Undefeated. Despite losing important players along the way. The Chiefs know how to win. And they succeed very well, one way or another. And their not hidden ambition to succeed in the sporting feat of winning the Super Bowl for three consecutive seasons becomes more and more concrete every Sunday.
This time they overtook their rivals from the last final, in a rematch that, in fact, never happened. On the Niners field, the “old” Andy Reid’s team never trembled and their leader, Patrick Mahomes, although not shining (twice intercepted) signed a 33-yard run that paved the way for the fundamental touchdown in the fourth quarter .
Kareem Hunt, who (re)jumped onto the world champions’ bus, adapted perfectly to the patterns and yesterday scored two touchdowns in the first half.
An afternoon to forget for Brock Purdy, the young quarterback from San Francisco. Three interceptions, two of which when the Californians could have closed the drive with as many touchdowns in the second half. It must be said that the 49ers lost two important offensive weapons in the match: Deebo Samuel (due to illness, a flu, according to initial reports) and Brandon Aiyuk (bad knee injury); If that wasn’t enough, tackle Trent Williams was ejected towards the end of the fourth quarter for punching an opponent.
The Chiefs’ run continues great, the Niners’ season is already a run-up.
The Minnesota Vikings, however, lost their surprising unbeaten record. Not without fighting and against the Detroit Lions, who make no secret of aiming for the maximum.
Jake Bates’ three-point kick was decisive with 15 seconds left. QB Jared Goff is still very good with 22 out of 25 for 280 yards and two touchdown passes, as are his offensive weapons Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Sam Darnold didn’t disappoint on the other end but when he had the chance to lead the team to a field goal he couldn’t. We’ll now see how the team will react to the first knockout.
And another kick between the posts also decided the match between Green Bay and Houston. Brandon McManus, just signed by the Packers and with the team since Tuesday after the inconsistent rookie Brayden Narveson was released, made it happen. For GB, an important success in terms of ranking and confidence.
Highly criticized since the beginning of the season, even by their warm fans, the Eagles win after the “usual” first quarter without scoring a single point on the pitch of their divisional rivals the Giants.
The attack continues to be unconvincing, like certain choices by QB Hurts who sometimes launches late compared to the free receiver and often seems to get confused. However, he signed his second match without fumbles or interceptions and with a positive rating. He also personally scores twice with the famous Eagles quarterback sneak.
But what burst into the match and marked it unequivocally was a cyclone called Saquon Barkley who ran for 176 yards and a touchdown against his former team on the ground where he was the protagonist so many times.
Barkley, the Giants’ star for six seasons, was greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd at MetLife Stadium. In short, the New York public did not spare him. And he responded in a big way on the field: he scored in the first quarter and made long runs of 55, 38 and 41 yards that opened up NY’s defense. Worth noting is the beautiful Hurts-Brown connection for the only throw touchdown.
In the match that closed the day the Steelers overcame the Jets with a great second half. Closing the first half two points down, Pittsburgh kicked into high gear and it was a late night for Aaron Rodgers and his teammates. Those who expected that the arrival of the top receiver and friend of AR, Davante Adams, would be the immediate resolution of every problem, had a very different response from the field.
Good day instead for the veteran Russell Wilson, making his debut with the glorious colors of Pittsburgh. He played well and proved coach Tomlin right who preferred him to Fields.
The nightmare season continues for the Browns and especially for QB Watson: his Achilles tendon has blown out, we’re talking about it next year…The only good news for Cleveland is the return in the match lost against the Cincinnati Bengals of the strong rb Chubb after a horrendous (literally) injury. The signed touchdown, hopefully, is the beginning of a happy second part of his career. He deserves it.
Results
JACKSONVILLE 32 New England 16
GREEN BAY 24 Houston 22
Detroit 31 MINNESOTA 29
Seattle 34 ATLANTA 14
BUFFALO 34 Tennessee 10
Cincinnati 21 CLEVELAND 14
INDIANAPOLIS 16 Miami 10
Philadelphia 28 GIANTS 3
LA RAMS 20 Las Vegas 15
WASHINGTON 40 Carolina 7
Kansas City 28 SAN FRANCISCO 18
PITTSBURGH 37 NY Jets 15
