PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts rebounded from a pick-6 to hit A.J. Brown with the go-ahead touchdown on the next drive, and he threw for 279 yards and combined for three scores to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night.
The Super Bowl teams from last season, the champion Kansas City Chiefs and Eagles, are the only 6-1 teams in the NFL.
Hurts overcame two more interceptions but found Brown 10 times for 137 yards to beat his former Alabama teammate, Tua Tagovailoa, and the Dolphins (5-2).
But the big play that sealed the win came in the fourth quarter from the cornerback nicknamed “Big Play” Slay. With Miami trailing 24-17 in the fourth, Tagovailoa went deep on a pass intended for Raheem Mostert that was picked by Darius Slay near the goal line.
The Eagles tush-pushed their way toward first downs on a clock-eating drive late in the fourth before Hurts hit Brown for a 42-yard reception and Kenneth Gainwell sealed the win with a 3-yard touchdown run.
RAVENS 38, LIONS 6: Lamar Jackson guided Baltimore to touchdowns on its first four possessions of a dominant first half, and the Ravens (5-2) trounced visiting Detroit (5-2) in a matchup of division leaders that was lopsided from the start.
Baltimore was up 28-0 before the NFC North-leading Lions even managed a first down. It was the most complete performance of the season by the Ravens, and a resurgent Detroit squad fell flat while facing a major test on the road.
Jackson went 21 of 27 for 357 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a near-perfect passer rating of 155.8. He also ran for a TD. Jackson had great success with deep passes, often finding receivers open in the secondary with plenty of room to run. Baltimore protected Jackson well, and when that started to break down, his scrambling kept plays going.
Jackson opened the scoring with a 7-yard bootleg on fourth-and-1. On his team’s next possession, he escaped the pocket to the right and extended the play long enough to find Nelson Agholor for a 12-yard touchdown.
An 11-yard TD pass to Mark Andrews made it 21-0, and then Gus Edwards scored on a 2-yard run. At that point, the Lions had only managed three three-and-outs. Baltimore had a 28-0 lead, a 16-0 edge in first downs and a 325-13 advantage in total yards.
The Lions had won four straight – all by at least 14 points – and they’d scored at least 20 points in 15 straight games.
GIANTS 14, COMMANDERS 7: Tyrod Taylor threw two second-quarter touchdowns passes, and a Dexter Lawrence-led defense had six sacks and made a last-minute stand to help New York (2-5) snap a four-game skid by defeating visiting Washington (3-4).
Taylor, starting for the second straight week with Daniel Jones sidelined by a neck injury, hit Darren Waller for a 15-yard touchdown and added a 32-yard TD pass to Saquon Barkley as New York scored its first offensive first-half touchdowns of the season. He finished 18 of 29 for 279 yards.
Brian Robinson Jr. scored on a 4-yard run for Washington early in the third quarter after Giants veteran Sterling Shepard muffed a punt and the Commanders, who were limited to 46 yards in the first half, recovered at the 21.
The Giants had to make one more stand after Barkley lost a fumble inside the Washington 5. Sam Howell (22 of 42 for 249 yards) led the Commanders to a first-and-10 at the New York 12. On fourth-and-5 from the 7, his pass was a little behind Jahan Dotson, and the receiver could not make the catch.
CHIEFS 31, CHARGERS 17: Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns, Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 179 yards and a score, and Kansas City (6-1) beat visiting Los Angeles (3-4) to take command of the AFC West.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco also caught TD passes, and the Chiefs won their sixth straight to take a three-game lead in a division they have won seven straight years.
STEELERS 24, RAMS 17: Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and Pittsburgh (4-2) awoke from a quiet offensive day just in time for a victory at Los Angeles (3-4).
Kenny Pickett passed for 230 yards. Pittsburgh had just 110 yards in the first three quarters and didn’t reach the end zone until after T.J. Watt intercepted Matthew Stafford’s first pass of the second half and returned it inside the Los Angeles 10, setting up Pickett’s TD sneak.
Pickett got a generous spot on a sneak to convert a fourth-and-1 at the 2-minute warning, allowing Pittsburgh to secure the franchise’s first win over the Rams in Los Angeles.
Rams Coach Sean McVay couldn’t challenge the questionable spot because his team was out of timeouts, and the play occurred just outside the 2-minute window that would have resulted in a booth review.
BROWNS 39, COLTS 38: Kareem Hunt scored on a 1-yard plunge with 15 seconds left, capping an 80-yard drive that gave Cleveland (4-2) a victory at Indianapolis (3-4).
The Browns took advantage of debatable back-to-back defensive penalties against the Colts, for illegal contact and pass interference against cornerback Darrell Baker Jr.
The first call nullified a fumble recovery by the Colts. The second put the ball at the 1, setting up Hunt’s fourth-down score.
Walker rallied Cleveland for the second straight week. This time it was in relief of Deshaun Watson, who started his first game since Sept. 24 but left in the first quarter after taking a big hit that left him sprawled on the turf for several minutes.
Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew committed four turnovers – three of which Cleveland turned into scores and the last sealing the victory.
FALCONS 16, BUCCANEERS 13: Younghoe Koo’s third field goal of the game, a 51-yarder as time expired, bailed out Atlanta quarterback Desmond Ridder and gave the mistake-prone Falcons (4-3) a victory at Tampa Bay (3-3).
The Falcons snapped an eight-game road losing streak and moved atop the NFC South ahead of the Bucs despite Ridder losing three fumbles inside Tampa Bay’s red zone, including one that cost him a 12-yard touchdown run that would have put Atlanta up 10 points with less than four minutes to go.
Ridder’s fumble on a sack stopped the Falcons from breaking a 10-10 tie just before halftime. The young quarterback lost another fumble in the third quarter, one play after Drake London’s 13-yard reception gave the Falcons a first down inside the Bucs 1.
BEARS 30, RAIDERS 12: Rookie Tyson Bagent led three touchdown drives with Justin Fields sidelined, D’Onta Foreman ran for two scores and caught a TD pass, and Chicago (2-5) beat visiting Las Vegas (3-4).
They won a showdown of backup quarterbacks. Fields dislocated his right thumb in a loss to Minnesota last week, while Jimmy Garoppolo of the Raiders exited a win over New England because of a back problem.
Brian Hoyer threw for 129 yards and two interceptions, and the Raiders were blown out after winning back to back games.
The Bears simplified the game plan and relied on short throws and handoffs with Bagent – undrafted out of Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia – behind center. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a TD, helping Chicago stop a 10-game home losing streak.
SEAHAWKS 20, CARDINALS 10: Kenneth Walker III rushed for a season-high 105 yards, rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo both caught first-half touchdown passes, and Seattle (4-2) beat visiting Arizona (1-6).
Smith-Njigba caught his first NFL touchdown on a 28-yard reception in the first quarter, and Bobo made a terrific 18-yard TD catch in the second quarter.
BRONCOS 17, PACKERS 17: P.J. Locke saved Denver (2-5) another second-half meltdown, intercepting Jordan Love’s deep pass in the closing minutes to preserve a win over visiting Green Bay (2-4).
The Broncos gave Coach Sean Payton his first win at home in four tries and ended a dubious streak in which Denver had lost 10 consecutive games when leading at halftime.
This time, it was a 9-0 lead the Broncos frittered away before regaining the advantage on Wil Lutz’s 52-yard field goal with 3:50 remaining.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story