Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) runs for a first down against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, on Oct. 1 in East Rutherford, N.J.Adam Hunger/The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY 23, JETS 20
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City shook off a subpar performance during which they blew a 17-point lead, but held on to defeat the New York Jets 23-20 on Sunday night.
Mahomes was intercepted twice and struggled to get much going after a quick start with pop superstar Taylor Swift watching Travis Kelce and Kansas City for the second straight game, this time from a suite at MetLife Stadium.
After Kansas City (3-1) regained the lead on Harrison Butker’s 26-yard field goal with 10:51 remaining, Zach Wilson made his first big mistake when he lost a snap. Tershawn Wharton recovered the loose ball and Mahomes and Kansas City got it at the Jets 47.
An interception of Mahomes on third-and-20 was negated by a holding call on Sauce Gardner. Replays showed it was a questionable call and an irate Jets coach Robert Saleh stormed down the sideline to shout at an official.
Mahomes, who had a 24-yard run on third-and-22 to extend the drive, ran for 11 yards on another third down to the Jets 2, sealing the victory.
Moments later, Saleh was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty – and the clock hit zero on a bitter loss for the Jets (1-3).
Mahomes, who became the fastest to 200 NFL touchdown passes, was 18 of 30 for 203 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 51 yards. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and Kelce had six catches for 60 yards.
Wilson had his best game since taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers, going 28 of 39 for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
BILLS 48, DOLPHINS 20
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score, and Buffalo brought Miami’s unbeaten start to an emphatic end.
A week after the Dolphins had one of the most impressive offensive performances in NFL history in a 70-20 win over Denver, Buffalo (3-1) showed Miami (3-1) a thing or two about efficient offence, scoring on eight of its first nine possessions while taking over first place in the AFC East.
Stefon Diggs caught three touchdowns and finished with six receptions for 120 yards. Allen went 21 of 25 for 320 yards and had his 10th game with four passing TDs.
Miami moved the ball reasonably well, finishing with 393 yards of offence, but the Bills forced two turnovers and sacked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa four times.
The Bills suffered one major setback when cornerback Tre’Davious White was carted off in the third quarter with what the team said was an Achilles tendon injury. White pulled up while covering Tyreek Hill and was unable to put any weight on his right leg.
Buffalo never trailed and finished with 414 yards of offence. The three-time AFC East champion Bills have won three straight since a season-opening loss at the New York Jets.
The Dolphins squandered chances to open a season with four wins for the first time since 1995 and to take a two-game lead over Buffalo in the division.
COWBOYS 38, PATRIOTS 3
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – DaRon Bland returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, Leighton Vander Esch scooped up a fumble for a score and Dallas beat New England.
Mac Jones was responsible for all three turnovers and was pulled in the second half of the Patriots’ worst loss in 24 seasons under Bill Belichick, surpassing a 31-0 defeat at Buffalo in 2003.
The Cowboys (3-1) spoiled former star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s Dallas homecoming with their 10th consecutive home victory. It’s the longest home streak since 1991-92, or almost two decades before AT&T Stadium opened.
Bland had his second pick-6 of the season after getting one in a 40-0 season-opening rout of the New York Giants. The Patriots (1-3) trailed by seven early in the second quarter when Jones was sacked from behind by Dante Fowler, leading to the easy 11-yard scoop-and-score from Vander Esch.
In the final seconds of the first half, Jones tried to throw across the field to Kendrick Bourne when Bland stepped in front and ran 54 yards untouched for a 28-3 Dallas lead.
Jones was 12 of 21 for 150 yards with a 39.9 passer rating before Bailey Zappe replaced him.
TEXANS 30, STEELERS 6
HOUSTON (AP) – Rookie C.J. Stroud had another big game, throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns to lead Houston past Pittsburgh.
The Texans (2-2) won their second straight and first at home since beating the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 26, 2021. Houston’s 24-point win was its largest margin of victory in exactly six years.
Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, threw a TD pass to get things going in a first half where the Texans built a 16-0 lead. It was his second 300-yard passing game, and he has thrown six touchdown passes with no interceptions in his first four games.
Nico Collins had seven receptions for a career-high 168 yards and two touchdowns for Houston, including a 52-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Kenny Pickett threw for 114 yards with an interception and struggled to move Pittsburgh's offence before leaving late in the third quarter with a knee injury. Mitch Trubisky threw for 18 yards after Pickett left.
The Steelers (2-2) cut the deficit to 10 in the third quarter before the Texans used a little trickery to pad their lead. Stroud handed the ball off to running back Devin Singletary, who tossed a 6-yard pass to Dalton Schultz to make it 23-6 with 11 minutes to go.
JAGUARS 23, FALCONS 7
LONDON (AP) – Calvin Ridley caught a touchdown pass against his old team and Darious Williams returned an interception 61 yards for a score as Jacksonville beat Atlanta at Wembley Stadium.
The Jags (2-2) halted a two-game skid with a series of big plays as the team celebrated playing for the 10th time in London.
Trevor Lawrence side-stepped a blitzing Richie Grant and lofted a deep ball to a wide-open Ridley for a 30-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
Williams stepped in front of Drake London, intercepted Desmond Ridder’s pass and outran the second-year QB into the end zone to make it 17-0.
The Falcons (2-2) have dropped two in a row and Ridder, making his eighth NFL start, was intercepted on back-to-back throws in the first half.
Lawrence finished 23 of 30 for 207 yards. Christian Kirk led the Jags with eight receptions for 84 yards. Ridley, drafted 26th overall in 2018 by the Falcons, had two receptions for 38 yards.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 105 yards on 14 carries for the Falcons.
RAMS 29, COLTS 23, OT
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Playing with a hip injury that left him limping at times, Matthew Stafford threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie sensation Puka Nacua in overtime to give Los Angeles the win over Indianapolis.
The Rams (2-2) blew a 23-point lead in the final 21 minutes of regulation but recovered to win their fourth straight in the series and third in a row at Indy.
Stafford was 27 of 40 with 319 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was injured while being driven into the ground in the third quarter. Following an interception on the next play, he wore a heating wrap around his waist. He was limping when he returned to the game.
Nacua had nine receptions for 163 yards. He has 39 catches for 501 yards this season, surpassing Anquan Boldin for the most receptions by an NFL player in his first four games.
Indy (2-2) was trying to win its second straight overtime game behind rookie Anthony Richardson’s remarkable rally. He threw a 35-yard TD pass to Mo Alie-Cox before scoring on a 1-yard run. Then Richardson threw a 5-yard TD pass to Drew Ogletree and made the tying 2-point conversion throw to Michael Pittman Jr. with 1:56 to go.
But he never got the ball in overtime.
The Rams scored on each of their first four drives, getting two TD runs from Kyren Willams and two field goals from Brett Maher to take a 20-0 halftime lead.
EAGLES 34, COMMANDERS 31, OT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and Jake Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift Philadelphia past Washington.
Elliott also kicked field goals of 41, 47 and 36 yards before booming the winner that kept the Eagles (4-0) unbeaten.
Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 28-yard touchdown with 1:28 left in regulation for a 31-24 lead. Instead of killing the clock and trying for a winning field goal, the Eagles left enough time for Sam Howell to lead Washington (2-2) to the tying score.
Brown was flagged for taunting on his TD, giving the Commanders a boost. Washington started on the Eagles 36 and tied it when Howell hit Jahan Dotson for a 10-yard touchdown as time expired. Coach Ron Rivera went for the extra point and the tie.
The Commanders did nothing with the ball in OT. Hurts then converted a fourth-down sneak that pushed the Eagles to Washington’s 48-yard line and helped set up the winner.
Sparked by Brown’s nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns, the NFC champion Eagles are 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-1993. A year ago, the Eagles’ 8-0 start was spoiled by a home loss to Washington.
Howell was 29 of 41 for 290 yards.
BRONCOS 31, BEARS 28
CHICAGO (AP) – Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Wil Lutz kicked a tiebreaking 51-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining, and Denver rallied past Chicago.
The Broncos (1-3) won their first game under coach Sean Payton and bounced back from getting blown out 70-20 at Miami a week earlier.
Lutz's kick capped a comeback from a 28-7 third-quarter deficit. Kareem Jackson put the game away when he intercepted Justin Fields with the Bears (0-4) near midfield.
Chicago dropped its 14th straight game dating to last season and ninth straight at home. Both skids are the longest in franchise history.
Fields went 28 of 35 for a career-high 335 yards and four touchdowns. He completed his first 16 passes.
Wilson threw a 4-yard TD to Brandon Johnson near the end of the third quarter and a 13-yarder to Courtland Sutton early in the fourth to make it a seven-point game.
The Bears then had the ball near midfield when Nik Bonitto strip-sacked Fields. Jonathan Cooper recovered the fumble at the 35 and returned it for the tying touchdown.
Wilson was 21 of 28 for 223 yards.
TITANS 27, BENGALS 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Ryan Tannehill threw for 240 yards and a touchdown and Tennessee routed Cincinnati.
The Titans (2-2), who managed only 94 yards in losing last week in Cleveland, led 24-3 at halftime and scored 27 unanswered points. Coach Mike Vrabel beat Cincinnati for the first time in four tries.
Derrick Henry ran 29 yards for a touchdown, and he also found rookie tight end Josh Whyle for a 2-yard TD on a jump pass from the wildcat formation just before halftime. Henry finished with 122 yards on 22 carries.
Tennessee's defence sacked Joe Burrow three times and stripped him of the ball. Burrow, playing through a calf injury, led a 72-yard drive on the Bengals' first possession, but Cincinnati had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Evan McPherson.
The Bengals (1-3) remain one of two NFL teams not to score a first-half TD this season. Burrow finished 20 of 30 for 165 yards.
RAVENS 28, BROWNS 3
CLEVELAND (AP) – Baltimore's Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more against Cleveland’s top-ranked defence.
The Ravens (3-1) took sole possession of first place in the AFC North. Their defence shut down the Browns and rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who made his first career start in place of the injured Deshaun Watson.
Jackson scored untouched on runs of 10 yards and 2 yards and threaded a 7-yard scoring pass to tight end Mark Andrews with 11 seconds left before halftime as the Ravens opened a 21-3 lead.
Jackson added an 18-yard TD pass to Andrews in the fourth quarter.
The Browns (2-2) finished with 166 yards of offence – 53 on a meaningless final drive. Thompson-Robinson threw three interceptions and was sacked four times.
49ERS 35, CARDINALS 16
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Christian McCaffrey scored a career-high four touchdowns and San Francisco beat Arizona, its 14th straight regular-season win.
McCaffrey gained 177 yards from scrimmage, scoring on three runs and one catch to help the 49ers get off to their fifth 4-0 start in franchise history. He also broke Jerry Rice’s franchise record by scoring a TD in his 13th straight game, including the playoffs.
Brock Purdy went 20 for 21 for 283 yards with a TD run and pass, setting a 49ers franchise record for completion percentage in a game. He won for the ninth time in nine career regular-season starts, leading the 49ers to their fourth straight game with at least 30 points.
Joshua Dobbs threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns to Michael Wilson for the Cardinals (1-3).
McCaffrey became the first player in nine years to start the season with four straight games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage and a TD. He finished with 106 yards on the ground to go with seven catches for 71 yards.
CHARGERS 24, RAIDERS 17
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Khalil Mack set a franchise single-game record with six sacks, Justin Herbert accounted for three touchdowns and Los Angeles beat Las Vegas.
It was the sixth time since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 that a player had at least six in a game. The record is seven, by Kansas City’s Derrick Thomas in 1990.
The Chargers (2-2) scored on four of their first five drives to build a 24-7 halftime lead before the Raiders rallied to make it close. Las Vegas (1-3) was driving for the tying touchdown when Asante Samuel Jr. picked off Aidan O’Connell’s pass at the Chargers 2-yard line with 2:33 remaining.
Herbert completed 13 of 24 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also had 30 yards rushing and a pair of scores.
O’Connell, who got the start with Jimmy Garoppolo in the concussion protocol, completed 24 of 38 passes for 238 yards and an interception. Josh Jacobs had 139 scrimmage yards, including 81 receiving, and a touchdown.
BUCCANEERS 26, SAINTS 9
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes and Tampa Bay beat New Orleans, which continued to struggle on offence even with Derek Carr returning from a shoulder injury.
Mayfield completed 25 of 32 for 246 yards including TDs to Cade Otten, Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins as the Bucs (3-1) took over first place in the NFC South.
Starting one week after spraining his throwing shoulder at Green Bay, and after only limited work in practice the past week, Carr struggled to move New Orleans’ offence, which did not reach the end zone.
Carr finished 23 of 37 for 127 yards and was sacked three times in a second straight loss for the Saints (2-2). Alvin Kamara touched the ball 24 times with 11 carries and 13 receptions in his return from a three-game suspension, but finished with just 84 yards from scrimmage.
VIKINGS 21, PANTHERS 13
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson, D.J. Wonnum returned Bryce Young’s fumble 51 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown, and Minnesota held on to beat Carolina.
Cousins overcame two interceptions, including one that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Sam Franklin, and finished with 139 yards passing. Jefferson beat a Carolina secondary playing without three starters for 85 yards on six catches.
Alexander Mattison ran for 95 yards and Harrison Smith had three sacks for the Vikings (1-3), including the one that led to Wonnum’s score.
No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young was 25 of 32 for 204 yards for Carolina (0-4).
The momentum of the game turned on Wonnum’s scoop-and-score late in the third quarter. The Vikings sacked Young on third down on the ensuing series and Cousins found Jefferson along the left sideline for a 30-yard touchdown strike to give the Vikings a 21-13 lead.