Eagles v Broncos, Texans v Ravens, Jets v Cowboys, and more: NFL week five – live

Key events

Panthers 10-17 Dolphins 12:15, 3rd quarter

It’s good! Ryan Fitzgerald hits another this time from 49 yards as the Panthers keep picking away at Miami’s lead. 17-0 advantage evaporated.

TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 3-31 Texans 11:33, 3rd quarter

Veteran running back Nick Chubb gashes the Ravens for a 27-yard rumble. Looks like curtains for Baltimore. 1-4 just feels bizarre for such a usually dominant team.

Emails

John wonders on Mr Romo’s overuse of the word stem on comms:

“Maybe he’s been doing some gardening”

It’s possible, John!. He was talking a lot about route stems but maybe he was saying root. Who knew Tony was so green fingered?

Half-time

Baltimore Ravens 3-24 Houston Texans

Carolina Panthers 10-17 Miami Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts 20-3 Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints 16-14 New York Giants

New York Jets 3-23 Dallas Cowboys

Philadelphia Eagles 10-3 Denver Broncos

The Saints take the lead in the Big Easy with a late 29-yard chip shot from Blake Grupe. That has been a high scoring half and I need a cold shower. Three thrashings potentially building and one for the purists in Philadelphia. Anybody’s game.

Eagles 10-3 Broncos 0:15, 2nd quarter

Huge moment! The zebra throws the PI flag then has the audacity to pick it up. Bo goes for it all on third down and comes up short. He is not having his best day. Then again few would against this defense. Punt.

Eagles 10-3 Broncos 0:52, 2nd quarter

Defenses are still on top at the Linc. Phili go three and out to boot it back to Denver who start the drive from near midfield with 52 seconds remaining in the half. Can they snatch a field goal?

Panthers 10-17 Dolphins 0:00, 2nd quarter

It’s good! Ryan Fitzgerald puts the Panthers to within one score with a swish of his boot from 35 yards. Nice little comeback brewing for Carolina.

TOUCHDOWN! Colts 21-3 Raiders 0:15, 2nd quarter

Indianapolis are sitting pretty after a four-yard pass from Daniel Jones to Michael Pittman Jr. The Jonesaissance continues!

TOUCHDOWN! Jets 3-17 Cowboys 0:57, 2nd quarter

Javonte Williams powers in from five yards as the half is almost up. The rather large contingent of Cowboys fans in New Jersey are laughing.

Eagles 10-3 Broncos 2:20, 2nd quarter

Out of bounds. Then Denver make an excellent stop thanks to Nick Bonitto’s splendid tackle. “Big drive right here,” says Tony Romo. He’s not wrong! Nix takes over for the Broncos.

TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 3-24 Texans 0:28, 2nd quarter

The Ravens are in deep, deep trouble. Xavier Hutchinson catches his second touchdown of the day from 10 yards. Great to see CJ Stroud back in full flow even if it is against a depleted Ravens defense.

Eagles 10-3 Broncos 2:10, 2nd quarter

Does anyone know why Tony Romo keeps saying the word stem? Feel like he has been at the thesaurus. While I’m musing Jahan Dotson just puts a foot out of bounds in what would have been a nice chunk play. Nick Sirianni throws the challenge flag. Now we wait.

Eagles 10-3 Broncos 4:49, 2nd quarter

Philadelphia winning the defensive battle as the Eagles look to extend their lead starting from their 14-yard line. Another pass interference call against Denver on the opening play. They need to sharpen up, very sloppy.

TOUCHDOWN! Saints 13-14 Giants 5:16, 2nd quarter

WOW! Confirmed speedster Rashid Shaheed torches the Giants backfield for an incredible 87-yard catch and score. One play, one touchdown, they now trail by one point.

TOUCHDOWN! Panthers 7-17 Dolphins 3:24, 2nd quarter

Bryce Young finds Xavier Legette with a seven-yard toss to cut the deficit.

TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 3-17 Texans 5:36, 2nd quarter

Nico Collins extends the lead for Houston with a 10-yard catch from CJ Stroud. The Texans are making hay.

TOUCHDOWN! Eagles 10-3 Broncos 7:20, 2nd quarter

Philadelphia captialise on the gift. Jalen Hurts rolls out when the Broncos are counting on a run and finds tight end Dallas Goedert from two yards. Fourth TD catch on the year for him.

Eagles 3-3 Broncos 8:00, 2nd quarter

The Slim Reaper goes long and catches a 50-yard bomb from Jalen Hurts. That gets a big pop from the home fans. The Broncos then follow that up with a PI call against them. Eagles are rolling.

Saints 6-14 Giants 7:41, 2nd quarter

It’s good! Blake Grupe comes up trumps again from 53 yards. Sitting pretty if he is on your fantasy team.

Eagles 3-3 Broncos 9:14, 2nd quarter

AJ Brown moves the chains to the Philadelphia 30-yard line. Denver then stuff the run. Gritty stuff from both teams.

TOUCHDOWN! Colts 14-3 Raiders 7:56, 2nd quarter

Colts 10-3 Raiders 3:21, 1st quarter

Jonathan Taylor keeps his hot streak going with a fifth touchdown of the year from three yards for the Colts.

TOUCHDOWN! Panthers 0-17 Dolphins 10:48, 2nd quarter

The once retired Darren Waller catches his third touchdown in two games from four yards as this game is already looking bleak for the Panthers.

TOUCHDOWN! Jets 3-10 Cowboys 11:40, 2nd quarter

Jake Ferguson comes down with a 26-yard pass from Dak Prescott.

TOUCHDOWN! Saints 3-14 Giants 13:01, 2nd quarter

Jaxson Dart to Theo Johnson works a treat again from 15 yards this time. The rookie is enjoying himself.

Ravens 3-10 Texans 5:40, 2nd quarter

It’s good! They just keep coming. Kai Fairbairn doing Kai Fairbairn things from a juicy 50 yards. The Texans will be more than happy with this start.

Colts 7-3 Raiders 3:21, 1st quarter

It’s good! Daniel Carlson strokes a 24-yard into the cup with his short iron. Before that rookie star Tyler Warren catches an 11-yarder from Daniel Jones.

TOUCHDOWN! Panthers 0-10 Dolphins 14:55, 2nd quarter

It’s Tua time. De’Von Achane catches a 10-yard pass from Miami’s quarterback to give them a healthy lead on the road. Carolina need to find a score.

Eagles 3-3 Broncos 0:29, 1st quarter

It’s good! Jake Elliott keeps the flow of field goals rolling from 31 yards. Huge W for Denver to stop the Philadelphia machine. Huge L for Nantz.

Saints 3-7 Giants 1:40, 1st quarter

It’s good! Blake Grupe hits three points from 28 yards in the Big Easy.

Eagles 0-3 Broncos 1:40, 1st quarter

Commentator’s curse alert. Jim Nantz warns us Philadelphia are 11 from 11 scoring touchdowns in the redzone this season. Can Denver keep them out from 15 yards?

Eagles 0-3 Broncos 4:59, 1st quarter

Philadelphia are moving now! Saquon Barkley pops a 17-yard dash with the middle of Denver’s defense parting like my cousin Danny’s hair in the 90s.

Jets 3-3 Cowboys 4:57, 1st quarter

It’s good! Brandon Aubrey levels the scores from 35 yards.

Ravens 3-7 Texans 1:58, 1st quarter

It’s good! Field goals are raining down. Tyler Loop cuts the deficit from a paltry 27 yards. Too easy.

Eagles 0-3 Broncos 6:49, 1st quarter

It’s good! A potential fumble is overturned and the Broncos breathe a sigh of relief. Will Lutz steps up and bangs a 55-yarder through the sticks. Never in doubt. Kickers these days, eh? Ridiculous.

TOUCHDOWN! Saints 0-7 Giants 9:34, 1st quarter

Theo Johnson grabs a touchdown on the goalline as Jaxson Dart continues to shine on only his second start at quarterback.

Jets 3-0 Cowboys 7:43, 1st quarter

It’s good! Nick Folk puts a smile on the faces of the home crowd with a 25-yard chip shot.

Panthers 0-3 Dolphins 9:03, 1st quarter

It’s good! Riley Patterson boots a 44-yard field goal to give Miami the lead in Carolina.

TOUCHDOWN! Ravens 0-7 Texans 9:24, 1st quarter

CJ Stroud hits Xavier Hutchinson with a five-yard strike. Houston off to a brilliant start in Baltimore!

Eagles 0-0 Broncos 12:22, 1st quarter

Hurts goes bombs away and just overthrows Dallas Goedert and the Eagles go three and out. A pair of punts to start this one. Nix and the Broncos take over on offense from Denver’s 32-yard line.

Eagles 0-0 Broncos 13:20, 1st quarter

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton drops an easy catch up the sideline and Denver punts it away for a touchback. Your move Jalen Hurts.

Eagles 0-0 Broncos 14:53, 1st quarter

We are underway in Philadelphia. Bo Nix takes the field to lead Denver’s opening drive from the 31-yard line.

Preamble

Hello football fans! Welcome to week five in the NFL where I will (be attempting to) bring you all the action from the opening window, a nice mid-morning affair on the west coast at 10am (PST) stretching to an early evening 6pm (BST) in jolly old England from whence we just saw the Vikings fightback to beat the Browns 21-17 thanks to a 12-yard Jordan Addison touchdown grab with 25 seconds left at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Minnesota move to 3-2 and Cleveland 1-4. The Sunday slate is already off and running.

We have a healthy roster of six games to follow:

Baltimore Ravens v Houston Texans
Carolina Panthers v Miami Dolphins
Indianapolis Colts v Las Vegas Raiders
New Orleans Saints v New York Giants
New York Jets v Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles v Denver Broncos

The BIG game is going down in Philadelphia with the unbeaten Super Bowl champions receiving a visit from Denver. On paper you might expect an easy win but a quick google of the Eagles pops up the mildly click-baity headline from ESPN: Are the Eagles the worst 4-0 team ever? Who knows. What we do know is they have benefited from a little luck thus far on special teams with three blocked kicks, one of which earned a win against the Rams. The key battle will be how Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph dials up his linebackers to stop Philadelphia’s dual threat quarterback Jalen Hurts from marauding down field. If they can force the pass then a statement win might follow for Denver, currently 2-2, that would have all the prognosticators, myself included, who said the Broncos would finally depose the Chiefs in the AFC West feeling a little happier.

Elsewhere a host of one-win wonders are eager to edge closer to .500 with a W or right on the button in the case of the Dallas Cowboys after their madcap 40-40 tie with Green Bay on Sunday has them 1-2-1. A trip to the Meadowlands to face the … sigh … winless New York Jets should do the trick as they look to keep the offensive fireworks flowing between quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver George Pickens. In the long run star pass catcher CeeDee Lamb’s injury might actually help the Cowboys as Pickens’ increased role since will have accelerated his progression while making the offense more powerful when Lamb does return. In the here and now the Jets’ backfield needs to be on their toes and then some to prevent a sorry slip to 0-5.

A pair of unexpected 1-3 merchants go head-to-head in Baltimore as the injury-hit Ravens are led into battle with the Texans by back-up quarterback Cooper Rush. In this fixture last season we saw Beyoncé’s stupendous half-time show bookended by Houston enduring a horrendous 31-2 defeat at home on Christmas Day followed by a 34-10 whipping in the playoffs a month later at Baltimore. However, without the injured two-time MVP Lamar Jackson on the field, who threw four touchdowns, ran in three scores and racked up 507 total yards across the two thrashings, Houston’s defense will be ~~relieved~~ confident.