NFL Week 5 Schedule 2024-25

As the first month of football is in the history books, the picture of contenders and pretenders seems to unravel. The Minnesota Vikings led by Kevin O’Connell are for real along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Sam Darnold of the past who used to see ghosts has completely disappeared and his current version is one of the leading candidates for MVP along with fellow draftmate from the 2018 class in Baker Mayfield. On the flip side, the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers look like a shell of themselves compared to the first two weeks, while the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills' embarrassing loss on Sunday has put them on pretenders' watchlist. NFL Schedule Week 5 brings us the first bye week of the 2024-25 season. Nevertheless, the NFL week 5 schedule will still feature plenty of exciting matchups, with Thursday Night Football (TNF) game between NFC South rivals Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons to kick off the week.

Game on Thursday, October 03

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

The NFL week 5 schedule will begin with a bang as the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on divisional rivals Atlanta Falcons in a Thursday Night Football thriller at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. One game separates both teams in the NFC South standings. Raheem Morris-led Falcons defense has not let any team score more than 24 points on them in the first four weeks while Baker Mayfield-led Bucs offense has put up more than 30 points in two of their four games. With both teams having one divisional win already in their bag, a win here would give either of them a stronghold on the division going forward.

Games on Sunday, October 06

• Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

As the Baltimore Ravens face the Cincinnati Bengals in the early slate of the NFL week 5 schedule, this mouth-watering AFC North rivalry will give fans a showdown between two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and a healthy Joe Burrow. Lamar’s 4-1 record against Burrow (via Stathead Football) and Baltimore’s thrashing of the previous 3-0 Buffalo Bills on week 4 SNF surely gives John Harbaugh and the boys a leg up against Cincinnati. On the other end, after starting the season 0-3, Zac Taylor-led Bengals got some breathing room after notching their first win of the season against the suddenly resurgent Carolina Panthers. However, if history is anything to go by, Joe Burrow-led Bengals with their backs on the wall are nothing to sneeze at as evident in the 2022 season, when they strung 12 wins in their last 14 games after starting 0-2.

• Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans

Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans sit atop their respective divisions with a 3-1 record going into week 5. Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud are one of the main reasons that the Bills and Texans are looked at as Super Bowl contenders. However, Allen and Stroud have looked vulnerable this season when facing elite defenses like Baltimore and Minnesota respectively. This matchup might be a good test for these teams to gauge where they stand against each other as this could be a potential playoff game come January.

• Dallas Cowboys @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday Night Football (SNF) on NFL week 5 schedule will see two storied franchises face off against one another as the Dallas Cowboys go toe to toe with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers' defense which had looked otherworldly in the first three weeks, came crashing down against the Colts in week 4. The T.J. Watt-led pass rush was only able to bring down the opposing QB two times while also giving up more than 100 yards on the ground for the first time this season. Conversely, Pittsburgh's offense looked as good as it has been since the start of the season with Justin Fields going over 300 passing yards for the first time this year. The Cowboys have beaten two 1-3 teams in Cleveland Browns and New York Giants to start the season 2-2, while both their losses have come at home. That’s not a confidence booster for a team that came into the year with Super Bowl aspirations. However, a win against the 3-1 Steelers might help in bringing the mojo back to America’s team going forward.

Bye Week Teams

As per the NFL week 5 schedule, the Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Los Angeles Chargers all have a bye in the first week of October.

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