SUNDAY’S GAMES
Saints 24, Falcons 9
NEW ORLEANS – Taysom Hill rushed for two touchdowns and passed for 233 yards in his first NFL start at quarterback, and New Orleans beat Atlanta for its seventh straight victory.
With 41-year-old quarterback Drew Brees sidelined at least three games with multiple rib fractures, Saints coach Sean Payton gave Hill the nod over offseason free-agent acquisition Jameis Winston.
Washington 20, Bengals 9
LANDOVER, Md. – Top pick Joe Burrow was carted off with a left knee injury before Alex Smith rallied Washington past the Bengals to keep his team in the thick of the NFC East race.
Burrow, Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback, was injured early in the third quarter when he was hit high and low by two Washington linemen after throwing a pass. His left leg bent awkwardly, and he couldn’t put any weight on it, ending his day at 22-of-34 passing for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Panthers 20, Lions 0
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – P.J. Walker threw for 258 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start, the much-maligned Carolina defense earned its first shutout since 2015 and the Panthers snapped a fivegame losing streak.
Walker, a former XFL player, was made the starter less than two hours before kickoff when Teddy Bridgewater was officially ruled out with a knee injury.
Texans 27, Patriots 20
HOUSTON – Deshaun Watson threw for 344 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and J.J. Watt defended a career-high four passes to lead Houston.
Watson’s two touchdown passes and scoring run all came in the first half as the Texans (3-7) built a 21-10 halftime lead.
Browns 22, Eagles 17
CLEVELAND – Kareem Hunt hurdled Philadelphia’s Jalen Mills on a touchdown run, Olivier Vernon stepped up with star Myles Garrett out with COVID-19 by getting three sacks and a safety, and Cleveland stayed firmly in the playoff picture.
Hunt’s leaping 5-yard score came shortly after a dazzling 54yard run by Nick Chubb as the Browns (7-3) finally found traction in their running game in a constant downpour.
Steelers 27, Jaguars 3
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Pittsburgh’s most dominant defensive performance of the season kept the Steelers perfect.
Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted two passes each and the Steelers steamrolled their way to a 10-0 record.
Titans 30, Ravens 24 (OT)
BALTIMORE – Derrick Henry ran for a 29-yard touchdown with 5:21 left in overtime to cap another memorable performance against Baltimore, and Tennessee rallied for the win.
Running against a patchwork Ravens defensive line, Henry finished with 133 yards on 28 carries. It was his sixth 100-yard game of the season and put him over 1,000 yards for the third consecutive year.
Broncos 20, Dolphins 13
DENVER – Justin Simmons intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass in the end zone with 63 seconds left, sealing the Broncos’ win.
The Broncos (4-6) not only prevented Tua Tagovailoa from becoming just the second rookie in the past 40 years to win his first four starts but they sacked him a half-dozen times and knocked him from the game in the fourth quarter.
Chargers 34, Jets 28
INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Keenan Allen set a Chargers franchise record with 16 receptions, Justin Herbert threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns and Los Angeles held on to snap a three-game losing streak.
The prolific-catch day helped Allen tie Antonio Brown as the fastest to reach 600 receptions. Both reached the mark in their 96th career game. It is also Allen’s sixth game with 13 or more receptions, the most by a player in NFL history.
Cowboys 31, Vikings 28
MINNEAPOLIS – Andy Dalton returned from a two-game absence to throw three touchdown passes, hitting Dalton Schultz for a 2-yard score with 1:37 left to lift Dallas over Minnesota and stop the Cowboys’ four-game losing streak.
Dalton went 22 for 32 for 203 yards and one interception after fill-ins Ben Dinucci and Garrett Gilbert started the previous two games.
Colts 34, Packers 31 (OT)
INDIANAPOLIS – After allowing three touchdown passes and 28 first-half points, the Colts gave up only three second-half points. They also forced a game-changing fumble less than a minute into overtime for a victory over Green Bay.
Rodrigo Blankenship won it with a 39-yard field goal with 7:10 remaining.