Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The final pair of unbeaten teams in the NFL watched their flawless starts broken during the fifth week as both the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills endured shocking home defeats.
Denver's football team transformed from dark horses to front-page news thanks to an spectacular comeback victory against the reigning Super Bowl title holders the Eagles, before hopping on a flight for Sunday's London contest.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and ended Buffalo's undefeated start with a statement win of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team experienced a third straight loss - their defensive woes could be fatal for their postseason aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions enjoyed decisive victories on yet another eventful Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Champions
It wasn't just beating the Super Bowl champions, but the manner of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a signature success.
The Eagles had won 10 contests in a row, 12 straight on home turf and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a late three-pointer.
The Eagles are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about their offensive unit, which sits among the poorest performing in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "on the same page" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which tackled Hurts six times, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, together with an established starting QB in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to launch a serious challenge.
The Broncos face New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was somewhat anticipated, nobody saw the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with huge character.
A first primetime game for Drake Maye produced a breakout performance as he directed a decisive field goal drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
Maye was resilient and made accurate passes at the right times, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered a big game for their coach's team.
The head coach 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 Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a disaster for Baltimore, who were missing multiple key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for this year means among the preseason Super Bowl contenders have only a slim opportunity of reaching the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but the real issue is an exceptionally poor defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been known for stout defense over the years.
The Texans coasted to victory as Baltimore became the first team in modern NFL history to allow a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their campaign is already over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's running back duo Gibbs and Montgomery registered six points in one contest for the 14th time - a shared NFL record - as the Lions defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four victories in a row for the league's top scorers the Lions, but not one against teams with a winning record.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With Jonathan Taylor scoring three touchdowns in their 40-6 rout of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones looking like a new man, they will be a difficult opponent for any team.
Tampa Bay joined the four-win group with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which the sides traded nine touchdowns in 10 impressive drives before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
Chase McLaughlin kicked the game-winner with the final play of the game for the second time this year. All four of Tampa Bay's wins have been secured in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Get Help for Initial Victories
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee began the season, they needed help to secure their first wins, and they got plenty due to several comical mistakes from New York and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York committed five turnovers - one was crucially returned for a touchdown - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to score on an 87-yard catch and run as New Orleans won 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they blew a 21-3 lead mainly due to two huge blunders.
First, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the football moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard touchdown.
More disastrous followed when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward near their own goal line, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee snapped a 10-game slide with a narrow win.
Tyler Lockett registered one of the most farcical scores we'll see this season.
That left New York's Jets as the only winless squad remaining in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 loss by Dallas.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his initial twenty career games as he returned from injury to guide the Washington Commanders to a notable 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 thrilling 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
