Key events
Is second-year New Orleans head coach Kellen Moore on the hot seat? The Saints are 2-5 after a poor offensive display, they rushed for just 18 yards against the Steelers. Moore is 8-16 across his two seasons and finished last in the NFC South last year. They sit third at the moment but would be pushed into last place if Tampa Bay beat Carolina today. In a boost for the Buccaneers’ chances Baker Mayfield is back starting at quarterback after missing three games.
Speaking of divisional rivalries … today’s crunch matchup comes from the AFC North as the 3-2 Bengals face the 4-2 Ravens in Baltimore. Cincinnati will be happy Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson misses out again with an ankle injury as they aim to build on their best start since 2021 when they happened to make a visit to the Super Bowl. Baltimore are the underdogs then with Snoop Huntley at QB but if the Ravens get running back Derrick Henry going then all bets are off.
A win for either team is crucial in a congested division as the Pittsburgh Steelers have just moved top at 5-2 with a 16-10 win in Paris. The 4-2 Cleveland Browns are also gunning for top spot as they aim to keep a cracking start to the season going against the struggling 1-5 Tennessee Titans.
How about the NFL’s first encounter in France? It hasn’t been a vintage contest but the Steelers defense has won the day so far. With two minutes on the clock the 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers just rushed for a vital 1st down to get Pittsburgh in the red zone. New Orleans have two timeouts remaining trailing 16-10 and need a huge defensive play to have any hope of winning.
A likely win for the Steelers moves them to 5-2 and top of the AFC North at least until their divisional rivals all play in the next slate of games.
Preamble
Bonjour football fans! Ça va? Bien! Welcome to week seven on the NFL with a distinctly French feel as Pittsburgh lead New Orleans 16-10 in Paris with only a couple of minutes remaining. While American football’s global takeover shows no signs of stopping, neither does the action as we have a treat in two unbeaten teams featuring in seven games starting at 12pm CST/1pm EST/5pm GMT (home teams listed second):
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(6-0) San Francisco 49ers v Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
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(3-2) Cincinnati Bengals v Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
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(1-5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Carolina Panthers (3-2)
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(3-2-1) New York Giants v Houston Texans (2-4)
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(2-4) Indianapolis Colts v Minnesota Vikings (5-0)
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(0-5) Miami Dolphins v New York Jets (2-4)
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(4-2) Cleveland Browns v Tennessee Titans (1-5)
The pair of perfect franchises are the 49ers and Vikings who face the Falcons and Colts respectively. Minnesota’s mighty defense will be confident of making light work of an iffy Indianapolis offense but Atlanta have looked better than their record suggests this season and could give San Francisco a serious test.
Why might the 49ers be a little underpowered? Well, they are missing their biggest weapon in receiver Mike Evans who joins a lengthy list of injured wideouts. Tight end George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey will be called on to fill the void.
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