NFL Sunday Week 7 Recap: Chiefs Win Super Bowl Rematch to Become Last Undefeated Team, Saquon Barkley Sets Huge Rematch Game Against Giants

CNN
—

It was a week of huge matches between the winning teams, and week seven did not disappoint in terms of drama.

One team lost for the first time, another maintained an undefeated record, and there were several serious injuries.

The day’s events began with the Jacksonville Jaguars winning a decisive victory over the New England Patriots in the final game of the season in London.

Here are the main storylines from Sunday’s action:

It was announced as Game of the Week and did not disappoint in terms of drama.

In a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII, the Kansas City Chiefs again defeated the San Francisco 49ers, this time winning 28-18.

It certainly wasn’t a classic offensive game as both teams are plagued by mounting injuries – the 49ers lost both receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk in Sunday’s game – but as they’ve shown all season, the Chiefs are simply capable of finding way to win. .

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 16 of 27 passes for 154 yards with no touchdown passes and two interceptions. However, he ran for the score.

Mahomes was saved by a dynamic running attack as Kansas City totaled 184 yards, including 78 yards and two touchdowns from Kareem Hunt and another from Mecole Hardman Jr.

With the offense struggling, the defense had to step up again as they intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy three times.

Afterward, Mahomes said that despite the win, the Chiefs have work to do, the only team left in the NFL yet to lose.

“You get the best of the best and that prepares you for the playoffs. I think that’s the most important thing,” he told reporters. “Of course it’s fun to win and score a lot of points, but whenever you play in those tight moments against great teams in the NFL, you see where you are.

“And today we can find a way to get a win, our defense continues to play especially honest and on offense we can run the ball and find a way to get into the end zone, but I think we can get a lot better. So we’re going to keep working on it and keep trying to get better as the season goes on.”

The Niners drop to 3-4 as San Francisco’s injuries continue to pile up. With Christian McCaffrey already missing from the offense, losing Samuel and Aiyuk midway through Sunday’s game meant Purdy had to work with a group of experienced players he was unaccustomed to.

And it was clear to see as he often mistimed his throws while 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 points or more in the fourth quarter in games under Shanahan and are the only team without a win in that scenario.

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 abruptly traded from New York in the offseason after being the face of the Giants for so long, it was the running back’s first time playing against his former team.

Giants fans welcomed Barkley to MetLife Stadium to boos as he now wears the jersey of one of the team’s fiercest rivals. Some fans burned his jersey when he arrived at the stadium.

“It was crazy,” Barkley said after the Eagles’ 28-3 win. “I’ve already seen my shirt get burned on social media, but it was timely. I’m locked up and I’m listening to my music and I see fans and all I see are fans just pointing and I look and I’m like, what are they pointing at? I see smoke and ask, “Where is my T-shirt?”

“It was definitely different. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced anything like this in my life, and I hope I never experience it again, but at that moment I was ready for third-and-one. I’ll just say it.”

Despite all the animosity, Barkley thrived upon his return to New York and showed the team that drafted him second overall in 2018 what it was missing.

The 27-year-old rushed for 176 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the three quarters he played. With the Eagles leading by 25 points, Barkley left the game.

The running back continually sliced ​​through the Giants’ porous defense with runs of 55, 38 and 41 yards, while he appeared increasingly inspired and even exchanged words with some of his former New York teammates.

His 176 yards are the second-most in NFL history by a player against their former team, behind Cincinnati Bengals RB Cedric Benson’s 189 yards against the Chicago Bears in Week 7 of the 2009 season, according to the NFL.

His return to East Rutherford to face the Giants was a major storyline leading up to this matchup, but now Barkley says he’s ready to move on.

“Honestly, I’m so glad this game is over,” he said. “As I have always said, I am grateful to the Giants organization. This is the team that chose me. I still have nothing but love and respect for these guys.

“I’m excited to be an Eagle and most importantly we won the division today. It’s a division contender and now it’s moving on to the next one.”

On the other hand, it was a disappointing outing for the Giants, as starting QB Daniel Jones was benched in the fourth quarter after throwing for just 99 yards.

But head coach Brian Daboll said after the game that the change was meant to provide a “spark” and that Jones remains the team’s starter.

“Daniel will be a defender in the future. But it’s obvious that we didn’t do enough offensively. There were almost no yards. No glasses.”

Late field goals lifted the Packers to victory over Houston and sinking the Vikings for the first time.

Sunday’s two big games featured NFC North teams, and both went to the wire.

In Minneapolis, the Detroit Lions ended the Minnesota Vikings’ undefeated start to the season with a 31–29 victory after Jake Bates’ 44-yard field goal gave them a two-point lead with 15 seconds left.

It came after a topsy-turvy game that saw moments of brilliance both offensively and defensively between the two playoff contenders.

The Vikings jumped out to a 10-point lead thanks to Detroit’s offensive turnovers, but the Lions came roaring back to take a 28-17 lead with just under six minutes left in the third quarter with running back Jameer Gibbs and wide receiver Amon. -Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond are all playing productively.

But Minnesota got back into the game thanks to two field goals from Will Reichard and a 36-yard return touchdown to Ivan Pace Jr. A two-point conversion attempt from Vikings QB Sam Darnold failed, leaving the door open for Detroit.

And the Lions were not to be denied, driving into Minnesota territory and allowing Bates to win the game with his leg; the team moved to 5–1 and handed the Vikings their first loss of the year.

“We’ve been through five NFL games with him and when you see him every day at practice, you give him crowd noise and move the spot and I yell at him and you just put pressure on him and watch him and he keeps making those shots. , you feel pretty good when he’s under pressure (late for duty),” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Bates afterward.

Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers pulled off a dramatic victory of their own thanks to the last-second heroics of their kicker.

Brandon McManus, who the Packers signed earlier this week, kicked 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 in which both quarterbacks struggled, with Green Bay’s Jordan Love throwing two interceptions and Houston’s C.J. Stroud passing for just 86 yards as both defenses dominated.

There was a notable moment, however, when Love connected with running back Josh Jacobs for an eight-yard score early in the third quarter. It was Jacobs’ first career touchdown reception, ending a streak of 211 receptions without a touchdown, with only Thomas Jones having a longer streak in NFL history.

Jacobs running back Joe Mixon was also impressive, rushing for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries as the Texans stayed in the game.

In the end, after Houston took a one-point lead in a minute and 44 seconds, it was McManus who emerged victorious in just his fifth day in Wisconsin.

Away @ Home (winners in bold)

New England Patriots 16-32 Jacksonville Jaguars

Seattle Seahawks 34-14 Atlanta Falcons

Tennessee Titans 10-34 Buffalo Bills

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 commanders

Kansas City Chiefs 28–18 San Francisco 49ers

New York Jets 15-37 Pittsburgh Steelers