Atlanta hands San Francisco its first NFL loss of the season, Minnesota stays unbeaten

49ers suffer first loss

The Atlanta Falcons on Sunday beat the San Francisco 49ers 29-20, ending their opponent's unbeaten run in the current NFL season, AFP reports. Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix threw three touchdown passes, while the team's defense forced San Francisco into four turnovers.

How the game unfolded

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was intercepted twice, George Kittle and Keon Black lost fumbles, and Christian McCaffrey's hip injury further hampered a depleted receiving corps of San Francisco. McCaffrey opened the scoring, capping the first 10-play, 64-yard drive with a 1-yard leap on fourth down (7-0), but missed most of the first half with the hip injury and, despite returning in the second half, could not help the team come back, AFP writes.

The rookie's decisive contribution

The outcome was decided by Atlanta rookie linebacker Cobee Daniels: a week after being carried off the field on a stretcher after a knee to the head, he intercepted a Purdy pass intended for Jordan Watkins with 2:34 left, then recovered Kittle's fumble a minute before the final whistle. It gave the Falcons their first home win of the season and improved their record to 3-4. 'The guys stepped up at the most crucial moments,' Penix said of the defense, adding: 'It was complete team football — offense, defense, special teams, everyone played well.' 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan noted: 'When you have four turnovers and your opponent has none, it's very hard to win. Too sloppy to win.'

Minnesota stays unbeaten

While San Francisco fell to 6-1, the Minnesota Vikings kept their unbeaten status, beating the Indianapolis Colts 16-10 and improving to 6-0. The Vikings shut out the Colts in the second half: Kyler Murray threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Hockenson early in the fourth quarter, and Will Reichard kicked a 52-yard field goal with 1:39 left. Harrison Smith preserved the win with an interception of Daniel Jones in the final minute — the 40th pick of the 15-year veteran's career. The Vikings remained one of two unbeaten teams: the Kansas City Chiefs played that evening against reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle, looking to improve to 6-0.

Other Sunday results

Sunday's slate opened in Paris, where Pittsburgh beat New Orleans 16-10 in the first NFL regular-season game in the French capital. Aaron Rodgers threw for 212 yards, and his 4-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Washington was his 540th in the regular season, moving the 42-year-old quarterback into third place in league history, past Peyton Manning (539). 'Our defense obviously played great. It's hard to win in this league. We flew here overnight Thursday, into Friday. The guys were tired, so this is a win built on character,' Rodgers said.

The other games

According to AFP, the Los Angeles Rams snapped a two-game losing streak by routing the Raiders 35-21 in Las Vegas: Matthew Stafford threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, and became the franchise's all-time leader in touchdown passes. In overtime, the New York Giants beat Houston 27-21 thanks to Devin Singletary's 30-yard touchdown run. Detroit edged Green Bay 20-17 on Jake Bates' 22-yard field goal in the final seconds. Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes in the second half as Cincinnati rallied to beat Baltimore 35-13. Deshaun Watson delivered his fifth game-winning fourth-quarter drive this season, and Andre Schmidt's 32-yard field goal at the final buzzer gave Cleveland a 27-24 win over Tennessee. Miami earned its first win of the season, beating the New York Jets 28-25 in New Jersey.