Week 5 NFL Shocker: Eagles Fall to Broncos while Bills Succumb to Patriots
The last two undefeated squads in the NFL watched their flawless starts broken during the fifth week as the Philadelphia Eagles along with Buffalo Bills suffered shocking home defeats.
Denver's football team transformed from underdogs to headline-makers following an spectacular rallying win against the reigning Super Bowl title holders the Eagles, before hopping on a flight for this Sunday's London contest.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and halted the Bills' undefeated start with a statement win of their own in their first national television game in a full year.
The Baltimore Ravens experienced a third consecutive defeat - their defensive unit's struggles could be fatal for their postseason aspirations - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis, and Detroit Lions enjoyed decisive victories on yet another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Title Holders
It wasn't just defeating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made the Broncos' 21-17 victory in Philadelphia such a signature success.
Philadelphia had secured 10 games in a row, 12 in a row on home turf and 20 out of 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix engineered two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a late field goal.
Philadelphia are currently 4-1 but there exists significant concern about their offensive unit, which sits among one of the worst in the NFL. Receiver DaVonta Smith stated they are not "in sync" with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The Broncos' defensive unit, which tackled Hurts six times, had a lot to do with the outcome, and, together with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and top head coach in Sean Payton, they have all the ingredients to mount a serious challenge.
Denver meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
Should the Broncos' victory was almost half expected, 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 the rookie quarterback delivered a star-making showing as he led a game-winning scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was resilient and executed accurate passes at crucial moments, several to ex-Buffalo wideout Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's side.
The head coach was expected to improve the situation in New England, but a win like this came earlier than most expected.
The Patriots defence bottled up Buffalo's offensive efforts during their upset away win.
Baltimore Postseason Hopes Over?
The season is turning into a disaster for the Ravens, who were without a host of defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It equaled their largest loss at home, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means among the pre-season Super Bowl contenders have only a slim chance of reaching the postseason.
Baltimore are currently 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is an exceptionally poor defense that is the primary concern - for a franchise that have been synonymous with stout defense historically.
The Texans strolled to victory as the Ravens became the first team in modern NFL history to allow a minimum of 37 points in four of their first five contests. Their season is effectively over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Reach 4-1
The Lions' backfield tandem Gibbs and Montgomery registered a touchdown in one contest for the fourteenth occasion - a shared NFL mark - as the Lions put away the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24.
The win made it four victories consecutively for the highest-scoring team the Lions, but not one against teams with positive records.
A more surprising 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in 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 side.
Tampa Bay entered the four-win group with a thrilling 38-35 victory in Seattle in which the sides traded nine touchdowns in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle cracked first with a late interception.
The kicker booted the game-winner with the final play of the game for the second time this year. All four of the Bucs' victories have been clinched in the last minute.
Saints and Titans Get Help for First Wins
The way the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans began the season, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they received ample due to several comical mistakes from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, New York committed five turnovers - including one decisively taken back for six points - while additionally permitting Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard catch and run as New Orleans prevailed 26-14.
The Cardinals were even worse as they squandered a 21-3 lead mainly due to two massive mistakes.
First, Emari Demercado inexplicably dropped the football just before reaching the end zone for a 72-yard score.
Worse followed when the Cardinals intercepted Cam Ward near their own goal line, then lost the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as Tennessee snapped a ten-contest slide with a 22-21 victory.
The receiver registered among the most bizarre scores we'll see this season.
That left New York's Jets as the only winless team remaining in the league after their bruising 37-22 loss by Dallas.
The quarterback became the initial athlete in NFL history to eclipse 4,000 passing yards and 1K on the ground in his first 20 professional contests as he returned from injury to steer Washington to an impressive 27-10 victory at Los Angeles.
Rico Dowdle was the star man 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)
