10 takeaways from Sunday’s blockbuster NFL slate: Lions atop NFC North; Chiefs last undefeated team

1) A heavyweight match for NFC supremacy lived up to expectations, toppled the Vikings from the undefeated ranks, and boded well for both teams’ fortunes because of the resiliency they both demonstrated. The Lions trailed by 10 points after a sluggish first quarter -- their first double-digit deficit of the season -- but then roared back with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter. That sent the Vikings into halftime with their first deficit since Week 1. The Vikings defense regrouped, forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter and kept the Lions scoreless in the final frame until the winning field goal. Jared Goff led a two-minute drill to put the Lions into field-goal range that included a 14-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. This was not a laughable blowout of the Cowboys. This victory showed the Lions have the requisite grit and ability to adjust that champions need. They are the class of the NFC, but the Vikings are not far behind. This game featured two well-balanced teams playing excellent football with few mistakes (each team had one turnover). The Lions took over first place in the NFC North with the win, but there will almost certainly be plenty on the line when the rematch takes place on the final day of the regular season. 

2) For the third time this season, Goff didn’t have an incompletion in the first half (12-of -12 passing), and it’s time to put him in the MVP conversation. His first incompletion did not come until midway through the third quarter. That is especially impressive considering he was facing a Vikings defense that specializes in confusing quarterbacks with a variety of blitzes. In the second quarter, with the Vikings crowding the line for a blitz, Goff threw down the deep middle to hit St. Brown for a 35-yard touchdown. Goff finished the game 22-of-25 passing for 280 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions with a quarterback rating of 140.0. His completion percentage was 88.0, marking the fourth time in six games he has completed at least 72 percent of his passes.

3) The Lions sacked Sam Darnold four times, including on the final play of the game, but they still missed Aidan Hutchinson. There were stretches during the game when Darnold had plenty of time to throw. The Lions were blitzing, with only some success. They have games against the Titans and Packers before the trade deadline on Nov. 5 -- will they make a move to help their pass rush in what could be a special season?

1) The Texans badly need to figure out something with their pass protection. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was under pressure most of the day – he was sacked four times, hit seven times – and he ended with a career-low 86 yards with just 10 completions. This continues a troubling trend for the Texans, who have lacked offensive consistency (they were four of 13 on third down). Stroud, who was sacked four times at Lambeau to bring his season total to 20 through seven games, displayed a rare moment of frustration Sunday when he threw his helmet to the ground on the sideline. The offensive line was fine with run blocking. Joe Mixon finished with 115 yards on 25 carries, but for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations, protecting Stroud to allow the offense to return to its regular explosiveness has to be a priority. 

2) The Packers dominated the game but committed three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble), which kept the Texans in the game. Still, once the Texans had to settle for a field goal on their final possession, it felt inevitable that Jordan Love would at least drive the Packers into field-goal range. He did, including completing a pass on third-and-2. And have the Packers finally solved their interminable kicker issues? Brandon McManus was signed just days ago, and he nailed a 45-yarder for the win. The Packers are a complete, balanced team, just like the Vikings and Lions. They still have both games against the Lions remaining – they will be must-see. 

1) The attrition of wide receivers in this game was startling and clearly contributed to a rough day of passing for both quarterbacks -- Patrick Mahomes’ passer rating was 44.4 and Brock Purdy’s 36.7, both career lows. Mahomes completed just 5 of 12 attempts to wide receivers, including 3 of 8 to Xavier Worthy. Purdy was just 8 of 18 on pass attempts to wide receivers. The 49ers were down their top three receivers after Deebo Samuel, who played just a few snaps, exited due to illness and Brandon Aiyuk suffered a serious knee injury. You could see missed communication everywhere -- on a two-point attempt late in the fourth quarter, 49ers rookie Ricky Pearsall, playing in his first game after being shot seven weeks ago, failed to turn to pick up the ball intended for him. The Chiefs’ situation is at least as muddied. Already without Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice, the Chiefs expected to lean on JuJu Smith-Schuster, who aggravated a hamstring injury during the game. Despite their season-long offensive downturn, Kansas City entered the game in no particular rush to make a trade for a receiver. With two more weeks until the Nov. 5 trade deadline, will Smith-Schuster’s health prospects change the Chiefs’ calculus? Even in their depleted state, the Chiefs (leading receiver, Noah Gray, caught four passes for 66 yards) put up 28 points on the 49ers. 

2) The Chiefs, the only remaining undefeated team, have the luxury of piecing it together on offense -- and by that, we mean waiting for Mahomes to make magic with his arm or legs, like a certain sideline scamper that was the play of the game against the 49ers -- because their defense keeps them in every game. On Sunday, they intercepted Purdy three times, including one each from rookies Christian Roland-Wallace and Jaden Hicks, and held the 49ers to just 2-of-11 on third-down attempts. That contributed to a lopsided time of possession that allowed the Chiefs to be on the field 10 more minutes than the 49ers. Even when the offense is as inefficient as it is right now -- and it is as inefficient as it has been in the Mahomes era -- Steve Spagnuolo’s defense is reprising its role from last season: carry the Chiefs through the season, while the offense figures things out. Kansas City has not allowed more than two touchdowns in any game this season. It ended with a Super Bowl championship last season, and as ugly as it looks, there is no reason to think the Chiefs can’t make a similar run this season. 

3) The 49ers desperately need a return of their stars. While Kyle Shanahan said the team fears Aiyuk tore his ACL, Samuel should return next week. The big question is when Christian McCaffrey can get back on the field. The 49ers’ inability to run the ball Sunday (24 runs, 101 yards) put the game entirely in Purdy’s hands. And against a defense as good as Kansas City’s, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he struggled. Next week, the 49ers have the equally desperate Dallas Cowboys, and they may have to face them without left tackle Trent Williams, who could be suspended after he was ejected Sunday for throwing a punch. After their Week 9 bye, the 49ers have the Bucs, Seahawks, Packers and Bills. If there is good news for the 49ers, it is that nobody else is running away with the NFC West. 

1) The Jets certainly did not trade for Davante Adams last week thinking his biggest play Sunday would be a touchdown-saving tackle after an Aaron Rodgers interception. But when Rodgers threw an off-target pass intended for Adams to open the Jets’ first drive, it was an indication that while their reunion may hold plenty of promise, the Jets are still not a crisp unit. Adams’ impact was felt elsewhere on the offense, though. The attention the Steelers defense had to pay to him created more space for Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall to operate, and Hall flourished with yards after the catch, finishing the night with six receptions for 103 yards, a welcome improvement. Adams (three catches, 30 yards) couldn’t fix everything, though. Beanie Bishop Jr. intercepted Rodgers twice – once by reaching behind himself to grab a throw intended for Wilson, and another by catching a pass that bounced off Wilson. And the defense, which was having some issues against the run already, is now beset by more injuries. The unit yielded 409 total yards to the Steelers. In the fourth quarter, Steelers receiver Van Jefferson was wide open as he awaited Russell Wilson’s 4-yard touchdown pass. After a wild 12-day stretch in which Robert Saleh was fired, the offensive play-caller was changed, Adams was acquired and a deal was finally reached that will have Haason Reddick joining the team on Monday, the Jets are 2-5 and already three games behind the Bills in the AFC East. There are not many more big buttons to push to jump-start the season, so all the changes will have to make an impact soon. 

2) When the booing began, Russell Wilson was 2-for-8 passing for 19 yards, and Mike Tomlin’s decision to bench Justin Fields in favor of Wilson looked like a disaster. Wilson looked rusty, throwing balls low and passing up the opportunity to scramble. But then the Steelers opened up the offense a bit. Wilson threw a moonball that was caught by George Pickens, and then he threw a ball with perfect touch to Pickens in the back of the end zone for a Steelers touchdown in the first half. There were more touch passes to Pickens and to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Then Wilson got pushed in for a touchdown. Tomlin made the quarterback change because, while he thought the offense with Fields was good, he wanted to see if he could get better from Wilson because, as Tomlin suggested in remarks last week, he thinks the Steelers may need more to compete with the top teams in the NFL. What the Steelers gave up in scrambling ability Sunday, they gained in ability to throw the ball downfield with the proper touch, and that, in turn, opened up room for the running game. Wilson finished 16 of 29 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers scored a season-high 37 points. Pittsburgh has an outstanding defense and a good running game. And at least on Sunday night, they had a good passing game, too.