49ers continue their skid, Chiefs lose to Broncos, and more from the late window

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For the first time in nearly 3,000 days on earth, the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs, and they did it by outplaying them in every phase of the game on Sunday to a final score of 24-9.  When it was over the Chiefs were serenaded off the field to the sound of Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” blaring throughout Empower Field.  Swift wasn’t in attendance, however, to witness Travis Kelce’s six catches for 58 yards or the atrocious day for the rest of the Chiefs, who only scored on 3 field goals, went 0 for 3 in the red zone, turned the ball over 5 times, and had a muffed punt that Denver recovered to top it off.  Credit goes to the previously maligned Bronco’s defense, who ranked dead last in scoring and yards before the win on Sunday.   The Chief’s have reasons to gloss over this loss however, Mahommes played with a stomach illness he reported on Sunday morning and Kelce was at Saturday night’s World Series game in Arlington, TX maybe chasing the night a little too hard afterwards.  Are these innocent blips on the path to a legacy cementing season for the Chiefs or are they signs of, along with the stops and starts on offense in general this season, chinks in the armor?  In week 9 the Chiefs (6-2) will play the AFC East leading Dolphins (6-2) in Frankfurt, Germany.  Kickoff time is scheduled for 9:30a EST, and the it will air on the NFL Network.  Denver gets to celebrate this one for awhile as they are on a bye next week.

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The Bengals won 31-17 behind a magnificent performance by Joe Burrow, completing 28 of 32 passes for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns with zero picks against a 9ers defense that just doesn’t get picked apart like that on a regular basis. Three weeks ago, the 49ers blew out the Cowboys to improve to 5-0 on the season, and everyone thought San Francisco was the class of the NFL.  Not so fast, my friend.  San Fran has now lost three consecutive games, with the Bengals beating them on Sunday to knock the 49ers record down to 5-3.  Brock Purdy, who was cleared surprising quickly after suffering a concussion six days ago had the worst game of his young career, throwing a couple of bad interceptions.  Burrow routinely connected with Ja’Marr Chase, who had 10 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, and the Bengals also got a good game from Joe Mixon, who had 15 carries for 89 yards and a game-clinching touchdown late in the fourth quarter.   The win improves Cincinnati’s record to 4-3 after starting 0-2 to begin the season.  Next week the 49ers are on a much-needed bye, while the Bengals look to continue their hot streak in a big matchup against the Buffalo Bills (5-3) on Sunday night at home in Cincinnati.

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The Seahawks won 24-20 over the Browns in a weird one at home in Seattle.   The play of the game came on a whacky interception that bounced off Jamal Adams helmet and was snagged by Julian Love with 1:57 remaining.  Five plays later, Geno Smith threw a quick screen to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 9-yard touchdown with 38 seconds left, sealing the victory for the Seahawks.  Seattle (5-2) blew an early 14-point lead but made enough plays in the fourth quarter for its fifth win in six games, moving a half-game in front of division rival San Francisco for the time being.  Cleveland’s defense gave Geno all he could handle for most of the game, but he was sensational in the 4^th quarter – a sight we’re starting to get used to.   With Deshaun Watson missing another game, the Browns were led by P.J. Walker who was 15 of 31 for 248 yards and a touchdown to go with 2 picks, including the late game helmet deflected dagger.  Next week the Browns (4-3) host the Arizona Cardinals (1-7) while the Seahawks (5-2) have a big game in Baltimore against the (6-2) Ravens.

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The Ravens won 31-24 in Arizona, holding off the Cards' and taking care of business to get to 6-2 on the season.  Baltimore gave up a touchdown on the first drive, and two more in the fourth quarter.  But, in between those drives the Raven’s defense was dominant, leading the way to Baltimore’s third straight win.  A week after blowing out the Lions 38-6 at home in Baltimore, the AFC North leading Ravens were a bit flat offensively – finishing with 268 total yards.  Jackson threw for 157 yards on 18-of-27 passing and ran for 18 yards on four carries.  His counterpart on Sunday, Joshua Dobbs threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter.   He was sharp early in his eighth strait start, scoring on a 1-yard QB sneak to cap a 75-yard drive but he struggled in the middle stretch of the game before finding a grove again in crunch time. Perhaps some good news for the Cardinals, Kyler Murray has been cleared to practice and was seen on the sidelines pre game playing catch.  Next week the Ravens (6-2) host Seattle (5-2) in a showdown of division leaders, while the Cardinals (1-7)  go on the road to play the Browns (4-3)