NFL Winners and Losers: Ravens might be cooked after embarrassing loss to Texans

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Of all the possibilities for the NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens' season looking like it might be over in the first week of October wasn't on anyone's mind. 

It wasn't just that the Ravens lost on Sunday. They were without several key players including Lamar Jackson, and it wasn't hard to imagine them losing to the Houston Texans. It's that there wasn't a lot of fight from those on the field. Maybe it was just a hopeless cause, considering the Ravens' lineup looked like something you'd see in the preseason. But it was startling to see the Texans blow them out 44-10 with virtually no resistance. The Texans led 24-3 at halftime. and the Ravens barely seemed to try on Houston's first possession of the second half, which ended in a long Nick Chubb touchdown. 

The Ravens simply looked like a team that didn't want to play on Sunday. 

The Ravens' season could still be salvaged — there are still 13 weeks to go, after all — but it's getting harder to see a path back to respectability. Jackson might need more time to heal from a hamstring injury, and the Ravens having a bye in two weeks will factor into how Baltimore plays his return. By the time Jackson returns, the Ravens might be 1-5. Next week they face the Los Angeles Rams, who will have extra rest and be angry after blowing a game to the San Francisco 49ers. Given how easily the Texans blew out the junior varsity version of the Ravens on Sunday, it's hard to see Baltimore beating a good Rams team. 

It isn't just Jackson that's out. Included in the Ravens' inactives Sunday were safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, linebacker Roquan Smith and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is on injured reserve. That's a list of some of the best players at their positions in the NFL. 

And yet, injuries aren't the Ravens' only excuse for their 1-4 start. The season was in danger of falling apart before those hit. 

The defense has been arguably the worst in the NFL. C.J. Stroud carved them up on Sunday. He had three touchdown passes in the first half. He also had more rushing yards at halftime than Derrick Henry, out-gaining him 30-8. Baltimore is going to have to consider a change with defensive coordinator Zach Orr. Injuries aren't the only reason for the defense's failure. It has been a problem since Week 1, when Josh Allen brought the Buffalo Bills all the way back for a wild win. 

The Ravens will get healthier. The Pittsburgh Steelers don't seem like a team that will run away with the AFC North, and the Bengals and Browns are very unlikely to be factors in the division race. There's a slight hope that Baltimore can still make something out of its season. But after it was thoroughly embarrassed on Sunday, that hope is running out fast. 

Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 5 of the NFL season: 

WINNERS

Shane Steichen: Steichen started this season on the hot seat. Five weeks into the season, he's one of the top candidates for NFL Coach of the Year. 

The Indianapolis Colts have been one of the best stories in the NFL so far. The Colts improved to 4-1 with an easy 40-6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. 

One of the most important decisions made in August was the Colts picking Daniel Jones to start the season at quarterback. Jones has been tremendous, and Steichen is a big part of his success. So is Jonathan Taylor, who is taking pressure off Jones with some elite production. Taylor scored three more touchdowns on Sunday. Jones has been a revelation after he was cut by the New York Giants last season. He had an efficient 212 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. His career revival looks good on Steichen. So would a division title. 

Cleveland Browns: Sunday's result from London was disappointing for the Browns. The Minnesota Vikings scored with 25 seconds left to get a 21-17 win. The Browns couldn't put the game away despite multiple chances to do so, and that will sting on a long flight home.

But there was a lot to feel good about for the Browns.

Look at the box score. Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel got his first start, in a nearly impossible situation in London against a tough defense, and played well. He had 190 yards and two touchdowns in a mostly mistake-free game. Rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. caught one of those touchdowns. Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins had 110 yards and looks like a great second-round pick. Rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger had a game high 11 tackles.

It was a loss for the Browns, though a competitive one against a Vikings team that won 14 games last season. But Sunday provided a positive glimpse of the future.

Kellen Moore: A rookie head coach who goes through September without a win has to start wondering how long it'll take to get that first career victory. But at least the New Orleans Saints were close a few times in Moore's first four games. 

The Saints are winless no more. Moore got his first career win as the Saints rallied from a 14-3 deficit to beat the New York Giants 26-14. The defense got the big play, as it forced a Cam Skattebo fumble and safety Jordan Howden returned it 86 yards for the score. That was a massive momentum shift in a close game. It was one of five turnovers caused by the defense. Three of the turnovers were by Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. 

The Saints probably won't win many games this season. Sunday, at home against the Giants, was a shot to get one. Moore can sleep better at night with his first NFL coaching win out of the way. 

LOSERS

The winless New York Jets: Speaking of rookie coaches who might be worrying about when that first win will come, let's discuss the Jets. 

If there's one play to summarize the lack of any pride the Jets have this season, it was on a 66-yard run by Javonte Williams. The lack of tackling as Williams got into the open field was startling. 

The Jets offense got nothing going until garbage time against the Dallas Cowboys' defense, which had been one of the worst in the NFL. The defense wasn't much better. The Jets are 0-5 after a 37-22 loss to the Cowboys and it might be a while before they get the first win of the season. There aren't any signs that they're close to a breakthrough. 

Aaron Glenn was hired, in part, to change the culture of a franchise that has been one of the worst in the NFL for a while. It looks even worse than last season. Near the end of Sunday's game Fox showed a graphic that the coaches to start a season 0-5 in Jets history at Walt Michaels, Rich Kotite and Adam Gase. Not great. There have been countless mistakes and, as everyone could see on Williams' long run, it's fair to criticize the effort too. Nothing looks good for the Jets so far. 

The Eagles, finally: The Philadelphia Eagles' good run in close games this season ended. 

The Eagles led 17-3 against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter but this time, they collapsed. The Broncos scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and after the second one they went for the two-point conversion and the lead, which they got. 

Then the Eagles started making mistakes. An illegal shift penalty on Saquon Barkley wiped out a fourth-down catch by DeVonta Smith and the Eagles punted. The Broncos looked like they'd have a fourth-and-1 decision just before the two-minute warning, but Zack Baun had a late hit for a penalty and a Broncos first down. That took some time off the clock and forced the Eagles to use their timeouts before a Broncos field goal. The Eagles got to the 29-yard line in the final seconds but a jump ball to the end zone was batted away and the Broncos won 21-17. 

The Eagles were 4-0 but had not played their best and were a bit fortunate to be undefeated. It caught up to them on Sunday. 

Miami Dolphins defense: The Carolina Panthers were without running back Chuba Hubbard on Sunday, which should have been bad news for them. But the Dolphins made sure it was OK. 

Rico Dowdle, who gained 1,000 yards for the Cowboys last season, stepped in and had a career day as he ran through the Dolphins defense. He had 206 yards rushing. When the Dolphins took a late lead in the fourth quarter, the defense couldn't get a stop. Bryce Young drove the Panthers downfield for a go-ahead score, throwing a touchdown to Mitchell Evans with 1:59 left. The Panthers forced a punt and then the Dolphins got a third-down pass interference penalty to clinch the 27-24 win for Carolina. 

The Dolphins are 1-4. It'll be tough to overcome their defense most weeks.