Broncos surprise Cowboys; Ravens win in overtime
Teddy Bridgewater threw for a touchdown and had a sneak for another, and the Broncos stymied the NFL’s No. 1 offense, ending the host Cowboys’ six-game winning streak with a 30-16 victory on Sunday.
Dak Prescott returned after missing a game with a strained right calf but couldn’t get the Cowboys (6-2) moving until two meaningless late touchdowns that merely avoided what would have been their worst shutout loss at home since 1985.
The Broncos (5-4) sacked Prescott twice, both by rookie Jonathon Cooper for the first of his career, and generally made him uncomfortable in their first game since trading star pass rusher Von Miller — and with new team sacks leader Malik Reed (hip injury) inactive.
The lead reached 30-0 in the Broncos’ seventh consecutive victory in the series, a streak that goes back to 1995. Prescott threw two touchdown passes to Malik Turner in the final five minutes.
Ravens 34, Vikings 31 (OT): Justin Tucker kicked a 36-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in overtime. The AFC North-leading Ravens (6-2) rallied from a 14point third-quarter deficit and survived an acrobatic interception by visiting Minnesota’s Anthony Barr on the first possession of overtime. Barr tipped Lamar Jackson’s pass and caught it out of the air, giving the Vikings the ball at their 38, but Minnesota went three-and-out, and Baltimore drove into Tucker’s range again.
This was a much easier kick than Tucker’s previous winning effort — a record-setting 66-yarder to beat Detroit earlier this season. It was the third overtime game of the season for each team. They both had split their first two. It was another agonizing loss for the Vikings (3-5).
Falcons 27, Saints 25: Matt Ryan hit Cordarrelle Patterson for a 64-yard gain with a minute to go, setting up Younghoe
Koo’s 29-yard field goal as time expired to give visiting Atlanta the win. Ryan passed for 343 yards, connected twice with Olamide Zaccheaus for touchdowns, and the veteran quarterback also ran for a score on a bootleg. Ryan’s second scoring pass gave the Falcons a 24-6 lead with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter. But the Saints rallied to briefly take the lead on
Trevor Siemian’s 8-yard pass to Kenny Stills with 1:01 left. New Orleans then missed a 2-point conversion try for the second time in the game, leaving the door open for the Falcons to win with a field goal.
Browns 41, Bengals
Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for 137 yards and the Browns, sparked by cornerback Denzel Ward’s early 99yard interception return for a TD, capped a chaotic week by smashing the host Bengals (5-4). The Browns (5-4) came in desperate for a win after dropping three of four. Their situation turned dramatic on Wednesday when star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was exiled for poor behavior and the team decided to release him.
Cardinals 31, 49ers
James Conner ran for two touchdowns and caught a 45-yard TD pass from backup quarterback Colt McCoy as shorthanded Arizona beat host San Francisco. The Cardinals (8-1) were playing without quarterback Kyler Murray and receivers DeAndre Hopkins and
A.J. Green but still had little trouble completing the season sweep against the 49ers (3-5).
Giants 23, Raiders 16:
Xavier McKinney returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown early in the second half and picked off another errant throw by Derek Carr late. Daniel Jones threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram and Graham Gano added three field goals — the last after McKinney’s second pick — for host New York (3-6). Filling in for the injured Saquon Barkley, former Raider Devontae Booker ran for 99 yards before leaving late with a hip injury.
Chargers 27, Eagles
Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Dustin Hopkins kicked a 29-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining, leading Los Angeles (5-3) over host Philadelphi (3-6). Herbert threw for 356 yards, completing 32 of 38 passes. He got 1 yard on a sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 28 with 1:45 left, setting up Hopkins’ kick.
Patriots 24, Panthers
Mac Jones overcame two early turnovers and threw for 139 yards and a touchdown, J.C. Jackson returned one of three Sam Darnold interceptions for an 88-yard touchdown for visiting New England. Even the return of Christian McCaffrey from a five-game absence couldn’t help Carolina’s offense. Christian McCaffrey had 14 carries for 52 yards and caught four passes for 54 yards in his return to the starting lineup.