The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Redskins’ D, missed FG sink Cowboys
Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan’s stripsack of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was recovered for a touchdown by Preston Smith with just under five minutes left in the fourth quarter Sunday, and Washington held on to edge Dallas 20-17 when a last-second field-goal attempt by Brett Maher went off the left upright.
What would have been a 47-yard kick became a 52-yarder when Louis-Philippe Ladoceur was called for a snap infraction.
That Kerrigan-Smith play that provided the winning points was Washington’s fourth sack of Prescott, who appeared to use smelling salts after taking a shoulder to his helmet at the end of a run in the first quarter. Prescott lost two fumbles in the game, including one on an earlier fourth-and-1 keeper.
The Redskins (4-2) won consecutive games for the first time this season and stretched their lead atop the NFC East. They also dropped the Cowboys to 0-4 on the road, 3-4 overall, as Dallas heads into its bye week.
Washington won this one thanks to its staunch defense and 99 yards on 24 carries from Adrian Peterson, who helped mask the latest soso performance from quarterback Alex Smith and a generally iffy offense that was missing three injured playmakers.
The Redskins twice had to settle for short field goals in the second half despite having first-and-goal opportunities. On each of those possessions, Alex Smith missed an open receiver in the end zone from down close.
Washington’s QB finished 14 for 25 for 178 yards, including a 23-yard TD on a swing pass to Kapri Bibbs in the first quarter. But there were some questionable decisions, including running out of bounds on third down with 78 seconds left, stopping the clock before a punt gave the ball back to Dallas.
The Redskins limited Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL’s No. 2 rusher entering the week, to 34 yards on 15 carries.
Prescott was 22 for 35 for 273 yards, with one TD pass and one TD run. He connected with Michael Gallup on a 49-yard score a minute before halftime that made the score 7-all, then — after Kerrigan’s key play made it 20-10 — scored on a 1-yard quarterback draw to cut Dallas’ deficit to three points with 1½ minutes remaining. Rams 39, 49ers 10: Todd Gurley scored three touchdowns and Jared Goff threw two TD passes as Los Angeles took advantage of four takeaways and a blocked punt to beat San Francisco. The Rams intercepted C.J. Beathard twice and recovered two fumbles to give them seven straight wins to open the season for the first time since 1985. The Rams began 6-0 for three straight seasons in 1999-2001 before losing the seventh game.
Saints 24, Ravens 23: Justin Tucker missed the first PAT of his career after Baltimore scored the potential tying touchdown with 24 seconds left and New Orleans escaped with a win. It was 24-17 before Joe Flacco directed a beat-the-clock drive covering 81 yards and ending with a 14-yard TD pass to John Brown. That seemingly set up overtime, given that Tucker had connected on 112 straight extra points. This attempt, however, went wide right.
Panthers 21, Eagles 17: Cam Newton tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with 1:22 left and Carolina overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter on the road to beat Philadelphia. Julius Peppers sacked Carson Wentz, forcing a fumble on fourth down from the Panthers 14, to seal the victory. “This place was as advertised, playing in a hostile environment but we overcame that and kept pushing through,” Newton said. Buccaneers 26, Browns 23 (OT): Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 59-yard field goal, the longest ever in overtime, with 1:50 remaining. Redeeming himself after missing an extra point, as well as a 40-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, Catanzaro’s kick barely made it over the crossbar to end Tampa Bay’s three-game skid and hand the Browns a NFL record-tying 24th consecutive road loss. Cleveland has played four overtime games this season.
Lions 32, Dolphins 21: Kerryon Johnson rushed for 158 yards and Detroit repeatedly mounted long scoring drives. Matt Stafford was 18 for 22 for 217 yards and two TDs. Detroit had 457 total yards and 248 on the ground, with scoring drives covering 64, 85, 75, 65, 75, 63 and 44 yards. The Lions punted once and had no turnovers to win on the road for the first time. They’ve climbed back to .500 after being outscored 78-44 in their first two games.
Chargers 20, Titans 19: Los Angeles’ Adrian Phillips broke up Marcus Mariota’s pass attempt, Tennessee’s second try for a 2-point conversion after a defensive penalty on the first attempt, and the Chargers held on for victory at London’s Wembley Stadium. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Chargers, who weathered the absence of running back Melvin Gordon (hamstring) and relied upon their defense to pull out the win.
Texans 20, Jaguars 7: Blake Bortles fumbled on Jacksonville’s third play of each half, leading to 10 points and his benching. Houston won its fourth consecutive game thanks to those two turnovers and took a one-game lead in the AFC South. Deshaun Watson, who reportedly made the 800-mile road trip by bus instead of plane, had a TD pass despite playing with a bruised lung and injured ribs. Lamar Miller ran for a season-high 100 yards and a score.