Trick plays help Dolphins remain perfect
Receiver Albert Wilson threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to put the Miami Dolphins ahead midway through the fourth quarter, and then turned a short reception into a 74-yard score that sealed a 28-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders yesterday in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Miami coach Adam Gase used creative play-calling to overcome a wave of injuries and penalties, and a 17-minute deficit in time of possession. The Dolphins scored on a pair of shovel passes by Ryan Tannehill that each traveled less than a yard.
The Dolphins are 3-0 for only the third time since 1998. The Raiders, led by first-year coach Jon Gruden, are 0-3 for the first time since 2014, when they started 0-10.
Bills 27, Vikings 6 — In Minneapolis, Josh Allen played with the poise of a well-seasoned quarterback for Buffalo by accounting for three touchdowns in his first road start in the NFL. Allen made Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins look like the raw rookie in a stunning upset.
The Vikings were 161⁄2-point favorites, allowing the Bills to become only the sixth such underdog to win in the NFL’s last 81 point spreads that big.
Saints 43, Falcons 37 — Drew Brees’ 1-yard run capped an 80-yard touchdown drive to open overtime that lifted visiting New Orleans over Atlanta.
Brees, who set the NFL record for career completions, passed for 396 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores. Kamara had 15 catches for 124 yards and ran for 66 yards.
Eagles 20, Colts 16 — Carson Wentz threw a touchdown pass on his first drive in nine months, Wendell Smallwood ran in from the 4 for the go-ahead score and host Philadelphia held on to drop Indianapolis.
Adam Vinatieri tied Morten Andersen’s career record of 565 field goals by connecting on all three tries.
Giants 27, Texans 22 — Eli Manning threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and rookie Saquon Barkley added a score as visiting New York got its first win with a victory over struggling Houston.
Rams 35, Chargers 23 — Jared Goff passed for 354 yards and three touchdowns, and Todd Gurley rushed for 105 yards and another score, leading the host Rams over the Chargers in the franchises’ first meeting since their relocations to Los Angeles.
Panthers 31, Bengals 21 — In Charlotte, N.C., Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others, Christian McCaffrey racked up a career-high 184 yards rushing and Carolina handed Cincinnati its first loss of the season.
Seahawks 24, Cowboys 13 — Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns in the first half, Chris Carson added a 5-yard TD run in early in the fourth quarter, and host Seattle avoided a 0-3 start with a win over Dallas.
Redskins 31, Packers 17 — In Landover, Md., Adrian Peterson ran for 120 yards and a pair of 2-yard scores, Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes and Washington held on to top gimpy Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay, which again had complaints about a roughing-the-passer penalty on Clay Matthews.
Ravens 27, Broncos 14 — Joe Flacco picked apart Denver’s depleted defense for 277 yards and a touchdown, and host Baltimore cruised to a win.
Bears 16, Cardinals 14 — In Glendale, Ariz., Cody Parkey kicked his third field goal of the game, a 43-yarder with 4:31 to remaining, to rally Chicago over winless Arizona.
Titans 9, Jaguars 6 — Marcus Mariota came off the bench and directed three scoring drives, including one in the fourth quarter, and visiting Tennessee beat Jacksonville for its third straight victory in the series.