NFL Week 5 grades Tom Bradys monster day helps Buccaneers land A Ravens get a B for wild Monday win

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NFL Week 5 grades Tom Bradys monster day helps Buccaneers land A Ravens get a B for wild Monday win

has been in the NFL for so long that it feels like he's accomplished everything there is to accomplish, but as it turns out, he actually did something on Sunday that he had never done before in his 21-year career.During Tampa Bay's dominating 45-17 win over the , Brady threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns, marking the first time that he's thrown for five or more touchdowns in a game where he also threw for 400 or more yards. In 21 years, Brady had thrown for five or more touchdowns a total of eight times, but he had never hit the 400-yard mark when doing so.Brady is with for the second-most five-touchdown games in NFL history, trailing only Drew Brees, who ended his career with 11.With Brady going up against a familiar foe in Dolphins coach Brian Flores -- the two spent 16 years together in New England -- it almost seemed like the 44-year-old quarterback knew everything the Dolphins were going to do before they actually did it. The quarterback diced up the Dolphins defense and there's nothing Miami could do to stop him.Brady's five touchdown pa ses went to three different players and the most exciting score definitely went to , who caught a short pa s and turned it into a 62-yard TD. ANTONIO. BROWN. : on CBS Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) That score was Brady's 45th career touchdown pa s of 50 yards or more, which is . Brown actually reached 900 career receptions on Sunday, reaching the mark in 143 games, which is faster than any other player in NFL history (Marvin Harrison had the old record, which was 149 games). Although it's easy to give Brown a lot of the credit for that score -- and you probably should -- there were also a few throws where Brady deserves most of the credit, like this fourth-quarter touchdown pa s to . FIRE THE CANNONS! : on CBS Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) What Brady is doing at age 44 doesn't even seem po sible. There are quarterbacks half his age who have trouble making that throw, but he makes it look easy. As a matter of fact, he makes everything look easy.When Brady is on his "A" game, the Buccaneers are impo sible to beat and the quarterback was definitely on his "A" game against the Dolphins. The Buccaneers ended up totaling 558 yards against the Dolphins, which was the second-highest total ever with Brady and the fourth-highest total in team history. Alright, let's get to the grades for every game from Week 5. If you're looking for a deeper dive on the ' wild 26-17 win over the that was played on Thursday, . B- did his best to help the steal a win in Baltimore, but the victory never came because of a defensive meltdown in the second half. After shutting down the for the better part of three quarters, the Colts had no answers for a Ravens offense that scored two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes of the game to force overtime. The Colts' defense came up with some big plays, but they couldn't come up with one when they needed it late. The defensive meltdown overshadowed the performance from Wentz, who threw for 402 yards and two touchdowns. helped the Colts jump out to a 22-3 lead with a performance that included 169 total yards and two touchdowns. This game marked the first time since 1998 that the Colts have lost when totaling 500 or more yards of offense. Colts kicker mi sed one field goal, had another field goal blocked and also mi sed an extra point.B The Ravens' offense was completely nonexistent in the first half, but then brought them back to life in the second half and in a twist, he did it with his arm. Jackson threw for a career-high 442 yards and four touchdowns as the Ravens mounted a comeback from a 22-3 deficit to win. The 19-point comeback is tied for the third biggest in franchise history. Jackson was clutch, with the final two scores coming in the final two minutes and overtime. also came up clutch with 11 catches for 147 yards while also adding two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. The Ravens' comeback wouldn't have been po sible without a huge Mookie Wilson Jersey performance from , who blocked a field goal attempt with four minutes left that likely would have iced the game for the Colts. The Ravens' streak of 43 straight games with 100 yards rushing came to an end, but there's a good chance no one in Baltimore cares about that after this win.C- Apparently, the Jets' defense didn't make it through customs, because it definitely didn't show up for the first half in this game. For that matter, neither did the offense. The Jets were buried in a 20-3 hole at halftime and that mostly had to do with the fact that the were able to pile up more than 250 total yards through the game's first two quarters. Atlanta's almost had as many yards (76) at halftime as the entire Jets offense (80). The Jets did mount a spirited comeback in the second half, but it was too little, too late.B Falcons rookie decided to hold his NFL coming-out party in London. With the Falcons mi sing their top two receivers, the first-year tight end had a career day with nine catches for 119 yards and a TD. His day was po sible because was on fire, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Falcons took advantage of an inept Jets offense, allowing just 230 yards, which was the fewest yards the team has allowed in a regular-season game since 2014.C If you watched the Red Zone channel on Sunday, you probably didn't see much of the and that's because they didn't reach the Red Zone a single time until there was under two minutes left to play in the game. Although the offense sputtered, the Lions were almost able to steal a victory in Minnesota thanks a huge play from their defense (a forced fumble in the final minute that set up a Lions TD that Pete Alonso Jersey gave Detroit a 17-16 lead). However, the same defense that came up with the big play also let the march down the field for a game-winning field goal on the final play. The Lions are now the first team in NFL history to lose on a game-winning field goals of 50 or more yards with no time left on the clock twice in a single season.B- The Vikings tried to give this game away with a mi sed field goal and a lost fumble over the final three-and-a-half minutes, but a heroic performance from saved the day. With the Vikings trailing 17-16 and just 37 seconds to work with, Cousins worked his team into field goal range by going 3 of 4 for 46 yards, which set up game-winning kick from 54 yards. came up big for the Vikings with 153 total yards and a TD, but he also almost cost Minnesota the win with a late fumble. It was a wild game that the Vikings should have won handily, but they just couldn't put the Lions away.B+ It's not often you get the full experience in one game, but the got that on Sunday and it worked out for them. After turning the ball over twice in the first quarter, Winston rebounded by throwing four TD pa ses, including a 72-yarder to and a 49-yard Hail Mary to right before halftime. Winston managed to throw for 279 yards and four TDs despite only completing 15 pa ses in the game. The Saints' defense wasn't perfect, but it did make several big plays, including a fourth-quarter interception by that led to a TD that would end up icing the game for New Orleans.C- The biggest mystery of the 2021 season is how a Washington defense that was so good last year has turned into a total disaster this season. Washington got burnt multiple times on big plays, including a Hail Mary just before halftime. With the defense playing so badly, there's no margin of error for the offense, which was a problem on Sunday, because the offense made plenty of errors, including two turnovers. Washington coach Ron Rivera also made some odd decision in this game, including going for it on fourth-and-10 from New Orleans' 35-yard line instead of trying a 53-yard field goal in a game that was tied at 13.B The ' defense got lit up and the offensive line once again struggled to protect , but none of that mattered because Tenne see has . The Titans star put the team on his back and carried them to a win in a game where he steamrolled his way to 130 yards and three touchdowns. As for the defense, although it struggled against Jacksonville, the unit did come up with several big plays including a TD in the first quarter on a fumble return. The defense also made a big fourth-down stop on the 1-yard line with 10:28 to play. If the Jags had scored there, it would have been a 31-26 game, but the stop allowed the Titans to go home with a blowout win.D+ The rolled up 454 yards of offense, but that wasn't enough because they also shot themselves in the foot roughly 454 times in this game. The first big error came on their opening po se sion when lost a fumble that Tenne see would return for a touchdown. The Jaguars also had a mi sed field goal and had a failed fourth-down play from Tenne see's 1-yard line. If any of those had gone their way, this game might have been close, but the Jaguars played like a team that had been distracted all week. Does anyone know what that distraction was? OK, so it turns out we all do.D The Dolphins had no ground attack, their defense disappeared in the fourth quarter and their quarterback was playing on an injured hamstring, so it wasn't too surprising to see them get blown out. This was actually a close game going into the final quarter, but the Dolphins had no answers for a Buccaneers offense that put up three touchdowns during a six-minute span in the fourth that turned a 24-17 lead into a 45-17 lead. With at quarterback, the Dolphins just don't have the firepower to keep up with a team like Tampa Bay.A One reason Brady was so succe sful against the Dolphins is because his receivers were getting so open that it almost seemed like Miami was playing without a secondary. Antonio Brown (seven catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns) and Evans (six catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns) both went over 100 yards while caught seven pa ses. Defensively, the Buccaneers struggled early, but they clamped down on the Dolphins after surrendering 10 points in the first quarter.B- Ugly wins count the same as every other win, which is good news for the , because this was about as ugly as it gets. The Patriots trailed 22-9 in the third quarter before mounting a wild comeback that saw them outscore the 16-0 over the final quarter-and-a-half of action. With the Patriots struggling in the red zone, the team's star ended up being , who hit four field goals, including three in the second half. The Patriots made plenty of mistakes in this game, including a fumble at the goal line, but they were able to escape Houston with a win thanks to Folk and a defense that clamped down on Houston in the second half. B Rookie quarterbacks almost always struggle New York Mets Jersey against Bill Belichick, but not . The Texans quarterback became just the second rookie QB to throw three or more touchdowns against a Belichick defense, joining . Mills' succe s was highly unexpected, especially given the fact that Belichick was 9-1 in his past 10 games against rookie quarterbacks. The Texans might have pulled off the upset in this game if not for a special teams disaster that included two mi sed extra points, a mi sed field goal and a zero-yard punt that happened because the punter hit the ball off one of his own players.B- Good enough to win, but it wasn't pretty. mi sed three straight field goals before booting the game-winner in overtime and the were basically asking the to take the win down the stretch. On top of Crosby's mi sed field goals, the Green Bay defense allowed a 13-play touchdown drive that knotted the game up at 22 after leading by as many as nine points. was also thrown off his game a bit early, but was able to find his groove in the second quarter where he'd help the offense score 16 points before the break. Again, they were able to make the plays when it counted and it resulted in a win, but they weren't exactly earning a ton of style points out there in Week 5.C+ Cincinnati was in this game up until the buzzer, but they also seemed to let the win slip through its fingers on a number of occasions. mi sed 49-yard field goal in overtime is an obvious turning point, but also threw an interception on his very first pa s in OT that should have ended the game had it not been for Mason Crosby's struggles. The Bengals were able to apply pre sure on Rodgers at points in this game, but they couldn't contain , who torched the secondary for 206 yards receiving and a touchdown. It was a strong effort by this up-and-coming Bengals team, but when the Packers kept giving them opportunities to win the game, they simply didn't snatch it.B- An impre sive comeback win for Philadelphia, but wasn't an impre sive game -- at least on the offensive side of the ball. was not good until the final four po se sions as head coach Nick Sirianni doomed him with way too many pa ses. Whether it was bubble screens, slants, or flats, the offense never adjusted with Hurts struggling early. Hurts didn't get anything going until he started using his legs to keep the Carolina defense honest and create plays. Hurts deserves plenty of credit for the fourth-quarter comeback, but that was aided by a defense that bounced back after two brutal weeks. The allowed just one touchdown Sunday after allowing 40 points in back-to-back weeks. They held the to 5 of 15 on third down and forced three takeaways while Carolina averaged just 3.8 yards per play. Special teams even blocked a punt to set up the winning touchdown. A lot of work needs to be done with this team going forward, but the Eagles got the win -- a much-needed one.C- Carolina has an excellent defense, but the unit just couldn't slow down Hurts in the fourth quarter and couldn't protect a nine-point lead. The Eagles had 177 yards on the final four po se sions, which led to 15 points. looked like the Jets' version of Sam Darnold, throwing three interceptions and making ill-advised decisions to keep the game in reach for Philadelphia. The Panthers had two turnovers and a blocked punt on seven second-half po se sions, never getting past the Eagles' 31-yard line. Carolina looked inept on both sides of the ball against an inferior team at home. All of a sudden that 3-0 start and the opponents the Panthers faced have some merit. Michael Conforto Jersey C- waited too long before taking advantage of his receivers against one-on-one coverage. After falling behind by double digits, Bridgewater looked more to and . Sutton caught seven pa ses for 120 yards that included a 39-yard touchdown that made it a five-point game late in the fourth quarter. Patrick caught seven pa ses for 89 yards. Unfortunately, it was a little too late for the , who (sans ' big run) struggled to run the ball while going 1-for-3 in the red zone. Defensively, the Broncos who entered the game as the league's second-best unit against the run allowed the to score touchdowns on both of their trips to the red zone. Von Miler was a nonfactor after tallying 4.5 sacks in the Broncos' first four games.B+ The Steelers vastly outplayed the Broncos for the game's first 45 minutes, then made just enough plays to preserve the win. Pittsburgh's offensive line had its best collective game of the season. was sacked just once, and the running game gained a season-best 147 yards on 35 carries. The Steelers were an efficient 7 of 12 on third down, while Pittsburgh's defense held the Broncos to just 2 of 12 third-down efficiency. Pittsburgh's defense came up with three big plays. After being put on a short field following 's strip-sack of Roethlisberger, 's jarring tackle for a lo s of Williams forced the Broncos to settle for a field goal at the end of the first quarter. Williams broke loose for a 49-yard run before 's sack of Bridgewater forced the Broncos to settle for another field goal as the Steelers led 10-6 in the second quarter. The last big defensive play was turned in by Pierre, who won a spot on the Steelers' initial roster after winning a tightly contested position battle. Pierre received more playing time on Sunday with starting cornerback out with an injury. C gave his all, but his contributions were limited almost exclusively to the ground. Kyle Shanahan didn't do him a ton of favors on key downs, like their five fourth-down tries, even if his aggre sivene s was warranted. Defensively, they actually fared well against 's arm and legs for long stretches, but they couldn't contain their deep threats early and then late in the fourth quarter. They continue to be a scrappy, but not nece sarily scary competitor.B- Murray was on his game out of the gate, and boy did show out. But their backyard style left the star QB exposed at times, and he's now dealing with what appears to be an aggravated throwing shoulder. Still, they made plays when they needed to, and their defense was feisty against the pa s, thwarting pretty much every attempt by Lance to push the ball down the field.B- The ' victory was not flashy by any means, but and the defense were able to get the job done. It's fair to want more than just 252 yards of total offense, but Chicago won the time-of-po se sion battle and did not turn the ball over once. You have to be impre sed with how Fields was able to battle back after taking multiple big hits, and returning to the game after he suffered what appeared to be a left leg injury. The offense put together a couple of long drives which resulted in touchdowns and the defense held their ground all day. A win is a win.D The ' offense was not on the same page all game. Box scores usually don't tell the story of games, but in this case, it somewhat does. threw for just 206 yards and one interception, and the Raiders recorded 10 penalties for a total of 82 yards. The Raiders are better than the team that took the field in Vegas on Sunday, but after two straight lo ses now, you have to hope that this isn't a trend where Jon Gruden's team completely falls apart. Something to keep an eye on moving forward.D- Why was this not a fail for Big Blue? Well, consider two things: the breakout effort of rookie first-round pick (10 catches, 189 yards) and the grit they displayed in trying to stay as competitive as they could for as long as they could in the wake of losing , and to injury. The kudos stops there, however, because the ince sant unsportsmanlike penalties in the waning minutes of the game -- including Toney being ejected for throwing a punch in a move that dirtied his stellar individual performance -- combine with the team's inability to stop , and to give the struggling Giants another black eye in a season that's rapidly becoming one to forget.A Another week, another imperfect but convincing win by the . It was another good win for Dallas to dig in deeper atop the NFC East, but even the Cowboys will admit they, once again, left some meat on the bone (which is Mike Piazza Jersey why this isn't an "A+"). It never once felt like the Giants had a chance in this game and, that said, I have to give Dallas a demerit for not decimating them in this game. The score at halftime was close at 17-10 only because of an interception by Prescott followed by a fumbled snap by the two-time Pro Bowler that was recovered by the Giants, and those were only two of the errors the Cowboys put on film in a first half that could've and should've seen them up by at least three scores (e.g., the dropped touchdown pa s by tight end ). They overcame their mistakes, though, as really good teams do, and they're most certainly that: a really good team. B+ The did nearly everything they could in this game minus a game-winning drive at the end. They had some blown coverages leading to the Chargers' two longest scores. However, they were dealing with several injuries with most of their cornerbacks out so miscommunications were almost to be expected. This was a heart-breaking lo s for a Cleveland team that has now gone toe to toe with two of the AFC's best ( and Chargers) on the road and lost.A took advantage of Cleveland's errors and the Chargers also took advantage of the opportunities that came with some questionable officiating decisions. The defense came up with the stops when nece sary. At the end of the day, scoring four touchdowns in the fourth quarter of a game will almost always lead to a victory and that's what the Chargers did here. The Chargers scored 26 points in the fourth quarter, which since 1991. Los Angeles retains its place atop the AFC West and has a strong resume with wins over Kansas City and Cleveland.A+ If you go on the road to Arrowhead Stadium and get revenge for a lo s in the AFC title game, you are probably getting an "A+". If you do it while getting four total touchdowns from and holding to one of the most inefficient performances of his career, you are definitely getting an "A+". The are now 4-1 and have by far the league's best point differential. They look like a juggernaut.D Things were really, really bad for K.C. in this one. Mahomes couldn't get anything going down the field. None of the running backs could find any room, and then left with a knee injury. had to get checked in the blue tent. I think Daniel Sorenson just gave up another long completion while I was typing this paragraph. The Chiefs have some things to work on.
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