Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Patriots Stun Bills
The last two undefeated squads in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills suffered shocking home defeats.
Denver's football team evolved from dark horses to headline-makers following an spectacular rallying win against the reigning Super Bowl title holders the Eagles, prior to boarding a flight for this Sunday's overseas contest.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and ended the Bills' perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their first national television appearance in a full year.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive loss - their defensive unit's woes could be fatal for their postseason aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit Lions enjoyed decisive victories on another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
Not only was it defeating the reigning title holders, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests in a row, 12 straight at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered 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 sits among the poorest performing in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, combined with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to launch a serious challenge.
The Broncos meet 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 the Patriots marching into Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye delivered a star-making showing as he directed a decisive scoring drive in the final moments to win 23-20.
Maye was resilient and made the right throws at crucial moments, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who had an outstanding performance for their coach's side.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory arrived earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Ravens Play-off Hopes Over?
This campaign is becoming a disaster for Baltimore, who were missing a host of defensive stars as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their largest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have only a slim chance of reaching the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is a historically bad defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a team that have been known for defensive toughness over the years.
The Texans coasted to the win as the Ravens became the initial squad in modern NFL history to concede at least 37 points in four out of five games. Their season is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's running back duo Gibbs and Montgomery scored six points in one contest for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL record - as Detroit put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
Victory made it four wins in a row for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against teams with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. 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 new man, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
Tampa Bay entered the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling drives before the Seahawks cracked first with a final-minute interception.
The kicker kicked the winner with the final play of the game for the second time this year. All four of the Bucs' victories have been clinched in the final moments.
New Orleans and Tennessee Receive Assistance for First Wins
Given how New Orleans and Tennessee began this campaign, they needed help to secure their initial victories, and they received ample due to several comical errors from New York and Arizona.
Following a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, the Giants made five giveaways - including one crucially returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long catch and run as New Orleans won 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they blew a substantial advantage primarily due to two huge mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably dropped the ball just before reaching the end zone for a long score.
More disastrous followed when Arizona picked off Cam Ward near their end zone, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans ended a 10-game losing streak with a narrow victory.
Tyler Lockett scored one of the most farcical touchdowns witnessed this year.
That left the Jets as the only winless squad remaining in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 career games as he came back from injury to guide Washington to an impressive 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 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
