Week 5 brings a short slate and a handful of numbers that tell the story of the 2026 NFL season so far.
The Chiefs and Panthers are both idle this week, and the schedule is trimmed to 15 games. Even with the lighter load, there’s no shortage of intrigue at the top and bottom of the standings after four weeks.
The unbeaten group still includes Kansas City, Minnesota, and San Francisco, and none of those clubs has come out of nowhere. Andy Reid’s team has been lifted by running back Kenneth Walker III.
Minnesota has given up the fewest points in the league. San Francisco has found the right balance on both sides of the ball, ranking seventh in offense and seventh in defense.
At the other end of the spectrum, five teams have opened 0-4. That kind of start is rare; the last time it happened was 2019.
This year’s list includes the Dolphins, Buccaneers, Titans, Texans, and Chargers. Only one team in league history has turned an 0-4 start into a playoff berth: the then-San Diego Chargers in 1992, with Bobby Ross in his first season as an NFL head coach.
The NFC South has also put up some ugly numbers. Carolina became the second team in four years to win the division with a losing record in 2025, and this season the Panthers and Falcons have split their first four games.
New Orleans sits at 1-3, Tampa Bay at 0-4, and Carolina was the first team in the division to win at home last Sunday night. As a group, NFC South teams are only 1-7 at home in 2026.
On the ground, the Bears are running wild. Ben Johnson’s team leads the league at 196.3 rushing yards per game, and Chicago just piled up 232 yards in its win over the Jets.
Green Bay is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Without suspended running back Josh Jacobs, the Packers have managed only 232 rushing yards total through four games, even after posting a season-high 86 in last Sunday’s win at Tampa.
Scoring has been a bigger problem in Miami. Back in 1992, Tom Flores’ Seahawks set an NFL low by finishing a 16-game season with 140 points, never topping 17 in any game.
Jeff Hafley’s Dolphins are well below that pace right now, with just 46 points in four games. Miami has scored 13 or fewer in every outing and has only four touchdowns in 2026, though the Bengals could offer a chance to break out this week.
San Francisco’s offensive line has quietly been one of the biggest stories in the league. After allowing 20 sacks in 17 regular-season games a year ago, the 49ers have not given up a sack at all in 2026. That clean sheet will be tested Sunday in Seattle, where they face the Seahawks again.
In Other News...
Panthers Offense Could Get A Timely Boost Before Eagles Test
A quiet bye week may be doing Carolina some real good on the offensive side. The Panthers are hopeful wide receiver Jalen Coker can make it back in Week 6 after missing time with an injury suffered against the Browns, and head coach Dave Canales also said running back Trevor Etienne will definitely be back after the break. For a team trying to find more rhythm, the timing could hardly be better.
The next test comes against the Eagles in Week 6, which is not exactly the kind of matchup where you want to be short-handed. Getting bodies back does not solve everything, but it can help a unit that has been piecing things together and could use a little more speed and flexibility as the schedule turns tougher. Car [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Fast Start Feels Real But One Concern Isn't Going Away
Carolinas early surge has shifted the conversation quickly. After opening the season as an afterthought in the first wave of NFL.com power rankings, the Panthers have climbed all the way to 14th thanks to a win over Detroit, and their place near the top of the leagues passing charts is starting to look like more than a short-term spike. The offense has put up 121 points in four games, the clubs best start since 201, which is the kind of beginning that gets a team noticed even in a division where every opponent stumbled out of the gate.
The more intriguing part for the Panthers is that the fast start has brought credibility, but not necessarily peace of mind. Atlanta and New England also made big moves in the latest rankings, and Carolinas rise only sharpens the question of whether this pace can hold once defenses adjust and the schedule gets less forgiving. For now, the production is real enough to matter, but the next stretch will say far more about whether this is the leagues most surprising offense or just the hottest one so far. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Has Changed Carolina's Biggest Long Term Question
The Panthers enter their bye week at 2-2 and in first place in the NFC South, with Bryce Youngs early-season play giving the franchise a much different feel than it had around this time a year ago. His performance has been good enough to turn what once looked like a long-term uncertainty into a conversation about how Carolina eventually handles a potential contract extension, a shift that says as much about the teams outlook as the record itself.
Princely Umanmielen has become part of that broader picture on the other side of the ball. With Jaelan Phillips sidelined, his role as a pass rusher has grown and his impact has followed, giving Carolina another young piece to evaluate as it thinks beyond this season. The Panthers still have plenty to sort out, but the questions around the future now feel a lot more manageable than they did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]