Mahomes guides Chiefs to comeback win
DETROIT — Darrel Williams ran for a go-ahead,
1-yard touchdown with 23 seconds left after Patrick Mahomes’ run converted a fourth down, lifting the Kansas City Chiefs to a 34-30 win over the Detroit Lions.
Kansas City started the winning drive on its 21. Mahomes converted a fourth-and-8 from his 34 with a 15-yard run to help him finish with a career-high
56 yards rushing. He completed enough passes to set up Williams for a short run to take the lead for good.
Detroit drove to the Kanas City 44 on the final drive and Matthew Stafford heaved two passes toward the end zone that were incomplete.
The Chiefs (4-0) went ahead for the first time Sunday early in the third quarter when Bashaud Breeland recovered Kerryon Johnson’s fumble and returned it 100 yards, taking advantage of everyone on the field appearing to stop momentarily and the officials not blowing a whistle. The pivotal play stood after review.
The Lions (2-1-1) scored the first 10 points and, after Kansas City pulled into two ties, went back ahead late in the second, third and fourth quarters.
Stafford threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay with 2:26 left to give Detroit a 30-27 lead. The call on the field stood after a review, which showed Golladay got both feet in the end zone. Golladay had a touchdown overturned by review early in the third because he appeared to lose control of the football as he hit the turf.
Mahomes was 24 of 42 for 315 yards. The reigning MVP had thrown at least two touchdown passes in 14 straight games, one short of the NFL record set by Peyton Manning.
Panthers 16, Texans 10
HOUSTON — Kyle Allen threw for 232 yards and the Panthers overcame his three fumbles with help from a big defensive play.
The Panthers (2-2) took a 13-10 lead with a 55-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The Texans (2-2) were driving with about four minutes left when Deshaun Watson was sacked by Vernon Butler, who caused a fumble recovered by Eric Reid at the Houston 33.
Carolina pushed the lead to 16-10 when Joey Slye added a 26-yard field goal with 28 seconds left. Houston had a chance for the win, but Deshaun Watson’s desperation throw as time expired was knocked down in the end zone by Reid.
Allen was making his third career start and second this season in place of Cam Newton, out with a foot injury. Allen lost the ball three times on sacks, but the Texans were only able to get points out of the last one to allow the Panthers to stay in it until their defense came through with the big play late.
Allen had four touchdown passes last week to help the Panthers to their first win against Arizona. On Sunday, he didn’t have a touchdown and relied heavily on running back Christian McCaffrey, who had 93 yards rushing and a touchdown and led the team with 86 yards receiving.
Jaguars 26, Broncos 24
DENVER — Leonard Fournette ran for a career-high 225 yards and Josh Lambo kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, sending Jacksonville past winless Denver.
The Broncos (0-4) not only were victimized by a last-second field goal for the second time this season, but they blew a 14-point lead at home in a loss for the first time since 2006.
Gardner Minshew II drove the Jaguars, one of four AFC South teams who are 2-2, into field goal range after Joe Flacco’s 8-yard TD throw to Courtland Sutton with 1:38 left gave Denver a 24-23 lead.
Eerily reminiscent of their 16-14 loss to the Bears in Denver two weeks ago, the Broncos helped ignite the winning drive by getting whistled for roughing the passer.
Against Chicago, it was Bradley Chubb’s questionable penalty, which the league admitted was a bad call. Against the Jaguars, it was a flag by Von Miller, who reached up and struck Minshew in his neck just as he released his pass in a chaotic pocket.
Miller’s foul spoiled his big day in which he collected his 99th and 100th career sacks and drew several holding penalties, one of which wiped a Jaguars touchdown off the board.
Buccaneers 55, Rams 40
LOS ANGELES — Jameis Winston passed for 385 yards and threw two of his four touchdown passes to Chris Godwin, and Ndamukong Suh returned Jared Goff’s fumble 37 yards for a touchdown with 1:06 to play in Tampa Bay’s victory over previously unbeaten Los Angeles.
Godwin had career highs of 12 catches for 172 yards as the Buccaneers (2-2) jumped to an early 21-0 lead and then scored 24 points in a wild fourth quarter to complete the highest-scoring game in the franchise’s 44-year history.
The Bucs still barely held off the defending NFC champions, but Suh’s TD return against his old teammates capped an impressive win for first-year coach Bruce Arians.
Goff passed for a career-high 517 yards and two touchdowns, but the Rams’ $134 million quarterback also threw three interceptions for the second time in his career. Goff then fumbled while being sacked by Shaquil Barrett as the Rams (3-1) attempted a tying drive, and Suh scooped and scored against the team with which he reached the Super Bowl last season.
Patriots 16, Bills 10
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Patriots linebacker Jamie Collins forced Buffalo’s fourth turnover by intercepting backup Matt Barkley’s pass with 1:27 remaining to seal the win.
J.C. Jackson had two interceptions and blocked a punt, which was returned 11 yards by Matthew Slater for a touchdown. Brandon Bolden scored on a 4-yard run in a defensive slugfest between previously unbeaten AFC East rivals.
New England is off to its first 4-0 start since 2015, and fifth time during Bill Belichick’s 20 seasons as coach.
The Bills (3-1) not only blew an opportunity to open a season with four straight wins for the first time since 2008, but now face questions at quarterback. Barkley took over after starter Josh Allen sustained a head injury when he was brought down by a helmet-to-helmet hit by Jonathan Jones in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Allen was briefly evaluated under a tent on the sideline before being escorted up the tunnel.
The game wasn’t decided until Buffalo’s final drive with Barkley facing thirdand-9 at the New England 39. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy applied the pressure by driving in from Barkley’s right, and got a hand on the quarterback’s chest. Barkley’s follow-through was affected, causing the ball to pop into the air, which Collins easily secured.
Though Tom Brady didn’t play much of a factor, he upped his career record to 31-3 against Buffalo — extending the NFL career mark for most victories by a quarterback against one opponent. New England won its sixth straight against the Bills, and improved to 34-5 against Buffalo since the start of the 2000 season.
Giants 24, Redskins 3
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Daniel Jones worked his magic again, Saquon Barkley’s replacement Wayne Gallman scored two touchdowns, and Jabrill Peppers scored on a 32-yard interception return.
The Redskins’ 0-4 start is their worst since losing their first five in 2001. The start also has seriously put coach Jay Gruden’s job in jeopardy after five-plus season, a 35-49-1 record and one playoff berth (2015).
Jones (23 of 31 for 225 yards) has sparked the Giants (2-2) since replacing two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning as the starting quarterback. He rallied New York from an 18-point deficit in his first start against the Buccaneers last week and was solid early, leading New York to touchdown runs on its first two series.
Gallman, who is going to start for the foreseeable future with Barkley battling a high ankle sprain, caught a 6-yard TD pass and scored on a 1-yard run to stake New York to a 14-0 lead.
Gruden tried to spark the mistake-prone Redskins, who had 12 penalties for 58 yards, by benching Case Keenum (6 of 11 for 37 yards) for first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins Jr., midway through the second quarter. That move came after Quinton Dunbar picked off Jones on consecutive passes, but the Ohio State product went just 9 of 17 for 107 yards and could produce only a 21-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins on his initial series. He was picked off three times, the last two by Janoris Jenkins.
Washington finished with 176 yards on offense and was 2 of 11 on third downs.