Hurts leads Eagles to opening win
Former OU quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for 264 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 62 yards in Philadelphia’s 32-6 rout of Atlanta during the first Sunday of the 2021 NFL season,
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ new-look offense overcame a slow start, Ulysees Gilbert returned a blocked punt 9 yards for a touchdown and Pittsburgh rallied to a seasonopening 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Down 10-0, the Steelers scored on each of their first four possessions of the second half, with Roethlisberger putting Pittsburgh ahead for good by lobbing a 5yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson in the left corner of the end zone.
Saints 38, Packers 3: Jameis Winston and the hurricane-displaced Saints looked right at home in Jacksonville, Fla., against Green Bay. Winston passed for five touchdowns, New Orleans intercepted reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers twice, and the Saints kicked off the postDrew Brees era with a strikingly dominant opening victory.
The game, originally scheduled for the Superdome, was moved while the New Orleans area continues to clean up wreckage left by Hurricane Ida.
Chiefs 33, Browns 29: Patrick Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns while running for another score, and the host Chiefs came back from a dismal first half in a rematch of their divisional playoff game from January. Tyreek Hill caught 11 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, and Travis Kelce hauled in a pair of TD catches, including the goahead score as the Chiefs finished off their rally from a 22-10 halftime deficit.
Dolphins 17, Patriots 16: Tua Tagovailoa threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle in the third quarter and Xavien Howard recovered a fumble with host New England driving in the fourth. It was Miami’s second straight win over the Patriots. Tagovailoa also led the Dolphins to a victory in the second meeting between the teams last season. Tagovailoa finished 16 of 27 for 202 yards, a touchdown and one interception, and also had a 3-yard TD run.
Broncos 27, Giants 13: Teddy Bridgewater threw two touchdowns in his first start for Denver and the visiting Broncos dominated possession. Acquired in the offseason from Carolina, Bridgewater completed 28 of 36 passes for 264 yards, sharing the ball with nine receivers. The 28-year-old QB hit Tim Patrick on a goahead 2-yard TD pass with :08 left in the half. Bridgewater eluded pressure and found tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on a 4-yard, fourth-down toss during a 16play, 75-yard drive to open the second half, extending the lead to 17-7.
Bengals 27, Vikings 24 (OT): Evan McPherson kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired in overtime to push host Cincinnati to the win. Cincinnati’s Germaine Pratt recovered Dalvin Cook’s fumble to set up the winning drive for Cincinnati. Minnesota challenged the ruling that Cook had fumbled, but it was upheld after a replay review.
Greg Joseph kicked a career-long 53yard field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter to tie the game for Minnesota, which had battled back from a 21-7 second-half deficit.
Texans 37, Jaguars 21: Tyrod Taylor threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns filling in for Deshaun Watson to lead the host Texans to a win over Trevor Lawrence and the mistake-prone Jaguars.
The former Clemson standout became the first rookie quarterback to start an opener in franchise history. It was a bumpy debut during which he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions.
49ers 41, Lions 33: Dre Greenlaw returned an interception for a touchdown to help visiting San Francisco score 17 points over two-plus minutes late in the first half, and they barely held on.
San Francisco led 38-10 early in the fourth quarter and allowed Detroit to score 23 points in three-plus minutes to pull within eight points. But the Lions turned the ball over on downs at the San Francisco 24 with 12 seconds left after getting it back on a fumble by Deebo Samuel.
Panthers 19, Jets 14: Sam Darnold threw for 279 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score against his former team as the host Panthers defeated the Jets to win their first season opener since 2018. Darnold connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass with fellow ex-Jet Robby Anderson and took full advantage of a healthy Christian McCaffrey, who piled up 187 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches after missing 13 games last season with injuries.
Cardinals 38, Titans 13: Kyler Murray scored five touchdowns and linebacker Chandler Jones had a career-high five sacks as the visitng Cardinals simply dominated the Titans. Jones, who tied the franchise record, had three sacks in a first quarter so good LeBron James chimed in on social media for his Defensive Player of the Year candidacy. Jones, who wants a new contract, also forced two fumbles the Cardinals turned into 14 points.
Murray tormented the Titans throwing for 289 yards with two TD passes apiece to All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. Murray’s best pass came came early in the third quarter off his back foot to Kirk on a beautiful floater Kirk simply ran under.
Seahawks 28, Colts 16: Russell Wilson threw three of his four touchdowns in the first half and visiting Seattle clamped down in the second half to close out a victory at Indianapolis. The defending NFC West champions have won 12 of their past 13 games in the early Sunday timeslot.
Eagles 32, Falcons 6: Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes, the first of them to Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, and visiting Philadelphia made a winner of Nick Sirianni in his head coaching debut. Another Philadelphia rookie, fifth-round pick Kenneth Gainwell, scored his first TD as a pro with an 8-yard run late in the third quarter to essentially seal the victory.
Chargers 20, Washington 16: Justin Herbert threw for 337 yards and a touchdown to help visiting Los Angeles win an ugly Week 1 matchup Sunday full of turnovers and big penalties. Herbert led scoring drives of 75, 76 and 68 yards, and a goahead touchdown pass to Mike Williams made up for his fumble into the end zone and red zone interception on consecutive possessions.