Week 5 NFL Sunday Picks: Rodgers Defies Father Time, Quinn Survives, 49ers Escape Ugly Performance

At 42, Aaron Rodgers challenges Father Time, Drake Maye throws four touchdowns, and the winless Dolphins move closer to the infamous 0-17 NFL season.

Tom Brady LFG Player of the Game: 49ers' Mike Evans 🏆 Week 5 Digital Exclusive

Tom Brady presented San Francisco 49ers WR Mike Evans with the LFG Player of the Game award after his big performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.

We're five weeks into the NFL season, and some of my early work is already lacking. Aaron Rodgers apparently has a lot of football left after his career is over. Fortunately, the Dolphins are still the worst team in football, so I'm not wrong about everything.

Aaron Rodgers defied Father Time by throwing three more touchdowns in the Steelers' win.

And if you made a few bad decisions this weekend, don't feel too bad. Liam Coen did a lot and still walked out of the stadium with a win. Sometimes the NFL rewards you for being good, and sometimes the special teams unit saves you from a very long week in London.

Here are my biggest takeaways from each game on Sunday's Week 5 schedule.

Introduction: Liam Coen had one of the worst coaching performances of his career.

A lot of people want to criticize the Jags coach for going on fourth and goal twice and failing instead of kicking the field goal. However, the use of a backup long snapper definitely set the calculation.

The bigger issue, for me, was the play calling. Jet sweeper in fourth position and goal of 1? Wildcat combination on first goal from 1 that led to false start? And if the long snapper was such an issue, why not go for two after the game ended instead of trying for that extra point, which was lost due to a bad snap?

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And then none of it mattered because his special teams bailed him out with a huge fumble (thanks to Eagles coach Nick Siriani's terrible decision to even allow the fumble return in the first place) and then a fumble. Is being lucky better than being good?

In a battle of 0-4 AFC South teams, Houston got the upper hand against the Titans. It was obviously a win for the Texans, who still have a long way to go if they want to even hope for a postseason push.

Takeaway: Looks like Derrick Mai has righted the ship.

I've documented the struggles of the young New England quarterback this season, but his past two games have looked more like the 2025 version. Maye elevated the Las Vegas defense all afternoon, finishing with 374 passing yards, four touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. More importantly, Maye turned the ball over after making nine turnovers in the first four games. After a strong performance in an upset win over Buffalo in Week 4, Maye and the Patriots are back on track. Plus, the schedule looks favorable with games against the Jets, Bears and Dolphins over the next three weeks.

Takeaway: The Dolphins are the NFL equivalent of free space on a bingo card.

Miami Dolphins in full tank mode and also look at the 2027 NFL Draft. At this point, 0-17 is not out of the question. It would be incredible because the Dolphins could be the only franchise in NFL history to finish a season 17-0 and a season 0-17. Crime is a complete disaster. In fact, the 24 points scored against Cincinnati marked a season high, and 14 points came in the fourth quarter as Cincinnati dominated the game.

Ben Johnson deserves credit for winning back-to-back games with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagnett starting. But even an offensive genius like Johnson can only do so much. Bagnett was 12-21 for just 87 yards and two touchdowns before being benched. Keenum came in and threw an interception of his own. Overall, the Bears turned the ball over five times, and you don't win many games like that.

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Takeaway: You can only beat teams on your schedule.

The Minnesota Vikings are 5-0 in large part because of their opponents. The Vikings have faced the Packers, Bears, Bucks, Dolphins and Saints. Their past three opponents have a combined record of 2-13. But that's not Minnesota's fault, and at the end of the day, you still have to beat teams on your schedule.

Takeaway: Of course, it depended on which team made the bigger mistake.

Do you expect a game between the Browns and the Jets any differently? Did the team make the bigger mistake? Well, that's what happened. After Geno Smith's two-and-a-half with just over four minutes remaining in the game, the Jets appeared to have lost the ball with New York. But, the Browns fumbled a punt on the ensuing possession to cap a 29-yard drive. Then Cleveland inexplicably gave up a 22-yard touchdown to Braylon Allen on 3rd-and-9. An ugly game with an ugly ending feels fitting.

Takeaway: Aaron Rodgers is defying father time.

I'll admit I thought Rodgers was ready to go heading into the 2026 season, and his performances in Weeks 1 and 2 inspired a lot of confidence. But over the past three weeks, the 42-year-old has played solid football, throwing for 826 yards and nine touchdown passes. Pittsburgh is now 3-2 and in a three-way tie with the Browns and Bengals, one game behind the 4-1 Ravens in the highly competitive AFC North.

Jameis Winston deserves a lot of credit for erasing a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter by leading two 70-yard touchdown drives in the final 11 minutes of regulation. He also put the team in position to win in overtime before Cam Skattebo committed a huge foul and tackled the Giants, who were already up for a game-winning field goal.

But the Giants never really should have been in that position. The Commanders scored a touchdown two minutes into the game and never trailed, still leading by 14 in the fourth quarter. Then, after Skattebo, Washington went into range for a game-winning field goal and inexplicably let the clock run out without attempting a punt. This game was so weird I'm still at a loss for words.

Takeaway: Denver shouldn't get too excited about this win.

Of course, the Broncos would rather win a bad game than lose a good game. But they also prefer to win a game with a good performance, and this wasn't it. The winless Chargers are still a complete mess, but they might have won if not for two costly late turnovers. The Broncos nearly lost to an 0-4 team that had just 12 first downs and 219 yards of total offense before its final drive. Justin Herbert needed a few late throws against a blocking defense to get over the 100-yard mark.

Takeaway: Where have these lions been all year?

Detroit's explosive offense was on full display in Week 5 against Arizona, with four different players recording catches of at least 20 yards and Jahmir Gibbs adding a 20-plus-yard run. But takeout isn't about crime. Everyone knows that lions can score goals. It was a big game for the defense, which had allowed an average of 31.8 points per game entering Week 5.

Detroit forced five consecutive three-and-outs after allowing Arizona to score a touchdown on its first possession. A score of 21 looks worse than it was. Arizona scored 14 second half points with Detroit already leading by several touchdowns. Yes, it was just the Cardinals, but it was a major positive step for a much maligned unit.

Takeaway: This game wasn't what you'd expect from two Super Bowl contenders.

Yes, you expect the game to be fiercely competitive and go down to the final minutes, and it was. But that's not what I mean. These are two teams that should be in the conversation in January, but both played very sloppy football.

The Seahawks had one of the worst turnovers in the NFL this season, fumbling in their own end zone and holding the 49ers for a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the first half. Then Sam Darnold threw an interception on the second play of the second half. Undeterred, the 49ers missed a field goal on the next drive, then turned the ball over on their next two possessions.

Together, these two teams committed a whopping seven turnovers, which doesn't make either head coach happy. But Kyle Shanahan is certainly happier than Mike McDonald, as his team is now 5-0 and up two games in the NFC West.

Takeaway: Jesse Minter is making an early case for NFL Coach of the Year.

Replacing a franchise legend like John Harbaugh isn't exactly going to make your first NFL head coaching job any easier. Neither goes on the road without Lamar Jackson against a Falcons team that has scored 80 points in its previous two games. But Jesse Minter took Tyler Huntley to Atlanta and ended up winning in overtime, even after the Ravens looked like they were going to lose late in the fourth quarter. Yes, Minter inherited a lot of talent, but his best player wasn't available Sunday night. After all, winning is a great way to get yourself into the Coach of the Year conversation.

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