Block party: Broncos stagger Saints
Rookie safety Justin Simmons used a perfectly timed leap over the offensive line to block an extrapoint kick that would have given the Saints a late lead, Will Parks ran it back 84 yards for a defensive 2-point conversion, and the Broncos pulled out a wild 25-23 victory Sunday in New Orleans.
The decisive play came while the Superdome crowd was still celebrating Brandin Cooks’ twisting, 32-yard TD catch between two defenders. That put the Saints (4-5) in position to take the lead with 1:28 left. Simmons’ block of Wil Lutz’s kick was scooped up by Parks, who raced down the left sideline.
It was the first such play to provide the winning points in an NFL game. The rule was instituted last year.
The Broncos (7-3) recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock. Seahawks 31, Patriots 24: A goalline stand preserved the victory. Tom Brady couldn’t connect with Rob Gronkowski on a fade pattern on fourth down as the Patriots failed four times from inside the 2. Redskins 26, Vikings 20: Kirk Cousins threw for two TDs, and Preston Smith had two sacks and a game-altering interception in the Redskins’ first victory in almost a month to give the Vikings their Will Parks gets an escort from Saints teammate Justin Simmons as he returns a blocked extra point. fourth consecutive loss. Eagles 24, Falcons 15: Ryan Matthews ran for 108 yards and two TDs and Carson Wentz threw for 231 yards as the Eagles posted a comeback victory for the first time. Rams 9, Jets 6: Alec Ogletree intercepted Bryce Petty with just under two minutes left to help the Rams snap a four-game skid. Cowboys 35, Steelers 30: Ezekiel Elliott ran for 114 yards and two TDs — both in the final two minutes — and had an 83-yard catch-and-run for a score as the Cowboys won their eighth straight. Cardinals 23, 49ers 20: Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 34-yard FG as time expired to hand the 49ers their eighth straight defeat. Titans 47, Packers 25: Marcus Mariota threw for 295 yards and four TDs in the rout. Five Titans scored a touchdown in the first half as Tennessee put together its best scoring performance this season with 35 points. Texans 24, Jaguars 13: Brock Osweiler threw two TD passes and Kareem Jackson returned an interception 42 yards for a score as the Texans earned their first road win of the season and stayed perfect (3-0) against the AFC South. Chiefs 20, Panthers 17: Marcus Peters stripped Kelvin Benjamin with 20 seconds left, Cairo Santos kicked a 37-yard FG as time expired, and the Chiefs overcame a 17-point deficit for their fifth straight victory and 17th win in their last 19 games. Dolphins 31, Chargers 24: Kiko Alonso intercepted a Philip Rivers pass and returned it 60 yards for a TD with 1:01 left to give the Dolphins their fourth straight win. The Dolphins intercepted Rivers four times, all in the fourth quarter. Buccaneers 36, Bears 10: Jameis Winston threw for 312 yards and two TDs to lift the Bucs while Bears QB Jay Cutler threw two INTs and fumbled twice.