Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos while Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of unbeaten squads in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured shocking home defeats.
Denver's football team transformed from dark horses to front-page news following an spectacular comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, before hopping on a flight for Sunday's overseas matchup.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their first primetime game in a full year.
Baltimore's team suffered a third consecutive defeat - their defensive unit's struggles could be fatal for their postseason aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit celebrated blowout wins on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Champions
Not only was it defeating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in the final five minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among one of the worst in the league. Receiver 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 have all the ingredients to mount a serious challenge.
Denver face the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was somewhat anticipated, few predicted the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye produced a star-making showing as he directed a decisive scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was tough and executed the right throws at the right times, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for their coach's team.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but a win like this arrived earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad bottled up the Buffalo Bills attack during their surprising away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is turning into a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing multiple defensive stars as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched 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 reaching the postseason.
The Ravens are now 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but it is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the real problem - for a team that have been known for stout defense historically.
The Texans strolled to victory as the Ravens became the initial squad in modern NFL history to allow at least 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Reach 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery registered six points in the same game for the 14th time - a joint NFL record - as the Lions defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team Detroit, but none against opponents with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 team are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in three touchdowns in their 40-6 rout of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any team.
Tampa Bay joined the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which the sides exchanged nine scores in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle cracked first with a late turnover.
Chase McLaughlin booted the winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion this season. All four of Tampa Bay's wins have been clinched in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance 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 received ample due to some farcical errors from New York and Arizona Cardinals.
After a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York made five giveaways - one was crucially returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to score on a long reception as New Orleans won 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they squandered a substantial advantage primarily due to two massive blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the football moments before reaching the end zone for a long touchdown.
More disastrous was to come when Arizona intercepted Cam Ward near their own goal line, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans ended a 10-game losing streak with a narrow win.
Tyler Lockett registered one of the most farcical scores witnessed this season.
That left the Jets as the sole victory-less team left in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his initial twenty professional contests as he came back from injury to guide Washington to an impressive 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rico Dowdle was the standout performer for Carolina with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 win over Miami.
NFL Week Five 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)
