Sunday Rundown: Takeaways from Week 5's biggest games

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Sunday night spotlight

Maye's arrival

The Patriots officially have their next superstar quarterback. Drake Maye had been trending in this direction for a while now, with a strong first month building upon the flashes he showed as a rookie. But standout games against the likes of the Dolphins and Panthers were never going to be enough to win over the masses. Outdueling Josh Allen to take down the previously undefeated Bills on the road is an entirely different story. Maye has everything you could possibly want from a franchise quarterback in today's game. The arm talent is special, he's an excellent runner, and he's got the poise and playmaking traits to put it all together and elevate everything around him. This is the kind of player who can turn a team into a playoff regular, and Mike Vrabel may well be in the early stages of building a program capable of maximizing that rare opportunity. The Patriots' run of irrelevance sure didn't last long.

Diggs still has it

Stefon Diggs is developing something of a reputation for helping young quarterbacks take the next step. His arrival in Buffalo was a big factor for Josh Allen's breakout in 2019, and he's having a similar impact with Maye in New England. Diggs didn't come flying out of the gates to open the season, managing just 112 yards across the first three games combined. But a slow start was always a reasonable expectation coming off a torn ACL. He began to find his stride with 101 yards on six receptions last week before victimizing the Bills to the tune of 10 catches for 146 yards in a prime-time revenge spot. The impressive night marks his highest yardage output since 2022 and the makes him the first Patriots receiver to post consecutive 100-yard games since Julian Edelman in 2019. The 31-year-old could be in for a massive bounce-back year as he and Maye continue to develop their connection.

Late-afternoon games

Bucs always find a way

The Bucs are absolutely ridiculous. History tells us that teams so consistently needing last-gasp efforts to pull out wins are destined for regression. In most cases, I'd be inclined to tap that sign here. But I can't help but buy in to the magic after Sunday's thrilling win over the Seahawks. This team has an undeniable knack for coming through in the clutch. It all starts with Baker Mayfield, who capped his 379-yard day with yet another incredible play for a game-tying score late in the fourth quarter. Lavonte David's interception immediately got the ball back, and Rachaad White recording his longest run of the day on third-and-7 ensured Tampa Bay could run the clock out before kicking the game-winner. Ideally, the Bucs wouldn't need to sweat out so many of these games. Once the offense gets back to full strength, it's possible they won't. Either way, it can't hurt that they're so comfortable when the stakes are highest.

Seattle was right

Hand up: I was one of the many who didn't understand what the Seahawks were trying to do this offseason. Trading away Geno Smith and signing Sam Darnold felt like an obvious downgrade at the most important position on the field. And while Cooper Kupp was a name at a position of need, the fit seemed odd with Jaxon Smith-Njigba already in place as the primary slot receiver. Well, the Seahawks were right. Darnold has been sensational. Last year's breakout was just the beginning. An unlucky interception ultimately spoiled the end result this week, but his 341-yard, four-touchdown outing now has him ranked third among all QBs in EPA/dropback, according to TruMedia. Smith, meanwhile, has seen his play fall off a cliff after the move to Las Vegas. All the pieces of this offense, including Smith-Njigba and Kupp, have fit together extremely well under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and it may only get better from here. The Seahawks are a legitimate contender in the NFC.

An all-time collapse

The Cardinals finding a way to drop Sunday's game against the Titans is one of the worst losses you will ever see in the NFL. This one should have been over early in the fourth quarter when Emari Demercado broke free for a 72-yard TD run. But the score remained 21-6 when replay showed that he dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. The Titans immediately capitalized on the new life, with Cam Ward delivering an 80-yard TD drive to cut the lead to nine. While it appeared the Arizona defense had stepped up to slam the door shut the next time out, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson fumbled his interception and the ball was kicked around before being recovered in the end zone for wild Titans score. The offense was again forced to punt the ball back to the Titans six plays later, and a few big plays got Tennessee in position for the game-winning kick. I have no idea what the Cardinals are, but I do know a playoff team doesn't lose like that to the Titans.

JCM taking off

Anyone who follows fantasy football trends throughout the preseason knows all about Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Once a late-round sleeper worth monitoring, the seventh-round rookie quickly saw his hype go through the roof. At first, it was your standard training camp buzz. Then, the Commanders traded away Brian Robinson. By the time draft season had ramped up in full, he was a regular in the eighth round. The opportunity was there as part of a strong offense, but it seemed possible - maybe even likely - that expectations were getting out of hand. Five games in, nobody is having buyer's remorse. Croskey-Merritt had slowly been trending toward separating himself in Washington's backfield, and now we have the big breakout performance we'd been waiting for. His 111-yard, two-touchdown effort this week was a critical factor in an impressive road win over the Chargers. Some may be inclined to sell high here, but I think this may only be the start of his ascent. Croskey-Merritt currently leads all running backs with 6.6 yards per carry. His unique combination of explosiveness and lateral agility is an especially intriguing fit in a well-designed run game. The Commanders are going to have a tough time keeping him off the field.

Early kickoffs

Colts are for real

The Raiders may not provide much of a measuring stick, but that wouldn't have stopped previous iterations of the Colts from making things more interesting than they needed to be. This one is different. Sunday's blowout win over Las Vegas was Indy's most complete effort yet. Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor are leading the charge for the NFL's most efficient offense (54.5% success rate), while the defense has taken a major step forward under Lou Anarumo. The special teams units even got in on the fun this week with a blocked punt. The Colts are going to be a problem in the AFC.

Dart struggles

As we discussed last week, Dart is going to be a work in progress throughout his rookie season. It's exciting to have him on the field, and his athletic abilities can absolutely open things up to an extent. But it was never going to be fair to expect him to come in and start lighting it up as passer. Sunday's loss to the Saints gave us a good look at the challenges New York will face with a young passer learning on the fly. Dart accounted for three turnovers on the day, including a bizarre fumble and a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions. With Darius Slayton and Cam Skattebo chipping in fumbles of their own, the end result was the Giants failing to put any more points on the board after jumping out to a 14-3 lead. There will be plenty of fun moments in the months ahead, but that Saints game was easily the most favorable matchup on an incredibly challenging schedule. Giants fans should be prepared for growing pains.

Momentum for Houston

We probably shouldn't put too much stock into the Texans running off back-to-back wins. While the Titans have a real case as the worst team in football, this version of the Ravens - missing as many key players as they are - may not be far off. But the blowout wins against both over the last two weeks are still incredibly encouraging after what we saw from this team over the first three games of the year. C.J. Stroud dicing up Baltimore for 244 yards and four TDs, most notably, is a picture-perfect way for the offense to enter the bye week. Can this inspiring stretch establish a rhythm and allow this offense to look more like the explosive unit we saw during Stroud's rookie season? A Week 7 matchup with a stingy Seahawks defense should tell us everything we need to know on that front.

McDaniel waves the white flag

I don't love making a weekly talking point out of fourth-down calls - it gets a little repetitive for my liking. But whose fault is that? NFL coaches insist on making these mistakes over and over again. Mike McDaniel made his case for the most cowardly decision of the season by effectively conceding defeat late in Sunday's loss to the Panthers. Trailing by three points with 1:10 to play, the Dolphins coach opted to punt the ball back to Carolina. Converting on a 4th-and-17 from your own 15-yard line is certainly a long shot, but there's simply no excuse for giving up possession with such little time on the clock. Three timeouts weren't going to save the Dolphins when the defense had already given up over 200 rushing yards to Rico Dowdle. The Dolphins have looked better after a rough start, but decisions like this aren't going to help McDaniel's chances of keeping his job.

Williams returns to form

Jerry Jones gets a lot criticism for the way he does business, most of which is deserved. The Cowboys entering the season with Javonte Williams as their lead back seemed like the latest example of the owner getting cheap with a clear area of need. It's not looking so crazy now, is it? Williams, finally healthy after a rough road back from injuries in Denver, looks like the player so many thought he could be in the 2021 draft. The former second-rounder is currently the NFL's third-leading rusher after putting up a career-high 135 yards in Sunday's win over the Jets. He's the perfect complement for a passing game that's operating at a high level even without CeeDee Lamb. Not bad for a player picked up on a one-year, $3-million deal.

Vikings have work to do

The Vikings head into the bye week at 3-2 after surviving a scare against the Browns. It's technically enough to keep them in the mix in the NFC, but that's not going to last if they don't find a way to improve the run defense (tied for 24th by EPA/rush) and get more out of the quarterback position. Neither Carson Wentz nor J.J. McCarthy have been able to meet the low bar to keep things humming in Kevin O'Connell's offense. A beat-up offensive line hasn't helped matters, but these shortcomings could really get exposed with the Eagles, Chargers, and Lions up next. The schedule doesn't get much easier after that, either. It's becoming difficult to imagine this team parlaying the offseason excitement into a playoff run.

Patience required

The Browns would have loved to close out the Vikings for a big upset in London, but wins aren't necessarily everything in this case. I'm once again choosing to see the positives despite the end result. This rookie class, led by standout running back Quinshon Judkins, continues to generate optimism for the future. The win total may not be all that impressive by the end of the season, but it's crucial that ownership is able to see the vision. Kevin Stefanski knows how to put together an offense when he's not tasked with catering to Deshaun Watson. Dillon Gabriel looking as comfortable as he did in his first career start speaks to that ability. Stay the course with the current staff, find a quarterback at the top of next year's draft, and this team will be ready to roll by the time it can get out from under the worst contract of all time in 2027.

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.