The San Francisco 49ers' winning season start continues after they rallied to exact some payback on the Seattle Seahawks.
Having opened the season with their crushing 27-7 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, the 49ers improved to 5-0 by downing the reigning Super Bowl champions 32-29 in Seattle on Monday (AEDT).
The 49ers had copped two late losses to Seattle last season when they failed to score a touchdown, including a 41-6 defeat in the divisional round of the playoffs with a short-handed roster.
Quarterback Brock Purdy engineered two scoring drives in the fourth quarter of a game featuring an NFL season-high seven combined turnovers and the ejection of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw for head-butting Seattle's helmetless Ernest Jones IV in a sideline confrontation, having delivered a late hit on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.
With his team down 26-21 late in the third quarter, Purdy responded with an impressive drive against the vaunted Seahawk defence, setting up a touchdown pass to Brandon Cooks.
Darnold replied by leading Seattle on a game-tying field-goal drive before Purdy and the 49ers moved the ball 43 yards for Eddy Pineiro's go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 1:56 to play.
Australian punter Michael Dickson finished with two kicks for 83 yards, including a high punt in the first quarter that was muffed by 49ers receiver Jacob Cowing and recovered by the Seahawks to set up a touchdown.
In New Orleans, the Minnesota Vikings also moved to 5-0, beating the slumping New Orleans Saints 23-13 as Aaron Jones made up for an early fumble with a pivotal, fourth-quarter touchdown.
Led by their blitz-happy defence, the Vikings came in allowing an NFL-low 12.8 points per game. In addition to allowing only one offensive TD, they forced three turnovers and held New Orleans to 142 total yards.
"When you do something like that, it's a special feeling and a special defence," said cornerback Byron Murphy Jr, who intercepted Saints QB Tyler Shough twice.
In London, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little landed a last-gasp 57-yard field goal to snatch his side a 19-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It was the coolest moment of my career," said Little, who wore a Manchester United jersey at his post-game news conference.
The Eagles (2-3) appeared set to grab victory when their kicker, Jake Elliott, was successful from 48 yards to edge his side 17-16 ahead with eight seconds remaining at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Little's improbable scenario was made possible by Ameer Abdullah's 53-yard kickoff return that left one second on the clock.
Trevor Lawrence completed 24 of 39 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns - both to Parker Washington - along with an interception for the Jaguars (4-1).
"One of the craziest games, maybe the craziest game I've ever been a part of, and I've been in some pretty wild ones,'' Lawrence said.
"Just how cool is this sport? The game's never over."
- with The AP