Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two undefeated teams in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured shocking home defeats.
The Denver Broncos evolved from underdogs to front-page news following an spectacular comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their initial national television game in twelve months.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive loss - their defensive struggles could be terminal for their postseason hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit celebrated decisive victories on another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
It wasn't just defeating the reigning title holders, but the manner of their comeback from 14 points down that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining achievement.
Philadelphia had won 10 games in a row, 12 in a row at home and 20 of their last 21 overall before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in five fourth-quarter minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there is a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among one of the worst in the league. Receiver DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, combined with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a legitimate playoff push.
The Broncos face the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
If Denver's win was almost half expected, few predicted New England marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with huge character.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback produced a breakout performance as he led a decisive scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed the right throws at the right times, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who had an outstanding performance for Mike Vrabel's side.
The head coach was expected to turn things around in New England, but a win like this arrived earlier than most expected.
The Patriots defence contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is becoming a disaster for Baltimore, who were without a host of key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest home defeat, and falling to 1-4 for the season means one of the preseason Super Bowl favourites have just a small opportunity of reaching the postseason.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a team that have been known for stout defense historically.
Houston strolled to victory as the Ravens became the first team in the Super Bowl era to concede at least 37 points in four out of five contests. Their season is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored a touchdown in one contest for the 14th time - a shared NFL mark - as Detroit put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four wins in a row for the highest-scoring team Detroit, but none against teams with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in a hat-trick in their decisive rout of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones looking like a new man, they will be a difficult opponent for any team.
Tampa Bay entered the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine scores in 10 impressive possessions before the Seahawks cracked first with a late turnover.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion this year. All four of the Bucs' victories have been secured in the final moments.
New Orleans and Tennessee Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans started the season, they required assistance to get their initial victories, and they received ample due to some farcical errors from New York and Arizona.
Following a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York made five giveaways - one was decisively taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long reception as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a substantial advantage primarily due to two massive mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the ball moments before reaching the end zone for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then fumbled the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee ended a 10-game losing streak with a 22-21 victory.
Tyler Lockett scored one of the most farcical touchdowns we'll see this year.
This left the Jets as the only winless squad left in the league after their punishing 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
Jayden Daniels became the initial athlete in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his first 20 professional contests as he returned from injury to steer the Washington Commanders to an impressive 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
The running back was the star man for the Carolina Panthers with 206 rushing yards in their exciting 27-24 victory over Miami.
Week 5 NFL 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)
