The Jaguars, Broncos and Patriots had statement victories in Week 5. How they follow up will determine if they’re ready to be real contenders.
Trevor Lawrence led Jacksonville to an incredible 31-28 comeback victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night, overcoming a few of his own miscues and saving his best for the last drive.
The Jaguars are off to a 4-1 start under coach Liam Coen, and they proved in front of a national audience that they can compete with any team.
Now comes a difficult matchup at home against Seattle. The Seahawks (3-2) lost to Tampa Bay on the final play in a game they could’ve won if not for a late interception.
It’s a quick turnaround and short week for the Jaguars after an impressive win. Some teams can let down in these situations. Jacksonville can’t afford to let up, especially with a trip to London to face the Rams coming up the following week.
Denver (3-2) went to Philadelphia on a short week of preparation after a lopsided win over the Bengals and stunned the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Down 17-3 in the fourth quarter, Bo Nix led the Broncos to a 21-17 comeback win and the defense stifled Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts and the rest of Philadelphia’s inconsistent offense.
Now, they’re heading to London to face the NFL’s only winless team, the New York Jets.
It’s another challenging travel week for the Broncos, who are tied with the Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West. Sean Payton’s team can’t slip up against the woeful Jets, who have talent despite their 0-5 record.
Denver returns home to play four of its next five games at home before a bye in Week 12. The Broncos host the Giants and Cowboys, visit the Texans, and then host the Raiders and the Chiefs. They could be 8-2 going into a matchup against Kansas City if they take care of business and don’t overlook any opponent. That starts with beating the Jets.
New England (3-2) went to Buffalo and shocked the Bills on Sunday night with Drake Maye leading a 23-20 victory. The Patriots made it clear that Josh Allen and the Bills aren’t going to cruise to another AFC East title. They won’t be pushed around anymore, not with coach Mike Vrabel standing on the sideline.
Maye has been impressive in his second season and certainly looks like the franchise quarterback the Patriots have sought since Tom Brady left.
But that win over the Bills can’t be New England’s Super Bowl. The Patriots have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. Only two of their remaining games are against teams that currently have a winning record — Buccaneers in Week 10 and Bills in Week 15.
The Patriots head to New Orleans (1-4) this week and Tennessee (1-4) next before returning home to face Cleveland (1-4). If they want to challenge Buffalo for the division, they must defeat inferior teams.
Adapting to change
Baker Mayfield is on his third offensive coordinator in three seasons with Tampa Bay and fifth in four years, including his stints with the Panthers and Rams in 2022.
He has improved each season and is playing at an MVP level. Dave Canales spent one year as the Buccaneers OC in 2023 and landed a head coaching job in Carolina. Coen replaced him, Mayfield had his best season and the Jaguars hired him to be head coach.
Josh Grizzard took over for Coen, Mayfield has elevated his game another notch and Tampa Bay’s offense is averaging 27 points per game.
In Philadelphia, Hurts has had five offensive coordinator in six seasons. He thrived under Shane Steichen (2021-22), was runner-up for NFL MVP in 2022 and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl that season. But he regressed in 2023 under Brian Johnson. Hurts was Super Bowl MVP last season with Kellen Moore as the OC. But Moore left to coach New Orleans, Kevin Patullo replaced him and Philadelphia’s offense has struggled this season despite a 4-1 record.
Competitive spirit
Several current and former NFL players are teaming up with Abbott and the Big Ten Conference to support the We Give Blood Drive, a conference-wide competition involving all 18 schools to raise the most blood donations.
Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Matt Leinart, Prince Amukamara, Pat Freiermuth and Kayvon Thibodeaux are among those, along with Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who are encouraging fans to donate blood to save lives and tackle critical blood shortages across the U.S.
The winning school will receive a $1 million donation from Abbott to advance student or community health. This year’s competition continues through Dec. 5.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
