Week 5 NFL Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles while Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of unbeaten teams in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during the fifth week as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured surprising losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos evolved from dark horses to headline-makers following an spectacular rallying win against the reigning Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for Sunday's London contest.
The New England Patriots then visited Buffalo and ended the Bills' undefeated start with an impressive victory of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive defeat - their defensive woes could be terminal for their play-off aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions enjoyed blowout wins on yet another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Champions
It wasn't just defeating the reigning title holders, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a defining success.
Philadelphia had won 10 contests in a row, 12 straight at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two scoring drives in the final five minutes and a late three-pointer.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there is a big worry about the offence, which ranks as the poorest performing in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "on the same page" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had much to contribute with it, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to mount a serious challenge.
The Broncos face New York's Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
Should the Broncos' victory was almost half expected, few predicted New England traveling to Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for Drake Maye delivered a star-making showing as he led a game-winning field goal drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed accurate passes at the right times, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for their coach's team.
The head coach was expected to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this came sooner than most expected.
The Patriots defence contained the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
The season is becoming a nightmare for the Ravens, who were without a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their largest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means one of the preseason Super Bowl favourites have just a small opportunity of making the postseason.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but the real issue is a historically bad defensive unit that is the real problem - for a team that have been synonymous with defensive toughness over the years.
The Texans coasted to the win as the Ravens became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to concede at least 37 points in four out of five contests. Their season is effectively in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Go 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL mark - as the Lions put away Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories in a row for the league's top scorers the Lions, but not one against opponents with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With Jonathan Taylor running in three touchdowns in their decisive hammering of the Las Vegas Raiders and signal-caller Daniel Jones appearing as a new man, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the four-win group with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which the sides exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 impressive drives before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
Chase McLaughlin booted the game-winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion this year. Each of Tampa Bay's victories have been clinched in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Get Help for First Wins
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans started this campaign, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty thanks to some farcical errors from New York and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, the Giants made five turnovers - one was decisively returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long catch and run as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily thanks to two huge mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the football moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward near their own goal line, then fumbled the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee ended a 10-game slide with a narrow victory.
Tyler Lockett scored among the most bizarre touchdowns we'll see this season.
That left the Jets as the sole victory-less squad left in the league after their bruising 37-22 defeat by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his first 20 career games as he came back from injury to guide Washington to an impressive 27-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the standout performer for the Carolina Panthers with 206 rushing yards in their exciting 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
NFL Week Five Scores and Highlights
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)
