The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brady’s 5 TD passes pace Bucs’ rout of the Dolphins
Tom Brady threw for 411 yards and five touchdowns and Antonio Brown became the NFL player to most quickly reach 900 receptions as the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers rolled to a 45-17 rout of the visiting Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Brady threw for more than 400 yards with five TDS in the same game for the first time in his 22-year career. Brown scored on receptions of 62 and 4 yards, joining Julio Jones, Jerry Rice, Torry Holt and Andre Johnson as the only players in league history with 12,000 career receiving yards in fewer than 150 games. The 33-year-old receiver extended the NFL’S longest active streak with at least one catch to 141 consecutive games and became the fastest to 900 career receptions on his first catch of the day.
Brown reached the milestone in 143 career games. 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 of 41 with no interceptions — the third straight game the Bucs (4-1) have gone without a turnover. The Dolphins (1-4) have lost four straight. Jacoby Brissett completed 27 of 39 passes for 279 yards, two TDS and an interception.
(At) Chargers 47, Browns 42: Austin Ekeler scored three touchdowns, including a 3-yarder with 1:31 remaining, as Los Angeles won a wild shootout. Justin Herbert had his record 11th 300-yard game with 398 yards passing and tied a career high with four touchdowns. Mike Williams had 165 receiving yards and caught two TD passes for the Chargers, off to their first 4-1 start since 2014.
The game had one tie and eight lead changes, including four lead changes in the final 15 minutes, when the teams combined for 41 points.
Browns RB Nick Chubb rushed for 161 yards and Baker Mayfield was 23-of-32 for 306 yards and two touchdowns. David Njoku had 149 receiving yards for Cleveland (3-2), which has its two defeats after having double-digit leads in the second half.
Packers 25, (at) Bengals 22, OT: Mason Crosby hit a 49-yard field goal in overtime after missing three straight attempts, lifting Green Bay over Cincinnati.
Crosby missed potential winners with 2:12 and then 3 seconds left in regulation, and missed another attempt in OT before finally winning it. Heading into the game he was 44-of-46 on field-goal attempts since the start of the 2019 season. Crosby missed an extra point earlier in the game and also made three field goals. The Bengals’ Evan Mcpherson also missed on shots that could have won the game, with 26 seconds
left in regulation and again in overtime.
The Bengals (3-2) tied the score late in the fourth quarter. Ja’marr Chase made a nice catch on third-and-6 from the Packers’ 36 for 19 yards, and two plays later Joe Mixon had an 8-yard touchdown run. Burrow hit Tee Higgins in the back of the end zone for the 2-point conversion with 3:27 left.
Crosby was set up for a 36-yard shot with 2:12 left, but pulled it left. The Bengals drove to the Packers 47 but Mcpherson’s fieldgoal attempt bounced off the upright with 26 seconds left. Then it was Crosby’s turn to miss again: His 51-yard attempt, set up by a 20-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers to Davante Adams, was again pulled wide left.
In overtime, Burrow was intercepted by De’vondre Campbell, but Crosby missed his third straight. Mcpherson got another chance with a 49-yarder and was celebrating before the wind pulled it just left of the upright flag.
Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to move into fifth place on the all-time list. Adams had 11 catches for a career-high 206 yards. Rodgers finished at 27-for-39 for 344 yards and an interception as the Packers (4-1) won a fourth straight. The Bengals got two TD passes from Burrow (25-for-38 for 260 yards and scoring passes to Samaje Perine and Chase).
Saints 33, (at) Washington 22: Jameis Winston connected on a Hail Mary for one of his four touchdown passes to help New Orleans to a bounce-back victory that came at a cost: two more injuries. Winston took every snap at QB for the first time this season, a necessity after Taysom Hill suffered a concussion in the second quarter. Winston completed a 72-yard TD pass to Deonte Harris, who departed with a hamstring injury. He also connected with Marquez Callaway on the 49-yard Hail Mary TD on the final play of the first half, found Callaway wide open from 12 yards out and sent Washington fans to the exits with a pass to Alvin Kamara that turned
into a 19-yard score.
Kamara also had a 23-yard TD run, returned punts in Harris’ absence and racked up 151 total yards. Winston completed 15 of 30 passes for 279 yards. The Saints (3-2) picked off Taylor Heinicke twice. Antonio Gibson ran for two touchdowns for Washington (2-3).
(At) Steelers 27, Broncos 19: Ben Roethlisberger threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Najee Harris ran for a career-best 122 yards and Pittsburgh snapped a three-game losing streak, handing the Broncos (3-2) a second straight loss. Denver fell behind by 18 points in the third quarter before rallying behind quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who completed 24 of 38 passes for 288 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. He led Denver inside the Pittsburgh 10 in the final minute, but his fourth-down pass attempt in the back of the end zone was picked off by James Pierre. Roethlisberger completed 15 of 25 passes.
Patriots 25, (at) Texans 22: Rookie Mac Jones threw a touchdown pass to tie it in the fourth quarter and Nick Folk’s 21-yard field goal with 15 seconds left lifted New England. The game was tied at 22 before New England (2-3) used a 15-play, 85-yard drive capped by Folk’s fourth field goal of the game to take the lead. Houston rookie Davis Mills threw an incompletion after Folk’s field goal before Brandin Cooks fumbled after a catch to seal New England’s victory.
Jones threw for 231 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Patriots ended a two-game skid. Mills threw for a career-high 312 yards with three touchdowns but the Texans (1-4) lost their fourth straight.
Titans 37, (at) Jaguars 19: Derrick Henry ran for 130 yards and three TDS, Kevin Byard returned a fumble for a score and Tennessee sent Jacksonville to its 20th consecutive loss. Henry padded his NFL rushing lead as the Titans (3-2) rebounded from an overtime stunner at the Jets and avoided consecutive losses to winless teams.
Jacksonville (0-5) moved into sole position of the second-longest skid in NFL history, six shy of tying the record Tampa Bay set in 1977 over its first two seasons as an expansion team. The Jaguars fumbled on the third play of the game. Byard scooped it up and ran 30 yards for a score. Jacksonville also missed an extra point; dropped what should have been an interception and could have been a pick-six; missed a 53-yard field goal; and was flagged for a phantom pass interference penalty on a third-down play.
The Titans’ defense allowed 454 yards and forced just two punts. Jacksonville’s James Robinson ran 18 times for a career-best 149 yards and a TD. Henry grinded out his yardage on 29 carries. Ryan Tannehill completed 14 of 22 passes for 197 yards with a TD.
Eagles 21, (at) Panthers 18: Jalen Hurts ran for two second-half touchdowns and Philadelphia battled back from a 12-point deficit to snap a three-game losing streak. After T.J. Edwards blocked a Carolina punt, Hurts scored on a 6-yard run-pass option with 2:38 left to give the Eagles their first lead of the game.
Carolina’s Sam Darnold was intercepted three times, twice by Darius Slay, and sacked three times. Darnold’s effort to bring Carolina (3-2) back in the final 2½ minutes ended when he was picked off by Steven Nelson. The Eagles, held to 88 yards in the first half, ran out the clock from there.
Chuba Hubbard ran for 101 yards on 24 carries for Carolina. Davonta Smith had seven catches for 77 yards and a 2-point conversion for the Eagles (2-3).
Bears 20, (at) Raiders 9: Former Georgia Bulldog Justin Fields threw his first career touchdown pass, and Chicago’s defense largely shut down Las Vegas’ high-powered offense. Derek Carr passed for 206 yards and Josh Jacobs rushed for a late touchdown in the second straight loss for the Raiders (3-2). Jesper Horsted caught the first TD pass by Fields, who completed 12 of 20 passes for 111 yards in the rookie’s third career start — his first since being named the Bears’ No. 1 quarterback.
(At) Vikings 19, Lions 17: Greg Joseph made a 54-yard field goal as time expired to give Minnesota a victory over the Lions (0-5), after new Detroit coach Dan Campbell successfully called for a go-ahead 2-point conversion try with 37 seconds left. Joseph made four field goals, including a career-best 55-yarder, for the Vikings (2-3). Former Georgia Bulldog D’andre Swift got the Lions in the end zone late with a 7-yard run. Instead of settling for the tie, Campbell kept the offense on the field. Jared Goff zinged a pass to Khadarel Hodge for the lead.