NFL Week 7: Chargers and Rams win with shutouts

Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, left, is tackled by Chargers strong safety Adrian Phillips during the second half.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

The Chargers are the hottest team in the AFC.

The 90-degree-plus temperatures probably would’ve made that so anyway on Sunday, but an amazing pass rush and some timely big plays made that statement true in a more important way.

After beating the Denver Broncos 21-0 Sunday at StubHub Center in Carson, the Chargers have won three-straight games, tied with the Dolphins for the longest in the conference.

It’s the team’s first three-game winning streak since late November 2014.

The Chargers offense, largely, was ineffective, but it didn’t matter thanks to the play on defense and special teams.

The Chargers forced three turnovers, sacked Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian five times and hit him a whole lot more in playing what essentially was a perfect defensive game.

The team also got their first special teams score of the year, a 65-yard Travis Benjamin touchdown.The return came after the team got stopped on four straight plays from the one-yard line, with Melvin Gordon unable to cross the goal line.

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The Seattle Seahawks needed until the middle of the third quarter to get a touchdown, but now they’ve got two -- and a 10-point lead.

The Seahawks have kept the Giants off the scoreboard since early in the first quarter and lead 17-7 in the middle of the fourth.

The Chargers salted a victory over the Broncos when, on a third-and-11 play from the Denver 42-yard line, quarterback Philip Rivers dumped a short pass over the middle to speedy receiver Travis Benjamin, who turned a corner and outran Broncos safety Justin Simmons for a touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 5:42 left in the game.

The Broncos looked like they were getting a much-needed spark with an 81-yard completion, but the play was called back because of offensive pass interference.

Then the Chargers nearly grabbed an interception, but Jatavis Brown couldn’t hang on.

After a 31-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers took a little break from the football game to play a game of ... hide and seek.

The Steelers lead the Bengals 17-14 late in the second quarter.

On their last trip to the one, the Chargers ran into the Broncos’ defensive line four times and failed to score. After big gains through the air to Hunter Henry and Keenan Allen got them there again, the Chargers changed things up.

On first-and-goal, Philip Rivers hit rookie Austin Ekeler for a one-yard scoring pass. The Chargers lead 14-0 with 7:07 left in the second quarter.

After the Chargers were stopped four times from the Denver 1-yard line, the defense held and the team’s special teams stepped up. Travis Benjamin returned a punt 65 yards for the score, giving the Chargers a 7-0 lead with 7:27 left in the opening quarter.

The Chargers had first-and-goal at the one-yard line after a pass intereference penalty in the end zone but the Broncos stopped Melvin Gordon on four consecutive runs.

L.A. had forced an early turnover and were in the red zone following a 34-yard pass to tight end Hunter Henry, who later drew the inteference penalty against Denver.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff runs the ball against the Arizona Cardinals at Twickenham Stadium in London.

(Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images)

The road trips can be as short as a one-hour flight to San Francisco, several hours to Dallas or a 10-day stay in Jacksonville and London.

It does not seem to matter.

The Rams appear to love the road life.

Their 33-0 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday before a crowd of 73,736 at Twickenham Stadium improved the Rams’ record to 5-2 and kept them in the conversation as a legitimate playoff contender.

The NFC West game was a designated Rams “home” game. But it came at the end of a long trip and pushed the Rams’ record on the road to 4-0.

The defense knocked Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer out of the game, intercepted two passes and shut down running back Adrian Peterson in the Rams’ first shutout since 2014.

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The Cleveland Browns’ and Tennessee Titans’ field-goal slugfest continues. Zane Gonzalez hit a 54-yarder to knot the score at 9-9 with 51 seconds left in regulation.

It was the sixth made kick of the game.

Minnesota Vikings kicker Kai Forbath kicks a 52-yard field goal during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens.

(Jim Mone / Associated Press)

Kai Forbath is showing off his leg in the Minnesota Vikings’ game against the Baltimore Ravens. Forbath has kicked six field goals, and two of them have been longer than 50 yards. He connected from 52 yards and 57 yards in the first half.

Just for fun, the Vikings mixed in a touchdown in the middle of the third quarter and lead 24-9.

The Cleveland Brown’s DeShone Kizer shakes off a sack attempt by the Titans’ DaQuan Jones in the second quarter.

(Jason Miller / Getty Images)

After trailing the Tennessee Titans 6-3 at halftime, the Cleveland Browns sat quarterback DeShone Kizer in favor of Cody Kessler.

Kizer was benched last week but returned to the starting lineup today -- for two quarters.

Kessler, in his second year, is playing in his 10th NFL game.

The Browns tied it with a field goal in the third quarter, but the Titans went back up 9-6 with the game’s fifth field goal.

Rams second-year quarterback Jared Goff isn’t exactly known for being a dual threat. His 9-yard scamper late in the first half was just the second rushing touchdown of his career.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Hundley looks for a receiver during the first half against the New Orleans Saints.

(Mike Roemer / Associated Press)

The Packers’ offense hasn’t had much trouble without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers so far. Green Bay leads the New Orleans Saints 14-7 in the second quarter, and Brett Hundley, making his first start under center, has provided a touchdown with his feet.

The Packers also got an early boost from Aaron Jones.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette is tackled by Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam on Oct. 15.

(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

Leonard Fournette, the NFL’s second-leading rusher, will not play for the Jacksonville Jaguars against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

Fournette did not practice this week with a sprained right ankle, and Chris Ivory starts in Fournette’s place.

Fournette has rushed for 596 yards, second to Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt (630), and nobody has scored more rushing touchdowns than Fournette’s six. His seven overall touchdowns also are tied for the league high with Chargers running back Melvin Gordon and running back Todd Gurley.

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, right, lines up against New York Giants tight end Rhett Ellison on Oct. 8.

(Bill Kostroun / Associated Press)

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa isn’t worried about route tendencies. He’s not concerned with whether the quarterback throws the football to the left side of the field or the right side of the field.

Bosa gets to play free — and free means fast.

In the second quarter of the Chargers’ game with Oakland last Sunday, Bosa had no other concern than beating Raiders right tackle Marshall Newhouse.

With two hands on the turf, he exploded into the backfield, pressing two hands into Newhouse’s chest before getting a paw on the football, which Oakland quarterback Derek Carr had exposed.

From snap to sack, 2.25 seconds elapsed. According to the NFL, it was the fastest sack of the season.

“I don’t worry about scheme,” he said.

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Today’s results

at Chicago Bears 17, Carolina Panthers 3

at Minnesota Vikings 24, Baltimore Ravens 16

Jacksonville Jaguars 27, Indianapolis Colts 0

New Orleans Saints 26, Green Bay Packers 17

RAMS 33, Arizona Cardinals 0

at Buffalo Bills 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27

Tennessee Titans 12, at Cleveland Browns 9 (OT)

at Miami Dolphins 31, New York Jets 28

Dallas Cowboys 40, San Francisco 49ers 10

at CHARGERS 21, Denver Broncos 0

Seattle Seahawks 24, New York Giants 7

at Pittsburgh Steelers 29, Cincinnati Bengals 14

Today’s schedule

at New England Patriots, 23, Atlanta Falcons 7

Thursday’s result

At Oakland Raiders 31, Kansas City Chiefs 30

Rams quarterback Jared Goff looks to throw during practice in Bagshot, England. The Rams play the Arizona Cardinals in London on Sunday.

(Tim Ireland / Associated Press)

From a marketing perspective, the NFL has lucked into a good scenario.

Fans expected to pack London’s Twickenham Stadium on Sunday will see a Rams team that leads the league in scoring against a Cardinals team that features future Hall of Famers Adrian Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald.

That is, arguably, quality global entertainment.

But while the Rams might be averaging a league-best 29.8 points a game, coach Sean McVay’s offense has, of late, not been part of the show — at least when it comes to reaching the end zone.

Consider:

• The Rams scored only one touchdown in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 8.
• Kicker Greg Zuerlein kicked a team-record seven field goals in a 35-30 victory at Dallas on Oct. 1.
• The kickoff-return and punt-block units combined with Zuerlein to score 20 points in last week’s 27-20 victory at Jacksonville.
• The defense, which scored two touchdowns in the season-opening victory over Indianapolis, and special teams units should be celebrated as effective weapons that have helped the Rams forge a 4-2 record going into their NFC West “home” game against the Cardinals.

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Arizona Cardinals practice squad tight end Anthony Denham takes part in an NFL flag football event with local schoolchildren at the London Irish rugby team training ground.

(Matt Dunham / Associated Press))

One of the reasons NFL Europe didn’t survive is because football fans across the pond became increasingly discriminating as the years passed. They wanted to see the sport played at the highest level, so a second-tier version didn’t cut it.

For the last decade, the NFL has been playing regular-season games in London, with the 20th of those taking place Sunday when the Rams play Arizona at Twickenham Stadium.

Although the London games have never pitted two teams with winning records, this one comes close. The Rams are 4-2, and the Cardinals are 3-3. More important, it’s a critical game in the NFC West, with Los Angeles looking to hold onto its division lead, and the Cardinals determined to build momentum with just-acquired running back Adrian Peterson.

For London, playing host to a record four games this season, it’s a reminder of its increasing relevance in the NFL mosaic. These aren’t just throwaway games anymore, but sometimes critical divisional matchups.

“I think the end game is to try to build the popularity of the league over there on a broad basis, and they’ve continued to do that,” said Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who also owns the English Premier League soccer club Arsenal. “They’ve set a path, and I think they’re doing a pretty good job of it.”

All but one of the 20 London games sold out, and the NFL estimates its United Kingdom fan base at 13 million people.

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Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon lead the Chargers into an AFC West showdown against the Broncos.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Baltimore: The Ravens, who visit Minnesota on Sunday, had two special-teams touchdowns last week. But they also had a pick-six, giving them 12 turnovers, third most in the league.

Buffalo: LeSean McCoy will be trying for his first touchdown of the season Sunday against Tampa. He’s never gone this long without a score before.

Cincinnati: The Bengals, who play at Pittsburgh on Sunday, are averaging 25 points since making Bill Lazor their offensive coordinator in Week 3.

CHARGERS: Philip Rivers hosts Denver on Sunday, seeking the 100th win of his career. He has started 182 straight regular-season games and has a record of 99-83.

Cleveland: Rookie Myles Garrett leads the team with three sacks in just two games. The Browns, who host Tennessee on Sunday, have given up 16 TDs in 18 red-zone trips.

Denver: The Broncos have won 11 of their last 14 against the Chargers, including their season opener on Shelby Harris’ blocked field goal.

Houston: Johnathan Joseph was named the AFC defensive player of the week after defending three Browns passes and intercepting two more. The Texans have a bye.

Indianapolis: T.Y. Hilton faces Jacksonville on Sunday, needing a catch to become the sixth Colt with 400 receptions in his career. He has 485 yards on 25 catches this year.

Jacksonville: The Jags enter Week 7 with a share of the division lead (AFC South) for the first time since 1999, when they were in the AFC Central.

Kansas City: Alex Smith passed for 342 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, but it wasn’t enough in the Chiefs’ 31-30 loss to the Raiders on Thursday.

Miami: The Dolphins are the only team without a rushing touchdown and don’t have an offensive touchdown in the first half of a game this year, which they’ll try to fix Sunday against the Jets.

New England: Tight end Rob Gronkowski heads into Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch against Atlanta coming off a two- touchdown game. He has 15 career games with two or more touchdowns.

N.Y. Jets: The Jets held Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi to 16 yards in Week 3. New York ranks 28th in run defense, giving up 138.8 yards per game.

Oakland: Amari Cooper had 210 yards receiving and two touchdowns against the Chiefs after posting just 146 yards and one score through the first six games.

Pittsburgh: Three of Antonio Brown’s four punt return touchdowns have come vs. Cincinnati. He’s leading the NFL in catches (48) and yards receiving (700).

Tennessee: Marcus Mariota has five fourth-quarter come- backs in his career, including Monday night’s 21-point rally to defeat the Colts.

The Cardinals hope Adrian Peterson runs wild in London this weekend.

(Ralph Freso / Associated Press)

Arizona: Adrian Peterson is making his second trip to London this season. He was there with the Saints in Week 4 when he rushed for four yards in four carries.

Atlanta: Second-year linebacker Deion Jones leads the Falcons with 38 tackles, a sack, an interception and three defended passes in five games.

Carolina: Christian McCaffrey leads all running backs with 37 catches. David Mayo could start for Luke Kuechly (concussion), who has been ruled out.

Chicago: Last week, Tarik Cohen became the first Bears rookie running back to throw a touchdown pass since Hall of Famer Gale Sayers.

Dallas: Dak Prescott can join Tony Romo (three times) and Don Meredith (twice) as the only Cowboys with three touchdown passes in three straight games.

Detroit: No quarterback has been sacked more than Matthew Stafford (23). Still, he’s managed the 10th-most yards (1,428) and the sixth-most TDs (12).

Green Bay: Brett Hundley will become the first player not named Aaron Rodgers (broken collarbone) to start for the Packers since Matt Flynn in December 2013.

Minnesota: Teddy Bridgewater returned to practice this week for the first time in 14 months after dislocating his knee and tearing the ACL and other ligaments.

New Orleans: The Saints have allowed a league-low four sacks of Drew Brees. New Orleans is tied for fourth in turnover differential (plus-six).

N.Y. Giants: Eli Manning attempted 19 passes last week against Denver, his lowest total in a full regular-season game since he had 15 at Buffalo in December 2007.

Philadelphia: The Eagles have scored more than 20 points in 10 consecutive games. They also lead the league in third-down conversions (50.6%).

RAMS: The Rams have split their last 10 games against the Cardinals, with the visiting team winning the last five matchups. L.A. is the “home team” in London.

San Francisco: Rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard is set to make his first start after going 19 for 36 for 245 yards with one touchdown in relief of Brian Hoyer last week.

Seattle: Safety Earl Thomas had seven tackles, a forced fumble and interception in his last game. He’s had an interception in three straight vs. the Giants.

Tampa Bay: Jameis Winston (shoulder) is supposed to start, but if not Ryan Fitzpatrick will go against Buffalo, where he spent his first four seasons.

Washington: Running back Chris Thompson is the only player in NFL to lead his team in yards rushing (175) and yards receiving (340). He has four touchdowns.

Rams running back Todd Gurley has been in fine form this season.

(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

RAMS (4-2) VS. ARIZONA (3-3) at London

When Rams have the ball

Running back Todd Gurley appears to have recaptured some of the form that made him the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2015. After failing to rush for more than 100 yards in a game in 2016, Gurley has done it three times in the last four games. Gurley ranks fourth in the NFL with 521 yards rushing. Last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he gained 116 yards in 23 carries. He also is the Rams’ leading receiver with 23 catches, three for touchdowns. Quarterback Jared Goff has, of late, struggled to amass passing yardage or touchdown passes. But as long as he does not commit turnovers, the Rams can win. Goff is completing 60% of his passes, eight for touchdowns, with three interceptions. He has been sacked only nine times. In a 27-17 victory over the Jaguars, Goff completed 11 of 21 passes for 124 yards and a short touchdown on a shovel pass to tight end Gerald Everett. Goff is still working to connect consistently with receiver Sammy Watkins. The Cardinals feature linebackers Chandler Jones, Deone Bucannon, Karlos Dansby and Haason Reddick. Cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu lead the secondary. Safety Antoine Bethea has three of the Cardinals’ six interceptions.

When Cardinals have the ball

An offense that was struggling without injured running back David Johnson got a lift from the trade for future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. In his Cardinals debut last week, the 32-year-old Peterson rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns in 26 carries against Tampa Bay. Quarterback Carson Palmer, in his 15th NFL season, is completing 62% of his passes, nine for touchdowns, with six interceptions. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald has a team-best 42 catches for 465 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Andre Ellington has 28 receptions, but he did not practice Thursday or Friday because of a quadriceps injury. Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and his teammates have to be looking forward to facing a Cardinals line that has allowed 21 sacks, third most in the NFL. Any rust that Donald accrued during his training camp holdout is gone. Against the Jaguars, he recorded a sack, three quarterback hits and forced a fumble. Linebacker Connor Barwin also enjoyed his most productive game. He made seven tackles, recorded a sack and four tackles for losses. Linebacker Mark Barron, the Rams’ leading tackler, is nursing a thumb injury. Safety Lamarcus Joyner, who was sidelined the last three games because of a hamstring injury, is on track to start against the Cardinals.

When they kick

The Rams’ Pharoh Cooper was named NFC special teams player of the week after returning a kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown against Jacksonville. It was Cooper’s first NFL touchdown, and the first kick return for a touchdown by a Rams player since 2005. Cooper is averaging a league-best 31.7 yards per return. He also returns punts. Greg Zuerlein has made 17 of 18 field-goal attempts. The Cardinals’ Kerwynn Williams averages 20.3 yards per kickoff return, which ranks eighth in the NFL. Phil Dawson has made 10 of 14 field-goal attempts.

Gary Klein’s prediction

Many Rams players got used to traveling and playing in London last season. The Cardinals are journeying across the Atlantic for the first time. This is a case where experience will pay off for the Rams.

RAMS 24, CARDINALS 21

Linebacker Melvin Ingram (54) and the Chargers are still seeking their first victory.

(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

CHARGERS (2-4) VS. DENVER (3-2)

When Chargers have the ball

Teams spend a lot of time talking about “identity,” and this Chargers team spent nearly two months trying to find it. In wins over the New York Giants and the Oakland Raiders, the Chargers relied heavily on running back Melvin Gordon. The results? Sixty touches, 313 yards gained and four touchdowns. It’s come with a cost, though, as Gordon found himself limited in practice all week because of a sore shoulder. Assuming he plays, the Chargers also could use productive games from Branden Oliver and Austin Ekeler. Another piece of the puzzle in the victories has been Hunter Henry, who has been targeted 15 times in the last two games. Henry is a matchup problem against any defense, and with Keenan Allen questionable (shoulder), the tight end could be an even bigger factor in the game plan. If Allen can’t play, the Chargers will look to rookie Mike Williams, who will play in his second NFL game, to make more of his opportunities. He caught the only ball thrown his way last week, and he’ll see his workload doubled against the Broncos. Denver’s got the best defense in the league, though, with a top-notch secondary and an elite pass rusher in Von Miller.

When Broncos have the ball

In the season opener, Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian was sacked four times by the Chargers, but he didn’t let the physicality force him into too many bad decisions. Since that game, he’s had a couple of two-

interception games, both losses. Edge rushers Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram will try to hit Siemian and force him into bad throws. The Denver offense will be without a handful of receivers, most notably Emmanuel Sanders, and the Broncos are banged up on the offensive line. Running back C.J. Anderson is coming off a putrid game against the Giants, but the Chargers’ porous run defense should allow for a bounce-back performance. With Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget bothered by back issues, reserve tackle (and solid run defender) Darius Philon could have a big effect on the outcome. Denver might try to attack the Chargers’ linebackers through the air, and tight end Virgil Green could be an X-factor. Denver’s struggled on offense the last three weeks, while the Chargers defense is trending in a positive direction.

When they kick

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn showed a lot of confidence in Nick Novak in Oakland, letting the veteran kicker win the game with a short field goal as time expired. Novak missed earlier in the game, though, and the inability to count on a kicker from 40 yards or deeper should eventually catch up with the Chargers. It’s a problem the Broncos are having as well, with Brandon McManus missing all but one of his four tries from 40 yards or more. With parity throughout much of the league, figure most games will be close, making the kicking game even more important.

Dan Woike’s prediction

We’re now in the third week of me vowing I wouldn’t talk myself into picking the Chargers after they started 0-4. Yet this seems like a winnable game. The Chargers are home, they’ve built momentum and they’ve got the better quarterback. Defensively, they’ve been bending like a yogi and the Broncos are really banged up, especially on offense. Bosa and Ingram should feast. It’s all lining up for a third straight win, but a man is nothing if his word means nothing.

BRONCOS 20, CHARGERS 17