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Referee Nick Piazza had to be taken away
Photo: Stephen Lew / IMAGO / USA TODAY Network
At the home game of the NFL team New Orleans Saints against the Detroit Lions (28:33) there was a momentous collision with an unusual participant on Sunday. In the second quarter of the game, linesman Nick Piazza suffered a knee injury on the sideline.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara was hit by an opponent at full sprint, stumbled and fell headfirst into the NFL official. Piazza was part of the so-called Chain Crew. This part of the referee team is located on the touchline and marks with a ten-yard chain from which point the current play starts and what distance still needs to be covered so that the attacking team gets four new tries.
Piazza lost his shoe in the collision and injured his knee, the Saints announced. He is in a stable condition and will be further examined. Television images showed that Piazza's leg was bent at an unusual angle, but surgery is not necessary, according to the local newspaper NOLA.
The game ended victoriously for Detroit, who won for the ninth time this season. The German-American Amon-Ra St. Brown again played a big part in this by catching his sixth touchdown of the season. The Lions' record is better than it has been since 1962 and they can start planning for their first playoff appearance since the 2016/2017 season.
Patriots crisis continues, 49ers dominate Philadelphia
The situation is completely different for the six-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. In the 0-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Patriots remained without a point for the second time this season.
Longtime coach Bill Belichick's plan to replace hapless quarterback Mac Jones with Bailey Zappe had no effect. The fifth defeat in a row and the tenth of the season could not be prevented by the substitute.
In the top game of the day, the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the San Francisco 49ers. In the direct duel for the best placement in the main round, which guarantees home rights in the playoffs, the guests managed a dominant victory. In the preseason's Super Bowl contestant, San Francisco won 42-19.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had to leave the field and be examined in the fourth quarter – but by then the game was as good as decided. His counterpart, Brock Purdy, excelled with four touchdown passes. Purdy threw two of them to Deebo Samuel, who scored another touchdown on a run.
The Kansas City Chiefs played the night game against the Green Bay Packers and suffered their third defeat in the last five games. At 19:27, the defending champion around quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked uncertain, allowed himself many unnecessary penalties, and allowed the Packers several individual actions to gain a lot of space.
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