NFL roundup: Falcons end 49ers’ unbeaten run; Steelers win in France

On Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026, NFL action saw the Atlanta Falcons hand the San Francisco 49ers their first loss, 29-20, while the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in the league’s first regular-season game in France; other results included the Tampa Bay Buccaneers routing the Carolina Panthers 43-13 and the Cleveland Browns edging the Tennessee Titans 27-24.

Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes as Atlanta scored 13 points off four turnovers to snap a two-game skid; San Francisco’s offense was further hampered when Christian McCaffrey missed much of the first half with a thigh injury and Brock Purdy threw two interceptions, including one by rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, who also recovered a George Kittle fumble.

Harrison Smith’s game-sealing interception helped the Minnesota Vikings overcome a slow start to beat the Indianapolis Colts 16-10, the Vikings improving to 6-0 despite limited offensive output; linebacker Blake Cashman finished with 12 tackles, two sacks, four passes defensed and three quarterback hits, while the Colts fell to 2-5 and Daniel Jones completed 13 of 22 for 108 yards and lost 44 yards on four sacks as Spencer Shrader missed two second-half field goals.

Malik Willis led the Miami Dolphins to their first win of the season, a 28-25 victory over the New York Jets, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for a score; it was the first win for Jeff Hafley as coach of the Dolphins as Miami avoided an 0-6 start, scored on its first two drives and controlled most of the game, while Willis sealed the result with a first down on fourth-and-1 and the Jets fell to 2-5 as Geno Smith finished with three touchdown passes and an interception.

Aaron Rodgers threw one touchdown pass and Chris Boswell converted three field goals as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints 16-10 in France; Jaylen Warren rushed for 101 yards, Rodgers completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards and scrambled for a key fourth-quarter first down, the Steelers (5-2) claimed their third straight win, Payton Wilson had a red-zone interception of Tyler Shough in the third quarter and New Orleans (2-5) managed just 18 rushing yards.

Deshaun Watson engineered a last-minute drive for the Cleveland Browns, connecting with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 36-yard catch-and-run that set up Andre Szmyt’s 32-yard field goal as time expired in a 27-24 win over the Tennessee Titans; Watson ran for a touchdown and threw for 308 yards, Quinshon Judkins rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, rookie KC Concepcion caught eight passes for 129 yards, and the victory was the Browns’ fifth in six games as the Titans sought back-to-back wins.

Devin Singletary’s 30-yard overtime touchdown lifted the New York Giants to a 27-21 victory over the Houston Texans after Cam Skattebo’s 16-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and a 42-yard run that set up the game-winner; Skattebo finished with 17 carries for 124 yards after not carrying the ball the previous Sunday following a costly fumble two weeks earlier. JJ McCarthy started for the Giants after John Harbaugh benched Jameis Winston, completing 20 of 28 passes for 252 yards in the stadium where he won the Michigan national title in January 2024, and New York improved to 4-2-1 while the Texans dropped to 2-5 after failing to sustain a possession in overtime when Kayvon Thibodeaux dropped a potential interception on second down.

Joe Burrow threw four second-half touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals recovered from a poor start to beat Baltimore 35-13; Baltimore led 13-0 at halftime after settling for a couple of short field goals but squandered a double-digit second-half lead for the second straight week and the 10th time since the start of the 2022 season, with the Ravens having outscored opponents by 65 points in first halves this season while being outscored by 70 in second halves. In Tampa Bay, Bucky Irving ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns and the Buccaneers forced four turnovers in a 43-13 win over the Panthers on Baker Mayfield’s return; Mayfield, who had missed the previous three games with a dislocated right thumb, attempted 11 passes for 64 yards while wearing a protective glove, improved to 7-1 against Carolina (6-1 since joining Tampa Bay) and the Bucs totaled 258 rushing yards.

The weekend’s results produced notable shifts in records: the Vikings extended their start to 6-0, the Steelers moved to 5-2 and the Browns reached 5-2, while the Giants sit at 4-2-1 and several teams — the Colts, Saints, Jets and Texans — fell to 2-5; the Dolphins recorded their first victory of the season.