NFL Week Five Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of unbeaten 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 headline-makers thanks to an spectacular comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl champions the Eagles, prior to boarding a plane for Sunday's London contest.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their first primetime appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive defeat - their defensive woes could be terminal for their postseason aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis, and Detroit Lions celebrated blowout wins on another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Champions
Not only was it defeating the Super Bowl champions, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining success.
Philadelphia had secured 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about the offence, which ranks as the poorest performing in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "on the same page" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with the outcome, and, together with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a serious challenge.
Denver face New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was somewhat anticipated, nobody saw New England marching into Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
A first primetime game for Drake Maye produced a breakout performance as he directed a game-winning field goal drive in the final moments to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was resilient and executed accurate passes at the right times, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for Mike Vrabel's side.
The head coach was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but such a significant victory came earlier than most expected.
The Patriots defence bottled up the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is becoming a disaster for the Ravens, who were missing multiple defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their largest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means among the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have just a small chance of reaching the play-offs.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 playing without superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defense that is the primary concern - for a team that have been synonymous with stout defense over the years.
Houston coasted to victory as the Ravens became the initial squad in modern NFL history to allow a minimum of 37 points in four out of five games. Their season is effectively in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery scored six points in the same game for the 14th time - a joint NFL record - as Detroit defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four wins consecutively for the league's top scorers Detroit, but none against teams with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in three touchdowns in their decisive rout of the Las Vegas Raiders and signal-caller Daniel Jones appearing as a new man, they will be a tough match for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 impressive drives before the Seahawks faltered initially with a final-minute interception.
Chase McLaughlin booted the winner with the last kick of the game for his second occasion this year. Each of the Bucs' wins have been secured in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way New Orleans and Tennessee started this campaign, they required assistance to get their initial victories, and they got plenty due to some farcical mistakes from New York and Arizona.
Following a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, the Giants committed five turnovers - one was decisively taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard reception as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they squandered a substantial advantage primarily due to two huge blunders.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably fumbled the football just before crossing the line for a 72-yard touchdown.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward near their end zone, then lost the ball into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to recover as the Titans ended a ten-contest losing streak with a narrow win.
Tyler Lockett registered among the most bizarre touchdowns we'll see this year.
This left New York's Jets as the only winless squad remaining in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his initial twenty career games as he returned from injury to guide Washington to a notable 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rico Dowdle was the standout performer for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their thrilling 27-24 victory 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)
