupp was the go-to guy for quarterback Matthew Stafford their past two years together, but rookie receiver Puka Nacua is starting to steal that spotlight. In the first drive alone, Kupp had five catches for 56 yards. The Rams marched down the field and scored a touchdown to tie the game at 7.

With 32 seconds left in the second quarter, Stafford and the Rams were at the Eagles’ 22-yard line and needed a quick score before the half ended, and they did just that. Stafford found Nacua for a 22-yard touchdown to put the Rams up 14-10.

Starting the third quarter, the score was 17-14 Eagles, and the Philly defense really came alive. The Rams only had five drives during the second half; three of those were punts, one was a turnover on downs and the other was the final moments of the game.

The Philadelphia offense on the other hand was dynamic with receiver A.J. Brown. Quarterback Jalen Hurts and Brown continued to find each other throughout the second half. Brown had six catches for 127 yards.

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Although Brown did not score a touchdown, kicker Jake Elliot helped finish off two crucial drives off for Philly as he scored two field goals in the fourth quarter to bring the score to 23-14, Eagles.

It was up to Matthew Stafford to lead the comeback for the Rams, but he could not find any success. Stafford and company had the ball with 1:01 left in the game at their own eight-yard line. Their last play was a heave to Puka Nacua, but the receiver could not make anything happen as time expired.

The final score was 23-14 Eagles.

Chiefs vs. Vikings

Minnesota finally picked up their first win last week against the Panthers. But this week, it was a whole different opponent. The Kansas City Chiefs have been rolling ever since their loss against the Lions in Week 1. Meanwhile, it did not take long for the Chiefs to find the endzone in this one.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs quickly moved through the Vikings defense and running back Isiah Pacheco found the endzone in the early moments of the first quarter. Leading 7-0, the Chiefs looked to put this one away early.

Trailing 10-6, the Vikings needed to score more than a field goal to keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs.

With 1:39 remaining in the half, Kirk Cousins found rookie receiver Jordan Addison for a five-yard touchdown pass to put the Vikings up 13-10. However, Mahomes and company still had plenty of time left to put something on the board.

The Chiefs moved down the field to the Vikings 22-yard line to set up kicker Harrison Butker, for a 40-yard field goal as time expired. At halftime, the score was tied at 13.

In the second half, it was all Kansas City. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on their first two drives, including one to tight end Travis Kelce, who got injured just before halftime.

YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO IT IS pic.twitter.com/3oDVxHQglD

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 8, 2023

Leading 27-20, the Chiefs would ultimately rely on their defense to win them the game as they punted on their final two drives. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings had 1:07 left in the fourth to complete the comeback. But with five seconds left, Cousins was sacked. The Vikings had no timeouts and the game was over. The final score was 27-20 Chiefs.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes on how well the Chiefs fans travel:

Texans vs. Falcons

Both young quarterbacks had impressive games in a matchup of two 2-2 teams. After their loss to the Jaguars in London, the Falcons would be playing the Jags’ division rival in the Houston Texans.

The game started off with a field goal from Houston kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn to put the Texans up 3-0. Meanwhile, the Falcons marched down the field and scored a touchdown on the following drive. Quarterback Desmond Ridder scrambled to the left for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Falcons up 7-3.

After that touchdown, both teams would punt for a combined seven times. At halftime, the Houston Texans were trailing 9-7 after Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled his third field goal of the game.

The second half started out with yet another field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn, and the Texans needed to just keep playing great defense to grab the win. They did just that all the way up until the 12:12 of the fourth quarter.

Desmond Ridder found rookie running back Bijan Robinson for a six-yard touchdown pass. The Falcons would go for two and succeed. Now leading the 15-12, the Falcons needed their defense to make plays.

Starting at their own 25-yard line, C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense marched down the field to Falcons’ 18-yard line, where Stroud would connect with Dalton Schultz for a touchdown. The Texans now led 19-18, and the Falcons needed big, quick drive from Desmond Ridder.

With 1:49 left in the game, Ridder and the Falcons marched down to the Texans’ 19-yard line, where they would set up kicker Younghoe Koo for the game-winning field goal.

The final score was 21-19 Falcons.

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