The NFL returned to London on Sunday and it was another memorable day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Minnesota Vikings recorded a 23-17 win over the New York Jets and Osi Umenyiora and Jared Allen were inducted into the NFL London Games Ring of Honour.
But I feel like I have to start 4,000 miles away in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the hometown Bengals fell to a 41-38 overtime defeat against the Baltimore Ravens. This was a wonderful game full of big plays, drama and moments where some of the league’s stars shone in the bright spotlight.
Lamar Jackson was incredible for so much of this game, especially given that his Ravens trailed by 10 points at three different times in the second half. He kept plugging away and producing big plays, ending the day having passed for 348 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
It may only be Week 5 that has just gone into the books, but Lamar laid down an early marker for play of the season on his six-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely that pulled the Ravens to within three late in the fourth quarter. After rolling away from pressure, Lamar twice stiff-armed 270-pound defensive end Sam Hubbard out of reach before firing back across the middle of the field to a rejuvenated tight end who had gone quiet for a couple of weeks after a big opening night in Kansas City.
The Ravens have now won three in a row after their 0-2 start and I would label each of them as quality wins coming against Dallas, Buffalo and a Cincinnati team that is now 1-4 but one that I think can still be pretty good.
Quarterback Joe Burrow told the media after the game that the Bengals were not playing at a championship level. I agree they are not getting the wins and they continue to have some serious struggles on the defensive side of the ball. But they have one of the league’s best quarterbacks who can lead a fightback.
Burrow threw for 392 yards and five touchdowns in a losing cause and must have been sick to his stomach when the vital snap and hold blew Evan McPherson’s 53-yard game-winning field goal attempt in overtime. Derrick Henry ripped off a big run moments later (51 yards) and Justin Tucker’s chip shot field goal sent the Ravens back to Baltimore with the win.
The Bengals must be in a world of pain right now at 1-4, but as long as they have Burrow at the helm, I believe Cincinnati are very much alive. Fans of the Cleveland Browns, you can forget about it, but fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers may disagree with what I’m about to say next… I believe we were watching the best two teams in the AFC North and that division will still go to either the Ravens or the Bengals.
That’s the power of having an elite quarterback who turns into an absolute “hold my beer” baller in big moments.
Who’s Hot…
Ja’Marr Chase… The Bengals may be sitting at 1-4, but their weapons are humming now and Ja’Marr Chase showed just how special he is with 10 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. In the last three weeks, Chase has caught 19 passes for 396 yards (20.8 average) and five touchdowns. With Tee Higgins also getting up to speed (he scored twice on Sunday) after missing the first two weeks of the year with a hamstring injury, Cincinnati’s passing attack looks potent once more.
Caleb Williams… The 3-2 Bears have won two in a row and their rookie quarterback – who was taken first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft – is looking more and more comfortable in his NFL surroundings with each passing week. In Sunday’s 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers, Williams continued to make the “wow” plays that make us sit up and take notice, but he also is making the bread and butter plays that move an offense downfield. His receivers are healthy, D’Andre Swift is a factor in the backfield and the Bears are heading to London 3-2 and in a good mood.
Washington’s Offense… The Commanders are 4-1 and off to their best start since 2008 and their offense has been completely revitalised under rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Sunday’s 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns saw Washington top 30 points for the third game in a row, while racking up 434 yards of total offense. Washington completely dominated the Browns, even though Daniels was merely solid in the passing game as he threw for 238 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But Washington possess tremendous balance and ran the ball 34 times for 215 yards and three touchdowns, powered by Daniels’ 82 yards on the ground. It’s early, but the vibes in Washington are very positive indeed.
Who’s Not…
The New England Patriots… It’s getting rough for the New England Patriots and rookie head coach Jerod Mayo. Sunday’s 15-10 loss at home to the seemingly-powerless Miami Dolphins was a real body blow and marked a fourth successive defeat. The offensive line is not good and the receivers are very average – at best – but that’s no reason to keep first-round rookie quarterback Drake Maye on the bench a moment longer. Maybe the kid can create a spark? Jacoby Brissett threw for just 160 yards and no touchdowns on Sunday. New England found the end zone just once and they blew a shot at victory despite rushing 19 times for 151 yards and one touchdown. There are rumblings of locker room discontent and one way to solve that might be to insert Maye into the lineup this coming weekend or most definitely in time for their game in London against Jacksonville.
The New York Jets’ offense… New York got themselves in a hole early against the Vikings in London, falling behind 17-0. But they did score before the half and they were never getting blown out. Which makes it baffling to me that they called 57 passing plays (54 Aaron Rodgers throws and three sacks given up) compared to just 14 runs for 36 yards. Rodgers can still throw the rock. I was down on the field in the corner of the end zone when he threw his first half touchdown to Allen Lazard and that thing was moving like a laser beam! But don’t ask him to work without balance. Rodgers is 40 years old and could do without getting hit 25 times in the last two games – contests he has walked away from with knee and ankle injuries.
The Cleveland Browns… A playoff team a year ago, the Browns are now 1-4 and have to be one of the more disappointing outfits in the league this season. It should be noted that Cleveland were all at sea last year as well before Joe Flacco rode to their rescue. That cannot happen this year, but a quarterback change can hardly make things worse. The Browns have yet to top 300 yards of total offense in a game this year and Deshaun Watson is a major problem. Yes, his line is not playing well and is missing some key stars, but he looks a shadow of his former self. Head coach Kevin Stefanski insists no change is coming at QB, which means no Jameis Winston just yet. Things are just as depressing on defense and this could be a long year in Cleveland.
The Fast Five…
- It was an absolute privilege to host the very first NFL London Games Ring of Honour ceremony as we welcomed our very own Osi Umenyiora and former Minnesota Vikings star Jared Allen into the Class of 2024. It was just another special moment in what has been an incredible 17-year journey for the NFL here in the UK. And with game numbers 38 and 39 still to come in the next two weeks, there is much to look forward to. You, the fans, were incredible once again on Sunday and it was nice to meet so many of you (it felt like the entire 61,000) outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the game. I love how we all come together as an NFL UK community at games like this and that we all got to celebrate to great ambassadors and players for the NFL in Osi and Jared.
- I’m sure there are many tactical and technical reasons why the Arizona Cardinals recorded a stunning 24-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. But, to me, it’s simple. The Niners were in cruise control up 23-10 at the half and they never put the Cards away. If you let a team with an athletic quarterback hang around, you’re asking for late drama. San Francisco didn’t score a single point in the second half and Arizona won on Chad Ryland’s 35-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining. Where was the killer instinct from the 49ers?
- The weight that was lifted off the shoulders of head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Trevor Lawrence must have been immense on Sunday as the Jacksonville Jaguars registered a far-too-dramatic 37-34 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Jags led by 14 with five minutes remaining but got pegged back at 34-34. Pederson and Lawrence must have been thinking, ‘Here we go again.’ But Lawrence – who threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns – led a late drive that culminated in Cam Littl”s game-winning field goal from 49 yards. If ever a team needed a win, it was the Jags in Week 5. Next stop, back-to-back games in London.
- The Houston Texans recorded a 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday that was capped with Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 59-yard field goal as time expired. That winning drive was set up by a weird Buffalo sequence in which they threw three passes out of their own end zone in the dying moments of the game, running very little time off the clock and laying the table for Houston to win with excellent field position. Why didn’t the Bills just play for overtime there given the precarious field position? Also alarming in this game was Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen completing just nine of 20 passes. His MVP talk has gone very quiet over the past two games.
- Let’s just jump back to Thursday night really quickly as the Atlanta Falcons moved into top spot in the NFC South with a stunning 36-30 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kirk Cousins and what had been a bogged-down offense woke up for then Falcons with the quarterback throwing for a career-high 509 yards and four touchdowns. I don’t believe the Bucs are going away so this race between them and the Falcons could get spicy in the second half of the year.
Fact of the Week
Starting at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London and ending with a 90-minute rain-delayed contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys at Acrisure Stadium; Week 5 featured the longest NFL Sunday since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The wall-to-wall football spanned 15 hours and 27 minutes.
Final Thought…
We’ve seen a few false dawns already in this young NFL season. It was not that long ago that the Baltimore Ravens were in trouble and the Buffalo Bills were on their way to the Super Bowl. That particular narrative has flipped on its head in the past fortnight. So, making rash statements or getting carried away is risky business. But I do believe the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings are for real. Sunday’s win over the Jets at Tottenham strengthened my belief because it was completed without a great deal of offensive fireworks. The Vikings saw Sam Darnold throw for just 179 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and the ground attack did not fare much better with just 82 yards on 30 carries. But the defense can carry the Vikings on days like these and it was fitting that this game was sealed with a third interception of Rodgers. That’s what good teams do – one side of the ball can lift up the other at key times.
