NFL round-up: Brady ends Bucs’ skid as Bills overwhelm Steelers
Atlanta Falcons 15-21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady threw for 351 yards and a touchdown, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers end a two-game losing streak with victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Brady completed 35 of 52 passes without an interception, avoiding his first three-game losing streak since 2002, when he was with the New England Patriots. Leonard Fournette scored two TDs for the Bucs (3-2).
Philadelphia Eagles 20–17 Arizona Cardinals
Jalen Hurts ran for two touchdowns and the Philadelphia Eagles remained the NFL’s only unbeaten team after Matt Ammendola’s late field-goal attempt for the Cardinals sailed wide right. The Eagles improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2004, when they won their first seven games and finished 13-3.
Los Angeles Chargers 30–28 Cleveland Browns
Rookie Cade York missed a 54-yard field goal with 11 seconds left as Los Angeles held on for a 30-28 victory over the Cleveland Browns after Chargers coach Brandon Staley inexplicably gambled on a fourth down. York’s kick sailed right and allowed the Chargers (3-2) to escape with a win Staley tried to give away.
With his team at its own 46 and leading by two, Staley called a timeout and then had Justin Herbert attempt a short pass on fourth-and-two that fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Browns with 1:10 left. Cleveland had no timeouts and drove to the Chargers 35 to set up a shot for York, but the biglegged draft pick from LSU, couldn’t convert. He earlier missed a 45-yard attempt.
Dallas Cowboys 22–10 Los Angeles Rams
DeMarcus Lawrence returned a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown on the Rams’ opening drive, and Cooper Rush remained unbeaten as the Dallas Cowboys’ fill-in starter despite passing for just 102 yards. Tony Pollard made an outstanding 57-yard TD run for the Cowboys, who are off to a 4-1 start for the second consecutive season after racking up four consecutive wins without injured QB Dak Prescott.
San Francisco 49ers 37–15 Carolina Panthers
Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, Emmanuel Moseley returned an interception 41 yards for a score and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers for their first road victory of the season. Jeff Wilson ran for 120 yards and a touchdown and Tevin Coleman scored twice for the 49ers (3-2) after being elevated to the active roster this week. Christian McCaffrey had 104 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown for the Panthers, who fell to 1-4 on the season and 11-27 under embattled coach Matt Rhule.
Miami Dolphins 17–40 New York Jets
New York got a safety on Miami’s first offensive play, Michael Carter scored on a pair of one-yard touchdown runs and the Jets ran past the Dolphins to snap a 12-game skid against AFC East opponents. Zach Wilson, Breece Hall and Braxton Berrios also rushed for scores to help the Jets to their first 3-2 start since 2017. It was the franchise’s first win against a division rival since topping Buffalo in Week 17 of the 2019 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers 3-38 Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen picked apart a flimsy and injury-depleted Steelers secondary by throwing four touchdown passes in the first half alone including two deep shots to Gabe Davis in the Buffalo Bills’ 38-3 rout of Pittsburgh.
After hitting Davis for a 98-yard TD on Buffalo’s third play from scrimmage, Allen all but sealed the win by hitting Davis for a 62-yard touchdown catch and Stefon Diggs for a 15-yard score a little over two minutes apart to put the Bills ahead 24-3 with 7:20 left in the second quarter.
Despite wind gusts of up to 20mph, Allen’s 348 yards passing in the first half were tied for the second most over the opening two quarters in an NFL game since 1991, and 11 short of the 359 yards Patrick Mahomes had in Kansas City’s 27-24 win at Tampa Bay in 2020. Pulled in favor of Case Keenum early in the fourth quarter, Allen finished 20 of 31 for 424 yards, the second most in team history, and most in a game ending in regulation.
Detroit Lions 0–29 New England Patriots
Rookie Bailey Zappe threw a touchdown pass in his first career start, Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a careerhigh 161 yards, and the New England Patriots overwhelmed the Detroit Lions.
Kyle Dugger returned a fumble 59 yards for a touchdown for the Patriots as the defense and ground game gave Zappe plenty of support. The rookie completed 17 of 21 passes for 188 yards with Mac Jones out for the second straight week with an ankle injury and backup Brian Hoyer on injured reserve following a concussion.
Houston Texans 13-6 Jacksonville Jaguars
Dameon Pierce ran for 99 yards and a touchdown, a score set up by the rookie’s 20-yard gain in which he broke six tackles, and the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars to extend their winning streak in the series to nine. Houston picked up their first win of the season and fifth straight in Jacksonville despite finishing with just 248 yards.
Seattle Seahawks 32–39 New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill ran for three touchdowns, including a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter, and threw for another score, and the New Orleans Saints snapped a three-game skid with a 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Hill, a versatile player who this season is listed as a tight end, also rushed for touchdowns of eight and nine yards, and completed the only pass he’s attempted this season for a 22-yard score to fellow tight end Adam Trautman.
Tennessee Titans 21–17 Washington Commanders
Derrick Henry rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown, and the Tennessee Titans made a last-minute goal-line stand to beat the Washington Commanders, rolling into their bye week on a three-game winning streak.
David Long Jr. intercepted Carson Wentz at the one-yard line with six seconds left, the second time in three games Tennessee’s defense has preserved a victory.
Chicago Bears 22–29 Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 2:26 remaining on Minnesota’s fifth third-down conversion of its go-ahead drive, and the Vikings snapped out of their mid-game slump just in time to beat the Chicago Bears.
Cameron Dantzler sealed the victory that put the Vikings (4-1) alone in first place in the NFC North by ripping the ball away from former teammate Ihmir Smith-Marsette near the oneminute mark after a pass from Justin Fields to the Minnesota 39. Fields went 15 for 21 for a season-high 208 yards and his first touchdown pass in 15 quarters and rushed eight times for 47 yards, but the Bears (2-3) didn’t have enough defense to pull it out.