NFL roundup: Travis Kelce trick play ruled out as Bills beat Chiefs
Josh Allen threw for 233 yards with touchdowns running and throwing, the Bills kicked a go-ahead field goal with 1:54 to go and, thanks to a crucial penalty on Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney, Buffalo held on to beat Kansas City 20-17 on Sunday.
The game was tied 17-17 when the Bills (7-6) took over with about seven minutes left. They converted on three third downs, one courtesy of a penalty on Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson, before Tyler Bass kicked his 39-yarder for the lead.
But two pass plays that Buffalo called just before the two-minute warning – both incomplete – left time for the Chiefs (8-5) to work. And moments later, they thought they’d taken the lead when Patrick Mahomes hit Travis Kelce over the middle, and the tight end, who played quarterback in high school, threw far across the field to Toney, who ran the rest of the 49 yards for a touchdown.
Only one problem: Toney had lined up offside. The penalty wiped out the play.
The Chiefs still had 1:12 left to get within range of big-legged kicker Harrison Butker, but Mahomes threw incomplete on his next two passes, and his fourth-and-15 throw across the middle of the field found nothing but grass.
Philadelphia Eagles 13–33 Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys notched their seventh win in eight games as they got the better of their NFC East rivals to move to 10-3 alongside the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the division. Dak Prescott was excellent again and Brandon Aubrey made three field goals of more than 50 yards: he has made all 30 of his field goals this year in his rookie season.
Los Angeles Rams 31–37 Baltimore Ravens
Tylan Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in overtime to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 37-31 victory over Los Angeles, snapping the Rams’ three-game winning streak. Wallace, who committed a crucial penalty on special teams earlier in the game that led to points for Los Angeles (6-7), eluded a couple of tackles after fielding the punt and stayed on his feet when Shaun Jolly made a diving attempt at him along the left sideline. The Ravens (10-3) remained atop the AFC standings, a half-game ahead of Miami. The
Dolphins host Tennessee on Monday night.
Wallace was returning that punt after the Ravens lost Devin Duvernay, their main return man, earlier in the game with back issues. Wallace punctuated the winning touchdown with a leap into the end zone before the Ravens mobbed him in the corner.
Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes apiece, overcoming wet conditions and dropped passes in a game that was high scoring yet sloppy. Each offense went three-and-out in overtime before the final Los Angeles punt. It was a crushing way to lose for the Rams, who worked their way into the thick of the NFC playoff race with their recent winning streak.
Seattle Seahawks 16–28 San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel scored on a catch and a run and the San Francisco 49ers won their 11th straight division game, beating the Seattle Seahawks. Samuel had his second straight game with multiple touchdowns to lead San Francisco to the brink of winning back-to-back NFC West titles for the first time since 2011-12. The Niners lead the Seahawks and Rams by four games with four to play and hold the tiebreaker over Seattle. Seattle have lost four straight games for the first time in 14 seasons under Pete Carroll and have lost five in a row to the 49ers for the first time.
Jacksonville Jaguars 27–31 Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns in his home debut for Cleveland, and the Browns survived a late rally by Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville for a 31-27 win. The 38year-old Flacco delivered the kind of performance he had almost annually as a visitor with Baltimore. Flacco went 26 of 45 and improved to 10-2 as a starter in Cleveland. Lawrence played despite spraining his right ankle Monday night. He threw three interceptions before rallying the Jaguars in the fourth quarter. His third TD pass – to Evan Engram with 1:33 left – pulled the Jaguars within four. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett sacked Lawrence on the two-point conversion, and the Browns recovered an onside kick.
Houston Texans 6–30 New York Jets
Zach Wilson threw a pair of secondhalf touchdown passes in his return from a two-game benching, New York shut down CJ Stroud before Houston’s star rookie quarterback left late with a concussion and the Jets (5-8) ended a five-game losing streak. Wilson was excellent as he went 27 of 36 for 301 yards. Breece Hall and Randall Cobb caught touchdown passes and Xavier Gipson ran for a score for the Jets. Stroud left with 6:30 remaining when he was hit by Quinnen Williams, fell backward and his head appeared to bounce off the turf. The Texans (7-6) announced Stroud was out and Davis Mills replaced him.
Indianapolis Colts 14–34 Cincinnati Bengals
Jake Browning threw two touchdown passes and ran for another in his second straight outstanding performance for the Cincinnati Bengals, who pounded the Indianapolis Colts. With Joe Burrow out for the season because of a wrist injury, Browning has kept the Bengals in playoff contention. He followed up a 354-yard outing in a win at Jacksonville last Monday night by completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards with an interception against the Colts. The Bengals improved to 7-6 and the Colts now have the same record. Indianapolis were shut out after halftime as their four-game winning streak ended.
Detroit Lions 13–28 Chicago Bears
Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and the Chicago Bears played their most impressive game of the season, beating the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions (9-4). Receiver DJ Moore had his first career rushing touchdown and caught a scoring pass to help Chicago (5-8) win for the third time in four games. The Bears scored 15 points in a span of about seven minutes to break open a game that was tied at 13 late in the third quarter. Detroit’s Jared Goff threw two interceptions, lost a fumbled snap and was sacked four times. The Lions have lost two of three.
Denver Broncos 24-7 Los Angeles Chargers
Russell Wilson threw two touchdowns and the Denver Broncos beat the Chargers after Los Angeles lost quarterback Justin Herbert due to a fractured finger in the first half. Wilson completed 21 of 33 for 224 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown to Courtland Sutton in the third quarter for Denver, who have won six of their last seven. It was the Broncos’ first road victory against an AFC West foe since beating the Chargers in October 2019. Herbert was 9 of 17 for 96 yards with an interception before being injured.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29–25 Atlanta Falcons
Baker Mayfield threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 31 seconds remaining, capping a wild fourth quarter that pushed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into a tie for first place in the NFC South with a 29-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The 6-7 Falcons rallied for a 25-22 lead with a pair of TDs in the final period, including Desmond Ridder’s six-yard scoring run with 3:23 remaining. But Mayfield guided a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that gave the 6-7 Buccaneers a win they had to have with four weeks left in the regular season. Atlanta got one last chance at winning it from the Tampa Bay 31, but Drake London was stopped three yards shy of the end zone.
Carolina Panthers 6–28 New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr returned from injury to throw touchdown passes to Chris Olave and Jimmy Graham, and the New Orleans Saints defeated the hapless Carolina Panthers. Alvin Kamara ran nine yards for a touchdown as New Orleans snapped a three-game skid and pulled into a tie with Atlanta and Tampa Bay — all at 6-7 — for first place in the feeble NFC South. The Saints also scored on a Panthers punt attempt that was smothered by Nephi Sewell and returned by D’Marco Jackson. Carolina have lost six straight for the second time this season. Rookie Bryce Young finished 13 of 36 for 137 yards and lost a fumble. He was sacked four times.
Minnesota Vikings 3-0 Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota and Las Vegas played the lowest-scoring NFL game in 16 years, with Greg Joseph’s 36-year-old field goal with 1:57 left giving the Vikings victory over the Raiders. It was the first 3-0 game since Pittsburgh beat Miami on 26 November 2007, the third in the past 40 years and the seventh in the Super Bowl era. Joseph’s kick ensured the game wouldn’t end regulation scoreless for the first time since the New York Giants played the host Detroit Lions to a 0-0 tie in 1943. The Vikings had 230 total yards, and the Raiders were limited to 201 yards and nine first downs.