Week 5 NFL Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles while Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of undefeated squads in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured shocking losses on their own turf.
Denver's football team evolved from underdogs to front-page news thanks to an impressive rallying win against the current Super Bowl title holders the Eagles, before hopping on a plane for Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team suffered a third consecutive loss - their defensive woes could be terminal for their postseason aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit enjoyed blowout wins on another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
Not only was it beating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a defining success.
The Eagles had secured 10 games consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 out of 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in five fourth-quarter minutes and a late three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about their offensive unit, which sits among the poorest performing in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which sacked Hurts six times, had much to contribute with it, and, combined with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to mount a legitimate playoff push.
The Broncos face New York's Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Shock Buffalo
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 tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback produced a breakout performance 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 crucial moments, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for Mike Vrabel's team.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but a win like this came sooner than most expected.
New England's defensive squad bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is becoming a nightmare for Baltimore, who were missing multiple defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their biggest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means among the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have just a small opportunity of reaching the play-offs.
Baltimore are now 4-11 when missing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but it is a historically bad defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense over the years.
The Texans strolled to victory as the Ravens became the first team in modern NFL history to concede at least 37 points in four out of five contests. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Reach 4-1
The Lions' running back duo Gibbs and Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL record - as the Lions defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but none against opponents with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in a hat-trick 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 team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the 4-1 club with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams traded nine scores in 10 impressive drives before Seattle cracked first with a late turnover.
The kicker booted the winner with the last kick of the game for the second time this season. All four of the Bucs' victories have been secured in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
Given how the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee began the season, they required assistance to get their first wins, and they received ample thanks to some farcical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York committed five giveaways - one was decisively returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to score on a long catch and run as New Orleans won 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they blew a 21-3 lead primarily due to two huge mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the football moments before reaching the end zone for a long touchdown.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward near their end zone, then fumbled the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans snapped a ten-contest slide with a 22-21 victory.
Tyler Lockett registered one of the most farcical scores we'll see this season.
This left New York's Jets as the sole victory-less team left in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 yards rushing in his initial twenty professional contests as he came back from being hurt to guide Washington to a notable 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 thrilling 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
