NFL Week Five Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two unbeaten squads in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured shocking home defeats.
Denver's football team evolved from dark horses to front-page news thanks to an spectacular comeback victory against the current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's London contest.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a third consecutive loss - their defensive struggles could be terminal for their play-off hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions celebrated decisive victories on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature success.
Philadelphia had won 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute field goal.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there exists significant concern about their offensive unit, which ranks as the poorest performing in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with it, and, together with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to launch a legitimate playoff push.
Denver meet New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Upset Bills
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, few predicted the Patriots marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for the rookie quarterback delivered a breakout performance as he led a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was tough and executed accurate passes at the right times, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for Mike Vrabel's side.
Vrabel was expected to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this came earlier than most expected.
New England's defensive squad contained the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset road victory.
Ravens Play-off Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a nightmare for Baltimore, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their biggest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means one of the preseason Super Bowl favourites have just a small opportunity of reaching the play-offs.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 when missing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the real problem - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense over the years.
Houston strolled to victory as Baltimore became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to allow a minimum of 37 points in four out of five games. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Go 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL mark - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the league's top scorers Detroit, but not one against teams with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With their star running back scoring three touchdowns in their decisive hammering of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones appearing as a new man, they will be a tough match for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the 4-1 club with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which the sides traded nine scores in 10 impressive possessions before the Seahawks cracked first with a final-minute interception.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the game-winner with the last kick of the game for the second time this season. Each of the Bucs' victories have been secured in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for First Wins
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee began this campaign, they required assistance to get their initial victories, and they got plenty due to some farcical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, the Giants made five giveaways - including one crucially returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard reception as the Saints won 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they squandered a substantial advantage primarily due to two huge mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the ball moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
Worse was to come when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then fumbled the ball into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to recover as Tennessee ended a 10-game losing streak with a 22-21 victory.
Tyler Lockett scored among the most bizarre touchdowns witnessed this season.
This left the Jets as the only winless team left in the league after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 career games as he came back from injury 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 exciting 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
