For as unpredictable as NFL results can be from one week to the next, some things still go exactly as expected.
Case in point: The margin for error in an AFC loaded with Super Bowl contenders is paper thin and every team already has a loss, while the NFC is developing into the two-horse race that everyone saw coming.
After meeting in last season’s NFC Championship Game, the 49ers and Eagles are the last two undefeated teams standing and look to be on a collision course for a late January rematch.
The 49ers are steamrolling their early opponents (16.75-point average margin of victory), while the Eagles have been coming up clutch in big moments to win three one-score games (seven-point average margin of victory).
Let’s start The Post’s NFL power rankings for Week 5 by separating the fine line between the two perfect records:
Christian McCaffrey scored a career-high four touchdowns – breaking Jerry Rice’s franchise record by finding the end zone in a 13th straight game – and gained 177 yards from scrimmage in a 35-16 win against the Cardinals. Brock Purdy threw just one incompletion on 21 attempts. The 49ers have won 14 straight in the regular season (nine with Purdy).
After surrendering the tying touchdown on the final play of regulation, the Eagles rebounded to beat the Commanders, 34-31, on Jake Elliott’s 54-yard field goal in overtime. Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards, including 175 to A.J. Brown, and converted a fourth-down quarterback sneak to extend the winning drive. Brown caught a pair of touchdown passes.
Think the Bills were tired of hearing about the Dolphins’ 70-point explosion? They made a statement about their own offense by scoring on eight of their first nine possessions during a 48-20 win against those Dolphins. Josh Allen accounted for five touchdowns, with three strikes going to Stefon Diggs. Allen improved to 7-0 against the Dolphins in Buffalo.
Taylor Swift brought Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Hugh Jackman with her to MetLife Stadium to see love interest Travis Kelce play. What they actually watched was two uncharacteristic interceptions from Patrick Mahomes and New Jersey native Isaih Pacheco saving the Chiefs with 115 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 23-20 win against the Jets.
What a letdown on the heels of the historic 70-point outburst. With a chance to start 4-0 for the first time since 1995, the Dolphins converted just 3-of-10 third downs and 0-of-3 fourth downs, allowed four sacks and committed two turnovers. A 14-14 game got out of hand when the Bills scored 17 unanswered points in both halves.
Dan Campbell became the first Lions head coach to win four straight against the Packers since Monte Clark (1982-83) during a 34-20 win at Lambeau Field. David Montgomery carried 32 times and became the first Lions running back with at least 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a game since James Stewart in 2000. More firsts are coming.
Dak Prescott is just along for the ride so far. DaRon Bland returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and Leighton Vander Esch returned a fumble for a touchdown as the Cowboys’ vaunted defense led the way in a 38-3 pounding of the Patriots. It was Bill Belichick’s most-lopsided loss of a 29-year head coaching career.
The NFL’s top-ranked defense was no match for Lamar Jackson, who ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more to Mark Andrews in a 28-3 win against the Browns. The Ravens’ defense was gifted a game against rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson – who replaced the injured Deshaun Watson – and delivered four sacks and three takeaways.
So, you thought Geno Smith quarterbacking a playoff team was a fluke last season? Have you changed your mind after he brought the Seahawks across the country and beat the playoff-hopeful Giants in a stadium where he has bad memories? With Kenneth Walker, D.K. Metcalf and Bobby Wager, the Seahawks don’t lack playmakers.
Is there a bigger surprise in the NFL? Former No. 1 draft pick Baker Mayfield’s resurrection at his fourth career stop continued by throwing three touchdown passes in a 26-9 win against the Saints (and a limited Derek Carr). Chris Godwin delivered eight catches for 114 yards as Mike Evans watched the second half with a hamstring injury.
The worst-case scenario for the Giants was a 1-5 start to the season. After losing to the Seahawks with their two best offensive players sidelined by injuries, that nightmare seems like a real possibility with games against the Dolphins and Bills on tap – even if Andrew Thomas and Saquon Barkley return. Daniel Jones’ primetime record is now 1-12.
Maybe the Jets were star-struck. How else do you explain falling behind the Chiefs by 17 points in the first quarter but rallying to a fourth-quarter tie? Zach Wilson played maybe his best game in a three-year career, but his dropped-snap fumble and Sauce Gardner’s phantom holding penalty decided the fourth quarter of a 23-20 loss.
