There have been 18 games with a game-winning score in the final minute of regulation or in overtime this season, the most such games through the first five weeks all-time.
There have been 21 games decided by three points or less this season, including four such games in Week 5, tied with 2007 (21 games) and 1988 (21) for the third-most such games through the first five weeks of a season in NFL history.Green Bay defeated Cincinnati, 25-22, in overtime in Week 5. At least one game has gone to overtime in each of the first five weeks of the 2021 season, marking the second time ever (2018) that a season has featured at least one overtime game in each of its first five weeks.
With two games remaining in Week 5, 12 of 14 games (85.7 percent) have been within one score in the fourth quarter while three teams overcame deficits of at least 10 points to win in Week 5: the Los Angeles Chargers overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat Cleveland, 47-42, New England overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat Houston, 25-22, while Philadelphia overcame a 12-point deficit to defeat Carolina, 21-18.
The ARIZONA CARDINALS, the last remaining undefeated team, improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1974 with their 17-10 win over San Francisco in Week 5.
Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY passed for 411 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 144.4 rating while wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN had seven catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers‘ 45-17 win over Miami.
Brady has nine career games with at least five touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (nine games) for the second-most such games in NFL history. Only DREW BREES (11 games) has more.Brady has 36 career games with at least four touchdown passes and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (35 games) for the second-most such games in NFL history. Only DREW BREES (37 games) has more.
411 passing yards. 5 TDs. There's no slowing @TomBrady down. pic.twitter.com/UNBxy92ShP
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2021
Brady has 12 career games with at least 400 passing yards, tied with BEN ROETHLISBERGER (12 games) for the fourth-most such games all-time. Only DREW BREES (16 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famers PEYTON MANNING (14) and DAN MARINO (13) have more.
Brady, who threw a 62-yard touchdown pass in Week 5, has 45 career touchdown passes of 50-or-more yards, tied with DREW BREES (45) and JOHN HADL (45) for the third-most such touchdown passes in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers JOHNNY UNITAS (51) and PEYTON MANNING (46) have more.
Brown has 906 career receptions in 143 career games and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (149 games) as the fastest player (143 games) to reach 900 career receptions in NFL history.
Brown, who has 12,071 receiving yards in 143 career games, became the fifth player in league annals to reach 12,000 career receiving yards in fewer than 150 games, joining JULIO JONES (125 games), Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (142), TORRY HOLT (146) and ANDRE JOHNSON (146).
Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS passed for 344 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers‘ 25-22 overtime win at Cincinnati.
Rodgers has 422 career touchdown passes and surpassed PHILIP RIVERS (421 touchdown passes) for the fifth-most in NFL history.Cincinnati rookie wide receiver JA’MARR CHASE had six receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown on Sunday.
.@AaronRodgers12 moves to 5th all-time with his 422nd passing TD! #GoPackGo
📺: #GBvsCIN on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/pMmjIQyzCl— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Chase is the fifth rookie in NFL history with at least 50 receiving yards in each of his first five career games, joining EARL MCCULLOUCH (first seven games in 1968), CEEDEE LAMB (first six games in 2020), TERRY GLENN (first five games in 1996) and TERRY MCLAURIN (first five games in 2019).
Chase, who has five touchdown receptions this season, is the third rookie since 1990 with at least five touchdown receptions in his team’s first five games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (1998) and CALVIN RIDLEY (2018).
Making his 20th career start, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT passed for 398 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 122.0 rating in the Chargers‘ 47-42 win over Cleveland.
Herbert has 44 career touchdown passes, surpassing TONY ROMO (43 touchdown passes) for the fourth-most by a quarterback in his first 20 career starts in NFL history. Only PATRICK MAHOMES (60 touchdown passes) and Pro Football Hall of Famers KURT WARNER (51) and DAN MARINO (47) had more.Herbert has 11 career games with at least 300 passing yards and surpassed PATRICK MAHOMES (10 games) and Pro Football of Famer DAN MARINO (10) for the most such games by a player in his first two seasons in NFL history.
JUSTIN HERBERT AND MIKE WILLIAMS DID IT AGAIN! #BoltUp
📺: #CLEvsLAC on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/1aT7cBWbxG— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Arizona quarterback KYLER MURRAY completed 22 of 31 pass attempts (71 percent) for 239 yards with one touchdown pass while wide receiver DEANDRE HOPKINS totaled six receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown in the Cardinals‘ Week 5 victory.
Murray has completed 124 of 165 pass attempts (75.2 percent) and has 1,512 passing yards this season and joined DREW BREES (2018) and Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (2013) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 1,500 passing yards and a completion percentage of 75-or-higher through his team’s first five games of a season.
.@K1 to @DeAndreHopkins…
You know what happens next.
📺: #SFvsAZ on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/3vO88PtOzP— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Hopkins, who is 29 years and 126 days old, has 770 career receptions and surpassed LARRY FITZGERALD (764) for the most receptions ever by a player prior to his 30th birthday.
The NFL returned to London in Week 5 for the first of two international games on the 2021 schedule, as the ATLANTA FALCONS defeated the NEW YORK JETS, 27-20, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With touchdowns by Atlanta rookie tight end KYLE PITTS and New York Jets rookie running back MICHAEL CARTER, it marked the third international NFL game in which a rookie from each team scored a touchdown, joining Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on November 11, 2016 (BRAXTON MILLER and JALEN RICHARD) and Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 6, 2019 (JOSH JACOBS and DAVID MONTGOMERY).
🇬🇧 9 catches.
🇬🇧 119 yards.
🇬🇧 First career TD.@kylepitts__ gotta love London. pic.twitter.com/qWLtjQS7xz— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2021
Pitts recorded nine receptions for 119 yards and his first-career touchdown reception in the victory, the most receiving yards by a rookie in an international NFL game, surpassing DAVONE BESS (74 receiving yards at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada on December 7, 2008).
Six rookie quarterbacks started in Week 5, including five who are under the age of 23: Chicago’s JUSTIN FIELDS (age 22), New England’s MAC JONES (age 23), San Francisco’s TREY LANCE (age 21), Jacksonville’s TREVOR LAWRENCE (age 22) and the New York Jets‘ ZACH WILSON (age 22).
It marks the first time since Week 16 of the 2019 season that five quarterbacks under the age of 23 started in the same week.New England rookie quarterback MAC JONES completed 23 of 30 pass attempts (76.7 percent) with one touchdown and one interception for a 95.3 rating in the Patriots‘ 25-22 win over Houston.Jones has 135 completions in his first five starts, tied with JOE BURROW (135 completions in 2020) for the most completions by a rookie quarterback in his first five career starts in NFL history.
Houston rookie quarterback DAVIS MILLS passed for 312 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 141.7 rating on Sunday against New England.
Chris Moore 67-yard catch-and-run.
Davis Mills throws his 2nd TD of the half! @Millsions #WeAreTexans
📺: #NEvsHOU on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/yttKvgh0vf— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Mills is the first rookie quarterback to record at least 300 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 140-or-higher in a single game in NFL history.
San Francisco rookie quarterback TREY LANCE made his first-career start at 21 years and 154 days old on Sunday and became the fourth-youngest quarterback to start a game in the Super Bowl era.
Other notable performances from Sunday include:
Tennessee running back DERRICK HENRY rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans‘ 37-19 win at Jacksonville.
Henry has five career games with at least 100 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, tied with JOE MORRIS (five games) and ADRIAN PETERSON (five) for the third-most by a player in his first six seasons in the Super Bowl era. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (nine games) and SHAUN ALEXANDER (six) have more.
Derrick Henry. Not human. #Titans
📺: #TENvsJAX on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/7W9IwPPqgt— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
New Orleans running back ALVIN KAMARA totaled 122 scrimmage yards (71 rushing, 51 receiving) and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in the Saints‘ 33-22 win over Washington.
Lights, @A_kamara6, Action 🎬 #Saints
📺: #NOvsWAS on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/U4VmDk5FmQ— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Kamara has 19 career games with at least two touchdowns, tied with four players for the third-most such games by a player in his first five career seasons in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers LADAINIAN TOMLINSON (21 games) and EMMITT SMITH (20) have more.Kamara has nine career games with both a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown, tied with CHUCK FOREMAN (nine games) and CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY (nine) for the most by such games by a player in his first five career seasons all-time.
Dallas cornerback TREVON DIGGS recorded his league-leading sixth interception of the season in the Cowboys‘ Week 5 win over the New York Giants.
TREVON DIGGS IS AN INTERCEPTION MACHINE. #DallasCowboys
📺: #NYGvsDAL on FOX
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/5UCPGMcrLu— NFL (@NFL) October 10, 2021
Diggs is the third player in the Super Bowl era to record at least one interception in each of his team’s first five games of a season, joining BRIAN RUSSELL (first six games in 2003) and LEMAR PARRISH (first five games in 1979).