It is time to take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Sunday’s NFL Week 5 action.
From a Jaguars defensive tackle thrust into an unexpected role to the dim state of the NFC East, we break it all down below.
NFL Week 5 winners
DaVon Hamilton, DT/emergency long-snapper, Jacksonville Jaguars. A largely unheralded seven-year veteran and last remaining member of Jacksonville’s 2020 draft class, Hamilton had his fingerprints all over Sunday’s wild 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles (2-3) secured on Cam Little’s walk-off 57-yard field goal. Only eight seconds earlier, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott appeared to give Philadelphia a last-second victory when he made a field goal from 48 yards out, but Ameer Abdullah gave the Jags one final chance after a long kickoff return.
On Philadelphia’s opening drive, Hamilton applied pressure during a first-down incompletion at the Jaguars’ 46-yard line. Three plays later, he stopped Eagles running back Will Shipley three inches short of the line to gain on 4th-and-1.
On Jacksonville’s final play, Hamilton snapped the ball to punter Logan Cooke, who held the ball in place for Little’s winning kick, while filling in for an injured Ross Matiscik (shoulder), the team’s starting long snapper.
“He did a phenomenal job,” Cooke said afterward, according to Jackson Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran. “He has his big ol’ mitts … wrapped up in tape. For him to spin the ball and get it to me, that’s all I can ask for.”
Former No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker hailed Hamilton as the game’s MVP.
“For him to go out there and long snap like he did today,” Walker said, “that’s him just being a great athlete, but then again that’s just part of the NFL as well. So, huge shout out to D-Ham.”
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots. The third-year quarterback has officially put a shaky start to the 2026 season behind him. In a 45-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (3-2), Maye finished 26-of-34 for 374 yards, only the second 300-yard passing game of his career. When factoring in carries and sacks, Maye averaged 9.4 yards per play and accounted for five total touchdowns. Yeah, we think he’s back. And Maye might be even better than before.
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers. The old man still has it.
Rodgers, 42, threw three touchdowns for the third consecutive game in a 34-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts (3-2), marking his longest streak since December 2021, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.
On his first touchdown, he moved beyond Peyton Manning for the third-most passing touchdowns in NFL history (including postseason).
With Pittsburgh nursing a two-point lead on a third down five minutes into the fourth quarter, Rodgers evaded pressure by escaping the pocket and throwing an on-target pass downfield for a first down.
Is his play sustainable for an entire year? It’s hard to tell. But the Steelers will enjoy it as long as it lasts.
Mike Evans, WR, San Francisco 49ers. Already an elite trash talker, Evans added to his greatest hits collection during a back-and-forth with Seattle Seahawks corner Trevon Diggs in a 32-29 49ers win. With Diggs chirping as Evans walked away, the six-time Pro Bowl wideout turned around and checked the back of Diggs’ jersey, as if to say, “Who are you?”
The move even earned the respect of former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman, who also had a history of verbally dissing opponents.
“Checking to see the name on the back of the jersey is an all-time Gif and trash talk moment that I wish I would have thought of,” Sherman glowingly wrote on social media.
Evans went on to back up his talk with his best game as a 49er, finishing with seven receptions, 113 yards and a touchdown.
Matthew Golden and Christian Watson, WRs, Green Bay Packers. The top two Packers wideouts put on shows in a 31-7 romp over the divisional-rival Chicago Bears (3-2). Watson led Green Bay with 143 receiving yards and two touchdowns on six receptions. Golden, who also had six catches, finished with 123 receiving yards, the most of the 2025 NFL Draft No. 23 overall pick’s career.
The Packers entered Week 5 last in rushing and only averaged 2.7 yards per carry against the Bears, making Golden and Watson’s production even more important. The duo may have to continue to lead the charge in the coming weeks, but they should be more than up to the task.
Houston Texans. The Texans took down the Tennessee Titans (0-5), 26-3, for their first win of the season, but that wasn’t the highlight of the day. Moments afterward, Houston finalized a trade for former No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., sending 2026 second- and sixth-round picks while also acquiring a 2027 seventh-rounder.
That second-rounder may become extremely valuable if Houston’s Week 5 win was a mirage, but if it maximizes Harrison’s talent, adding him for a Day 2 and late Day 3 pick would be an incredible win.
NFL Week 5 losers
NFC East. After Dallas Cowboys and Eagles losses, the New York Giants and Washington Commanders had a chance to be the only NFC East team to win in Week 5 when they played on Sunday. Fittingly for a division that might be the NFL’s worst, neither did.
The Giants (3-1-1) and Commanders (1-3-1) played to a 27-27 tie, aided in large part by some awful coaching from Commanders coach Dan Quinn. In range to attempt a 43-yard field goal, Washington ran the ball on a 1st-and-10 with 55 seconds remaining and no timeouts, then failed to snap the ball again until three seconds remained on the play clock. Quarterback Jayden Daniels scrambled, got tackled in bounds, and the Commanders were unable to spike the ball in time for a last-second field goal attempt.
Through five weeks, no one has any interest in winning the NFC East. Some team eventually will, but it won’t be pretty.
Tyson Bagent, QB, Bears. Caleb Williams (hamstring) can’t come back soon enough. Bagent flopped in his second consecutive start before being benched for third-string quarterback Case Keenum during Sunday’s loss to Green Bay, finishing 12-of-21 for 87 yards and two interceptions.
“He’s on track,” head coach Ben Johnson said of Williams, adding he could suit up as soon as next Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons (2-2). “I think it’s going to be close,” he added. (h/t ESPN)
While it’s unclear whether Williams will be ready in time for Week 6, Johnson should already know that it won’t be Bagent getting the next start.
Malik Willis, QB, Miami Dolphins. Willis should have a longer runway, but not by much. After a 31-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals (3-2), Willis is looking less and less like a franchise quarterback. As Palm Beach Post Dolphins reporter Joe Schad noted on social media, the five-year veteran ranks last among qualifying quarterbacks in passer rating (68.4) while throwing two touchdowns and accounting for eight turnovers.
On Sunday, he threw two interceptions, fumbled twice (losing one) and also lost 23 yards on three sacks. Even with 74 rushing yards on eight carries, Willis only averaged 4.9 yards on 38 total plays.
Even on a multi-year contract, the Dolphins may be in the market for his replacement during the upcoming draft.
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