Eagles, 49ers are in their own zone

Confetti from a NFL weekend.

Miles Sanders

Philadelphia 48, N.Y. Giants 22

— The Eagles’ sole loss, to Washington, just made them mad. They’ve scored 123 points in the three games since, to go to 11-1, and they’ve amassed 16 sacks in those games.

— MVP favorite Jalen Hurts has seven touchdown passes and no interceptions in that span. On Sunday, the Eagles averaged 9.2 yards per rush, with Miles Sanders churning for 144 yards and two touchdowns, and the defense had 10 tackles for loss.

— Gravity has brought down the Giants to 7-5-1, with a 1-4-1 record in their past six. However, they are still above the playoff line in the NFC with a game at Washington on Sunday night.

San Francisco 35, Tampa Bay 7

— The 49ers scored touchdowns on five of their first seven possessions, and Christian McCaffrey caught and ran for scores. Rookie QB Brock Purdy only had to throw 21 passes, completing 16, as San Francisco won its sixth consecutive game and took command of the NFC West. Purdy became the first quarterback, of eight, to win his debut game against a team quarterbacked by Tom Brady.

— During the win streak, San Francisco has not allowed a running play longer than 14 yards, and its oppponents are 8-for-34 on third downs in their past three games. That forced Brady to throw 55 times after he threw 54 on Monday night against New Orleans. The only cloud in San Francisco’s sky was an ankle injury to Deebo Samuel, who was carted off.

— At 6-7, Tampa Bay still leads what’s left of the NFC South, with the Falcons and Panthers only one game behind. Tampa Bay plays both of them in the final two weeks of the season, but has to deal with Cincinnati on Sunday.

Baltimore 16, Pittsburgh 14

— In the NFL’s most violent rivalry, Roquan Smith knocked out Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett early, and the Ravens became vultures on defense, intercepting Mitch Trubisky three times. But after Trubisky’s pass to Pat Freiermuth cut the lead to two points, the Ravens’ Gus Edwards ran three times for a first down and allowed Tyler Huntley, subbing for Lamar Jackson, to perform the victory formation.

— Huntley threw only 12 passes, and Baltimore ran 42 times for 215 yards. J.K. Dobbins became the first Raven running back to crack 100 yards (120 in 15 carries) as the Ravens (9-4) won to keep pace with Cincinnati atop the AFC North. The two meet in the season finale.

— The Steelers had not suffered a turnover in the previous four weeks. Now they’re 5-8. A playoff miss would be their third in five seasons. A losing season would be the first for coach Mike Tomlin, who came to the Steelers in 2007.

Carolina 30, Seattle 24

— On Oct. 10 the Panthers fired Matt Ruhle. On Oct. 16 they lost to the Rams and fell to 1-5, and they traded Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco a couple of days later. Since then the Panthers are 4-3, and this win moved them to 5-8 and to within one game of the NFC South lead. Interim coach Steve Wilks has gone to the medieval approach, and the Panthers ran the ball 46 times against the Seahawks and had the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

— Sam Darnold is 2-0 in his return to the huddle, but he only threw 12 passes at Seattle. Add that to a dangerous defense that employs Brian Burns and Derrick Brown up front, and it appears Wilks, who had one dismal season as Arizona’s head coach, might get another chance at the big office.

— Meanwhile, Seattle couldn’t run the ball without the injured Kenneth Walker, and Geno Smith, a sensation most of the year, threw two more interceptions. When the Seahawks got within 20-17, Carolina mauled them with a 74-yard fourth-quarter TD drive that featured eight runs in 10 plays. The Seahawks are 7-6 and have lost three of four, and they’re now below the NFC playoff line.

Baker Mayfield

L.A. Chargers 23, Miami 17

— The Dolphins fell to 8-5, a game behind Buffalo in the AFC East, and they head for the home of the Bills Mafia on Saturday. Their offense is wheezing a bit, with Tua Tagovailoa going 10-for-28 against a Charger defense that didn’t have Derwin James, and Jaylen Waddle catching only two passes. Miami ran only 49 plays to the Chargers’ 78.

— Tyreek Hill’s ankle was bothering him but not enough to keep him out of the end zone. He scored when he picked up a fumble by Cedric Wilson and ran 59 yards, and then scored on a 60-yard pass. It took Hill only 13 games to break Mark Clayton’s team single-season record for receiving yards (1,460 yards on 100 catches).

— Justin Herbert had a career-high 39 completions as he braved the Dolphins’ rush and kept the chains moving. The Chargers’ 7-6 record put them in the seventh and final playoff position, although New England will take it if it wins the Monday night game at Arizona.

L.A. Rams 17, Las Vegas 16

— Four days later, the league was still buzzing over Baker Mayfield’s speed-dating exhibition on Thursday night. The Rams signed him on Monday and Mayfield only practiced with the team on Wednesday, and that was mostly a red-zone session. After one series Thursday he entered the fray and looked amazingly sharp, but the Rams still trailed 16-3. But Mayfield directed two scoring drives, including a 98-yard drive with no time outs, and threw a 23-yard touchdown to Van Jefferson with :10 left.

— That was the longest go-ahead drive in the final two minutes of an NFL game since 1977. But it doesn’t happen if the Raiders’ Amik Robertson doesn’t commit pass interference on a play in which Duron Harmon intercepts Mayfield, or if Jerry Tilley doesn’t slap the ball out of Mayfield’s hands after a play, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

— The Rams never knew a 4-9 record could feel this good, even for an instant. They stayed close enough to pull this trick because the defense forced the Raiders (5-8) to kick three field goals. Bobby Wagner, at 34, is ranked No. 1 among linebackers by Pro Football Focus, and was in on 14 tackles.