The Green Bay Packers underscored their status as potential NFC contenders with an overwhelming 45-27 win over the New England Patriots.
Green Bay won for the fifth time in its last six games behind a superb performance by quarterback Jordan Love, who threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns, with receiver Christian Watson passing for 171 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown catch.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was picked off three times as the defending AFC champions fell to 5-4, with the Packers improving to 6-3 in a fiercely competitive NFC North in which all teams have six wins before prime-time games for the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. The Detroit Lions improved to 6-2 with a 19-9 win over the lowly Miami Dolphins.
It’s the San Francisco 49ers who lead the way in the NFC after improving to 7-1, the best record in the NFLwith a 38-17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The 49ers suffered their first loss before the bye at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, but bounced back despite a somewhat sloppy showing against their former Bay Area rivals.
In fact, the margin of victory would have been less emphatic if it weren’t for the Raiders’ five turnovers, all of which came in the second half.
A Kirk Cousins pick-6 put the 49ers ahead 28-10, before the Raiders quarterback answered with a touchdown toss to Brock Bowers. After that score, however, each of the Raiders’ next four offensive drives ended in a turnover, with two drives on drives that reached the San Francisco 1-yard line.
Tight end Michael Mayer fumbled with a chance to cut the deficit to four points. In the fourth quarter, after driving back to the one, Mayer saw a touchdown catch called again for offensive pass interference, with Cousins being intercepted in the end zone on the next play.
San Francisco missed in recording its seventh win of the year, the 49ers’ eight-game start, their best since 2019, when they reached the Super Bowl.
The 49ers suffered the first of two heartbreaking losses to the Kansas Chiefs in that Super Bowl.
And a third Super Bowl meeting with Kansas City could still be on the cards, with the Chiefs improving to 6-2 with a 35-12 win over the New York Jets.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to have suffered an elbow injury when he left the field in obvious pain in the second quarter after a hit by David Bailey.
But Mahomes quickly got back into the game, throwing for 242 yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Kenneth Walker as the Chiefs rolled past the hapless Jets.
The Chiefs trail only the Denver Broncos in the AFC West. Denver beat the Carolina Panthers 26-21 to move to 7-2 after beating Kansas City in a thriller last week.
The preseason Super Bowl favorite Los Angeles Rams are above .500 for the first time this season after beating the Washington Commanders 20-13 to move to 5-4, although their win was slightly marred by an injury to star wide receiver Puka Nacua. Myles Garrett had three sacks and a forced fumble in his return from injury.
The Rams and Seattle Seahawks look at the 49ers in the NFC West. The Seahawks are also 5-4 after beating the Arizona Cardinals 17-3 without starting quarterback Sam Darnold.
Joe Burrow produced a nearly flawless three-touchdown performance at the Santiago Bernabeu as the Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-17.
AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns fell to 5-4 with a 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.
In the NFC East, the New York Giants lead the way at 5-2-1 after ending a 13-game losing streak on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles with a 19-11 win. The Dallas Cowboys will hope to catch the Giants as they compete for the division title, and they boosted their hopes with a lackluster 27-23 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Dak Prescott leading a game-winning drive in the final minute of the fourth quarter that was capped by a rushing score by Javonte Williams.
Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Chargers remain winless after being hammered 44-22 by the Houston Texans.
