3 NFL heroes (and 2 villains) who made Week 5’s chaos feel electric

In what has felt like only the blink of an eye to some, five weeks of the 2025 NFL season have already been completed.

Heading into Week 6, we're starting to get a better idea about which teams might emerge as the contenders for the two spots in this season's Super Bowl. Given the number of notable injuries that have occurred in the 2025 campaign so far, there are also still teams that have plenty of time to turn things around this year and compete for a playoff spot.

A handful of games from Week 5 aren't going to be the ones that fans remember forever, but there were still several close contests that featured heroic performances and villains stealing the spotlight.

NFL Heroes and Villains from Week 5 of the 2025 season

Hero No. 1

Lavonte David - LB (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Sunday's matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was arguably the most entertaining of Week 5, as it featured a ton of excitement throughout the entirety of the contest.

In the end, veteran linebacker Lavonte David emerged as the hero of the game for the Bucs after he picked off Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold to give Tampa Bay the ball on Seattle's 35-yard line and the chance to take the lead in the matchup with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter.

Villain No. 1

Emari Demercado - RB (Arizona Cardinals)

It doesn't seem like a difficult concept, but not holding onto the football until crossing the goal line has apparently become a trend during the last two weeks.

In Week 4, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell cost his team a touchdown when he dropped the ball right before reaching the end zone, and on Sunday, Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado played the role of copycat after he lost control of the ball before crossing the goal line when he decided to celebrate a possible score just a bit too early.

Instead of the Cardinals potentially increasing their lead to 22 points over the Tennessee Titans after Demercado's 72-yard run, the play resulted in a touchback and started a storm of momentum for the Titans, who eventually came all the way back to win the game by a final score of 22-21.

Hero No. 2

Alfred Collins - DL (San Francisco 49ers)

Late in the fourth quarter of a classic NFC West primetime battle last Thursday, the Los Angeles Rams appeared to be on their way to handing the San Francisco 49ers their second loss of the season.

On a 1st-and-goal from San Francisco's three-yard line with just about a minute left in the game, Rams running back Kyren Williams had the football placed in his mitts to see if he could score the go-ahead touchdown.

Williams plowed ahead with a full head of steam, but instead of Los Angeles celebrating in the end zone after the play, it was the 49ers who were jumping for joy after recovering a fumble that was forced by defensive lineman Alfred Collins.

Yes, the Rams did force San Francisco to go three-and-out to get the ball back in time to kick a field goal and send the game into overtime. But it was the 49ers who managed to leave the field last Thursday with a 26-23 win in overtime, and it wouldn't have been possible without the spectacular play that Williams made in the fourth quarter.

Villain No. 2

Stefon Diggs - WR (New England Patriots)

For the first time since he was a member of the franchise in 2023, veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs got the chance to go up against the Buffalo Bills in their home stadium in Week 5.

With the game taking place in Buffalo, it didn't take long at all for Diggs to remind Bills fans why so many of them used to love rooting for him.

Buffalo came into the contest with a perfect 4-0 record, but their former receiver and the Patriots escaped the field on Sunday with an impressive 23-20 win, thanks in part to Diggs hauling in 12 passes for 146 yards.

After the victory, Diggs admitted that the win was "100 percent" personal, and that remark shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has paid attention to a second of his NFL career.

Hero No. 3

Jordan Addison - WR (Minnesota Vikings)

Things didn't exactly get off to a great start for Jordan Addison when the Minnesota Vikings took on the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in London, England.

Addison was noticeably absent from the first quarter of the matchup, and it was later revealed by Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell that the receiver was benched for missing a walk-through practice earlier in the week.

Eventually, Addison stepped onto the field, and Minnesota's offense was definitely thankful when he returned, especially during the team's final drive of the contest.

Trailing by three points with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Vikings' offense executed a beautiful 80-yard drive that ended with Addison catching a 12-yard pass and scoring a go-ahead touchdown.

That score proved to be enough for Minnesota to get the victory over the Browns, and even though Addison wasn't dependable earlier in the week, he came through when the Vikings needed him the most on Sunday.