NFL Week Five Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of unbeaten squads in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured shocking losses on their own turf.
Denver's football team evolved from dark horses to front-page news thanks to an impressive rallying win against the reigning Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, before hopping on a plane for this Sunday's overseas matchup.
The New England Patriots then visited Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their first primetime game in twelve months.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered 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 yet another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the Super Bowl champions, but the manner of their comeback from 14 points down that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature achievement.
Philadelphia had won 10 games in a row, 12 straight at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a late field goal.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there is a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among one of the worst in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with the outcome, and, combined with an established starting QB in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to mount a serious challenge.
Denver meet New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
If Denver's win was almost half expected, nobody saw the Patriots marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye produced a breakout performance as he led a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was tough and made accurate passes at crucial moments, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for Mike Vrabel's side.
The head coach was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this came earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset away win.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
The season is turning into a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing a host of defensive stars as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their biggest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means one of the preseason Super Bowl favourites have only a slim chance of making the play-offs.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a team that have been known for stout defense over the years.
The Texans coasted to victory as Baltimore became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to concede a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five games. Their season is effectively over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
The Lions' running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored six points in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL record - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against teams with a winning record.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are Indianapolis. With their star running back scoring a hat-trick in their decisive hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling possessions before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the winner with the final play of the game for the second time this year. All four of Tampa Bay's victories have been secured in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for First Wins
The way New Orleans and Tennessee started this campaign, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they received ample due to several comical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five turnovers - one was decisively taken back for six points - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard catch and run as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily thanks to two massive mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the ball moments before reaching the end zone for a long score.
More disastrous was to come when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as Tennessee snapped a 10-game slide with a 22-21 victory.
The receiver scored one of the most farcical touchdowns witnessed this season.
This left the Jets as the sole victory-less team left in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his first 20 professional contests as he came back from being hurt to guide the Washington Commanders to a notable 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the star man for Carolina 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)
