The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Cowboys rout winless 49ers, 40-10
Ezekiel Elliott gained 219 yards from scrimmage and tied a career high with three touchdowns just days after a legal reprieve put his suspension on hold and the Dallas Cowboys beat the winless San Francisco 49ers 40-10 on Sunday.
Elliott was granted his second temporary restraining order on Tuesday, putting his six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations on hold and then gave the Cowboys (3-3) a big boost on the field.
Elliott matched his season total of rushing touchdowns with two in the first quarter and then took a short pass from Dak Prescott 72 yards for another touchdown on Dallas’ first possession of the second half to put the 49ers (0-7) away. Elliott ran for 147 yards on 26 carries to go with the big catch, setting a career high in scrimmage yards in a game.
That performance spoiled the starting debut of rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard, who was sacked five times, lost two fumbles and failed to lead the 49ers into the end zone until he scored on a run with the game out of hand in the fourth quarter.
Beathard finished 22 for 37 for 235 yards, but his fumble on a sack by DeMarcus Lawrence late in the first half ended a promising drive that went down to the 5.
The 49ers, the first team ever to lose five straight games by three or fewer points, were never really close against the Cowboys.
The 49ers got off to a good start when they forced a three-and-out on the opening possession. But Trent Taylor fumbled the punt return, setting up Dallas at the 20. Elliott ran three straight times and scored his first TD of the game from 1-yard out.
The Cowboys lost kicker Dan Bailey to a right groin injury in the first half, forcing coach Jason Garrett to scramble a bit. Dallas went for the 2-point conversion following their first TD after Bailey’s injury and couldn’t convert. Safety Jeff Heath handled the kickoff duties after that and reached the goal line on his first kick. Heath got his shot at extra points in the second half and made two out of three. Saints 26, Packers 17: Drew Brees threw for a touchdown and ran for another and Mark Ingram rushed for a score. Will Lutz kicked two second-half field goals, including a 44-yarder to put New Orleans up for good 19-17 with 10:26 left in the game. Brees’ 1-yard sneak gave the Saints a two-score lead. The Packers lost their first game with Brett Hundley starting at quarterback for injured star Aaron Rodgers. Steelers 29, Bengals 14: Ben Roethlisberger threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns, Le’Veon Bell added 192 total yards and Pittsburgh’s defense dominated Cincinnati in the second half. The Steelers picked off Andy Dalton twice and sacked him three times over the final two quarters to pull away. Chris Boswell added five field goals for Pittsburgh. Chargers 21, Broncos 0: Travis Benjamin returned a first-quarter punt 65 yards for a touchdown and caught a 42-yard TD pass in the fourth, and Los Angeles played a dominant defensive game in the first home victory of its relocation season. Joey Bosa had two of the Chargers’ five sacks while they sent the Broncos to the franchise’s first shutout defeat since a 24-0 loss to the Raiders in 1992.
Vikings 24, Ravens 16: Latavius Murray rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown and Kai Forbath kicked six field goals to lead Minnesota to victory. Forbath made kicks of 52, 51, 43, 43, 34 and 32 yards to back another suffocating effort from the defense for the Vikings. Minnesota sacked Joe Flacco five times and allowed just 208 yards. Everson Griffen had two sacks and has nine for the season.
Rams 33, Cardinals 0: Jared Goff ran for a touchdown and threw for another and Greg Zuerlein made four field goals as Los Angeles won for the first time in three appearances in Britain. Arizona heads home with big questions after quarterback Carson Palmer broke his right arm. Goff completed 22 of 37 passes for 235 yards with an interception, and Todd Gurley ran for 106 yards and a TD.
Jaguars 27, Colts 0: Blake Bortles threw for a season-high 330 yards and one touchdown, and T.J. Yeldon scored on a 58-yard run helping Jacksonville end a four-game losing streak at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indy lost its second straight, both to division foes. While Jacksonville didn’t add to its league-leading takeaway total, it matched the single-game franchise record for sacks with 10.
Titans 12, Browns 9 (OT): Ryan Succop’s fourth field goal — a 47-yarder with 1:55 left in overtime — extended his NFL record for makes inside 50 yards to 55 straight and sent Tennessee to an ugly win over winless Cleveland. Succop’s clutch kick enabled the Titans to get their second win in six days. Succop made five field goals in Monday night’s win over Indianapolis.
Bears 17, Panthers 3: Rookie safety Eddie Jackson became the first NFL player to score multiple defensive TDs of 75 yards or more in a game. Jackson ran back a fumble recovery 75 yards on the game’s opening possession and returned an interception of Cam Newton 76 yards for a score early in the second quarter to give Chicago a 14-0 lead. Newton completed 21 of 34 passes for 211 yards.