We have nearly had two months of the 2024 NFL Season. A lot has happened. Week 7 promises to add to the story of a strange season so far. So, how did the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers, among others, fare this week?
Kansas City won the Rematch!
The last time the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers met was at Super Bowl LVIII. That was a close battle between the two best teams in football, in which the Chiefs won in overtime. Fast-forward eight months, and the Chiefs are still the best team in football and one of two with an undefeated record. The 49ers, on the other hand, have been struggling and come into the game with a 3-3 record.
The game started poorly for both teams. After a failed fourth-down attempt by the Chiefs gave San Francisco possession in the Chiefs’ territory, quarterback Brock Purdy immediately lost that possession by throwing an interception. Patrick Mahomes followed this with an uncharacteristic interception.
The first points of the game came late in the first quarter. A drive from the 49ers stalled at the Chiefs’ 37-yard line, setting up a field goal by Anders Carlson from 55 yards out. In reply to this, Kansas City could finally show the power of its offense. Mahomes and company moved the ball down to the 49ers’ one-yard line, and then Kareem Hunt found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
They extended their lead on their next drive, with Hunt again finding the endzone, this time for a six-yard rushing touchdown. San Francisco could not match this but could score just before halftime. A field goal from 24 yards out was successful, giving the Chiefs a 14-6 lead at halftime.
The second half saw a significant improvement from the 49ers. On the opening drive from the Chiefs, Mahomes was intercepted. San Francisco took full advantage of this, as Purdy and company could drive down the field to reach the Chiefs’ one-yard line. From here, Purdy found the endzone. However, Carlson missed the PAT, meaning they trailed by two points instead of one.
But, soon after, the proverbial shoe would be on the other foot. Purdy would throw an interception on the edge of the Kansas City red zone, and, as the 49ers did when Mahomes threw an interception, the Chiefs took advantage of this mistake.
Mahomes slowly moved the offense down to the 49ers’ one-yard line and, from here, found the Endzone to extend the lead to nine points.
The 49ers looked like their next drive would be good enough to give them something to say in the game. They had reached the Chiefs’ five yards and looked like they would find the endzone. Purdy’s pass from here did find a player in the endzone, but they were playing for the Chiefs—another interception.
As with before, this mistake led to another Chiefs touchdown. Mecole Hardman found the endzone on an 18-yard run to seal the victory this time. San Francisco got a consolation score in the game’s final moments, with Purdy scoring a one-yard rushing TD.
Ultimately, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 28-18.
San Francisco is not the team they were. The lack of Christian McCaffrey has meant that their run game is nowhere near as strong as it was, and Brock Purdy was transformed from a superman who was the last pick of the draft to an average quarterback. The victory kept Kansas City undefeated with a 6-0 record, while the 49ers fell to 3-4. Next week, the Chiefs face the Las Vegas Raiders, while the 49ers play the Dallas Cowboys.
Minnesota are Undefeated No More
The Minnesota Vikings are the other undefeated team in the NFL this week. They faced the Detroit Lions, who had just come off a demolition of the Dallas Cowboys. Could they do the same against a Vikings team that has had an extra week to prepare for this much-awaited game between two strong teams that have never won a Super Bowl?
The Lions turned the ball over on their first drive, giving the Vikings possession on their 34-yard line. This was a mistake, and Minnesota was able to take full advantage of it. Aaron Jones found the endzone with a 34-yard rushing touchdown. The Vikings added to this lead on their next drive, as kicker Will Reichard cleared the uprights from 57 yards out to give them a 10-0 lead.
Detroit was soon able to cut into this lead. Led by quarterback Jared Goff, the Lions made their way to the Vikings’ 45-yard line. From here, Jahmyr Gibbs found the endzone for a 45-yard rushing touchdown to bring them back into the game.
A drive later, the Lions took the lead. Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for a 35-yard touchdown pass. In reply to this, Vikings’ quarterback Sam Darnold threw an interception, a mistake the Lions could capitalize on.
After the interception, Goff brought the offense down to the Vikings eight-yard line, and here, Gibbs found the endzone to further extend Detroit’s lead just before halftime. The Lions had a 21-10 lead as the team entered the locker rooms.
The Vikings were able to open the second half with a mistake. From their 43-yard line, Darnold found Jalen Nailor for an 11-yard pass. But, Nailor fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Lions’ defense, who returned the ball to the endzone for a touchdown. However, the officials ruled that Nailor was pushed out of bounds on the catch, ruling him out of play and thus ending the play there. The fumble essentially never happened.
From this mistake, the Vikings went down to the Lions’ 25-yard line, and Darnold found Justin Jefferson for the touchdown pass to put them back into this game.
But, this reduced lead did not last long. Goff found Kalif Raymond for a 21-yard touchdown pass on the next drive.
In response to this score, the Vikings ended their next two drives with field goals from Reichard, putting them five points down halfway through the fourth quarter.
The Lions then made a massive mistake. On their 30-yard line, David Montgomery fumbled the ball. The Vikings scooped it up and returned it to the house. The subsequent two-point attempt was missed, meaning they had a slim one-point lead.
The Lions had the ball on one of the game’s final drives, needing only a field goal for victory. Goff moved his offense down to the Vikings’ 26-yard line, setting up a 44-yard field goal from Jake Bates to win the game. He was successful, and the Detroit Lions recorded a 31-29 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
This victory has ended the Vikings’ undefeated run, leaving the Kansas City Chiefs as the league’s only undefeated team. The victory opens up the NFC North, with all four teams still in contention. Both teams are now 5-1 for the season.
Next week, the Lions face the Tennessee Titans, while the Vikings play the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Another Win for Baltimore
The Baltimore Ravens continued their good start to the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. Tampa Bay started the season strong but has recently faltered. Could they deliver an upset against a Ravens side that is one of the favorites to make the AFC Championship game?
The Buccaneers were able to open the game by getting their first points on the board. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield helped bring the offense down to the Ravens 25-yard line. From here, he found Mike Evans for the touchdown pass.
They added to this lead on their next drive. The Buccs made their way down to the Ravens ‘ five-yard line, whereas the first quarter was brought to a close, kicker Chase McLaughlin kicked a 23-yard field goal.
In reply, the Ravens quickly reached the Buccaneers’ nine-yard line. From here, quarterback Lamar Jackson found Mark Andrews for the touchdown pass.
On the next drive, Baltimore’s fortunes improved as Mayfield threw an interception on the goal line. However, it should be noted that on this drive, Mike Evans tore his hamstring and is predicted to be out for a few weeks.
For the interceptions, the Ravens could drive down the field and reach the Buccaneers’ 18-yard line, and (after being denied a touchdown on the play before) Jackson would then find Justice Hill for the touchdown pass.
Mayfield threw another interception on the next drive, and Baltimore could again find points from this. A Justin Tucker field goal from 28 yards out gave the Ravens a 17-10 lead at halftime.
The Ravens opened the second half as they did end the first with another Tucker field goal. This one was from 52 yards out. The lead would be extended on their next drive, as Jackson found Rashod Bateman for a 49-yard touchdown pass. This was followed by a four-yard TD pass to Andrews, giving the Ravens a 24-point lead as the teams entered the fourth quarter.
Baltimore then made a mistake. On their 41-yard line, Jackson fumbled the ball, which would be scooped up by the Buccaneers defense, who returned it to the endzone. However, upon review, the play was reversed. Jackson still fumbled the ball, but the touchdown on the return was removed.
But this did not stop Tampa Bay, which scored a touchdown on the next drive. Mayfield found Rachaad White for the 11-yard TD pass. They then attempted a successful two-point conversion.
In reply, Baltimore found the endzone through a 13-yard TD pass from Jackson to Henry to increase the lead.
Tampa Bay scored two touchdowns on consecutive drives, but it was not enough. As time passed, the Baltimore Ravens recorded a 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
This game went as expected. Two potent offenses met and scored many points. However, Tampa Bay’s injury to Mike Evans should concern them, and this offense may be slightly weaker until he returns. The victory improves the Ravens to 5-2, while Tampa Bay falls to 4-3.
Next week, the Ravens face the Cleveland Browns, while the Buccaneers face the Atlanta Falcons.
The Last Kick of the Game
The Houston Texans are one of the stronger teams in the AFC and are likely to make a playoff run this season. The Green Bay Packers are also strong, but they are in a solid NFC North this year, so every win counts for them if a playoff run is on the cards. Who would win when these two teams met?
The Packers did not have the best start to the game. On their first drive, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love’s pass was intercepted by the Texans’ defense and then returned to the Packers’ 11-yard line. This put them in the perfect position for a touchdown. However, the Texans’ offense could not do this, and the team settled for a 23-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn.
However, the Packers were able to have a better drive a few plays later. Starting from their eight-yard line, Love and company slowly made their way down to the Texans’ 14-yard line. From here, Love found Tucker Kraft for the TD pass to give them the lead.
But, this did not last long. Taking advantage of a muffed punt, the Texans moved down to the Packers’ two-yard line. From here, Joe Mixon found the endzone.
In reply to this, the Packers again found the endzone. From the Texans’ 30-yard line, Love found Dontayviom Wicks for the TD pass. The Texans responded to this with a 52-yard field goal from Fairbairn.
But then, Green Bay made a mistake. Love was intercepted, and the Texans were able to take full advantage of this. From this gain in possession, the Texans’ offense, led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, went down to the Packers’ four-yard line. Then, Mixon found the endzone for his second touchdown of the game.
This meant at halftime, the Texans had a 19-14 lead over the Packers.
The Packers retook the lead early in the second half when Love found Josh Jacobs for an eight-yard touchdown pass.
The drive ended in a kick for every other drive in the half. Most of these were punts. But with under two minutes to go, the Texans scored a field goal to take the lead. The Packers knew what they had to do.
Love moved his offense down into field goal territory, setting up kicker Brandon McManus with a 45-yard field goal to win the game. As time passed, the ball went through the uprights to give the Green Bay Packers a 24-22 win over the Houston Texans.
With this victory and the defeat to the Minnesota Vikings, the NFC North is now led by three teams. Green Bay and the defeated Texans have a 5-2 record and will only improve from here.
Next week, the Packers play the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Texans play the Indianapolis Colts.
What happened in the Other Games?
The Thursday night game featured a battle between two rookie quarterbacks. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos faced Spenser Rattler and the New Orleans Saints in Sean Payton’s return to the city he won the Super Bowl with. The Broncos dominated this game, easily defeating the Saints 33-10.
This week, we had the final London game of the season, when the Jacksonville Jaguars aced the New England Patriots in a battle of two struggling teams. London always seems to get the bad teams. In this game, the Jaguars had a strong second quarter, scoring 22 points, as London’s adopted team defeated the Patriots 32-16. Another poor slate of games is over for another year.
The Seattle Seahawks faced the Atlanta Falcons this week. After a few poor showings, the Seahawks had a good game this week. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith threw for two touchdowns in their 34-14 win over Kirk Cousins’ Falcons.
The Buffalo Bills continued their strong run of form against the struggling Tennessee Titans. Amari Cooper, who made his debut for the Bills, scored one touchdown, and Josh Allen threw for 323 yards while the Bills cruised to a 43-10 win.
The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Cleveland Browns 21-14 in the Battle of Ohio. This game may be the last of Deshaun Watson’s NFL career, as the Browns quarterback tore his Achilles Tendon and is ruled out for the season.
The Miami Dolphins faced the Indianapolis Colts in a game that saw the return of Colts quarterback Antony Richardson. It was not the best game, but the Colts won 16-10. Next week, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovalioa may return, giving Miami fans some hope.
The Los Angeles Rams got their second win of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Rams played strong defense and forced four turnovers in the 20-15 victory.
The Washington Commanders faced the Carolina Panthers, and the game went as expected. The Commanders won the game 40-7. But, it was not all good for the Commanders, as rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels left the game early with a rib injury.
The Sunday night game was between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets. The Steelers are a good team this year, and I do not think they are getting enough attention. Russell Wilson made his Steelers debut and scored three touchdowns as Pittsburgh defeated the Jets 37-15.
The Los Angeles Chargers faced the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night in a game that went down to the final kick. A late field goal from Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland gave them a 17-15 win.
Finally, how did the New York Giants ruin my weekend? The Giants faced rivals the Philadelphia Eagles in what was the first game that Saquon Barkley has played against the Giants since his act of treason (his trade to Philadelphia).
He dominated this game, recording 176 rushing yards and scoring one touchdown. The Giants’ offense was nonexistent, thanks to a paper-thin offensive line. A late quarterback change from Daniel Jones to Drew Lock with the intention of “livening up the offense” as Coach Brian Daboll put it did nothing. The Eagles won 28-3, and this season is now over. New York is a baseball city, and the Yankees will win the World Series. (I hope).
So that was week 7 of the 2024 NFL season. Next week, the Dallas Cowboys return to face the San Francisco 49ers, the two top draft picks, Caleb Willams and Jayden Daniels meet (pending his rib injury), and the Giants play on Primetime. Luckily, the Yankees are on at the same time.
