Chiefs win Super Bowl rematch and last undefeated team, Saquon Barkley has huge game against Giants: NFL Week 7 Sunday review | CNN
It was a week of huge match-ups between winning teams and Week 7 did not disappoint in terms of drama.
One franchise lost for the first time, the other maintained its undefeated record and there were some major injury setbacks.
The day's action opened with the Jacksonville Jaguars getting a crucial win over the New England Patriots in the final game of the season in London.
Here are the key storylines from Sunday's action:
It was billed as the game of the week and it did not disappoint in terms of drama.
In a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII, the Kansas City Chiefs were once again victorious against the San Francisco 49ers, this time winning by a score of 28–18.
It certainly wasn't an offensive classic as both teams dealt with mounting injuries — the 49ers lost both wide receivers DeBo Samuel and Brandon Ayuk in Sunday's game — but as they've shown all season, the Chiefs were able to find a way to win. .
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 16-of-27 passes for 154 yards with no touchdown passes and two interceptions. He did run for the score though.
Mahomes was bailed out by a dynamic running attack, as Kansas City totaled 184 rushing yards, including 78 yards and two touchdowns by Kareem Hunt and another score by Mecole Hardman Jr.
With the offense struggling, it was once again left up to the defense to step up, as they intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy three times.
Afterward, Mahomes said that, despite the win, there's plenty to improve on for the Chiefs, who remain the only team in the NFL still undefeated.
“You get the best of the best and that prepares you for the playoffs. I think that's the biggest thing,” he told reporters. “Obviously it's fun to win and score a lot of points but, whenever you play in these high, exciting moments against the great teams in the NFL, you see where you're at.
“And we were able to find a way to get a win today, our defense played with great integrity and offensively, we were able to run the ball and find a way to the endzone, but I think we can. So we're going to keep working on it and try to get better as the season goes on.”
The Niners slipped to 3-4 as injuries continued for San Francisco. For an offense already missing Christian McCaffrey, losing Samuel and Ayuk midway through Sunday's game meant Purdy was dealing with a skill player he wasn't used to.
And it was clear to see that he often made mistakes with his throws, struggling to find his receivers.
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he was “concerned” that Ayuk suffered an ACL injury when he was tackled midway through the second quarter.
According to the NFL, the 49ers are 0-40 when trailing by eight or more points in the fourth quarter in games under Shanahan and are the only team without a win in that situation.
All eyes were on Saquon Barkley as the Philadelphia Eagles made the short trip north to face the New York Giants in East Rutherford.
After being the face of the Giants for so long after being consistently traded from New York in the offseason, it was the running back's first time playing against his former team.
Barkley was welcomed back to MetLife Stadium by Giants fans, as he now wears the jersey of the team's toughest rival. As he entered the stadium, some fans burned his jersey.
“It was crazy,” Barkley said after the Eagles won 28-3. “I've seen my jersey burnt before on social media, but this time. I'm locking in, I'm listening to my music, and I see the fans, and all I see is the fans just pointing, and I look and I'm like what are they pointing? I see the smoke and I'm just like: 'Where's my jersey?'
“It was definitely different. I don't know if I've ever felt anything like it in my life and, hopefully, I never will again, but at that moment, I was ready for a third and one. That's all I'll say.”
Despite all the animosity, Barkley flourished upon his return to New York and showed the team that drafted him second in 2018 what it had been missing.
The 27-year-old rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries through three quarters. With the Eagles leading by 25 points, Barkley was pulled from the game.
The running back continually sliced through the Giants' porous run defense, tearing off runs of 55, 38 and 41 yards as he looked increasingly upbeat, even exchanging words with his former New York teammates.
According to the NFL, his 176 rushing yards are the second most in NFL history against their former team after Cincinnati Bengals RB Cedric Benson rushed for 189 against the Chicago Bears in Week 7 of the 2009 season.
His return to East Rutherford to face the Giants was the dominant storyline for the matchup, but now Barkley says he's ready to move on.
“To be honest, I'm very happy to finish this game,” he said. “Like I've always said, I'm thankful for the (Giants) organization. They are the team that drafted me. I still have nothing but love and respect for the guys there.
“I'm happy to be an Eagle and most importantly, today we won the division. It's one division rival, and now, it's on to the next.”
On the other end, QB Daniel Jones was benched in the fourth quarter after throwing for just 99 yards and it was a disappointing outing for the Giants.
But head coach Brian Double said after the game that the switch was intended to create a “spark” and that Jones is still the team's starter.
“Daniel will be the quarterback going forward. But obviously, we weren't aggressive enough. There were hardly any yards. No point.”
A late field goal gives the Packers a win over Houston and sinks the Vikings for the first time.
Sunday's two big games involve NFC North teams and both come down to the wire.
In Minneapolis, the Detroit Lions ended the Minnesota Vikings' undefeated start to the season with a 31-29 win after Jake Bates' 44-yard field goal gave them a two-point lead with just 15 seconds left.
It came after a topsy-turvy game that featured moments of brilliance from both offense and defense between the two playoff hopefuls.
The Vikings took a 10-point lead thanks to a turnover by the Detroit offense, but the Lions roared back, taking a 28-17 lead on runs by Jahmir Gibbs and receiver Ammon with less than six minutes left in the third quarter. -Ra St. Brown and Califf Raymond all provided big scoring plays.
But Minnesota clawed its way back into the game with two field goals by Will Reichardt and a 36-yard fumble return touchdown by Evan Pace Jr. Vikings QB Sam Darnold's two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the door open for Detroit.
And not to be denied by the Lions, driving into Minnesota territory allowed Bates to win the game with his legs; The team went 5-1 and handed the Vikings their first loss of the year.
“We've had five NFL games with him and when you see him every day at practice and you give him the crowd noise and clear the space and I'm yelling at him and you're just applying pressure and you look at him and he's after Lions head coach Dan Campbell Betts. said
At the same time, the Green Bay Packers were pulling off their own dramatic win thanks to last-second heroics from their kicker.
Brandon McManus, who the Packers signed earlier in the week, made a 45-yard field goal as time expired to give Green Bay a hard-fought 24-22 victory over the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field.
It was a game where both quarterbacks had their struggles, with Green Bay's Jordan Love throwing two interceptions and Houston's C.J. Stroud passing for just 86 yards as both defenses reigned supreme.
One moment of note though was connecting with running back Josh Jacobs for an eight-yard score early in the third quarter. It was Jacobs' first career receiving touchdown, ending a streak of 211 receptions without a TD, only Thomas Jones has the longer streak in NFL history.
Jacobs' opposing running back Joe Mixon also had an impressive outing, rushing for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries to keep the Texans in the game.
In the end, though, after Houston took a one-point lead with one minute and 44 seconds left, McManus was the game-winner in just his fifth day at Wisconsin.
Away @ Home (Winners in Bold)
New England Patriots 16-32 Jacksonville Jaguars
Seattle Seahawks 34-14 Atlanta Falcons
Tennessee Titans 10-34 Buffalo Bill
Cincinnati Bengals 21-14 Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans 22-24 Green Bay Packers
Miami Dolphins 10-16 Indianapolis Colts
Detroit Lions 31-29 Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles 28-3 New York Giants
Las Vegas Raiders 15-20 Los Angeles Rams
Carolina Panthers 7-40 Washington Commander
Kansas City Chiefs 28-18 San Francisco 49ers
New York Jets 15-37 Pittsburgh Steelers