Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season saw the Washington Commanders host the New York Giants, while the Dallas Cowboys hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football. The Philadelphia Eagles headed to London to duke it out with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday morning.

NFC East Standings

New York Giants (3-1-1; point differential: +3)
Philadelphia Eagles (2-3; point differential: -20)
Dallas Cowboys (2-3; point differential: +2)
Washington Commanders (1-3-1; point differential: -34)

In a strange turn of events, the division went winless in Week 5, finishing with a combined record of 0-2-2. According to CBS Sports Research, it's just the fourth time an entire division has gone winless despite having a divisional matchup in the 418 NFL regular-season weeks since the 2002 divisional realignment. That being said, the standings are tight, and the NFC East is still very much up for grabs.

Let's take a deeper look at what worked and what didn't for each team in the NFC East and how they look heading into their Week 6 matchups.

New York Giants

What worked: After two consecutive weeks of gritty, game-sealing interceptions, the Giants continued the trend with an improbable tie following a Commanders' offensive miscue. For all intents and purposes, Week 5 was a win for New York. The last time the Giants started a season 3-1 and held sole possession of first place in the NFC East through five weeks was in 2022.

The Giants' offense has largely been inconsistent since Jameis Winston (33-of-53, 326 yards, three touchdowns) took over for the injured Jaxson Dart. Winston got off to a rough start, completing just seven of his first 16 passes for 72 yards. New York had just 82 total yards of offense and trailed 12-3, but caught fire in the second half. Winston threw for 254 yards and recorded all three of his touchdowns after halftime. In the fourth quarter alone, he completed 13 of 17 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns to tie the game.

Needs improvement: Although rookie kicker Dominic Zvada has helped the Giants avoid losing key games in recent weeks, he didn't have his best performance against the Commanders. The rainy conditions may have played a role, but Zvada missed three of his five field-goal attempts. One of those misses came on a 46-yard attempt that would have given the Giants a 30-27 lead in overtime.

Ball security was also an issue for New York, most notably on its final drive of overtime, when a Cam Skattebo fumble in field-goal range was recovered by Washington. Had it not been for the Commanders' offensive miscues, the fumble could have cost the Giants the game. Winston also fumbled earlier in the second quarter, setting up a 40-yard field goal for Washington. New York is leaving precious points on the table, and that could come back to bite the team if the issue isn't addressed.

Looking ahead to the New Orleans Saints: If the Giants' offense can sustain the level of play it showed against the Commanders in the second half, it should fare well against the Saints. New Orleans' defense ranks No. 25 and has struggled this season, allowing 361 total yards and 18 touchdowns per game. The run defense has been especially weak, ranking No. 30 and allowing 148.8 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns per game. That could make handing the ball to Skattebo an effective way for the Giants to score consistently.

Washington Commanders

What worked: The Commanders got off to a fast start in their 27-27 tie with the Giants. With Jayden Daniels back at the helm, they scored on the opening drive of the game. Daniels went 3-for-3 on his passes during the drive, with the only handoff coming on the final play: a 33-yard rushing touchdown by Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Daniels also showed off his legs, finishing with nine carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

The Commanders' defense continued to shine in the takeaway department, forcing the Giants to fumble twice. That brings Washington's total to seven takeaways through Week 5, tying them for the third-most in the NFL and giving them the second-best turnover margin (plus-five). Washington also held New York to 26 rushing yards in the first half, tied for the fifth-fewest allowed against the Giants in franchise history.

Needs improvement: There has been considerable focus on the final play of the game, during which communication among the offense and personnel has come into question. Clearly, that is an area that needs work, but the Commanders' offensive line could also use some improvement. Daniels was sacked five times by the Giants, and New York edge defender Abdul Carter earned the game's highest overall PFF grade at 89.7, recording six quarterback pressures, including one sack and five quarterback hits.

Looking ahead to the San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are one of just three teams in the NFL that have yet to lose a game this season. They're coming off a 32-29 divisional win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field, which should boost their confidence heading into Monday Night Football.

San Francisco leads the league in third-down offense (51.92%), although that could be tested this week by a depleted wide receiver room. Mike Evans is playing through a rib injury, while the 49ers will be without Deebo Samuel (hamstring). Meanwhile, Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling, and Demarcus Robinson remain on injured reserve. Despite declining numbers, Christian McCaffrey is still widely regarded as one of the top 20 running backs in the league and is a threat the Commanders' run defense will need to keep in check.

The Commanders' offense has been inconsistent through five games, and it will undoubtedly be tested by the 49ers' defense, which ranks No. 6 overall and has allowed just 297.2 total yards and eight touchdowns per game. San Francisco could also get a boost from the return of edge rusher Nick Bosa, who has missed the past three games with a calf strain.

Philadelphia Eagles

What worked: The Eagles' defense was reasonably effective against the Jacksonville Jaguars and largely kept the team in the game during its eventual 19-17 loss in London. The Jaguars went 0-for-3 in red-zone conversions, including two drives on which the Eagles stopped them at the one-yard line. Despite Trevor Lawrence's impressive stat line (24-of-39, 331 yards, two touchdowns, one interception), Philadelphia forced Jacksonville into six three-and-outs on 15 total possessions. Before Week 5, the Jaguars had recorded just four three-and-outs.

If not for Ameer Abdullah's 53-yard kickoff return, which left one second on the clock, followed by Cam Little's 57-yard field goal, the Eagles could have pulled out a gritty win.

Needs improvement: The Eagles have now lost three consecutive games. The last time this happened was in December 2023, and what followed was a collapse of epic proportions: Philadelphia lost two of its final three regular-season games and was blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32-9, in the NFC wild-card round. The Eagles' offense needs to find a way to move the ball without two of its top offensive threats: Saquon Barkley (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (hamstring). Philadelphia was virtually unable to move the ball on the ground, managing just 22 rushing yards, while Jacksonville held the Eagles to 3.9 yards per play.

Looking ahead to the Carolina Panthers: Neither Barkley nor Smith practiced on Wednesday, making their return to the lineup uncertain. Another challenge is that the banged-up Eagles will face a well-rested Panthers squad coming off an early Week 5 bye. Bryce Young is averaging 317.0 passing yards per game and has thrown nine touchdowns in four games this season. He also has weapons in Tetairoa McMillan, who recorded 14 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions in Week 4, and Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in Week 4.

Dallas Cowboys

What worked: There weren't many bright spots in Dallas' 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, but the team's red-zone conversion rate was one. Through five weeks, the Cowboys have been one of the league's best teams in that category, and the trend continued against the Buccaneers. They converted both of their red-zone attempts, improving to 9-for-12 on the season, a 75% conversion rate.

Needs improvement: Bucky Irving rushed for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns against the Cowboys' No. 32-ranked run defense, which had been allowing an average of 168.4 rushing yards per game and had surrendered six rushing touchdowns. The Cowboys allowed 241 rushing yards and an average of 6.2 yards per carry. It has been a problem all season for Dallas, and there are few signs of improvement. The Packers don't have a clear-cut RB1, which could benefit the Cowboys this week. Instead, the game could turn into an aerial shootout for both teams.

Looking ahead to the Green Bay Packers: CeeDee Lamb followed up one of his best statistical performances in Week 4 with one of his worst, recording just two receptions for nine yards. His quiet outing can be attributed in part to a quadriceps injury that forced him to miss the second half despite attempting to return. Lamb practiced in full on Wednesday and should be ready to face Green Bay, which is coming off a dominant 31-7 win over the Chicago Bears.

It was the Packers' best game of the season, with Jordan Love completing 25 of 31 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns. They'll look to carry that momentum into their matchup against the Cowboys, who are coming off a disappointing loss to the Buccaneers.