Why Colts are real contenders as Denver defy odds

The Indianapolis Colts firmly established themselves as genuine contenders on another pulsating NFL Sunday, while the Denver Broncos staged the mother of all comebacks.

The Colts lead the league but challengers are coming from all angles, with the New England Patriots continuing their resurgence and the Kansas City Chiefs firmly back in business.

Jalen Hurts finally got the Philadelphia Eagles offence moving, the Green Bay Packers showed their battling qualities and the Dallas Cowboys are still the league's gunslingers.

There's no denying the Colts are the real deal now as they top the NFL at 6-1 after dismantling the Chargers 38-24 in LA, with Daniel Jones banishing doubts about his flying start to the season being a flash in the pan.

Running back Jonathan Taylor is a touchdown machine - scoring his third hat-trick of the season to take his total to 11 in seven games.

That star power has been key in Indianapolis being top scorers in the NFL with more than 33 points a game - and their key strength is just how clinical they are in possession.

They entered the game with the best points per drive stats in the league and against the Chargers scored five touchdowns and a field goal with their nine possessions.

When they don't have the ball they're the third-best at forcing turnovers (11) and when they have it they rarely give it away and almost always score.

The defence gives away plenty of yards but at 20 points a game is seventh best, and it all combines for a growing juggernaut that really does look tough to stop.

No doubting the game of the week, with Bo Nix going bananas and leading the Denver Broncos to a mind-boggling 33-32 win over the plucky, and unlucky, New York Giants.

Being shutout 19-0 after three quarters, Nix became the first quarterback to have two passing and two rushing touchdowns in a fourth quarter, with Denver's 33-point blitz the second-best in history.

Even when Nix somehow got Denver in front, impressive Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart generated a response with his fourth total touchdown of the game seemingly winning it with just 37 seconds left.

That was enough time for Nix to lead a field goal drive, though, and get Denver out of jail again - but they'll have to do better if they're to go far this season.

The Super Bowl champions came roaring back after consecutive losses with Hurts finally opening up his shoulders to throw for 326 yards, three touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 as the Eagles beat the Vikings 28-22.

Hurts hasn't been on the same page as his receivers of late, but DeVonta Smith had a career-best 183 yards and a score while AJ Brown caught two touchdowns in a freewheeling display Eagles fans have been crying out for.

There's usually a more conservative approach from Philadelphia, but with Hurts throwing for the most yards on 20-yard throws (215) in his career, it could be a sign that they're taking the handbrake off.

Patrick Mahomes was also letting the ball fly in his 93rd regular-season victory, as returning receiver Rashee Rice sparked a 31-0 shutout of the rather woeful Las Vegas Raiders.

Much bigger tests are to come but it's now four wins in five for the 4-3 Chiefs after a sticky start, averaging 31.5 points a game over the past four and with only the Colts more clinical in possession.

The Chiefs are definitely on the up.

Drake Maye will play his way into MVP contention if he continues with such poise and accuracy for the Patriots.

He set a team record with a 91.3% completion rate in their win over the Titans and, when you consider it's a team that had Tom Brady at quarterback for two decades, that's quite an achievement in just his second season.

The Pats are 5-2 and have won all four away games, including the past three, even though this latest one was against the Titans.

Green Bay edged Arizona 27-23 but it was far from convincing - Micah Parsons had three sacks which proved decisive but Cards back-up quarterback Jacoby Brissett still got some joy against the Packers defence.

They also looked a bit toothless on offence whenever Josh Jacobs wasn't on the field, so key to their progress is keeping their star running back fit moving forward.

There was a fourth straight game with three touchdowns for Dak Prescott as the Dallas Cowboys again showed their attacking prowess to beat a struggling Washington, who lost Jayden Daniels with a hamstring injury.

That's a massive worry for the Commanders, who had no answer to CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Javonte Williams who combined for 308 yards and two scores.

At 3-3 Dallas could easily go on a run and with their attack could beat anyone, but they've still got a lot to prove on defence.

Only the Patriots can match Chicago's four-win streak after the Bears overcame a hot-and-cold Caleb Williams to beat the struggling Saints.

The Bears ran for 222 yards and two scores while the defence leads the league with 16 turnovers, after three interceptions and a fumble by Spencer Rattler - and that combination can take you a long way in the NFL.

But they'll want more from Williams.

The San Francisco 49ers have their injury problems but as long as they've got Christian McCaffrey they've got a chance.

The Niners are now 5-2 after McCaffrey had 201 total yards and two touchdowns to beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-10.

Hapless Miami proved the antidote to Cleveland's problems, as the Browns ran up 31 points to beat the Dolphins - having previously not managed more than 17 in a game.

And finally the New York Jets, who benched Justin Fields during their 13-6 defeat by Carolina, have dropped to 0-7 for just the third time in their history.