TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady got his first win with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, throwing for 217 yards, one touchdown and an interception in a 31-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

With the help of another recent acquisition, Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 103 yards and two TDs, Brady rebounded from a less-than-stellar debut for his new team as he avoided starting a season with consecutive losses for the first time in his career.

“Our execution was a little bit better. I think we’re still a long way from where we need to be,” Brady said. “I think if we have the ability to make plays, consistency, dependability are going to be things that we really need. So, we’ve got to get back to work. Clock’s ticking on next week.”

Brady tossed a 23-yard TD pass to Mike Evans in the first quarter. Fournette scored on runs of 1 and 46 yards, the latter coming after Carolina rallied from a 21-0 halftime deficit to pull within 24-17 on a pair of TD runs by Christian McCaffrey and Joey Slye’s 23-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining.

Brady completed 23 of 35 passes, and Evans finished with seven receptions for 104 yards.

Teddy Bridgewater was 33 of 42 for 367 yards and two interceptions for the Panthers (0-2), who had four turnovers.

CHIEFS 23, CHARGERS 20: Harrison Butker kicked a 58-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in overtime, and visiting Kansas City (2-0) survived a superlative first start by rookie quarterback Justin Herbert of the Chargers (1-1).

Butker’s winner was his third field goal of the day and his second from 58 yards, which tied a Chiefs record for distance. He nailed a 30-yarder on the final play of regulation.

In overtime, Butker sent the ball through the uprights from 53 yards, but Kansas City was called for a false start. Then the Chargers called timeout, giving him a rehearsal kick from 58 that he also made before the one that counted.

Herbert, the sixth overall pick in April’s draft, got the start after Tyrod Taylor reaggravated a rib injury during pregame warmups. Herbert was 22 of 33 for 311 yards with a touchdown and interception, becoming the ninth quarterback since the merger to have a 300-yard game in his NFL debut.

COWBOYS 40, FALCONS 39: Greg Zuerlein kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired, and Dallas (1-1) overcame four fumbles and a 20-point deficit in the first quarter to beat Atlanta (0-2) in Coach Mike McCarthy’s home debut.

The Falcons were still up 12 in the fourth quarter when Dak Prescott became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 400 yards and rush for three touchdowns in the same game, getting the Cowboys within two.

C.J. Goodwin recovered an onside kick with 1:48 remaining, and rookie receiver CeeDee Lamb’s 24-yard catch put the Cowboys in field-goal position.

Matt Ryan threw four touchdown passes for the Falcons.

BEARS 17, GIANTS 13: Mitchell Trubisky threw two touchdown passes and Chicago (2-0) held on to beat visiting New York (0-2).

The Bears grabbed a 17-0 halftime lead and withstood a big push by the Giants, who refused to go quietly even though they lost star running back Saquon Barkley to a right knee injury on the opening play of the second quarter.

BILLS 31, DOLPHINS 28: Josh Allen threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, both personal bests, and Buffalo (2-0) won at Miami (0-2).

Trailing 20-17, the Bills reclaimed the lead for good with 6 minutes left on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Allen to rookie Gabriel Davis, who made a diving catch in the end zone.

Allen’s 46-yard touchdown pass to John Brown sealed the win.

RAMS 37, EAGLES 19: Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes to Tyler Higbee and Los Angeles (2-0) won at Philadelphia (0-2).

Goff completed his first 13 passes, including a pair of TDs to Higbee, and the Rams jumped to a 21-3 lead minutes into the second quarter.

TITANS 33, JAGUARS 30: Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 49-yard field goal with 1:36 left, and Tennessee (2-0) beat visiting Jacksonville (1-1).

Gostkowski, who hit the left upright on an extra point, also made a 51-yarder at the end of the first half after an ugly performance in the season opener.

49ERS 31, JETS 13: Raheem Mostert ran for an 80-yard touchdown on San Francisco’s first play from scrimmage and Jimmy Garoppolo threw two TD passes – before both players sat out the second half because of injuries – and the banged-up 49ers (1-1) rolled to a win over the Jets (0-2) in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

It was a costly victory for San Francisco, which was already short-handed before losing Garoppolo to an ankle injury and Mostert to an injured knee. Defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas were both carted off the field two plays apart because of left knee injuries in the first quarter.

The 49ers went into the game without star tight end George Kittle (knee), wide receiver Deebo Samuel (foot), cornerback Richard Sherman (calf) and defensive end Dee Ford (neck).

It didn’t matter against the Jets, who have also been hit hard by injuries and couldn’t muster much. Now, the defending NFC champions head into Week 3 with some serious concern for key players.

PACKERS 42, LIONS 21: Aaron Jones rushed for a career-high 168 yards and scored three touchdowns, including a 75-yard breakaway, as Green Bay (2-0) rallied from an early 11-point deficit against visiting Detroit (0-2).

Jones also had a team-high 68 yards receiving on four catches as the Packers won their home opener for an eighth consecutive year.

STEELERS 26, BRONCOS 21: Ben Roethlisberger passed for 311 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and Pittsburgh (2-0) fended off a spirited comeback by visiting Denver (0-2).

The Steelers knocked out Denver starting quarterback Drew Lock in the first quarter with a right shoulder injury. But they didn’t secure the win until safety Terrell Edmunds sacked backup quarterback Jeff Driskel on fourth-and-2 with less than two minutes to go.

RAVENS 33, TEXANS 16: Lamar Jackson threw a touchdown pass, Mark Ingram ran for a TD and Baltimore (2-0) added a score on defense in a win at Houston (0-2).

The victory is Baltimore’s 14th straight in the regular season – the longest streak in the NFL since since Carolina won 18 in a row in 2014-15.

COLTS 28, VIKINGS 11: Jonathan Taylor rushed 26 times for 101 yards and scored a touchdown in his first NFL start, leading Indianapolis (1-1) past visiting Minnesota (0-2).

CARDINALS 30, WASHINGTON 15: Kyler Murray threw for 286 yards and a touchdown and ran for two more scores to lead Arizona (2-0) past visiting Washington (1-1).

NOTES

BEARS: Chicago agreed to a three-year contract extension with running back and return specialist Tarik Cohen.

The deal guarantees Cohen about $9.5 million and could be worth $18.25 million, agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

 

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