Week 5 of the 2025/26 National Football League (NFL) regular season was a brutal and wacky reminder that parity is alive and well in the league. Two undefeated teams — the Buffalo Bills and defending champion Philadelphia Eagles — entered last weekend and both suffered unexpected losses at home against teams that began the day with 2-2 records, which, therefore, means that for the first time in more than a decade no team will enter Week 6 without a mark in the losing column.

The last time that every team in the league had already lost at least one game this early in the season was 2014, when the Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, and Cincinnati Bengals went 3-0 before losing for the first time in their fourth game. And this is only the third time in the past 20 years that no NFL team has won at least five straight to open a season. That said, the New York Jets remain the only team without a win this year, following a 22-37 loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, but the scoreline doesn’t do justice to the dominance of “America’s Team”.

Despite the fact that it was the winless Jets, the Cowboys put on an all-round display that has caught the attention of even the most critical Dallas-haters. And it was not just this past Sunday, as record aside (2-2-1), the team has been flying since Week 1, and they have the numbers to prove it. Quarterback (QB) Dak Prescott is second in passing yards in the NFL, with 1,356, second only to Matthew Stafford with 1,503, and he is doing most of this without his starting offensive line, and minus two of his top receivers, reminding the league that he is the first and only QB in NFL history to throw for 450+ yards in three consecutive games, in 2020.

Wide receiver George Pickens, second in the league in receiving touchdowns, never had more than five touchdowns in each of his three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he already has five in just five games with Dallas, while tight end Jake Ferguson, second in the league in receptions (41), is tied for the most receptions by a tight end through the first five games of a season. And not to be outdone, running back Javonte Williams leads the National Football Conference (NFC) in rushing yards, and he is on pace for his first-ever 1,500-yard season. Williams’ meagre salary (US$3M), on his one-year deal, does very little justice to his performance over the first five games, leading the league in first downs (25), second in touchdowns (5), which is his most ever in a single season, and third in both rushing yards (447) and yards per carry (5.7). JustBet has Dallas as favourites when they visit the Carolina Panthers (2-3) on Sunday and there is no good reason to bet against them.

On the wacky side of Week 5, six teams erased double-digit deficits to pull off exciting wins, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, who erased an early 14-point deficit by scoring 21 unanswered points against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, then strutted off at full time with a 31-28 win and a perfect birthday gift for quarterback (QB) Trevor Lawrence. However, the most bizarre sequence of event took the spotlight in the matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the Tennessee Titans, where the highlight reel looked more like an episode of Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders. The Cardinals were up 21-6 and were the recipients of a red zone turnover, then on the very next play, running back Emari Demarcado broke free for what initially appeared to be a 72-yard run for six points, only to release the ball before crossing the goal line, resulting in a Tennessee touchback. Then, to add embarrassing insult to injury, they somehow managed to fumble an interception into their own end zone, which was recovered by the Titans for a touchdown, leading to an unforgivable 21-22 loss.

That said, if the results of Week 5 exhibited parity, the Week 6 schedule provides living proof. Of the 15 games on tap, only two matchups feature both teams with winning records, namely, the Jaguars (4-1) hosting the Seattle Seahawks (3-2) in an early Sunday game and the San Francisco 49ers (4-1) visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) in the mid-afternoon. Of course, the more intriguing encounter is the clash of the 4-1 teams in Florida, where both teams sit on their respective record by virtue of narrow, one-score wins, and QB Baker Mayfield has had (arguably) the second-best start to the season in the position behind Dallas’ Prescott.

Make no mistake, Mayfield and the Buccaneers have made the league stand up and pay attention. Tampa Bay is again firmly in first place in the NFC South, as it’s been for the past four seasons, and their 38-35 win over the Seahawks last Sunday, in Seattle, has completely changed the conversation around Tampa Bay and their 30-year-old play caller. Prior to the loss to the Buccaneers, the Seahawks didn’t allow more than 20 points in any contest this season, and Mayfield completed 88 per cent of his pass attempts (29-for-33) for 379 passing yards, most of which went to rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka (7 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown).

Both teams have been battling substantial injuries this season, but the 49ers are a bit worse off in this instance, as it includes their star defensive player, Nick Bosa, and QB Brock Purdy. Additionally, San Francisco’s top three receivers and a handful of defensive players missed their Week 5 game, and there has been no confirmation that they will suit up on Sunday. A big positive for the 49ers is their top rank in passing yards per game (280.6) compared to the sixth ranking of their opponents (243.4), bolstered by Mayfield’s 379 yards last weekend. Additionally, while the Tampa Bay offence has been good, their defence is currently ranked No 20, and their special teams ranked next to last.

With the win over Seattle, Tampa Bay became the first team in NFL history to secure its first four wins on last-minute scores, but San Francisco is also coming off a statement road win over the Los Angeles Rams (26-23) last week Thursday. The 49ers have defeated the Buccaneers in the four matchups over the past six seasons, but with the slew of injuries for the California team, this encounter could mark a turning point for Tampa Bay. The home team is the obvious JustBet favourite, and with Mayfield playing at such a high level — fourth in passing yards (1,283), tied for third in touchdown passes (10) and has thrown just one interception — there is not much argument to be made. The hosts should win and improve to 5-1, and another action-packed weekend is expected around the league. Are you ready for some football?

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