NFL Week 5: Cowboys-Rams under way, Chargers edge Browns, more top plays

The New York Giants upset the Green Bay Packers in London to open the fifth Sunday of the NFL season.

Then the Buffalo Bills hammered Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers held on to beat the Atlanta Falcons. 

In the late afternoon window, the Cowboys are taking on the Rams in America’s Game of the Week, while the Ravens and Bengals close things out on Sunday Night Football.

Here are the top plays from Sunday’s action.

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams

Armored up!

Dallas’ defense has strung together some special plays, and it got to Matthew Stafford early. Dorance Armstrong collected the sack on L.A.’s first third-down snap, and Demarcus Lawrence picked it up to rumble 19 yards for an early TD.

How do you do, Tutu?

The Rams’ longest play of the season was Tutu Atwell’s first catch as well – a 54-yarder to set up a chip-shot FG for Matt Gay.

Fill up the Kupp

Covering Cooper Kupp in the slot in a tough task, and Trevon Diggs found out the hard way when Kupp torched him for a 75-yard TD following a superb one-handed grab.

TD for TP!

Cowboys fans have been clamoring for Tony Pollard to receive more carries, and he showed off his game-breaking speed on a 57-yard turbo boost to put Dallas up 16-10.

 Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals

Get griddy

Jalen Hurts has a nose for the end zone, and he sniffed it out again in the first quarter for Philly on the back end of an 11-play, 64-yard opening drive.

Hurts continued his hot stretch with another short-yard rushing scamper to put Philly up 14-0.

San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers 

Tight end U

You can’t teach a class on something you haven’t mastered, and George Kittle knows how to play tight end. Case and point:

The strong snag keyed San Francisco’s first TD on a seven-play, 75-yard drive. Tevin Coleman was the hot target for Jimmy G on the scoring play.

Pump it up!

It was only a matter of time before the 49ers’ top-ranked defense made its mark on the affair. This pick-six from Emmanuel Moseley was every exciting in every sense of the word. DC Demeco Ryans certainly thought so.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21, Atlanta Falcons 15

Lenny!

Need a short-yardage TD? Dial up Leonard Fournette. The guy’s thighs were built for the goal line, and he showed why on Tampa’s first score, closing a well-crafted 13-play, 88-yard drive.

Favorite target

Mike Evans had numerous drives without a reception to open play, but at some point, we knew Tom Brady was going to go his way for a big play. That’s just what happened as Evans made magic happen on this 40-yard grab to help Tampa score its second TD.

Atlanta got within six following a TD and ensuing two-point conversion, and had a chance to get the ball back after Grady Jarrett got to Brady for a timely sack. But the play was called back after a controversial roughing the passer call, allowing Tampa to run out the clock.

Buffalo Bills 38, Pittsburgh Steelers 3

Need a breather?

Much has been made of Bills’ receiver Gabriel Davis’ lack of targets this season after his eye-popping playoff performance, but whenever he does get the ball, magic’s likely. That’s what happened on Buffalo’s first drive.

A muffed kickoff put the team on its own 2-yard line, but Josh Allen and Davis showed rendered that field position meaningless.

Stellar snag!

Gabriel Davis averaged 80 yards per catch after making two (!) grabs in to open the matchup. And his second TD catch was indubitably better than the first. Minkah Fitzpatrick will probably tell you the same.

You can’t be serious

Josh Allen may be leading the odds-race for MVP after Sunday. He finished his team’s 38-3 romp of the Steelers with 424 yards (20-of-31) and four TD, one of which was a flattering gift for rookie Khalil Shakir. It was Shakir’s first of his career.

Los Angeles Chargers 30, Cleveland Browns 28

On a swivel

You must have a laser focus as a defender to take down Nick Chubb, and even if you do hone in on him, you may still very well fail. Chubb’s elusive 41-yard run pushed Cleveland ahead 7-0 early in the first.

Keep the wheels turning 

The Browns went up 14-0 after a nasty route from Amari Cooper, but the Chargers got themselves on the in board in response very quickly. Austin Ekeler made more fantasy owners happy this week with a mammoth 71-yard jet that led to an L.A. FG.

Ekeler gave the Bolts a 17-14 lead after taking a 12-yard screen pass into the end zone, but Chubb added his second TD of the day to reclaim the edge for Cleveland.

Ekeler struck gold for his third TD of the outing to give L.A. a 24-21 edge.

Aloha!

That means hello in Hawaii, and Alohi Gilman gave Cleveland’s offense a warm introduction with a magnificent game-saving pick.

Minnesota Vikings 29, Chicago Bears 22

Up the gut

The Vikings have a slew of lethal receivers, but don’t forget about three-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook. He notched the team’s first TD on a 1-yard run, capping Minnesota’s 12-play, 86-yard drive.

Cook posted another short TD on the first play of the second quarter to extend the Vikes’ advantage.

First time’s the charm 

Jalen Reagor’s Philly tenure was relatively uneventful. He’s hoping to flip the script in Minnesota, and began his new story with his first TD on a short scamper around the edge.

Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins set a Vikings record by completing his first 17 passes of the game (176 yards), the most consecutive pass completions in team history. So did Justin Jefferson, recording the most catches (9) for a Vikings receiver in a half since 1995.

Money Mooney!

Two hands for safety. One hand for a spectacle. That’s what Darnell Mooney gave us as he plucked a 39-yard pass out of the air to set up Chicago’s first TD from David Montgomery.

V for Velus

Velus Jones, that is. Jones hauled in a nine-yard pass and took care of the rest to record his first career TD, and close the gap for Chicago.

Skol!

Kirk Cousins can get it done on the ground, too. After a historic passing half in the first, he finished off a 17-play, 75-yard drive spanning seven minutes long with a QB sneak. That short run gave Minnesota a 29-22 edge.

New York Jets 41, Miami Dolphins 17

Pour some Sauce on me

Jets fans and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. They go together like mustard on a hotdog. And Sauce is showing why the Jets took him with their first pick, collecting another big play with a momentum-seizing safety.

Teddy Bridgewater was forced to exit the game for Miami following its first drive. He was replaced by rookie 7th-rounder Skylar Thompson.

Brace yourself

For Jets’ running back Breece Hall! He hit Miami’s secondary with a resounding force as he torpedoed 79 yards to the 1-yard line. The play set up an easy score for Michael Carter.

Elevation

Gardner’s maturation early on has been special. After his safety, the Jets’ corner slid in front o a shaky pass to make off with his first career INT.

New York turned Gardner’s takeaway into points with a subsequent nine-play, 53-yard drive, which Zach Wison put a bow on with a diving vie for the end zone.

Fooled ya!

It may be Thompson’s first game, but he’s already got the acting skills of a seasoned vet. His clever job of deking helped former Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe get past the pylon on a sneak. It helped Miami get within five, 19-14.

New Orleans Saints 39, Seattle Seahawks 32

Geno to the end zone

Geno Smith has been absolutely balling as of late: Just ask his trophy case. The reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week started off scorching against New Orleans, giving Seattle an early edge with a beautiful 50-yard teardrop to DK Metcalf.

Do-it-all man

Saints *quarterback* Taysom Hill is more like an athlete for the offense. He runs, he throws, he passes for his squad, and on this play in particular, he executed the former on an 8-yard rush to tie things at 10.

Specialty!

Hill has been absolutely everywhere! He pounced on a dislodged punt try, which got his squad into plus territory, then added another rushing TD to push his squad ahead 17-10 as the first half wound down.

Lock it in!

We can’t forget Tyler Lockett amidst all the DK hype. Smith showed an effortless display of pocket maneuvering to step up and zero in on Lockett for a 35-yard score. Seattle’s drive, which took all of 13 seconds, propelled it ahead 19-17 at the break.

Taysom time

Check your watch. Hill added to his terrific TD total with another late in the third quarter, this time flashing his passing to prowess to extend New Orleans’ lead, 31-19.

Did you miss me?

No biggie, just Geno doing more Geno things on a stellar dime to Tyler Lockett. Enter Seattle’s defense, who got a crucial stop on its ensuing chance, which opened the door for Kenneth Walker’s barreling 69-yard dart to pay dirt.

Taste this

Says Hill. This game was back-and-forth as they come, but Hill drove momentum back to his squad’s side with another rushing TD, marking his third of the day. This one was the most spectacular of them all, as Hill showed off his speedy wheels en route to a 60-yard score.

Tennessee Titans 21, Washington Commanders 17

Artsy craftsmanship

Sometimes coaches don’t get enough credit for their efforts. But Titans’ OC Todd Downing will certainly be sniffing his flowers after this creative play-call to key Tennessee’s first TD.

Downtown Brown 

The Commanders haven’t had many big plays this season, but perhaps this is just what the doctor ordered to instill some confidence in their offense. Ron Rivera wanted Carson Wentz for his cannon of a right arm, and he unveiled it on this deep 75-yard TD heave to Dyami Brown.

Dynamite!

After zero receiving TD prior to today’s game, Brown has kicked his production into high gear. And he’s upped his style points as well.

The machine

Derrick Henry is a human being by all means. But sometimes, it’s easy to forget that, especially when he scores TDs with the frequency – and voracity – that he does. This short bulldoze marked his fourth straight game with a score.

And he wasn’t done. The king said “crown me” again with another short burst to push the Titans ahead 21-17.

We get the last laugh

Washington got close to pay dirt after a 17-play drive that spanned 87 yards, but when it seemed like it was primed to take the lead, David Long made off with a Wentz pass attempt and took it 46 yards the other way to close the curtains.

New England Patriots 29, Detroit Lions 0

Make ’em pay

Detroit was desperate for points after a scoreless first quarter, but its gamble to go for it on a fourth-and-9 at midfield resulted in a huge loss. N.E. forced a fumble from Jared Goff, and Kyle Dugger scooped it up for a 59-yard TD return.

Zzzzz

Zapped! This Bailey Zappe fellow is a pretty good relief pitcher, and he dialed up the heat on this throw to give New England a commanding 26-0 lead.

Houston Texans 13 Jacksonville Jaguars 6

Field goal fest

Despite Jacksonville tallying 240 yards of offense, neither team scored a TD in the first half. Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn made some personal headway, hitting a pair of 50+ yard FGs, as things remained even at six after one half.

That stings

Derek Stingley Jr. has that natural predatory instinct, and utilized his cerebral ability to pick off a Trevor Lawrence pass near the end zone to keep Jacksonville at bay.

Rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’

One, two … we’ll let you count the rest. Dameon Pierce just manhandled these unfortunate defenders as he helped Houston net its first TD of the day.

New York Giants 27, Green Bay Packers 22

International A-Rod

Aaron Rodgers kicked off the matchup by doing what he does best: Throwing TD passes. He notched his historic 500th TD throw last week, and started his Sunday morning with two more pretty throws to push G.B. ahead 17-3.

Megatron Saquon 

Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley is a constant catalyst for his offense. He entered the game with three straight games of more than 100 total yards, and helped keep the G-men in the affair with exciting plays like these.

His long scamper helped propel the Giants to their first TD of the day, on a nifty double-reverse.

Agent 26

Backup RB Gary Brightwell plowed a path to the pylon for his first career TD early in the fourth, a crucial score that tied the game at 20. 

And on New York’s next drive, the Barkley show took center stage.

Stand tall!

The Giants took the lead on Barkley’s spurt, but its defense came away with two pivotal stops in the red zone after Rodgers brought his pack down the field, securing its victory.

COMING UP:

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)

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