Lamar Jackson threw for 323 yards and a touchdown to outshine rookie Jayden Daniels in a showdown between two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks this season, Derrick Henry ran for two TDs and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Washington Commanders 30-23 on Sunday for their fourth consecutive victory.
Jackson found Mark Andrews for the tight end’s first touchdown of the season and completed nine passes to Zay Flowers for 132 yards, all in the first half. Henry had 132 yards and his NFL-leading eighth and ninth TDs as the Ravens (4-2) mixed and matched the pass and run to near perfection.
Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on two TD passes, but did not get nearly enough help from the backfield in a matchup of the two top rushing offences in the league. With Brian Robinson Jr. out because of a knee injury, Washington (4-2) got just 52 yards on the ground.
The Commanders defence struggled to contain Jackson and Henry, allowing Baltimore to rack up 484 yards, and their winning streak ended at four with a loss at the hands of an opponent that is starting to look like the legitimate Super Bowl contender it was expected to be.
BEARS 35, JAGUARS 16
Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes — two each to receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Cole Kmet — and Chicago held a tea party celebration in the end zone in a rout of Jacksonville at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Along with the rookie quarterback’s big day, Kmet chipped in by handling emergency long-snapping duties as the Bears (4-2) won their third straight game for the first time in nearly four years.
Allen led a tea party celebration after his 9-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and his second score gave Chicago a 28-10 lead early in the fourth. D’Andre Swift added a 1-yard plunge for the Bears.
The Jags (1-5) started fast but Gabe Davis dropped a pass in the end zone — after he was whistled for a false start — and Jacksonville settled for a field goal on its opening drive.
EAGLES 20, BROWNS 16
Jalen Hurts threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 45-yard toss to DeVonta Smith in the fourth quarter, and Philadelphia held off Cleveland.
Hurts also threw a 22-yard TD to A.J. Brown, who returned along with Smith after both wide receivers missed time with injuries. The Eagles can’t afford to lose either for any more lengthy stretches if they want to make a deep postseason run.
Coming off a bye, the already maddening Eagles (3-2) had to tough one out against the Browns (1-5) in front of a mostly listless crowd. Before Smith’s TD, Eagles fans only showed some fire when they chanted for coach Nick Sirianni to get fired.
Trailing 20-13, the Browns moved into Eagles territory late in the game, only to settle for Dustin Hopkins’ 31-yard field goal. Deshaun Watson was pushed out of bounds at the 2-yard line on a scramble, and he threw incomplete on third down.
COLTS 20, TITANS 17
Joe Flacco threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, leading Indianapolis to a win over Tennessee.
The veteran now is 1-1 in his second straight start for the Colts (3-3) who got a much-needed split of back-to-back road games inside the AFC South with second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson scratched again with an injured right hip.
Richardson, the fourth overall pick out of Florida in 2023, has yet to play against Will Levis who was the 33rd selection overall in the same draft by Tennessee. The battered Colts, with nine on injured reserve, also had 2021 NFL rushing champ Jonathan Taylor out for a second straight game.
The Titans (1-4) now have lost three straight to their division rival. They will have to wait until November to try to win their first home game this season for first-year coach Brian Callahan.
PACKERS 34, CARDINALS 13
Romeo Doubs returned from a one-game suspension and caught two of Jordan Love’s four touchdown passes in Green Bay’s victory over mistake-prone Arizona.
Doubs scored his first two touchdowns of the season — a 10-yard score to open the second quarter and a 20-yard reception in the third quarter. Doubs, who caught three passes for 49 yards, missed the Packers’ 24-19 win over the Los Angeles Rams for conduct detrimental to the team after missing two practices.
Love also threw touchdown passes of 5 yards to Jayden Reed and 44 yards to Christian Watson while going 22 of 32 — completing throws to nine players — for 258 yards with one interception. His four touchdown passes matched a career high.
The Packers (4-2) capitalized on the Cardinals’ uncharacteristic lack of discipline. The Cardinals had been averaging a league-low 3.8 penalties per game, but they were penalized 13 times for 100 yards Sunday. They also committed three turnovers.
TEXANS 41, PATRIOTS 21
C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes and Houston spoiled the first start of rookie New England quarterback Drake Maye, breezing past the Patriots.
Joe Mixon rushed for 102 yards and caught a TD pass from Stroud. Stefon Diggs had six catches for 77 yards and a score for the AFC South-leading Texans (5-1), and Tank Dell had seven receptions for 57 yards and a TD.
Dameon Pierce ripped off a 54-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished with 76 yards on eight carries. Will Anderson Jr. recorded three sacks for Houston, which has won three straight.
The Patriots (1-5) got a boost from Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL draft. Taking over for veteran Jacoby Brissett, he finished 20 of 33 for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 38 yards but was intercepted twice and sacked four times, one resulting in a lost fumble.
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BUCCANEERS 51, SAINTS 27
Baker Mayfield overcame three turnovers with 325 yards and four touchdowns passing, and Tampa Bay defeated New Orleans in what they hoped would be a morale boost to their many fans who endured Hurricane Milton earlier in the week.
The result blemished rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler’s first NFL start for New Orleans, which has lost four straight after opening the season with a pair of lopsided victories.
Trailing by three after a wild, high-scoring first half in which Tampa Bay (4-2) lost an early 17-0 lead, the Bucs pulled ahead for good on Chris Godwin’s second touchdown of the game — a 55-yarder on a short catch and long run during which three Saints missed tackle attempts.
Safety Zyon McCollum’s diving interception of Rattler’s underthrown pass initiated a fourth-quarter drive that ended with Mayfield’s 8-yard scoring pass to tight end Cade Otton on third-and-goal as Tampa Bay continued to pull away.
CHARGERS 23, BRONCOS 16
Justin Herbert directed a clock-chewing, methodical Los Angeles Chargers offence that capitalized on the departure of star cornerback Patrick Surtain II to beat Denver.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh missed the start of the game while being evaluated by medical personnel, but returned to the sideline in the first quarter and coached the remainder of the game. He told a CBS sideline reporter he was dealing with a heart arrythmia.
The Chargers (3-2) looked for much of the afternoon as though they’d hand the Broncos (3-3) their first home shutout in their 65-year history. But after two turnovers and five punts, Bo Nix directed the Broncos on a 95-yard scoring drive capped by his 2-yard pass to fellow Oregon alum Troy Franklin early in the fourth quarter.
Then, Courtland Sutton made a diving 15-yard TD grab with 5:22 remaining, but a failed 2-point try left the double-digit deficit in place. The Broncos reached the Chargers 32 on their next possession and Wil Lutz’s 40-yard field goal on first down made it 23-16 with 59 seconds left.
STEELERS 32, RAIDERS 13
Najee Harris finally found his form after a slow start to the season, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown Sunday to lift Pittsburgh to a victory over Las Vegas.
Harris exceeded 100 yards for the first time since ending last season with back-to-back such performances. He rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons but entered this game averaging 3.3 yards per carry this year.
Quarterback Justin Fields added 59 yards on the ground and two TDs, though he passed for just 145 yards. Fields’ hold on the starting job had come into question after recent subpar performances and with Russell Wilson being activated for the first time this season after being out with a calf injury.
Pittsburgh (4-2) stopped a two-game skid with its highest-scoring game since beating Cincinnati 34-11 last Dec. 23. The Steelers entered ranked 26th in scoring offence, with an 18.4-point average.
FALCONS 38, PANTHERS 20
Bijan Robinson ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns, Tyler Allgeier added 105 yards rushing and a score and Atlanta defeated Carolina for their third win over an NFC South foe in three weeks.
Kirk Cousins completed 19 of 30 passes for 225 yards and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Drake London.
Carolina’s Andy Dalton finished 26 of 38 for 221 yards with two touchdowns passes and two fourth-quarter interceptions for the Panthers (1-5), who have lost three straight.
The Panthers trailed 28-20 early in the fourth quarter and were moving the ball effectively on the ground with Chuba Hubbard picking up three first downs before Dalton took a shot downfield and was intercepted by A.J. Terrell.
LIONS 47, COWBOYS 9
Jared Goff threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns after his completion streak ended on his first throw, and Detroit blew out Dallas, handing the Cowboys a fourth consecutive lopsided loss at home.
David Montgomery had two rushing TDs for the Lions (4-1), who lost pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a serious injury to his lower left leg in the third quarter.
Dak Prescott threw two interceptions in the worst home loss since 1988 for the Cowboys (3-3), who became the first team since at least 2000 to trail by 14 or more more points at halftime in four consecutive games on their home field. Dallas is 0-3 at home and 3-0 on the road.