NFL Week Five Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two undefeated teams in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured surprising losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos evolved from underdogs to front-page news following an impressive rallying win against the current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's overseas contest.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their first primetime appearance in a full year.
The Baltimore Ravens experienced a third consecutive loss - their defensive woes could be terminal for their postseason hopes - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit enjoyed decisive victories on yet another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature achievement.
Philadelphia had won 10 contests in a row, 12 straight at home and 20 out of 21 overall before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a late three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about the offence, which sits among one of the worst in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "on the same page" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts six times, had much to contribute with the outcome, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to launch a serious challenge.
Denver face New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was almost half expected, nobody saw the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback delivered a star-making showing as he directed a decisive scoring drive in the final moments to win 23-20.
Maye was resilient and executed accurate passes at crucial moments, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for Mike Vrabel's team.
The head coach was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this arrived sooner than most expected.
New England's defensive squad bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
The season is becoming a nightmare for Baltimore, who were without multiple defensive stars as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their biggest home defeat, and falling to 1-4 for the season means one of the preseason Super Bowl favourites have only a slim opportunity of making the play-offs.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 playing without superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is a historically bad defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense historically.
Houston strolled to the win as Baltimore became the initial squad in modern NFL history to concede a minimum of 37 points in four out of five contests. Their season is effectively in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's running back duo Gibbs and Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL mark - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four victories in a row for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against opponents with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With Jonathan Taylor running in three touchdowns in their 40-6 hammering of Las Vegas and quarterback Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling drives before the Seahawks faltered initially with a late interception.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the winner with the last kick of the game for the second time this year. All four of the Bucs' victories have been secured in the last minute.
New Orleans and Tennessee Get Help for First Wins
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans began the season, they required assistance to get their first wins, and they received ample due to several comical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona.
After a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five giveaways - one was crucially taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to score on an 87-yard reception as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they blew a substantial advantage primarily thanks to two huge mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably dropped the ball just before reaching the end zone for a 72-yard touchdown.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward near their end zone, then fumbled the ball into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee ended a ten-contest slide with a narrow victory.
The receiver scored one of the most farcical scores we'll see this season.
That left the Jets as the sole victory-less squad remaining in the league after their bruising 37-22 defeat by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 professional contests as he came back from being hurt to steer Washington to an impressive 27-10 win at Los Angeles.
The running back was the star man for the Carolina Panthers with over 200 yards on the ground in their thrilling 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
