Tennessee Titans @ Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos defeated the Tennessee Titans 20-12 thanks to a strong defensive performance that cancelled out four Broncos turnovers.
Even though Denver lost two fumbles and threw two interceptions, the defense forced a fumble of its own and sacked Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward six times for 60 yards. It also helped that the Titans committed 131 yards of penalties.
Late in the second quarter, a defensive pass interference gave Denver the ball at Tennessee’s 22 yard line. On the next play, quarterback Bo Nix found wide receiver Courtland Sutton for a 22-yard touchdown to take a 10-6 lead.
Denver’s rushing attack was able to make up for a poor performance by Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who turned the ball over three times today. New running backs RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins combined for 133 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Cam Ward struggled in his first regular-season game, but he had a chance to tie the game with 59 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for him, he took a sack on a 4th and 10, resulting in a fumble that was picked up by the Broncos, giving them the win. Ward completed 12 of his 28 pass attempts for 112 yards in the contest.
San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 17-13 thanks to some late-game heroics by quarterback Brock Purdy and defensive end Nick Bosa.
Trailing by three points with 3:24 left in the fourth, the 49ers orchestrated a seven-play, 68-yard drive in a little under two minutes that was capped off with a four-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to tight end Jake Tonges. Purdy finished the day with 277 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The Seahawks got the ball back with a chance to win the game. However, Niners defensive end Nick Bosa recovered his own strip-sack fumble of Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold with 42 seconds left in the game to clinch the win.
Sam Darnold was underwhelming in his first start as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He was held to just 150 passing yards and zero touchdowns, as well as a lost fumble.
Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers dominated the Detroit Lions at home 27-13 on a day where the defense only gave up 246 yards. Green Bay also forced a turnover and sacked Lions quarterback Jared Goff four times. New Green Bay edge rusher Micah Parsons recorded his first sack as a member of the Packers.
Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love looked tremendous. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 188 yards and two TDs. His rainbow-like touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Reed gave Green Bay a 17-3 advantage in the second quarter, which is how things stood at halftime.
Jared Goff looked very efficient, but was ineffective overall. He went 31 for 39 passing, but only had 225 yards and one touchdown, which basically came in garbage time. He also threw a costly red zone interception late in the second quarter.
Detroit tight end Sam LaPorta led all players in the game today with six catches for 79 yards. 48 of those yards came on the Lions’ first drive of the second half, which resulted in a field goal that cut the Packers’ lead to 17-6.
Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs played a huge part in the second half of this game. He had 66 rushing yards on the afternoon, including a three-yard touchdown run to increase the Packers’ lead to 18 points. That score extends Josh Jacobs’ streak of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to nine, which is a new franchise record.
Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams were able to come back from an early deficit to beat the Houston Texans 14-9. Matthew Stafford also became the tenth quarterback in NFL history to throw for 60,000 yards in a career.
The Texans got things going with two field goal drives to take a 6-0 lead late into the second quarter. However, the Rams’ offense came alive with a nine-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by running back Kyren Williams, which put LA on top 7-6. Before that series, the Rams had only gained 32 yards on offense.
The Texans wouldn’t be behind very long. They picked up 42 yards in 53 seconds, allowing them to kick another field goal and go into halftime ahead 9-7.
Los Angeles looked strong coming out of the break. They orchestrated a five-play, 68-yard drive that led to a 13-yard Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to retake the lead 14-9, which would end up being the final score. He went 21 for 29 as a passer with 245 yards and a touchdown.
