The Washington Commanders had strong showings in all three phases of the game in their comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10. The victory marks Washington's first time beating the Chargers franchise on the road since 1986, according to the Washington Commanders’ Public Relations team.

The Commanders' offense saw the return of starting quarterback Jayden Daniels under center for the first time since he was injured in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers; the game marked Daniels’ first game in his home state of California as an NFL pro. A second-quarter handoff fumble between quarterback Justin Herbert and wide receiver Quentin Johnston made all the difference for the Commanders.

The defense stepped up in a large way against a banged up Chargers offensive line, sacking quarterback Justin Herbert four times and pressuring him on 38% of his dropbacks. Cornerback Mike Sainristil also notched his second interception of the season and kept Washington's two-score lead alive. Daniels then led the offense on a 99-yard drive capped with another touchdown.

Deebo Samuel Sr., who had eight receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown, was Daniels' primary target. Luke McCaffrey's 50-yard pickup in the second quarter allowed the Commanders to put up a field goal to catch the Chargers at halftime, 10-10.

Running back Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt had a breakout game, ending the afternoon with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Croskey-Merritt had an additional two receptions for 39 yards, bringing his total all-purpose yards to 150. His efforts in the backfield earned Croskey-Merritt praise from Tom Brady to win the LFG Player of the Week award, as well as being named the NFC's Ground Player of the Week.

Croskey-Merritt and the Commanders' run game is a weapon its offense will likely use against the Bears. The Bears' defense has had trouble against the run (it allowed 240 rush yards against the Raiders), and are currently averaging 164.5 yards on the ground through five weeks.

Coming off a bye week, that same early game rust Daniels experienced is a possibility for quarterback Caleb Williams. In its Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, Williams didn't have the best pass completion percentage (59.5%), however, he made the most of the opportunities on deep connections. His top target, wide receiver Rome Odunze, averaged 17.2 yards per reception.

With the Bears coming to town, it's hard not to reminisce on last season's Week 8 Hail Mary win – especially with Brown's return to practice Wednesday. Nevertheless, the Hail Mary is last season’s story and both teams are focused on the game ahead rather than the past.

Let's take a look at how the rest of the NFC East fared through Week 5 and how its teams are preparing for its Week 6 matchups.

New York Giants (1-4-0) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4-1-0):

Both teams are looking to rebound after tough losses coming into the short week, Thursday Night Football battle at MetLife Stadium. The Eagles fell to a resilient Denver Broncos team at home, 21-17, while the Giants' scoreless second half sealed its fate against the New Orleans Saints, 26-14.

The biggest name to watch in this rivalry matchup is Saquon Barkley. In the star running back's return to New York last season, he had 17 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown before Philadelphia pulled its starters in the 28-3 Week 7 win. Barkley's 2025 season, however, hasn't started as strong.

The production of Philadelphia's rushing offense has decreased significantly; it came into Week 1 averaging 179.3 total rushing yards last season and has dropped to just 99.8 average total rushing yards coming into Week 6. That drop in production shows in Barkley's stat line, as he is averaging just 3.2 yards per carry this season. Against the Broncos' No. 5 rushing defense, the Eagles were held to just 45 rushing yards, 30 of which came from Barkley. That doesn't bode well for Philadelphia, considering New York limited New Orleans to 88 total rushing yards and its leading rusher Kendre Miller to just 41 yards on 10 carries last week.

The Eagles will have their work cut out for them protecting Hurts from the Giants' dynamic pass rush. As ranked by PFF, the Giants' top pass rusher in rookie Abdul Carter is averaging a 13.9% pass rush win and 22 total pressures. Paired with linebackers Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence, New York's pass rush boasts a win rate of 44% to rank No. 8 overall.

Despite a strong debut for rookie Jaxson Dart in Week 4, he had trouble continuing that momentum in New Orleans. Dart's lackluster 65% pass completion rate for 202 yards and two touchdowns is further marred by the two interceptions he threw, both of which were caught by Saints' cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. Dart's top target Malik Nabers is out for the season with an ACL injury, and wide receiver Darius Slayton is not expected to play on Thursday after suffering a hamstring injury Sunday. The Giants' already thin receiving corps is continuing to get thinner, which could be tough to convert against the Eagles’ No. 3-overall red zone defense when in scoring position.

Turnovers and penalties killed the Giants against the Saints. New York committed five total turnovers (three fumbles and two interceptions), as well as eight accepted penalties for 95 yards. Two of those turnovers resulted in points for the Saints, including a fourth quarter red zone fumble returned for a touchdown, with a total of nine points added to the board, although a missed field goal attempt could have increased that number to 12.

What stands out most in the Giants' loss is the fact it gave up a 14-3 lead over a winless opponent and failed to put up any points in the second half. New York allowed New Orleans to score 23 unanswered points, which just can't happen if a team wants to win games – especially not against the Eagles. Philadelphia already proved its ability to come back from a double digit deficit against the Rams in Week 3, and, if given the chance, it surely isn't going to give up an opportunity to do it again if that's what it comes down to against a divisional opponent.

Dallas Cowboys (2-2-1) vs. Carolina Panthers (2-3-0):

Led by Dak Prescott's four touchdown passes and two drives of 90-plus yards, the Cowboys handed the New York Jets its fifth-straight loss of the season, making Aaron Glenn the first head coach in franchise history to begin their tenure with five losses.

Dallas' feat over New York is more impressive considering the injury-riddled offensive line that operated with just one regular starter. Left guard Tyler Smith (knee), left tackle Tyler Guyton (concussion), right guard Tyler Booker (ankle) and center Cooper Beebe (foot) were all sidelined, as well as star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and return specialist KaVontae Turpin.

The Panthers' defense held the Miami Dolphins to 248 all-purpose yards and an incredibly low 19 rushing yards. Carolina effectively contained quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to one carry for five yards and Miami's top rushing threat in De'Von Achane to 10 carries for 16 yards (average of 1.6 yards per carry). Running back Javonte Williams was Dallas' top rusher against the Jets, finishing the game with 16 carries for 135 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 8.4 yards per carry, which is something the Panthers must limit if they want to win the game.

Stopping the run game doesn't eliminate the Cowboys' biggest offensive threat: Prescott's arm. With Lamb out, the addition of wide receiver George Pickens has given Prescott an additional deep threat for downfield throws. Pickens is averaging 15.5 yards per reception and 71.4 yards per game. He was matched up up against the Jets' top corner Sauce Gardner for 90% of snaps yet still managed two receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown. With Pickens locked down, wide receiver Ryan Flournoy and tight end Jake Ferguson stepped up; Flournoy finished as the Cowboys' top receiver with a career-high nine targets for 114 yards and Ferguson had 49 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches.

Despite Dallas' offensive power and multitude of receiving threats through the air, the Cowboys' defense has been struggling since linebacker Micah Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the season. Dallas' defense showed up against the Jets, however, and had its highest pressure rate of the 2025 season, recording a 50.9% pressure rate on Fields according to NextGen Stats. Twelve different defenders registered at least one pressure on Fields, with 12 of 14 Cowboys’ pass rushers generating pressure.

Although this matchup seems to favor the Cowboys, Carolina has momentum coming off of a comeback win over the Miami Dolphins 27-24 and hasn't lost a game at home yet this season. A large part of its success against the Dolphins was the use of the run game. Running back Rico Dowdle, who took the place of an injured Chuba Hubbard, got loose for an insane 206 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown to match the second-highest rushing total in Panthers’ franchise history. Dowdle's longest runs of 53 and 43 yards in the second half outgained Miami 237 yards to 19 on the ground.

The Cowboys' defense gives up an average of 127.4 yards on the ground per game and could be challenged by Dowdle and the Panthers' rush offense. While it's hard to imagine Dowdle is as successful on Sunday, it's not improbable. The Panthers have a 77% run block win rate (No. 7 overall), which will be going up against the Cowboys’ 33% run stop win rate (No. 6 overall). Quarterback Bryce Young is unpredictable under center when he's forced to throw, which the Cowboys' defense will likely force him to do.