The 2026 NFL season is only four weeks old, and already we are starting to see contenders separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Two of the teams who appear primed to go deep into the playoffs and challenge for the Lombardi Trophy meet on Sunday, as the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in a mouthwatering NFC West battle.That is the headline act of a Week 5 slate that features several compelling storylines.Can unbeaten 49ers overcome sternest test?There are three unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL through four weeks, but it is the 49ers who look to be the class of the bunch.San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy is in the thick of the early MVP conversation after an outstanding start to the season. Purdy leads the NFL in just about every quarterback metric there is and, though he and an injury-hit 49er offense were slowed somewhat by the Denver Broncos last week, San Francisco still did enough to dig out a 24-14 win.The Niners offensive line has yet to give up a sack and the defense, despite being without star pass rusher Nick Bosa, has showed significant improvements under the guidance of new coordinator Raheem Morris.But, in their Week 5 matchup with the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks (3-1), the 49ers are set to face their toughest test so far. The Niners have won their last four regular-season games in Seattle, but their previous two meetings with the Seahawks underline the scale of the challenge facing San Francisco.Indeed, the 49ers lost 13-3 at home in Week 18 last season with the one seed in the NFC on the line, before Purdy and Co. were throttled by the Seahawks in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, suffering a 41-6 drubbing in the Pacific Northwest.The Seahawks boast a ferocious defensive front that has previously proved capable of overwhelming San Francisco up front, while their head coach Mike MacDonalds defensive scheme has a track record of causing significant problems for Purdy and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.Though the campaign is still young, the latest edition of one of the best rivalries in the NFL feels like one of the most significant games of the season. The chess match between Shanahan, the pre-eminent offensive play-caller of his generation, and MacDonald is always a fascinating one. The 49ers will end the week as Super Bowl favourites if Shanahan comes out on top amid a raucous atmosphere at Lumen Field.Reeling Eagles seek to arrest slumpIts 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 face the 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars feels like a massive moment in a campaign where everything seems to be falling apart.Following a spectacular collapse against the Los Angeles Rams, which saw them lose having had the ball on the Rams two-yard line with the chance to go up 17 points with eight minutes to go, the Eagles head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with their offensive roster looking very different to the one that started the season.Star running back Saquon Barkley and his backup Tank Bigsby are both injured, as is wide receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Bigsby is on injured reserve, while Barkley and Smith both missed the opening practice of the week on Wednesday due to hamstring issues. Goedert has missed the last two games with a knee injury and practiced in a limited capacity.On top of that, six-time Pro Bowl tackle Lane Johnson abruptly retired this week, while center Cam Jurgens was traded to the Baltimore Ravens.With quarterback Jalen Hurts coming in for significant criticism in the wake of underwhelming recent performances, the circumstances for the 2-2 Eagles heading into a matchup with an impressive Jaguars defense are far from ideal. Jacksonvilles 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 their best skill-position weapons.The challenge for Hurts and Co. is to overcome that adversity and get their season back on track.Daniels returns in bid to save the CommandersThe Eagles enticing clash with the Jaguars marks the second London game of the season, with the first an unsurprising disappointment as the Indianapolis Colts blew out the Washington Commanders.Washingtons hopes were effectively dashed when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota went down with a knee injury, forcing seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis into action.The defeat dropped the Commanders to 1-3 heading into a divisional clash with NFC East rivals the New York Giants this Sunday. But the Commanders received a huge boost with the news that starting quarterback Jayden Daniels will be available to return from an elbow injury as they take on the Giants, who surprisingly lead the division with a 3-1 record despite losing their quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending injury.With a trip to face the 49ers in primetime around the corner for the Commanders, a home defeat to the Giants could essentially end their hopes of competing for a playoff return. The onus is on Daniels, whose 2025 was ruined by injury, to reprise his 2024 Offensive Player of the Year form and keep their hopes alive.Lamar injury offers red-hot Falcons golden opportunityThe Commanders nearest neighbours are facing quarterback injury adversity of their own, with the 3-1 Ravens in the all too familiar position of preparing for a game without Lamar Jackson.Jackson missed practice on Wednesday with an ankle sprain that he suffered in the Ravens victory over the winless Tennessee Titans. Backup Tyler Huntley will get the start if Jackson is unable to play.Two-time MVP Jackson has started a full regular season only once in his career. He missed four games last season, meaning the Ravens are used to trying to manage without him.Attempting to do so against the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons may prove unexpectedly difficult.After a dismal start over the opening two weeks, the Falcons are in red-hot form, having scored 80 points over the course of wins over the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints. A matchup with a Jackson-less Ravens team would offer the Falcons a golden opportunity to keep their streak going and steal a march in the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers on bye. Recent history suggests it would be typical of them to waste it. If they serious about making noise the NFC this season, the Falcons need to grasp this potential chance with both hands. Last two MVPs meet in LAThe Week 5 slate comes to a close on Monday with the best primetime game of the season so far 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 previously, claiming one win apiece. Stafford and the Rams prevailed in 2024, Los Angeles holding on in a 44-42 thriller despite a fourth-quarter comeback from the Bills.The Monday Night Football audience will hope for more such fireworks at SoFi Stadium, but both the Rams and the Bills come into the game on the back of unconvincing performances.While the Rams fourth-quarter turnaround in Philadelphia was impressive, it owed as much to the Eagles ineptitude as it did to their own prowess. In reality, a performance in which the Rams committed two turnovers for the fourth straight game was well short of the standards Sean McVays team expect to hit.The Bills, meanwhile, were upset at home last week by the New England Patriots, their defeat capped by an ill-advised Allen throw early in a potential game-winning drive.After opening performances against the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions that seemed to vindicate the Buffalos status as favourites in the AFC, the Bills have cooled off in recent weeks. Against Stafford and Co, the Bills need to get back to firing on all cylinders, 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 clash in Seattle, no game on the Week 5 slate offers a bigger chance for a true contender to lay down a marker. Topics Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Jacksonville Jaguars Los Angeles Rams New York Giants NFL Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Washington Commanders If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Odell Beckham Jr signs for Minnesota Vikings practice squad Tom Rostance 7th October, 2026 Why did Lane Johnson retire from playing for the Eagles in the NFL? Ben Miller 7th October, 2026 Id boo too Saints QB Tyler Shough admits New Orleans were outgunned by Atlanta Jon Fisher 6th October, 2026 NFL Week 4: Chisms stunning catch gives Patriots win over Bills, Eagles collapse against Rams Nicholas McGee 4th October, 2026 Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints: Preview, prediction and odds Tom Rostance 4th October, 2026 Los Angeles Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles: Preview, prediction and odds Nicholas McGee 2nd October, 2026
