SUNDAY’S GAMES
Titans 42, Texans 36, OT
Derrick Henry took a direct snap and ran 5 yards for a touchdown 3:30 into overtime and the Tennessee Titans remained undefeated, rallying to beat the Houston Texans 42-36 on Sunday. The Titans (5-0) overcame two turnovers, Stephen Gostkowski having a field goal blocked and missing another and the defense giving up 335 yards passing and four touchdown passes to Deshaun Watson.
Giants 20, Washington 19
Joe Judge and the New York Giants have finally won, and they have rookie Tae Crowder and a risky gamble by Washington coach Ron Rivera for making them relevant again.
Crowder, the last player taken in the NFL draft – Mr. Irrelevant – scooped up a fumble and ran 43 yards for a touchdown with 3:28 to play. That gave the Giants a 20-19 victory over Washington on Sunday in a battle of the two of the NFL’s worst teams.
Colts 31, Bengals 27
After falling behind by 21 points, the Indianapolis Colts needed the biggest regular-season comeback in franchise history. Philip Rivers was up to the task. After trailing 21-0, Rivers rallied the Colts with three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score on the first play of the fourth quarter, for a 31-27 victory over Cincinnati.
Falcons 40, Vikings 23
Julio Jones returned from injury to catch two of Matt Ryan’s four touchdown passes, as the Atlanta Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings 40-23 on Sunday for their first victory of the season – one week after the firing of head coach Dan Quinn. Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions in the first half for the first time in his career, and the Falcons (1-5) turned those picks into 17 points to build a 20-0 lead at the break that proved to be solid enough for even this falter-prone team.
Bears 23, Panthers 16
Nick Foles threw for one touchdown and ran for another, Chicago’s defense forced three turnovers and sacked Teddy Bridgewater four times and the Bears held on to beat the Carolina Panthers 23-16 on Sunday. Foles finished with 198 yards passing and a touchdown and David Montgomery added 58 yards on the ground as the Bears (5-1) opened the season 3-0 on the road for the first time since 2006, when they reached the Super Bowl.
Lions 34, Jaguars 16
Matthew Stafford finally got his first touchdown pass against Jacksonville. It helped the Detroit Lions build a lead even they couldn’t squander. Rookie D’Andre Swift ran for a career-high 116 yards and two touchdowns, Stafford got an elusive TD pass against the only team he hadn’t thrown one against in 12 NFL seasons and the Lions hammered the Jaguars 34-16 on Sunday.
Steelers 38, Browns 7
James Conner ran for 101 yards and a touchdown and the Steelers battered the Browns in a 38-7 blowout victory on Sunday to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1978. Ben Roethlisberger added 162 yards passing and a score. Pittsburgh emphatically ended Cleveland’s four-game winning streak and extended the Browns’ skid at Heinz Field to 17 and counting.
Broncos 18, Patriots 12
Denver kicker Brandon McManus had six field goals and linebacker Malik Reed came up with a big sack late to help the Broncos hold on for an 18-12 win over the New England Patriots Sunday in a game twice delayed following positive coronavirus tests for both teams. Sunday’s game was originally scheduled for last week but got postponed twice, first by a day, then by seven.
Ravens 30, Eagles 28
Lamar Jackson threw for a touchdown and ran for a score and the Baltimore Ravens held on for a 30-28 victory over the depleted Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The Eagles (1-4-1) came in missing seven offensive starters, including four offensive linemen, and then lost two more when running back Miles Sanders left in the third quarter and tight end Zach Ertz exited in the fourth.
Dolphins 24, Jets 0
Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown passes and the Miami Dolphins held the winless New York Jets without a third-down conversion until the fourth quarter Sunday to get their first shutout in six years, 24-0. The game was so lopsided that Miami rookie Tua Tagovailoa made his NFL debut in mop-up duty with 2:27 left. The Dolphins’ potential franchise quarterback ran onto the field to a big roar from the crowd of 10,772.
Buccaneers 38, Packers 10
Tom Brady outplayed Aaron Rodgers in a rare meeting between the Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers erased an early double-digit deficit to rout the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers 38-10 on Sunday. It was the 43-year-old Brady’s first signature victory since signing with the Bucs (4-2) after a historic 20-year run with the New England Patriots.