Rivers, defense help Colts beat Texans
Philip Rivers HOUSTON — threwtwotouchdownpasses in the first half and the Indianapolis defense dominated in the second half, lifting the Colts to a 26-20 victory over theHouston Texans on Sunday.
The Texans had a chance totake the leadwithabout90 seconds left. Theywere at the Colts 2 when Deshaun Watson fumbled a lowsnap and AnthonyWalkerpounced on it to seal Indy’s win.
TheColts (8-4) led 24-20at the break after Rivers threw TDpasses of 21 and 39 yards. Their offense didn’t score after that, but the defense heldHouston (4-8) scoreless in the second half and Justin Houston added a safety.
The safety was Indy’s third this season and the fourth of Houston’s career, tying him for the most in NFL history. Houstonalsohadthreesacks, three QB hits and forced a fumble.
Watson threwfor 341 yards and ranfor a score inthe first half. But he did not have a touchdown pass for the first time this season and threw an interception after not being picked off in the last six games.
Raiders 31, Jets 28: Derek Carr threw a 46-yard touchdownpass toHenryRuggs III with 5 seconds left, lifting the
Las Vegas Raiders to a wild victory over the still-winless New York Jets.
The Jets took a 28-24 lead with 5:34 remaining on Ty Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown andthedefensecameupwith a big fourth-down stop that appeared to endNew York’s agonizing wait for its first win of the season.
But New Yorkwent threeand-out with a chance to seal it— and Carr and the Raiders had 35 seconds left to try for what appeared an unlikely comeback. Four plays later,
Carr found Ruggs streaking downfield — beating rookie cornerback Lamar Jackson — and delivered the ball perfectly for the winning score.
TheRaiders(7-5) celebrated wildly, and the deflated Jets (0-12) couldonlyimaginewhat could— andmaybe should— have been.
Lions 34, Bears 30: The Detroit Lions won their first game under interim coach DarrellBevell, rallying tobeat the slumping Chicago Bears.
Adrian Peterson scored from the 5 after Romeo
Okwara strip-sacked Mitchell Trubisky with about two minutes left, capping a big comeback. Matthew Stafford threwfor402yardsandthree touchdowns for the Lions (5-7), who came away with a wild win following amajor shakeupafter a Thanksgiving loss to Houston. They fired general manager Bob Quinn andcoach MattPatriciawhile elevating Bevell, their offensive coordinator.
Detroit trailed 30-20 early in the fourthperiod afterTrubisky threwan 11-yard touchdowntoColeKmetona bootleg. Chicago’s Bilal Nichols then intercepted a short pass intended for Jesse James.
But the Lions turned things around down the stretch, sendingtheBears(5-7) totheir sixth straight loss.
Saints 21, Falcons 16: The New Orleans Saints finally gave up a touchdown but the defense stood tall at the end to preserve their ninth straight victory.
The Saints (10-2) also clinched a playoff berth with Chicago’s34-30losstoDetroit.
Making his third straight start in place of DrewBrees, Taysom Hill threw the first two touchdownpasses of his career. But his fumble deep in Atlanta territory sparked a Falcons comeback.
Atlanta drove 85 yards against the Saints, capped by MattRyan’s 10-yardtouchdown pass to Russell Gage with 7:43 remaining. New Orleans hadn’t allowed a touchdown since the openingdriveofagameagainstSan Francisco on Nov. 15, a span of 14 quarters without one.
The Falcons (4-8) got the ball back and again pushed deep intoNew Orleans territory. On second-and-2 at the Saints 13, Todd Gurley was stuffed for no gain. He got the ball again on third down, trying a sweep around the left end, but Demario Davis caught him for a 7-yard loss.