Ravens Beat Falcons as Minter Wins First Five-Week Test

Baltimore's new coaching staff secured another significant result Sunday night, guiding the Ravens to a 30-23 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons despite Lamar Jackson's absence with a sprained ankle. According to NBC News and CBS Sports, backup quarterback Tyler Huntley helped Baltimore improve to 4-1, while head coach Jesse Minter drew attention for his unconventional overtime decision and effective clock management.

The victory left Baltimore atop the AFC North after five weeks. According to CBS Sports, the Ravens overcame Atlanta's defense with a rushing attack that exceeded 200 yards, as Derrick Henry and Justice Hill each surpassed 70 rushing yards.

With Jackson unavailable, Huntley delivered his strongest contributions when the game was on the line. CBS Sports reported that he completed all 11 passes for 80 yards across Baltimore's final two offensive possessions, directing one touchdown drive to force overtime and another to secure the victory.

Minter chose to receive the ball to begin overtime rather than kick off. According to Yahoo Sports, Baltimore then ran 14 plays over 7 minutes, 3 seconds before Huntley scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, leaving Atlanta 2 minutes, 57 seconds to respond.

The Falcons' opportunity ended on their second overtime play when backup quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw an interception to Kyle Hamilton. NBC News reported that Atlanta had lost starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. after he was hit hard during the closing stages of regulation.

Yahoo Sports reported that fans praised Minter's decision to take possession first, particularly because Baltimore had momentum after its late regulation comeback. The outlet also noted that Minter had previously served as defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, whose defense had ranked sixth and eighth in consecutive finishes under PFN's Defense Impact Metric.

The Chargers, now 0-5, have struggled through a difficult opening stretch, according to NBC News. Their latest defeat included a fourth-quarter fumble by Justin Herbert after a teammate's foot accidentally knocked the ball from his hand.

Elsewhere in Week 5, NBC News reported that Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes for the third consecutive game as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Indianapolis Colts 34-22. Rodgers had last recorded at least three touchdown passes in three straight games in 2021, during his fourth MVP season with the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers has 10 touchdown passes and four interceptions this season, while Pittsburgh improved to 3-2. The performance marked a turnaround from his difficult start to the campaign.

The Green Bay Packers also defeated the Chicago Bears 31-7, with Jordan Love completing 25 of 31 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns. NBC News reported that Love posted a season-best passer rating of 137.5 against a Chicago team missing Caleb Williams.

The New England Patriots beat the Las Vegas Raiders 45-17 as Drake Maye passed for 374 yards and four touchdowns and added a rushing score. According to NBC News, Maye has thrown seven touchdown passes and one interception over his last two games.

Minnesota remained undefeated at 5-0 after beating New Orleans 23-13. NBC News reported that quarterback Kyler Murray completed 80% of his passes and recorded a season-best passer rating of 109.6 in the victory.

Week 5 also produced costly game-management errors elsewhere. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19-17 in London after Ameer Abdullah returned a late kickoff 53 yards, setting up Cam Little's 57-yard winning field goal with one second remaining, according to WRAL.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni accepted responsibility for the decision to keep the kickoff in play instead of sending it into the end zone.

"I lost us that game," Sirianni said, according to WRAL.

Philadelphia had taken a 17-14 lead with eight seconds left, but the return gave Jacksonville a final scoring opportunity. The Eagles fell to 2-3 after losing their third consecutive game.

Washington and the New York Giants also finished in a tie after the Commanders failed to stop the clock for a potential winning field goal in overtime. WRAL reported that Jayden Daniels drove Washington to the Giants' 26-yard line, but the team ran out of time after declining to spike the ball.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn accepted responsibility for the sequence rather than placing the blame on Daniels.

"The sequencing of that does not fall on (Daniels)," Quinn said, according to WRAL.

The Giants had their own missed opportunities, including three missed field goals by Dominic Zvada. NBC News reported that the NFC East endured a winless week, with Philadelphia and Washington losing opportunities to secure victories and Dallas falling to Tampa Bay earlier in the week.

San Francisco remained undefeated at 5-0 after narrowly beating Seattle, according to NBC News. Houston and Tampa Bay earned their first wins of the season during Week 5, while Miami, Tennessee and the Chargers remained winless at 0-5.