NFL 2017 Week 5 Preview
NFL 2017 Week 5 Preview

The NFL 2017 Season enters the second quarter after a thrilling week. Here's a preview of key games in Week 5 and what to look for.

The NFL heads into the second quarter of the regular season after a thrilling Week 4 which saw nine games decided by seven points or fewer. Nine games were decided in the final two minutes or overtime, including seven in the final minute or OT. And four games featured the winning points scored on the final play of the game.

Along with close games, the standings are also tight. Entering Week 5, 24 of the league's 32 teams (75 percent) have a .500 or better record.

The Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) are the NFL's only remaining unbeaten team. Since 1990, when the current 12-team playoff format was adopted, 64 of the previous 79 teams (81 percent) to start 4-0 have made the playoffs. However, nothing is a given as the two teams to start 4-0 in 2016 -- Denver and Minnesota -- both missed the postseason.

All 32 teams know there's room for improvement. And, while not every club has gotten off to a great start, there's plenty of season left.

Since 1990, 121 teams (37.3 percent of the 324 playoff clubs) have advanced to the postseason after starting the season 2-2 or worse. There were four such teams -- Detroit (1-3), Miami (1-3), Kansas City (2-2) and the New York Giants (2-2) -- last season, including the Chiefs who won the AFC West.

As the NFL enters October, there are six teams with a winning record that did not make the postseason in 2016 -- Buffalo (3-1), Carolina (3-1), Denver (3-1), the Los Angeles Rams (3-1), Philadelphia (3-1) and Tampa Bay (2-1). Since the 12-team playoff format began in 1990, at least four teams have made for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before.

That's all part of the unpredictability of the NFL. So entering Week 5, while it certainly helps to be near the top of the standings, don't count anyone out.

Week 5 begins on Thursday night with the New England Patriots visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:25 PM ET, CBS/NFL Network/Amazon Prime). The week concludes with a pair of primetime matches as the Houston Texans host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night (8:30 PM ET, NBC) and the Minnesota Vikings visit the Chicago Bears in an NFC North divisional showdown on Monday night (8:30 PM ET, ESPN).

Some of the key games in Week 5:

​New England Patriots (2-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)

(Thursday, CBS/NFLN/Amazon Prime, 8:25 PM ET)

New England Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY leads the NFL with 1,399 pasing yards, ties for the league lead with 10 passing touchdowns and ranks second in the NFL with a 116.6 passer rating. Brady, who has not thrown an interception this season, is the first player in league history to pass for at least 1,000 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions through his team's first four games in two different seasons (2015).

The Patriots have won six of the eight meetings all-time between the franchises, including the past three contests. This will be New England's first game in Tampa since November 16, 1997 when the Buccaneers played at Houlihan's Stadium.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback JAMEIS WINSTON passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns with a 113 passer rating in the Buccaneers' 25-23 win over the New York Giants last week. Kicker NICK FOLK converted the game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired.

Last week against the Giants, tight ends CAMERON BRATE (14 yards) and O.J. HOWARD (58 yards) each had a touchdown reception. Brate has 10 touchdowns since the start of the 2016 season -- the most by a tight end during that span -- while Howard, who was Tampa Bay's first-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft (No. 19 overall), scored his first career TD.

​Carolina Panthers (3-1) at Detroit Lions (3-1)

(Sunday, FOX, 1:00 PM ET)

Carolina Panthers quarterback CAM NEWTON passed for 316 yards with three touchdowns and rushed for another score as the Panthers defeated New England 33-30 in Week 4. Kicker GRAHAM GANO converted the game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Panthers a road victory.

With his rushing TD, Newton became the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 50 career rushing touchdowns. The performance also marked the sixth time he has had at least three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the same game, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG, DREW BREES, JACK KEMP, TOBIN ROTE and BILLY WADE for the most in NFL history.

The Lions got a strong performance out of their defense and defeated Minnesota 14-7 last week to improve to 3-1. Detroit limited the Vikings to 284 total net yards and recovered three fumbles in the win. Defensive end ANTHONY ZETTEL recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery against Minnesota while linebacker TAHIR WHITEHEAD recovered two fumbles while leading the team with five tackles.

Detroit running back AMEER ABDULLAH rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown in the team's Week 4 win. He added three catches for 15 yards to finish the day with 109 scrimmage yards.

Seattle Seahawks (2-2) at Los Angeles Rams (3-1)

(Sunday, CBS, 4:05 PM ET)

The Seahawks scored two rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns as Seattle defeated Indianapolis 46-18 on Sunday night. Quarterback RUSSELL WILSON led the attack with two passing touchdowns and a rushing TD while running back J.D. MC KISSIC added both a rushing and receiving touchdown -- the first two TDs of his career.

Defensively, linebacker BOBBY WAGNER had six tackles, a half-sack and a 21-yard fumble-return touchdown and cornerback JUSTIN COLEMAN returned an interception 28 yards for his first career TD.

The Rams, who lead the NFL in scoring (35.5 points per game), improved to 3-1 with last week's 35-30 victory at Dallas. Los Angeles has scored 142 points under head coach SEAN MC VAY, which is the fourth-highest total by a team in its first four games of a season with a first-year head coach.

Rams running back TODD GURLEY had 215 scrimmage yards (121 rushing, 94 receiving) and a touchdown catch against the Cowboys. Gurley, who has 596 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns, joined Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (1958, 1963) and EMMITT SMITH (1995) as the only players in NFL history to have at least 575 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns in his team's first four games of a season.

Green Bay Packers (3-1) at Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

(Sunday, FOX, 4:25 PM ET)

​This is a rematch of last season's NFC Divisional Playoff (January 15, 2017) which Green Bay won 34-31. Packers kicker MASON CROSBY converted field goals of 56 and 51 yards in the final 1:33, including the game-winner as time expired.

Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS threw four touchdown passes -- including two to wide receiver JORDY NELSON -- in the Packers' 35-14 win over Chicago on Thursday night. It marked the 16th time since becoming the starter in 2008 that Rodgers threw for at least four touchdowns without an interception, tied with DREW BREES for the most such games in the NFL during that span.

Cowboys defensive end DEMARCUS LAWRENCE leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks and has recorded at least one sack in all four games played this season. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month in September.

Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) At Houston Texans (2-2)

(Sunday, NBC, 8:30 PM ET)

​The Chiefs remained the league's only unbeaten team with a 29-20 win over Washington on Monday night. Quarterback ALEX SMITH, who leads the league with a 124.2 passer rating, had a passing touchdown and a rushing TD in the win.

Kansas City rookie running back KAREEM HUNT had 121 scrimmage yards, including 101 rushing, against the Redskins and became the fourth rookie to record at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of his team's first four games. Hunt joins BILLY SIMS (1980), Pro Football Hall of Famer LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON (2001) and ADRIAN PETERSON (2007) as the only rookies to accomplish the feat. Hunt leads the NFL in rushing yards (502) and scrimmage yards (659) and ranks second in total touchdowns (six).

Houston rookie quarterback DESHAUN WATSON passed for 283 yards with four touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown in the Texans' 57-14 win against Tennessee in Week 4. Watson joined Pro Football Hall of Famer FRAN TARKENTON (September 17, 1961) as the only rookies in NFL history to throw for at least 250 yards with four touchdowns and rush for a TD in the same game. Watson is the only rookie quarterback in league annals with at least seven passing touchdowns and two rushing TDs in his team's first four games of a season.

The Texans' 57 points scored against the Titans are the most in a game by a team with a rookie starting QB since Seattle and RUSSELL WILSON scored 58 points against Arizona on December 9, 2012.

NFL Week 5 What to Look For

Tom Brady at The Top

New England quarterback TOM BRADY leads the NFL with 1,399 passing yards, ties for the league lead with 10 touchdown passes and ranks second with a 116.6 passer rating this season.

With a win over Tampa Bay, Brady, who has 185 career regular-season victories as a starting quarterback, would tie Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE and PEYTON MANNING for the most regular-season victories by a quarterback in NFL history. Brady has 210 career wins (including the postseason), the most by a quarterback in NFL history.

 

Most NFL Regular-Season Wins By Starting Quarterbacks

Quarterback Team(s) Wins
^Pro Football Hall of Fame (Source: NFL)
Brett Favre^Green Bay, New York Jets, Minnesota186
Peyton ManningIndianapolis, Denver186
Tom BradyNew England185
John Elway^Denver148
Dan Marino^Miami147

 

Larry's Legend Continues

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD had four catches, including the game-winning 19-yard touchdown catch with 32 seconds remaining in overtime, in the Cardinals' 18-15 win against San Francisco in Week 4.

With a catch at Philadelphia, Fitzgerald, who has a reception in 199 consecutive games, would join Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (274) and TONY GONZALEZ (211) as the only players in NFL history with at least one catch in 200 consecutive games.

 

Most Consecutive Games with a Reception in NFL History

Player Team(s) Seasons Streak
*Active streak ^Pro Football Hall of Fame (Source: NFL)
Jerry Rice^San Francisco, Oakland1985-2004274
Tony GonzalezKansas City, Atlanta2000-2013211
Larry Fitzgerald*Arizona2004-present199
Marvin Harrison^Indianapolis1996-2008190
Hines WardPittsburgh1998-2010186

 

Kareem Hunt: Remarkable Rookie

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Kareem Hunt had 121 scrimmage yards (101 rushing, 20 receiving) in the Chiefs' 29-20 win over Washington on Monday Night Football last week.

With 100 scrimmage yards at Houston on Sunday night, Hunt, who has at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of his first four games, would join ADRIAN PETERSON (2007) as the only rookies in NFL history with at least 100 scrimmage yards in each of his team's first five games of a season.

With 129 scrimmage yards in Week 5, Hunt, who has 659 scrimmage yards in his first four games, would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (787 in 1983) for the most scrimmage yards by a rookie in his team's first five games of a season.

The rookies with the most scrimmage yards in their team's first five games to start a season:

 

Most Consecutive Games with a Reception in NFL History

Player Team Season Yards
*Through 4 games ^Pro Football Hall of Fame (Source: NFL)
Eric Dickerson^Los Angeles Rams1983787
Adrian PetersonMinnesota2007782
Billy SimsDetroit1980761
Kareem Hunt*Kansas City2017659
Beattie FeathersChicago1934633
Marshall Faulk^Indianapolis1994633

 

Strong Out of the Gates

Last week, Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY had 215 scrimmage yards (121 rushing, 94 receiving) and a touchdown catch in the team's 35-30 win at Dallas. Kansas City rookie running back KAREEM HUNT had 121 scrimmage yards (101 rushing, 20 receiving) in the Chiefs' 29-20 win over Washington.

In Week 5, Gurley (596 scrimmage yards, seven touchdowns) and Hunt (659, six) can join Pro Football Hall of Famers MARSHALL FAULK (2000), EMMITH SMITH (1995), ERIC DICKERSON (1983) and JIM BROWN (1958, 1963) and PRIEST HOLMES (2002) as the only players in NFL history with at least 700 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in their team's first five games of a season.

The players with at least 700 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns in their team's first five games of a season:

 

Most Consecutive Games with a Reception in NFL History

Player Team Season Yards TDs
*Through 4 games ^Pro Football Hall of Fame (Source: NFL)
Jim Brown^Cleveland195885714
Jim Brown^Cleveland196398810
Eric Dickerson^Los Angeles Rams19837879
Emmitt Smith^Dallas19957769
Marshall Faulk^St. Louis20007978
Priest HolmesKansas City200280310
Todd Gurley*Los Angeles Rams20175967
Kareem Hunt*Kansas City20176596

 

Frank Gore Gaining Ground

Indianapolis Colts running back FRANK GORE has rushed for 13,256 yards and 76 touchdowns in 13 career seasons. With four rushing yards against San Francisco on Sunday, Gore, who spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the 49ers and is the franchise's all-time leading rusher (11,073), will surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer ERIC DICKERSON (13,259) for the seventh-most rushing yards in NFL history. All seven players currently in front of Gore are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

NFL Players with the Most Rushing Yards in NFL History

Player Team(s) Yards
^Pro Football Hall of Fame (Source: NFL)
Emmitt Smith^Dallas, Arizona18,355
Walter Payton^Chicago16,726
Barry Sanders^Detroit15,269
Curtis Martin^New England, New York Jets14,101
LaDainian Tomlinson^San Diego, New York Jets13,684
Jerome Bettis^Los Angeles/St. Louis, Pittsburgh13,662
Eric Dickerson^Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis, Los Angeles Raiders, Atlanta13,259
Frank GoreSan Francisco, Indianapolis13,256

 

Precision Passers

New England's TOM BRADY (10 touchdown passes, zero interceptions), New Orleans' DREW BREES (eight, zero) and Kansas City's ALEX SMITH (eight, zero) each have least eight touchdown passes with zero interceptions through their team's first four games this season.

In Week 5, Brady and Smith can join STEVE BARTKOWSKI (1983) and ROMAN GABRIEL (1969) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 11 touchdown passes and zero interceptions through their team's first five games of a season. Brees, who has a bye this week, will attempt to join the list in Week 6.

 

NFL QBs with the most TD passes without an INT in First Five Games of a Season

Player Team Season TDs INTs
*Through four games ^Has bye in Week 5 (Source: NFL)
Steve BartkowskiAtlanta1983110
Roman GabrielLos Angeles Rams1969110
Randall CunninghamMinnesota1998100
Craig MortonDallas1969100
Tom Brady*New England2017100
Alex Smith*Kansas City201780
Drew Brees*^New Orleans201780

 

Dominating Demarcus Lawrence

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence recorded a sack and forced fumble in the Cowboys' Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Lawrence, who has recorded at least one sack in each of his team's first four games of the season, leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks. With 1.5 sacks against Green Bay on Sunday, Lawrence would become the fifth player with at least nine sacks in his team's first five games of a season since the sack became an official statistic in 1982.

 

Most Sacks First Five Games Since 1982

Player Team Season Sacks
*Through four games ^Pro Football Hall of Famer (Source: NFL)
Kevin Greene^Carolina199810
Robert MathisIndianapolis20139.5
Kabeer Gbaja-BiamilaGreen Bay20019
Mark GastineauNew York Jets19849
Demarcus Lawrence*Dallas20177.5

 

Primetime Debut

Chicago rookie quarterback MITCHELL TRUBISKY, the No. 2 overall selection of the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft, is expected to make his NFL debut on Monday Night Football against Minnesota.

Trubisky would be the third rookie quarterback selected in the first round to make his first career start on Monday Night Football, joining Detroit's CHUCK LONG (December 15, 1986 vs. Chicago) and Philadelphia's JOHN REAVES (October 2, 1972 vs. New York Giants).

NFL Week 5 Schedule

(All times local)

Byes: Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, Washington

Thursday, October 5

New England at Tampa Bay, 8:25 PM (CBS/NFLN/Amazon)

Sunday, October 8

Arizona at Philadelphia, 12:00 PM

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh, 1:00 PM

Seattle at Los Angeles Rams, 1:05 PM

Buffalo at Cincinnati, 1:00 PM

Baltimore at Oakland, 1:05 PM

New York Jets at Cleveland, 1:00 PM

Green Bay at Dallas, 3:25 PM

Carolina at Detroit, 1:00 PM

San Francisco at Indianapolis, 1:00 PM

Tennessee at Miami, 1:00 PM

Los Angeles Chargers at New York Giants, 1:00 PM

Kansas City at Houston, 7:30 PM (NBC)

Monday, October 9

Minnesota at Chicago, 7:30 PM (ESPN)

NFL Football: "NFL 2017 Week 5 Preview"