Packers block potential game-winning field goal, edge Bears 20-19
CHICAGO (AP) — Jordan Love ran for a go-ahead touchdown in the closing minutes, and the Green Bay Packers hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 20-19 on Sunday when Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
The Packers (7-3) made just enough plays to avoid falling farther behind Detroit and Minnesota in the NFC North and beat the last-place Bears (4-6) for the 11th straight time, the longest streak by either team in the storied rivalry.
Love put Green Bay on top 20-19 when he scored from the 1 with 2:59 left. That touchdown was set up by a 60-yard pass to Christian Watson, who got up after making a lunging catch and ran all the way to the 14. The 2-point conversion failed.
Green Bay then sacked Caleb Williams on the first two plays of the next possession. The Bears regrouped and drove all the way to the 28, only to end a chaotic week with their fourth straight loss when Brooks got through the center of the line and blocked Santos’ kick.
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday and replaced him with passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, hoping to spark a unit that ranks among the worst in the NFL.
STEELERS 18, RAVENS 16
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chris Boswell tied a franchise record with six field goals and Pittsburgh limited Lamar Jackson and the NFL’s top-ranked offense in a victory over Baltimore.
The Steelers (8-2) won their fifth straight behind Boswell and a defense that never let Jackson, Derrick Henry or the rest of the offense get into a rhythm, opening up a little breathing room atop the AFC North.
Baltimore (7-4) was held to season lows in points and yards (329) while committing 12 penalties and turning the ball over three times — each miscue leading to a Boswell field goal — as Pittsburgh won for the seventh time in its last eight meetings in a rivalry that remains as chippy as ever.
Jackson completed just 16 of 33 for 207 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He hit Zay Flowers for a 16-yard score with 1:06 left to get the Ravens within two but the 2-point conversion attempt was a mess. Jackson rolled to his left, tried to run then pulled up and threw a prayer to no one in particular that fell incomplete.
LIONS 52, JAGUARS 6
DETROIT (AP) — Jared Goff threw two of his four touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for three rushing touchdowns, as Detroit routes Jacksonville.
The NFC-leading Lions (9-1) have won eight straight and nine of their first 10 games in a season for the first time since 1934.
Detroit’s winning margin of 46 points was the largest in franchise history, and it handed Jacksonville its biggest-ever defeat. The Lions also set a franchise record in total yards with 644.
The Jaguars (2-9) have lost four consecutive games for the second time this season and 14 of 17 since last year, a series of slumps that may cost coach Doug Pederson his job.
SAINTS 35, BROWNS 14
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Taysom Hill capped a 138-yard, three-touchdown performance on the ground with a 75-yard scoring run, and New Orleans improved to 2-0 under interim coach Darren Rizzi with a victory over Cleveland.
Hill’s two other touchdowns went for 10 and 33 yards — the second on fourth and short — to more than balance out his two turnovers on an interception and fumble. The 34-year-old Hill also moved into ninth place in franchise history with 44 total TDs, four behind receiver Eric Martin.
Hill also completed an 18-yard pass and returned a kickoff 42 yards.
Derek Carr passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns for New Orleans (4-7), highlighted by Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s 71-yard catch and run on a short crossing route.
Jameis Winston passed for 395 yards and two TDs for the Browns (2-8) in his return to the city he called home for the previous four NFL seasons.
RAMS 28, PATRIOTS 22
FOXBOROUGH, Mass (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns, including a 69-yard score to Cooper Kupp on the second play of the second half to help Los Angeles pull away and beat New England.
New England trailed 14-10 after Rams kicker Joshua Karty’s 26-yard field-goal attempt at the end of the first half clanged off the right upright. Los Angeles received the kick to start the second half, and on second down Stafford found Kupp near midfield; Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones dove for the pass and missed, leaving no one between Kupp and the end zone.
The Patriots drove into Los Angeles territory, with a first-and-goal from the Rams 5, but settled for a field goal. On the Rams’ next possession, Stafford found Colby Parkinson in the corner of the end zone to make it 28-13.
A missed extra point and a false start on fourth-and-1 doomed two Patriots’ attempts to come back. New England got the ball back at its own 10 with 2:14 left and one timeout for one last try, but Kamren Kinchens intercepted Drake Maye to ice it.
DOLPHINS 34, RAIDERS 19
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw three touchdown passes, De’Von Achane ran for a score, and Miami beat Las Vegas to win their second straight game.
It was another strong victory for the Dolphins (4-6), who have not matched their offensive fireworks from last season but are coming off a gritty Monday night win over the Rams. The Raiders (2-8) lost their sixth straight game.
Tagovailoa led the Dolphins down the field with long, methodical drives — three of them more than seven minutes — that all ended in scores, as Miami scored 30 points for the first time this season.
Tagovailoa completed 28 of 36 passes for 288 yards with touchdowns of 1 and 57 yards to tight end Jonnu Smith, and an 8-yard TD to receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill caught seven passes for 61 yards and has scored in consecutive games for the first time this season. Smith had a season-high 101 yards receiving.
The Raiders trailed 24-14 in the fourth quarter after Achane ran for a 2-yard score that added to his 17 carries for 73 yards.
COLTS 28, JETS 27
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Anthony Richardson ran for a 4-yard touchdown, his second of the game, with 46 seconds left in his return to the starting role to lift Indianapolis to a victory over Aaron Rodgers and New York.
With the Jets leading 27-22 after Anders Carlson’s 35-yard field goal with 2:41 remaining, Richardson — benched for two games in favor of Joe Flacco — marched the Colts down the field.
He connected with Alec Pierce for 39 yards and then Josh Downs for 17 yards to put the ball at the 10. Three plays later, Richardson took off to the right and ran into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Jonathan Taylor was stuffed on the 2-point try — giving Rodgers and the Jets one last chance, but with no timeouts left.
Rodgers was sacked by Kwity Paye and fumbled on the first play, but the Jets recovered. After Hall had an 11-yard catch and a delay-of-game penalty was called on the Colts’ E.J. Speed, Rodgers was sacked again by Paye — sealing the win for the Colts (5-6), who snapped a three-game skid.
VIKINGS 23, TITANS 13
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Sam Darnold overcame an early fumble by throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and running for a score and Minnesota beats Tennessee.
Darnold had been picked off five times over the previous two games, matching his total over the first seven games of the season. Then his toss to Aaron Jones on the Vikings’ third offensive play was fumbled and recovered by Jeffery Simmons for the Titans.
The quarterback answered right back to help the Vikings (8-2) win their third straight and improve to 5-0 against AFC teams this season. He found Jordan Addison for a 47-yard catch-and-run touchdown as the Vikings didn’t trail again as they scored 16 straight for a 16-3 halftime lead.
Andrew Van Ginkel had his two sacks on back-to-back plays as Minnesota finished with five. Pat Jones II also had two. Harrison Smith clinched the win with an interception with 1:50 left, giving the Vikings’ fans that turned this into a near home game another reason to celebrate chanting “SKOL.”