The Seattle Seahawks handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first defeat of the season, while the Cincinnati Bengals mounted a stunning second-half comeback against Baltimore in a busy NFL weekend.
Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Carolina Panthers in Baker Mayfield’s return, the Cleveland Browns secured a dramatic last-second victory over Tennessee, and the Miami Dolphins finally earned their first win of the campaign. The Detroit Lions also edged the Green Bay Packers with a field goal as time expired.
Kansas City Chiefs 3–20 Seattle Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba delivered a standout performance with nine receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown as Seattle’s defense stifled Kansas City’s offense in a 20–3 victory.
Sam Darnold threw for 257 yards and a touchdown to help the Seahawks (4-3) snap a two-game losing streak. Emanuel added 100 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
The Chiefs (5-1) struggled to generate offense. Patrick Mahomes finished with 165 passing yards and an interception, while Kansas City managed only 213 total yards, including 50 on the ground.
Kenneth Walker III, who won Super Bowl MVP with Seattle last season before joining Kansas City in the offseason, was limited to 36 yards on 14 carries. He entered the game averaging a league-leading 133 rushing yards per contest.
Seattle’s defense extended its impressive streak of not allowing a 100-yard individual rusher to 36 games, the longest active run in the NFL.
Travis Kelce provided one of the few positive moments for Kansas City, recording four catches to reach 1,104 career receptions. The milestone moved him past Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter into fifth place on the NFL’s all-time receptions list.
Atlanta Falcons 29–20 San Francisco 49ers
Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes, and Atlanta capitalized on four San Francisco turnovers to hand the 49ers their first loss of the season.
The Falcons scored 13 points off those giveaways, with rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels intercepting Brock Purdy and recovering a fumble by George Kittle.
Penix connected with Nick Muse, Kyle Pitts and Drake London for touchdowns as Atlanta ended a two-game losing streak.
San Francisco faced additional offensive challenges when running back Christian McCaffrey missed much of the first half with a thigh injury. Purdy threw two interceptions as the 49ers struggled to overcome their mistakes.
Minnesota Vikings 16–10 Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota remained unbeaten at 6-0 after its defense delivered another decisive performance in a 16–10 victory over Indianapolis.
Safety Harrison Smith sealed the result with a late interception, while linebacker Blake Cashman consistently disrupted Daniel Jones. Cashman recorded 12 tackles, two sacks, four passes defended and three quarterback hits.
The Vikings won despite limited production from their offense, continuing to rely on a defense that has repeatedly rescued them from slow starts.
Indianapolis dropped to 2-5. Jones completed 13 passes for 108 yards and was sacked four times for a combined loss of 44 yards. Colts kicker Spencer Shrader also missed two second-half field goals.
Detroit Lions 20–17 Green Bay Packers
Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired to lift Detroit over Green Bay in a dramatic NFC North matchup.
The Lions improved to 4-2 and recorded their first winning streak of two games this season. They moved into third place in the division, behind Minnesota and Chicago.
Green Bay’s three-game winning streak came to an end, leaving the Packers at 4-3 and in last place in the NFC North. Penalties proved costly for the Packers, who also saw kicker Trey Smack miss two field goals.
Bates’ last-second kick gave Detroit a crucial divisional victory and denied Green Bay a chance to extend its recent run of success.
Denver Broncos 30–16 Arizona Cardinals
Denver used explosive plays and a relentless defensive effort to beat Arizona and improve to 5-2.
Bo Nix broke free for a 62-yard rushing touchdown, while RJ Harvey turned a short screen pass into a 52-yard score. The Broncos’ defense added three sacks and 12 quarterback hits, putting consistent pressure on the Cardinals.
Nix’s long touchdown run late in the second quarter helped Denver establish a 13–6 advantage. Arizona narrowed the gap to 20–13 in the third quarter, but the Broncos responded with a 76-yard touchdown drive to regain control.
The loss dropped the Cardinals to 2-5 and extended their streak of home defeats to 10 games.
Los Angeles Rams 35–21 Las Vegas Raiders
Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes as the Rams built a commanding early lead and defeated the struggling Raiders.
Los Angeles surged ahead 28–3 in the second quarter and finished with 386 total yards, ending a two-game losing streak to improve to 3-4.
Stafford completed 23 of 29 passes for 195 yards and an interception. Blake Corum contributed 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns, completing 26 of 44 passes. However, the Raiders could not recover from their early deficit.
The Raiders fell to 3-4 after suffering their fourth consecutive defeat. Their rushing attack produced just 48 yards on 17 carries, forcing the offense to rely heavily on the passing game during the second half.
Miami Dolphins 28–25 New York Jets
The Miami Dolphins finally broke through for their first victory of the season, holding off the New York Jets in a 28–25 win.
Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as Miami avoided an 0-6 start. The victory was also the first for head coach Jeff Hafley with the Dolphins.
Miami scored on its opening two drives and controlled much of the contest before the Jets mounted a late challenge. Willis helped seal the result by converting a fourth-and-1 situation to keep the Dolphins in possession.
Geno Smith threw three touchdown passes and an interception for New York, but the Jets’ comeback fell short. They dropped to 2-5, while Miami earned a much-needed boost after its difficult start.
Pittsburgh Steelers 16–10 New Orleans Saints
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16–10 in the NFL’s first regular-season game played in France.
Aaron Rodgers threw one touchdown pass and completed 19 of 30 attempts for 212 yards. He also scrambled for an important first down late in the fourth quarter as Pittsburgh secured its third consecutive victory.
Running back Jaylen Warren led the Steelers with 101 rushing yards, while kicker Chris Boswell contributed three field goals.
Pittsburgh improved to 5-2, with linebacker Payton Wilson providing a key defensive moment by intercepting Tyler Shough in the red zone during the third quarter.
New Orleans struggled to establish its ground game, finishing with only 18 rushing yards. The Saints fell to 2-5 and could not find a way back into the contest.
New York Giants 27–21 Houston Texans (OT)
Devin Singletary scored a 30-yard touchdown run in overtime to give the New York Giants a dramatic victory over Houston.
The Giants improved to 4-2-1 after their defense stopped the Texans on their opening overtime possession. Houston went three-and-out, setting up New York’s game-winning drive.
Cam Skattebo was instrumental in the victory, rushing for 124 yards on 17 carries. He scored on a 16-yard run in the fourth quarter before breaking loose for a 42-yard gain that set up Singletary’s decisive touchdown.
Quarterback JJ McCarthy completed 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards in his first start of the season. Coach John Harbaugh had benched Jameis Winston before the game.
Houston fell to 2-5 after failing to capitalize on its first possession in overtime. Giants defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux nearly intercepted a pass during the drive before New York forced the Texans to punt.
Cincinnati Bengals 35–13 Baltimore Ravens
Joe Burrow threw four second-half touchdown passes as Cincinnati overturned a 13-point deficit to beat Baltimore and hand the Ravens another painful divisional defeat.
The Ravens controlled the first half but managed only 13 points despite their early dominance. Their inability to convert opportunities into touchdowns left the door open for Cincinnati’s comeback.
Burrow and the Bengals took advantage after halftime, scoring 35 unanswered points to complete the turnaround and improve their position following a difficult opening period.
Baltimore was without Lamar Jackson and suffered its second consecutive divisional loss. The defeat also continued a troubling pattern: the Ravens have repeatedly struggled to maintain their early leads this season.
Baltimore’s first-half scoring margin has been strong, but its second-half performances have been costly. The team has outscored opponents by 65 points before halftime this season while being outscored by 70 after the break.
Cleveland Browns 27–24 Tennessee Titans
Andre Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal as time expired gave Cleveland a dramatic 27–24 win over Tennessee, extending the Browns’ strong run of form.
Deshaun Watson engineered another late scoring drive, connecting with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 36-yard catch-and-run to put Cleveland in position for the decisive kick.
Watson threw for 308 yards and added a rushing touchdown. Quinshon Judkins contributed 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while rookie receiver KC Concepcion enjoyed his best performance yet with eight catches for 129 yards.
The victory marked Watson’s fifth game-winning fourth-quarter drive of the season and gave Cleveland its fifth win in six games.
Tennessee had hoped to record consecutive victories for the first time in nearly four years, but the Titans were left disappointed by the late field goal.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 43–13 Carolina Panthers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers overwhelmed the Carolina Panthers 43–13 as Baker Mayfield returned from injury and watched his teammates dominate on the ground and on defense.
Mayfield had missed the previous three games with a dislocated right thumb. Wearing a protective glove, he attempted only 11 passes for 64 yards as Tampa Bay relied on its running game and defensive pressure to take control.
Bucky Irving rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while the Buccaneers forced four turnovers. Tampa Bay finished with 258 rushing yards, making it difficult for Carolina to stay competitive.
The win continued Mayfield’s strong record against his former team, improving him to 7-1 against the Panthers overall and 6-1 since joining Tampa Bay.
For Carolina, the heavy defeat highlighted the challenge of containing Tampa Bay’s balanced attack. The Buccaneers’ dominant performance ensured Mayfield’s return ended with a convincing victory.
NFL Weekend Takeaways
Seattle’s defense delivered one of the weekend’s biggest statements by shutting down Kansas City and ending the Chiefs’ unbeaten start. Cincinnati’s second-half surge against Baltimore was another major storyline, exposing the Ravens’ continued difficulty protecting leads after halftime.
Meanwhile, Minnesota maintained its perfect record, Detroit snatched a divisional win at the final second, and Miami finally got its first victory. Cleveland also continued its recent momentum with a last-play field goal.
With divisional races tightening and several teams searching for consistency, the weekend provided another reminder that defensive turnovers, late-game execution and explosive plays can quickly change the direction of an NFL season.
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