Week 5 of the 2015 NFL season did not disappoint. We witnessed three thrilling games that were decided in overtime, and numerous x-factors stepped up when their team needed it most on Sunday.
Here’s a look back at the best and worst players from Sunday’s action:
Best
QB Josh McCown, Cleveland Browns
McCown’s 457 passing yards during Sunday’s win over the Ravens were the most by a Browns quarterback in franchise history and the second most by a quarterback this season. He completed 36 passes (two touchdowns) as Cleveland stormed back from a 21-9 deficit to beat Baltimore in overtime. Over the last three weeks, McCown has an NFL-high 1,154 passing yards, including six touchdowns. Just call him Money McCown!
RB Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks
Say hello to Beast Mode 2.0. The former undrafted free agent put on his best Marshawn Lynch impression in Cincinnati, carrying the football 23 times for 169 yards (leading all rushers) during Seattle’s 27-24 loss to the Bengals. Rawls also scored a Lynch-like touchdown, in which he rumbled through several tackle attempts on his way to a 69-yard score. His other 22 carries netted 100 yards against the NFL’s sixth-best rushing defense.
RB Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Martin almost singlehandedly snapped Tampa Bay’s 11-game home losing streak on Sunday. He turned his 27 touches against the Jaguars into 158 total yards and three touchdowns, powering the Buccaneers to their first home win since December 2013. Martin now has back-to-back games with 100 or more rushing yards, while his three scores in Week 5 matched his total from his previous 20 games combined.
TE Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland’s 30-year-old tight end is proving he’s no fluke. Barnidge had another standout game Sunday, catching eight passes for 139 yards and one of the most creative touchdowns of the 2015 season. He used his legs—not hands—to haul in an 18-yard circus catch for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Barnidge now has 22 catches, 319 yards and three touchdowns over his last three games.
S Charles Woodson, Oakland Raiders
Father Time is making his presence felt against Peyton Manning, but is losing to Charles Woodson. The 39-year-old safety intercepted Manning twice on Sunday, including an acrobatic pick near the sideline in the second half of the game. Woodson is now tied for the league lead in interceptions with four, and his 64 career picks are tied with Ed Reed for sixth all-time. He’s an ageless wonder.
Worst
QB Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions
Down big at home, the winless Lions decided to pull Stafford, who threw three early interceptions during a disastrous loss to the Cardinals. Detroit committed turnovers on five of its first eight possessions as Arizona jumped out to a 28-7 lead. Head coach Jim Caldwell made the change after Stafford’s third pick, sending in backup Dan Orlovsky to finish a game that ended in a 42-17 loss. Stafford now has a league-high eight interceptions for the 0-5 Lions.
QB Nick Foles, St. Louis Rams
The Packers beat up on Foles, both physically and in the box score. Green Bay hit the Rams’ quarterback 12 times and sacked him on four other plays, while also limiting him to just 11 completions on 30 attempts and a passer rating of 23.8. Two of Foles’ four interceptions came in the red zone, while a third was returned for a touchdown. The Rams scored just 10 points despite getting 159 rushing yards from rookie Todd Gurley.
QB Brandon Weeden, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are now 0-3 in starts made by Weeden. He was at his worst against the Patriots on Sunday, throwing for just 188 yards on 39 attempts as the Cowboys scored just six points. Half of his completions went to running backs. He tossed an ugly interception in the fourth quarter and then badly overthrew Terrance Williams in the end zone on his final drive. Checkdown after checkdown just isn’t a viable way to play quarterback in the NFL. The Cowboys might be forced to go with Matt Cassel next week.
RB Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay’s big running back still doesn’t look 100 percent healthy. He carried the ball 13 times for just 27 yards against the Rams’ 24th-ranked run defense, while his counterpart—rookie Todd Gurley—rumbled for 159 yards. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers ended up being Green Bay’s top rusher, an indictment of the struggles Lacy had on the ground. He didn’t have a rush over three yards until deep into the third quarter, and backup James Starks spelled him for a handful of series. Lacy is now on pace for just over 800 rushing yards.
RB Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos
Expected by many to start winning more of Denver’s running back shares, Hillman produced a dud against the Raiders. He rushed seven times for only 21 yards and dropped a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning. It’s not easy rotating in and out with another back, but Hillman didn’t get closer to leapfrogging C.J. Anderson with a quiet afternoon against the league’s 31st-ranked defense.