London (AFP) – San Francisco scored three touchdowns off Seattle turnovers and the unbeaten 49ers edged the reigning Super Bowl champions 32-29 on Sunday, while Minnesota improved to 5-0 as well. Eddy Pineiro’s 44-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining gave the 49ers the final margin, and San Francisco’s defense forced a turnover on downs with 47 seconds remaining to beat their NFC West division rival. Thirty-eight points—21 by the Niners—were scored off seven turnovers, four by Seattle, marking the most in an NFL game since 2017.
Mike Evans caught seven passes for 113 yards, including a two-yard touchdown toss from Brock Purdy after a Renardo Green interception and a crucial two-point conversion. “Toughness and heart,” Evans said. “We’ve got a locker room full of those guys. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. They’re a great team. We showed we’re a great team as well.”
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Fred Warner knocked loose a fumble by Emanuel Wilson that Malik Mustapha recovered one play before Christian McCaffrey ran for a San Francisco touchdown. Gracen Halton recovered a George Holani fumble in the end zone to give the 49ers a 21-13 halftime lead. Seattle’s Nehemiah Pritchett picked off Purdy to set up Sam Darnold’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaxson Smith-Njigba, giving Seattle a 23-21 lead. Purdy flipped a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks and the conversion to Evans for a 29-26 49ers’ lead, only for Jason Myers to equalize from 40 yards on his fifth field goal, setting up the final drama.
The Minnesota Vikings stayed undefeated with a 23-13 triumph at New Orleans. Justin Jefferson snagged a superb touchdown catch under triple coverage, and Aaron Jones ran for 113 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. Also undefeated are the Kansas City Chiefs (4-0), who are idle this week. An epic overtime blunder by Washington resulted in a 27-27 tie with the New York Giants. After recovering a Giants fumble deep in Washington territory, the Commanders made a final drive, but Jayden Daniels was stopped on a late run rather than throwing an incompletion to halt the clock. Washington, with no timeouts, could not prevent time from running out before setting up a field goal attempt. “Leaving with a tie feels like a loss,” said Commanders coach Dan Quinn, whose team led 27-13. “We have to stop the clock,” Daniels said. “Ultimately, it’s on me.”
Cam Little kicked a 57-yard field goal on the final play to give Jacksonville a 19-17 victory over Philadelphia in London. Jake Elliott booted a 48-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to lift Philadelphia ahead 17-16, but Ameer Abdullah raced 53 yards on the ensuing kickoff return and was tackled with one second remaining to set up Little’s kick. “It was just a roller coaster,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said. “It was pretty crazy.”
The Green Bay Packers thumped arch-rivals Chicago 31-7 as Jordan Love completed 25-of-31 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns, while the Bears surrendered five turnovers. New England routed visiting Las Vegas 45-17, as Drake Maye completed 26-of-34 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score. Aaron Rodgers threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns as host Pittsburgh beat Indianapolis 34-22.
In other games, Detroit’s Jared Goff threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another, while Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns in Detroit’s 45-21 romp at Arizona. Braelon Allen ran for 116 yards and the winning fourth-quarter touchdown to power the New York Jets over Cleveland 17-12. Bo Nix threw for one touchdown and J.K. Dobbins ran for another as visiting Denver beat the winless Los Angeles Chargers 23-17. The Houston Texans, who landed receiver Marin Harrison in a trade with Arizona, snapped their winless streak with a 26-3 victory over Tennessee. The hapless Titans sank to 0-5, as did the Miami Dolphins, who fell 31-24 to the Cincinnati Bengals.
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