Biggest Plays of Week 5

One play can change a game; one game can change a season. That's just as true in Week 5 as it is in Week 18, so there's no reason to only start caring about close wins and losses at the end of the year. It's October now, and the haves are beginning to separate from the have-nots – and sometimes, the difference between one and the other is just a play or two.

If you were expecting to see something from the huge 49ers-Seahawks game here, blame the blast of overtime matches and fourth quarter follies we had. We're early enough in the season that the relative importance of a game, while relevant, can't overcome huge moments at the end of the game. And in Week 5, the NFC East did their damndest to make sure there were plenty of moments late in the game to make us stop and scratch our heads.

The fact that all four NFC East teams played this week – and two played each other! – and none of them came away with a win is baffling. The NFC East does get a playoff spot, by rule, so these games matter. But man, you wish there was a little more...well, a little more there. Ah well.

So which Week 5 play might come back to haunt/help people when all is said and done? Let's look back.

Jacksonville Jaguars 19, Philadelphia Eagles 17

Washington Sets us Up for Drama

None of the crazy late-game drama that happened in London would have happened if not for this late touchdown, with Trevor Lawrence firing a fantastic pass to a streaking Parker Washington on 4th-down and basically ballgame. And Washington made a fantastic one-handed falling catch, to boot.

Washington had a couple touchdowns on the day AND was a key contributor on special teams (he ran around on a punt return to waste the Eagles' two minute warning time-out late). He's a free agent after this year, betting on himself, and days like this are going to get him paaaaaaaid.

Eagles Win, Surely?

Jake Elliott, with 12 seconds left, nails a 48-yarder to put the Eagles up.

There is no reason this kick should not have happened with three seconds left, and thus ended the game right here. Two of the prior three plays were an incomplete pass and a pass to Makai Lemon, who was shoved out of bounds. That meant Jacksonville saved enough time to call a timeout to force the Eagles to kick-off after this play. Ah well, we're picking nits. What's the worst that could happen.

The Worst That Could Happen

Oh. Well, it's not like the Jaguars have a kicker with a particularly big leg, right?

The Jaguars Have a Kicker with a Particularly Big Leg

See, Philadelphia, that's how you kick a game-winning field goal. Without your long snapper, too! Great holding day from Logan Cooke.

Had the Eagles just kicked with no time left on the clock, they'd be a half-game back from the NFC East lead and in a tie for the wildcard spots, kept out by tiebreakers at the moment but right in the thick of things. The Jaguars would be in the fourth seed slot in the AFC, watching as the Texans started limbering up with a big game next week in London. Instead, Jacksonville remains 4-1, the Eagles have a losing record, and the talk radio in Philadelphia is nasty.

That last bit may be unrelated.

New York Giants 27, Washington Commanders 27

Oh, Zvada.

Conditions weren't great in Maryland, I get it. But Dominic Zvada missed three field goals in a game that ended up tied, so at least one of them had to make the 10 biggest plays of the week. At least the other two were from 50+ in regulation; this was a 46-yarder in overtime. It wouldn't have won the game, but it WOULD have forced Washington to respond. It also may have shaken John Harbaugh's confidence in his special teams, leading us to...

Oh, Skattebo

Do the Giants keep pushing forward if their kicker hadn't already missed three kicks? Maybe a little bit more; running the time towards the end of the game in case something goes wrong with the kick isn't the worst idea in the world. But you have to tell Cam Skattebo to fall down on contact, not try to fight for extra yards. The clock is what matters, not an extra inch or three. It would also help to wear gloves in weather like this, you'd think.

Now, instead of winning, Washington can drive down and kick a game winning field goal. It would one of the all-time dumbest clock management mistakes in history not to manage that.

One of the All-Time Dumbest Clock Management Mistakes in History

I...but...but you see....I mean....what?

Right. So, the best we've learned is that this is supposed to be an outside throw to Ben Sinnott, to gain give five yards or so and make the kick easier.

You have no time-outs. If Sinnott is tackled in-bounds, the game is over, and you tie. If Daniels takes a sack, the game is over, and you tie. And the benefit is, what, making it a 37-yard field goal instead of a 42-yard one? You took your sweet time getting down the field; it's not like Washington was in hurry-up. If you wanted to gain more yards, do so earlier on the drive, don't do it HERE.

And if you do, for god's sake, it has to be crystal clear that this is three steps and throw, either to Sinnott or out of bounds. You can't dance around in the pocket; time is ticking.

And if you DO get tackled, you can't lie on the ground for a few seconds gesticulating. And you probably shouldn't have your other wideouts running deep outs in such a fashion that there's no way they can get back to the line in time to spike the ball.

The Commanders have a bye in two weeks. That might be a great time to give Anthony Lynn a chance running the team.

Buffalo Bills 37, Los Angeles Rams 34

Josh Allen, MVP?

Brock Purdy passed Josh Allen in MVP odds Sunday evening. Monday night, Allen took it back.

This particular play didn't lead to the win; it ended in the James Cook fumble. So Allen put the team on his back in his second overtime drive, with two long runs that fell just short of the 10 plays this week, to set up a field goal – and his first win in overtime, putting him at 1-7.

And none of that would have happened if it wasn't for...

Sean McVay Chickens Out

The Los Angeles Rams have terrible special teams. They have an amazing offense and were moving up and down the field basically at will. But Sean McVay apparently thinks field goal range is binary – either you're in, and you're not. This wasn't a Washington situation; there was plenty of time left to move the ball here. Harrison Mevis had already missed a field goal this game. The Bills do not play defense. For goodness sake, don't turtle at the very edge of field goal range!

After two 20-yard completions to get into Bills territory, and one failed deep shot, the Rams threw a short pass, ran into the line, shrugged, and tried a game-winning field goal. The offensive line collapsed, the Bills blocked it, and went on to win the game.

Minnesota Vikings 23, New Orleans Saints 13

The Best Offense is a Good Defense?

The Vikings held on anyway, but if Minnesota is going to lose a game this year, it feels like the opposing defense is going to need to make a big play like this – not necessarily a scoop and score, but something dramatic. Brian Flores' defense is too tough to crack otherwise.

Had the Saints won on the back of this scoop-and-score (which would have required making the extra point, and shutting the Vikings offense down for another quarter, neither of which they actually did), they'd be right in the mix for the NFC South title, just a half-game back of Carolina. Instead, the calls for Kellen Moore's head get louder, and louder, and louder...