The Athletic has live coverage of all of NFL Week 5's games, including Eagles vs Jaguars in London.
The NFL regular season is taking shape, with four weeks of action complete. Plenty can change -- and quickly -- but contenders seem to be starting to distinguish themselves. Intrigue also continues to build, as many teams' seasons could still go either way.
And then there are clubs where desperation has set in after disastrous starts. One such team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, kicked off Week 5 with a Thursday night date with the Cowboys in Dallas. Behind an impressive outing from undrafted rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels and a disruptive effort from coach Todd Bowles' defense, the Buccaneers ended their 0-4 skid with a shocking upset.
Sunday's slate kicks off in London with the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars. Eleven more games follow before Sunday night's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons. Week 5 wraps up with Monday's much-anticipated showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams.
Here are some leading storylines to watch.
Relief in sight?
Two of the four winless teams face off as the Houston Texans visit the Tennessee Titans. Barring a tie, one of these clubs will snap its four-game losing streak and receive a much-needed reprieve from the tumult of the season's first month.
The Titans' rocky start isn't a surprise, as the franchise made another head-coaching change this offseason. The roster remains in rebuild mode, and second-year quarterback Cam Ward continues to work through growing pains.
Ward put together one of his most productive games of the season last week against the Ravens -- completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 222 yards and a touchdown -- but ball security issues (a fumble and an interception) overshadowed his progress in a 24-18 defeat. Ward seeks his first win over the Texans after going 0-2 against the AFC South rivals as a rookie.
These aren't the Texans we're used to seeing, however. A usually ferocious defense has struggled mightily in 2026, surrendering 343.8 yards and 27.3 points per game after holding teams to 277.2 yards and 17.4 points per game last season. As a result, quarterback C.J. Stroud and Houston's offense face even more pressure than usual.
Wide receiver injuries have left Stroud with limited weapons. Still, last week's return of top target Nico Collins (seven catches, 118 yards, two touchdowns) led to Houston's most prolific performance since Week 1. However, the Texans couldn't stop the Cowboys and fell 34-30.
Coach DeMeco Ryans has twice helped the Texans rebound from slow starts to reach the postseason, but at 0-4, history isn't on Houston's side. Only one of 109 NFL teams that opened the season 0-4 qualified for the playoffs (the 1992 San Diego Chargers).
However, right now, playoffs are the furthest thing from either team's mind. They'd like to get a win.
(Texans at Titans, 1 p.m. ET, CBS)
Johnson vs. LaFleur
NFC North rivals meet at Lambeau Field as the Chicago Bears visit the Green Bay Packers. As the league's longest-running rivalry (213 meetings dating back to 1921), these teams share deep familiarity -- and dislike for one another.
A budding rivalry also exists between Chicago's Ben Johnson and Green Bay's Matt LaFleur -- generally regarded as two of the game's brightest offensive minds.
LaFleur's Packers have struggled out of the gate, unable to run the football without Josh Jacobs and finding third downs virtually impossible to convert (Green Bay ranks last by a healthy margin, converting on only 26.1 percent of attempts).
Green Bay's defense also has faltered on these money downs. Opponents convert third downs at 48.2 percent, the fourth-highest in the NFL.
LaFleur will need more from quarterback Jordan Love, who is completing a career-low 56.5 percent of his passes and now faces a Bears defense that ranks second on third down (23.7 percent conversion rate allowed) and third in passing (179.8 yards allowed per game).
Meanwhile, Johnson prepares Tyson Bagent for his second straight start at quarterback with star Caleb Williams still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Bagent completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 268 yards and an interception in last week's 23-12 win over the New York Jets. Chicago also leaned heavily on running back Kyle Monangai, who racked up 30 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns. But Monangai is out this week with a toe injury and is considered week-to-week by Johnson.
The Bears (3-1) and Packers (2-2) split last season's regular-season series, but Chicago overcame an 18-point deficit to shock Green Bay in the wild-card round.
(Bears at Packers, 1 p.m. ET, Fox)
NFC East shakeup?
For most of the last decade, the Philadelphia Eagles have dominated the NFC East, winning the division five times -- including in three of the past four seasons -- and reaching the playoffs eight times in 10 years. However, the Eagles find themselves in a precarious position entering the second quarter of the season.
Injuries, adjustments to a new offense and changes to the defensive coaching staff have hampered coach Nick Sirianni's team from the start.
In Week 4, the Eagles entered the game with nine starters out, and the Rams capitalized on the collapse. To make matters worse, the team lost All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson to an abrupt retirement this week and then traded center/guard Cam Jurgens to the Ravens.
Things could get worse before they get better for Philadelphia, which travels to London to face the Jaguars, one of the league's most well-rounded teams.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants have jumped out to a 3-1 start and hold sole possession of first place in the division for the first time since 2015. New coach John Harbaugh is finding ways to overcome season-ending injuries to starting quarterback Jaxson Dart and top pass rusher Brian Burns. The Giants will look to build on that momentum this weekend when they visit the battered Washington Commanders.
Washington welcomes back starting quarterback Jayden Daniels from a left elbow dislocation, but it still needs to address an injury- and penalty-plagued offensive line and a sputtering rushing attack.
If the Giants keep winning behind backup-turned-starter Jameis Winston, Harbaugh's team could build an early cushion that helps as the season progresses. That's especially true after the Cowboys suffered an embarrassing loss to the previously winless Buccaneers on Thursday night, dropping them to 2-3.
(Eagles vs. Jaguars in London, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network)
(Giants at Commanders, 1 p.m. ET, Fox)
NFC West power struggle
Two of the league's top teams, who share a division, square off Sunday in Seattle, where the defending-champion Seahawks will host the undefeated San Francisco 49ers.
This meeting should be one of the season's most intriguing chess matches, as offensive wizard Kyle Shanahan meets defensive mastermind Mike Macdonald, who holds a 3-2 record against San Francisco.
Despite his strengths as an offensive architect and tactician, Shanahan has struggled against Macdonald, averaging 15.8 points per game in their four regular-season contests and one postseason meeting.
Shanahan has Brock Purdy and the offense off to an excellent start, with the team ranking among the league's top 10 in passing and rushing and averaging 30.5 points per game.
It'll be interesting to see what Shanahan does to remain a step ahead of Macdonald and a Seattle defense that ranks first in total defense (246.8 yards allowed per game), second in takeaways (eight) and fifth in total defense (18.3 points allowed per game).
Sam Darnold has gone 1-1 since returning from the hip injury that knocked him out of the first quarter of the season opener. He has six passing touchdowns and three interceptions in those games. Look for San Francisco defensive coordinator Raheem Morris to dial up the pressure to force Darnold into mistakes.
Will Seattle (3-1) find a way to cool off its NFC West rival, or will San Francisco (4-0) keep rolling?
(49ers at Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)
Super Bowl preview?
Two potential contenders clash Monday night as the Rams (2-2) welcome the Bills (3-1) to SoFi Stadium, which also hosts Super Bowl LXI.
The current Super Bowl betting favorites, the Rams and Bills, have displayed both promise and doubt during the season's first stanza. Despite their talent, the Rams have struggled to be consistent on offense. But late in their comeback win over the Eagles, they showed their potential: The defense delivered two defining stops, and the offense moved the ball at will to secure a 24-20 win.
As for the Bills, their success hinges largely on the effectiveness of Josh Allen, who should once again contend for MVP honors. However, Joe Brady's offense badly needs support from a defense that underwent drastic offseason changes. Buffalo's defense has allowed 26.8 points and 372.3 yards per game, leaving Allen and Co. with little margin for error.
This marks the first time these teams have met since the 44-42 shootout the Rams won in 2024. In that game, Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for three more, while Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and Kyren Williams ran for two touchdowns. Fireworks could be in store again.
(Bills at Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, ESPN)
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
