Every week this NFL season, we will break down the highs and lows—and everything in between—from the most recent slate of pro football. This week, Drake Maye and Bo Nix pulled off big upsets to knock off the league’s last two undefeated teams, Baker Mayfield outdueled Sam Darnold, Geno Smith’s bad season got worse, the Jets kept making the same mistakes, and more. Welcome to Winners and Losers.
Winners: Drake Maye and Stefon Diggs
Drake Maye is a star. We’d already seen the signs of Maye’s breakout in New England’s first four games, but Sunday night was a national showcase for the talented 23-year-old QB and he delivered in a 23-20 win over the previously undefeated Bills. Maye’s numbers were perfectly fine—he averaged 9.1 yards per attempt and 0.06 EPA per dropback against Buffalo—but don’t capture how well he played down the stretch. Taking what looked like a dirty hit from Buffalo’s Terrel Bernard, who was flagged for unnecessary roughness, seemed to shock Maye’s game to life shortly before halftime. In the second half, after that hit, Maye averaged over 10 yards per dropback with an 86-percent completion percentage. I don’t know if it was a coincidence or a show of Maye’s competitive toughness, but it was an impeccable response on the road against the division favorite in the most watched game of the week.
That’s how narratives are forged.
It was an even bigger night for Stefon Diggs, who ran wild through the Bills secondary in his first game back at Highmark Stadium since he was traded away in the 2024 offseason, and proved he’s still got some juice after a couple of down seasons. He caught 10 of his 12 targets for 146 yards, and while he was held without a touchdown, he made several game-changing plays. Maye set up the game-winning kick with a hole shot to Diggs between two zone defenders.
The pair also hooked up on a few ad-libbed plays that were reminiscent of the Josh Allen-to-Diggs connection that used to power Buffalo’s passing attack.
Maye had his breakout performance, and Diggs is now 2-0 against his former , and yet the Bills have to feel like they let one get away. Buffalo had higher EPA averages on both runs and dropbacks, and they finished the game with a better success rate, per TruMedia. The Bills even won the time-of-possession battle by nine minutes. But they also lost the turnover battle (3-1), the first time they’ve done that all season, as Allen threw his second interception of the season and Buffalo lost two fumbles. New England bottled up a typically strong Bills run game for the most part, but Allen was able to move the ball through the air with relative ease. Even with the turnover issues, the Bills had a shot to win this game.
If Buffalo could have just contained Maye and Diggs on a few more plays, the score may have gone the other way, but the Patriots’ second-year quarterback and veteran receiver ensured it didn’t. This game was decided by a handful of moments in the second half, and Maye and Diggs owned the biggest ones.
Buffalo still sits atop the AFC East standings after its first loss, but New England is only a game back and owns the tiebreaker. The Bills have owned the division for the past five years, but might have a fight on their hands if they want to hold on to it.
Winner: Sean Payton
Payton has his signature win in Denver. And, boy, did he earn it, with one of the best coaching jobs we’ve seen this season. Payton managed Sunday’s game against Philadelphia perfectly with a plan to control the ball and the clock. The Broncos rushed for 127 yards on 27 designed runs (with a 42.9 percent success rate), which allowed them to win the time-of-possession battle and take the teeth out of Philadelphia’s pass rush. It also eventually set up Bo Nix for success in the passing game. Nix couldn’t take advantage for about two and a half quarters, but he found enough of a groove to lead two touchdown drives and erase the Eagles’ lead in the second half. Nix’s best play came with a high degree of difficulty; he connected with Courtland Sutton to move the chains on third-and-15 and extend the eventual game-winning drive.
A few plays later, Nix hit tight end Evan Engram for a touchdown that looked like it would tie the game. But Payton kept his offense out on the field for a two-point attempt that could give his team its first lead. Payton called a sprint-out pass for Nix that attacked the Eagles’ man coverage.
“We came here to win a game,” Payton said afterward. “And I had two or three calls that I loved, … but we got to a call that I had a lot of confidence in, and the guys executed. It was perfect.”
It wasn’t always perfect for Denver, and if the refs had thrown a defensive pass interference flag instead of letting the contact against tight end Dallas Goedert go late in the game, the Eagles might have pulled out the victory to stay undefeated. But Payton and his coaching staff had a good initial plan—during a short week of game prep after playing on Monday night and with a trip to London next on the schedule—and made the right adjustments to steal a win on the road against the defending champs.
Payton and the offense will get a lot of the glory after the big win, but the defense made it possible. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph deserves a lot of credit for turning things around after a shaky start. The Broncos are a man coverage defense at heart, so it’s not surprising that that was a big part of Joseph’s initial game plan. But that scheme played into the hands of Philadelphia’s passing game, which hadn’t seen a lot of man this season. The Eagles went after no. 2 cornerback Riley Moss and inside linebacker Alex Singleton in coverage, and with Denver playing man, it was easier to single them out. Those two were targeted a combined 10 times in man coverage and were burned for 142 yards and two touchdowns on those plays. That includes Saquon Barkley’s 47-yard touchdown catch that extended Philly’s lead to 17-3 early in the third quarter.
Watching Singleton get cooked in the open field seemingly convinced Joseph to adjust his coverage plan. Denver had played Cover 1 on 10 defensive snaps through the Barkley touchdown. But Joseph called it just once more over the rest of the game, turning instead to more two-high zone coverages. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts seemed intent on pushing the ball downfield—he had nine attempts of over 20 air yards—and after the Broncos switched to a shell coverage, they did a better job of taking those passes away and forcing Hurts to hold on to the ball in the pocket. Hurts posted a season-high average time to throw (3.24 seconds) and ended up taking six sacks despite getting solid pass protection from his line.
Eagles Pass Efficiency vs. Denver, by Half (TruMedia)
The Eagles didn’t score again after Barkley’s long touchdown, and they gained only one first down on their next four drives. Payton and Nix took care of the rest, and the Broncos coach landed his biggest win since arriving in Denver in 2023.
Winners: Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold
We should have known the Buccaneers and Seahawks were going to deliver an instant classic based on the uniform matchup alone.
As beautiful as those threads were, the football being played was just as easy on the eyes. Tampa Bay’s 38-35 win is on the shortlist of “game of the year” candidates, thanks in large part to the quarterback performances from Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. The pair of 2018 first-round picks combined for 720 passing yards and six touchdowns with an 85.1 completion percentage. The ball barely hit the turf. Both QBs averaged over 10 yards per dropback! Darnold’s dropbacks generated 25.2 EPA, while Mayfield was right behind him with 22.4 EPA, per TruMedia.
There wasn’t a lot of cheap production on either side. Both guys made several high-level throws, on tight-window passes over the middle and deep balls that hit their targets right in stride. They were both on fire from the pocket but also made a few plays on the move, including the final two touchdowns of a back-and-forth second half.
Darnold gave Seattle the lead after escaping a sack and finding Tory Horton open for a touchdown just in time to avoid the rush.
Mayfield answered that score with a scramble-drill touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard.
Both quarterbacks were great, but Mayfield was the better of the two. This may have been the best game of his career. He was poised in the pocket; he scrambled only when necessary; and he kept the ball out of harm’s way while still hunting for big plays. Darnold put on a comprehensive display of quarterbacking as well, but he was lucky to escape the game without multiple interceptions. The Bucs just missed one near the goal line of Seattle’s first scoring drive. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka let another one slip through his hands near Tampa Bay’s end zone. And Darnold had an interception wiped out by an illegal contact call in the fourth quarter.
Darnold’s luck finally turned on Seattle’s last drive when he bounced a pass off his lineman’s helmet—Blake Bortles style—and into the arms of Tampa linebacker Lavonte David.
Still, Darnold played well enough to win. It’s just that Seattle made too many mistakes early in the game and wasted whatever margin for error they may have had. A holding call stalled a promising opening drive, which ended with Jason Myers shanking a field goal attempt. On the Seahawks’ second drive, an ineligible man downfield penalty negated a third-and-13 conversion, and the team had to punt. And then Seattle’s third drive ended in Tampa Bay territory with a botched option play for backup quarterback Jalen Milroe.
Seattle fell into a 13-0 hole, and with Baker and the Bucs offense rolling, Darnold had to be perfect in the second half in order for Seattle to rally. He nearly was and staked his team to a seven-point lead it couldn’t hold on to.
It was another gut punch for the Seahawks, who have blown fourth-quarter leads in both of their losses this season, but, really, there were no losers in this one
Loser: Aaron Glenn
Two weeks ago, after the Jets lost their third game of the season when the Buccaneers hit a field goal as time expired, Glenn promised that these weren’t the “same old Jets.” And maybe he was right. This team looks even worse than those past iterations of the Jets. After getting run off the field by a banged-up Cowboys team on Sunday, Glenn’s Jets are 0-5, and he’s off to the worst start for a coach in franchise history.
In his comments after this game, Glenn preached patience, saying the rebuild is “going to take time.” But the Jets are repeating mistakes, so it’s understandable if Jets fans, who haven’t seen a playoff run in over a decade, are all out of patience. Poorly timed penalties, busts in coverage, fumbles, and questionable late-game decision-making have all contributed to the team’s first four losses and were once again the problems in the 37-22 loss to the Cowboys. A week after a fumble at the goal line cost the Jets a chance to tie a 10-3 game against the Dolphins, Breece Hall fumbled at the Dallas 13-yard line with his team trailing 10-3.
“I think the only reason it was as deflating as it was is because the exact same thing happened last week,” Justin Fields said after the game. “It was like a damn moment almost.”
Fumbles on offense and special teams have been an issue all season, but Glenn’s defense has been a bigger one. The Jets are giving up over 31 points per game and were just picked apart by Dak Prescott and run over by Javonte Williams, who rushed for 135 yards on 16 carries. The Cowboys back racked up 76 yards after missed tackles by Jets defenders, per Next Gen Stats. Prescott threw four touchdowns and averaged over 8 yards per attempt despite playing without WR1 CeeDee Lamb and four of the five starting linemen, who were out with injuries. Receiver Ryan Flournoy did most of the damage to the Jets defense, getting loose for a couple of deep catches and racking up a career-high 114 receiving yards on his six receptions.
It’s been a dreadful start for Glenn and his defense, but it would be premature to give up on the rookie head coach or start asking questions about his job security. After all, Glenn’s last boss, Dan Campbell, started 0-10-1 before finally winning a game in Detroit. But those Lions teams continued to play hard throughout their winless start. You could see the foundation for a winning team being laid, even in the early stages.
There have been no such signs for Glenn’s Jets so far. If that doesn’t change soon, his seat might get a little hotter.
Loser: Geno Smith
It wasn’t a fun Sunday for every member of the Reclamation Quarterbacks Club. Geno Smith, who started the recent trend of former draft busts turning their careers around, produced another clunker in a 40-6 blowout loss to the Colts. That’s Smith’s third bad game in the last four weeks, and it has even the most ardent Geno supporters (like me) wondering if it’s over. It certainly appeared that way on Sunday. Smith needed 36 attempts to reach his total of 228 passing yards. He tossed a pair of interceptions, and his 41 dropbacks cost the Raiders 9.7 EPA, the worst mark of the week, per TruMedia.
Smith entered Week 5 leading the NFL in interceptions—and he extended his lead with a pair of picks against the Colts. His first came off an unlucky deflection, but his second pick was an inexcusable mistake for a veteran quarterback. Indianapolis dialed up a simulated pressure that set up a trap in the flat. Smith fell right into it, throwing a quick out that was jumped by cornerback Mekhi Blackmon sitting on the route.
As concerning as the interceptions have been, the biggest red flag might be Smith’s accuracy, which has regressed significantly this season. Smith ranks 23rd in both completion rate over expected and accurate throw rate through five weeks after ranking fifth and 12th in those two metrics last season.
Smith hasn’t been the quarterback the Raiders thought they were getting when they gave him a $75 million contract in the offseason. He’s been inaccurate and turnover-prone. And while he’s not the most significant problem plaguing Pete Carroll’s 1-4 team—the Raiders also have a leaky defense and a shaky offensive line—Smith doesn’t appear to be a solution, either.
Winner: Spencer Rattler
I’ve been toying with the idea of becoming a full-on Spencer Rattler guy, and I think Sunday’s win, the first of the 2024 fifth-round pick’s NFL career, might have sealed the deal for me. I’m at least brave enough to say that Rattler probably deserves another year in New Orleans if he can keep this up for the rest of the season.
Rattler turned in another solid performance in the Saints’ 26-14 win over the Giants. He threw for 225 yards on 31 attempts, and he didn’t throw an interception or take a single sack. That’s been par for the course for Rattler this season. He’s had just one game with a negative EPA average—last week’s loss in Buffalo—and he’s thrown just one interception.
In the lead-up to the 2024 draft, Rattler was considered a reckless decision-maker who’d need some significant development time before he could see the NFL field. He’s defied that scouting report with a shockingly polished game over his first 11 starts dating back to last season. And while he’s been a bit conservative at times, he has shown flashes of big-time arm talent, a calm pocket presence, and effective playmaking. I don’t know if Rattler will ever develop into a true franchise quarterback, but it’s in the range of realistic outcomes.
Rattler didn’t have to make too many plays to beat New York, who took an early lead but fell apart, in part because of turnovers on five consecutive offensive possessions. Rattler’s perfectly timed deep shot to Rashid Shaheed for an 87-yard score got the ball rolling on the comeback, and New Orleans never looked back.
And with the victory, Rattler became the first quarterback drafted by the Saints to win a game for them since 1998. I’m sure the front office envisioned second-round rookie Tyler Shough being the quarterback who ended that drought, but if Rattler keeps playing like this, Shough may not get off the bench anytime soon.
Loser: Justin Herbert
Herbert’s MVP campaign has quickly unraveled. The Chargers have lost two in a row, the latest being a 27-10 loss to the Commanders, and Herbert has thrown four interceptions and taken 11 sacks over his past three outings. As a cog in the Herbert propaganda machine, I feel obligated to do a little apologia here. The offensive line has completely fallen apart since Joe Alt was injured in Week 4, and in the past three games, Herbert has been pressured on over 47 percent of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats. Only the Jets’ Justin Fields has faced more pressure over that time. Herbert’s interceptions have been unlucky, as well. He has only one turnover-worthy play over the past three weeks, per Pro Football Focus.
His interception on Sunday came on a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage:
(He was unlucky last week as well; he had a pass intercepted when his intended receiver was knocked to the ground during the throw.)
The universe seemed to be conspiring against him. Not only was the pick unfortunate, but a Quentin Johnston fumble spoiled one of Herbert’s better throws.
He lost what would have been another ridiculous completion when Washington’s Mike Sainristil knocked Keenan Allen out of bounds before the receiver could get two feet down. And then a conversion on second-and-19 was wiped out by a holding penalty, and a completion on second-and-28 was negated by a penalty on the very next snap.
Four great throws and none of them led to positive gains for the Chargers.
Fortunately for Herbert and Los Angeles’s offense, Alt isn’t going on IR and should be back in a week or two. I don’t know if that will fix the pass protection, but it should improve things and make Herbert’s job a bit easier.
Winner: Cam Ward
The Titans have been upgraded from “ass” to “good” in a week’s time. Those are the words first-round pick Cam Ward has used to describe his team over the last two weeks, with Tennessee following up a 26-0 loss to Houston in Week 4 with a wild 22-21 comeback win over Arizona on Sunday.
I don’t want to take too much from Ward after his first NFL win, but the Cardinals fumbled this one away. Like literally fumbled it away. Arizona was sitting on a 21-6 lead early in the fourth quarter when a 71-yard touchdown run by Emari Demercado turned into a touchback for Tennessee when replay showed Demercado dropped the ball before he crossed the goal line. Ward led a seven-play touchdown drive on the ensuing Tennessee possession.
And then, with under five minutes left in a game the Cardinals were leading by two scores, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson picked off Ward for what should have been a game-sealing play. Instead, Taylor-Demerson fumbled the ball during his attempt to return the pick, and after a teammate knocked the ball into the end zone while trying to recover it, the Titans fell on it for a touchdown.
The Titans forced a stop just before the two-minute warning, giving the ball back to Ward for a chance to win it. The rookie came through with a clutch throw to Calvin Ridley down the sideline that got his team in range for the game-winning kick.
Ward and the Titans got a few lucky bounces, but the rookie was excellent down the stretch outside of the wild interception/touchdown play. He threw for 193 yards in the fourth quarter and led Tennessee on three long scoring drives to hand Arizona a loss that Kyler Murray called one of the worst of his career.
“I don’t really know what to think about that,” Murray said after the game. “I don’t even know. I really don’t even know. That’s ‘How to Lose a Game 101.’ I don’t know. It was crazy.”
Steven Ruiz
Steven Ruiz has been an NFL analyst and QB ranker at The Ringer since 2021. He’s a D.C. native who roots for all the local teams except for the Commanders. As a child, he knew enough ball to not pick the team owned by Dan Snyder—but not enough to avoid choosing the Panthers.
