Sunday was filled with sloppy football, silly mistakes and head-scratching decisions.
Another NFL player gave away a touchdown by carelessly dropping the ball before he crossed the goal line. A roughing-the-kicker penalty erased a touchdown return in a different game. The Super Bowl champions ignored their record-setting running back.
The most egregious play of Week 5 occurred when Cardinals running back Emari Demercado turned a 72-yard touchdown run into a touchback by slowing down near the goal line and releasing the ball as Titans cornerback L’Jarius Sneed swiped at his arm. Officials initially ruled it a touchdown but a video review showed Demercado didn’t have possession when he entered the end zone.
Instead of increasing Arizona’s 21-6 lead, Demercado’s gaffe kept Tennessee in the game. Teammate Dadrion Taylor-Demerson then gave the Titans a chance to win after he intercepted Cam Ward’s pass but fumbled while falling to the ground in a wild play that resulted in a touchdown for Tennessee. Receiver Tyler Lockett fell on the loose ball in the end zone, cutting the Cardinals’ lead to 21-19 with 4:51 left. Joey Slye made a 29-yard field goal as time expired and the Titans beat the Cardinals to snap a 10-game losing streak.
Last week, Colts receiver Adonai Mitchell committed the same costly miscue, which makes Demercado’s blunder even more inexcusable because it should have been on the forefront of every player’s mind. Mitchell held the ball out as he neared the goal line and lost control of it for a touchback, negating what would have been a spectacular 76-yard touchdown reception against the Los Angeles Rams in a 27-20 loss.
“I just made a mistake. Really no excuse,” Demercado told reporters. “Obviously emotional. Big play. I just got to be smarter.”
Penalty fest
A penalty flag wasn’t thrown on every big play this week but it seemed that way in several games.
The worst may have been the roughing-the-kicker call on Chargers reserve linebacker Marlowe Wax that wiped out a 57-yard punt return touchdown by Ladd McConkey late in the second quarter. Los Angeles led Washington 10-7 at the time. The penalty allowed the Commanders to retain possession and they ended up with a tying field goal on the drive on the way to a 27-10 win.
The Chargers were one of 10 teams that had at least nine penalties. Those teams went 4-6.
“It’s on us to fix that,” Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said of the penalties. “You can’t expect to win games like that when you’re having penalties like that.”
The Patriots gave the Bills 30 yards on consecutive plays after taking a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter. After a roughing-the-passer penalty, James Cook was stopped for a 4-yard loss on an excellent play by Harold Landry. But Joshua Farmer inexplicably drilled him seconds after the whistle. Josh Allen tossed a touchdown pass a few plays later but the Patriots ended up handing Buffalo its first loss, 23-20.
Questionable decisions
Philadelphia’s playcalling again was curious. This time, it wasn’t because frustrated wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith weren’t involved in the offense in a 21-17 loss to Denver. Instead, the duo combined for 13 catches on 18 targets while Saquon Barkley got just six carries in a game in which the Eagles led 10-3 at halftime and 17-3 going into the fourth quarter.
The offense had two possessions with a 14-point lead. Barkley got a carry on one of the 10 plays and a false start stopped it. Jalen Hurts completed 2 of 6 passes, got sacked once and scrambled for 4 yards on another.
Barkley was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024 and set an NFL record by rushing for 2,504 yards in the regular season and playoffs. He’s struggled this season but had 30 yards on his six carries and also caught a 47-yard TD pass.
Coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo needed to open up the offense, stretch the field and utilize Brown and Smith more. But giving the ball to the running backs on just nine of 55 plays was surprising and uncharacteristic for a team that had won 20 of its previous 21 games.
“I just think we’re searching for improvement and so given what type of team we’re built to be, we have to be able to establish the run in some regard and that could look different,” Hurts said. “It may not be what it’s been, but ultimately being able to lean on the run game is important. So we just have to look into how we can improve in that area and go out there and take ownership of the things that we can control and grow from this opportunity.”
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