Bengals force to be reckoned with in AFC
Cinci keeps perfect record; Jets handle Fish in London; Packers take down 49ers
Andy Dalton added to his streak of impressive games and big plays, throwing a 55-yard touchdown pass on the run as Cincinnati stayed unbeaten in beating the Kansas City Chiefs 36-21.
The Bengals (4-0) matched the third-best start in franchise history, two wins shy of the club record.
Dalton completed 17 of 24 for 321 yards with the long touchdown pass to Brandon Tate during a scramble.
Alex Smith was sacked five times, the Chiefs (1-3) settled for Cairo Santos’ club-record seven field goals as the defence couldn’t keep up with another one of the NFL’s top passers. PANTHERS 37, BUCS 23: Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and Josh Norman returned one of Carolina’s four interceptions of Jameis Winston for his second TD of the season.
Newton tossed scoring passes of six and 12 yards to Ted Ginn Jr. A week after making a game-saving interception in the end zone against New Orleans, Norman scored on a 46yard run back and later returned a another pick 34 yards to set up a second TD.
The Panthers improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2003. The Bucs (1-3) have dropped 11 consecutive home games. PACKERS 17, 49ERS 3: Aaron Rodgers passed for 224 yards and a touchdown and ran17 yards to set up a key second-half score as the Packers are off to their first 4-0 start in four seasons.
While methodical with nothing fancy, Green Bay (4-0) seemed unfazed with a short week and long trip West after beating Kansas City last Monday night.
San Francisco is 1-3. BRONCOS 23, VIKINGS 20: Brandon McManus kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:51 left and Denver had seven sacks.
Von Miller smothered a loose ball after T.J. Ward’s sack-strip of Teddy Bridgewater in the closing seconds, sealing the win for the unbeaten Broncos (4-0), who got a 72-yard TD run from Ronnie Hillman.
Peyton Manning has led his teams to a 4-0 start seven times, most in NFL history. But it wasn’t a great day for Manning, who was picked off twice by the Vikings (2-2).
Adrian Peterson ran for a 48-yard touchdown to pull Minnesota to 2017 and cap a 97-yard drive with 10 minutes left. RAMS 24, CARDINALS 22: Todd Gurley rushed for all but two of 146 yards in the second half as the Rams held on to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season.
Gurley, the Rams’ first-round draft pick, saw his most extensive action as a pro and his 52-yard run set up the winning touchdown.
Nick Foles threw for three touchdowns, two after Arizona turnovers, and St. Louis’s defence held the Cardinals (3-1) to field goals on four of five trips inside the red zone. CHARGERS 30, BROWNS 27: Rookie Josh Lambo got his first game-winning kick in the NFL. Given a second chance due to a penalty, Lambo kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the San Diego Chargers to a 30-27 victory against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, snapping a two-game losing streak.
Lambo was wide right on a 39-yard attempt with :02 left, but Cleveland’s Tramon Williams was whistled for offside. Lambo then hit his third field goal of the game.
The Browns (1-3) had tied it at 27 on Josh McCown’s one-yard pass to Gary Barnidge with 2:09 to play and a two-point conversion pass to Taylor Gabriel.
Philip Rivers was 23 of 38 for 358 yards and three touchdowns for San Diego (2-2). McCown was 32 of 41for 356 yards and two scores. JETS 27, DOLPHINS14: Chris Ivory ran for a career-high166 yards and Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 218 yards, one touchdown and one interception to lead the Jets at Wembley Stadium in the first division game played in London.
Both teams have byes next week, as usual for teams playing in London. Miami (1-3) will face questions about its poor performances thus far.
Fitzpatrick threw for 172 yards in the first half, including a 58-yard completion to Brandon Marshall on the first play for the Jets (3-1). REDSKINS 23, EAGLES 20: Kirk Cousins threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon with 26 seconds left for Washington.
Starting at their own 10 with a little more than six minutes remaining, the Redskins (2-2) drove 90 yards on 15 plays to take the lead for good.
Cousins finished 31 for 46 for 290 yards and no turnovers. Sam Bradford threw three second-half touchdown passes for the Eagles (1-3), but their new kicker, Caleb Sturgis, missed an extra-point attempt and a 33-yard field-goal try. BEARS 22, RAIDERS 20: Jay Cutler threw for two touchdowns and redeemed himself following an interception by helping set up a 49yard field goal by Robbie Gould with two seconds left for Chicago.
It was the Bears’ first win under coach John Fox.
The Raiders (2-2) grabbed the lead on a field goal by Sebastian Janikowski with just over two minutes remaining that was set up by an interception by Charles Woodson deep in Oakland territory.
Cutler then led Chicago (1-3) from its 20 to the Oakland 32 before Gould nailed the winner. COLTS16, JAGUARS13 OT: Adam Vinatieri kicked a 27-yard field goal with 4:36 left in overtime to give Indy an NFL record-tying 15th consecutive win over a division opponent.
The 1972-73 Miami Dolphins also won 15 straight division games.
Matt Hasselbeck made his first start since November 2012 in place of the injured Andrew Luck and led the Colts (2-2) on a 53-yard march to step up the winning points. SAINTS 26, COWBOYS 20 OT: Drew Brees hit C.J. Spiller with a short pass that the running back turned into an 80-yard touchdown — the 400th of the Saints quarterback’s career — on the second play of overtime as New Orleans won for the first time this season.