Monday 8 October 2018 17:15, UK
Who were some of the top performers from Week Five of the NFL season?
There was a bunch of fantastic individual performances in Week Five of the NFL season, and we have picked out some stars from Sunday's action...
Unlike the first few weeks of the season where we have seen multiple six-touchdown performances and big-time numbers, there were not many clear standouts over the weekend. Five of the six passing yardage leaders were on losing teams, and the impressive standard we have seen dropped slightly.
But in Los Angeles, Philip Rivers carved apart the Oakland Raiders in a vintage performance. He completed 22 of his 27 passes for 339 yards and added two touchdowns without turning the ball over. The 36-year-old was looking like his young self and helped the Chargers move to 3-2.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Crowell was in trouble after an ill-advised touchdown celebration that got him fined. Against the Broncos, he more than made up for his antics. On just 15 carries, he racked up 219 rushing yards. His 14.6 average yards per carry is an NFL record for a single game (with 15 or more rushes).
Crowell had a 77-yarder to tie the game 7-7 early on, and had other runs of 15, 54, and 36 yards to boost the numbers. He even added a 12-yard reception to bring up his scrimmage total to 231.
On Sunday night, Hopkins put the Houston offense on his back and came through when it mattered, with a 49-yard catch followed by a double spin move to put the Texans in field-goal range for their overtime win over Dallas.
In total, he had nine catches and 151 yards (after a 10-catch, 169-yard performance last week) and proved once again that he is one of the best playmakers in the league. After an 0-3 start, the Texans have salvaged their season with two straight overtime wins.
He is always in the headlines, and unfortunately his good performance on Sunday will be marred by firstly, him calling out head coach Pat Shurmur ahead of it, and secondly, a fourth loss in five for his team.
But the fact remains Beckham is a true star on a team that does not have many of them. He hauled in eight balls for 131 yards and a touchdown, and even threw a 57-yard TD to rookie running back Saquon Barkley.
After Crowell's rushing performance mentioned above, he said: "I've got to give all the credit to my O-line. I can't really take the credit. Really, it was all them. I mean, the holes were open. Anybody could've run through them. It just happened to be me.
"They really set the record."
And what I did not mention above was the fact back-up Bilal Powell also had 99 yards rushing, meaning New York finished with 323 yards on the ground, the second-most in team history. We will have to hand it to the Jets' line, who put in a dominating performance.
After going down 17-0 to Miami, something clicked for the Bengals and they went on a terrific 27-0 run to steal the win and move to 4-1. Among the scoring was a Michael Johnson interception return and a Sam Hubbard fumble return as the Bengals' D-line turned on the style in the fourth quarter.
Defensive tackle Geno Atkins had a pair of sacks, Carlos Dunlap had one, and Cincinnati forced Ryan Tannehill into a 57.4 passer rating. As far as group efforts go, it does not get much better than this.
Last year's NFL sack leader did what he does best in the Cardinals' first win of the 2018 season. His strip sack of C.J. Beathard gave him his 32nd sack since joining Arizona in 2016, more than any other player in the league in that span.
According to Pro Football Focus, Jones was "virtually unblockable, whether it was rushing the passer or in run defense".
The big man up front for Minnesota had a fantastic day as the Vikings got NFC Championship game revenge in Philadelphia. He had a QB hurry, a run stop, a sack, and most importantly, a 64-yard rumble off a Carson Wentz fumble for touchdown.
Vikings beat Eagles in revenge match
When the Vikings defense plays like that, they are almost impossible to break down.
Who is currently in the league lead for sacks? It is a three-way tie between Geno Atkins, J.J. Watt, and his younger brother T.J. The Steelers outside linebacker produced his second three-sack performance of the season in a win over Atlanta.
Although the pass rush will be memorable, Watt also held up well in the running game as they limited Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to a combined 47 yards on the ground.
How about this for a stat line? Nine solo tackles, one sack, one tackle for a loss, and a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Plus, a first win of the season.
Rookie quarterback Josh Rosen certainly did not win the game for Arizona, but he protected the ball and allowed his defense to go to work. Jones and Bynes had huge days, as did Budda Baker and Haason Reddick.
They finally got their win a couple of games ago, but now Cleveland have their first win on a Sunday since December 2015 after defeating division rivals Baltimore. They did not make it easy, going to overtime for the third time this season, but this year's draft class made a huge difference on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield made the game-changing plays on offense, but number four overall pick Denzel Ward recorded his third interception of the season to halt the Ravens in the red zone in the second quarter. Behind him, 2017 first-round pick Jabrill Peppers was all over the place, making plays against the run and the pass.
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