2024 NFL Week 5. The best of Sunday’s games and the standout storylines. CNN NEWS
Football gets an early start Sunday as the NFL kicks off its yearly international tour with the NFL London Games.
With some preseason favorites struggling, and a couple of surprise teams sitting atop the standings, Week 5 will be a chance for those contenders to right the ship, while other teams will look to prove their staying power.
With a full slate of football from morning to night, here are the three games you don’t want to miss.
New York Jets (2-2) @ Minnesota Vikings (4-0) – 9:30 a.m. ET
The NFL’s first game of the day has a variety of intriguing storylines to follow, the first being where the match-up takes place – in London.
As the NFL continues its expansion as a global brand, fans can take in the game at the home of Tottenham Hotspur or at local bars featuring an American football takeover.
Wherever fans watch the game, count on it being loud – Sky Sports NFL analyst Phoebe Schacter said she received a call from Buffalo tight end coach Rob Boras following last year’s game saying the noise was comparable to a Bills home game.
Minnesota will be looking to use some of that noise as fuel as the Vikings have never lost in London – a perfect 3-0 in their visits to England’s capital.
What’s more surprising is Minnesota’s 4-0 start to the season, given that ESPN had them 23rd in their preseason power rankings.
A major reason has been the play of quarterback Sam Darnold, who got the starting job after first round pick JJ McCarthy had season-ending surgery. Darnold, originally drafted by the Jets with the third overall pick in 2018, leads the league in touchdown passes (11).
Darnold is enjoying playing winning football with his Vikings teammates, notable as the Jets finished 2-14 in 2020 – Darnold’s final season with the team.
“At the end of the day, we believe in each other more than anyone else believes in us,” Darnold said. “To have all these pieces we can use – it’s special, it makes our offense really tough and (I’m) going to continue to learn and grow and continue having fun playing ball with these guys.”
CNN’s Coy Wire believes that Darnold could he in line for a “big revenge game” against his first team in the NFL.
“As someone who’s been cut by one team in the NFL, then picked up by another, and given the chance to play against the team that let me go, I can say that Darnold is going to do everything in his power to show the his former team, the Jets, what they’re missing,” the former Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons linebacker said.
“He looks like he’s finally found a home in Minnesota. He’s playing more relaxed, confidently, and like a man on a mission. He now leading the NFL in touchdown passes, ahead of Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen in completion percentage, and a major part of the reason the Vikings are undefeated. He actually has the third-best odds behind Mahomes and Allen to win league MVP heading into the Jets game.”
Meanwhile, the Jets are wondering if they’ll be at the peak or valley of the London Eye on Sunday as their season of ups and downs continues.
After a 24-3 dismantling of divisional rival New England, the Jets turned in a lackluster performance against the Broncos in which they failed to score a touchdown. The 10-9 loss was especially difficult to swallow, as the Jets only allowed the mediocre Denver offense to gain a paltry 186 yards of offense.
A frustrated Rogers took to the podium following the game and gave a frank assessment.
“I think we were kind of killing ourselves,” said Rodgers.
“We had way too many mental mistakes … we just missed some easy stuff. Our focus wasn’t as sharp as it was the first three weeks.”
With a rueful smile, Rodgers added: “When your defense holds them to 10, you got to win the game 100% of the time.”
It will be up to Rodgers and his playmakers to improve their performance after the New York defense held consecutive opponents under 200 yards of offense.
