Late Games Wrap-Up For Week Five Of The 2025-26 Season
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle Seahawks
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers put together another game-winning drive that ended with a 38-yard walk-off field goal to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 38-35. With that win, Tampa improved to 4-1 on the campaign.
Baker Mayfield had an MVP-caliber showing. He completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns.
Tampa Bay scored the game’s first points after getting into the red zone on the opening possession. Though they got down to Seattle’s 12 yard line, they had to settle for a field goal to go up 3-0.
The Seahawks were also able to move the ball well early, but they didn’t have any points to show for it after kicker Jason Meyers missed a 44-yard field goal wide left. The Bucs took advantage of that blunder and gained 48 yards in a little under five minutes to kick another field goal for a 6-0 lead.
Seattle’s attempt at offensive trickery backfired. After putting in backup rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe to run a speed option play, his pitch backward went through the hands of the running back. That live football was recovered by the Buccaneers at their own 41 yard line.
The Buccaneers used that good field position to strike again. They orchestrated a seven-play, 59-yard drive that featured a 24-yard completion to phenom rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. That eventually led to a seven-yard ground touchdown by running back Rachaad White for a 13-0 advantage.
At that point, Seattle decided it was ready to get serious. Following a 43-yard kick return, quarterback Sam Darnold completed six of nine pass attempts for 50 passing yards and a six-yard TD to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with six seconds left in the quarter to cut the lead to 13-7 at the break.
The Seahawks used back-to-back big plays to take their first lead of the day coming out of halftime. After Sam Darnold threw a 36-yard completion, running back Kenneth Walker III rumbled for a 31-yard pickup on the ground to get into the red zone. On the very next play, running back Zach Charbonnet found the end zone from five yards out to give Seattle a 14-13 lead in the third quarter.
The Buccaneers had no issues responding. Baker Mayfield connected with wideout Tez Johnson for 27 yards. That helped Tampa get to the red zone, where Baker Mayfield found Emeka Egbuka for a touchdown. On the next play, Mayfield hit Egbuka for a two-point conversion, giving the Bucs a 21-14 lead. That was Mayfield’s 12th consecutive completion.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba once again put up Pro Bowl numbers with eight catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. His 53-yard reception got Seattle down to Tampa’s seven yard line. Three plays later, Sam Darnold hit tight end A.J. Barner for a two-yard touchdown to tie the game 21-21. That was Barner’s third touchdown in the last four games.
Emeka Egbuka finished the game with a career-high 163 receiving yards and a TD. His 57-yard catch on a 3rd and 13 allowed the Buccaneers to score a one-yard rushing touchdown for a 28-21 advantage heading into the final frame.
Sam Darnold looked fantastic, completing 28 of 34 passes for 341 passing yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. He hit A.J. Barner again for his second TD catch of the day to tie the game 28-28 with under ten minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
On their next possession, the Seahawks marched down the field on an eight-play, 99-yard drive that resulted in a 21-yard touchdown catch by rookie wideout Tory Horton on a 4th and 2. That score put Seattle ahead 35-28 with 3:18 left in the game.
With time working against them, the Buccaneers did what they have done so many times this season and tied the game. Tight end Cade Otton and Emeka Egbuka recorded 25-yard catch-and-runs to eventually get into the red zone. Then, Baker Mayfield hit wideout Sterling Shepard for an 11-yard TD.
The Seahawks got the ball back with 1:08 left on the clock when disaster struck. A Sam Darnold pass intended for Cooper Kupp was intercepted by linebacker Lavonte David. That set Tampa’s offense up with the football on Seattle’s side of the field.
The Buccaneers were able to perfectly manage the clock from there. They picked up 15 yards to set up a 38-yard field goal attempt with three seconds left on the clock. Kicker Chase McLaughlin made it with ease for the walkoff win.
With that loss, the Seahawks fell into a tie for second place in the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams.
Tennessee Titans @ Arizona Cardinals
The Tennessee Titans and rookie quarterback Cam Ward moved the ball 71 yards in 1:53 to kick a game-winning field goal to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 22-21 after trailing by 18 at one point. That was Tennessee’s first win since November 24th, 2024.
Arizona got out ot a fast start thanks in part to a 43-yard reception by wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. That paved the way for a one-yard touchdown carry by running back Michael Carter for a 7-0 lead.
Tennessee would get on the board with a field goal, but the Cards clapped back with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that ended in a 12-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Kyler Murray to bring the score to 14-3.
A couple of drives later, the Tennessee Titans fumbled the ball away, giving Arizona possession of the football just outside of the red zone. They would only need four plays before reaching the end zone on a one-yard touchdown run by Zonovan Knight to go up 21-3 in the second quarter.
Tennessee had to lean on its special teams unit to generate some more points. They took the ensuing kickoff back 65 yards to set up the offense with the ball on Arizona’s 35. The Titans would only pick up one yard, though, so they had to kick a field goal to cut the lead to 21-6.
A promising Cardinals drive that shaved almost eight minutes off the clock didn’t lead to any points. A snap right to Kyler Murray hit him in the facemask before being recovered by the Titans, ending a series that got down to Tennessee’s red zone. After that play, Kyler Murray was seen walking back to the locker room with a reported foot injury. However, he returned to the game.
The Cardinals made a huge blunder in the fourth quarter. Running back Emari Demercado took a page out of Adonai Mitchell’s book and let go of the football before crossing the end zone line on his way to a walk-in touchdown. Instead of a 28-6 lead, that 72-yard TD was taken off the board, and the Titans got the ball on a touchback.
With 12:40 to go in the game, the Titans scored their first touchdown of the afternoon. Rookie QB Cam Ward hit wide receiver Calvin Ridley for 47 yards to get to the red zone. Three plays later, running back Tony Pollard found the end zone from a yard out to make the score 21-12 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Tennessee inched closer with another touchdown drive. After a Cam Ward interception, the defender who picked off the pass fumbled the ball during the return. That loose ball was scooped up in the end zone for a TD to make the score 21-19 with 4:39 to go.
The Titans got the ball back one last time on their own 21 with less than two minutes to go in the game. Cam Ward hit Calvin Ridley for a 38-yard gain to get down to Arizona’s 15. Once they made it down to the Cards’ 11, they kicked a field goal as time expired for the victory.
With that loss, the Cardinals now find themselves in sole possession of last place in the NFC West.
Detroit Lions @ Cincinnati Bengals
The Detroit Lions defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37-23 to improve to 4-1 on the season. The defense was excellent, recording three interceptions, four sacks, and a safety.
The Lions got ahead early with an opening drive TD. After running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta picked up gains of 13 and 22 yards, quarterback Jared Goff found LaPorta for a ten-yard catch-and-run to go up 7-0.
Detroit’s next series did not see the same level of success. Even though the Lions made it to Cincy’s 32 yard line, Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson recorded a strip-sack fumble that was picked up by linebacker Logan Wilson, ending a drive that would’ve put Detroit ahead by two scores. That was Hendrickson’s first sack since Week Two.
Following an exchange of punts, Bengals quarterback Jake Browning made his first mistake of the afternoon. He threw an ill-advised pass in his own end zone that was picked off at Cincinnati’s 17 yard line. That turnover resulted in a Lions TD pass from running back David Montgomery of all people to increase the lead to 14-0.
Jake Browning continued to look like one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. He completed 26 of 40 pass attempts for 251 yards, three late touchdowns, and three interceptions. He did gain 55 yards through the air to kick a 50-yard field goal and bring the score to 14-3 at halftime.
After Jake Browning’s third interception of the day, the Lions scored another TD. Jahmyr Gibbs took a swing pass into the end zone from 20 yards out for a 21-3 advantage. He had 87 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown in this one.
It was an easy day at the office for Lions quarterback Jared Goff. He went 19 for 23 passing with 258 yards and three touchdowns. His 39-yard short completion to Sam LaPorta resulted in an eight-yard TD run by David Montgomery for a 28-3 lead.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase made the Lions sweat a little bit. He caught touchdowns on back-to-back drives to close the gap and bring the score to 28-17. He finished the game with six receptions for 110 yards and two TDs.
Detroit responded well when it started to feel the pressure. The Lions managed to score on an eight-play, 68-yard drive that ended with a TD pass to rookie wideout Isaac TeSlaa to go back up 35-17.
Cincy found the end zone once more, but the game was well out of reach at that point. Though they got the ball back, Jake Browning took a safety, which killed any hopes of a comeback.
Washington Commanders @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Washington Commanders scored 27 unanswered points after going down in the first quarter to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 27-10 in quarterback Jayden Daniels’ first start since Week Two.
The Bolts got out to a much faster start than the Commanders, gaining 119 yards on their first two drives of the game to go ahead 10-0 after a touchdown pass by quarterback Justin Herbert and a field goal. Meanwhile, Washington couldn’t get anything going at the start of this game with just 30 yards of offense and two punts on their first two possessions.
On their third drive of the game, the Chargers made a critical error. After catching a pass from Justin Herbert, wide receiver Quentin Johnston was stripped of the football. That live ball was recovered by the Commanders, which sparked some life in their offense.
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels completed passes of 16 and 21 yards to wideouts Jaylin Lane and Deebo Samuel. That got them into the red zone, where running back Bill Croskey-Merritt walked into the end zone untouched from 15 yards out to make it a 10-7 game.
Another mental mistake proved to be very costly for the Chargers. Not only was a punt return touchdown taken off the board by a roughing the kicker penalty, but on the very next play, Jayden Daniels completed a 50-yard pass to Luke McCaffrey to get the ball near midfield. Daniels then hit Deebo Samuels for 22 yards, allowing Washington to kick a field goal to tie things up 10-10 at halftime.
Bill Croskey-Merritt took a screen pass 28 yards to LA’s 27 yard line on the first drive of the second half. Once they got into the red zone, he took a handoff into the end zone from five yards out for their first lead of the day, 17-10. Bill Croskey-Merritt finished the game with 150 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns.
After a Chargers punt, Washington got on the board once again. Bill Croskey-Merritt ran for 27 yards. Then, Jayden Daniels connected with running back Jeremy McNichols for a 12-yard pickup. That possession died out in the red zone, but not before Washington hit a 36-yard field goal to extend their lead to 20-10.
LA had a chance to put together a game-changing drive, but they shot themselves in the foot. On a 4th and 2 at Washington’s 39 yard line, the Chargers failed to convert after a Justin Herbert pass bounced off the hands of tight end Tyler Conklin, resulting in a turnover on downs.
Los Angeles had a chance to make it close, but they made another mistake. On a 3rd and goal from the four yard line, Justin Herbert threw an interception to kill a drive that would’ve made it a one-score game. In his last three starts, he has thrown four interceptions.
The Commanders reached the end zone once more. After the Herbert interception, Jayden Daniels hit Deebo Samuel for an eight-yard touchdown reception to put this one out of reach. Daniels had 231 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, and a passing touchdown in the game.
After starting the season 3-0, the Chargers have now dropped their last two games. They currently have a half-game lead over the Broncos for first place in their division.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
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