NFL Weeks 4-5 Recap

Weeks 4-5 of the NFL season were filled with more exciting games, devastating season-ending injuries, and surprisingly good (and bad) teams.

In Week 4, the 3-0 Chiefs hosted the 2-1 Redskins on Monday Night Football. With the score 20-17 Kansas City, Washington came so close to beating the last undefeated team in the NFL when quarterback Kirk Cousins almost completed a pass to a leaping Josh Doctson in the back of the end zone, but Doctson could not hold on to the ball and complete the process when he came to the ground, which led to a game-tying field goal. On the ensuing possession with under a minute to go, Alex Smith and the Chiefs quickly drove down the field to set up the game-winning field goal by Harrison Butker, followed by a defensive TD at the end of the game, giving Kansas City the 29-20 victory and a 4-0 record.

In Week 5, the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys faced off in a shootout in Arlington, Texas. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott seemed to have sealed it with an 11-yard touchdown run to give his team a 31-28 lead with 1:13 left, but just like the last time these two met in the 2016 Divisional Round, Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers came through in the clutch. On the ensuing drive, Rodgers drove 75 yards down the field to set up a game-winning TD pass to Davante Adams for the 35-31 win.

The next week, the Chiefs visited Houston to take on the Texans, where Smith passed for 324 yards and three touchdowns en route to a 42-34 victory and a 5-0 record. Earlier in the game, Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt suffered a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg, which led to him undergoing surgery on that leg, therefore ending his season. This all came a year after Watt missed the remaining 13 games due to undergoing back surgery for a second time. He only played three games in 2016.

The New York Giants were projected by many to win the NFC East, but right now they are 0-5 due to offensive line issues and injuries to wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, and Sterling Shepard. In the 27-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on October 8th, Beckham left in the fourth quarter when his ankle was pinned by Casey Heyward who was making a tackle. The injury was revealed to be a fractured left ankle, ending his season. Marshall and Shepard both left the contest in the second quarter with sprained left ankles.

Vikings rookie running back Dalvin Cook suffered a knee injury in a 14-7 loss against the Lions on Oct. 1. MRI results the next day revealed that the second-round draft pick out of Florida State suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Two surprising teams in first place in their respective divisions are the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East, and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South, both 3-2. The Bills, tied with the Patriots and Jets, look promising at the moment under new head coach Sean McDermott, while Blake Bortles and the Jags defense have prospered under the helm of Doug Marrone.