The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Rodgers’ rally leads Packers past Cowboys
Dallas
Aaron Rodgers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds remaining, lifting Green Bay over the Dallas Cowboys 35-31 Sunday in another thriller nine months after the Packers’ divisional playoff win on the same field.
Rodgers capped a 75-yard drive in just 1:02, going toward the same end zone as in the playoff game. Then, Rodgers’ long completion to Jared Cook on third-and-20 in the final seconds set up Mason Crosby’s winning field goal as time expired in a 34-31 win.
Adams was active 10 days after leaving the field on a stretcher on a helmet-to-helmet hit that resulted in a suspension for Chicago linebacker Danny Trevathan. He had seven catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Dak Prescott had given Cowboys the lead on an 11-yard touchdown run with 1:13 remaining to cap a 17-play drive that lasted almost nine minutes. Dallas (2-3) has already matched the number of losses from the magical rookie season for Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
The Packers (4-1) had gone ahead earlier on Damarius Randall’s 21-yard interception return for a touchdown, the third of five lead changes in the fourth quarter. Green Bay rallied from 15 points down in the first half after letting a 21-3 lead get away in last season’s playoff win.
Aaron Jones became the first Green Bay running back with 100 yards in his first start as a rookie since Samkon Gado in 2005. He had 19 carries for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Elliott ended a three-game drought without 100 yards, matching the longest from his rookie season, finishing with 116 yards on 29 carries.
Rodgers was 19 of 29 for 221 yards and three touchdowns and set up the winning score with an 18-yard scramble.
Prescott looked the part of Rodgers, scrambling to set up big completions and running 21 yards himself on one play to help the Cowboys build a 21-6 lead. He was 25 of 36 for 251 yards and three first-half touchdowns, two to Cole Beasley and one to Dez Bryant. Seahawks 16, Rams 10: Russell Wilson passed for 198 yards and a touchdown, and Earl Thomas forced two of Los Angeles’ five turnovers in the Seattle win. Jimmy Graham scored late in the first half in a defense dominated win for the Seahawks, who shut out the NFL’s highest-scoring offense in the second half of their second straight win over their NFC West rivals.
Ravens 30, Raiders 17: Joe Flacco hit Mike Wallace on two deep passes to spark Baltimore’s struggling offense, and the Ravens got a fumble return for a touchdown by Jimmy Smith to beat short-handed Oakland. The Raiders, playing without injured star quarterback Derek Carr and two key cornerbacks, played from behind all game.
Eagles 34, Cardinals 7: Carson Wentz threw a career-best four TD passes and Philadelphia rolled. Wentz tossed three scoring passes in the first quarter, including 59 yards to Torrey Smith, 11 yards to Zach Ertz and 15 yards to Trey Burton. He hit Nelson Agholor for a 72-yard TD in the third quarter that left six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson shouting on the sideline.
Panthers 27, Lions 24: Cam Newton showed he was very focused on football, throwing three touchdowns to help Carolina build a lead big enough to hold off Detroit. The Panthers scored 24 straight points after trailing 10-3 early in the second quarter. Detroit rallied, but could not stop Newton on his last drive to get the ball back. He was 26 of 33 for a season-high 335 yards.
Dolphins 16, Titans 10: Jay Cutler finally silenced the boobirds with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass, and Miami overcame another dismal offensive showing. Cutler capped a 58-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis Landry for the tiebreaking score. The Titans played without quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was inactive because of a left hamstring injury suffered a week ago.
Colts 26, 49ers 23 (OT): After blowing a 14-point lead in the final eight minutes or regulation and surviving an interception in scoring position in overtime, Marlon Mack’s 35-yard run set up Adam Vinatieri for a 51-yard field goal as Indianapolis beat San Francisco. Vinatieri made four field goals to move into second on the NFL’s career list, one ahead of Gary Anderson (538).
Jaguars 30, Steelers 9: Telvin Smith and Barry Church each returned a Ben Roethlisberger interception for a TD and Jacksonville stunned Pittsburgh. Jacksonville beat the Steelers for the first time in a decade by relying on the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense. The Jaguars picked off Roethlisberger five times and sacked him twice. Jags’ rookie Leonard Fournette ran for 181 yards.