Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Patriots Stun Bills
The last two unbeaten teams in the NFL watched their flawless starts broken during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills endured surprising home defeats.
The Denver Broncos evolved from underdogs to headline-makers following an impressive rallying win against the current Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for Sunday's London matchup.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and ended Buffalo's perfect record with a statement win of their own in their initial national television game in twelve months.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a third consecutive defeat - their defensive unit's struggles could be terminal for their postseason aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit enjoyed decisive victories on another action-packed Sunday.
Broncos Defeat Title Holders
Not only was it beating the reigning title holders, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a defining achievement.
The Eagles had secured 10 games consecutively, 12 straight on home turf and 20 of their last 21 overall before Denver's signal-caller Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a last-minute field goal.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there exists significant concern about the offence, which ranks as one of the worst in the league. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "on the same page" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts on six occasions, had much to contribute with it, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to launch a serious challenge.
Denver meet New York's Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Upset Bills
Should the Broncos' victory was somewhat anticipated, few predicted the Patriots traveling to Buffalo and defeating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with tremendous resilience.
A first primetime game for the rookie quarterback produced a star-making showing as he directed a game-winning scoring drive in the final moments to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and made the right throws at the right times, many to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who had a big game for their coach's team.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory came earlier than many predicted.
New England's defensive squad contained the Buffalo Bills attack during their upset road victory.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a nightmare for Baltimore, who were without a host of key defenders as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest home defeat, and falling to 1-4 for this year means among the pre-season Super Bowl favourites have just a small opportunity of making the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was injured, but it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the real problem - for a franchise that have been synonymous with defensive toughness over the years.
The Texans coasted to victory as Baltimore became the first team in the Super Bowl era to concede at least 37 points in four out of five games. Their season is effectively over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
Detroit's 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 wins consecutively for the league's top scorers Detroit, but none against teams with a winning record.
A more surprising 4-1 team are the Indianapolis Colts. With their star running back running in a hat-trick in their 40-6 hammering of Las Vegas and signal-caller Daniel Jones appearing as a new man, they will be a difficult opponent for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the 4-1 club with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which the sides traded nine touchdowns in 10 impressive possessions before the Seahawks faltered initially with a final-minute interception.
Chase McLaughlin booted the winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion this season. All four of the Bucs' wins have been clinched in the last minute.
New Orleans and Tennessee Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans began the season, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty due to several comical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
After a good start from first-year player Jaxson Dart, New York made five turnovers - including one decisively returned for a touchdown - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on a long catch and run as the Saints prevailed 26-14.
Arizona were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead mainly due to two massive blunders.
Initially, Emari Demercado unexplainably dropped the ball moments before reaching the end zone for a 72-yard score.
Worse was to come when Arizona picked off Cam Ward near their end zone, then lost the football across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as Tennessee snapped a ten-contest losing streak with a narrow victory.
Tyler Lockett registered among the most bizarre scores we'll see this season.
That left New York's Jets as the sole victory-less squad left in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 loss by the Cowboys.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1K on the ground in his initial twenty career games as he returned from injury to guide Washington to a notable 27-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The running back was the standout performer for Carolina with over 200 yards on the ground in their exciting 27-24 victory over Miami.
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)
