Week 5 NFL Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two unbeaten squads in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured surprising home defeats.
The Denver Broncos transformed from dark horses to front-page news following an impressive comeback victory against the current Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for this Sunday's overseas contest.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their initial primetime game in a full year.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a third consecutive defeat - their defensive struggles could be fatal for their play-off hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions enjoyed blowout wins on yet another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
Not only was it defeating 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.
The Eagles had won 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 out of 21 overall before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in five fourth-quarter 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 says they are not "on the same page" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with it, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount 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 New England traveling to Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for the rookie quarterback produced a star-making showing as he directed a game-winning field goal drive in the final moments to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was tough and executed accurate passes at the right times, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for their coach's side.
Vrabel was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but such a significant victory arrived sooner than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Dreams Dashed?
The season is turning into a nightmare for Baltimore, who were without a host of key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their largest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means one of the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have just a small opportunity of making the play-offs.
The Ravens are now 4-11 when missing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is an exceptionally poor defense that is the real problem - for a team that have been known for defensive toughness historically.
Houston strolled to victory as Baltimore became the initial squad in modern NFL history to concede a minimum of 37 points in four out of five games. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the 14th time - a shared 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 none against opponents with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With Jonathan Taylor running in a hat-trick in their 40-6 hammering of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the four-win group with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams traded nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling drives before the Seahawks cracked first with a late interception.
Chase McLaughlin booted the winner with the last kick of the contest for his second occasion this year. Each of Tampa Bay's victories have been secured in the final moments.
New Orleans and Tennessee Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
Given how New Orleans and Tennessee Titans started this campaign, they required assistance to get their initial victories, and they received ample thanks to some farcical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona.
Following a good start from first-year player Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five turnovers - one was decisively returned for a touchdown - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to score on an 87-yard reception as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily due to two massive blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the ball just before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
Worse followed when Arizona intercepted Cam Ward near their end zone, then lost the football into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans ended a 10-game slide with a narrow win.
Tyler Lockett scored one of the most farcical scores witnessed this season.
This left New York's Jets as the sole victory-less squad left in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 career games as he returned from being hurt to guide the Washington Commanders to an impressive 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rico Dowdle was the star man for the Carolina Panthers with over 200 yards on the ground in their thrilling 27-24 victory 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)
