Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Patriots Stun Bills
The last two undefeated teams in the NFL saw their perfect records shattered during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered shocking home defeats.
The Denver Broncos evolved from dark horses to front-page news thanks to an impressive comeback victory against the current Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, before hopping on a flight for this Sunday's overseas matchup.
New England's squad then visited Buffalo and halted the Bills' undefeated start with an impressive victory of their own in their initial national television appearance in twelve months.
The Baltimore Ravens experienced a third consecutive loss - their defensive woes could be fatal for their play-off aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit Lions enjoyed blowout wins on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
Not only was it defeating 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 consecutively, 12 in a row at home and 20 out of 21 overall before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in the final five minutes and a last-minute field goal.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists significant concern about the offence, which ranks as one of the worst in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts on six occasions, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to launch a legitimate playoff push.
The Broncos face New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was almost half expected, few predicted the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they accomplished it with tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback delivered a star-making showing as he led a decisive scoring drive in the dying seconds to win 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed accurate passes at the right times, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's side.
Vrabel was anticipated to turn things around in New England, but a win like this arrived sooner than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is turning into a nightmare for the Ravens, who were without multiple key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by the Houston Texans.
It matched their largest loss at home, and falling to 1-4 for this year means among the preseason Super Bowl favourites 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 it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the primary concern - for a team that have been synonymous with stout defense historically.
Houston strolled to victory as Baltimore became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to concede at least 37 points in four of their first five games. Their campaign is already in tatters.
Lions, Bucs and Colts Go 4-1
The Lions' running back duo Gibbs and Montgomery scored six points in one contest for the fourteenth occasion - a joint NFL record - as the Lions defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four wins in a row for the league's top scorers Detroit, but none against teams with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With Jonathan Taylor scoring three touchdowns in their 40-6 hammering of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones looking like a transformed player, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
Tampa Bay joined the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams traded nine touchdowns in 10 sparkling drives before the Seahawks cracked first with a final-minute turnover.
The kicker booted the game-winner with the final play of the game for the second time this year. All four of the Bucs' wins have been clinched in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans began this campaign, they required assistance to get their initial victories, and they got plenty thanks to some farcical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
After a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York made five turnovers - one was decisively returned for a touchdown - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long catch and run as the Saints won 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they blew a substantial advantage mainly due to two massive mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably dropped the football moments before crossing the line for a long touchdown.
More disastrous followed when Arizona picked off Cam Ward close to their end zone, then lost the football across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as the Titans ended a 10-game slide with a narrow win.
Tyler Lockett scored one of the most farcical scores witnessed this season.
This left New York's Jets as the sole victory-less squad left 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 1K on the ground in his initial twenty professional contests as he came back from injury to guide Washington to a notable 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the star man for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their exciting 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
NFL Week Five 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)