It’s a painful time to be a team once considered a Super Bowl contender in the preseason.
Defending champion Philadelphia has lost two games in a row following Thursday’s blowout loss to the Giants. The Baltimore Ravens are 1-4 and star quarterback Lamar Jackson is injured. The Kansas City Chiefs have their quarterback healthy, but are 2-3, having already suffered more losses than all of last season. Buffalo’s 13-game home winning streak was just interrupted by an upset. Since Green Bay started talking about being undefeated at 2-0, the Packers have lost one game and tied another.
Cincinnati? Don’t even ask.
The Detroit Lions also seemed headed for trouble. In the first week, playing with all-new defensive and offensive coordinators, an offense that led the league in scoring in 2024 had just 13 points in a loss to division rival Green Bay.
While many NFL favorites have wilted over the past month, the Lions have quietly built one of the best Super Bowl scenarios by winning four games in a row and scoring 34 or more points in each victory.
Even after wunderkind offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to coach Chicago, the Lions scored 174 points, the most points in franchise history through five games. And despite coordinator Aaron Glenn leaving to coach the Jets, the defense ranks in the top three in sacks, pressures, quarterback hits and forced fumbles. Oddsmakers at DraftKings now view the Lions as the favorite to win the NFC and have given them the second-best chance to win the Super Bowl, behind Buffalo.
The parity and drama across the league has drawn attention elsewhere. Seven teams are 4-1, including Indiana, Jacksonville and San Francisco, which missed the playoffs last season. Twenty-five games came down to a score in the final three minutes of regulation or overtime, the most in NFL history through Week 5, according to an NBC Sports study.
Meanwhile, the Lions continue to string together victories.
“That core group is still intact,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I think the most important thing is you have your culture, you have your identity and you have players who fit that, and we have that.
“We have players in every key position you can ask for to be successful. And these guys are trained the right way, so absolutely, our window is open.”
Skepticism that Detroit (4-1) will take advantage of this title window is expected after winning the NFC’s first playoff berth last season, setting franchise records for points (564) and tying an NFL record for games with more than 40 points (six) along the way, only to immediately disappoint in the playoffs by losing its first game of the playoffs against Washington, at home.
This season, like the last, injuries began to hurt the Lions’ depth and potential. Three entry-level defensive backs could miss significant time after recent injuries, Campbell said this week. A shoulder injury sidelined left tackle Taylor Decker last week, and that missing protector on quarterback Jared Goff’s blind side contributed to Goff being sacked four times after not having a sack in the previous three weeks combined.
Yet passer Aidan Hutchinson, whose leg injury last season was one of the most devastating for Detroit’s defense, is back and playing like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate again. His team-high five sacks rank third in the league.
“It’s good to have him back, period,” Campbell said. “God…we missed him last year.”
There were questions about how Goff would fare playing for the first time in his career without an offense led by Sean McVay or Johnson, both considered two of the league’s most creative offensive play-callers. Johnson, who loved mixing hooks and ladders, trick plays and throws to offensive linemen, was particularly flashy.
His successor, John Morton, 56, had only been an offensive coordinator in the NFL one other season in his career before this season. But above all, he had already coached in Detroit in 2022 and was then overlapping Goff in a different role.
“I’ve said it a million times, the fact that we were together at one point and had a relationship before he became my coordinator is extremely important and allows us to speak freely to each other,” Goff said last month.
Goff threw a league-high 12 touchdowns and completed a record 75.2 percent of his passes – only the second player in NFL history, behind Peyton Manning in 2013, to post such statistics in five games. (Manning would go on to win MVP that season and lead Denver to the Super Bowl.)
Morton compared the Lions to a Raiders team he coached that went to the Super Bowl.
“We had the best offense in the league,” filled with Hall of Famers, Morton said this month when asked to compare Detroit’s options. “It’s really the only thing that comes to mind, really. But these weapons (here), we can do whatever we want.”
And in a league where expected contenders rarely got to do what they wanted, that made Detroit’s departure remarkable.
What we’re watching for in Week 6
Broncos (3-2) vs. Jets (0-5): In London, the aforementioned Glenn has yet to win as a head coach and faces a Broncos team with a league-leading 21 sacks. New York has only started 0-6 twice in its history.
Cardinals (2-3) at Colts (4-1): Arizona was snakebitten, losing three straight games thanks to game-winning baskets in the final seconds. The Colts haven’t turned the ball over in four games.
Chargers (3-2) at Dolphins (1-4): Justin Herbert threw four interceptions last season, but has three in his last three games. Miami has won one of its last 15 games against opponents with a winning record.
Seahawks (3-2) at Jaguars (4-1): Jacksonville is the best team in the league at forcing turnovers (14), while Seattle is the best road team (eight straight wins).
Patriots (3-2) at Saints (1-4): If Stefon Diggs has more than 100 receiving yards for a third straight game this week, he will be the first Patriots receiver to do so since Wes Welker in 2012.
Browns (1-4) at Steelers (3-1): Under coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh is 14-1 against a rookie quarterback at home, according to NBC Sports research. Another good omen: Pittsburgh has won eight straight games after a bye week.
Cowboys (2-2-1) at Panthers (2-3): Dak Prescott needs 150 passing yards to pass Troy Aikman for second-most passing yards in team history, and a win would move him past Tony Romo for third all-time in franchise history for wins.
Rams (3-2) at Ravens (1-4): Baltimore’s defense will need to tighten up after allowing more than 35 points in each of its last four games. The Ravens have allowed a league-high 13 passing touchdowns.
Titans (1-4) at Raiders (1-4): No team completed a lower pass percentage than the Titans (51.8%) this year.
Bengals (2-3) vs. Packers (2-1-1): Green Bay is one of two teams (Buffalo) whose defense has yet to allow a big play of 40+ yards. And that allowed six plays of 20-plus yards, the lowest in the league. Cincinnati is starting quarterback Joe Flacco after trading for him this week.
49ers (4-1) at Buccaneers (4-1): Tampa rookie Emeka Egbuka ranks fourth with 445 receiving yards and his 17.8 yards per catch average ranks fourth among qualifying receivers.
Lions (4-1) at Chiefs (3-2): If Patrick Mahomes throws a touchdown on Sunday, he will become the fastest quarterback to reach 300 in his career, beating Aaron Rodgers by eight games.
Bills (4-1) at Falcons (2-2) Monday: Bijan Robinson’s 146 scrimmage yards per game leads the NFL. Buffalo’s Josh Allen has recorded a turnover in each of his last two games after no turnovers in his previous eight games.
Bears (2-2) vs. Commanders (3-2) Monday: Chicago has won its last two games but, historically, is 1-9 after a bye since 2015.
