There’s been a continuing on the high of the AFC for practically the previous decade with the groups led by celebrity quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson usually on the high of the standings.

That is what made what occurred in Week 5 of the NFL season so uncommon.

There was Mahomes throwing a pick-6 and watching as Jacksonville rallied to beat his Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. Josh Allen bought outdueled at dwelling by New England teenager Drake Maye in a prime-time recreation in Buffalo. And Lamar Jackson was out injured watching his Baltimore Ravens get blown out by Houston.

That marked the primary time since Week 9 of the 2017 season that Kansas Metropolis, Buffalo and Baltimore all misplaced on the identical weekend. That was so way back that Allen and Jackson had been nonetheless taking part in in faculty and Mahomes was nonetheless ready to take his first NFL snap behind Alex Smith.

Beginning the following season when all three turned full-time starters, these groups have posted the highest three data within the NFL and the quarterbacks have mixed for 5 of the seven AP NFL MVP awards.

Whereas it is too quickly to declare a altering of the guard within the AFC, that is simply the second time in eight seasons with Mahomes that the Chiefs (2-3) have a dropping document at any level after the opening month; the primary time the Ravens (1-4) have been three video games below .500 since 2015; and the primary time in a number of years that the Payments might need a challenger within the AFC East because of Maye and the Patriots.

Regardless of the Week 5 struggles, the Payments stay the Tremendous Bowl favorites, in keeping with BetMGM Sportsbook, and the Chiefs have the fifth-best odds. Baltimore is extra of an extended shot for the Tremendous Bowl however stays the betting favourite within the AFC North.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting in a tie on the high of the NFC standings whereas the Arizona Cardinals are languishing in final place within the NFC West regardless of practically equivalent level differentials.

The distinction, because it typically is within the NFL, comes right down to how the groups carried out on just a few key performs in clutch moments with each off to unprecedented begins to the season.

The Bucs improved to 4-1 on Sunday when Chase McLaughlin kicked a 39-yard subject purpose as time expired for a 38-35 win over Seattle. Tampa Bay had beforehand crushed Atlanta within the opener on a TD with 59 seconds left, bought a game-winning TD with six seconds left in Week 2 towards Houston and bought a profitable subject purpose on the ultimate play towards the New York Jets in Week 3.

The Bucs are the primary group ever to win 4 of their first 5 video games by three factors or fewer and the primary group to get their first 4 wins of the season on a profitable rating within the closing minute of regulation.

The Cardinals have been on the opposite aspect of the late-game theatrics, dropping their third straight recreation on Sunday when Joey Slye’s 29-yard subject purpose as time expired capped Tennessee’s rally from 18 factors down for a 22-21 win.

Arizona had misplaced in Week 4 on a tiebreaking subject purpose by Seattle on the ultimate play of regulation and the earlier week when Eddy Pineiro kicked a 35-yard subject purpose on the buzzer to offer San Francisco a 16-15 win.

The Cardinals are the primary group in NFL historical past to lose three straight video games on a rating on the ultimate play of regulation, in keeping with Sportradar.

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson have gotten many of the accolades from the heralded 2018 quarterback class that featured 5 first-rounders.

The highest two QBs from that draft class placed on fairly a present on Sunday when Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield outdueled Seattle’s Sam Darnold. Mayfield went 29 for 33 for 379 yards, two TDs and no interceptions within the 38-35 win for the Bucs. Darnold practically matched him by going 28 for 34 for 341 yards, 4 TDs and an interception.

The 2 mixed for 720 yards passing with solely 10 incompletions. The NFL has by no means had a passing efficiency fairly like that, with the earlier excessive for yards in a recreation with 10 or fewer incompletions being simply 545 set in Week 2 this season when New England beat Miami.

The fewest incomplete passes in a recreation with a minimum of 720 yards passing earlier than Sunday was 13 in a recreation between Inexperienced Bay and Oakland in 2019. That recreation featured 758 yards passing, led by 429 by Aaron Rodgers for the Packers.

Cam Ward’s interception for Tennessee that in some way become a Titans landing was extraordinarily uncommon — however not unprecedented.

Ward’s move within the fourth quarter was intercepted by Arizona’s Dadrion Taylor-Demerson on the 5, however Taylor-Demerson misplaced the ball as he went to the bottom.

The free ball ricocheted off teammate’s Kei’Trel Clark’s foot and went into the top zone, the place Tennessee’s Tyler Lockett fell on it for probably the most unlikely of touchdowns.

A group hadn’t scored by itself interception in 16 years within the NFL, with it final occurring for New Orleans on Dec. 6, 2009, when Washington’s Kareem Moore intercepted Drew Brees solely to have Robert Meacham rip the ball away and return it 44 yards for a landing.

That has occurred one different time since 2000, with Tampa Bay pulling off the feat towards Indianapolis on Oct. 6, 2003. Brad Johnson threw a move that Mike Doss intercepted. However Doss fumbled on the return and Keenan McCardell recovered and scored on a 57-yard return.

Members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins did not want to attend lengthy to rejoice the falling of the final undefeated group, leaving their squad as the one one to undergo an NFL common season and playoffs with an ideal document.

The defending champion Philadelphia Eagles fell within the early window on Sunday after they blew a 14-point lead within the fourth quarter and misplaced 21-17 to Denver.

Then on Sunday night time, New England handed Buffalo its first loss with a 23-20 victory, marking the primary time since 2014 that no group made it to 5-0 on the season.

That is simply the sixth time in a nonstrike season since Miami’s excellent 17-0 marketing campaign in 1972 that each group had a loss by means of 5 video games. It additionally occurred in 2010, 2002, 1996 and 1995.

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