Week 10 in the NFL was quite the spectacle, including the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills providing “the game of the season,” the first ever contest played in Germany and the Miami Dolphins extending their winning streak to four games.
Here’s a roundup of all the action.
Vikings 33, Bills 30 (OT)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Patrick Peterson intercepted Josh Allen with 1:12 left in overtime to finally end a sloppy, yet thrilling back-and-forth game between two of the NFL’s best teams, and the Minnesota Vikings completed their rally from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat the Buffalo Bills 33-30 on Sunday.
The Vikings took advantage of three turnovers by Allen in the fourth quarter and overtime, pulling ahead late in regulation when he mishandled a snap and fumbled in the end zone.
Greg Joseph put the Vikings ahead to stay by hitting a 33-yard field goal with 3:42 left in overtime. The game didn’t end until Allen, facing second and 10 at Minnesota’s 20, forced a pass over the middle intended for Gabe Davis, only to have Peterson intercept it a few yards into the end zone, his second pick of the day. Peterson ran out and slid to the turf.
Kirk Cousins threw for 357 yards, and Justin Jefferson had a monster game with 10 catches for 193 yards for the NFC North-leading Vikings (8-2). Minnesota rallied to win when trailing with 2 1/2 minutes or less remaining in regulation for the fifth time this season.
The Bills (6-3) dropped out of the AFC lead with their second straight loss, this one a thriller that featured several momentum-turning plays in the final minute of regulation alone.
Dolphins 39, Browns 17
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa maintained his scorching form since his return from a concussion, throwing three touchdown passes as the Miami Dolphins beat the Cleveland Browns 39-17 on Sunday for their fourth straight win.
In a game that was a blowout by the fourth quarter, Tagovailoa connected with three receivers for his third straight three-touchdown game.
Since returning in Week 7, Tagovailoa has 10 TD passes and no interceptions. He finished with 285 yards on 25-of-32 passing Sunday.
Jeff Wilson rushed for 119 yards on 17 carries as the Dolphins (7-3) finished with 491 yards of offence.
Buccaneers 21, Seahawks 16
MUNICH (AP) — Tom Brady has had his share of memorable football games.
He says Sunday at a raucous Allianz Arena is right up there.
“That was one of the great football experiences that I’ve ever had,” the seven-time Super Bowl champion said. “It says a lot for 23 years in the league.”
Brady stayed undefeated abroad by throwing two touchdown passes to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 in the first regular-season game played in Germany.
Brady connected with Julio Jones and Chris Godwin on scoring passes and Leonard Fournette ran one in as the Bucs (5-5) improved to .500 and snapped Seattle’s four-game winning streak.
German fans packed Allianz Arena for the historic game and the Bucs delivered with a balanced offensive performance on three long scoring drives. Rachaad White started and ran for 105 yards on 22 carries.
Chiefs 27, Jaguars 17
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns, Kadarius Toney showed glimpses of stardom in his second game for the Chiefs and Kansas City rolled to a 27-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Toney, who was acquired a couple of week ago from the Giants, had 33 yards rushing to go with four catches for 57 yards and his first NFL touchdown reception, helping the Chiefs (7-2) win their sixth straight over the Jaguars.
Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Noah Gray also had touchdown catches for the Chiefs.
The win came at a cost for Kansas City: wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was placed in the concussion protocol after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Jacksonville safety Andre Cisco early in the game. The blow left Smith-Schuster motionless on the turf for a moment, though he eventually stood and walked off with some help.
Trevor Lawrence threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns, both to Christian Kirk, who finished with nine catches for 105 yards for the Jaguars (3-7). Zay Jones also had eight catches for 68 yards while Travis Etienne ran for 45 yards.
Giants 24, Texans 16
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes, Saquon Barkley ran for 152 yards and a TD and the surprising New York Giants returned from their bye week and beat the Houston Texans 24-16 on Sunday.
Jones, who was 13 of 17 for 197 yards, hit tight end Lawrence Cager on a 9-yard TD pass and Darius Slayton on a 54-yard catch and run as the Giants (7-2) tallied on their opening possession of each half in building a 14-3 lead.
Barkley, who had a career-high 35 carries, scored from 2-yards out in the third quarter after the Texans (1-7-1) closed to 14-10.
The Giants defence preserved the win, forcing two red-zone turnovers in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Jaylon Smith recovered Dameon Pierce’s fumble at the 11-yard line and Dane Belton intercepted Davis Mills’ pass in the end zone, one play after Houston lost a TD pass to Brandin Cooks because of a holding call.
Steelers 20, Saints 10
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kenny Pickett and George Pickens ran for 1-yard touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled away from the listless New Orleans Saints 20-10 on Sunday.
Fueled by the return of star outside linebacker T.J. Watt, the Steelers (3-6) held the Saints to 186 yards to win for just the second time in eight games. Pittsburgh sacked Andy Dalton twice and forced a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions to thwart any hope of a late rally by the Saints (3-7).
Watt hadn’t played since tearing his left pectoral late in a Week 1 win over Cincinnati. Pittsburgh’s defence looked lost at times without the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He returned to practice two weeks ago and stressed all of his team’s preseason goals were still attainable even after the team’s worst start since 2013.
Plenty of work remains for the Steelers to emerge from their first-half funk. They put together a formula against the Saints that lacked fireworks but made up for it in efficiency.
Pittsburgh ran for a season-best 217 yards — including 99 by Najee Harris and 51 by Pickett — and didn’t turn it over for the third time this season. The Steelers are 3-0 in those games and 0-6 when they give it away at least once.
Lions 31, Bears 30
CHICAGO (AP) — Jamaal Williams scored on a 1-yard run in the closing minutes, Jared Goff threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, and the Detroit Lions overcame another spectacular effort by Chicago’s Justin Fields to beat the Bears 31-30 on Sunday.
The Lions (3-6) scored 21 points in the fourth quarter on the way to their second straight win after losing five in a row.
They wiped out a 14-point deficit with two quick TDs, tying it on a 20-yard interception return by Jeff Okudah.
Fields then went 67 yards untouched for a TD to put Chicago (3-7) back on top 30-24. Cairo Santos missed the extra point.
Goff led an eight-play, 91-yard drive in the closing minutes. Williams made it 31-30 when he scored with 2:21 remaining, and the Lions came away with back-to-back wins for the first time since October 2020 under former coach Matt Patricia. They also stopped a 13-game road winless streak.
Titans 17, Broncos 10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine as the Tennessee Titans rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Denver Broncos 17-10 on Sunday.
The Titans (6-3) won for the sixth time in seven games. Tannehill returned after missing the last two games with a sprained right ankle, and he appeared rusty early as the Titans fell behind 10-0 in the second quarter and were trailing 208-53 in total yards shortly before halftime.
Denver came in rested off a bye, not that it helped as the Broncos (3-6) now have lost five of six.
