NFL roundup: Chiefs hold off Dolphins as Texans QB Stroud sets rookie record
Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes, safety Bryan Cook scored on a 59-yard fumble return, and the Kansas City Chiefs held on to beat the Miami Dolphins 21-14 on Sunday at Deutsche Bank Park.
The Chiefs (7-2) did just enough to slow the NFL’s top-ranked offense in the first-ever regular season game in Frankfurt, but nearly blew a big lead.
Miami’s comeback fell short when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa couldn’t handle a snap on fourth-and-10 from the Kansas City 31 with 1:03 to play.
Mahomes connected on first-half scoring passes to Rashee Rice and Jerick McKinnon as Miami (6-3) kept getting stuck in third-and-long situations. The Dolphins also fell to 0-3 on the season against teams with winning records.
Mahomes finished 20 of 30 for a season-low 185 yards in his European debut, but the Chiefs’ offense struggled in the second half. Tight end Travis Kelce had just three catches for 14 yards.
Three Chiefs players combined to put Kansas City up 21-0 just before halftime on one of the top defensive plays of the season so far. And it came at the expense of former teammate Tyreek Hill.
With the Dolphins driving late in the first half, cornerback Trent McDuffie stuffed Hill on a short pass in the flat and stripped the ball from the AllPro receiver. Mike Edwards scooped it up and after Hill tried to tackle him, Edwards lateraled to Cook, who returned it for the score. Hill finished with a team-high eight catches for 62 yards.
Dallas Cowboys 23–28 Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts braved a direct hit on his injured left knee to throw for 207 yards and two touchdowns and he ran for another tush push score to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles are the only 8-1 team in the NFL. Prescott threw for 374 yards and three scores. CeeDee Lamb had 11 catches for 191 yards for Dallas.
Buffalo Bills 18–24 Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow threw for a season-high 348 yards and had two touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals won their fourth straight, beating the Buffalo Bills in a key AFC matchup. Burrow was 31 for 44, completing passes to eight different receivers, with tight ends Irv Smith Jr and Drew Sample making the touchdown grabs. Tee Higgins had eight receptions for a season-high 110 yards. Cincinnati’s defense kept Josh Allen and the Bills playing from behind.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-39 Houston Texans
CJ Stroud threw for 470 yards – a rookie record – and five touchdowns, and his 15-yard touchdown pass to Tank Dell lifted the Houston Texans to a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a wild back-and-forth game. Baker Mayfield put the Buccaneers on top with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 46 seconds left. But the Texans drove down the field and Stroud found Dell in the end zone to give the Texans the lead. He kneeled instead of attempting the two-point conversion with kicker Ka ځ imi Fairbairn out with a quadriceps injury. The Buccaneers fumbled on the final play to give Houston the victory.
Arizona Cardinals 0-27 Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes in just his second start for Cleveland in five weeks and the Browns held the Cardinals to just 58 yards. It was Cleveland’s first shutout since 2007. Watson looked rusty and indecisive at times in his first full game since 24 September, when he sustained a strained rotator cuff. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards – 139 of them to Amari Cooper. Cleveland’s defense had a field day against Cardinals rookie quarterback Clayton Tune. The Browns sacked Tune seven times.
Seattle Seahawks 3-37 Baltimore Ravens
Keaton Mitchell ran for 138 yards and his first NFL touchdown, Odell Beckham Jr scored for the first time since the Super Bowl two seasons ago and the Baltimore Ravens routed another first-place team. Gus Edwards ran for two touchdowns for the Ravens, who remained tied for the best record in the AFC after holding an opponent to nine points or fewer for the fourth time this season. Lamar Jackson threw for 187 yards and ran for 60 before sitting out the fourth quarter. The Seahawks managed only six first downs and were outgained 515-151.
Washington Commanders 20–17 New England Patriots
Sam Howell passed for 325 yards and a touchdown and Jartavius Martin had a late interception to help the Washington Commanders hold on and beat the New England Patriots. It marked the first time in his career that Howell eclipsed 300 yards passing in consecutive games and gave the Commanders their first victory in New England since 2003, snapping a four-game losing streak there. Washington turned it over twice but wore down the Patriots’ defense by going 9 of 17 on third down. Brian Robinson added a rushing touchdown to help the Commanders end a two-game skid. New England drop to 2-7 for the first time since Bill Belichick’s first season as coach in 2000.
Minnesota Vikings 31–28 Atlanta Falcons
Joshua Dobbs threw two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead six-yarder to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds remaining, and also ran for a score and the Minnesota Vikings rallied to beat the Atlanta Falcons for their fourth straight win. Minnesota overcame the loss of rookie quarterback Jaren Hall to a concussion in the first quarter. Dobbs led the go-ahead drive after Tyler Allgeier’s scoring run gave Atlanta the lead with 2:08 remaining. Dobbs was acquired from the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday.
New York Giants 6–30 Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs rushed for 98 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Aidan O’Connell passed for 209 yards and Antonio Pierce won his debut as Las Vegas’ interim coach as the Raiders routed the New York Giants 30-6. Maxx Crosby had three of the Raiders’ eight sacks. Las Vegas held the Giants to 275 yards in the Raiders’ largest margin of victory since beating the Denver Broncos 37-12 in November 2020. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones left one play into the second quarter with a knee injury.
Indianapolis Colts 27–13 Carolina Panthers
Kenny Moore returned two Bryce Young interceptions for touchdowns, Jonathan Taylor caught a touchdown pass from Gardner Minshew and the Indianapolis Colts snapped a threegame losing streak. Indianapolis’ muchmaligned defense had allowed at least 37 points in each of its past three games and had allowed more points than any team in the league. But the Colts had no problem slowing down the No 1 overall pick and a mostly listless Panthers offense. Moore became the first Colts player in history with two pick-6s in a game and the first NFL player to accomplish the feat since Tampa Bay’s Mike Edwards did it against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 of the 2021 season.
Chicago Bears 17–24 New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill caught a touchdown pass and threw for another, Paulson Adebo intercepted two passes and also forced a fumble that he recovered, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Chicago Bears. The Saints forced five turnovers, intercepting rookie QB Tyson Bagent three times and recovering two fumbles. Those plays tipped the balance of a game in which the undrafted Bagent and the Bears often had the Saints’ defense off balance, outgaining New Orleans 368-301 in total yards and possessing the ball for just more than half the game.
Los Angeles Rams 3–20 Green Bay Packers
Aaron Jones scored Green Bay’s first first-half touchdown since midSeptember, and the Packers snapped a four-game skid by beating the Los Angeles Rams. Rookie tight end Luke Musgrave scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard reception from Jordan Love and Anders Carlson went 3 of 4 on field-goal attempts for the Packers. Love went 20 of 26 for 228 yards despite getting sacked four times. The Rams dropped their third straight as they played without quarterback Matthew Stafford because of a thumb injury.