Jaguars hold off Texans, stay in first; Pats pull Jones again, fall to Giants
Jacksonville linebacker Josh Allen came up with 11⁄2 sacks to headline a defensive stand late in the fourth quarter, helping the Jaguars edge the host Houston Texans 24-21 on Sunday.
Jacksonville (8-3) led 24-14 after Brandon McManus made a 53-yard field goal with 11:20 remaining.
But the Texans (6-5) rallied, pulling within three when C.J. Stroud found Nico Collins for a 17-yard touchdown with 5:15 left.
After forcing a punt, Houston took over at its own 11-yard line. Allen dropped Stroud for a loss of 15 yards on the fifth play of the drive, but three plays later, the Texans found themselves at the Jaguars’ 37.
That’s when Allen teamed up with Travon Walker for another sack, this one for a loss of 9 yards. Houston would end up getting to the 39, but Matt Ammendola didn’t have enough leg on a 58-yard field goal attempt with 29 seconds to go, allowing Jacksonville to escape.
Trevor Lawrence completed 23 of 38 passes for 364 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jaguars, who remained atop the AFC South with the victory.
Stroud threw for 304 yards and two TDs on 26-for-36 passing. He also rushed for a teamhigh 47 yards and a score.
Giants 10, Patriots 7: Tommy DeVito threw for 191 yards and a touchdown and helped host New York (4-8) win consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Pats had a chance to tie in the final minute but missed a short field goal.
DeVito completed 17 of 25 passes for the Giants, who have lost quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor to injury. DeVito lost a fumble on the opening drive and was sacked six times.
The Giants benefited from continued quarterback chaos for New England (2-9). After Bill Belichick kept the Patriots’ starting QB decision under wraps during the week, Mac Jones tossed two interceptions in the first half and was replaced by Bailey Zappe after halftime.
Zappe guided the Patriots’ lone scoring drive, then drove them into field-goal range in the final 3:15. But rookie kicker Chad Ryland hooked a 35-yard field goal try wide left with three seconds left.
Jones went 12-for-21 passing for 89 yards for the Patriots, who have lost seven of eight games. Zappe went 9-for-14 for 54 yards and one pick.
Falcons 24, Saints 15: Bijan Robinson rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass as host Atlanta won and moved into a tie for first place in the NFC South.
Robinson had 91 of his team’s 228 rushing yards and added 32 receiving yards from Desmond Ridder, who returned from a two-game benching to start for the Falcons (5-6). Ridder completed 13 of 21 passes for 168 yards and was intercepted twice by Tyrann Mathieu.
Derek Carr passed for 304 yards for the Saints (5-6), who never reached the end zone despite five trips inside the Atlanta
20. Carr threw a firstquarter interception that Jessie Bates returned 92 yards for a touchdown.
Colts 27, Buccaneers 20: Jonathan Taylor rushed for two touchdowns and Gardner Minshew added another rushing score for host Indianapolis.
Taylor, who finished with 91 yards on 15 carries, pounded in from the 1 with 7:30 left in the game to answer Baker Mayfield’s 23-yard scoring strike to Mike Evans. Taylor’s second touchdown gave the Colts (6-5) a 27-17 lead.
Tampa Bay (4-7) responded with Chase McLaughlin’s 24-yard field goal at the 4:10 mark that brought it within a touchdown, then got the ball back at its own 35 with a chance to tie. But Mayfield was strip-sacked and lost the ball with 1:29 left.
Minshew completed 24 of 41 passes for 251 yards with an interception as Indianapolis stayed in contention for an AFC wild card. Michael Pittman was his favorite target with 10 receptions for 107 yards. Indianapolis outgained the Buccaneers 394-298.
Titans 17, Panthers 10: Derrick Henry rushed for two touchdowns and Tennessee (4-7), which had played its previous three games on the road, snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Panthers are now an NFL-worst 1-10.
The matchup of rookie quarterbacks was mostly even. The Titans’ Will Levis completed 18 of 28 passes for 185 yards. Young was 18 of 31 for
194 yards.