Week 5 NFL Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles while Patriots Stun Bills
The last two undefeated squads in the NFL saw their perfect records broken during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills suffered surprising home defeats.
Denver's football team transformed from underdogs to headline-makers thanks to an spectacular comeback victory against the current Super Bowl champions the Eagles, prior to boarding a plane for this Sunday's London matchup.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and halted the Bills' undefeated start with an impressive victory of their own in their first national television appearance in a full year.
Baltimore's team suffered a third consecutive loss - their defensive unit's woes could be fatal for their play-off hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit Lions enjoyed blowout wins on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just beating the reigning title holders, but the way of their comeback from 14 points down that made Denver's 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining success.
Philadelphia had secured 10 games in a row, 12 straight on home turf and 20 out of 21 overall before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute three-pointer.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there is a big worry about their offensive unit, which ranks as the poorest performing in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "on the same page" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which sacked Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with it, 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 New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Upset Bills
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 huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for the rookie quarterback produced a breakout performance as he directed a decisive scoring drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed the right throws at the right times, many to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for Mike Vrabel's side.
The head coach was anticipated to improve the situation in New England, but such a significant victory arrived earlier than most expected.
New England's defensive squad bottled up the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
This campaign is turning into a nightmare for the Ravens, who were missing a host of defensive stars as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest home defeat, and falling to 1-4 for the season means among the preseason Super Bowl favourites have just a small chance of making the postseason.
The Ravens are now 4-11 playing without star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but the real issue is a historically bad defense that is the real problem - for a franchise that have been synonymous with defensive toughness over the years.
The Texans strolled to victory as the Ravens became the first team in modern NFL history to concede a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five games. Their season is already in tatters.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery scored a touchdown in one contest for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL mark - as Detroit put away Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against opponents with positive records.
A more unexpected 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With Jonathan Taylor running in a hat-trick in their 40-6 hammering of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent for any team.
Tampa Bay joined the four-win group with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which both teams traded nine scores in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle faltered initially with a final-minute interception.
The kicker booted the game-winner with the final play of the game for the second time this year. Each of Tampa Bay's victories have been clinched in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for First Wins
The way New Orleans and Tennessee began this campaign, they required assistance to secure their first wins, and they received ample thanks to several comical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona.
After a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York committed five turnovers - one was crucially taken back for six points - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard catch and run as the Saints won 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they blew a 21-3 lead primarily due to two massive mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably fumbled the ball moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
More disastrous was to come when the Cardinals picked off Cam Ward near their end zone, then fumbled the football across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as the Titans ended a ten-contest losing streak with a 22-21 win.
The receiver registered one of the most farcical scores witnessed this year.
This left New York's Jets as the only winless squad remaining in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 loss by Dallas.
The quarterback became the first player in NFL history to eclipse 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his first 20 professional contests as he returned from injury to guide the Washington Commanders to an impressive 27-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rico Dowdle was the star man for the Carolina Panthers with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 win 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)
