NFL: Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4). Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images.
NFL Week 5 is almost completely in the books, and we have been treated to such horrific football so far this weekend. It began on Thursday, and through the early games, it seemed like some were a simple battle of “who wants it less.”
The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets perfectly represented their fans’ collective history of misery in a rain-soaked showdown that came down to a muffed punt snap that ultimately decided the loser. The
New York Giants and Washington Commanders took it to the next level by using the full 70 minutes the NFL allows for a single game to end in one of the strangest ties in league history.
Yet these teams aren’t the ones that should be most concerned after Week 5. Let’s take a look at which three teams need to readjust their game plans based on what we saw this weekend.
Dallas Cowboys
NFL: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Sep 13, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
What the actual heck happened on Thursday night? The Cowboys stunk up Jerry World and lost to the previously winless Buccaneers, who were forced to play an undrafted rookie quarterback. The game started nicely: Dak drove the offense downfield and finished it with a Javonte Williams touchdown plunge for a 7-0 lead.
Then the Cowboys’ defense took the field and held for the next 11 minutes. The Bucs got the ball back for their second offensive possession and ended it by scoring a touchdown in the second quarter. That continued all game long, and when the game ended, the Bucs had the ball for almost twice as long as the Cowboys did.
This defense is terrible, and the team looks so undisciplined it makes you question the head coach. On 4 separate occasions, the Bucs extended drives when a Dallas penalty gave Tampa a first down.
Joey Porter should give the defense a shot in the arm, and the NFC East is wide open, so Dak and Co. still have a chance. They will need to pull themselves together if they want better results next week when they travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers on Sunday Night.
Chicago Bears
NFL: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
For the first time this season, it feels like coach Ben Johnson didn’t push all the right buttons when the Bears got their lights knocked out this Sunday in Lambeau Field. The Bears defense is a problem, but they usually mask it by controlling the line of scrimmage on offense and running the ball.
They have managed to get leads in previous games, which has allowed their defense to do what it does best: cause turnovers. That formula doesn’t work when your offense turns the ball over early, and that’s what happened this week with Tyson Bagent under center. It got so bad that Johnson turned to Case Keenum in the second half, but it was too late, and the game was over.
Caleb Williams will be back either next week or the week after, so this team should return to its high-scoring ways sooner rather than later, but this defense will still be an issue all season long. Teams that can run the ball effectively will give this team trouble, which makes us think this team isn’t quite ready for the bright lights of a long postseason run.
Next week they play a team that can certainly run the ball, so let’s see how they do against Bijan Robinson and the Falcons before we hit the panic button. For now, we’ll keep it at “mildly concerned”.
Las Vegas Raiders
NFL: Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders
Aug 13, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak reacts during the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
The Raiders were a great story for the first 4 weeks of the season, weren’t they? A new head coach in Klint Kubiak, the top pick in the draft, Kirk Cousins leading the league in TD passes, and a defense led by Maxx Crossby had us all very excited. Three straight wins, followed by a close game against the Chiefs, had many of us thinking this could very well be a playoff team.
Then they traveled out to Foxboro and took their medicine for last year’s Week 1 win over the Pats. The Patriots beat the brakes off the Raiders in a total blowout that exposed this defense through the air and on the ground. Drake Maye lit them up for 374 passing yards, and the rushing attack led by Rhomondre Stephenson racked up 165 yards and 2 scores.
On offense, Vegas couldn’t get much going, with the running game stuck in 1st gear all day and averaging a paltry 2.1 yards per carry.
Things won’t get easier next week, as Coach Kubiak’s team returns home to host Josh Allen and the Bills. This team is clearly improved from last year as they have already matched their win total from 2025, but they aren’t quite a finished product yet, and today showed us that.