NFL Week Five Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of unbeaten teams in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered shocking home defeats.
Denver's football team evolved from dark horses to headline-makers thanks to an spectacular rallying win against the current Super Bowl champions the Eagles, before hopping on a plane for Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then traveled to Buffalo and halted Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their initial national television appearance in a full year.
Baltimore's team experienced a third consecutive defeat - their defensive woes could be terminal for their play-off aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit enjoyed decisive victories on another eventful Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature success.
Philadelphia had secured 10 contests consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 out of 21 total before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in the final five minutes and a late three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among the poorest performing in the league. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a serious challenge.
Denver meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Upset Bills
If Denver's win was almost half expected, nobody saw the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with tremendous resilience.
Their initial national television appearance for the rookie quarterback delivered a breakout performance as he directed a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was tough and made the right throws at the right times, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for Mike Vrabel's side.
The head coach was expected to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this came earlier than many predicted.
The Patriots defence contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a disaster for Baltimore, who were missing a host of defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It equaled their biggest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have just a small chance of making the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is a historically bad defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense historically.
Houston strolled to the win as Baltimore became the first team in modern NFL history to allow a minimum of 37 points in four out of five games. Their campaign is effectively over.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Go 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored six points in one contest for the 14th time - a joint NFL mark - as Detroit put away Cincinnati 37-24.
The win made it four wins consecutively for the league's top scorers the Lions, but none against opponents with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in three touchdowns in their decisive rout of Las Vegas and quarterback Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent for any team.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the four-win group with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams exchanged nine scores in 10 impressive drives before Seattle cracked first with a late interception.
The kicker kicked the game-winner with the final play of the contest for his second occasion this year. All four of Tampa Bay's victories have been clinched in the last minute.
New Orleans and Tennessee Get Help for First Wins
The way New Orleans and Tennessee started the season, they needed help to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty thanks to some farcical mistakes from New York and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York made 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 prevailed 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead mainly due to two massive mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the ball moments before reaching the end zone for a long touchdown.
More disastrous followed when Arizona intercepted Cam Ward near their own goal line, then lost the football into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to recover as Tennessee snapped a 10-game losing streak with a narrow win.
The receiver scored among the most bizarre scores witnessed this season.
That left New York's Jets as the only winless team remaining in the league after their bruising 37-22 defeat by the Cowboys.
Jayden Daniels became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 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 a notable 27-10 win at Los Angeles.
The running back was the standout performer for the Carolina Panthers with over 200 yards on the ground in their thrilling 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
