Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Denver Broncos and move to 3-0 on the season. With that victory, the Chargers remained in first place in their division and are the only team in the AFC West with a winning record.
This one was a battle between two of the better defenses in the NFL. After the opening drive field goal that the Chargers kicked to go up 3-0, these teams combined for six punts and an interception on their next seven series. There were only 70 yards of offense in the first quarter of this game.
Los Angeles broke this game open in the second frame. They cobbled together a ten-play, 54-yard drive that ended with a rushing touchdown by first-round draft pick Omarion Hampton. That was the first career TD of any kind for Hampton in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos had no problem coming up with a response. On a 4th and 2 with 46 seconds left in the first half, quarterback Bo Nix hit wide receiver Courtland Sutton in stride for a 52-yard touchdown to narrow the gap and make it 10-7 going into the third quarter.
Denver looked fantastic to start the second half. J.K. Dobbins picked up 41 yards on the ground on the first offensive play of the third quarter. Two plays later, he scampered into the end zone from 19 yards out to give the Broncos their first lead of the day, 14-10.
Disaster struck on the ensuing kickoff. A Chargers fumble was picked up by the Denver Broncos, giving them the ball deep in LA’s territory. Though Los Angeles’ defense wouldn’t allow the Broncos to pick up a first down, they kicked a field goal to go up 17-10.
The Bolts had a chance to tie things up, but failed to do so. With a 1st and goal from Denver’s six yard line, the Broncos held firm and didn’t allow the Chargers to gain one more yard. Instead, they took a field goal from 24 yards out to make it 17-13.
The Broncos made a risky decision to once again go for it on 4th down early in the final quarter. They picked up 22 yards on that play to get back into LA’s red zone. Yet again, a drive stalled in the red zone, so Denver elected to kick a field goal and go up 20-13. These teams were 2/5 combined in the red zone today.
With 2:37 left in the game, Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 20-yard touchdown to tie the game 20-20. With that reception, Allen has a TD catch in every game this season.
Following a Denver punt, the Chargers got the ball back with a chance to take the lead with 1:43 left on the clock. Justin Herbert completed three straight passes to pick up 24 yards. A few plays later, Herbert connected with wideout Ladd McConkey for another 12 yards. With five ticks left on the clock, LA hit a 43-yard field goal for the walk-off win.
New Orleans Saints @ Seattle Seahawks
This one was never in question as the Seattle Seahawks crushed the New Orleans Saints at home 44-13. This was the most points the Seahawks have scored in a single game since October 2nd, 2022, when they beat the Detroit Lions 48-45.
The Seahawks got out to a fast start. After forcing a turnover on downs on the opening drive of the game, Seattle scored a touchdown in 2:32 to go up 7-0.
The Seahawks would score again, quickly. Seattle’s rookie wide receiver Tory Horton returned a Saints punt 95 yards for a touchdown. That is the longest punt-return TD in Seahawks history.
Special teams again hurt the Saints. New Orleans’ next punt after the TD was blocked and picked up by the Seahawks in the red zone. Two plays later, Seattle punched the ball into the end zone for a 21-0 advantage.
The Saints finally got on the board with a field goal. However, Seattle scored another touchdown in less than two minutes to go up 28-3. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 218 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Kenneth Walker III continued his Pro Bowl campaign with 50 scrimmage yards and two rushing touchdowns. His second-quarter TD put Seattle in front 35-3.
Spencer Rattler was efficient today. He completed 28 of 39 passes for 218 yards, a touchdown, an interception, and ten rushing yards. His TD pass cut the lead to 44-13, but it would be meaningless when all is said and done.
Dallas Cowboys @ Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears won their first game of the Ben Johnson era, outscoring the Dallas Cowboys 17-0 after the second quarter for a 31-14 win.
In a game that was expected to feature a ton of offense, the defense looked good to get things started. Chicago had a three-and-out. After that, Dallas fumbled the ball away.
From there, it was an offensive spectacle. Quarterback Caleb Williams hit wideout Rome Odunze for a 35-yard touchdown pass to go up 7-0. That is Odunze’s league-leading fourth TD catch of the season.
The Cowboys responded with a field goal, but the Bears didn’t care. They executed a perfect flea-flicker on their next offensive play, which led to a 65-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Luther Burden III, his first TD at the NFL level. That score made it 14-3 late in the first quarter, but the Cowboys kicked another field goal to make it 14-6.
After a quick three-and-out by the Bears, Dallas found the end zone again. Wide receiver George Pickens made a one-handed catch from two yards out to bring the score to 14-12. The Cowboys were also successful on the two-point conversion, which means this one was tied at 14 in the second quarter.
Chicago wasn’t satisfied with the tie. On a 3rd and 9, running back D’Andre Swift picked up 41 yards on a catch-and-run to move the ball into Dallas’ territory. However, the drive tapered out after the Bears made it into the red zone, so Chicago settled for a field goal as well as a 17-14 lead.
The Bears would get on the board one more time before the break. Caleb Williams found Luther Burden III again, this time for 29 yards. One play later, Williams hit a wide-open Cole Kmet for a ten-yard touchdown. That allowed the Bears to go into halftime ahead 24-14.
The scoring resumed late in the third quarter. The Bears put together a 19-play drive that ended with a four-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Moore to increase the lead to 31-14. That was the longest drive by any team in the NFL this season.
A well-placed pass by quarterback Dak Prescott bounced off the hands of a receiver. It was snagged by a diving Bears defender for the game’s second turnover. Prescott finished with 251 passing yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.
Despite the 17-point deficit, the Cowboys refused to surrender. Dallas picked up 91 yards and made it all the way down to Chicago’s one yard line. However, on a 4th and goal, Prescott threw his second interception of the day, which put an end to this one.
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers orchestrated a ten-play, 63-yard drive that allowed them to kick a field goal as time expired to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 16-15. With that win, the 49ers have taken sole possession of first place in the NFC West.
There wasn’t a whole lot of offense in the first two quarters of this game. The Cards missed a field goal on the first drive of the day. After that, there were three consecutive punts until some points were put up on the board.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray completed a 17-yard pass to tight end Trey McBride in the second quarter. That eventually led to a 34-yard field goal to give Arizona a 3-0 lead after their drive stalled out in the red zone.
The 49ers answered back. They put together a ten-play, 49-yard drive that resulted in a field goal and a 3-3 tie. Just like the Cards, San Fran’s drive died out in the red zone.
Just before the break, the Niners had a 15-play, 63-yard drive that ended in a field goal, allowing San Francisco to go into halftime ahead 6-3.
The field goal fun kept up in the third quarter. After forcing a punt on their first drive of the second half, the Cardinals cobbled together a 15-play, 77-yard series that led to a field goal to tie the game. Second-year running back Trey Benson ran for 29 yards on that drive.
The game’s first touchdown didn’t come until there were 10:50 left in the fourth quarter. After connecting with wideout Ricky Pearsall for a 34-yard pass, the Niners got a touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 13-6 advantage.
Arizona answered right back. After a 32-yard pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. and a 33-yard defensive pass interference penalty, the Cardinals found themselves on San Fran’s one yard line. Two plays later, tight end Trey McBride caught his first touchdown pass of the season for a 13-13 tie in the fourth quarter.
Arizona’s new look pass rush played a huge role in this one. While Niners quarterback Mac Jones was avoiding defenders, San Francisco was penalized for holding in their own end zone. As a result, the Cardinals were awarded a two-point safety and a 15-13 lead.
The 49ers got the ball back with 1:46 left in the game. That was all they needed to earn the victory. San Fran moved the ball 63 yards and kicked a walk-off field goal for the win.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
