Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Patriots Stun Bills
The final pair of undefeated squads in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during the fifth week as both the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills suffered surprising home defeats.
The Denver Broncos evolved from underdogs to headline-makers following an spectacular comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl title holders the Eagles, prior to boarding a plane for this Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and ended Buffalo's undefeated start with an impressive victory of their own in their first primetime game in twelve months.
Baltimore's team suffered a third straight defeat - their defensive unit's woes could be terminal for their postseason hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit enjoyed decisive victories on another eventful Sunday.
Denver Downs Champions
It wasn't just beating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature achievement.
The Eagles had secured 10 contests consecutively, 12 straight 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 currently 4-1 but there exists a big worry about the offence, which sits among one of the worst in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with it, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to launch a legitimate playoff push.
Denver meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, nobody saw the Patriots 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 directed a game-winning scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was tough and executed accurate passes at the right times, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's team.
The head coach was anticipated to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory arrived earlier than most expected.
New England's defensive squad bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising away win.
Baltimore Postseason Dreams Dashed?
The season is turning into a nightmare for the Ravens, who were without a host of key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their biggest loss at home, and falling to 1-4 for the season means one of the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have only a slim chance of reaching the postseason.
The Ravens are currently 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defense that is the real problem - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense over the years.
The Texans strolled to victory as Baltimore became the first team in modern NFL history to allow at least 37 points in four out of five contests. Their campaign is effectively in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Reach 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored six points in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL mark - as the Lions defeated Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four wins in a row for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against opponents with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 side are the Indianapolis Colts. With Jonathan Taylor scoring three touchdowns in their decisive hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine touchdowns in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle faltered initially with a final-minute interception.
Chase McLaughlin booted the game-winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion this season. All four of the Bucs' victories have been secured in the final moments.
New Orleans and Tennessee Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
Given how New Orleans and Tennessee Titans began this campaign, they required assistance to get their initial victories, and they got plenty due to several comical mistakes from New York and Arizona.
Following a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York committed five turnovers - including one crucially returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to score on a long catch and run as New Orleans won 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they blew a substantial advantage mainly due to two massive blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the football moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous followed when Arizona picked off Cam Ward close to their end zone, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans snapped a ten-contest losing streak with a 22-21 victory.
Tyler Lockett registered one of the most farcical scores witnessed this year.
This left the Jets as the sole victory-less team left in the league after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his first 20 career games as he returned from injury to steer Washington 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 victory over Miami.
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)
