Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of undefeated teams in the NFL watched their flawless starts shattered during the fifth week as both the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured shocking losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos transformed from dark horses to headline-makers thanks to an impressive rallying win against the current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for this Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their first national television appearance in a full year.
The Baltimore Ravens experienced a third consecutive defeat - their defensive woes could be terminal for their play-off aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions enjoyed decisive victories on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
Not only was it defeating the reigning title holders, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 out of 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about their offensive unit, which ranks as the poorest performing in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "on the same page" with QB Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, together with an established starting QB in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a legitimate playoff push.
Denver face New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Upset Bills
If Denver's win was almost half expected, nobody saw New England marching into Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for the rookie quarterback produced a breakout performance as he led a decisive scoring drive in the final moments to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed accurate passes at crucial moments, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for their coach's team.
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 bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is becoming a disaster for the Ravens, who were without a host of defensive stars as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It matched their largest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the preseason Super Bowl contenders have only a slim chance of making the play-offs.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but it is a historically bad defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been known for stout defense historically.
Houston strolled to victory as Baltimore became the first team in the Super Bowl era to concede a minimum of 37 points in four out of five games. Their season is effectively over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery scored a touchdown in the same game for the 14th time - a joint NFL mark - as Detroit put away Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four victories in a row for the league's top scorers the Lions, but none against opponents with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back scoring a hat-trick in their decisive rout of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
Tampa Bay joined the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which the sides exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling possessions before the Seahawks faltered initially with a final-minute interception.
The kicker kicked the winner with the final play of the contest for his second occasion this year. All four of Tampa Bay's victories have been clinched in the last minute.
New Orleans and Tennessee Get Help for First Wins
Given how the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee began this campaign, they needed help to secure their first wins, and they received ample due to some farcical mistakes from New York and Arizona.
After a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York made five giveaways - including one decisively returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to score on a long reception as New Orleans won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they blew a substantial advantage primarily thanks to two massive blunders.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the ball just before crossing the line for a long touchdown.
Worse followed when Arizona picked off Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then fumbled the ball into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to recover as the Titans snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 22-21 win.
Tyler Lockett registered one of the most farcical touchdowns witnessed this season.
That left the Jets as the sole victory-less squad remaining in the league after their punishing 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 professional contests as he came back from injury to steer Washington to an impressive 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the standout performer for Carolina with over 200 yards on the ground in their thrilling 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)
