NFL roundup: Patriots upset Bills as Belichick gets 300th NFL win
Mac Jones threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, making Bill Belichick the third coach in NFL history with 300 regular-season victories.
Belichick joins Pro Football Hall of Famers Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) as the only coaches to reach the milestone.
Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots (2-5) snapped a three-game skid. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a score and rookie Chad Ryland added three field goals to help the Patriots beat back a second-half rally by Buffalo (4-3), who briefly took the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Josh Allen was 27 of 41 for 265 yards with two TDs and ran for a score. He also threw an interception that set up New England’s first touchdown. The Bills struggled on third down and scored touchdowns on two of their four red-zone opportunities.
Trailing 22-10 in the fourth, the Bills needed just over two minutes to complete a five-play, 75-yard drive. Allen found Stefon Diggs for a 25-yard touchdown with 5:32 remaining.
On the Patriots’ ensuing series, Jones completed a nine-yard pass to Kendrick Bourne, but Jordan Poyer poked the ball free from behind, giving the Bills the ball at the Patriots 29.
Buffalo converted a fourth-and-two to set up a first-and-goal at the fouryard line. Allen scored on a sneak two plays later, then connected with Dawson Knox for the two-point conversion to make it 25-22.
Jones began the decisive drive with a short pass to Rhamondre Stevenson that turned into a 34-yard gain. He hit Hunter Harvey for 14 yards on a thirdand-8, and the Patriots had a first-andgoal after six plays. A pass-interference penalty set them up at the Buffalo oneyard line, and Jones connected with Gesicki on second down. Miami Dolphins 17–31 Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. The Super Bowl teams from last season, the champion Kansas City Chiefs and Eagles, are the only two 6-1 teams in the NFL. Eagles receiver AJ Brown had 10 catches for 132 yards. Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was 23 of 32 for 216 yards in his first head-to-head matchup against Hurts in the NFL. Hurts and Tagovailoa were teammates at Alabama under coach Nick Saban. Los Angeles Chargers 17–31 Kansas City Chiefs
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked five times by the Kansas City Chiefs (6-1), and that was a big reason why the Los Angeles offense couldn’t keep up at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chargers (2-4) had only allowed 10 sacks total in their first five games. Herbert finished with 259 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions. One of the picks came off a tipped pass when the Chiefs pass rush failed to get to him, and the other in the closing minutes and allowed Kansas City to run out the clock. The Chargers have lost four straight to their AFC West rivals.
Detroit Lions 6–38 Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson guided Baltimore (5-2) to touchdowns on their first four possessions of a dominant first half, and the Ravens trounced the Detroit Lions (5-2). This matchup of division leaders was lopsided from the start. Baltimore were up 28-0 before the NFC North-leading Lions even managed a first down. It was the most complete performance of the season by the Ravens, and a resurgent Detroit squad fell flat while facing a major test on the road. Jackson went 21 of 27 for 357 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a near-perfect passer rating of 155.8. He also ran for a TD.
Cleveland Browns 39–38 Indianapolis Colts
Kareem Hunt scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge with 15 seconds left to help the Cleveland Browns rally for a 39-38 victory at Indianapolis. PJ Walker used nearly all of the final two-anda-half minutes to engineer his second straight comeback, this time thanks to back-to-back debatable defensive penalties against the Colts. Walker re-
placed the injured Deshaun Watson in the first quarter after Watson made his first start since 24 September. Indy lost their second straight as Gardner Minshew committed four turnovers even though his 75-yard TD pass to Michael Pittman Jr with 5:38 left gave Indy a 38-33 lead.
Washington Commanders 7-14 New York Giants
Tyrod Taylor threw two secondquarter touchdown passes and the Dexter Lawrence-led Giants (2-5) defense had six sacks and made a lastminute stand to help New York snap a four-game skid. Taylor, starting for the second straight week with Daniel Jones sidelined with a neck injury, hit Darren Waller on a 15-yarder and added a 32-yard pass play to Saquon Barkley as New York scored their first offensive first-half touchdowns of the season. He finished 18 of 29 for 279 yards in the victory over Washington (3-4).
Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 Los Angeles Rams
Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) awoke from a quiet offensive day just in time. Kenny Pickett passed for 230 yards and ran for another score for the Steelers, who had just 110 yards in the first three quarters at SoFi Stadium. Matthew Stafford passed for 231 yards and hit Tutu Atwell for a 31-yard touchdown right before halftime for Los Angeles (3-4). Brett Maher missed two long field goal attempts and an extra point for the Rams.
Las Vegas Raiders 12–30 Chicago Bears
Rookie Tyson Bagent led three touchdown drives with Justin Fields sidelined, D’Onta Foreman ran for two scores and caught a TD pass, and the Chicago Bears (2-5) beat the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears won for the second time in three games after dropping 14 in a row. They won a showdown of backup quarterbacks after both teams’ starters were injured the previous week. Fields dislocated his right thumb in a loss to Minnesota, while Las Vegas’ Jimmy Garoppolo exited a win over New England with a back problem. Brian Hoyer threw for 129 yards and two interceptions, and the Raiders (3-4) got blown out after winning back to back games.
Green Bay Packers 17–19 Denver Broncos
Backup safety PJ Locke intercepted Jordan Love’s deep pass in the waning minutes, helping the Denver Broncos escape with a win. Locke entered the starting lineup after Kareem Jackson was disqualified for a high hit on tight end Luke Musgrave earlier in the fourth quarter. Jackson was ejected against Washington in Week 2 and has been fined four times for illegal hits so far this season. The Packers (2-4) rallied from a 9-0 halftime deficit to grab a 17-16 lead before Wil Lutz’s 52-yarder put Denver (2-5) back on top with 3:50 remaining.
Arizona Cardinals 10-20 Seattle Seahawks
Kenneth Walker III rushed for a season-high 105 yards, rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo both caught first-half touchdown passes, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals. Seattle rebounded from last week’s loss at Cincinnati that was filled with missed opportunities by relying on their defense to make key stops in the second half. Smith-Njigba caught his first NFL touchdown on a 28yard reception in the first quarter and Bobo made a terrific 18-yard TD catch in the second quarter. Arizona QB Joshua Dobbs was 19 of 33 for 146 yards and was sacked four times. Dobbs ran for a 25-yard TD for Arizona’s only touchdown.
Atlanta Falcons 16-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Younghoe Koo’s third field goal of the game, a 51-yarder as time expired, bailed out Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder and gave the mistakeprone, but now first-place Falcons (4-3) victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3). The Falcons snapped an eightgame road losing streak and moved atop the NFC South ahead of the Bucs despite Ridder losing three fumbles inside Tampa Bay’s red zone. Koo kicked field goals of 24 and 41 yards before delivering the game-winner.