Change of guard: Bills rout Chiefs
Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, sending the Bills to a 38-20 victory over Kansas City on Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium in an AFC Championship Game rematch delayed more than an hour by lightning.
Allen finished with 315 yards through the air, and Micah Hyde returned a rare interception of Patrick Mahomes 26 yards for another score, as the Bills (4-1) beat the turnover-prone Chiefs (2-3) for only the second time in their past seven meetings.
“I’m proud of my team for coming out here in a hostile environment and getting the win the way we did,” Allen said on the NBC telecast.
Mahomes finished with 272 yards passing and two touchdowns to go with two interceptions and a lost fumbleas the Bills kept him in check.
Of the defense, Allen said, “It’s super impressive, and they’ve been doing it week in and week out, so I’m glad we were able to execute on some plays and put some points on the board.”
Emmanuel Sanders had two TD catches for the Bills. Dawson Knox had 117 yards and a TD.
The game had been hotly anticipated since January, when the Chiefs romped past Buffalo en route to the Super Bowl. But though Buffalo’s defense impressed, Kansas City’s remains leaky.
Allen completed only seven passes in the first half, but they went for 219 yards and two scores. Eagles 21, Panthers 18: Jalen Hurts ran for two second-half touchdowns and visiting Philadelphia (2-3) rallied from a 12-point deficit to beat Carolina and snap a threegame losing streak. For Carolina (3-2), Sam Darnold threw three interceptions, two by Darius Slay, and was sacked three times as the offense struggled against a defense that allowed 83 points and 851 yards in its previous two games.
Cowboys 44, Giants 20: Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns the day before the one-year anniversary of his severe ankle injury in the same stadium against the same opponent, and host Dallas beat New York. The injuryplagued Giants (1-4) lost running back Saquon Barkley to an apparent ankle sprain in the first quarter and quarterback Daniel Jones to a concussion in the second quarter. The Cowboys (4-1) have won four games in a row.
Falcons 27, Jets 20: Matt Ryan threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, including the first score for rookie Kyle Pitts, and Atlanta closed out New York in the NFL’s return to London. The Falcons (2-3) built a 20-3 halftime lead but lost two fumbles to let the Jets (1-4) stick around. Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson finished 19-for-32 for 192 yards and no touchdowns with one interception. Pitts, taken by Atlanta two spots after Wilson at No. 4 overall in the NFL draft in April, had his best game with nine receptions for 119 yards and his first NFL TD.
Steelers 27, Broncos 19: Ben Roethlisberger threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Najee Harris (Antioch) ran for a personal-best 122 yards and host Pittsburgh (2-3) snapped a three-game skid. Denver (3-2) was down 18 points in the third quarter before making it close behind quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who spent the week in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Bridgewater completed 24 of 38 passes for 288 yards and two fourth-quarter TDs.
Vikings 19, Lions 17: Greg Joseph made a 54-yard field goal as time expired, and host Minnesota (2-3) topped Detroit after Lions head coach Dan Campbell successfully called for the go-ahead twopoint conversion try with 37 seconds left. Joseph made four field goals, including a career-best 55-yarder, for the Vikings (2-3). But after Joseph’s 49-yard attempt with 3:17 left fell short, the Lions (0-5) got Austin Seibert’s third field goal to cut their deficit to 16-9. Minnesota’s Alexander Mattison (153 total yards, TD catch) then fumbled at his 21 after the two-minute warning, and three plays later, D’Andre Swift had the Lions in the end zone with 7-yard run. Campbell kept the offense on the field and Jared Goff zinged a pass to KhaDarel Hodge on a crossing route for a 17-16 lead. The Vikings used two deep throws from Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen to get in range for Joseph.
Buccaneers 45, Dolphins 17:
Tom Brady threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns, Antonio Brown became the fastest NFL player to 900 receptions, and host Tampa Bay rolled. Brown reached the milestone in 143 games. Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison was the previous fastest at 149. Mike Evans had TD catches of 34 and 22 yards, and Giovani Bernard also scored on a 10-yard reception from Brady, who finished 30-for-41 with no interceptions — the third straight game the Bucs (4-1) have gone without a turnover. Jacoby Brissett completed 27 of 39 passes for 279 yards, two TDs and an interception for Miami (1-4).
Patriots 25, Texans 22: Rookie Mac Jones threw a TD pass to tie the game in the fourth quarter, and Nick Folk’s 21-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, with 15 seconds left lifted visiting New England (2-3). Rookie Davis Mills of Stanford threw for 312 yards and three TDs for Houston (1-4) but couldn’t move the ball late as the Texans lost their 22-9 lead.
Saints 33, Washington 22: Jameis Winston connected on a Hail Mary for one of his four touchdown passes to help visiting New Orleans (3-2) grab a bounce-back victory. Winston completed a 72-yard TD pass to Deonte Harris, who left with a hamstring injury. Winston also connected with Marquez Callaway on the 49-yard Hail Mary TD to end the first half. Antonio Gibson ran for two touchdowns for Washington (2-3).
Titans 37, Jaguars 19: Derrick Henry ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, Kevin Byard returned a fumble for a score and visiting Tennessee (3-2) sent Jacksonville to its 20th straight loss. The Jaguars (0-5) missed an extra-point try, dropped a possible picksix and missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt. Jacksonville’s James Robinson ran 18 times for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown.