Youngsters help Cowboys rally past 49ers
Ezekiel Elliott ran for 138 yards and a touchdown and Dak Prescott threw for two scores to help the Dallas Cowboys overcome an early 14-point deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 24-17, yesterday in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Cowboys fell in a 14-point hole early in the second quarter before taking over the game behind a pair of rookies who have helped the team get off to a fast start this season with starting quarterback Tony Romo sidelined by a back injury.
Prescott threw for 245 yards and had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams and a 4-yarder to Brice Butler to tie the game at the half.
Elliott then took over with 96 yards rushing in the second half, including a 1-yard run that gave Dallas the lead for good late in the third quarter.
Blaine Gabbert got off to a fast start to help San Francisco take the early lead but struggled to generate any offense after that. Steelers 43, Chiefs 7 — Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns passes for the fifth time in his career and Pittsburgh throttled visiting Kansas City.
Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown — wearing cleats featuring the profile of golf great and western Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer — for a pair of scores. Roethlisberger finished 22-of-27 for 300 yards and a rating of 152.5, just shy of a perfect 158.3 rating, as the Steelers emphatically rebounded from last week’s meltdown in Philadelphia.
Le’Veon Bell ran for 144 yards on 18 carries and caught five passes for 34 yards in his return from a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Broncos 27, Buccaneers 7— Paxton Lynch made his NFL debut sooner than expected, stepping in for injured starter Trevor Siemian to help visiting Denver remain unbeaten by taming Tampa Bay.
Siemian left the game with two minutes remaining in the first half with what the defending Super Bowl champions described as an injury to his left shoulder. Jaguars 30, Colts 27 — Blake Bortles threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Jacksonville held off a furious Indianapolis rally to win in London.
Andrew Luck led the Colts on three fourthquarter TD drives to rattle the Jaguars’ nerves. But his fourth-and-1 pass at the Jacksonville 49 with 1:36 remaining fell from the hands of tight end Dwayne Allen to preserve the Jags’ win. Falcons 48, Panthers 33 — Matt Ryan shredded Carolina’s defense, passing for a team-record 503 yards and four touchdowns, Julio
Jones had 12 receptions for a team-record 300 yards, and host Atlanta outslugged the struggling Panthers.
One week after being held to one catch in a win, Jones had a 75-yard scoring catch late in the game. Saints 35, Chargers 34
— Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes in the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds to rally visiting New Orleans to a stunning win against Philip Rivers and San Diego, which blew a 13-point lead by committing two crucial turnovers.
Bears 17, Lions 14 — Brian Hoyer threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and host Chicago earned its first win of the season by dropping Detroit. Rams 17, Cardinals 13 — In Glendale, Ariz., Tavon Austin returned a punt 47 yards to set up Case Keenum’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick with 2:41 to play, and Los Angeles improved to 3-1 for the first time in a decade with a win over Arizona.
Carson Palmer threw for 288 yards and a touchdown but left the game to be evaluated for a concussion after his head slammed to the turf on a sack by Aaron Donald. Texans 27, Titans 20 — Will Fuller had a tiebreaking 67-yard punt return for a touchdown and host Houston bounced Tennessee in its first game without J.J. Watt.