Purdy outshines Brady in 1st start as 49ers beat Bucs 35-7
SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in his first career start and San Francisco’s vaunted defense spoiled Tom Brady’s Bay Area homecoming.
Purdy outplaying the NFL’s most accomplished quarterback ever was partially overshadowed by another key injury for the 49ers (9-4).
A week after losing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a broken left foot that opened the door for Purdy to start, the Niners lost star receiver Deebo Samuel to an ankle injury that forced him to be taken off the field in tears on a cart.
That was about the only thing that didn’t go right for the 49ers, who thoroughly dominated Brady and Tampa Bay (6-7) to win their sixth straight game. The last pick in the 2022 draft led the Niners to five touchdowns on their first seven possessions.
Purdy finished 16 of 21 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey ran for 119 yards, including a 38-yard TD, and scored on a 27-yard pass.
Brady finished 34 for 55 for 253 yards with one TD and two interceptions. The Bucs still lead the lackluster NFC South.
EAGLES 48, GIANTS 22
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the NFLbest Philadelphia Eagles punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 48-22 victory over the fading New York Giants on Sunday.
Hurts threw for 217 yards and hit DaVonta Smith on a 41-yard fourth-down TD strike and A.J. Brown on a 33-yarder as the Eagles (12-1) scored on their first three possessions. The third-year quarterback also ran for 77 yards, highlighted by a 10-yard TD scamper late in the third quarter.
Miles Sanders ran for 144 yards and scored on runs of 3 and 40 yards as the Eagles handed the Giants their worst loss under firstyear coach Brian Daboll. Philadelphia secured its second straight postseason appearance and fifth in six seasons.
The Eagles finished with seven sacks, including three by Brandon Graham.
Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor threw touchdown passes for for the Giants (7-5-1). They have one win in their last six games (1-41) and their hopes of their first playoff berth since 2016 are slipping with four games remaining.
The Eagles, who have the league’s second-ranked defense and third-ranked offense, dominated from the start. They sacked Jones twice on the opening series and Hurts then took over, driving them 84 and 91 yards for touchdowns.
BILLS 20, JETS 12
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score on consecutive possessions and Buffalo beat AFC East rival New York in wet, chilly and windy conditions.
Allen’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Dawson Knox in the closing minute of the second quarter led to Buffalo scoring on four consecutive drives, capped by a pair of field goals by Tyler Bass, including a 49-yarder.
The AFC-leading Bills (10-3) won their fourth straight since a two-game skid, which included a 20-17 loss at the Jets. Buffalo has won at least 10 of its first 13 games for the seventh time in franchise history.
The Jets (7-6) have lost four of six, a slump that has made their playoff chances shaky. New York hasn’t qualified for the postseason since 2010.
New York was undone by having quarterback Mike White briefly sidelined twice by injuries to his ribs as well as a pair of turnovers in the second half. As a precaution, coach Robert Saleh said White was sent to a hospital after the game to be evaluated.
White finished 27 of 44 for 268 yards and no turnovers. Allen was 16 of 27 for a season-low 147 yards. More important, he didn’t turn the ball over as he did twice in Buffalo’s loss to the Jets last month.
COWBOYS 27, TEXANS 23
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ezekiel Elliott scored the go-ahead touchdown with 41 seconds remaining and Dallas rallied to beat hapless Houston.
Houston (1-11-1) appeared in position to end a seven-game losing streak after Dak Prescott threw an interception inside the Dallas 10 with 5:37 to go and the Texans leading by three.
The Cowboys (10-3) stiffened against a makeshift Texans offense, stuffing backup quarterback
Jeff Driskel on a fourthdown run to give Prescott another shot starting just
outside his own goal line.
The star quarterback delivered, starting with a 21-yard completion to Dalton Schultz from the 2. Later, an 18-yarder to Schultz put Dallas at the Houston 4. Elliott scored on third down from the 2 to cap the 98-yard, 11-play drive.
Tony Pollard scored twice for Dallas, which stayed two games behind Philadelphia in the NFC East.
After going back to Davis Mills as the starter following a two-game benching, the Texans threw in a wrinkle with Driskel offering a hybrid wildcat/throwing role that included his first TD pass since 2020.
CHIEFS 34, BRONCOS 28
DENVER — L’Jarius Sneed intercepted Denver backup quarterback Brett Rypien late in the fourth quarter, and Patrick Mahomes atoned for a three-interception day by leading Kansas City on a clock-chewing drive.
The Broncos (3-10) lost QB Russell Wilson to a concussion, and the Chiefs (10-3) won their 14th straight over their rival.
Denver made a game of it by scoring three touchdowns in a 3 1/2-minute stretch spanning halftime after falling behind 27-0.
Mahomes threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns, including a no-look hook pass on one of Jerick McKinnon’s two TD receptions.
Jerry Jeudy caught three touchdown passes for Denver, the last one from Rypien after Wilson took a hard hit on a 14-yard scramble to the Kansas City 2 early in the fourth quarter. Wilson was escorted off the field and the Broncos ruled him out with a concussion shortly thereafter.
The Chiefs reached double digits in wins for the eighth straight season and inched closer to winning their seventh consecutive AFC West crown. The Broncos have lost five straight.
RAVENS 16, STEELERS 14
PITTSBURGH — J.K. Dobbins ran for 120 yards and a touchdown in his return from a knee injury, and Baltimore overcame the loss of backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to beat AFC North rival Pittsburgh.
Huntley filled in for injured star Lamar Jackson but entered the concussion protocol in the second half. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Anthony Brown.
Justin Tucker kicked three field goals to help division-leading Baltimore (9-4) end a four-game losing streak to the Steelers, who also lost their quarterback, Kenny Pickett, to concussion protocol.
Brown spent most of his quarter-plus of play handing off to Dobbins or Gus Edwards while the Steelers self-destructed. Baltimore ran for 215 yards, the most Pittsburgh (5-8) has allowed since giving up 249 to the Ravens in the 2021 regular-season finale.
Pittsburgh lost Pickett to a concussion in the first half, and backup Mitch Trubisky threw three interceptions in Baltimore territory as the Steelers fell out of realistic playoff contention.
Trubisky finished 22 of 30 for 276 yards and a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:30 remaining to get the Steelers within two. Baltimore churned out a first down on its ensuing possession to run out the clock.
PANTHERS 30, SEAHAWKS 24
SEATTLE — Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear both had rushing touchdowns, Sam Darnold threw a TD pass, and Carolina beat Seattle to stay in the thick of the NFC South race.
Carolina (5-8) built leads of 17-0 and 20-7 to take advantage of a sloppy first-half performance by the Seahawks (7-6). In the second half, the Panthers simply ran through Seattle’s defense and delivered a blow to the Seahawks’ hopes of winning the NFC West.
Carolina (5-8) won for the third time in four games, pulled even with Atlanta and moved within one game of NFC South-leading Tampa Bay after the Buccaneers lost at West-leading San Francisco.
Seattle couldn’t stop Hubbard, Blackshear and D’Onta Foreman on the ground. Carolina rushed for 223 yards, with 180 coming from those three backs. Foreman and Hubbard each had 74 yards.
Hubbard’s 2-yard TD run early in the second quarter gave Carolina a 17-0 lead and Blackshear’s 8-yard run with 6:57 remaining made it 27-17. Blackshear’s TD capped a drive where Carolina ran on eight of 10 plays and gained 68 of its 74 yards on the ground.
Darnold was 14 of 24 passing for 120 yards. Geno Smith was shaky for Seattle, finishing 21 of 36 for 264 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked three times.