Week 5 NFL Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles while Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of undefeated teams in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered surprising home defeats.
The Denver Broncos evolved from underdogs to headline-makers following an spectacular rallying win against the reigning Super Bowl champions the Eagles, before hopping on a plane for Sunday's overseas contest.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and ended the Bills' undefeated start with a statement win of their own in their first national television appearance in a full year.
Baltimore's team suffered a third consecutive defeat - their defensive unit's woes could be fatal for their postseason aspirations - while Dallas, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions enjoyed blowout wins on another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
Not only was it beating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their comeback from 14 points down that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 out of 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two scoring drives in five fourth-quarter minutes and a late field goal.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about the offence, which sits among the poorest performing in the league. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with it, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a legitimate playoff push.
Denver face the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was almost half expected, few predicted New England marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback produced a breakout performance as he directed a game-winning field goal drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was tough and executed the right throws at the right times, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for their coach's team.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but a win like this arrived earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad bottled up the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is becoming a nightmare for the Ravens, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their biggest loss at home, and falling to 1-4 for this year means among the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have just a small chance of making the play-offs.
The Ravens are now 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been synonymous with defensive toughness over the years.
Houston strolled to victory as Baltimore became the first team in the Super Bowl era to concede a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five games. Their campaign is effectively in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Reach 4-1
Detroit's running back duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery registered a touchdown in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL mark - as the Lions defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but none against opponents with a winning record.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are Indianapolis. With their star running back scoring three touchdowns in their 40-6 hammering of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent 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 sparkling drives before the Seahawks cracked first with a final-minute interception.
The kicker kicked the winner with the last kick of the contest for the second time this season. Each of Tampa Bay's wins have been clinched in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for First Wins
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee began the season, they needed help to get their initial victories, and they received ample due to some farcical mistakes from New York and Arizona.
Following a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York made five turnovers - one was crucially taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long reception as New Orleans prevailed 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they blew a substantial advantage mainly due to two huge blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado inexplicably fumbled the football moments before reaching the end zone for a long score.
Worse followed when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward close to 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 victory.
The receiver scored one of the most farcical touchdowns we'll see this season.
This left New York's Jets as the sole victory-less squad remaining in the league after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4,000 passing yards and 1K on the ground in his initial twenty professional contests as he came back from being hurt to guide the Washington Commanders to an impressive 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the star man for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their thrilling 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)
