44-yard field goal lifts Saints past Cleveland

NEW ORLEANS — Wil Lutz kicked a 44-yard field goal for New Orleans with 21 seconds left, Cleveland kicker Zane Gonzalez pushed the second of his two missed field goals wide right in the final seconds, and the Saints held on for a 21-18 victory that extended the Browns’ winless streak to 19 games.

Gonzalez also missed two extra points, one week after his potential winning field goal was blocked in a season-opening tie with Pittsburgh.

Cleveland (0-1-1) carried a two-score lead into the final nine minutes before its latest collapse.

Receiver Michael Thomas had two fourthquarter touchdowns for the Saints (1-1), who scored 40 points in a Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, but didn’t find the end zone against Cleveland until 8:41 remained.

Thomas’ 2-yard catch cut Cleveland’s lead to 12-10.

Marcus Williams’ interception of Tyrod Taylor with just less than five minutes remaining set up Thomas’ leaping 5-yard touchdown catch with 2:40 to go, and Alvin Kamara’s run for a 2-point conversion put the Saints up 18-12.

That conversion made all the difference after Taylor found Antonio Callaway with a 47-yard, all-or-nothing heave on fourth-and-5 with 1:16 to go. Gonzalez missed a point-after kick for the second time, and Drew Brees’ 42-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr. set up Lutz’ go-ahead kick.

VIKINGS 29, PACKERS 29 Daniel Carlson missed two field goals in overtime, including one from 35 yards as time expired, and the Vikings had to settle for a 29-29 tie after rallying from a late 13-point deficit.

The rookie pushed his final kick wide right, just like his attempt from 49 earlier in overtime.

Packers kicker Mason Crosby matched a career high with five field goals, but his potential game winner from 52 went wide left as time expired in regulation. Both teams are 1-0-1. The tie overshadowed memorable performances from both quarterbacks.

Green Bay star Aaron Rodgers played with a brace on his injured left knee and threw for 281 yards and a score.

Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter.

BUCCANEES 27, EAGLES 21 Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns for the second straight week.

Filling in for suspended quarterback Jameis Winston, the 35-year-old Fitzpatrick completed 27 of 32 passes for 402 yards and has the suddenly explosive Bucs off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2010.

DeSean Jackson scored on a 75-yard reception on the first play of the game. O.J. Howard also had a 75-yard TD catch in the first half for Tampa Bay, which stunned New Orleans 48-40 on the road in its season opener.

Nick Foles threw for 338 yards for the Eagles (1-1), who rallied from a 20-point, third-quarter deficit.

The Super Bowl MVP’s 2-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor on fourth down trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 27-21 with 2:46 remaining. The Bucs didn’t give the Eagles’ injury-decimated offence a chance to finish the comeback.

Fitzpatrick, a 14-year veteran and one of four players in NFL history to throw TD passes for seven franchises, produced a couple first downs on Tampa Bay’s ensuing possession to drain all but 19 seconds off the clock.

JAGUARS 31, PATRIOTS 20 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Blake Bortles threw four touchdown passes, three in the first half, and the Jaguars(2-0) beat Tom Brady and the Patriots in a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game.

Bortles connected with Donte Moncrief, Keelan Cole and Austin Seferian-Jenkins for scores in the first 30 minutes, the second time he’s done that in his NFL career. Bortles completed 29 of 45 passes for 377 yards, with the four TDs and an interception. It was the best game of his five-year career.

The Patriots (1-1) trailed 24-3 in the third quarter before finally showing signs of life. But Dante Fowler, returning from a one-game suspension, stripped Brady for one game-changing play, and second-year receiver Dede Westbrook added another to seal the victory.

Westbrook took a short pass on a crossing route, made one defender miss and then outran another down the sideline for a 61-yard score. He got a key block from Cole.

Cole finished with seven receptions for 117 yards and a score. He made a spectacular, onehanded catch on Jacksonville’s second drive and beat Eric Rowe for a 24-yard touchdown three plays later.

BRONCOS 29, RAIDERS 19 Brandon McManus kicked a 36-yard field goal just inside the right upright with 6 seconds left, denying Jon Gruden his first win as a head coach since 2008.

With no timeouts and 18 seconds left, Case Keenum hit Tim Patrick for a 26-yard gain to the Oakland 18. Cornerbacks Gareon Conley and Leon Hall couldn’t tackle him inbounds and McManus came on to give the Broncos (2-0) their first lead.

The Raiders (0-2) lost despite a stellar outing by Derek Carr, who completed 29 of 32 passes for 288 yards and a score four days after Gruden called him out for passing up throws to Amari Cooper in Oakland’s opener. Cooper caught 10 passes for 116 yards Sunday.

RAMS 34, CARDINALS 0 Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns, Jared Goff threw for 354 yards and a touchdown.

The Rams have won their first two games for the first time since 2001, when they started 6-0 en route to the third Super Bowl appearance in team history.

It was the second time in Gurley’s four-year NFL career that he had three rushing scores in a game. The other time was Week 15 at Seattle last season. Gurley finished with 42 yards on 19 carries as he played only three quarters due to cramps.

Goff, who has six 300-yard games, completed 24 of 32, marking the third time in 24 starts he has completed more than 70 per cent of his passes when making 25 or more attempts. The 354 yards were only a yard off of his career high, set last season against Houston.

Brandin Cooks had seven receptions for 159 yards.

The Cardinals didn’t cross midfield until the final minute and managed only five first downs as they fell to 0-2 for the first time since 2005. Sam Bradford, the first overall draft pick by the Rams in 2010, was 17 of 27 for 90 yards in his first start against his former team.

49ERS 30, LIONS 27 Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdown passes, Matt Breida ran for 138 yards and San Francisco’s longest TD run in four seasons , and the 49ers bounced back from a season-opening loss.

Garoppolo nearly made a costly mistake when he threw a late interception to Tracy Walker that was returned to the San Francisco 7. But Quandre Diggs was called for a defensive holding away from the play to give the 49ers (1-1) a first down.

Garoppolo played turnover-free ball a week after throwing three interceptions in a 24-16 loss at Minnesota that led to his first defeat as a starter following seven straight wins.

He threw a 4-yard TD pass to Kendrick Bourne in the second quarter and an 11-yarder to Garrett Celek in the third to hand Matt Patricia, his old friend from their New England days, a second straight loss to begin his tenure as coach of the Lions (0-2). Garoppolo finished 18 for 26 for 206 yards, but was sacked six times.

FALCONS 31, PANTHERS 24 Matt Ryan ran for a pair of scores for the first time in his career and threw a pair of TD passes.

After scoring on a 1-yard sneak that pushed Atlanta (1-1) to a 24-10 lead early in the third quarter, Ryan delivered the biggest blow with a brilliant scamper midway through the fourth quarter. On third-and-5 from the Carolina 8, he looked around futilely for an open receiver, spotted a running lane to the left and took off for the end zone.

There were three Carolina players waiting for him at the goal line -- including 346-pound former teammate Dontari Poe -- but Ryan leaped in the air and bowled them all over for the TD that gave Atlanta a two-touchdown lead over the Panthers (1-1). Ryan finished 23 of 28 passing for 272 yards. Cam Newton was rocked early on by cheap shot from Damontae Kazee , who was thrown out of the game for the helmet-to-helmet hit while the Panthers quarterback was sliding at the end of the run. Newton was able to stay in the game, throwing a pair of touchdown passes, and he had one last chance to send the game to overtime.