NFL

NFL Week 5 winners and losers: London Jaguars, Bill Belichick and Swifties

From a London winning streak to lopsided losses in the States and a missing pop star, Week 5 has had a little bit of everything

Bill Belichick
Winslow Townson/Getty Images

The NFL regular season is nearly one-third complete.

The surprises continued in Week 5, both domestically and internationally, as teams continue to battle for positioning in the standings.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from around the league this weekend...

Winner: The London Jaguars

The Jaguars are establishing a home-field advantage overseas.

They arrived in London as a 1-2 team. They are leaving at 3-2.

Playing in the British capital for the second consecutive week, the Jags completed a sweep of the international portion of their schedule by upsetting the Buffalo Bills 25-20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Travis Etienne ran for 136 yards, including two fourth-quarter touchdowns that sealed the victory. Trevor Lawrence completed 25 of 37 passes for 315 yards and a touchdown.

Although the Jaguars, who last week defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 in London, are regulars in London, the Bills were technically the "home" team in this game. The Jaguars were booed while taking the field by a crowd that was mostly Bills Mafia. The Jags are now 7-5 overall when playing in London.

Loser: Bill Belichick

Last week, Bill Belichick suffered what was the worst loss of his 29-year career as a head coach in the NFL. This week, he nearly topped it.

Belichick and the New England Patriots have been outscored by a combined total of 72-3 over the last two weeks, falling 38-3 last week to the Dallas Cowboys and then getting shut out 34-0 by the New Orleans Saints this week.

The previous worst loss in Belichick's career, including the postseason, was 31-0 at Buffalo in 2003. The six-time Super Bowl winner needs one victory to join George Halas and Don Shula as the only NFL coaches with 300 career regular-season victories.

Winner: Those who started Zack Moss in fantasy football

Many fantasy football players likely benched Zack Moss for this week's matchup with his Indianapolis Colts backfield mate Jonathan Taylor having reached a long-term deal and set to return from the PUP list.

Those who kept Moss in the lineup are likely on their way to an easy win this week. Moss rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and added 30 receiving yards on two catches in the Colts' 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.

As for Taylor, well, he was eased back into things. Days after signing a three-year, $42 million contract, he had six carries for 18 yards and one catch for 16 yards.

Loser: Baltimore Ravens pass catchers

A look at the box score for the Baltimore Ravens' 17-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers would suggest that quarterback Lamar Jackson had a horrible game. Not exactly...

The Ravens had seven dropped passes in the game.

Jackson completed 22 of 38 passes, but he did throw an interception in the end zone with the Ravens up by two and just over four minutes remaining.

After Pittsburgh took the lead on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens, Jackson turned it over again after being stripped by Alex Highsmith.

Loser: Swifties in Minnesota

No sign of Taylor Swift at the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Sorry, Swifites.

Winner: Bouncing back

Ja'Marr Chase said after a loss in Week 4 that he's "always f****** open." He proved that against the Arizona Cardinals with a commanding performance that helped the Cincinnati Bengals grab an important 34-20 road win. Chase hauled in 15 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns, which bumped the Bengals to 2-3 instead of a disastrous 1-4 start.

The New York Jets also regained momentum with a 31-21 road win vs. the Denver Broncos. New York gave Kansas City an impressive fight on Sunday Night Football in Week 4, and though Russell Wilson and Co. aren't on the same level as its AFC West counterparts, the Jets could not afford to drop this one.

Just look at how they sealed the deal vs. Wilson.

Loser: Sean Payton

Before the season started, new Broncos head coach Sean Payton had this to say about Nathaniel Hackett's Denver tenure, who he replaced: "...might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL."

Hackett, now the offensive coordinator at New York, got the last laugh on Sunday as Payton's start to life at Denver worsens each week. Russell Wilson didn't stand out against Zach Wilson, and Breece Hall turned up with 177 rushing yards on 22 carries against the Broncos' defense.

Patrick Surtain II had an incredible interception in what was the lone positive for a head coach who needs to get a grip on his team as soon as possible.

Loser: Vikings drop to 1-4

The Vikings came away with countless single-possession wins last year before being exposed immediately in the playoffs. That variance has not favored them in 2023, and Minnesota fought an uphill battle against Kansas City that ended in a 27-20 loss.

Kirk Cousins completed 29-for-47 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns while their leading rusher was Alexander Mattison, who recorded 26 yards on eight carries. The Chiefs also kept Justin Jefferson in check, limiting the star to just three catches for 28 yards.

Minnesota plays the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers the next two weeks. Might the Vikings become a seller at the deadline if things dip further?

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