NFL roundup: Commanders sink Bears on last-second Hail Mary
Jayden Daniels threw a 52-yard Hail Mary pass to Noah Brown on the final play of the game and the Washington Commanders beat the Chicago Bears 18-15 on Sunday in Landover, Md.
Roschon Johnson had scored on the ground from 1 yard out with 25 seconds left in regulation, and the Bears (4-3) made good on the ensuing two-point conversion to take a 15-12 lead after trailing 12-0 earlier in the contest.
That left just enough time for the Commanders (6-2) to return the kickoff to their own 24 and complete two short passes to set up the game-winning heave, which deflected off a crowd of players and went into Brown’s hands in the end zone as time expired.
The game matched rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams of Chicago, selected first overall out of Southern California in this year’s draft, and Daniels, taken No. 2 out of LSU.
Daniels was 21-of-38 passing for 326 yards and the score. He also ran eight times for 52 yards. Williams completed 10 of 24 passes for 131 yards. D’Andre Swift ran for 129 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries for Chicago.
Lions 52, Titans 14
Kalif Raymond returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown and added a receiving score as Detroit overwhelmed visiting Tennessee.
David Montgomery ran for a touchdown and threw for another in the first half for the Lions (6-1). Jared Goff tossed three scoring passes and Jahmyr Gibbs had a 70-yard scoring run as Detroit surpassed the 50-point mark for the first time since scoring 55 points in 1997. Gibbs finished with 127 rushing yards.
Tennessee’s Mason Rudolph passed for a touchdown and ran for another but was also intercepted twice. Calvin Ridley caught 10 passes for 143 yards for the Titans (1-6).
49ers 30, Cowboys 24
Brock Purdy passed for 260 yards and one touchdown and also rushed for a score as San Francisco beat Dallas in Santa Clara, Calif.
George Kittle had six receptions for 128 yards and one touchdown as the 49ers (4-4) beat the Cowboys for the fourth consecutive time, with two of those wins coming in the playoffs. Kittle also became the fifth player in 49ers history with 500 or more career receptions.
Dak Prescott completed 25 of 38 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Cowboys (3-4). CeeDee Lamb matched his career high of 13 receptions to go with 146 yards and two scores for Dallas, which lost its second straight game.
Patriots 25, Jets 22
Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown with 22 seconds remaining to lift New England over New York in Foxborough, Mass.
Stevenson then hauled in a two-point conversion pass from backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett as the Patriots (2-6) ended a six-game skid. The Jets (2-6) had gone up 22-17 when Braelon Allen ran for a 2-yard score with 2:57 left.
Brissett was under center because rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, sustained a concussion late in the first quarter. Brissett ended up completing 15 of 24 passes for 132 yards. Aaron Rodgers had 233 yards and two TDs on 17-of-28 passing for the Jets.
Browns 29, Ravens 24
Jameis Winston threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds remaining as Cleveland stunned visiting Baltimore.
Winston completed 27 of 41 passes for 334 yards with three touchdowns in his first start since 2022. The 30-year-old stepped in after Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles injury last Sunday and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson injured his finger in relief of Watson.
Tillman had seven catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns for the Browns (2-6). His game-winning score came one play after Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton dropped an interception that could have sealed the win for Baltimore (5-3).
Texans 23, Colts 20
C.J. Stroud threw for 285 yards and a touchdown as Houston took a commanding lead in the AFC South with a win over visiting Indianapolis.
One week after finishing with only 86 passing yards in a loss against the Green Bay Packers, Stroud was back in form, completing 25 of 37 passes and directing five scoring drives. The Texans (6-2) took a two-game lead over the second-place Colts (4-4) in the division and also earned a sweep of the season series.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson struggled from the start. He completed only 2 of 15 passes in the first half and finished 10-of-32 passing for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Packers 30, Jaguars 27
Brandon McManus booted a game-winning field goal as time expired for the second straight week and Green Bay survived an injury to quarterback Jordan Love during a victory over host Jacksonville.
McManus’ game-winner came from 24 yards out and lifted Green Bay (6-2) to its fourth consecutive victory. Josh Jacobs ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries for the Packers. That performance was crucial after Love was visibly limping throughout the second quarter due to a groin injury.
Trevor Lawrence completed 21 of 32 passes for 308 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Jacksonville (2-6). He also ran for a touchdown.
Cardinals 28, Dolphins 27
Chad Ryland booted a 34-yard field goal with no time remaining as Arizona clipped Miami in Miami Gardens, Fla.
The game-winning kick was Ryland’s second straight and third of the season. He hit a field goal to beat the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 6 and made good on another to knock off the Los Angeles Chargers last Monday.
Kyler Murray completed 26 of 36 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals (4-4). Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa returned from a concussion and completed 28 of 38 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown as the Dolphins (2-5) achieved a season-high point total.
Falcons 31, Buccaneers 26
Kirk Cousins completed 23 of 29 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns, leading visiting Atlanta past Tampa Bay.
Darnell Mooney had five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown while Kyle Pitts hauled in four receptions for 91 yards and two scores as the Falcons (5-3) improved to 4-0 against NFC South opponents.
Baker Mayfield completed 37 of 50 passes for 330 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions as Tampa Bay (4-4) lost its fourth game in six tries. Cade Otton led the Buccaneers with nine receptions for 81 yards and two scores.
Eagles 37, Bengals 17
Jalen Hurts ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as visiting Philadelphia blew by Cincinnati.
Hurts finished 16-of-20 passing for 236 yards for Philadelphia (5-2), which won its third straight. Saquon Barkley eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the second straight game and fourth time this season, finishing with 108 yards on 22 carries.
The Bengals (3-5) fell to 0-4 at home this season. Joe Burrow was held to 234 yards on 26-of-37 passing, tossing one touchdown and an interception.
Chargers 26, Saints 8
Justin Herbert threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns as Los Angeles stopped struggling New Orleans in Inglewood, Calif.
Herbert completed 20 of 32 passes, the biggest one a 60-yard scoring strike to rookie receiver Ladd McConkey with 8:48 left in the third quarter. McConkey finished with six catches for 111 yards and two scores, making him the first Charger rookie receiver to get 100 yards and a touchdown in a game since Keenan Allen did so in 2013. J.K. Dobbins added a score for Los Angeles (4-3).
The Saints (2-6) dropped their sixth straight game and again struggled to generate offense with starting quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) sidelined. Rookie Spencer Rattler started and went 12-for-24 passing for 156 yards before being pulled in the third quarter for Jake Haener.
Bills 31, Seahawks 10
James Cook rushed for a season-high 111 yards and two touchdowns as Buffalo defeated host Seattle in a matchup of division leaders.
Josh Allen completed 24 of 34 passes for 283 yards and two scores for the AFC East-leading Bills (6-2), who won their third game in a row. Khalil Shakir grabbed a career-high nine receptions for 107 yards.
The NFC West-leading Seahawks (4-4), who lost for the fourth time in their past five games, managed just 233 yards of total offense without leading receiver DK Metcalf, who suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament last week. Geno Smith completed 21 of 29 passes for 212 yards with an interception.
Broncos 28, Panthers 14
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw for three touchdowns and ran for another and Denver kept visiting Carolina’s sluggish offense in check.
Nix completed 28 of 37 throws for 284 yards, with 11 Broncos making at least one reception. Courtland Sutton had eight catches for 100 receiving yards for the Broncos (5-3).
The return of quarterback Bryce Young, the 2023 draft’s first overall pick, to a starting role didn’t provide much of a spark for the Panthers (1-7) even though the team produced the game’s first touchdown.
Chiefs 27, Raiders 20
Patrick Mahomes completed 27 of 38 passes for 262 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and Kansas City held on for a win over host Las Vegas.
Travis Kelce had 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs (7-0), who are the NFL’s last unbeaten team this season. Kareem Hunt added a touchdown on the ground and Xavier Worthy had a TD catch.
Gardner Minshew completed 24 of 30 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders (2-6). Jakobi Meyers and D.J. Turner had one touchdown catch apiece.
–Field Level Media
