NFL Week Five Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two undefeated squads in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered surprising losses on their own turf.
Denver's football team transformed from dark horses to front-page news following an impressive rallying win against the current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, before hopping on a plane for Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their initial primetime appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive loss - their defensive struggles could be terminal for their postseason aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions enjoyed decisive victories on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Champions
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the way of their comeback from 14 points down that made Denver's 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests in a row, 12 straight at home and 20 of their last 21 overall before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in five fourth-quarter minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which ranks as one of the worst in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith says they are not "on the same page" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts six times, had a lot to do with it, and, combined with an established starting QB in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to mount a serious challenge.
The Broncos meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Upset Bills
If Denver's win was almost half expected, nobody saw New England marching into Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback produced a breakout performance as he directed a decisive scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was resilient and made accurate passes at the right times, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for Mike Vrabel's team.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but a win like this came sooner than many predicted.
The Patriots defence bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
The season is turning into a nightmare for Baltimore, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have just a small chance of reaching the play-offs.
Baltimore are now 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been known for defensive toughness historically.
The Texans coasted to the win as the Ravens became the first team in modern NFL history to concede a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their season is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Go 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored a touchdown in one contest for the 14th time - a joint NFL mark - as the Lions defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the league's top scorers the Lions, but none against teams with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are Indianapolis. With Jonathan Taylor scoring a hat-trick in their decisive rout of Las Vegas and quarterback Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which the sides traded nine scores in 10 sparkling drives before the Seahawks faltered initially with a final-minute interception.
The kicker kicked the winner with the last kick of the contest for his second occasion this season. Each of Tampa Bay's wins have been clinched in the last minute.
New Orleans and Tennessee Get Help for Initial Victories
Given how the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee began this campaign, they needed help to get their initial victories, and they received ample due to several comical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona.
After a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York made five turnovers - one was crucially taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long catch and run as New Orleans prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily due to two massive mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the football moments before crossing the line for a long touchdown.
Worse was to come when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward close to their end zone, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee snapped a ten-contest losing streak with a narrow win.
The receiver registered one of the most farcical touchdowns we'll see this year.
This left New York's Jets as the only winless squad remaining in the league after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his initial twenty professional contests as he returned from injury to steer the Washington Commanders to a notable 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the standout performer for the Carolina Panthers with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 victory over Miami.
Week 5 NFL Results and Key Moments
Minnesota Vikings 21-17 Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans 44-10 Baltimore Ravens
Miami Dolphins 24-27 Carolina Panthers
Las Vegas Raiders 6-40 Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants 14-26 New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys 37-22 New York Jets
Denver Broncos 21-17 Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans 22-21 Arizona Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-35 Seattle Seahawks
Detroit Lions 37-24 Cincinnati Bengals
Washington Commanders 27-10 Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots 23-20 Buffalo Bills
San Francisco 49ers 26-23 Los Angeles Rams (OT)
