NFL roundup: Broncos end 16-game losing streak against Chiefs
Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes, Justin Simmons had two of Denver’s five takeaways and the Broncos stymied an ill Patrick Mahomes in snapping their 16-game losing streak to Kansas City with a 24-9 win over the Chiefs on Sunday.
The Broncos (3-5) were serenaded off the field to the sound of Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off blaring throughout Empower Field. Swift wasn’t on hand to witness Travis Kelce’s six catches for 58 yards and an awful day for the Chiefs (6-2).
The Broncos handed Mahomes his first AFC West road loss in beating Kansas City’s quarterback for the first time in 13 tries.
Denver made a 14-9 halftime lead hold up by controlling the clock and keeping Mahomes and Kelce cooling their cleats on the sideline in the second half. Kansas City had just three second-half possessions before getting the ball back for one meaningless snap at the end.
The Chiefs punted, muffed a punt that led to a touchdown, turned it over on downs and lost the ball on an interception in the second half.
The Broncos came in averaging a meager 22 carries per game, next to last in the league, but on a bitterly cold day they ran it 40 times for 153 yards and threw it just 19 times.
Javonte Williams led the way with 85 yards on 27 carries and added three receptions for 13 yards and a touchdown. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton also caught TD passes for the Broncos, who won back-to-back games for the first time since Weeks 2 and 3 of last season.
New England Patriots 17–31 Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns, Jalen Ramsey intercepted a pass in his Dolphins debut, and Miami beat the New England Patriots. Miami won for the 16th time in their last 18 home games, and Tagovailoa moved to 6-0 in his career against Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The Dolphins are 6-2 for the first time since 2001, and have a one-game lead over Buffalo for the AFC East lead. Tagovailoa completed 30 of 45 passes and moved his league-leading yardage total to 2,416. Mac Jones had another uneven day for the Patriots (2-6), throwing for 161 yards on 19-of-29 passing with two touchdowns and one interception.
Cincinnati Bengals 31-17 San Francisco 49ers
Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes, Cincinnati intercepted Brock Purdy on back-to-back passes in the second half and the Bengals clnched their fourth win in five games. After being hampered early in the season by a calf injury, Burrow came out of the bye week looking like his old self for the Bengals. He managed to escape a sack attempt on a TD drive in the first quarter, had two long runs and was sharp all game. San Francisco have lost three straight games.
Chicago Bears 13–30 Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns, including a 39yarder to Austin Ekeler, and the Los Angeles Chargers stopped a two-game slide by routing the Chicago Bears. Herbert had struggled with accuracy the past two games after breaking the middle finger of his left, non-throwing hand four weeks ago. But he completed his first 14 passes against Chicago and was 31 of 40 in front of a prime-time audience. Herbert directed the Chargers to points on their first five drives, marking the first time in six seasons they have accomplished that feat.
Philadelphia Eagles 38-31 Washington Commanders
Jalen Hurts threw for four touchdown passes on an injured left knee to help the Philadelphia Eagles improve to 7-1 with victory at the Washington Commanders. AJ Brown had two of them as part of his 130 yards receiving. Brown became the first player in NFL history with 125-plus yards receiving in six consecutive games. Reed Blankenship intercepted Sam Howell in the fourth quarter and Haason Reddick got to him on a late fourth down for Philadelphia’s first sack of the game. The Commanders fell to 3-5 with a fifth loss in six games despite Howell throwing for a career-high 397 yards and four TDs.
Los Angeles Rams 20-43 Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott threw two of his four touchdown passes to CeeDee Lamb, DaRon Bland recorded his NFL-leading third interception return for a score and the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) beat the Los Angeles Rams (3-5). It was a rough-andtumble homecoming for Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The former Dallas high school standout was replaced by Brett Rypien late in the third quarter. Stafford injured a thumb on a failed two-point conversion pass. The
Cowboys won their 11th consecutive home game.
Jacksonville Jaguars 20–10 Pittsburgh Steelers
Trevor Lawrence threw for 292 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Jaguars have won five straight to improve to 6-2. Jacksonville broke it open in the third quarter on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Travis Etienne. The Steelers played the second half without quarterback Kenny Pickett, who left late in the second quarter with a rib injury and did not return. Mitch Trubisky threw a touchdown in relief but added two late interceptions as Pittsburgh fell to 4-3.
Houston Texans 13-15 Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young outdueled CJ Stroud in a battle of the NFL’s top two draft picks, and Eddy Pineiro made a 23-yard field goal as time expired as the Carolina Panthers got their first win of the season. Young, the No 1 overall pick, threw for 235 yards and a touchdown. He led a winning 15-play, 86-yard drive that took more than six minutes off the clock. The Panthers snapped a 56-game losing streak in games they trailed at any point in the fourth quarter, the longest in the NFL since at least 1991.
New York Jets 13–10 New York
Giants (OT)
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 35-yard field goal on the final play of regulation and added a 33-yarder in overtime and the Jets staged an unlikely comeback in a defensive battle. The Jets moved 46 yards in six plays with the gamewinning kick set up by a pass interference penalty against Adoree Jackson that gave them a first-down at the 15. Coach Robert Saleh didn’t give his offense a chance to make a mistake and Zuerlein came out and put his kick just inside the left upright for the Jets’ third straight win.
Cleveland Browns 20–24 Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 38 seconds left, and the Seattle Seahawks (5-2) rallied after blowing an early 14-point lead. After struggling for long stretches against the best defense in the NFL, Smith was sensational on Seattle’s final drive. He connected on four of five passes, the last of which was a quick screen to Smith-Njigba. The rookie first-round pick used a terrific block from DK Metcalf on the perimeter to sneak down the sideline and take the lead for good over the 4-3 Browns.
Baltimore Ravens 31–24 Arizona Cardinals
Gus Edwards ran for two of his three touchdowns after interceptions by Baltimore’s stout defense, and the Ravens beat the Arizona Cardinals. A week after blowing out Detroit 38-6, the Ravens labored offensively. The Cardinals prevented Lamar Jackson from scrambling for more than a few yards at a time and the Ravens finished with 268 total yards. Jackson threw for 157 yards on 18-of-27 passing and ran for 18 yards on four carries. Baltimore’s defense made up for its struggling offense, harassing Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs all afternoon.
Atlanta Falcons 23–28 Tennessee Titans
Rookie Will Levis threw for 238 yards and four touchdowns in his NFL debut, and the Tennessee Titans (3-4) scored their most points since 2021. The Titans capped an alumni weekend wearing Houston Oilers’ throwback uniforms with the team’s old nickname in each end zone. Levis became