THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles both saw their perfect starts to the NFL season end with upset defeats on Sunday, leaving the league without an unbeaten team after six weeks.
The Eagles fell 20-14 in their first-ever loss to the New York Jets with Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts throwing three interceptions at MetLife Stadium.
The Eagles led 14-9 at half-time, a lead that was cut to two points after a third-quarter field goal from 38 yards by Greg Zuerlein.
But in the fourth, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott missed a 37-yard field goal and then Hurts threw his third interception of the game, with Tony Adams returning the ball 45 yards to the eight-yard line.
The Eagles allowed Breece Hall to run into the end zone, giving Philadelphia 1:46 to get a game-winning touchdown.
But on a fourth-down play needing eight yards, Hurts went deep towards DeVonta Smith and New York’s Jordan Whitehead broke up the play to ensure a huge win for the Jets, who improved to 3-3 even without injured star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“It’s huge, it’s a big win for us. That’s an unbelievable team,” said Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, who threw for 186 yards with no interceptions.
“We needed that win. Everyone kept fighting… everyone was battling all across the board. There’s no quit in this team.”
The 49ers ended a 15-game regular-season winning streak, as Jake Moody missed a late 41-yard field goal attempt in a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
The blow of that defeat, the first as an NFL starter for quarterback Brock Purdy, was even heavier for the 49ers, with star running backs Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel both leaving the game with injuries.
Going into the game on the back of five straight wins, including last week’s 42-10 trouncing of the Dallas Cowboys, the ‘Niners were heavily favored against a Browns team with just one victory.
McCaffrey scored from a 13-yard Purdy pass to put San Francisco ahead in the first quarter and a 25-yard Moody field goal made it 10-0.
But the Browns fought back, with a 16-yard touchdown run from Kareem Hunt and took the lead after two field goals in the third quarter by Dustin Hopkins.
The 49ers restored their lead early in the fourth with an eight-yard touchdown rush from Jordan Mason before two field goals from Hopkins gave the Browns their narrow lead.
But with nine seconds of the game remaining, Moody missed a chance to win it with a kick froom from 41 yards
“It’s always tough to miss that last kick but it happens,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “They played better than us today. We made way too many mistakes on offense.”
- Dolphins improve to 5-1 -
At Miami, Tua Tagovailoa threw for three touchdowns and 262 yards as the Miami Dolphins again showed the power of their offense, improving to 5-1 with a 42-21 victory over the winless Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers opened a 14-0 lead before the Dolphins turned on the style.
Tyreek Hill had 163 yards receiving, including a 41-yard touchdown catch to put the Dolphins ahead 21-14.
Raheem Mostert then ran in two for Miami before a trade of late touchdowns sealed the Dolphins’ win.
Jared Goff completed 30-of-44 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns to spark Detroit over Tampa Bay 20-6 in a matchup of division leaders, the Lions improving to 5-1.
Buffalo defeated the New York Giants 14-9 but the Bills had a scare when running back Damien Harris suffered a neck injury and was taken off the field in an ambulance after being hit in the second quarter.
The Bills announced Harris had movement in his arms and legs and was taken to a hospital for medical testing.
The injury had many thinking back to January when Bills defender Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest when hit during a game. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was taken off in an ambulance but made a full recovery and played for the Bills earlier this month.
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell threw three touchdown passes in a 24-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons, which improved the Commanders to 3-3.
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