Breakthrough victory once again eludes Browns
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints needed less than 10 minutes to obliterate what looked like a milestone victory for the seemingly cursed Cleveland Browns.
Wil Lutz kicked a 44yard field goal with 21 seconds left, Cleveland kicker Zane Gonzalez pushed the second of his two missed field goals wide right in the final seconds, and the Saints held on for a 21-18 victory that extended the Browns’ winless streak to 19 games.
Gonzalez also missed two extra points, one week after his potential winning field goal was blocked in a season-opening tie with Pittsburgh. His final miss came from 52 yards.
“It snowballed,” Gonzalez said, acknowledging the psychological effect of earlier misses that he hooked left before pushing his final kick the other way. “I was overcompensating. I get paid to make those kicks and I have to make them.”
Gonzalez’s tough day represented only a portion of Cleveland’s implosion. Defensive back Derrick Kindred’s illegal contact penalty on what would have been a thirddown sack extended New Orleans’ first touchdown drive, which ended with Michael Thomas’ 2-yard catch and cut Cleveland’s lead to 12-10 with 8:41 to go.
With just less than five minutes left, Saints safety Marcus Williams intercepted Tyrod Taylor in Cleveland territory. The turnover led to New Orleans’ second TD on a 5-yard fade to Thomas. CHIEFS 42, STEELERS 37 >> Patrick Mahomes tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes. The 22-year-old Mahomes finished 23 of 28 for 326 yards in his third career start as the Chiefs (2-0) won in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1986. Mahomes has 10 TD passes through two weeks, the most ever by a quarterback through two games.
Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger shook off an achy right elbow that limited him in practice during the week, completing 39 of 60 passes for 452 yards and three touchdowns. VIKINGS 29, PACKERS 29 >> Daniel Carlson missed two field goals in overtime, including one from 35 yards as time expired, and the Vikings had to settle for a tie after rallying from a late 13-point deficit. Green Bay
star Aaron Rodgers played with a brace on his injured left knee and threw for 281 yards and a score. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter. FALCONS 31, PANTHERS 24 >> Matt Ryan ran for a pair of scores for the first time in his career and threw a pair of TD passes. Ryan finished 23 of 28 passing for 272 yards.
DOLPHINS 20, JETS 12 >> Ryan Tannehill threw two TD passes, Kenyan Drake ran for a score and the visiting Dolphins took advantage of several mistakes by Sam Darnold and the Jets.
T.J. McDonald and Xavien Howard each intercepted the Jets’ rookie quarterback, helping the Dolphins to their first 2-0 start to a season since 2013.
TITANS 20, TEXANS 17 >> Ryan Succop kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:00 left, and the battered Titans held off the Texans to give Mike Vrabel his first victory as an NFL head coach. COLTS 21, WASHINGTON 9 >> Andrew Luck threw for two TD passes, shook off two interceptions and engineered a game-sealing drive. Luck had a TD pass in a 25th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the NFL. BUCCANEERS 27, EAGLES 21 >> Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns for the second straight week and the Bucs off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2010.
Nick Foles threw for 338 yards for the Eagles, who nearly rallied from a 20-point, third-quarter deficit.
CHARGERS 31, BILLS 20 >> Melvin Gordon matched a career high by scoring three touchdowns, and the Chargers manhandled the anemic Bills during rookie quarterback Josh Allen’s debut as a starter.
RAMS 34, CARDINALS 0 >> Todd Gurley ran for three TDs, Jared Goff threw for 354 yards and a touchdown and the Rams have won their first two games for the first time since 2001. COWBOYS 20, GIANTS 13 >> Dak Prescott threw a 64yard touchdown pass to Tavon Austin on the third play of the game and the Cowboys sacked Eli Manning six times. Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott outgained Saquon Barkley in the first meeting in the pros between the former college rivals. Elliott, who starred at Ohio State, rushed for 78 yards with a TD. Barkley, from Penn State, had just 28.