Week 5 NFL Surprise: Broncos Upset Eagles while Patriots Stun Bills
The last two undefeated squads in the NFL watched their flawless starts shattered during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills suffered surprising losses on their own turf.
Denver's football team evolved from dark horses to front-page news thanks to an spectacular rallying win against the current Super Bowl title holders the Eagles, before hopping on a flight for this Sunday's overseas contest.
The New England Patriots then visited Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their first national television appearance in twelve months.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a third straight defeat - their defensive woes could be fatal for their postseason hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions celebrated blowout wins on another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
It wasn't just defeating the Super Bowl champions, but the manner of their comeback from 14 points down that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature success.
Philadelphia had secured 10 contests in a row, 12 straight on home turf and 20 out of 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in five fourth-quarter minutes and a late field goal.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which ranks as one of the worst in the league. 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 the outcome, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to mount a legitimate playoff push.
The Broncos meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
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 tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for Drake Maye produced a star-making showing as he directed a game-winning scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was tough and made accurate passes at the right times, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who had an outstanding performance for their coach's side.
The head coach was anticipated to turn things around in New England, but a win like this arrived earlier than many predicted.
The Patriots defence bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is turning into a nightmare for Baltimore, who were without a host of defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their biggest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means one of the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have just a small chance of making the postseason.
The Ravens are now 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the real problem - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense historically.
Houston coasted to the win as Baltimore became the first team in the Super Bowl era to concede at least 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their season is effectively in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Go 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery scored six points in the same game for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL record - as the Lions put away Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four victories in a row for the league's top scorers Detroit, but none against teams with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back scoring three touchdowns in their 40-6 hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller 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 traded nine scores in 10 impressive drives before Seattle faltered initially with a late turnover.
The kicker kicked the winner with the final play of the contest for the second time this season. All four of Tampa Bay's victories have been clinched in the final moments.
New Orleans and Tennessee Get Help for Initial Victories
Given how New Orleans and Tennessee Titans began the season, they required assistance to secure their first wins, and they got plenty thanks to several comical mistakes from New York and Arizona.
After a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York committed five turnovers - including one decisively taken back for six points - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to score on a long catch and run as New Orleans won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead primarily due to two massive mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the football just before reaching the end zone for a long touchdown.
Worse followed when Arizona intercepted Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then fumbled the football into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as the Titans ended a 10-game losing streak with a narrow win.
The receiver scored one of the most farcical scores we'll see this season.
This left New York's Jets as the only winless squad left in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his initial twenty professional contests as he came back from being hurt to steer Washington to an impressive 27-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rico Dowdle was the star man for Carolina with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 victory over Miami.
NFL Week Five 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)
