49ers Stay Perfect, Cowboys Steal a Texas Shootout in Wild NFL Sunday
San Francisco moved to 4-0 with a 24-14 win over Denver, Dallas rallied past Houston behind CeeDee Lamb's career day, and New England handed Buffalo its first loss in a Week 4 Sunday full of late swings.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – For a half on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers looked stuck in the mud. Then a fumbled punt cracked the game open, and the last unbeaten team in the NFC walked away with a 24-14 win over the Denver Broncos.
Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey each scored on 1-yard runs, and George Kittle turned a short screen pass into a 56-yard touchdown that sealed the game late in the fourth quarter, according to Reuters. Brock Purdy finished 19 of 30 for 218 yards and two touchdowns, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw – who played for Denver last season – led the defense with 12 tackles. San Francisco is 4-0 for the second time in four years.
The game turned in the third quarter. Locked in a 3-3 tie after a first half that produced just 15 first downs and 315 total yards, Denver’s Marvin Mims Jr. fumbled a punt return, Siran Neal recovered, and Purdy found Samuel nine plays later for the lead. Denver cut it to 10-6 on a Wil Lutz field goal, McCaffrey’s plunge made it a two-score game, and after Bo Nix hit Jaylen Waddle for a touchdown and a two-point conversion trimmed the margin to 17-14, Kittle outraced the Broncos’ defense to close it out. Nix threw for 214 yards for Denver (2-2), and neither quarterback threw an interception.
Lamb’s record day rescues Dallas
The wildest finish of the afternoon came in Houston, where the Cowboys erased a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Texans 34-30 on CeeDee Lamb’s touchdown catch with 40 seconds remaining. Lamb caught 17 passes – a career best, and second in franchise history only to Jason Witten’s 18-catch game in 2012 – for 189 yards, according to Reuters. Dak Prescott threw for 335 yards, and Javonte Williams ran for three touchdowns in the second half.
Houston nearly stole it back. C.J. Stroud, who threw for 347 yards and two scores, drove the Texans 87 yards in the final minutes, using a lateral from Dalton Schultz to David Montgomery to set up a go-ahead touchdown with 2:23 left. Prescott answered with an 11-play, 74-yard march to Lamb. The Texans fell to 0-4 for the first time since 2020; Nico Collins returned from a hamstring injury to catch seven passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
Around the league
New England handed Buffalo its first defeat, 29-26 in Orchard Park, as Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes, the last a leaping, one-handed 23-yard grab by Efton Chism III with 1:50 to play. Craig Woodson then intercepted Josh Allen to seal the win and drop the Bills to 3-1, according to Reuters.
Minnesota joined San Francisco at 4-0 without scoring a touchdown, beating Miami 15-10 behind five Will Reichard field goals and 13 catches from T.J. Hockenson. Baltimore beat Tennessee 24-18 but watched Lamar Jackson leave in the second quarter with an ankle injury after being sacked; the Ravens held on scoreless in the second half. In Philadelphia, the Rams rallied from 10 down to beat the Eagles 24-20 on two late Kyren Williams touchdown runs, while the Eagles lost Saquon Barkley early to a hamstring injury and failed on all 12 of their third-down tries.
Jacksonville beat Cincinnati 22-17 for Trevor Lawrence’s first win over Joe Burrow in four meetings, the Giants outlasted Arizona 36-24, Indianapolis beat Washington 30-13 in London, and Green Bay held off Tampa Bay 17-14.
Reporting based on coverage by Reuters.
