The Kansas City Chiefs got the better of the San Francisco 49ers once again, only this time without an MVP-like performance from Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City used a strong running game and another excellent effort on defence to keep its perfect 2024 record intact with Sunday's 28-18 win over the 49ers, the first meeting between the teams since the Chiefs' overtime victory in Super Bowl LVIII back in February.
Kareem Hunt had two of four Kansas City rushing touchdowns and the Chiefs amassed a season-high 184 yards on the ground to move to 6-0 and record their 12th straight victory when including play-off games. The two-time defending NFL champions have not lost since a 20-14 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day.
The Chiefs offset Mahomes' two interceptions and a 154-yard passing day from the three-time Super Bowl MVP by picking off Brock Purdy three times, including twice in the second half, to help them pull away in the fourth quarter.
San Francisco dropped to 3-4 and was dealt with another significant injury to a key player when wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk exited in the second quarter with a right knee injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said afterward the team believes Aiyuk sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament that would end his season.
Purdy did rush for two touchdowns but was held to 212 yards on 17-of-31 passing. George Kittle recorded six catches for 92 yards in the loss.
Touchdown runs of one and six yards from Hunt in the second quarter staked the Chiefs to a 14-6 half-time lead, though Deommodore Lenoir's interception of Mahomes and 33-yard return set up Purdy's 1-yard touchdown plunge early in the third quarter that trimmed the margin to two points. 49ers kicker Anders Carlson missed the extra point.
San Francisco's next two drives ended in Purdy interceptions, however, and the Chiefs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the fourth quarter to separate. Mahomes had the first with a 1-yard run, while Mecole Hardman scored on an 18-yard jet sweep with 3:09 left to put the game out of reach.
Lions hand Vikings first loss on late field goal
The Minnesota Vikings were the NFL's only other unbeaten team entering Week 7, but their five-game winning streak to start the season came to an end when Detroit's Jake Bates made a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to give the Lions a hard-earned 31-29 victory.
Minnesota overcame an 11-point third-quarter deficit to take a 29-28 lead with 5:50 remaining on linebacker Ivan Pace's 36-yard touchdown return of a fumble by Lions running back David Montgomery. The Vikings could not convert the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt, however, as Sam Darnold's pass intended for Jordan Addison landed off the mark.
That misfire would prove costly for Minnesota (5-1). Detroit's defence forced a three-and-out on the Vikings' next possession, and the Lions marched 44 yards in eight plays after getting the ball back with 2:32 left to play to set up Bates' winning kick.
The Lions owned a 21-10 advantage at half-time on the strength of two Jahmyr Gibbs touchdown runs, including a 45-yard scamper early in the second quarter. Their lead was 28-17 following Jared Goff's second touchdown pass of the day, a 21-yard strike to Kalif Raymond with 5:43 left in the third quarter.
Goff completed 22 of 25 passes for 280 yards and no interceptions in the fourth straight win for Detroit (5-1). The veteran became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to record a passer rating of 140 or more in three consecutive games.
Gibbs finished with 116 rushing yards on 15 attempts, while Amon-Ra St. Brown caught Goff's first touchdown pass and recorded 112 yards on eight receptions.
Aaron Jones had a 34-yard touchdown run in the first quarter for Minnesota and ended with 93 yards on 14 carries. Justin Jefferson led the Vikings with 81 receiving yards on seven catches and had a 25-yard touchdown grab from Darnold in the third quarter.
Wilson's solid Pittsburgh debut helps send Jets to fourth straight loss
Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in his long-awaited first game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who extended the New York Jets' struggles by pulling away for a 37-15 victory.
After missing the season's first six games with a lingering calf injury, Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards with touchdown connections to George Pickens and Van Jefferson to help Pittsburgh (5-2) move a half-game up on the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North.
New York (2-5), meanwhile, dropped three games behind the first-place Buffalo Bills in the AFC East after dropping its fourth straight game during what's been a turbulent season for the expected contenders. The Jets are now 0-2 since firing head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and replacing him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
While Wilson had a productive Pittsburgh debut, Davante Adams had a quiet one in his first appearance since being acquired by the Jets from the Las Vegas Raiders earlier in the week. The accomplished receiver and former Green Bay Packers team-mate of Aaron Rodgers was held to 30 yards on three catches.
Rodgers was intercepted twice by Beanie Bishop as the Jets failed to hold on to a 15-6 second-quarter lead. The Steelers scored the game's final 31 points and outscored New York by a 24-0 margin in the second half.
Bishop's first interception ignited the rally, with the turnover leading to Wilson's 11-yard touchdown pass to Pickens that pulled Pittsburgh within 15-13 at half-time.
The rookie cornerback came through again midway through the third quarter, as he snared a deep pass that fell out of the hands of New York's Garrett Wilson and returned the pick 41 yards to the Jets' 1-yard line. Wilson scored on a quarterback sneak on the following play to give the Steelers a 23-15 advantage.
Pickens finished with 111 yards on five catches for Pittsburgh, which also received 102 rushing yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown from Najee Harris.
Breece Hall had a rushing touchdown for New York and led the Jets with 103 receiving yards on six catches. Rodgers finished 24 of 39 for 276 yards with one touchdown in addition to the two picks.
Commanders crush Panthers despite star rookie Daniels' departure
The Washington Commanders lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a rib injury in the first quarter, though Marcus Mariota stepped in capably for the rookie sensation and helped the NFC East leaders to a 40-7 rout of the Carolina Panthers.
Mariota completed 18 of 23 attempts for 205 yards with touchdown passes to Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott as Washington (5-2) rolled to its most lopsided win since 2015 despite Daniels exiting after just one drive. The 2024 No. 2 overall pick is scheduled for further testing Monday, and Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said after the game he had yet to receive an update on the injury.
Washington also received a 67-yard interception return touchdown from edge rusher Dante Fowler in the first quarter and four field goals from Austin Seibert for the game. Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for a team-high 71 yards with a touchdown on 12 carries, while Terry McLaurin had 98 receiving yards on six catches for the Commanders.
Fowler's pick was one of two by the Washington defence against Andy Dalton, who managed just 93 yards on 11-of-16 passing before being relieved late by 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
Chuba Hubbard had 52 rushing yards for Carolina (1-6) and scored the Panthers' lone touchdown with a 4-yard run early in the fourth quarter, after the Commanders had built an overwhelming 37-0 lead after three periods.
Barkley burns former team for 176 yards as Eagles cruise past Giants
Saquon Barkley's return to MetLife Stadium was a memorable one, as the first-year Philadelphia Eagle piled up 176 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead his new team to a 28-3 victory over the New York Giants.
Facing the Giants for the first time since leaving New York to sign a three-year, $37.5 million contract with Philadelphia in the offseason, Barkley registered the second-highest single-game rushing total of his seven-year career. He spent the first six of those seasons with the Giants and ranks fourth in team history with 5,211 rushing yards.
Philadelphia (4-2) also received a dominant effort on defence en route to its second straight win, as the unit racked up eight sacks and held New York (2-5) to 119 total yards.
Daniel Jones took seven of those sacks and mustered just 99 yards on 14-of-21 passing before being pulled after three quarters in favour of backup Drew Lock.
Barkley ripped off a 55-yard run in the second quarter and later finished that drive with a 3-yard touchdown to break a scoreless tie with 8:58 left before half-time.
The Eagles extended the lead to 14-0 less than five minutes later when Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown with a well-thrown deep ball on 4th-and-3 for a 41-yard touchdown.
Hurts added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs in the second half and finished with 114 passing yards while completing 10 of 14 attempts. Brown led all receivers with 89 yards on five catches.
Newcomer McManus boots winning field goal as Packers edge Texans
Brandon McManus capped his Green Bay debut with a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give the Green Bay Packers a 24-22 win over the Houston Texans in a clash of teams off to strong starts.
After the AFC South-leading Texans took a 22-21 lead on Ka'imi Fairbarin's 35-yard field goal with 1:44 left, Jordan Love drove the Packers into range for McManus' kick that put an end to a three-game winning streak for Houston (5-2).
McManus signed with the Packers on Wednesday, more than four months after being released by Washington following allegations he sexually assaulted two flight attendants while traveling to London last season while then with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The NFL announced last month it found no evidence the veteran kicker violated its personal conduct policy.
Love shook off two first-half interceptions to throw for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the third straight win for Green Bay (5-2). The young quarterback delivered scoring strikes to Tucker Kraft and Dontayvion WIcks in the second quarter, then later found Josh Jacobs for an 8-yard touchdown that put the Packers up 21-19 in the third quarter.
Jacobs rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries in addition to his touchdown catch, while Romeo Doubs compiled eight catches for 94 yards for Green Bay.
Houston received 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Joe Mixon but got an off day from C.J. Stroud. The 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was held to 86 yards on 10-of-21 passing while being sacked four times by a Green Bay defence that yielded just 197 total yards.
McVay glad Kupp is back, expects him to stay amid trade speculation
Sean McVay is happy to have Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp back out on the field and "expects it to stay that way".
The Rams caused an upset on Thursday, beating the Minnesota Vikings 30-20 as they were boosted by the returns of Kupp and Puka Nacua, playing together for the first time since their opener.
It is the first time the Rams have recorded back-to-back wins this season, and scored a season-high 30 points, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive games with fewer than 30.
Kupp recovered from a left ankle sprain he suffered in week two to play the Vikings, and had five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown.
In the build-up to the game, there was trade speculation over the 31-year-old, with LA reportedly approaching teams about him before the November 5 deadline, but McVay was quick to shut down the idea.
"I'm really glad to have Cooper Kupp back with us and I expect it to stay that way," McVay said.
"Teams reached out," he added when asked about the trade speculation. "Some of the things that I've seen out there, they're just not true.
"We've addressed that with those individuals. Teams have called about him, and we let him know what the dialogue was there. And then there's a lot of stuff out there where there's not a lot of accountability to the reports. And that's unfortunate."
Nacua, meanwhile, was only activated to play on Thursday, having recovered sooner than expected from a posterior cruciate ligament in week one.
He led the team with seven catches for 106 yards on nine targets, making it his eighth career game (out of 19 played) with 100 receiving yards.
Overall, McVay was pleased with the spark that the pair's return provided to the team.
"There's a confidence, there's a comfort, there's a rapport that's been established with Matthew [Stafford] and Cooper over the years and then Puka and Matthew last year and then leading into this season," McVay added.
"And so, these guys are ballers. Matthew brought out the best in everybody. But I thought Puka and Cooper were ready to go. They made an impact."
Rams get receivers Kupp, Nacua back in win over Vikings
Cooper Kupp caught a touchdown pass and Puka Nacua had 106 yards receiving in their returns from lengthy injury absences, and Matthew Stafford passed for 279 yards and four TDs in the Los Angeles Rams ' 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
Demarcus Robinson caught two TD passes from Stafford as the Rams (3-4) won back-to-back games for the first time this season with 386 yards from an offence that looked exponentially more dangerous with its top two receivers back in uniform.
After missing the previous five games, Nacua had seven catches while posting the eighth 100-yard game of his short career. Kupp returned from a four-game absence with five catches for 51 yards, including a 27-yard grab for a key first down late in the fourth quarter.
Kyren Williams rushed for 97 yards and caught an early TD pass for the Rams. Robinson caught a 25-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to put Los Angeles ahead, and he caught a 10-yard TD throw with 6:17 to play for a 28-20 lead.
Sam Darnold passed for 240 yards for the Vikings (5-2), who followed up their first loss of the season with an ineffective defensive performance.
Justin Jefferson had eight receptions for 115 yards, while Josh Oliver and Trent Sherfield caught TD passes from Darnold. Minnesota was held to two field goals in the final three quarters.
Chiefs land Hopkins in trade with Titans
Another star wide receiver is on the move, as NFL.com reported on Wednesday that the Kansas City Chiefs are finalising a trade with the Tennessee Titans for five-time Pro Bowl selection DeAndre Hopkins.
The Titans will reportedly receive a fifth-round draft pick that can become a fourth-rounder if certain conditions are met. Tennessee will also retain some of Hopkins' remaining salary to facilitate the trade.
Hopkins, who recorded his seventh career 1,000-yard season in 2023, fills an obvious need for the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who have been hit hard by injuries at the wide receiver position.
Kansas City lost top wideout Rashee Rice to a season-ending right knee injury in Week 4 and is also without projected starter Hollywood Brown, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and aiming to return for the playoffs. Veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster is also currently sidelined after injuring his hamstring in the Chiefs' win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Hopkins has just 15 catches totalling 173 yards and one touchdown in six games this season while hindered by the 1–5 Titans' instability at quarterback, but bounced back from a pair of injury-plagued campaigns during his first season in Tennessee in 2023. The three-time All-Pro registered 75 receptions for 1,057 yards with seven touchdowns while playing in all 17 games.
The 32-year-old missed a total of 15 games over the course of the 2021 and 2022 seasons while then with the Arizona Cardinals. Hopkins dealt with hamstring and knee injuries in 2021 and sat out the first six games of 2022 while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Tennessee signed Hopkins, who spent his first seven seasons with the Houston Texans from 2013-19, to a two-year, $26 million contract following his release by the Cardinals in May 2023.
The 6–0 Chiefs are the NFL's lone unbeaten team this season despite an offence that's lacked consistency. Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has just one 300-yard passing game thus far and has thrown more interceptions (eight) than touchdown passes (six).
Hopkins became the third accomplished veteran wide receiver to be traded in just over a week. The New York Jets acquired six-time Pro Bowl honouree Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 15, and the Buffalo Bills swung a deal with the Cleveland Browns for Amari Cooper the same day.
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