Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Michael Penix threw for three touchdowns and the Atlanta defense forced four turnovers as the Falcons beat San Francisco 29-20 to deal the 49ers their first defeat of the NFL season on Sunday. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy was intercepted twice, George Kittle and Kaelon Black gave up fumbles, and a thigh injury to Christian McCaffrey further hindered the 49ers’ depleted receiving corps.
One week after he was stretchered off after taking a knee to the head, Atlanta’s rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels intercepted a Purdy pass intended for Jordan Watkins with 2:34 remaining and recovered Kittle’s fumble with less than a minute to go to secure their first home win of the season and improve to 3-4. “It was all complementary football,” Penix said. “Offense, defense, special teams, everybody played well today.” Penix connected with tight end Nick Muse for a touchdown to keep the Falcons within striking distance in the first half and hit Kyle Pitts for a TD that put Atlanta ahead in the third quarter. He found Drake London with a 21-yard touchdown pass in the fourth.
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McCaffrey had capped a 10-play, 64-yard opening drive with a one-yard touchdown leap on fourth down to give San Francisco a quick 7-0 lead. But he missed much of the first half with a thigh injury, and despite his return in the second half, the 49ers couldn’t come back. “Any time you have four turnovers like that and you get zero, it’s real tough to win,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Too sloppy to win.” While the 49ers fell to 6-1, the Minnesota Vikings remained unbeaten, holding the Indianapolis Colts scoreless in the second half in a 16-10 victory that saw them improve to 6-0. Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray threw a five-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson early in the fourth quarter, and Will Reichard kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:39 remaining. Minnesota’s Harrison Smith picked off Colts quarterback Daniel Jones in the final minute to preserve the win. It was the 40th career interception for the 15-year veteran. The Vikings remained as one of two unbeaten teams.
The Kansas City Chiefs were seeking to improve to 6-0 when they took on the Super Bowl champion Seahawks in Seattle.
**- Steelers win in Paris-**
Sunday’s action kicked off in Paris, where Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 212 yards and a milestone touchdown to lead the Steelers to a 16-10 victory over the New Orleans Saints in the league’s first regular-season game in the French capital. Rodgers hit Darnell Washington with a four-yard TD pass to give the Steelers a 10-3 lead late in the second quarter, his 540th regular-season touchdown pass moving him into solo third place on the all-time list ahead of Peyton Manning (539).
The Los Angeles Rams snapped a two-game skid in emphatic style, beating the Raiders 35-21 in Las Vegas. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. He became the franchise leader in scoring passes – an honor Stafford also holds with the Detroit Lions. “More importantly, happy for our guys,” Stafford said. “We’ve had some tough losses late in games this year, played good enough football to win games and hadn’t gotten it done… proud of our resolve and our ability to get the win.”
In Houston, Devin Singletary ran 30 yards for a touchdown in overtime to lift the New York Giants to a 27-21 upset win over the Texans. In Detroit, Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired to give the Lions a 20-17 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes in the second half as the Bengals rallied to beat the Ravens 35-13 in Baltimore. Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson piloted his fifth fourth-quarter game-winning drive of the season, capped by Andre Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal as time expired in the Browns’ 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. And the Miami Dolphins earned their first win of the season, beating the New York Jets 28-25 in New Jersey.
© 2024 AFP
