NFL Week Five Shocker: Eagles Fall to Broncos while Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of undefeated teams in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered shocking losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos transformed from underdogs to front-page news thanks to an impressive comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, before hopping on a flight for Sunday's overseas contest.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team experienced a third straight loss - their defensive woes could be fatal for their play-off aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions celebrated decisive victories on another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a defining success.
The Eagles had won 10 games consecutively, 12 straight on home turf and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in the final five minutes and a last-minute field goal.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there is significant concern about their offensive unit, which ranks as the poorest performing in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with it, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a legitimate playoff push.
The Broncos face New York's Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, nobody saw New England marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
A first primetime game for Drake Maye delivered a breakout performance as he led a game-winning field goal drive in the final moments to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and made the right throws at crucial moments, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's team.
The head coach was expected to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory arrived sooner than most expected.
New England's defensive squad bottled up the Buffalo Bills attack during their surprising road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing multiple defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their biggest loss at home, and falling to 1-4 for this year means among the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have only a slim chance of making the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the real problem - for a team that have been synonymous with stout defense over the years.
The Texans coasted to the win as Baltimore became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to allow a minimum of 37 points in four out of five contests. Their season is effectively over.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Go 4-1
The Lions' running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored a touchdown in one contest for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL mark - as Detroit defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four wins in a row for the highest-scoring team Detroit, but none against teams with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With Jonathan Taylor scoring a hat-trick in their decisive rout of the Las Vegas Raiders and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a new man, they will be a tough match for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine scores in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle cracked first with a late turnover.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the winner with the final play of the contest for the second time this year. 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 started this campaign, they needed help to secure their first wins, and they received ample due to some farcical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York made five turnovers - one was crucially returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to score on an 87-yard reception as New Orleans prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily thanks to two huge mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the football moments before reaching the end zone for a long score.
More disastrous followed when Arizona picked off Cam Ward close to their end zone, then fumbled the football across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans snapped a 10-game slide with a narrow victory.
Tyler Lockett registered among the most bizarre touchdowns we'll see this year.
That left New York's Jets as the sole victory-less team remaining in the league after their bruising 37-22 defeat by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 1K on the ground in his first 20 professional contests as he returned from injury to guide Washington to a notable 27-10 win at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the standout performer for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their exciting 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
