Biggest Storylines, Top Highlights and Fantasy Stars to Watch from NFL Week 5

Week 5 of the NFL season kicked off with the New England Patriots' 38-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football.

That high-scoring contest did not foreshadow other results through Sunday afternoon, as numerous offenses failed to find traction. That marked a shift from the league's first four weeks, when teams averaged a historical high of 24.2 points per game.

A few players did have big days, however, and we'll take a look at those in addition to the plays of the day and top storylines.

Plays of the Day

The New York Giants-Carolina Panthers matchup featured a few notable plays.

Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel evaded seven defenders as he took a pass 25 yards to the end zone:

Later, the Giants scored a touchdown on a trick play when wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. tossed a 57-yard pass to running back Saquon Barkley:

New York took a 31-30 lead late in the fourth quarter on Barkley's 15-yard touchdown reception, but Carolina executed a one-minute scoring drive capped by a career-long 63-yard field goal from Graham Gano with one second remaining:

The NFL Media research department provided context for Gano's kick:

The New York Jets had two explosive plays for touchdowns against the Denver Broncos. One was a 77-yard Isaiah Crowell run, and the other came on a 76-yard Robby Anderson reception:

Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph recovered a fumble following his teammate Stephen Weatherly's sack of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown:

Top Storylines

Roughing the passer penalties have been a source of controversy this season, perhaps most notably when Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews received one in back-to-back weeks. Of note, NFL players have had issues with the "body weight" rule, which states players must avoid landing with all or most of their body weight on a quarterback.

On Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was flagged for roughing Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and expressed concerns about the rule to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com after the game:

Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett was called for roughing Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. Retired NFL referee Terry McCauley later defended Bennett, whom he did not believe should have been flagged:

The penalty has been a point of contention since Week 1, and Sunday was no exception.

In other news, offenses went dormant in the first halves of the 1 p.m. ET games, with the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars failing to score.

The Bengals offense primarily came from their defense as ends Michael Johnson and Sam Hubbard scored fourth-quarter touchdowns (on an interception and fumble, respectively) in a 27-17 win.

The Jaguars' result was arguably the most surprising, as their opponent (the Kansas City Chiefs) had allowed 28.8 points per game through four weeks.

The undefeated Chiefs took a 20-0 lead into the half. The Jags did score a couple of second-half touchdowns, but Kansas City won 30-14.

The Green Bay offense got going, but normally reliable kicker Mason Crosby missed four field goals and an extra point in a 31-23 loss to the Detroit Lions. Crosby had an 80.6 percent field-goal success rate in his 12-year career.

A few other offenses failed to do much. The Buffalo Bills beat the Tennessee Titans 13-12 in a game that featured just one touchdown, while the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens traded field goals in the Browns' 12-9 overtime victory.

In the late afternoon games, the Oakland Raiders and Eagles managed just one field goal apiece in the first half of their matchups with the Los Angeles Chargers and Vikings, respectively. Oakland scored a second-half touchdown in a 26-10 loss, while the Philly offense fared better in the second half of a 23-21 defeat.

Injury Report

Los Angeles Rams wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp left their game versus the Seattle Seahawks with concussions and did not return.

Cooks took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Seattle Seahawks safety Tedric Thompson and left in the second quarter. A penalty was not called. Cooks walked off the field.

Kupp left in the third quarter and did not return.

Elsewhere, San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida suffered an ankle injury on a three-yard run in the first quarter versus the Arizona Cardinals. He was helped off the field, and the team later declared him out. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Breida has a sprained ankle.

Best Performances

Steelers running back James Conner notched 185 yards from scrimmage—including 72 on the first drive alone—and two touchdowns in a 41-17 win over the Falcons.

Like on this 28-yard catch-and-run, the Falcons had trouble bringing down Conner all game:

His teammate Antonio Brown caught six passes for 101 yards and two scores.

In New York, Crowell produced outside of his big play, as he ran for 219 yards on just 15 carries and added a 12-yard catch. The Jets rushed for 323 yards on 38 totes. Anderson caught three passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

In Charlotte, Beckham caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown in addition to his 57-yard touchdown pass. Barkley finished with 129 yards from scrimmage and two scores.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 442 yards and three scores. One of those touchdowns went to wideout Davante Adams, who caught nine passes for 140 yards.

Rams running back Todd Gurley scored three touchdowns in a game for the second time this year as he found the end zone three times versus the Seahawks. The ex-Georgia star has nine scores through five weeks.