Week 5 NFL Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two undefeated teams in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered shocking losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos evolved from underdogs to headline-makers thanks to an impressive comeback victory against the current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's London matchup.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and halted the Bills' perfect record with a statement win of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team suffered a third straight loss - their defensive unit's struggles could be fatal for their play-off aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis, and Detroit enjoyed blowout wins on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Champions
It wasn't just beating the Super Bowl champions, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature achievement.
Philadelphia had secured 10 contests consecutively, 12 straight on home turf and 20 out of 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in five fourth-quarter minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about the offence, which sits among one of the worst in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a serious challenge.
Denver meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
Should the Broncos' victory was almost half expected, nobody saw the Patriots marching into Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye delivered a breakout performance as he directed a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
Maye was resilient and made the right throws at the right times, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's team.
The head coach was expected to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory arrived earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is becoming a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It matched their biggest home defeat, and falling to 1-4 for the season means among the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have just a small chance of reaching the postseason.
Baltimore 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 team that have been synonymous with defensive toughness over the years.
The Texans strolled to the win as the Ravens became the initial squad in modern NFL history to allow at least 37 points in four out of five games. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Reach 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the 14th time - a joint NFL record - as the Lions put away Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four wins consecutively for the league's top scorers the Lions, but none against teams with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With Jonathan Taylor running in three touchdowns in their decisive hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a new man, they will be a tough match for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams traded nine scores in 10 sparkling drives before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
The kicker booted the game-winner with the last kick of the contest for the second time this year. Each of the Bucs' victories have been secured in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
Given how New Orleans and Tennessee started this campaign, they needed help to get their initial victories, and they received ample thanks to some farcical mistakes from New York and Arizona.
After a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five turnovers - including one decisively taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard catch and run as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they blew a substantial advantage primarily due 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 Arizona picked off Cam Ward close to their end zone, then fumbled the football across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as Tennessee ended a ten-contest losing streak with a 22-21 win.
Tyler Lockett scored among the most bizarre scores witnessed this year.
That left the Jets as the sole victory-less team left in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 loss by Dallas.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his initial twenty professional contests as he returned from being hurt to steer Washington to a notable 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the star man for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their thrilling 27-24 win 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)
