In 2026 NFL The season is only four weeks old, and we’re already starting to see the contenders separate themselves from the rest of the pack.
Two of the teams that appear poised to make the playoffs and challenge for the Lombardi Trophy meet on Sunday as the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in a delicious NFC West battle.
This is the titular act of a Blackboard week 5 which includes several engaging stories.
Can the undefeated 49ers overcome their sternest test?
There are three undefeated teams left in the NFL through four weeks, but it’s the 49ers who seem to be the class of the bunch.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is in the middle of the early MVP conversation after an outstanding start to the season. Purdy leads the NFL in nearly every quarterback metric out there, and while the Denver Broncos were slowed a bit last week by him and an injury to 49er, San Francisco still did enough to pull out a 24-14 win.
The Niners’ offensive line has yet to give up a sack and the defense, despite being without star running back Nick Bosa, has shown significant improvement under new coordinator Raheem Morris.
But in their Week 5 matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks (3-1), the 49ers will face their toughest test yet.
The Niners have won their last four regular-season games in Seattle, but their previous two meetings with the Seahawks underscore the scale of the challenge facing San Francisco.
In fact, the 49ers lost 13-3 at home in Week 18 last season with the NFC’s sole seed on the line, before Purdy and Company were throttled by the Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs, getting hammered 41-6 in the Pacific Northwest.
The Seahawks feature a ferocious defensive front that has previously proven capable of overwhelming San Francisco up front, while head coach Mike MacDonald’s defensive scheme has a history of causing major problems for Purdy and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Although the campaign is still young, the latest edition of one of the NFL’s best rivalries looks like one of the most significant games of the season. The chess match between Shanahan, the preeminent offensive player of his generation, and MacDonald is always fascinating. The 49ers will end the week as Super Bowl favorites if Shanahan comes out on top amid a raucous atmosphere at Lumen Field.
Reeling Eagles looking to arrest slump
It’s too early to suggest the Philadelphia Eagles are at a point where they need a win to save their season, but a trip to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars 3-1 feels like a massive moment in a campaign where everything seems to be falling apart.
After a spectacular collapse against the Los Angeles Rams that saw them fumble after having the ball at the Rams’ two-yard line with a chance to go up 17 points with eight minutes left, the Eagles head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a vastly different offensive lineup than the one that started the season.
Star running back Saquon Barkley and backup Tank Bigsby are injured, as are wide receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Bigsby is on injured reserve, while Barkley and Smith missed Wednesday’s opening practice of the week with hamstring issues. Goedert has missed the last two games with a knee injury and has practiced in a limited capacity.
Also, six-time Pro Bowl Lane Johnson was abruptly retired this week, while center Cam Jurgens was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.
With quarterback Jalen Hurts receiving significant criticism in the wake of recent underwhelming performances, the circumstances for the 2-2 Eagles heading into a matchup with an impressive Jaguars defense are far from ideal. Jacksonville’s long history of playing and, more recently, excelling in London suggests the chips are stacked against an Eagles team with an offensive line in flux and potentially lacking its best skill position weapons.
The challenge for Hurts and Co. is to overcome this adversity and get the season back.
Daniels returns to save the commanders
The Eagles’ enticing matchup with the Jaguars marks the second London game of the season, with the first being a surprising upset as the Indianapolis Colts knocked off the Washington Commanders.
Washington’s hopes were effectively dashed when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota went down with a knee injury, forcing seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis into action.
The loss dropped the Commanders to 1-3 heading into a divisional matchup with NFC East rivals the New York Giants this Sunday.
But the Commanders got a big boost with news that starting quarterback Jayden Daniels will be available to return from an elbow injury as they face the Giants, who surprisingly lead the division with a 3-1 record despite losing quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending injury.
With a trip to face the 49ers in prime time just around the corner for the Commanders, a home loss to the Giants could essentially end their hopes of competing for a return to the playoffs. The onus is on Daniels, whose 2025 was marred by injury, to return to his 2024 form as an offensive player and keep his hopes alive.
Lamar’s injury gives the Falcons a golden opportunity
The Commanders’ closest neighbors are dealing with the adversity of quarterback injuries, with the 3-1 Ravens in the all-too-familiar position of preparing for a game without Lamar Jackson.
Jackson missed practice Wednesday with a sprained ankle suffered in the Ravens’ win over the winless Tennessee Titans. Backup Tyler Huntley will start if Jackson is unable to play.
Two-time MVP Jackson has started a full regular season just once in his career. He missed four games last season, which means the Ravens are used to trying to manage without him.
Trying to do that against the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons may prove unexpectedly difficult.
After a rough start through the first two weeks, the Falcons are in great shape, scoring 80 points in wins over the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
A matchup with a Jackson-less Ravens team would give the Falcons a golden opportunity to keep their streak going and steal a berth in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers bye. Recent history suggests it would be typical of them to waste it. If they want to make some noise in the NFC this season, the Falcons need to grab this potential opportunity with both hands.
The last two MVPs are in LA
The Week 5 slate hits Monday with the best prime-time game of the season as the last two NFL MVPs meet in Los Angeles, where the 2-2 Rams host the 3-1 Buffalo Bills.
Josh Allen, the 2024 MVP, and 2025 winner Matthew Stafford have met twice before, claiming one win each. Stafford and the Rams prevailed in 2024, Los Angeles holding on in a 44-42 thriller despite a fourth-quarter comeback by the Bills.
Monday Night Football audiences will expect more such fireworks at SoFi Stadium, but both the Rams and Bills enter the game on the back of unconvincing performances.
While the Rams’ fourth-quarter turnover in Philadelphia was impressive, it was as much due to the Eagles’ ineptitude as their own skill. In reality, a performance in which the Rams committed two turnovers for the fourth straight game fell well short of the standards Sean McVay’s team expected to hit.
The Bills, meanwhile, were upset at home last week by the New England Patriots, their loss capped by an ill-advised throw from Allen early in a potential winning drive.
After coming off performances against the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions that seemed to vindicate Buffalo’s status as the AFC favorite, the Bills have cooled off in recent weeks. Against Stafford and Co., the Bills need to fire on all cylinders again, while the Rams are desperate for a clean game that reminds the NFL world of their Super Bowl credentials.
Outside of the mammoth NFC West showdown in Seattle, no game on the slate in Week 5 offers a bigger chance for a true contender to put up a score.
