NFL Week Five Shocker: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of undefeated squads in the NFL watched their flawless starts shattered during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered surprising home defeats.
The Denver Broncos evolved from dark horses to headline-makers thanks to an spectacular rallying win against the current Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for this Sunday's overseas matchup.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and ended the Bills' perfect record with an impressive victory of their own in their initial primetime appearance in twelve months.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a third straight defeat - their defensive unit's struggles could be terminal for their postseason aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit enjoyed decisive victories on yet another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Champions
It wasn't just defeating the reigning title holders, but the way of their comeback from 14 points down that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests in a row, 12 straight at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in five fourth-quarter minutes and a late three-pointer.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among the poorest performing in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with the outcome, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a serious challenge.
Denver face the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was almost half expected, nobody saw New England traveling to Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with tremendous resilience.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye produced a breakout performance as he directed a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and made accurate passes at the right times, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's team.
Vrabel was anticipated to turn things around in New England, but a win like this came earlier than many predicted.
The Patriots defence bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is turning into a nightmare for Baltimore, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their biggest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the preseason Super Bowl contenders have just a small opportunity of reaching the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 when missing superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the real problem - for a team that have been known for defensive toughness over the years.
The Texans coasted to victory as the Ravens became the first team in modern NFL history to allow at least 37 points in four of their first five games. Their season is already over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Go 4-1
Detroit's running back duo Gibbs and Montgomery scored six points in the same game for the 14th time - a joint NFL mark - as the Lions put away Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four wins consecutively for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but none against teams with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With Jonathan Taylor scoring a hat-trick 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 side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the 4-1 club with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams traded nine scores in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
The kicker kicked the winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion 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 New Orleans and Tennessee Titans started this campaign, they needed help to get their first wins, and they received ample due to some farcical mistakes from New York and Arizona Cardinals.
After a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York committed five giveaways - one was decisively taken back for six points - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard catch and run as New Orleans won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a substantial advantage mainly thanks to two huge blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the ball moments before reaching the end zone for a long score.
More disastrous was to come when Arizona picked off Cam Ward close to their own goal line, then lost the football into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee ended a ten-contest losing streak with a narrow victory.
The receiver scored among the most bizarre touchdowns witnessed this season.
That left the Jets as the sole victory-less team remaining in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 career games as he came back from injury to guide the Washington Commanders to an impressive 27-10 win at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the star man for Carolina with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Week 5 NFL 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)
