Week 5 NFL Shocker: Broncos Upset Eagles and Patriots Stun Bills
The last two undefeated teams in the NFL watched their flawless starts broken during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured shocking losses on their own turf.
Denver's football team evolved from underdogs to front-page news following an impressive comeback victory against the current Super Bowl champions Philadelphia, before hopping on a plane for Sunday's London contest.
The New England Patriots then visited Buffalo and halted Buffalo's undefeated start with a statement win of their own in their first national television appearance in twelve months.
Baltimore's team suffered a third consecutive loss - their defensive unit's woes could be terminal for their play-off hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit enjoyed blowout wins on another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
Not only was it 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 defining achievement.
Philadelphia had secured 10 contests in a row, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 out of 21 overall before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix orchestrated two scoring drives in five fourth-quarter minutes and a late field goal.
The Eagles are currently 4-1 but there exists significant concern about the offence, which sits among the poorest performing in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, together with an established starting QB in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a serious challenge.
The Broncos meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Patriots on National TV Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, few predicted New England traveling to Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for Drake Maye delivered a star-making showing as he directed a game-winning scoring drive in the final moments to secure victory 23-20.
Maye was tough and executed the right throws at crucial moments, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for Mike Vrabel's team.
The head coach was anticipated to turn things around in New England, but a win like this came sooner than most expected.
The Patriots defence contained the Buffalo Bills attack during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
This campaign is becoming a nightmare for the Ravens, who were missing a host of key defenders as they were hammered 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their biggest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the preseason Super Bowl contenders have only a slim opportunity of making the postseason.
The Ravens 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 team that have been synonymous with defensive toughness historically.
Houston coasted to the win as the Ravens became the initial squad in the Super Bowl era to allow at least 37 points in four of their first 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 fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL record - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team Detroit, but none against teams with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 side are the Indianapolis Colts. With their star running back scoring a hat-trick in their 40-6 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Daniel Jones appearing as a transformed player, they will be a tough match for any side.
Tampa Bay joined the 4-1 club with a mesmeric 38-35 win in Seattle in which both teams traded nine scores in 10 sparkling possessions before the Seahawks cracked first with a late turnover.
Chase McLaughlin booted the winner with the last kick of the game for the second time this year. 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 began the season, they needed help to get their initial victories, and they got plenty thanks to some farcical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
After a good start from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, the Giants made five giveaways - including one decisively returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to score on a long catch and run as New Orleans prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they squandered a substantial advantage mainly due to two massive blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the ball moments before crossing the line for a 72-yard score.
Worse followed when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward near their own goal line, then lost the ball into the end zone for Tyler Lockett to score as Tennessee snapped a 10-game losing streak with a narrow win.
The receiver registered one of the most farcical touchdowns we'll see this year.
This left New York's Jets as the only winless team remaining in the NFL after their bruising 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the initial athlete 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 Washington to a notable 27-10 win at Los Angeles.
The running back was the star man for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their thrilling 27-24 win over Miami.
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)
