Two of the marquee quarterbacks in the NFL had rough days, while the Minnesota Vikings found yet another way to win as Week 9 of the season kicked into high gear on Sunday.
Here’s a roundup of all the action.
Jets 20, Bills 17
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The Jets’ defence shut down Josh Allen, Zach Wilson threw a touchdown pass and Greg Zuerlein kicked a go-ahead 28-yard field goal with 1:43 remaining to lift New York to a stunning 20-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
With the game tied at 17, the Jets got the ball at their own 4 and 7:53 left — and they hit the ground running.
After marching downfield to the Bills 18 on eight straight running plays against a weary Buffalo defense, Wilson connected with Denzel Mims for 12 yards on third-and-5. But the drive stalled when Wilson was sacked by Damar Hamlin on third down and the Jets settled for Zuerlein’s field goal.
Allen got the ball with a chance to tie or win, but couldn’t manage much against the Jets (6-3). A holding call on Dion Dawkins wiped out a long pas to Stefon Diggs. Two plays later, Bryce Huff had a strip-sack of Allen that Buffalo recovered at its 14.
After an incompletion to Diggs, Allen launched a deep desperation pass to Gabe Davis — but rookie Sauce Gardner knocked the ball away and sealed the unlikely victory for the Jets. It also ended the Bills’ four-game winning streak.
Buccaneers 16, Rams 13
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 9 seconds remaining, giving Tampa Bay a victory over Los Angeles in a sloppy matchup of the past two Super Bowl champions on Sunday.
Brady took over with 44 seconds left and went 5 of 6 for 60 yards on the game-winning drive, the record 55th of his career. The seven-time Super Bowl champion avoided his first four-game losing streak in 20 years and beat the Rams for the first time in four tries since joining the Bucs (4-5) in 2020.
Cooper Kupp scored on a 69-yard reception in the second quarter and Matt Gay kicked field goals of the 26 and 35 yards after halftime for the Rams (3-5), who looked like they may be able hold on to win when they stopped Brady on downs from the Los Angeles 6 with just under two minutes to go.
But Matthew Stafford, who threw for 158 yards and one TD, was unable to run out the clock on the Rams’ final possession.
Brady finished 36 of 58 for 280 yards, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 100,000 yards in a career — even though he averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt in the Bucs’ largely one-dimensional, short-passing offense. He surpassed the milestone on a 15-yard completion to Leonard Fournette that set up the last of Ryan Succop’s three field goals.
Lions 15, Packers 9
DETROIT (AP) — Aaron Rodgers matched a career high with three interceptions and threw an incomplete pass on fourth down from the Detroit 17 in the final minute, letting the Lions hold on for a win over Green Bay on Sunday in a matchup of slumping teams.
The Lions (2-6) ended a five-game losing streak.
The Packers (3-6) have lost five straight for the first time since 2008 when Rodgers, their four-time NFL MVP, was a first-year starter.
Detroit tried to seal the victory late in the fourth when coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Green Bay 43. Jared Goff’s pass was incomplete.
Rodgers failed to take advantage. He did convert a fourth-and-2 with an off-balance lob to Samori Toure, who fumbled out of bounds at the Detroit 17.
Rodgers, the two-time reigning NFL MVP, threw four straight incomplete passes to end a lousy game overall. He was 23 of 42 for 291 yards with a TD and had three interceptions for the fifth time in his career.
DOLPHINS 35, BEARS 32
CHICAGO (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw for three touchdowns, Tyreek Hill had 143 yards receiving and Miami overcame a record-setting rushing effort by Justin Fields to beat Chicago.
In a game where neither team did much to stop the other, the Dolphins (6-3) had no trouble moving the ball against a gutted defense and made enough plays to come away with their third straight win.
Fields ran for 178 yards, the most by an NFL quarterback in a regular-season game. He had a 61-yard touchdown run and threw for three scores. He also became the first player since at least 1950 with at least 150 yards rushing and three TD passes in a game.
His performance ensured the Bears (3-6) had a chance late, but Fields threw incomplete on fourth down to seal Chicago’s fifth loss in six games.
Tagovailoa, the NFL’s top-rated passer, had all the time he needed to throw after the Bears traded pass rusher Robert Quinn and star linebacker Roquan Smith in the past two weeks. He completed 21 of 30 passes for 302 yards and posted a 135.7 rating.
Hill caught seven passes, including a 3-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
VIKINGS 20, COMMANDERS 17
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes, Harrison Smith picked off Taylor Heinicke to set up the tying score and Minnesota rallied to beat Washington and extend its winning streak to six.
Playing his first game at Washington as a visitor, Cousins led a 68-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead field goal by Greg Joseph with 12 seconds left.
Smith’s interception midway through the fourth quarter gave the Vikings the ball in the red zone. Cousins connected with Dalvin Cook on a 12-yard TD pass, which was one of his best throws of the game and compensated for some earlier inaccuracies. He finished 22 of 40 for 265 yards.
Justin Jefferson caught Cousins’ first TD pass in the first quarter and came down with a 47-yard completion in the fourth. Jefferson finished with seven catches for 115 yards as the Vikings (7-1) extended their lead atop the NFC North.
Heinicke’s magic ran out on the interception after he threw two touchdown passes, including an inexplicable heave into triple coverage that Curtis Samuel came down with after a Minnesota defender ran into an official. The Commanders (4-5) had their winning streak snapped at three.
Heinicke was 14 of 27 for 139 yards passing and ran four times for 17 yards.
CHARGERS 20, FALCONS 17
ATLANTA (AP) — Cameron Dicker kicked a game-ending 37-yard field goal three days after being signed as a free agent, lifting Los Angeles over Atlanta.
Dicker, playing his second NFL game, also made a 31-yard field goal with 5:27 left, tying the game at 17. The rookie from Texas was signed to the practice squad Thursday and activated Sunday in place of the injured Dustin Hopkins.
The Chargers (5-3) survived a bizarre fumble by Austin Ekeler with 34 seconds remaining. Ekeler’s fumble was recovered by Falcons defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham, who also fumbled while returning the ball. Chargers left guard Matt Fieler recovered Graham’s frumble at the Atlanta 43.
Justin Herbert’s 22-yard pass to Joshua Palmer set up Dicker’s kick as time expired.
The Falcons (4-5), who began the day in first place in the NFC South, failed to move above .500 for the first time since 2017. Cordarrelle Patterson ran for two touchdowns for Atlanta. Rookie Tyler Allgeier set a career high with 99 yards rushing as the Falcons ran for 201 yards.
BENGALS 42, PANTHERS 21
CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Mixon rushed for 153 yards and scored five touchdowns as Cincinnati built a 35-0 halftime lead and cruised past Carolina.
Mixon, who came into the game with three TDs all year, scored four times in the first half alone, the first three on short rushes and the fourth on a 12-yard pass from Joe Burrow, who finished 22 for 28 for 206 yards before taking a seat in favor of backup Brandon Allen late in the third quarter.
The Bengals (5-4) bounced back from a horrendous Monday night loss at AFC North rival Cleveland to jump on Carolina (2-7) early and dominate on defense.
Cincinnati allowed P.J. Walker just 9 passing yards and intercepted him twice in the first half, chasing the former XFL quarterback to the bench in favor of Baker Mayfield to start the second.
Meanwhile, Mixon, who came in with zero 100-yard games this season, had 113 yards rushing by halftime. He also caught four passes for 58 yards.
Mixon became the first NFL player with 150-plus yards and four or more touchdowns from scrimmage in the first half of a game since Shaun Alexander did it for the Seahawks in Week 4 of the 2002 season.
JAGUARS 27, RAIDERS 20
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) _ Travis Etienne ran for two touchdowns and Jacksonville finally won a close game, rallying from a 17-point deficit to beat Las Vegas.
It was the second-biggest comeback in franchise history for the Jaguars (3-6).
The Raiders (2-6), who were shut out last week at New Orleans, dominated early. They scored on four of their first five possessions and led 20-7 just before halftime. Davante Adams was unstoppable, catching nine passes for 146 and two scores in the first 30 minutes.
But Jacksonville eventually stiffened against the five-time Pro Bowler, who had one reception for no yards after the break.
Jacksonville’s Riley Patterson hit the right upright with 3:03 remaining, giving the Raiders a chance late. But Derek Carr threw high over the middle to Hunter Renfrow on fourth down. Patterson made a 48-yarder with a minute remaining, and the Raiders failed to mount much of a challenge with their final possession.
The victory ended a five-game skid for Jacksonville, which had been 0-6 in one-score games before Sunday. Etienne finished with 109 yards for his third consecutive 100-yard game. Trevor Lawrence completed 25 of 31 passes for 235 yards and a touchdown. Lawrence also scrambled for 53 yards and was charged with a fumble.
PATRIOTS 26, COLTS 3
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones threw a touchdown pass, Nick Folk kicked four field goals and New England had nine sacks in a dominant win over Indianapolis.
The Patriots (5-4) moved above .500 for the first time this season as they head into their bye week.
Linebackers Matt Judon and Josh Uche each had three sacks, leading a defense that held Indianapolis to 121 yards and 0 of 14 on third down.
Jonathan Jones returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown.
The Colts (3-5-1) have lost three straight and haven’t won since quarterback Matt Ryan was benched in favor of second-year player Sam Ehlinger. Under pressure throughout the game, Ehlinger finished 15 of 29 for 103 yards and the late pick-6.
Mac Jones was 20 of 30 for 147 yards.
Seahawks 31, Cardinals 21
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Geno Smith threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns, rookie Kenneth Walker III ran for 109 yards and two scores and Seattle won its fourth straight, beating Arizona.
NFC West-leading Seattle (6-3) continued its unexpected rise, while the Cardinals (3-6) have lost four of five.
The Cardinals grabbed the momentum and a 14-10 lead in the third quarter when Zaven Collins returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown.
But Seattle scored the next 14 points, taking the lead for good late in the third quarter on Smith’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett. That capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive.
The Seahawks extended their advantage to 24-14 midway through the fourth on another impressive drive. Smith led a 13-play, 81-yard march that ended when Walker ran for a 1-yard score.
Walker — a second-round pick out of Michigan State — is averaging more than 100 yards on the ground over the past five games.
