The second quarter of the NFL season began Sunday with some key matchups — an important AFC North showdown, a potential playoff preview between AFC contenders, a pivotal divisional battle in the NFC West and more.
The games were marked by questionable coaching decisions, clutch performances and some unique circumstances.
Let’s dive into the biggest wins of Week 5.
Texans get statement win over the Bills
Is Houston the biggest challenger to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC? The Texans have a claim to that imaginary title after they outlasted the Buffalo Bills in a thriller.
C.J. Stroud threw for 331 yards and a score in the win. Houston raced out to a 20-3 lead and held on for a 23-20 victory.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen had his worst game of the season, completing only nine of 30 passes for 131 yards in Buffalo’s second straight loss.
Houston won on a walk-off 59-yard field goal thanks in large part to poor clock management by the Bills.
With the game tied late, Buffalo called three straight passes from its own 3-yard line. All three were incomplete, allowing the Texans to keep all three of their timeouts when they took over the ball with only seven seconds remaining. Stroud was able to lead the team into field goal range in one play.
Buffalo fell to 3-2 with the loss, only one game ahead of the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins in the AFC East.
The Texans are 4-1, second only to the Chiefs in the conference.
Ravens knock off Bengals in overtime
In an epic quarterback duel, the Baltimore Ravens outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime — and dealt a significant blow to their rival’s playoff chances.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-38 victory. Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow had a massive game, but his 392 yards and five touchdowns weren’t enough.
The Bengals had a 38-28 lead in the fourth quarter before Baltimore embarked on an 11-play touchdown drive to cut the lead to seven. On Cincinnati’s next drive, Burrow was picked off, leading to the game-tying field goal.
In overtime, the Bengals let a golden opportunity slip. After a fumble by Jackson on the Ravens’ opening possession, Cincinnati missed what would have been a game-winning 53-yard field goal four plays later.
A 51-yard run by Derrick Henry after the miss set up Baltimore’s winning field goal.
The Ravens are now 3-2 after an 0-2 start.
The Bengals fell to 1-4, and their playoff aspirations are on life support.
49ers blow another 10-point lead
49ers fans have seen this movie before.
The Arizona Cardinals escaped with a 24-23 win in San Francisco on Sunday despite having trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter. Arizona erased a 23-13 deficit thanks to two San Francisco turnovers in the final period — a Jordan Mason fumble and a Brock Purdy interception that ended a comeback bid.
It’s the 49ers’ sixth loss with a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray threw for 195 yards and ran for 83 more. He led two marathon drives in the fourth: a 12-play touchdown drive plus a two-point conversion and a 14-play drive for the winning field goal.
Purdy had a chance to answer but was picked on the second play of a drive that began with one minute, 37 seconds remaining — his second interception.
Niners kicker Jake Moody was injured in the second quarter, which played a part in the loss. San Francisco tried to convert a 4th-and-23 in the second half instead of attempting a 45-yard field goal.
Giants upset the Seahawks
That Cardinals win became especially important in light of what happened to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Seattle was upset at home by the New York Giants, who — along with Arizona — were the biggest betting underdogs of the day.
Quarterback Daniel Jones played a clean game for the Giants, throwing for 254 yards and two scores. New York also ran for 175 yards, controlling the time of possession.
With 55 seconds left, the Seahawks attempted the potential game-tying field goal, but it was blocked and returned for a touchdown.
Seattle’s loss keeps both the 49ers and the Cardinals within one game of the division lead.
