By Field Level Media
Sep 28 (Field Level Media) – Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes, Kain Medrano returned an interception 50 yards for a score late in the fourth quarter and the Washington Commanders held on to shock the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 33-31 Sunday in Landover, Md.
Starting in place of the injured Jayden Daniels (elbow), Mariota was 19-of-31 passing for 183 yards and no interceptions. Terry McLaurin had six catches for 77 yards and a score for the Commanders (1-2) in their home opener.
Sam Darnold, injured in the first quarter of Seattle’s opener, completed 31 of 45 passes for 379 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions in his return. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had 10 catches for 128 yards and two scores. The Seahawks (2-1) had won 12 straight games, including playoffs, beginning with Week 12 of last season.
Medrano picked off Darnold’s check-down pass over the middle and scored to make it 33-24 with 3:57 remaining. The extra point attempt failed after a sideline celebration penalty. Darnold completed five straight passes, the last a 7-yard TD to Cooper Kupp with 2:51 remaining, and it was 33-31. But Washington’s Rachaad White ran for 19 yards on third down and Mariota ran for another first down to ice it.
Lions 31, Jets 24
Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns and totaled 164 yards, and host Detroit made a stop to end a shootout in the final minute and defeat New York.
Gibbs caught a Jared Goff swing pass in the right flat and jogged in from 11 yards out to take the lead with 2:25 remaining. He finished with 20 carries for 99 yards and two rushing touchdowns while catching seven passes for 65 yards.
The Jets drove inside the 30 of the Lions before Garrett Wilson, who had 10 receptions for 107 yards and a fourth-quarter TD, was hit and required an injury timeout with 51 seconds. On the next play, Geno Smith (31 for 37, 321 yards, three TDs) was sacked by Chuck Clark on a jailbreak blitz up the middle and fumbled. Jack Campbell scooped up the ball for the Lions to end the game.
Bills 24, Chargers 16
Josh Allen ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter, as Buffalo rallied for a victory over Los Angeles at Orchard Park, N.Y.
Allen was 16-of-26 passing for 204 yards while overcoming two first-half interceptions. He has scored two rushing touchdowns in each of his three games this season. James Cook III added 154 rushing yards and a touchdown as Buffalo (3-0), despite five turnovers, won its second game in as many weeks at its new $2 billion stadium.
Justin Herbert was 20-of-34 passing for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Chargers (0-3). Omarion Hampton rushed for 56 yards on 15 carries, and Genesis Smith had two interceptions for Los Angeles, which led 10-0 after the first quarter.
Colts 19, Texans 17
Spencer Shrader kicked four field goals, including a 53-yarder with 16 seconds remaining, to lead Indianapolis over visiting Houston.
Shrader matched his career best of 58 yards to help the Colts (1-2) snap a five-game losing streak against their AFC South rival. Daniel Jones was 24-of-36 passing for 235 yards, one touchdown, one interception and two lost fumbles for the Colts, who also halted a nine-game overall skid dating back to last season.
Will Anderson Jr. recorded 2.5 sacks, forced one fumble and recovered another for the Texans (0-3), who didn’t commit a turnover while forcing three Indianapolis miscues. C.J. Stroud completed 16 of 27 passes for 167 yards and one touchdown.
Jaguars 35, Patriots 6
Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdown passes, leading Jacksonville to a statement victory over visiting New England.
Lawrence connected with Josh Cameron, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington for scores, completing 19 of 29 passes for 182 yards with an interception. Meyers had seven catches for 64 yards, while Bhayshul Tuten rushed for 73 yards and a score for the Jaguars (2-1), who won their sixth straight regular-season home game.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye paired two interceptions with one lost fumble to give him seven turnovers in three games. Maye was 14-of-25 passing for 199 yards, while Mack Hollins caught six passes for 87 yards for the Patriots (1-2).
Steelers 30, Bengals 27
Chris Boswell booted the go-ahead field goal and Derrick Harmon strip-sacked Joe Burrow in the final minute to lift host Pittsburgh to a win over Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh (2-1) took a 30-27 lead with 2:15 left when Boswell connected from 33 yards, six and a half minutes after he tied the game with a 36-yard kick. Aaron Rodgers was 19-of-34 passing for 292 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to lead the Steelers.
Burrow, who completed his first 14 passes for 96 yards, finished 28-of-37 for 282 yards and three touchdowns for Cincinnati (2-1). Ja’Marr Chase grabbed nine receptions for 98 yards and a first-quarter score, while Tee Higgins added six for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Chiefs 24, Dolphins 10
Kenneth Walker III had a rushing and receiving touchdown and Patrick Mahomes threw for 246 yards and two scores with one interception as Kansas City topped Miami in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Walker gained 70 yards on 18 carries and Rashee Rice topped the Chiefs with seven catches for 88 yards. The Chiefs sealed the game on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce with 2:55 to go.
Malik Willis finished 20 for 36 for 210 yards while leading the Dolphins with 56 yards rushing on nine carries. Miami lost running back De’Von Achane with a knee injury during the team’s first series. He gained 17 yards on three carries.
Browns 21, Panthers 18
Deshaun Watson returned after a brief time on the sideline to help rescue Cleveland with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:48 remaining in a home-opener victory against Carolina.
After the go-ahead TD toss, Watson threw to Denzel Boston for a two-point conversion. The Panthers failed to pick up a first down on the ensuing possession, but the Browns were stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Carolina 15 with 1:01 left. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young was intercepted by Ronnie Hickman to seal the outcome.
Fannin caught seven passes for 51 yards and both of Watson’s touchdown throws. Watson was 16-for-30 passing for 144 yards for the Browns (2-1). Young went 26-for-48 for 290 yards with one touchdown. Ryan Fitzgerald kicked four field goals for the Panthers (1-2).
Giants 12, Titans 7
Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals and New York’s defense held Tennessee to one first down in the first half of a low-scoring win in East Rutherford, N.J.
Zvada hit from 39, 27, 39 and 30 yards on a rainy, windy afternoon at MetLife Stadium. New York’s defense did the rest, forcing Tennessee to punt five consecutive times in the first half and keeping the Titans out of the end zone until 5:35 remained in the fourth quarter.
Cam Ward found Wan’Dale Robinson for a 4-yard touchdown strike that gave the Titans (0-3) a chance. They forced a punt and got the ball back at their 23 with 3:03 remaining, eventually reaching the Giants’ 7 on Ward’s 11-yard completion to Elic Ayomanor with 24 seconds left. But Jevon Holland preserved the win for the Giants by intercepting Ward with 17 seconds on the clock.
Broncos 30, Rams 26
Bo Nix lunged over the top for a touchdown with 47 seconds left and also threw two scoring passes as Denver overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to record a dramatic victory over visiting Los Angeles.
Talanoa Hufanga returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown and nabbed a second pick in the end zone to close the game for Denver (2-1), which won its second straight contest. Nix was 17-of-34 passing for 186 yards, one interception and touchdown throws to Pat Bryant and Nate Adkins.
Matthew Stafford completed 30 of 55 passes for 390 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Rams (1-2), who saw an eight-game winning streak against AFC teams come to an end. Davante Adams caught seven passes for 137 yards, Konata Mumpfield had four receptions for 93 yards and a score and Tyler Higbee had eight catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Vikings 23, Buccaneers 16
Myles Price had an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Minnesota held on to beat host Tampa Bay, which lost quarterback Baker Mayfield late in the game to what head coach Todd Bowles said is a dislocated right thumb.
Kyler Murray completed 15 of 29 passes for 168 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Vikings (3-0). Jordan Addison had five receptions for 90 receiving yards and a score. Wide receiver Justin Jefferson injured his left ankle during the second quarter and did not return.
Mayfield completed 17 of 34 passes for 217 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Buccaneers (0-3). Minnesota linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel intercepted Mayfield on on fourth-and-13 with 1:39 remaining. Mayfield was hit on the play by Blake Cashman. Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels was in for Tampa Bay’s last possession and didn’t complete any of his three throws, including an interception by Isaiah Rodgers on the final-play “Hail Mary” throw.
49ers 36, Cardinals 30
Brock Purdy threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns as San Francisco built a 17-point third-quarter lead before holding off a rally by Arizona for a win in Santa Clara, Calif.
Purdy completed 15 of 27 passes, including 10- and 20-yard touchdown strikes to George Kittle in the fourth quarter that kept the Cardinals at bay. Christian McCaffrey added 75 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries for the 49ers (3-0), who outgained Arizona 437-365 despite owning possession for just 21:16.
Jacoby Brissett hit 38 of 52 attempts for 280 yards and two scores for the Cardinals (1-2), who dropped their second straight game after a season-opening win at the Los Angeles Chargers. Arizona got 90 yards on 21 carries from rookie Jeremiyah Love but hurt itself with mistakes.
Raiders 35, Saints 27
Kirk Cousins passed for 248 yards and three touchdowns and Las Vegas stayed unbeaten by charging past host New Orleans.
Tight end Brock Bowers had a standout season debut, returning from a knee injury to catch 10 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown for the surprising Raiders (3-0), who trailed by 11 at one point in the second half.
Tyler Shough passed for 255 yards and four touchdowns but had two costly second-half turnovers for the Saints (1-2). Chris Olave hauled in nine passes for 107 yards, and Juwan Johnson and Noah Fant caught two touchdowns apiece.
Ravens 34, Cowboys 31
Tyler Loop kicked a 56-yard field goal as time expired and Baltimore shocked Dallas on the final play in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Ravens (2-1) stopped the Cowboys (1-2) from scoring a touchdown on the previous drive and, after yielding a short field goal, got the ball back with 7 seconds on the clock. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson fired a laser to Zay Flowers for a 27-yard gain and the receiver went down at the 39 to set up Loop’s game-winner.
Jackson completed 15 of 20 passes for 186 yards and two TDs. He also had 50 rushing yards. Derrick Henry ran for 89 yards and scored twice, and Flowers caught five passes for 84 yards. For Dallas, Dak Prescott completed 25 of 40 for 276 yards and one TD. Javonte Williams had 19 carries for 98 yards and a TD.
(–Field Level Media)
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