The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Brees, Saints blast Eagles, grab 9th win
Drew Brees passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns, and the Saints won their ninth straight with a 48-7 demolition of Philadelphia on Sunday that marked the Eagles’ worst loss by far since they won last season’s Super Bowl.
Brees completed 22 of 30 passes and did not turn the ball over, giving him 25 TD passes and only one interception this season. Brees’ fourth touchdown seemed to encapsulate New Orleans’ audacious approach to the game. He hit running back Alvin Kamara in stride down the right sideline for 37 yards on a fourth-and-7 play that gave the Saints (9-1) a 45-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Brees’ other touchdown passes went for 3 yards to Austin Carr, 15 yards to rookie Tre’Quan Smith and 23 yards to Michael Thomas. Smith finished with 10 catches for 157 yards, while Thomas’ four catches for 92 yards made him the first receiver in Saints history to surpass 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first three seasons.
Mark Ingram rushed 16 times for 103 yards, including touchdowns of 14 yards and 1 yard. Kamara added 71 yards to help New Orleans finish with 546 total yards and score at least 40 for the sixth time this season.
And New Orleans’ defense produced a second straight dominant showing after largely stifling Cincinnati in a 51-14 victory the previous week.
Carson Wentz was intercepted three times — once by Marshon Lattimore and twice by Chris Banjo — and finished with 156 yards on 19-of-33 passing.
Time will tell if the lopsided loss marked the beginning of the end of the Eagles’ title defense. Philadelphia (4-6) remained two games behind Washington (6-4) for first place in the NFC East, but more injuries befell their already depleted lineup. They offered virtually no resistance to New Orleans and looked thoroughly outclassed by the surging Saints.
Rookie running back Josh Adams rushed for a 28-yard TD that pulled the Eagles within 17-7 in the second quarter, but the Saints responded with Smith’s TD in which the receiver held onto a hard throw over the middle while being sandwiched by two defenders. That made it 24-7 at halftime and the game was not competitive after that.
Cowboys 22, Falcons 19: Brett Maher shook off a missed extra point and kicked a 42-yard field goal on the final play, giving Dallas a win after the Cowboys blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Atlanta’s Matt Ryan threw a 34-yard TD pass to Julio Jones for Atlanta’s only touchdown with 1:52 remaining to tie the game, but Dallas then drove 51 yards, setting up Maher’s winning kick.
Texans 23, Redskins 21: Justin Reid returned an interception 101 yards to help Houston overcome a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson for its seventh consecutive victory. Washington’s loss came at a significant price when QB Alex Smith suffered a broken leg on a sack in the third quarter. Smith’s right ankle turned the wrong way as he was sacked by Kareem Jackson and J.J. Watt.
Broncos 23, Chargers 22: Brandon McManus kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give Denver the win and snap Los Angeles’ six-game winning streak. Denver got the ball at its own 8 with 1:51 remaining, and Case Keenum orchestrated a seven-play, 76-yard drive. Keenum completed five passes for 86 yards during the drive, including a 30-yarder to Courtland Sutton.
Steelers 20, Jaguars 16: One week after Ben Roethlisberger had a perfect quarterback rating, he overcame three interceptions and a 16-0 deficit by leading two late scoring drives. He lunged in from the 1 for the winning score with 5 seconds left on Sunday. The Steelers won their sixth straight and likely ended any playoff hopes for the Jaguars, who dropped their sixth in a row.
Lions 20, Panthers 19: Carolina’s Cam Newton threw an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion with 1:07 left, letting Detroit hold on. Newton had time and receiver Jarius Wright open in the end zone, but the star quarterback sailed the pass high. The Lions recovered an onside kick to seal the victory and end a season-high three-game losing streak. The Panthers have lost two straight.
Colts 38, Titans 10: Andrew Luck threw three TD passes and Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins both ran for scores. Indy has won four straight for the first time since 2014. Luck remained unbeaten in 10 starts against the Titans. Tennessee lost QB Marcus Mariota after he reinjured his right elbow. Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees also was taken to a hospital for observation.
Ravens 24, Bengals 21: Rookie QB Lamar Jackson juked and sprinted for 117 yards in his first NFL start, Gus Edwards ran for 115 and Baltimore ground out a win to end a three-game losing streak. Flashing the moves that enabled him to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville, Jackson zipped in and out of the pocket for 27 carries. He also completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards.
Raiders 23, Cardinals 21: Daniel Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal as the game ended to give Oakland the win. The Raiders’ Derek Carr threw for two TDs and had completions of 32 and 20 yards on the final drive that led to Carlson’s winning kick. Carlson also had field goals of 49 and 21 yards in the second half. Arizona rookie Josh Rosen threw for three TDs, but was intercepted twice.