Week seven of the NFL left one unbeaten team standing and few - if any - would have picked them out at the start of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs were beaten at defending champions the Seattle Seahawks while the San Francisco 49ers also suffered their first loss. But the Minnesota Vikings marched on to maintain their 100% record, and there were also big wins for the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos.
Seahawks show championship pedigree Kansas City and Seattle have not only won three of the past four Super Bowls, they came into week seven with this season's best offence and best defence respectively, in terms of total yards. Sunday's primetime match also marked the return of Kenneth Walker, the Most Valuable Player in last season's Super Bowl, to former team Seattle after joining the Chiefs in the off-season. The running back has made a stunning start with Kansas City, leading the NFL in rushing yards per game (133) after six weeks, but Seattle's defence was determined to show why they became known as 'the Dark Side' during last season's championship run. They stifled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, restricting Walker to 36 yards from 14 carries as KC tied for their fewest points in a game with Mahomes as their starting quarterback.
The Seahawks ran out 20-3 winners to improve their record to 4-3, while the Chiefs are now 5-1. Purdy blots copybook Brock Purdy went to the top of the all-time list for career passer rating last week but did not hit his normal high standards as the San Francisco quarterback was frustrated by the Atlanta Falcons. The hosts forced four turnovers, including two Purdy interceptions, as they won 29-20 to inflict a first loss on the new Super Bowl favourites. The 49ers are 6-1 while NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams - the pre-season favourites - got back to winning ways. The Rams are 3-4 after winning 35-21 at the Las Vegas Raiders, where Matt Stafford became the first player to lead two teams for touchdown passes. Last season's MVP previously set the franchise record for the Detroit Lions before joining the Rams in 2021.
Vikings stretch surprise run For the first time in the NFL, two divisions will go into week eight with all four teams having a record better than 50%. One of those is the NFC North, topped by the Minnesota Vikings. Before the season, half the NFL was considered to have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl. But they are the last undefeated team at 6-0 after coming from behind to win 16-10 at home to the Indianapolis Colts. Their defence has been one of the league's best, Will Reichard is yet to miss a kick and - although their offence is yet to catch fire - the Vikings keep grinding out victories. Including the end of last season, Kevin O'Connell's team are on an 11-game win streak, but they face a test at divisional rivals Detroit next week.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing