NFL Week 5 delivered a brutal little parade of self-inflicted damage, and the NFC East was right in the middle of it. Philadelphia, Washington and, in a different kind of mess, Chicago all found ways to turn manageable situations into disasters.
The ugliest ending belonged to the Eagles. They were already dealing with a long injury and roster sheet - running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and wideout DeVonta Smith (hamstring) were inactive, tackle Lane Johnson retired and center Cam Jurgens was traded to the Baltimore Ravens during the week - and still nearly pulled off one of the better wins of the season in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Instead, after Jake Elliott put Philadelphia up 17-16 with eight seconds left, Ameer Abdullah ripped off a 53-yard kickoff return and Cam Little nailed a 57-yarder at the end of regulation to steal it. A gritty win was sitting right there.
The Eagles let it slip away in the most painful way possible.
The final seconds also put Nick Sirianni under the microscope. His decision to kick short and give Abdullah a chance was questionable, but the coverage unit didn’t exactly bail him out by letting the return go straight through.
Even so, the bigger issue came before that. Philadelphia had 1st-and-10 at Jacksonville’s 34-yard line with 25 seconds left after the Jaguars used their second timeout, and the clock should have been the Eagles’ friend.
Instead, Hurts dropped back against heavy pre-snap pressure and had to throw the ball away. On the next play, rookie receiver Makai Lemon caught an out route and was tackled out of bounds, which stopped the clock again and helped Jacksonville regroup.
Those first two downs were the real problem. With better situational football, the Eagles never would have opened the door.
Chicago’s problems looked different, but the result was just as rough. Tyson Bagent had a day to forget in a 31-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Sumer Sports data showed only Case Keenum, who came in for Bagent in the fourth quarter, posted a lower expected points added per pass. The Bears did set Bagent up with the third-lowest pressure rate of Week 5 at 28 percent, but he still turned that into too much stress because he held the ball too long.
His pressure-to-sack rate was 28.6 percent, fifth-highest in the week, and he averaged 2.75 seconds to pressure, the fourth-longest mark in Week 5. When he did throw, it didn’t get much better: Bagent finished 12-of-21 for 87 yards and two interceptions.
By the time he threw his second pick late in the third quarter, Ben Johnson had seen enough. Even if Caleb Williams (hamstring) remains out for Week 6, Bagent’s run as QB2 has likely ended.
Then there was Washington, which technically escaped with a 27-27 tie against the New York Giants but played the closing sequence like it had lost track of the clock. The Commanders had a chance in overtime, in field goal range with 55 seconds left and no timeouts.
Instead of pushing for points, they bled the clock with a first-down carry. After that, Jayden Daniels took the second-down snap with 12 seconds left, scrambled without gaining anything, and was stopped at the line on the final play.
A tie on the scoreboard, sure. A loss in every practical sense.
In Other News...
Jaguars Fans Had One Big Problem With Jason Kelce In London
Jason Kelces role on the Philadelphia Eagles-Jacksonville Jaguars London broadcast gave viewers something extra to watch beyond the game itself. The former Eagles center was in the analyst chair for the international telecast, and his ties to Philadelphia immediately became part of the conversation as some fans and media critics wondered how neutral he could really be while breaking down a game involving his old team.
Kelce did make a point of giving the Jaguars credit in real time, including a nod to emergency long snapper DaVon Hamilton for handling an unusual assignment. Even so, the bigger issue for some viewers was the same one Kelce later addressed on his podcast, where he acknowledged how hard it is to stay even-handed when talking about the team he spent his career with and said he would try to be fair to Jacksonville. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Fans Had One Big Problem With Jason Kelce In London
Jason Kelces first Jaguars broadcast in London drew attention for more than the game itself, as fans and media took issue with what they saw as a lack of neutrality while he was on the call for the Philadelphia Eagles-Jacksonville matchup. The former Eagles center spent part of the broadcast praising Jaguars emergency long snapper DaVon Hamilton, a moment that stood out in a game that already carried extra scrutiny because of Kelces ties to Philadelphia.
For Jaguars fans, the reaction was less about the novelty of having Kelce on the mic and more about whether he could stay even-handed with his old team in the picture. Kelce later acknowledged how hard that balance can be when covering the Eagles and said he would try to be fair in future broadcasts, but the criticism around his London call showed how quickly viewers can pick up on even a hint of bias. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Got The Break They Needed On One Eagles Decision
The late-game sequence that tilted the Eagles-Jaguars matchup still has Jacksonville benefiting from a decision that went the wrong way in a hurry. With the game hanging in the balance, Nick Sirianni chose to have Jake Elliott kick the ball in-bounds rather than go for a touchback, and the result was a 53-yard return by Ameer Abdullah that flipped field position and set up the Jaguars winning field goal.
Sirianni later took full responsibility for the call, apologizing to his team and acknowledging it cost them the game. For Jacksonville, it was the kind of break teams remember in a tight finish, a single special-teams choice that turned into the opening they needed and helped leave the Jaguars with a victory theyll gladly keep moving forward. [Read more 🡒]