NFL Week 5 Schedule 2026: Ranking Every Game From Worst to Best

We’re officially through the first four weeks of the NFL season, and it’s been quite an eventful month, to say the least. Numerous backup quarterbacks have been thrust into action, referees have made their way into the news cycle for all the wrong reasons and a former No. 1 pick who was once labeled a draft bust has made his way into the MVP conversation.

As we head into Week 5, there are three teams sitting at 4–0, five at 0–4, and the rest sitting within one game of the .500 mark. The coming slate will feature five intradivision matchups, what many may have once called a Super Bowl preview between the Bills and Rams, and the season’s first bye weeks as the Chiefs and Panthers will sit this one out.

With that, here’s a snapshot preview of all 15 games for Week 5, ranked from the least to most watchable.

MORE: Week 5 picks from the MMQB staff

Ranking every Week 5 NFL game from worst to best

C.J. Stroud and the Texans are headed to Houston to take on the Titans this weekend. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

15. Texans (0–4) at Titans (0–4)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

Two of the NFL’s final four winless teams will face off in Nashville on Sunday afternoon. The Titans’ slow start, frankly, isn’t all that surprising considering they finished 2025 with a 3–14 record and are now starting anew under coach Robert Saleh. The Texans, however, were a popular pick to win the Super Bowl, and instead have begun the campaign 0–4 for the first time since 2020—the same year they fired coach Bill O’Brien. Is DeMeco Ryans on the hot seat? Things would probably have to get a lot worse, but the Texans are undoubtedly desperate for a win as they look to get their season back on track.

14. Bengals (0–3) at Dolphins (2–1)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

The Dolphins’ brutal start to Jeff Hafley’s first season as head coach went from bad to worse last weekend, as they still managed to lose to the Vikings despite not allowing Minnesota to score a touchdown. Five Will Reichard field goals later, and Miami is 0–4 for the first time since 2019. Things may only get uglier on Sunday when the Bengals come to town. Despite losing two straight, Cincinnati’s defense has turned quite a corner since last season, registering a 38.0% pressure rate and sacking opposing quarterbacks 14 times—the third-most in the NFL. The Bengals’ offense, meanwhile, remains lethal thanks to the trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Even with Chase still in concussion protocol after leaving the team’s loss to the Jaguars in the first quarter last Sunday, this one could quickly become a blowout by the Bengals.

13. Colts (2–2) at Steelers (2–2)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

Steelers coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have had more than a week to settle what turned into a viral, heated argument last Thursday when they welcome the Colts to Pittsburgh in Week 5. The duo’s relationship is “always ironed out”—at least according to Rodgers—and they’ll now move forward and try to capture their third win of the season. To do so, the Steelers will have to beat a Colts team that has now won two straight thanks to a defense that’s held its opponents to less than 20 points each in back-to-back games. Unfortunately, Michael Pittman Jr. may miss his revenge game, as the Colts-turned-Steelers pass catcher did not participate in practice on Wednesday as he deals with a foot injury.

12. Lions (2–2) at Cardinals (1–3)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

The long-awaited Drew Petzing Bowl has finally arrived (insert sarcasm here). After three seasons as the Cardinals’ play-caller from 2023 to ’25, Petzing was hired by the Lions this offseason—replacing John Morton after just one year—and has the offense rolling to the tune of 29.8 points per game. Unfortunately for the Lions, their defense has been among the worst in the NFL, as they’ve allowed a league-high 1,695 yards through four weeks while opponents have scored 31.8 points per game—the second-most in the league. This could turn into a shootout, as the Cardinals have scored 24-plus points in three out of four games with veteran Jacoby Brissett under center.

11. Buccaneers (0–4) at Cowboys (2–2)

Date: Thursday, Oct. 8
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Week 5 begins in Dallas on Thursday night, as the Cowboys will host the Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. For Tampa Bay, it will be Jalon Daniels at quarterback once again as Baker Mayfield is still dealing with a thumb injury. Daniels completed 70.4% of his passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his NFL debut last Sunday, but couldn’t help get the Buccaneers past the Packers. They’ll now face a Cowboys team that made quite the statement in a Week 4 takedown of the Texans. Behind a 17-catch performance from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, Dallas showed that its offense is for real. The Cowboys are also expected to give more snaps to recent trade acquisition Joey Porter Jr. at corner. They should be able to take down the Buccaneers with relative ease.

10. Browns (2–1) at Jets (1–2)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

The Browns have won three consecutive games since being blown out by the Jaguars in Week 1, and have seemingly found something in coach Todd Monken. The grizzly 60-year-old has no issue sticking up for his team—or his quarterback—and has Cleveland believing in itself throughout the first month of the season. On Sunday, the Browns will head to New York to face a Jets team that, despite starting 1–3, has mostly remained competitive to start Aaron Glenn’s second season at the helm. This battle between two of the NFL’s longtime laughingstocks could end up being a fun one.

9. Broncos (2–2) at Chargers (0–4)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

The Chargers’ start to the 2026 season has been beyond disappointing. After hiring former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, many expected Los Angeles’s offense—combined with a toolsy quarterback in Justin Herbert and a quality set of weapons around him—would thrive. Instead, the Chargers have scored more than 20 points in a game just once and have the second-worst point differential in the NFL, ahead of only the Dolphins. Furthermore, Herbert has thrown six interceptions and has been sacked the second-most times in the NFL. All this said, they’ll welcome the Broncos to SoFi Stadium this Sunday—a team that has yet to find a groove and has relied on two second-half comebacks just to get itself to 2–2. I’m expecting this AFC West matchup to not only be close, but for the Chargers to finally put a complete game together and perhaps even come out with a win.

8. Vikings (4–0) at Saints (1–3)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

Despite gaining the second-fewest yards in the NFL through four weeks, the Vikings have managed to start the 2026 season 4–0 thanks to their ferocious, Brian Flores–led defense. Minnesota has caused fits for opposing quarterbacks—sacking them a league-leading 16 times while holding them to a league-low 67.6 passer rating—and has also forced seven turnovers while allowing an NFL-low 12.8 points per game and -0.23 EPA per play. Needless to say, the Saints, who have scored a respectable 24-plus points in each of their first four games, will have their work cut out for them in this one. Of course, even though they’ve faced off five times since, no matchup between these two teams would be complete without mentioning the Minneapolis Miracle.

7. Giants (3–1) at Commanders (1–3)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Northwest Stadium, Landover, Md.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

We have a sneaky fun matchup between the Giants and Commanders on our hands this weekend, with the most interesting storyline being the quarterbacks. After two weeks of Marcus Mariota (and Athan Kaliakmanis in relief), there’s a good chance that Washington will get Jayden Daniels back on Sunday after he was a full participant at Wednesday’s practice. The Giants, meanwhile, will again start Jameis Winston, as Jaxson Dart is sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. New York has gone 2–0 since having to turn to Winston, which has likely quieted any thoughts of throwing J.J. McCarthy into the fire—while also further proving that New York has found quite the head coach in John Harbaugh.

6. Ravens (3–1) at Falcons (2–2)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBC

The Falcons have arguably been the NFL’s biggest surprise over the past two weeks. After starting the season 0–2 and fielding an offense that looked inept, Atlanta got quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back from injury and has looked like a completely different team since. They’ve now won two straight games by 20-plus points (while scoring 35 and 45 in each of them) and sit tied atop the NFC South standings with the Panthers. On Sunday, the Falcons will welcome the Ravens—a team that coach Kevin Stefanski is all-too-familiar with—to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. While Stefanski compiled just a 4–8 record against Baltimore during his time with the Browns, he may have an easier path to victory this time around, given that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is dealing with an ankle injury and missed practice to start the week.

5. Raiders (3–1) at Patriots (2–2)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS

The Patriots righted the ship last Sunday following their uninspired 1–2 start, going into Buffalo and taking down the division-rival Bills to hand them their first loss of the season. Quarterback Drake Maye finally looked like his 2025 MVP runner-up self—throwing three touchdowns and earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors—while Mike Vrabel’s team as whole reminded us how they reached the Super Bowl just eight months ago. It won’t get any easier for New England this weekend, though, with the 3–1 Raiders in town. While Las Vegas lost a nailbiter to the Chiefs in Week 4, first-year coach Klint Kubiak has the Silver and Black headed in the right direction thanks—in part—to his infectious confidence, even amid what some may consider a rebuild.

4. Bears (3–1) at Packers (2–2)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisc.
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

Ben Johnson’s genius is showing through the first four weeks of the 2026 season, as he’s helped lead the Bears to three wins with three different quarterbacks under center. It will once again be Tyson Bagent running the offense this coming Sunday when they take the trip north to Lambeau Field and face a Packers team that has struggled to find its footing to begin the year. Green Bay’s two losses have come by 17 points or more, while its two wins—against the lowly Jets and Buccaneers, mind you—were each narrow three-point victories. Still, the rivalry between the Bears and Packers has only become more hostile since Johnson took over in 2025. His somewhat-manufactured feud with Matt LeFleur has become must-see TV, and their contentious postgame handshakes have only added fuel to the fire.

3. Eagles (2–2) vs. Jaguars (3–1)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Where to watch: NFL Network

The NFL’s fourth of a record nine International Series games in 2026 will take place in London on Sunday morning, with the Jaguars beginning a two-week trip across the pond. Jacksonville continues to impress under coach Liam Coen, playing complementary football with a league-leading +6 turnover differential and a defense that’s allowing the second-fewest points per game with just 13.3. The Eagles, meanwhile, began the season 2–0 before dropping their last two games against the Bears and Rams—the latter of which saw them blow a 10-point fourth-quarter lead after their offense completely sputtered in the second half. That said, Philadelphia has one of the top rosters in the NFL (even after Lane Johnson retired this week and Cam Jergens was traded) and should be able to compete with the Jaguars in this one.

2. Bills (3–1) at Rams (2–2)

Date: Monday, Oct. 12
Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ABC/ESPN

The Rams may have saved their season with their come-from-behind win over the Eagles last Sunday, as they avoided a 1–3 start to what many expected to be a monster year for the NFL’s latest superteam. They’ll now return home to Los Angeles for a battle with the Bills, who lost their first game of the season last weekend to the Patriots. While neither team is necessarily where it expected to be four weeks into the season, both still have Super Bowl aspirations—making Monday night’s matchup a crucial one for two of the league’s best.

1. 49ers (4–0) at Seahawks (3–1)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 11
Location: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Fox

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s MVP-caliber start to the season will be put to the test this Sunday afternoon in Seattle. San Francisco’s offense—led by Purdy’s league-best 126.2 passer rating—is scoring the second-most points per game this year (30.5), but the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks now stand in their way as they look to remain undefeated. Through four weeks, Seattle’s defense has allowed a league-low 246.8 yards per game and just 18.3 points per game while forcing eight turnovers—tied for second-most in the NFL. It’ll be best-on-best in this classic NFC West battle.

NFL Week 5 schedule

Dak, CeeDee. — The Cowboys and Buccaneers will open the Week 5 slate on Thursday night. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Who is playing on Thursday Night Football this week?

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Dallas Cowboys	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8:15 p.m. ET	Amazon Prime Video

Sunday, Oct. 4

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Jacksonville Jaguars	Philadelphia Eagles	9:30 a.m. ET	NFL Network
Green Bay Packers	Chicago Bears	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
Tennessee Titans	Houston Texans	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
Miami Dolphins	Cincinnati Bengals	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
New England Patriots	Las Vegas Raiders	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
New Orleans Saints	Minnesota Vikings	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
New York Jets	Cleveland Browns	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers	Indianapolis Colts	1:00 p.m. ET	CBS
Washington Commanders	New York Giants	1:00 p.m. ET	Fox
Los Angeles Chargers	Denver Broncos	4:05 p.m. ET	Fox
Arizona Cardinals	Detroit Lions	4:25 p.m. ET	Fox
Seattle Seahawks	San Francisco 49ers	4:25 p.m. ET	CBS

Who is playing on Sunday Night Football this week?

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Atlanta Falcons	Baltimore Ravens	8:20 p.m. ET	NBC

Who is playing on Monday Night Football this week?

Home team	Away team	Time	Where to watch
Los Angeles Rams	Buffalo Bills	8:15 p.m. ET	ESPN

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