NFL (American Football)

While many San Francisco 49ers players will take a break during the bye week after a morale-boosting win against the Dallas Cowboys, this week could significantly affect the rest of the season.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey will step up his rehab after missing all season due to Achilles tendinitis and could return next week if everything goes well.

“He’s had no setbacks, so it looks like we’re on track,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. “But we’re going to, he’s going to hit it hard this week while we’re gone and kind of simulate some practice stuff for himself. As long as it all goes good, hopefully we’ll get him back in practice next week.”

Getting McCaffrey back would give an even bigger boost than the 30-24 victory over the Cowboys that brought the 49ers (4-4) to a .500 record and set them up for a strong second half of the season.

Kyle Shanahan watches the practice from the sidelines

This is the third year in a row that San Francisco has a Week 9 bye, and the 49ers are hoping to repeat what happened in the past two seasons. In those years, they had a 9-7 record before the bye but went on to finish 16-2 in the second half, leading to deep playoff runs.

San Francisco showed signs of returning to form on Sunday against the Cowboys, with the offense racking up 223 rushing yards, the defense intercepting Dak Prescott twice, and special teams avoiding the costly mistakes that had hurt them in previous losses.

“I think we all wish our record was a little bit better, but that’s just where it is,” tight end George Kittle said. “That’s our reality. Getting a win tonight was huge and it gives you confidence. I think there’s a lot of things that we’re going to try to clean up, myself included. I think we’re taking steps in the right direction.”

The Baltimore defense has had its issues this season, but the Ravens usually find a big play or a turnover when it counts.

Last weekend, however, safety Kyle Hamilton missed what seemed like a sure interception in the closing moments against Cleveland. The Browns took advantage of this mistake, scoring the winning touchdown with less than a minute left, resulting in a 29-24 victory.

Cleveland, which hadn’t scored 20 points in any game this season, reached that mark before the end of the third quarter and finished with 401 yards.

“We’re there, and I think we could make more plays. I know we can,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “And I believe our guys are going to do it.”

The Ravens (5-3) are allowing 361 yards a game, an increase from 301 last season. Baltimore has eight takeaways this season, which isn’t a large number, but some have come at key moments.

An interception by Marlon Humphrey late in the fourth quarter against Cincinnati helped the Ravens push the game into overtime, which they eventually won.

Cleveland Browns players celebrate after his touchdown in the 1st half

Tampa Bay was also moving the ball well against Baltimore before Humphrey’s interception in the end zone helped the Ravens take charge of that game.

A fumble recovery late in the first half against the Browns led to a touchdown for Baltimore, but Sunday’s game will be remembered more for the turnovers the Ravens missed. According to Pro Football Focus, Baltimore has dropped eight interceptions this season, including three last weekend.

The loss to Cleveland showed that depending too much on turnovers from the other team isn’t a reliable strategy. The Ravens need to capitalize on chances when the opposing quarterback gives them an opportunity.

“There’s no big theory behind it, we’re just in a funk right now that we have to get out of,” said safety Eddie Jackson, who dropped two interceptions against the Browns. “Because a lot of those are big game-changing plays, if we make those.”

First-year coach Mike Macdonald seemed like a great choice when he led the Seattle Seahawks to a 3-0 start. However, they then hit a rough patch with three losses in a row, followed by a surprising win against Atlanta that made it seem like Macdonald’s team could be a playoff contender.

After a tough 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, it’s hard to tell where Seattle’s season is headed.

“We got outplayed and we got outcoached, and we’ve got to go make it right,” Macdonald said. “I feel like we’ve had this conversation too many times about going back to work on Tuesday and tackling this issue head-on, and seeing if we can turn this around.”

The Seahawks struggled in almost every area of the game. A crucial penalty by linebacker Derick Hall led to a sideline argument with defensive end Jarran Reed, showing how rough the day was for Seattle.

During the second quarter, they had two chances in the red zone but only managed three points.

Geno Smith reacts to a call in the 2nd half

Center Connor Williams snapped the ball over Geno Smith’s head, forcing them to settle for a field goal. Later, on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Williams stepped on Smith’s foot, leading to a turnover on downs.

The Bills held the Seahawks to just 32 yards rushing on 17 attempts, with Kenneth Walker III gaining only 12 yards on nine carries.

In contrast, the Bills piled up 445 total yards — 164 rushing and 281 passing.

Seattle committed 11 penalties for 82 yards, with Hall’s roughing-the-passer call being particularly damaging, as it resulted in a touchdown for Buffalo.

“When you talk about all the things that we want to do, well, I don’t think we did any of those today,” Smith said. “So we’ve got to look at ourselves, look in the mirror, and take it from there.”

Seattle can find some comfort in the fact that no one is pulling ahead in the NFC West. Arizona and San Francisco both won on Sunday, joining the Seahawks at the top of the division with a 4-4 record.

Even after beating the much-despised New York Jets and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, the New England Patriots couldn’t celebrate too much.

First-round draft pick Drake Maye left the game in the first half after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit during a run. He was put into the NFL’s concussion protocol, and it’s unclear when he might return.

Coach Jerod Mayo mentioned that Maye’s situation was “above my pay grade.” An NFL player in concussion protocol must be cleared by an independent neurological consultant before playing again.

“I’m not going to get too much into that, as far as Drake questions,” Mayo said on Monday, the day after New England ended a six-game losing streak by beating the Jets 25-22.

Maye scored his first NFL rushing touchdown by outpacing New York linebacker Chazz Surratt on a 17-yard run. He attempted to slide near the end of the first quarter but was hit by New York linebacker Jamien Sherwood.

Maye completed the series, taking a sack and throwing two incomplete passes. Mayo said trainer Jim Whalen informed him that Maye needed to go to the medical tent for evaluation.

“I was surprised,” the coach said. “He threw a couple of good balls afterward, and I thought he was still pretty sharp in those regards. But obviously, it’s above my pay grade as far as pulling him out of the game and putting him in the protocol.”

Maye did not talk to reporters after the game. Jacoby Brissett stepped in for him and led the team on two scoring drives in the fourth quarter, setting up the game-winning touchdown with just 22 seconds remaining.

Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields will be the third-string quarterback for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants after slightly injuring his hamstring over the weekend.

Fields had been starting for the Steelers (5-2) in their first six games while Russell Wilson recovered from a calf injury. He will now sit behind Wilson and Kyle Allen as the team aims for a third consecutive win.

Running back and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson will miss his fourth straight game due to an ankle injury. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig is inactive for the third week in a row because of a hamstring issue, and center Zach Frazier will not start for the second consecutive game due to an ankle injury. Cornerback C.J. Henderson is also out for the Steelers.

Justin Fields talks to the reporters after the game

Earlier on Monday, the Steelers put rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury. The third-round pick from Michigan has only played in one game this season after missing a significant part of training camp because of an ankle injury.

For the Giants, cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson (neck) and Cor’Dale Flott are inactive. Linebacker Ty Summers, guard Jake Kubas, nose tackle Jordan Riley, punter Jamie Gillan, and quarterback Tommy DeVito are also not playing.

After 2 1/2 seasons of being largely ignored, the Arizona Cardinals are back in the playoff race.

The Cardinals (4-4) pulled off a 28-27 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, thanks to another impressive fourth quarter from Kyler Murray, who led two long touchdown drives. Arizona didn’t take the lead until Chad Ryland kicked a 34-yard field goal as time ran out.

Murray passed for a season-high 307 yards.

“He’s got really good poise,” said second-year coach Jonathan Gannon. “There were some big-time, instinctive feel plays.”

This win marks the Cardinals’ first back-to-back victories since 2021. They are now tied for first place in the NFC West with the 49ers and Seahawks, giving them real hopes for the postseason after two straight 4-13 seasons.

Marvin Harrison Jr. smiles in a news conference

More importantly, they’re developing a quality that excites Gannon, especially in crucial moments.

“Confidence,” Gannon said. “Confidence in themselves. And they know they have a chance to win with our quarterback. So if they just do their job, and max out, our quarterback can get it done. So there’s a lot of confidence when they trot out there.”

While Murray has played well, he isn’t the only reason for the Cardinals’ recent success. Tight end Trey McBride and rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. both had over 100 yards receiving on Sunday, and James Conner made some key runs late in the game.

Arizona has faced one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season, making their 4-4 record even more impressive. As November begins, the Cardinals are improving, even if Gannon isn’t ready to celebrate just yet.

“Winning’s hard,” Gannon said. “Our guys know it takes all week to get yourself ready to go and give yourself a chance to win.”

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell quickly acknowledged what everyone noticed.

His team’s 52-14 win over the Tennessee Titans was quite unusual.

The Lions gained 225 yards of offense, which is 185 yards less than their usual average, yet they scored 52 points. Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes but only had 85 passing yards, with his average completion being just over a yard.

Goff has completed 88 of 106 passes (83%) in the last five games, setting a new record by breaking Peyton Manning’s mark of 80.2% for a five-game stretch with at least 100 attempts.

“I can’t really think of a game quite like that one,” Campbell said Monday. “At least not on the winning side. That was unbelievable.”

Dan Campbell celebrates with Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill in the 1st half

The offense didn’t play badly — scoring 52 points shows that. They simply didn’t have to cover much ground. Kalif Raymond averaged 38 yards on five punt returns, including a 90-yard touchdown, and Khalil Dorsey had a 72-yard kickoff return.

The defense also played a role, forcing four turnovers, and Jack Fox averaged 61.0 yards on his five punts.

“Obviously, you’d love to have that kind of production from your special teams, but that’s not realistic,” Campbell said. “When you do get that kind of performance, it takes a huge strain off the rest of the team.”

The offense didn’t need to rack up 400 yards but did what was necessary, going 5 for 5 in the red zone.

“(Jahmyr) Gibbs was explosive — his only bad play was in pass protection — and he did some really good things,” Campbell said. “David (Montgomery) and (Sam) LaPorta also really stood out.”

While quarterback Justin Herbert and coach Jim Harbaugh get most of the attention for the Los Angeles Chargers, coordinator Jesse Minter’s improvement of the defense has gone largely unnoticed.

In their 26-8 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the defense did not allow a touchdown for the second time this season. This is the first time since 2013 that the Chargers (4-3) have gone without giving up a touchdown in two of their first seven games.

The defense is allowing the fewest points in the league, with an average of 13 points per game. They’ve given up only nine touchdowns, which is the second-lowest total in the team’s history after seven games.

“It feels like we have the script sometimes. It’s like whatever they’re running, we’re prepared for,” safety Derwin James said after the game. “We just play our rules. We play fast, just get to the ball and don’t overthink stuff. You see the results we’re getting.”

Minter was the defensive coordinator for two years at the University of Michigan and was one of nine assistants who joined Harbaugh when he became the Chargers’ coach after leading Michigan to a national title last season.

Bradley Bozeman Defends Justin Herbert in Chargers’ Win Over Saints, Earning Teammates’ Respect and a Game Ball

After the Chargers allowed a game-winning field goal to Arizona last Monday, the defense was determined to keep the Saints from scoring a touchdown at the end, even though they had already secured the win.

New Orleans got to run a play with no time left on the clock due to a roughing-the-passer penalty. However, they failed to convert when Jake Haener’s pass to Chris Olave fell incomplete.

“It did mean something. It’s not meaningless; it’s points against our defense, and we don’t want to give up any points,” James said. “I don’t care if it’s the last two minutes, I don’t care if we have the lead. We’re trying to finish strong in the fourth quarter.”

The Chargers also kept their opponents from scoring a touchdown in their 26-3 win over Carolina in Week 2. While these shutouts have come against teams with a total of three wins, Harbaugh doesn’t downplay the team’s achievements.

“We’re playing real good defense and the competition has been good,” Harbaugh said Monday.

The biggest improvement for the defense has been against passing plays. The Chargers are allowing 193.4 yards per game, which is the ninth-best in the league, compared to 297.4 yards at this time last year.

The defense has also forced opponents to go three-and-out on 28.6% of their drives, the highest percentage since 2010. James believes the Chargers can improve their defense even more for the rest of the season.

“Every week we go in there (ticked) off because we know it’s plays that we’re leaving out there, and a few technique stuff we can get better at to be dominant. We’re just trying to do that,” he said.

A sign of trouble came on the Raiders’ first offensive play on Sunday.

Kolton Miller jumped offside early, marking the first of three penalties before the snap committed by Las Vegas’ offensive line. Jackson Powers-Johnson then added the other two penalties within three plays.

It was a tough day for the line, which was responsible for four of the Raiders’ five penalties in their 27-20 loss to the Chiefs. The offensive line also struggled to block for the run against one of the NFL’s best rushing defenses, finishing the game with just 33 rushing yards and an average of 1.6 yards per carry.

The pass protection wasn’t much better. Gardner Minshew was sacked five times, as Kansas City’s defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, sent more blitzes in the second half.

The line features rookie starters Powers-Johnson and DJ Glaze and has been a problem all season, though pre-snap penalties are likely the easiest to fix.

“On the first play, you have three guys moving, right?” coach Antonio Pierce said Monday. “That needs to be cleaned up. Some of those mistakes came from younger players. We’re asking a lot from them right now. They had a tough matchup with Chris Jones, but that’s no excuse. Just focus until the ball is snapped.”

Gardner Minshew speaks in a news conference

Las Vegas has more serious problems that are harder to solve. The Raiders have allowed an average of 3.1 sacks per game, ranking 27th in the league, but their run blocking has been even worse.

They have surpassed 100 rushing yards only three times this season, with averages of 79 yards per game and 3.55 yards per play, placing them second to last in those categories.

The Chiefs made it hard for the Raiders to run the ball, forcing Minshew to try to win the game on his own. Other teams are likely to use a similar strategy, although Pierce is determined to improve the running game.

Las Vegas attempted to score after an interception gave them the ball at Kansas City’s 3-yard line. Trailing 17-13 in the third quarter, a touchdown would have put them in a good position for a surprise win.

Alexander Mattison rushed to the 1-yard line on first down, but after two more attempts, the Raiders couldn’t push him into the end zone, and he even lost yards on one play. A sack on fourth down ended their chances.

“We want to run the football, be physical up front, and win the line of scrimmage,” Pierce said. “That didn’t happen last night. We got pushed back in key moments—not all the time, but especially when we were near the goal line.”

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin spoke with Calvin Austin III before the small wide receiver went out for a punt return in the third quarter of a dull game against the New York Giants.

The Steelers were struggling. The offense was moving the ball, but they weren’t scoring touchdowns. Tomlin knew that the 5-foot-9, 162-pound Austin had come close to breaking a big return a few times this season.

The NFL’s longest-tenured head coach had a good feeling. “I thought it was his time,” Tomlin said. “And he thought it was his time. And he delivered.” Not just once, but twice.

Austin—who had texted his friends over the weekend that he was ready to make a big play—zoomed across the field and ran 73 yards for a touchdown right after Tomlin’s pep talk.

He then caught a 29-yard pass for another touchdown, giving the Steelers the boost they needed to win 26-18 against the Giants on Monday night.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. runs for a touchdown in the 2nd half

Pittsburgh (6-2) won its 22nd straight home game on Monday nights thanks to Austin’s big plays and a couple of late turnovers. T.J. Watt strip-sacked Daniel Jones with less than three minutes left to stop one New York drive, and rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop intercepted Jones with 42 seconds remaining to seal the game.

“It wasn’t as fluid as we’d like but that’s football,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to guard against (caring about) style points.”

Good thing, because there weren’t many style points on a night when three apparent touchdowns—two by Pittsburgh and one by New York—were called back, the teams had a total of 16 penalties, and drives often stalled near the end zone.

The Steelers won their third straight game and go into their bye week leading the AFC North by one game over Baltimore. After relying heavily on their defense early in the season, the Steelers’ offense has picked up since Wilson returned from a calf injury that kept him out of the first six games.

The 35-year-old completed 20 of 28 passes for 278 yards in his second home start as a Steeler. His only real mistake was a fumble with 4:42 left, which briefly gave the Giants (2-6) a chance.

Watt quickly shut that chance down when New York decided not to double-team him while they were driving for a possible tying score.

“He’s got a unique talent, a unique approach,” Tomlin said. “He gets unique results.”

Najee Harris ran for 114 yards, reaching over 100 yards for the third game in a row for the first time in his career. Chris Boswell kicked four field goals to help an offense that often stalled in New York territory.

Wilson also spread the ball around well, connecting with eight players, which is a positive sign for a team that has relied too much on George Pickens to make plays in the passing game.

Austin finished with three catches for 54 yards. Van Jefferson added four catches for 62 yards. Even third-string tight end MyCole Pruitt made a catch. “Guys are believers,” Wilson said.

Perhaps Austin believes the most. Before games, the third-year player spends time reading notes on his phone from doubters who think he’s too small to succeed in the NFL. Yet there he was afterward, listening to fans chant his name as Pittsburgh wrapped up a strong first two months of the season.

“We’re all competitors,” Austin said. “We are going to always bank on us, regardless.”

Giants rookie Tyrone Tracy rushed for a season-high 145 yards, including a 45-yard run early in the fourth quarter that brought New York within eight points. The Giants attempted a 2-point conversion, but a poorly planned play to rookie receiver Malik Nabers behind the line was easily blocked.

Russell Wilson throws in the 1st half

Jones, who was benched in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss to Philadelphia last week, completed 24 of 38 passes for 264 yards and threw a late interception.

Darius Slayton had four catches for 108 yards, and Nabers caught seven passes for 72 yards. Greg Joseph kicked four field goals for the Giants, who suffered from 11 penalties for 65 yards and a defense that allowed the suddenly strong Wilson-led Steelers offense to gain 426 yards.

“There was a lot of good things, just not enough of them,” New York coach Brian Daboll said.

This has been a trend for the Giants, who are now 2-6 for the second year in a row. Two years after a breakout season that led to a playoff appearance and a big contract for Jones, the team seems to be lost.

There were moments of improvement against the Steelers, but the Giants were hurt by the kind of mistakes—penalties, turnovers, and missed assignments—that have become too common during their decline.

“We hurt ourselves a lot tonight,” Jones said. “That’s the most frustrating part about it. We’ve got to be more detailed, starting with me. The good stuff that happened was negated by the mistakes.”

Even with the No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams, the Chicago Bears find themselves in a familiar position as November approaches: last place in the NFC North.

Unlike other teams at the bottom of the league, the Bears are still above .500 at 4-3, despite a major mistake that led to a heartbreaking loss.

The Bears face the toughest remaining schedule in the league, which includes all six games against division rivals, who have a combined record of 17-5. They also have games against the 49ers, Cardinals, and Seahawks, all tied for the top of the NFC West at 4-4.

The Bears were set for their fourth straight win when they took a 15-12 lead over the Commanders, thanks to Roschon Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown run and a successful 2-point conversion with just 25 seconds left in their game on Sunday in Washington.

Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, who was drafted right after Williams and was playing through sore ribs, connected with Zach Ertz for an 11-yard gain and Terry McLaurin for 13 yards to move the Commanders to midfield, setting up a Hail Mary attempt.

Caleb Williams leaves the game after the game

Video shared on social media showed Chicago cornerback Tyrique Stevenson with his back to the play, pointing to the stands and raising his arms as if cheering with Bears fans, right when the ball was snapped with 2 seconds left.

When he realized what was going on, Stevenson ran toward the middle of the field. Bears coach Matt Eberflus mentioned that Stevenson was supposed to block Noah Brown.

Despite the three-man rush, Daniels scrambled for nearly 13 seconds, giving Stevenson plenty of time to recover from his mistake and complete his assignment.

Instead, Stevenson went up for the pass, which was tipped to Brown, who was wide open in the end zone behind the pile of players.

The 52-yard throw was the longest Hail Mary by a rookie quarterback this century and resulted in a painful 18-15 loss for the Bears, which they may regret more as time goes on.

Stevenson posted an apology on social media after the game, saying: “To Chicago and teammates my apologies for lack of awareness and focus …. The game ain’t over until zeros hit the clock. Can’t take anything for granted. Notes taken, improvement will happen.”

He also apologized to his teammates on Monday and promised he had learned his lesson: “I let the moment get too big and it’s something that can never happen again and won’t ever happen again,” Stevenson said.

This mistake may continue to trouble the Bears, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2019. Their only remaining game against a losing team is against New England (2-6) in two weeks.

Quarterback Andy Dalton was not active for the Carolina Panthers’ game against Denver on Sunday, leaving rookie Jack Plummer to support Bryce Young.

The Panthers, who have had many injuries, returned to Young, the first pick in the 2023 draft, after Dalton, who started the last five games for Carolina (1-6), hurt his right thumb in a car accident on Tuesday.

The Panthers wanted Dalton to back up Young against the Broncos, but he didn’t practice all week because he couldn’t grip the football. The team promoted Plummer from their practice squad on Saturday.

Young, who has a record of 2-16 in his career and is 0-2 this season, will be without starting wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen in Denver.

Jack Plummer passes the ball

Johnson, who has been discussed in trade talks, was ruled out after not practicing all week due to a rib injury. Thielen has missed the last four games because of a hamstring injury but was eligible to return this week.

The Panthers also ruled out safeties Nick Scott (hamstring), Jammie Robinson (knee), and Jordan Fuller (hamstring), as well as linebacker D.J. Wonnum (quadriceps).

Safety P.J. Locke (thumb) was also not active for Denver.