USA TODAY International Edition
Who else? Brady sparks Bucs’ comeback
Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns, all to different receivers, helping the Buccaneers rally from a 17- point deficit to beat the Charges 38- 31 on Sunday.
Brady shrugged off throwing an early interception returned for a TD and the Bucs ( 3- 1) won their third in a row to stay in first place in the NFC South. Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, O. J. Howard, Cameron Brate and rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn caught scoring passes from Brady, who threw four of them after falling behind 24- 7 in the second quarter.
Rookie Justin Herbert completed 20 of 25 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers ( 1- 3), who’ve lost three in a row.
The game swung dramatically in the final minute of the opening half. Ndamukong Suh forced a fumble inside the Los Angeles 10 with the Chargers attempting to run out at the clock. Linebacker Devin White recovered, setting up Brady’s 6- yard TD to Evans, who finished with seven catches for 122 yards.
Bills 30, Raiders 23: Shaking off a banged- up left shoulder, Josh Allen threw for two TDs and rushed for one as Buffalo has opened consecutive seasons with 4- 0 records, just the third time in team history and first since the 1991 and ’ 92, both seasons when the Bills lost in the Super Bowl. They have scored 30 points in three consecutive games and are averaging 30.75 points. Las Vegas ( 2- 2) lost its second straight game. Off to a sensational start to the season, Allen carved up a Raiders secondary with precision passes over the middle, to the sidelines, or between defenders. Allen continued to mesh well with offseason acquisition Stefon Diggs, who finished with six receptions for 115 yards. – AP
Colts 19, Bears 11: Philip Rivers threw a TD pass on Indianapolis’ first possession, and the Colts shut down Nick Foles and Chicago ( 3- 1). After Rivers connected with Mo Alie- Cox on a 13- yard score, the NFL’s top- ranked defense took over. The Colts kept the Bears out of the end zone until Allen Robinson caught a 16yard pass with 1: 35 remaining. Indianapolis recovered the onside kick and came away with its third straight win after a season- opening loss. As for the Bears, their offense didn’t look much better with Foles starting instead of Mitchell Trubisky. There was no big comeback by the team that became the first, according to Elias Sports Bureau, with two wins in the same season after trailing by 16 or more in the fourth quarter. The Bears managed 269 yards – only 28 on the ground. – AP
Ravens 31, Washington 17: Lamar Jackson ran for a 50- yard TD and threw for two scores in a bounce- back performance by the reigning NFL MVP and Baltimore, which took control early and beat Washington. Coming off a humbling loss to Kansas City Monday, the visiting Ravens ( 3- 1) built a 21- 10 halftime lead before opening the third quarter with a drive that ended with Mark Andrews’ second TD catch. That was enough to hand Washington ( 1- 3) its third consecutive defeat. Washington coach Ron Rivera, weakened by treatment he received during the week for lymph node cancer, occasionally took a break by sitting on the bench. – AP
Saints 35, Lions 29: It was ugly, disturbing, and unfortunately for Detroit, all too familiar. The Lions got off to another hot start, then crashed and burned with a poor defensive effort and predictable offensive play calling as the Saints scored 35 consecutive points at Ford Field in Detroit. At 1- 3, the Lions enter their bye week with a slew of questions about coach Matt Patricia, general manager Bob Quinn and their hazy futures. The Lions are 10- 25- 1 since Patricia took over a nine- win team in 2018 and have blown double- digit leads in 12 of his 25 losses as head coach, including all three defeats this fall. Drew Brees threw two TD passes to Tre’Quan Smith in the second quarter for New Orleans ( 2- 2). – Detroit Free Press
Bengals 33, Jaguars 25: After Cincinnati had its longest run of the 2020 season, quarterback Joe Burrow didn’t run to the end zone to celebrate Joe Mixon’s 34- yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Burrow sprinted to the middle of the field to hug three of the Bengals’ offensive linemen who had helped create a path for Mixon. When the other two offensive linemen stayed on the field to block for the extra point, Burrow waited for them at the front of the sideline. Burrow hugged them, too. Entering Sunday’s game against Jacksonville ( 1- 3), Burrow had been sacked more than any other NFL quarterback, and Mixon averaged only 55 rushing yards per game. Mixon ran for 151 yards and two TDs and caught a Burrow pass for another score as Cincinnati ( 1- 2- 1) rolled up 505 yards. – The Cincinnati Enquirer
Panthers 31, Cardinals 21: Carolina quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Panthers ( 3- 2) beat the Cardinals ( 2- 2) from start to finish, handing Arizona its second consecutive loss. The Cardinals had trouble moving the ball at all in the first half and their defense could rarely get off the field on a day when they were outgained by the Panthers 444 yards to 262. – Arizona Republic
Seahawks 31, Dolphins 23: Russell Wilson threw for 360 yards and two TDs as Seattle ( 4- 0) scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games for the first time since 2015. Seattle forced Miami ( 1- 3) to settle for five field goals before the Dolphins reached the end zone in the final minutes. Wilson connected with David Moore for 57 yards in the final seconds of the first half to set up a TD that gave Seattle a 17- 9 lead. Wilson, who went 24 for 34, tied Peyton Manning’s record of 15 TD passes in the first four games of a season. – AP
Vikings 31, Texans 23: Dalvin Cook ran for 130 yards and two TDs and visiting Minnesota ( 1- 3) withstood a late rally from Houston ( 0- 4). The Texans cut the lead to eight when Deshaun Watson connected with Kenny Stills on a 24- yard TD pass on 4th- and- 10 with about six minutes remaining. Houston’s defense got a stop and Will Fuller made an acrobatic one- handed catch on fourth down for what was initially ruled a touchdown with about a minute left. But after a review it was determined that the ball hit the ground before Fuller gained control. – AP
Rams 17, Giants 9: Jared Goff hit Cooper Kupp for a 55- yard TD with 6: 56 to play, and Los Angeles ( 3- 1) grinded out a victory in a game marred by a postgame fight between Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Giants receiver Golden Tate. New York ( 0- 4) had two chances with the ball after Kupp’s TD, but the Giants turned it over on downs before quarterback Daniel Jones drove them deep into Rams territory. – AP