Week 5 NFL Surprise: Eagles Fall to Broncos and Patriots Stun Bills
The last two unbeaten teams in the NFL watched their flawless starts shattered during week five as the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills suffered shocking losses on their own turf.
The Denver Broncos evolved from dark horses to front-page news following an spectacular comeback victory against the current Super Bowl title holders Philadelphia, prior to boarding a flight for this Sunday's London matchup.
The New England Patriots then traveled to Buffalo and ended the Bills' perfect record with a statement win of their own in their first primetime appearance in a full year.
The Baltimore Ravens suffered a third straight defeat - their defensive struggles could be fatal for their play-off hopes - while the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit celebrated blowout wins on another action-packed Sunday.
Denver Downs Champions
Not only was it beating the Super Bowl champions, but the way of their 14-point comeback that made Denver's win by 21-17 in Philadelphia such a defining achievement.
The Eagles had won 10 games in a row, 12 in a row at home and 20 of their last 21 total before Broncos quarterback Bo Nix orchestrated two touchdowns in the final five minutes and a late field goal.
Philadelphia are now 4-1 but there exists a big worry about their offensive unit, which sits among one of the worst in the NFL. Wideout DaVonta Smith says they are not "in sync" with QB Jalen Hurts.
Denver's defence, which sacked Hurts six times, had much to contribute with the outcome, and, combined with a genuine franchise quarterback in Nix and elite coach in Sean Payton, they possess all the components to mount a serious challenge.
The Broncos meet the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday.
Primetime Patriots Shock Buffalo
If Denver's win was somewhat anticipated, nobody saw the Patriots marching into Buffalo and beating Josh Allen's Bills, but they did so with huge character.
Their initial national television appearance for the rookie quarterback produced a star-making showing as he directed a game-winning scoring drive in the dying seconds to secure victory 23-20.
The young QB was tough and made accurate passes at the right times, several to former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, who delivered an outstanding performance for their coach's side.
Vrabel was expected to turn things around in New England, but such a significant victory came sooner than most expected.
New England's defensive squad contained Buffalo's offensive efforts during their surprising road victory.
Ravens Play-off Dreams Dashed?
The season is becoming a nightmare for the Ravens, who were without a host of defensive stars as they were dominated 44-10 by Houston's team.
It matched their biggest home defeat, and dropping to 1-4 for the season means one of the preseason Super Bowl contenders have just a small opportunity of making the play-offs.
Baltimore are now 4-11 when missing star QB Lamar Jackson, who was hurt, but it is a historically bad defensive unit that is the real problem - for a team that have been synonymous with defensive toughness over the years.
Houston coasted to the win as the Ravens became the initial squad in modern NFL history to concede a minimum of 37 points in four out of five contests. Their campaign is effectively over.
Detroit, Tampa and Indianapolis Go 4-1
Detroit's backfield tandem Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery scored a touchdown in one contest for the 14th time - a joint NFL mark - as the Lions put away Cincinnati 37-24.
Victory made it four victories consecutively for the league's top scorers Detroit, but none against teams with a winning record.
A more unexpected 4-1 side are Indianapolis. With their star running back running in three touchdowns in their 40-6 hammering of Las Vegas and quarterback Daniel Jones appearing as a new man, they will be a tough match for any side.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the 4-1 club with a mesmeric 38-35 victory in Seattle in which the sides traded nine touchdowns in 10 impressive possessions before Seattle cracked first with a final-minute interception.
The kicker kicked the winner with the final play of the game for his second occasion this year. All four of the Bucs' victories have been clinched in the final moments.
Saints and Titans Receive Assistance for Initial Victories
The way New Orleans and Tennessee Titans began the season, they required assistance to secure their initial victories, and they got plenty thanks to some farcical errors from the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.
Following a strong opening from New York rookie Jaxson Dart, the Giants made five giveaways - including one crucially returned for a touchdown - while also allowing Rashid Shaheed to find the end zone on an 87-yard catch and run as the Saints won 26-14.
The Cardinals were more disastrous as they blew a 21-3 lead primarily due to two massive mistakes.
Initially, Emari Demercado inexplicably fumbled the ball just before crossing the line for a long touchdown.
Worse followed when Arizona picked off Cam Ward near their own goal line, then fumbled the ball across the goal line for Tyler Lockett to recover as the Titans ended a ten-contest slide with a narrow win.
The receiver scored among the most bizarre touchdowns we'll see this year.
This left the Jets as the sole victory-less squad remaining in the NFL after their punishing 37-22 defeat by Dallas.
Jayden Daniels became the first player in NFL history to surpass 4K through the air and 1,000 yards rushing in his first 20 career games as he returned from injury to steer Washington to an impressive 27-10 win at Los Angeles.
The running back was the star man for Carolina with 206 rushing yards in their exciting 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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)
