NFL Week Five Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two unbeaten teams in the NFL watched their flawless starts broken during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured surprising home defeats.
The Denver Broncos transformed from dark horses to front-page news thanks to an spectacular comeback victory against the current Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, before hopping on a plane for this Sunday's overseas contest.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their first primetime game in a full year.
Baltimore's team suffered a third consecutive defeat - their defensive struggles could be fatal for their postseason aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis, and Detroit Lions enjoyed blowout wins on another eventful Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just defeating the reigning title holders, but the manner of their comeback from 14 points down that made the Broncos' win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a defining success.
Philadelphia had won 10 contests in a row, 12 in a row at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a late three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among one of the worst in the league. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "on the same page" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had much to contribute with the outcome, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a serious challenge.
Denver meet New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was almost half expected, nobody saw New England traveling to Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback delivered a star-making showing as he led a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and made accurate passes at the right times, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for Mike Vrabel's team.
The head coach was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this arrived sooner than most expected.
New England's defensive squad contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a disaster for Baltimore, who were without a host of key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their biggest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means one of the preseason 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 injured, but it is an exceptionally poor defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been known for stout defense over the years.
Houston strolled to victory as the Ravens became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to concede a minimum of 37 points in four out of five contests. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL record - as Detroit put away Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four victories in a row for the highest-scoring team Detroit, but not one against opponents with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With their star running back running in three touchdowns in their decisive hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a new man, they will be a difficult opponent for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the 4-1 club with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling drives before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute interception.
Chase McLaughlin booted the winner with the final play of the contest for the second time this year. All four of Tampa Bay's wins have been clinched in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans started this campaign, they needed help to get their first wins, and they received ample due to some farcical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona.
After 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 score on a long reception as the Saints won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily due to two massive blunders.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably fumbled the football just before reaching the end zone for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous was to come when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward close to their end zone, then fumbled the ball into the end zone 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 season.
That left New York's Jets as the only winless squad left in the league after their bruising 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
Jayden Daniels became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 yards rushing in his initial twenty professional contests as he came back from being hurt to steer Washington to a notable 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
The running back was the standout performer for Carolina with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 win over Miami.
NFL Week Five 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)
