NFL Week Five Shocker: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of unbeaten squads in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured shocking home defeats.
The Denver Broncos transformed from underdogs to front-page news thanks to an impressive rallying win against the reigning Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for this Sunday's London matchup.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and ended Buffalo's undefeated start with an impressive victory 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 fatal for their postseason hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit celebrated decisive victories on yet another eventful Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining success.
Philadelphia had won 10 contests in a row, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 out of 21 overall before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in five fourth-quarter minutes and a last-minute field goal.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about the offence, which ranks as the poorest performing in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "on the same page" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had a lot to do with it, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a legitimate playoff push.
The Broncos meet New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was almost half expected, few predicted New England traveling to 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 game-winning scoring drive in the final moments to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was resilient and made the right throws at the right times, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for Mike Vrabel's side.
Vrabel was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this arrived earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad bottled up the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is turning into a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means among the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have only a slim opportunity of making the postseason.
The Ravens are now 4-11 playing without superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been known for stout defense over the years.
Houston coasted to the win as Baltimore became the initial squad in modern NFL history to allow a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five games. Their season is effectively in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Reach 4-1
The Lions' running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored six points in one contest for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL record - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four victories in a row for the league's top scorers the Lions, but not one against opponents with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 team are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in a hat-trick in their decisive hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 impressive drives before the Seahawks cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
The kicker kicked the game-winner with the last kick of the game for his second occasion this year. All four of the Bucs' victories have been clinched in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for First Wins
Given how New Orleans and Tennessee started this campaign, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty due to some farcical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona.
After a good start from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York made five giveaways - including one decisively taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard reception as the Saints won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead mainly thanks to two huge mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the football moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward close to their end zone, then lost the ball into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans snapped a ten-contest losing streak with a narrow win.
The receiver scored one of the most farcical scores witnessed this season.
This left New York's Jets as the only winless squad remaining in the league after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the initial athlete in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his first 20 professional contests as he returned from injury to steer Washington to a notable 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the standout performer for Carolina 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)
