The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles are the only undefeated teams remaining in the NFL.
Rookie Dillon Gabriel will make his first career start for the Cleveland Browns in London.
The Denver Broncos’ top-ranked defense will face the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles’ offense.
There are only two.
The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles are the NFL’s last two remaining undefeated teams entering Week 5.
Buffalo puts its undefeated record on the line in a primetime AFC East matchup versus the New England Patriots. While the Eagles host the Denver Broncos.
Cleveland’s quarterback merry-go-round stopped at Dillon Gabriel this week as the Browns get ready to take on the Minnesota Vikings in London.
Week 5 concludes in Jacksonville with the Jaguars playing host to a surging Kansas City Chiefs club looking to get above .500.
We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season. USA TODAY Sports examines five things to watch in Week 5.
Rookie Dillon Gabriel’s first start
As many anticipated, the Browns benched veteran Joe Flacco and named Gabriel their starting quarterback. Gabriel is set to become the Browns’ 41st different starting quarterback since 1999, the most in the NFL during that span.
Flacco is the backup quarterback and Shedeur Sanders will remain the team’s third-string QB.
Gabriel’s first career start will be against a blitz happy Vikings defense at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Minnesota blitzes on 35% of its defensive snaps, tied for the fourth highest rate in the NFL.
“A moment you prep for. You’re extremely excited for. But also got to realize that’s it’s extreme focus. That’s what I’ve continued to harp on,” Gabriel told reporters this week.“You wait for the perfect time, you’re gonna wait a whole lifetime. For me, I’m just, I’ve always been ready.”
Are Cam Ward, Titans going to perform like “a–” in Arizona?
Ward had a blunt assessment of his team last week.
‘If we keep it a buck right now, we ass,” Ward said after the team lost to the Houston Texans in Week 4. “We’re 0-4. At this point, we got nothing to lose. We dropped a quarter of our (expletive) games, and we’ve yet to do anything, so, we have to lock in.’
It’s going to be fascinating to witness how the team responds to Ward’s comments. Tennessee ranks 25th in total defense, tied for 29th in points allowed, 31st in total offense and last in points per game. Statistics that give Ward’s comments validity.
The Cardinals have their own issues. Arizona’s dropped two straight games and are the only club in the NFC West void of a winning record. But the connection between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. did appear to improve during the second half of last week’s loss.
Broncos defense vs. physical Eagles offense
The Broncos defense leads the league with 15 sacks and 57 pressures. Denver’s stout defense is also tied for second in the NFL for points allowed.
The Broncos defensive unit faces a significant test against an Eagles team who’s trying to become the first team to begin 5-0 three times in a four-year span since the Indianapolis Colts (2006-07 and 2009).
Despite being undefeated, the Eagles’ pass game has yet to get off the ground, as they rank second to last in the league in pass offense.
“Every game plan starts with, in the pass game, how are we getting A.J. (Brown), how we’re getting DeVonta (Smith) and how we’re getting Dallas (Goedert) the football,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said this week. “That’s always the first thing in our discussions. When you know that your process is that and you know there are things that you need to help you win football games like getting those guys the football, I think in the long run it takes care of itself. We’re early in the season. We’re pumped that we’re 4-0 but we know there are a lot of things to get better at.”
The Eagles have struggled to pass the football, but Jalen Hurts is the first quarterback in NFL history with five touchdown passes, four rushing touchdowns and zero interceptions in his team’s first four regular-season games, per NFL Research. The Eagles have seemingly found ways to win in all three phases.
Jayden Daniels returns after missing two games
A sprained knee caused Daniels to miss the previous two contests. The Commanders star quarterback was cleared by doctors to return this week.
“He’s definitely chomping at the bit to get going,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said.
Daniels and the Commanders have a favorable matchup in Week 5.
The Chargers defense allowed 161 rushing yards, including 54 by Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart in Week 4. Daniels amassed 891 rushing yards in his first season, which set the rookie quarterback rushing record. The dual-threat QB should have some advantages with his legs versus the Chargers assuming his knee in 100%.
Plus, Daniels will have a little extra motivation to perform well on Sunday. He’s from nearby San Bernardino, California and plans to have a large cheering section at the game.
“It would mean the world,” Daniels said this week about playing in Los Angeles. “I plan on having a lot of people at the game. That’s the hometown. Being able to play back in my hometown as a pro, it’ll mean everything.”
It’s the first time the Chargers have hosted the Commanders since 2017.
Did Chiefs find their groove?
Was the demise of the Chiefs exaggerated? It appears to be after the Chiefs rattled off two straight wins, including a dominant victory against a defense-less Ravens club.
Patrick Mahomes was the lone QB to pass for four touchdowns last week. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. Mahomes now has 252 career touchdown passes. He surpassed Aaron Rodgers for the fastest player in NFL history to reach 250 career touchdown passes.
“Some of the things (Patrick Mahomes) does on a regular day basis, just shows you how gifted of a player and human being he is. But more so than that, just how good of a person he is. I think that’s one of the things that always stuck out to me when I first got to the Chiefs, in terms of guys you want leading your franchise, leading your team,” Chiefs guard Trey Smith said to USA TODAY Sports in a recent interview. “He just has all the properties that you would want in a guy like that.”
Mahomes and the Chiefs face a Jaguars team that has a league-high 13 takeaways. Kansas City only has one giveaway this season, tied for the fewest in the NFL entering Week 5.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.