Receivers went off in a historic way during the early games of Week 8. Four of them — A.J. Brown, Alvin Kamara, Tony Pollard and D’Onta Foreman — each scored three touchdowns in their games, marking the first time that many non-quarterbacks had achieved the feat in one week since five did it in Week 3 in 2015.
The early games also saw the Broncos get back on the winning track in London and Bill Belichick move to No. 2 on the all-time coaching wins list.
In the late games, Christian McCaffrey showed everyone why the 49ers acquired him by completing the touchdown triple crown — passing, catching and rushing for scores — in a blowout win over the rival Rams. And Taylor Heinicke put the Commanders on his back and led them down the field twice late to rally past the Colts.
Here is a complete recap of all the action from Sunday.
49ERS 31, RAMS 14
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Christian McCaffrey became the 11th player in NFL history with a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in one game, and the San Francisco 49ers extended their regular-season mastery over the Rams to four full years with a 31-14 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday.
McCaffrey threw a 34-yard TD pass to Brandon Aiyuk in the first half, caught a TD pass from Jimmy Garoppolo in the third quarter and then put the Niners (4-4) in control with a TD run early in the fourth.
Garoppolo passed for 235 yards and two touchdowns as San Francisco scored 24 unanswered points to finish its eighth consecutive regular-season victory over its NFC West rivals.
McCaffrey finished with 94 yards rushing and 55 yards receiving. LaDainian Tomlinson was the last player with rushing, passing and receiving TDs in the same game, doing it for San Diego back in 2005.
The 49ers outbid the Rams (3-4) last week in a trade for McCaffrey’s services, and the versatile running back showed Los Angeles exactly what it missed. The Rams actually were burned by McCaffrey for the second straight game, since he piled up 158 total yards for the Panthers during the Rams’ win over Carolina in LA’s final game before its bye.
Matthew Stafford passed for 187 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown since 2016 for the defending Super Bowl champion Rams (3-4), who are under .500 for the third time — all occurring this season — in coach Sean McVay’s career. Los Angeles managed 43 net yards in the second half while getting shut out after halftime for the third time already this season.
EAGLES 35, STEELERS 13
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes to A.J Brown in the first half and finished with 285 yards and four TDs overall as the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles raced past the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-13 on Sunday.
Brown had six receptions for 156 yards. The Eagles are 7-0 for the second time in franchise history and first since 2004, when Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens led them to the Super Bowl. In that season, the Eagles were denied an 8-0 start with a loss to the Steelers.
Pittsburgh (2-6) offered no resistance this time once Hurts and Brown turned the Linc into their own pitch-and-catch playground.
Rookie Kenny Pickett showed more short-term growing pains for the Steelers and was 25 of 38 for 191 yards and an interception. Wide receiver Chase Claypool threw a 1-yard pass to fullback Derek Watt on a trick play in the first quarter for Pittsburgh’s only touchdown.
SAINTS 24, RAIDERS 0
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Alvin Kamara scored his first three touchdowns of the season, and the New Orleans Saints shut out the Las Vegas Raiders 24-0 on Sunday.
Kamara converted short receptions into touchdowns of 36 and 16 yards. He also rushed for a 3-yard score.
Andy Dalton justified the Saints’ decision to start him for a fifth straight game despite season-opening starter Jameis Winston having recovered enough from back and ankle injuries to be a full participant in practice this week.
Dalton was 22 of 30 for 229 yards and two TDs. His top receiver was Kamara, who had nine receptions for 96 yards to go with his 62 yards rushing.
Kamara has been having a productive season and had surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage in New Orleans’ previous three games.
Oddly, that hadn’t translated into a single touchdown until he faced Las Vegas — just days after saying he wanted to “whoop” the Raiders this week for Saints coach Dennis Allen, whose first head coaching job came with that club from 2012 to 2014.
FALCONS 37, PANTHERS 34 (OT)
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo booted a 41-yard field goal in overtime after the Carolina Panthers missed a pair of kicks that could’ve won it, giving the Falcons an improbable 37-34 victory Sunday that maintained their hold on first place in the NFC South.
The teams combined for three touchdowns in the final 3:06 of regulation before a silly penalty by the Panthers’ D.J. Moore opened the door for the Falcons (4-4) to pull it out.
With the Falcons up 34-28, Carolina (2-6) appeared to have won the game in stunning fashion when Moore hauled in a 62-yard touchdown heave from P.J. Walker with 12 seconds remaining.
But Moore ripped off his helmet during a raucous celebration in the end zone, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That pushed back the extra point to a 48-yard attempt, and Eddy Pineiro pulled it left of the upright.
Carolina (2-6) had another chance to win in OT after C.J. Henderson returned an interception 54 yards to the Falcons 20. But Pineiro botched another kick, yanking a wobbler left of the upright again from 32 yards out — shorter than a regular extra point.
The Panthers wouldn’t get another shot. Marcus Mariota, who threw three touchdown passes, ripped off a 30-yard run for the Falcons that set up Koo’s game-winner with 1:55 left in the extra period.
The Panthers had a chance to create a four-team logjam in the NFC South. Instead, the Falcons have the lead all to themselves with a .500 record.
COMMANDERS 17, COLTS 16
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Taylor Heinicke scored on a 1-yard plunge with 22 seconds left Sunday, capping an 89-yard drive in the final 2 1/2 minutes and sending the Washington Commanders to a 17-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Indy native Terry McLaurin set up the decisive score by wrestling the ball away from cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, for a 33-yard catch one play before Heinicke scored.
Washington (4-4) has won three straight.
Indy (3-4-1) managed only one TD in Sam Ehlinger’s first career start. He took over at quarterback this week when coach Frank Reich announced longtime veteran Matt Ryan had been benched.
The Commanders carried a 7-3 lead into the second half. But Chase McLaughlin’s third field goal of the day, a 20-yarder, gave Indy a 9-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Heinicke was picked off on the ensuing possession and the Colts needed two plays to convert the turnover into a 6-yard touchdown run by Nyheim Hines. Reich sent McLaughlin out for the extra point instead of going for 2.
Heinicke eventually made the Colts pay for that decision, converting a fourth-and-1 from his 20-yard line by buying enough time to hook up with Curtis Samuel for a 12-yard gain. He hooked up with McLaurin four plays later and eventually scored.
Heinicke was 23 of 31 for 279 yards, one TD and one interception.
Ehlinger finished 17 of 23 for 201 yards, and he also had six carries for 15 yards. He was sacked twice.
COWBOYS 49, BEARS 29
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Micah Parsons returned a fumble for his first NFL score and the Dallas Cowboys beat the Chicago Bears 49-29 on Sunday.
Tony Pollard ran for 131 yards and three TDs with Ezekiel Elliott sidelined by a right knee injury as the Cowboys (6-2) made it 2-for-2 in a four-game stretch against the NFC North.
Justin Fields rallied the Bears (3-5) within five after trailing 28-7, but they had already given the momentum back when the young quarterback leapt into the wrong kind of Chicago lore.
David Montgomery fumbled in the open field after a catch in the third quarter, and Parsons fell on the loose ball. Instead of touching Parsons down, Fields jumped over him.
The star linebacker got up, took off at the urging of teammates, stumbled toward the goal line and rolled over in the end zone on the 36-yard return. Officials didn’t even stop the game for a review.
The Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first four possessions for the first time since 2014, two years before Prescott and Elliott arrived as dynamic rookies leading the team to the top seed in the NFC.
Prescott was 21 of 27 for 250 yards with an interception in his second game back after missing five with a fractured right thumb. Pollard tied his career highs in yards and carries (14).
BRONCOS 21, JAGUARS 17
LONDON (AP) — Latavius Murray scored on a 2-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to help the Denver Broncos snap a four-game losing streak by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-17 on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
Russell Wilson led two go-ahead scoring drives in the second half on his return from a hamstring injury. Wilson finished 18 for 30 for 252 yards with a touchdown and interception.
The embattled quarterback looked rusty early, but connected on a 47-yard completion to KJ Hamler after the Broncos fell behind 17-14 on Travis Etienne’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:54 to play. Wilson then scrambled for 10 yards on a third-and-5 to get to the Jacksonville 28.
The late score gave Murray a touchdown for two different teams this month in London. He ran for a score for New Orleans earlier this month at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Broncos (3-5) erased a 10-point deficit on Jerry Jeudy’s 6-yard touchdown reception in the first half and Melvin Gordon’s 1-yard run to complete a 98-yard scoring drive early in the second half.
The announced attendance of 86,215 is the largest crowd in the history of NFL international games.
The Jaguars (2-6) lost their fifth consecutive game despite a career day from Etienne, who carried 24 times for 156 yards and a touchdown.
PATRIOTS 22, JETS 17
Bill Belichick passed George Halas for second place on the NFL’s career coaching victories list and the New England Patriots continued their mastery of the New York Jets by beating them for the 13th straight time, 22-17 on Sunday.
Devin McCourty had two of the Patriots’ three interceptions of Zach Wilson, Nick Folk kicked five field goals against his former team and Belichick’s bunch slowed the surprising Jets, who had won four in a row.
Belichick missed a chance to break a tie with Halas on Monday night, when New England (4-4) lost to Chicago 33-14. But he got No. 325, including playoffs, against the Jets and now trails only Don Shula (347). The victory was also Belichick’s 100th in the regular season against AFC East opponents as coach of the Patriots.
Mac Jones, who was benched against the Bears for rookie Bailey Zappe, finished 24 of 35 for 194 yards with a touchdown to Jakobi Meyers and an interception.
The Jets (5-3), who snapped a 12-game skid against AFC East opponents by beating Miami three weeks ago, couldn’t change their fortunes against the Patriots — even while debuting their stealth black alternate helmets.
DOLPHINS 31, LIONS 27
DETROIT (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw a go-ahead, 11-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki late in the third quarter, capping the Miami Dolphins’ rally from a double-digit, second-half deficit for a 31-27 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The Dolphins (5-3) have won two straight since Tagovailoa returned from a concussion. The Lions (1-6) have lost five in a row.
Detroit scored on all five of its posssessons in the first half to lead 27-17 after scoring a total of six points in its previous two games.
The Dolphins opened the second half with a touchdown drive, scoring when fullback Alec Ingold took a snap that fooled the defence and scored on a 1-yard sneak.
They took their first lead late in the third on Tagovailoa’s pass to Gesicki, who was wide open in the end zone, to score on a fifth straight possession.
VIKINGS 34, CARDINALS 26
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Za’Darius Smith had three sacks to help Minnesota’s defence hang on against Kyler Murray, and the Vikings beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-26 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory.
Dalvin Cook rushed for a season-high 111 yards and a touchdown and Kirk Cousins passed for two scores and ran for another for the Vikings (6-1), who stayed unbeaten at home in coach Kevin O’Connell’s rookie year.
Murray passed for 326 yards and a season-high three touchdowns, including a one-handed grab for a score by DeAndre Hopkins with 47 seconds left in the second quarter, but he threw two second-half interceptions that proved costly for the Cardinals (3-5).
The Vikings went 31 yards in four plays for a touchdown after the first one, a dangerous heave by Murray under pressure from his own end zone.
The second pick, a throw way behind Zach Ertz, came on the drive right after Cousins hit K.J. Osborn on third-and-2 from the 5 for a 34-26 lead. That was set up by a fumbled punt return by Greg Dortch at his 25.
Hopkins had 12 catches for 159 yards in his second game back from suspension, Rondale Moore had seven receptions for 92 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Murray’s always-dangerous ability to leave the pocket kept an active Vikings defence honest all game.
But the Cardinals crossed midfield on each of their last three possessions over the last half of the fourth quarter while trailing by one score and never got closer than the 37.
Former Cardinals linebacker Jordan Hicks dragged down Eno Benjamin just short of the marker on fourth-and-4 to turn the ball over with 2:39 left. Out of timeouts on their last drive, Murray was sacked by Smith at the 44 with 10 seconds remaining. Then Harrison Phillips brought him down for a big loss on the last play to end the game.
The Vikings have won all 11 matchups in Minneapolis since the Cardinals moved to Arizona in 1988.
SEAHAWKS 27, GIANTS 13
SEATTLE (AP) — Tyler Lockett caught a 33-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith with 9:18 left, and the Seattle Seahawks won their third straight, 27-13 over the New York Giants on Sunday.
The only matchup of teams with winning records in the NFL this week was a slugfest until the fourth quarter, when Lockett made up for two big mistakes earlier in the game and Seattle rookie running back Kenneth Walker III finally broke free, helping the surprising Seahawks (5-3) stay atop the NFC West.
New York (6-2) saw its four-game win streak snapped entering its bye week and lost ground to undefeated Philadelphia in the NFC East — largely because the Seahawks corralled Saquon Barkley, who was held to a season-low 53 yards on 20 carries and had three catches for 9 yards.
Lockett hauled in a short pass at the 3-yard line in the first half, but Adoree’ Jackson forced and recovered a fumble, leading to a 1-yard TD run from Barkley. Late in the third quarter, Lockett was free behind the Giants secondary but dropped what would have been a 33-yard touchdown.
Given another chance on Seattle’s next drive, Lockett came through. First he made a solid 12-yard catch. Then he made a stutter-and-go move on Jackson and flashed open down the sideline. Smith’s throw was on target for the touchdown and a 20-13 Seattle lead.
Seattle added insurance with 5:22 left thanks to Walker. New York’s Richie James fumbled his second punt return of the game, giving Seattle the ball at the Giants 32. Two plays later, Walker reversed his field, broke tackles and scooted 16 yards for the clinching touchdown.
TITANS 17, TEXANS 10
HOUSTON (AP) — Derrick Henry dominated the Houston Texans again, running for 219 yards and two touchdowns to carry the Tennessee Titans to a 17-10 win on Sunday.
It was Henry’s fourth straight 200-yard game against the Texans, making him the first player in NFL history to have at least 150 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in four consecutive games against the same opponent. The 28-year-old has six 200-yard games in his career, tying O.J. Simpson and Adrian Peterson for the most in NFL history.
With rookie quarterback Malik Willis making his first start for the injured Ryan Tannehill, the AFC South-leading Titans (5-2) went to Henry early and often. He ripped off a season-long 41-yard run on his second carry of the game and never looked back against Houston’s NFL-worst run defense.
Henry had a season-high 32 carries and touchdown runs of 29 yards and 1 yard to help the Titans build a 14-3 lead.
The Titans were up by 14 when Davis Mills connected with rookie Dameon Pierce on a 3-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 17-10 with less than 30 seconds left in the game. But Tennessee recovered the onside kick to seal it.
Henry’s big day gives him 75 career touchdowns (72 rushing and three receiving), passing Eddie George for most TDs in franchise history.
