NFL Week Five Shocker: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two unbeaten squads in the NFL watched their flawless starts shattered during the fifth week as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured shocking losses on their own turf.
Denver's football team transformed from dark horses to front-page news following an impressive comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's London matchup.
The New England Patriots then visited Buffalo and ended the Bills' perfect record with a statement win of their own in their first primetime game in a full year.
Baltimore's team experienced a third straight defeat - their defensive struggles could be terminal for their postseason hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit celebrated blowout wins on another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Champions
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining achievement.
Philadelphia had won 10 games consecutively, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 out of 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there is a big worry about the offence, which sits among 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 tackled Hurts six times, had a lot to do with it, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a serious challenge.
The Broncos face New York's Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, few predicted the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and beating 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 led a game-winning field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was tough and made the right throws at the right times, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for their coach's team.
The head coach was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but such a significant victory arrived earlier than most expected.
The Patriots defence contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is becoming a nightmare for Baltimore, who were missing multiple defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their biggest home defeat, and falling to 1-4 for this year means one of the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have only a slim chance of reaching the play-offs.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a team that have been synonymous with stout defense over the years.
The Texans coasted to the win as the Ravens became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to concede a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their campaign is effectively in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Go 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery scored a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL mark - as the Lions defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the league's top scorers Detroit, but none against teams with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With Jonathan Taylor scoring three touchdowns 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.
Tampa Bay entered the four-win group with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute interception.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the game-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 final moments.
New Orleans and Tennessee Get Help for First Wins
Given how the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee started this campaign, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty due to several comical errors from New York and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five giveaways - one was crucially returned for a touchdown - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long reception as New Orleans won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they blew a 21-3 lead mainly thanks to two massive blunders.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably dropped the football just before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
Worse followed when Arizona intercepted Cam Ward near their end zone, then lost the football into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans snapped a ten-contest losing streak with a 22-21 win.
Tyler Lockett scored among the most bizarre scores witnessed this season.
This left the Jets as the sole victory-less squad remaining in the league after their punishing 37-22 loss by Dallas.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 1K on the ground in his initial twenty career games as he returned from being hurt to guide the Washington Commanders to an impressive 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the standout performer for the Carolina Panthers with over 200 yards on the ground in their thrilling 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
