Cowboys clip Falcons; Redskins lose Smith for year
ATLANTA >> Brett Maher shook off a missed extra point and kicked a 42yard field goal on the final play, giving Dallas a 22-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday after the Cowboys squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
Matt Ryan threw a 34yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones for Atlanta’s only touchdown with 1:52 remaining to tie the game. But Dallas drove 51 yards in 10 plays, setting up Maher’s winning kick as time expired .
The Cowboys (5-5), who started the day two games behind Washington in the NFC East, gave their playoff hopes a boost. Atlanta (4-6) lost its second straight game and now faces long odds to reach the postseason — especially playing in the NFC South, where the Falcons trail New Orleans and Carolina. TEXANS 23, REDSKINS 21 LANDOVER, MD. >> Justin Reid returned an interception 101 yards to help the Houston Texans overcome a mistake-prone Deshaun Watson and beat the Washington Redskins for their seventh consecutive victory.
Washington’s loss came at a significant price when quarterback Alex Smith suffered a gruesome ankle injury on a sack in the third quarter.
Smith’s right ankle turned the wrong way as he was sacked by Kareem Jackson and J.J. Watt on a play eerily similar to Joe Theismann’s broken leg that came exactly 33 years ago to the day.
Colt McCoy replaced Smith and threw for a touchdown pass and led a long scoring drive for Washington (6-4).
Watson threw for a touchdown and had two interceptions, completing 16 of 24 passes and taking three sacks for Houston (7-3).
STEELERS 20, JAGUARS 16 JACKSONVILLE, FLA. >> Ben Roethlisberger was far from perfect until the fourth quarter, and that was all that mattered for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
One week after Roethlisberger had a perfect quarterback rating, he overcame three interceptions and a 16-point deficit by leading two late scoring drives. He lunged in from the 1 for the winning score with 5 seconds left for a 2016 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
The Steelers (7-2-1) won their sixth straight and likely ended any playoff hopes for the Jaguars (37), who eliminated Pittsburgh in the divisional round last year.
RAVENS 24, BENGALS 21 BALTIMORE >> Rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson juked and sprinted for 117 yards in his first NFL start, Gus Edwards ran for 115 and the Baltimore Ravens ground out a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals to end a threegame losing streak.
Flashing the moves that enabled him to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville, Jackson zipped in and out of the pocket for 27 carries. Though the Ravens (55) relied heavily on the run, Jackson also completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards with an interception.
Ravens starting quarterback Joe Flacco did not practice all week and was inactive with a right hip injury.
COLTS 38, TITANS 10 INDIANAPOLIS >> Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins both ran for scores to help the Indianapolis Colts rout Tennessee.
Indy (5-5) has won four straight for the first time since November 2014. Luck remained unbeaten in 10 starts against the Titans.
Tennessee (5-5) lost quarterback Marcus Mariota in the final minute of the first half after he reinjured his right elbow. LIONS 20, PANTHERS 19 DETROIT >> Cam Newton threw an incomplete pass on a 2-point conversion with 1:07 left, letting the Detroit Lions hold on for a win over the Carolina Panthers.
Newton had time and receiver Jarius Wright open in the end zone, but the star quarterback sailed the pass high. Carolina coach Ron Rivera went for the win after Newton threw his third touchdown pass to DJ Moore, perhaps because usually reliable kicker Graham Gano missed an extra point and a field goal earlier in the game.
The Lions (4-6) recovered an onside kick to seal the victory and end a season-high three-game losing streak. They were in a position to win after Matthew Stafford threw a go-ahead, 19-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Golladay with 5:19 left.
The Panthers (6-4) have lost two straight for the first time this season. RAIDERS 23, CARDINALS 21 GLENDALE, ARIZ. >> Daniel Carlson kicked a 35-yard field goal as the game ended to give Oakland a victory over the Arizona Cardinals in a matchup of teams scraping the bottom of the NFL standings.
The Raiders (2-8), who had lost five straight, matched the record of the Cardinals.
Derek Carr threw for two touchdowns and had completions of 32 and 20 yards on the final drive that led to Carlson’s winning kick. Carlson also had field goals of 49 and 21 yards in the second half.
BRONCOS 23, CHARGERS 22 CARSON, CALIF. >> Brandon McManus kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired on Sunday to give the Denver Broncos a win and snap the Los Angeles Chargers’ six-game winning streak.
Denver got the ball at its own 8 with 1:51 remaining, and Case Keenum orchestrated a seven-play, 76-yard drive. Keenum, who was 19 of 32 for 205 yards, completed five passes for 86 yards during the drive, including a 30-yarder to Courtland Sutton to the Los Angeles 16.
Denver (4-6) had lost six of seven coming into the game. The Chargers dropped to 7-3.