NFL: San Francisco 49ers demolish Jacksonville Jaguars to return to winning ways
![San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.planetsport.com%2Fimage-library%2Fland%2F700%2F498697_san-francisco-49ers-christian-mccaffrey-12-nov-2023.webp&w=3840&q=75)
San Francisco got back to winning ways after three successive defeats with a convincing 34-3 win at Jacksonville on Sunday.
Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns as the 49ers made an impressive return to form against a Jaguars side that had won their previous five games.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was sacked five times as the visitors dominated in all departments. Both teams ended the day with 6-3 records.
The Minnesota Vikings held off a New Orleans fightback to improve to 6-4 with a 27-19 win over the Saints.
Josh Dobbs ran in a touchdown and threw for another as the Vikings opened up a 24-3 lead in the first half but the Saints set up a tight finish as back-up quarterback Jameis Winston threw for two touchdowns.
Jonathan Taylor’s first-half touchdown proved crucial as the Indianapolis Colts overcame the New England Patriots 10-6 in Frankfurt.
Mac Jones’ hopes of leading a late Patriots rally ended when he threw an interception in the fourth quarter and was benched by head coach Bill Belichick. The loss left the Patriots on 2-8.
The Dallas Cowboys cruised to a 49-17 win over the New York Giants – the second time this season they have thrashed their NFC East rivals after a 40-0 success in their opening game.
Dak Prescott threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as the Cowboys moved to six wins and three losses.
Jason Myers kicked his fifth field goal of the game as time ran out to give the Seattle Seahawks a 29-26 win over the Washington Commanders, keeping them tied at the top of the NFC West with the 49ers.
The Detroit Lions stretched their lead at the top of the NFC North as Riley Patterson’s last-ditch field goal gave them a 41-38 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Kyler Murray’s return from injury inspired the Arizona Cardinals to a 25-23 win against the Atlanta Falcons, Matt Prater’s field goal in the dying seconds ending a run of six-straight losses.
Murray, who has been out for 11 months with a knee injury, threw for 249 yards and ran for a touchdown on his return.
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers 23-19, despite losing linebacker Kwon Alexander to a leg injury, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won for the first time in five attempts with a 20-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Replacement kicker Matt Ammendola kicked a field goal on the final play as the Houston Texans dramatically beat the Cincinnati Bengals 30-27 while the Cleveland Browns claimed a similarly nailbiting 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Dustin Hopkins, who had earlier missed an extra-point attempt that could have tied the game, kicked the decisive points for the Browns, who had trailed 17-3 after the first quarter.
Their efforts helped break an NFL record with five games ending on match-winning field goals on the same day.
Field goals again dominated as the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New York Jets 16-12, Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell finding Michael Mayer in the fourth quarter for the only touchdown of the game.