Saints boot Panthers in overtime thriller
NEW ORLEANS — Wil Lutz kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 on Sunday to take a four-game lead in the NFC South with five games left.
Drew Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, and led New Orleans from its own 14-yard line with 1:51 left to the Carolina 15 with 3 seconds remaining to set up the winning kick, capping a contest filled with late momentum shifts and critical errors — none bigger than Carolina kicker Joey Slye's missed field goal from 28 yards with 2 minutes left.
New Orleans scored on the game's opening possession and led until 9:23 remained in the fourth quarter, when D.J. Moore reached up with his right hand to corral a fourthand-goal pass in the back of the end zone to tie it at 31.
49ERS 37, PACKERS 8
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jimmy Garoppolo threw two long touchdown passes and the San Francisco defense harassed Aaron Rodgers all night, helping the 49ers rout Green Bay.
Garoppolo connected on a 42-yard touchdown strike to Deebo Samuel in the second quarter and a 61-yarder to George Kittle in the third to get San Francisco (10-1) off to a resounding start to a grueling three-game stretch.
Following the game against the first-place Packers (8-3), the Niners will travel to Baltimore (8-2) and New Orleans (9-2) the next two weeks in a stretch that will go a long way to determining whether San Francisco will be able to hold off Seattle (9-2) in a tight NFC West race.
SEAHAWKS 17, EAGLES 9
PHILADELPHIA — Rashaad Penny ran for a careerbest 129 yards, including a 58yard touchdown, Russell Wilson threw one TD pass in Seattle's win over Philadelphia.
Missing their top three wide receivers, leading rusher and two Pro Bowl offensive linemen, the Eagles (5-6) couldn't do much on offense and hurt themselves with three turnovers inside Seattle territory and another near midfield.
BILLS 20, BRONCOS 3
ORCHARD PARK — Josh Allen threw two touchdowns passing and Shaq Lawson had two of Buffalo's four sacks. The Bills have their best record through 11 games in 23 years.
Buffalo improved to 8-3, to match its best start since Hall of
Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's final season in 1996, while keeping the Bills firmly in position to secure their second playoff berth in three years.
Frank Gore had 65 yards rushing to up his total to 15,289 and move ahead of boyhood idol Barry Sanders into third on the NFL career list.
BROWNS 42, DOLPHINS 24
CLEVELAND — Jarvis Landry caught two touchdown passes against his former team and the Browns won their third straight in their first game since losing star defensive end Myles Garrett to a season-ending suspension.
Baker Mayfield had 327 yards passing and hit a TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr., and Joe Schobert had two interceptions as the Browns (5-6) continued their climb back into the AFC playoff hunt.
STEELERS 16, BENGALS 10
CINCINNATI — Devlin “Duck” Hodges took over for struggling Mason Rudolph and threw a 79-yard touchdown pass, sparking the depleted Steelers and keeping the Bengals the only winless team in the NFL.
Hodges connected with James Washington on the game-turning play in the third quarter, leaving Pittsburgh (6-5) with a quarterback decision as it moves forward without Ben Roethlisberger.
BUCCANEERS 35, FALCONS 22
ATLANTA — Massive defensive lineman Vita Vea turned receiver to haul in his first career touchdown, one of three scoring throws by Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay escaped last place in the NFC South.
Winston shook off two more interceptions to post his sixth straight 300-yard passing game, leading the Buccaneers (4-7) to just their second victory in the last seven games.
TITANS 42, JAGUARS 20
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Titans scored four touchdowns over six offensive plays in the third quarter for their second straight victory to keep themselves firmly in the AFC playoff hunt.
Ryan Tannehill ran for two TDs and threw two TDs to improve to 4-1 as Tennessee's starter. Derrick Henry ran for two TDs just 16 seconds apart, and rookie receiver A.J. Brown capped the scoring spurt with a 65-yard TD catch that made it 35-3 with 6:57 left in the third quarter.
WASHINGTON 19, LIONS 16
LANDOVER, Md. — Quinton Dunbar intercepted Jeff Driskel in the final minute, Dustin Hopkins hit the goahead field goal from 39 yards with 16 seconds left as Washington snapped a four-game losing streak.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins picked up his first NFL win after leading Washington (2-9) into field goal range following Dunbar's interception. Haskins finished 13 of 29 for 156 yards and an interception.