Dak Prescott Staking Early MVP Claim, and What Else We’re Learning in Week 5

Maybe it’s just the system in Minnesota, where discarded quarterbacks seem to regularly find success, but veteran Carson Wentz — formerly of the Eagles, Colts, Commanders, Rams and Chiefs — has found some the past two weeks. Against a tough Cleveland defense, he went 25-of-34 for 236 yards and a touchdown on Sunday and engineered an impressive, 80-yard touchdown drive in just 2:40 to give the Vikings the win in the final minute in London. 

Wentz has now thrown for 586 yards and three touchdowns over the past two weeks. And he’s doing it despite a leaky offensive line that’s given up 21 sacks in five games, and a very inconsistent rushing attack that accounted for just 97 yards on Sunday. 

J.J. McCarthy could return from his ankle sprain next week, but he has struggled so far this season. If that continues, at least coach Kevin O’Connell now knows he’s got a viable option in Wentz waiting in the wings.

The Browns certainly didn’t ask their rookie starter to do much, and they supported him with a strong defense and a really good rushing attack (110 rushing yards from rookie Quinshon Judkins). But Gabriel proved to be a very efficient game manager, completing 19 of 33 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, he controlled the football and didn’t turn it over once. 

That’s a huge development considering Joe Flacco, the veteran Gabriel replaced, had thrown six interceptions in the first four games. The Browns aren’t loaded with offensive firepower, but they have a really good defense. The key to them staying in games — as they did until the final minute on Sunday — is making sure their quarterback doesn’t throw the game away. 

For one game, at least, Gabriel did that. Growth will come. But if he’s beginning from a place of no turnovers and general efficiency, there are definitely worse places for a rookie quarterback to start. – Ralph Vacchiano

Take away the No. 1 receiver from any quarterback in the NFL and what are you left with? Usually nothing good. But Prescott is somehow making it work. In two weeks without WR CeeDee Lamb, Prescott has thrown for 556 yards and seven touchdowns, and the Cowboys have put up a total of 77 points. Prescott has done that by being a remarkable combination of efficient and explosive, spreading the ball around to unlikely heroes. 

On Sunday, with Jets CB Sauce Gardner mostly clamping down on WR George Pickens, Prescott (18-of-29, 237 yards) leaned into WR Ryan Flournoy, who had six catches for 114 yards. The Cowboys’ offense right now is the best in the NFL. If their defense could stop being the worst, they could actually go on a run.

The Jets really thought they had something when they signed Fields in the offseason. They thought he was a raw talent that they could mold into an efficient, even dangerous quarterback. Boy, were they wrong. After a terrific opening day, he’s been mostly terrible. 

And on Sunday against the Cowboys, he helped turn the Jets’ offense into a disaster. Don’t be fooled by his 283 passing yards, which was mostly the result of a garbage-time surge. The Jets got 113 rushing yards from RB Breece Hall (on just 14 carries) and still fell into a 30-6 hole before getting two too-little, too-late touchdowns. Fields killed their passing attack with off-target throws and holding the ball way too long. The Cowboys league-worst defense came into the game with four sacks, but they got to the supposedly mobile Fields five times. 

There’s not a lot the Jets can do. Veteran Tyrod Taylor is a capable backup, but not a long-term solution. Maybe they’ll get lucky in the draft next April, though they have a long history working against them. – Ralph Vacchiano

A week after suffering a heartbreaking loss at home to the Bears, the Raiders were humiliated on the road by the Colts. After a season-opening win at New England, the Raiders have lost four straight — Pete Carroll’s first four-game losing streak since 2023. Geno Smith struggled to take care of the ball again by throwing two interceptions, which should lead Carroll to shake things up with the Raiders scuffling. That could mean a change at quarterback from the turnover-prone Smith to Kenny Pickett.

Special teams also remain an issue. Kicker Daniel Carlson had a blocked 53-yard field goal a week ago that could have won the game against Chicago. Against the Colts, Carlson missed a 57-yard field goal and Raiders punter A.J. Cole had a punt blocked. Carlson had to handle punting duties because Cole suffered an ankle injury on the block. Along with solving his team’s QB woes, Carroll should take a closer look at the special teams.

While Daniel Jones has rightly earned MVP consideration with his impressive play to start the year, Taylor remains the engine of the offense for Indianapolis. A week after turnovers and head-scratching plays led to a disappointing loss in a game the Colts should have won on the road against the Rams, the steady Taylor led the way on offense, finishing with 86 scrimmage yards and three scores. Jones posted 212 passing yards and two scores. Even backup quarterback Anthony Richardson played in the fourth quarter. But Taylor’s ability to create balance and big plays in the running game will serve Indianapolis well as it competes for the top spot in the AFC South. – Eric D. Williams

If you’d said Tua Tagovailoa throws for three touchdowns and no turnovers against a one-win team, that should be enough for victory, right? But Miami’s defense allowed the Panthers to rush for 242 yards — most of them from Rico Dowdle — and that was enough for Carolina to pull out a wild 27-24 win in Charlotte. 

With no Tyreek Hill, much of the concern was whether Miami could find their downfield passing game, and Jaylen Waddle had 110 yards, including a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, but Miami’s defense couldn’t close it out against a team with its backup running back pressed into duty. Each loss like this pushes the Dolphins closer to trading off assets at the deadline next month. 

Rico Dowdle rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year in Dallas, so it shouldn’t be that surprising, but with Chuba Hubbard sidelined with injury, Dowdle stepped up in a huge way Sunday against Miami. He rushed for 201 yards – third-most in Carolina history – and paved the way for a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

 Bryce Young came up with big plays down the stretch, but Dowdle moved the chains all day, getting the Panthers back to the ground-and-pound offense they had the last time they were a competitive team a few years back. Dowdle had a lukewarm market in free agency, but a spot start like Sunday, after totaling 83 yards in four games as a backup, serves as a reminder of what he’s capable of doing at his best. – Greg Auman

You can’t necessarily draw too many “football” takeaways from the Texans beating up on the Ravens’ reeling (and injury-depleted) defense. Apart from the Browns, everyone has been able to put up big numbers on Baltimore. But Houston’s growing confidence offensively is noticeable. 

A week after (finally) finding a switch late against Tennessee, Houston took another big step forward this week on the road. C.J. Stroud, who had four touchdown passes (second most of his career), had a persistent smile on his face for the first time in what feels like ages. First-time offensive playcaller Nick Calley seems to have settled in after a bumpy start to the year. The Texans’ young receivers continue to show progress (second-year pro Xavier Hutchinson and rookie Jaylin Noel combined for three touchdowns). Houston also had a season-high 167 rushing yards. 

The Texans will have a bigger challenge coming out of their bye, when they face Mike MacDonald’s Seahawks defense, but Houston’s offense couldn’t be in a better place heading into that game.  

Yes, Baltimore is hurting on defense. We know all the All-Pro and Pro Bowl talent the Ravens have out, including defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, middle linebacker Roquan Smith and safety Kyle Hamilton. But they were whooped at home by the Texans. The lack of star talent aside, the Ravens were completely overwhelmed from a scheme and competitive standpoint. The adjustments didn’t come. 

The Texans — who were terrible offensively this season up until the fourth quarter last week against the Titans — were able to do whatever they wanted in the passing game in the first half, and they continued to do whatever they wanted in the passing game in the second half. Through the first four games, coach John Harbaugh expressed faith in defensive coordinator Zach Orr’s ability to get the job done. After this performance, there has to be a change. We’re in the second quarter of the season and the Ravens’ defense hasn’t shown any progress. – Ben Arthur

Two touchdowns for rookie QB Jaxson Dart was exciting, but the Giants know they cannot commit five turnovers and have any chance to beat even the worst teams in the NFL. Dart threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, and that’s how you go from a 14-3 lead to a double-digit loss. New York is trying to grind out wins with an all-rookie backfield, but Cam Skattebo’s fumble was the turning point in the game, and offset a hard day of tough runs. 

Beating the Chargers last week felt like a fortunate break for the Giants, and they follow that with a bad loss to fall to 1-4. Two of their next three are against the Eagles and Saquon Barkley, so good luck with those.

Two touchdowns of 86 yards and longer will go a long way toward winning, and the Saints pulled that off to finally get their first win of the season. Spencer Rattler, who was 0-10 as a starter to open his NFL career, finally got his first victory, the biggest play being an 87-yard touchdown pass to receiver Rashid Shaheed.

The game turned on another huge play — just as the Giants were closer to going in for a go-ahead touchdown, the Saints forced a Cam Skattebo fumble and safety Jordan Howden returned it 86 yards for a touchdown. Not much has gone right for the Saints in 2025, but this was a hard-earned win in front of the home fans. – Greg Auman

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