USA TODAY International Edition
Saints kick past Bears in overtime
Bring on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers!
An ugly, harder- than- necessary 2623 overtime win over the Bears in Chicago might not be the ideal preparation for next weekend’s showdown of NFC South leaders. But when three of your top receivers are out, and swirling, gusting winds make everything at Soldier Field a crapshoot, the Saints will take what they got without much fuss.
Wil Lutz kicked a 35- yard field goal with 1: 40 still left in overtime to give New Orleans ( 5- 2) the win. It was the fourth in a row for the Saints, who play the Buccaneers on “Sunday Night Football.”
Alvin Kamara almost made the Saints forget they were without Michael Thomas ( hamstring), Marquez Callaway ( ankle) and Emmanuel Sanders ( COVID- 19). He caught nine passes for 96 yards and ran for another 67 – including a 20- yard burst in overtime that put the Saints at the Bears 11- yard line, all but sealing the game.
Jared Cook and Taysom Hill both caught TD passes, and Lutz made four of five field goal attempts.
The loss was the second in a row for the Bears ( 5- 3), who had been perfect at home in November under coach Matt Nagy. But this team remains a hot mess, even if it did manage to make a game of it in the last four minutes of regulation. It was held to less than 100 yards rushing again, and 73 of its 96 yards on the ground came in the first half. It was flagged for seven penalties, including two delays of game and one false start. And, worst of all, receiver Javon Wims is probably looking at a suspension after cold- cocking Saints safety Chauncey Gardner- Johnson in the third quarter.
Hill’s 20- yard scoring catch gave New Orleans a 23- 13 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Dolphins 28, Rams 17: Tua Tagovailoa threw his first NFL TD pass and then let his Miami teammates take over with a succession of big plays. The host Dolphins ( 4- 3) stamped themselves as playoff contenders by earning their third win in a row. They struck for scores 75 seconds apart on Andrew Van Ginkel’s 78- yard fumble return and Jakeem Grant’s 88- yard punt return. The Rams fell to 5- 3. – The Associated Press
Bills 24, Patriots 21: Backup defensive lineman Justin Zimmer punched the ball out of Cam Newton’s arms and the fumble was recovered by safety Dean Marlowe at the Buffalo 13 with 31 seconds left to secure the win for the Bills ( 6- 2). New England dropped to 2- 5 and has lost four in a row, matching its worst skid since 2002. The game was decided just as the Patriots were threatening to at least force OT. Facing 2ndand- 10 at the Buffalo 19, Newton took the snap and followed a line of blockers to his left. Zimmer came diving in from behind and punched out the ball, which rolled into Marlowe’s arms. – AP
Vikings 28, Packers 22: Dalvin Cook gained 226 yards from scrimmage and scored four TDs for Minnesota ( 2- 5). Green Bay ( 5- 2) had the ball at Minnesota’s 41- yard line with 12 seconds and no timeouts left, but D. J. Wonnum sacked Aaron Rodgers and knocked the ball loose. Eric Wilson recovered at the 24 as time expired. – AP
Seahawks 37, 49ers 27: Russell Wilson threw four more TD passes, two to DK Metcalf, and host Seattle rebounded from its first loss. Wilson and Metcalf tormented San Francisco ( 4- 4) and its banged up secondary as the top- scoring offense in the league continued to pile up points. The Seahawks ( 6- 1) have scored at least 30 points in six of seven games. – AP
Raiders 16, Browns 6: Derek Carr threw a 4- yard TD pass to Hunter Renfrow early in the fourth quarter and Daniel Carlson kicked three field goals for Las Vegas ( 4- 3) in windy, wintry conditions along Lake Erie against host Cleveland ( 5- 3). Carr’s strike to Renfrow with 14: 53 to go was the game’s only TD.
– AP Bengals 31, Titans 20: After watching Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine run for early scores, Joe Burrow threw two fourth- quarter TD passes and closed it out with a time- consuming drive for Cincinnati ( 2- 5- 1). Tennessee ( 5- 2) has lost two straight. – AP
Chiefs 35, Jets 9: Patrick Mahomes threw for 416 yards and five TDs and the defense for Kansas City ( 7- 1) shut down quarterback Sam Darnold and New York ( 0- 8). – AP
Colts 41, Lions 21: Philip Rivers threw three TD passes in the second quarter to give Indianapolis ( 5- 2) a double- digit lead. The Lions ( 3- 4) lost a seventh straight home game. – AP
Broncos 31, Chargers 30: Drew Lock hit rookie KJ Hamler from a yard out and no time on the clock and Brandon McManus nailed the extra point to give Denver ( 3- 4) a shocking home win over hard- luck Los Angeles ( 2- 5). The Chargers, who led 24- 3, became the first team to lose three games they led by 17 or more points in the same season since the Falcons did it in 2003. – AP