Chiefs 33, Browns 29
Patrick Mahomes threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns while running for another score, and the Kansas City Chiefs came back from a dismal first half against the Cleveland Browns for a 33-29 victory Sunday in a rematch of their divisional playoff game from January.
Tyreek Hill caught 11 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, and Travis Kelce hauled in a pair of TD catches, including the go-ahead score with 7:02 remaining as the Chiefs finished off their rally from a 22-10 halftime deficit.
Baker Mayfield threw for 321 yards, but he was picked off by Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes with 1:09 left to end any hope of a comeback. Nick Chubb ran for 83 yards and two scores while Kareem Hunt and Jarvis Landry also had TD runs.
Steelers 23, Bills 16
Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ new-look offense overcame a slow start, Ulysees Gilbert returned a blocked punt 9 yards for a touchdown and Pittsburgh rallied to a season-opening 23-16 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Down 10-0, the Steelers scored on each of their first four possessions of the second half, with Roethlisberger putting Pittsburgh ahead for good by lobbing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson in the left corner of the end zone.
The Steelers then extended their lead to 20-10 some 90 seconds later with Miles Killebrew bursting up the middle to block Matt Haack’s punt, with Gilbert scooping up the loose ball and running it in untouched.
In opening his 18th — and perhaps final — season, Roethlisberger posted his 36th career fourth-quarter comeback to tie Drew Brees for third on the NFL list. He finished 18 of 32 for 188 yards and a touchdown.
Chris Boswell hit all three field-goal attempts, including a game-sealing 45-yarder with 2:42 remaining.
Buffalo’s Allen-led dynamic offense sputtered in resembling nothing of the aggressive unit which set numerous scoring and passing records last year. Josh Allen finished 30 of 51 for 270 yards with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis.
The Bills otherwise settled for Tyler Bass hitting three field goals and, worse still, failed to convert consecutive fourth-down opportunities to open the second half.
Cardinals 38, Titans 13
Kyler Murray scored five touchdowns and linebacker Chandler Jones had a career-high five sacks as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Tennessee Titans 38-13.
Jones also forced two fumbles the Cardinals turned into 14 points.
Murray threw for 289 yards with a career-high four TD passes, two apiece to All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk.
The Titans not only won the AFC South last year, they had one of the NFL’s best offenses in 2020 with Derrick Henry the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 2,027 yards. They tied Buffalo for the second-most yards per game and ranked fourth in scoring, then traded for wide receiver Julio Jones in June.
QB Ryan Tannehill was under constant pressure, with Michael Dogbe getting the sixth sack for Arizona.
Seahawks 28, Colts 16
Russell Wilson threw three of his four touchdown passes in the first half Sunday and Seattle’s defense clamped down in the second half as the Seahawks pulled away for a 28-16 season-opening victory at Indianapolis.
Despite taking no preseason snaps, Wilson led the Seahawks to touchdowns on their first two drives and posted a perfect passer rating of 158.3 in the first half. He wound up with the second-highest single-game rating of his 10-year career, 152.3, and fell one TD pass short of matching his career high. He finished 18 of 23 with 254 yards with the biggest blow coming on a 69-yard TD pass to Tyler Lockett in the final minute of the first half to give Seattle a 21-10 lead.
For Indy, QB Carson Wentz was 25 of 38 with 251 yards but it wasn’t enough.
Indy lost its eighth straight opener, the past five with different starting quarterbacks.
Eagles 32, Falcons 6
Jalen Hurts threw three touchdowns and Nick Sirianni won his NFL head coaching debut as the Philadelphia Eagles cruised to a 32-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons looked downright inept in their first game under coach Arthur Smith.
After settling for field goals on two impressive drives to start the game, Atlanta didn’t do much of anything the rest of the way. The Falcons never advanced farther than the Philadelphia 49 and finished with just 260 yards.
Matt Ryan was held to 164 yards passing and sacked three times.
Hurts completed 27 of 35 passes for 264 yards, and rushed for 62 yards on seven carries.
Panthers 19, Jets 14
Sam Darnold threw for 279 yards against his old team as the Carolina Panthers defeated the New York Jets 19-14.
Darnold connected on a 57-yard touchdown pass with fellow ex-Jet Robby Anderson and took full advantage of a healthy Christian McCaffrey, who piled up 187 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches after missing 13 games last season with injuries.
Carolina’s defense brought the pressure on Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson, sacking the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft six times and intercepting him once. Wilson kept battling, though and finished 20 of 37 for 258 yards with two touchdown passes to Corey Davis in his first career start.
The loss also spoiled the head coaching debut of Robert Saleh for the Jets.
Bengals 27, Vikings 24, OT
Evan McPherson kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired in overtime to push the Cincinnati Bengals to a 27-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The game-winning kick was set up by a gutsy call. On fourth-and-inches for the Bengals from their 48, Joe Burrow rolled out and hit tight end C.J. Uzomah in stride for a 32-yard gain and get McPherson well within his range. McPherson added a 53-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Cincinnati’s Germaine Pratt recovered Dalvin Cook’s fumble to set up the winning drive for Cincinnati. Minnesota challenged the ruling that Cook had fumbled, but it was upheld after a replay review.
Greg Joseph kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter to tie the game for Minnesota, which had battled back from a 21-7 second-half deficit.
Burrow threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns in his return after major knee surgery nine months ago, and rookie Ja’Marr Chase had 101 yards on five receptions, including a 50-yard scoring pass from his former LSU teammate.
Burrow, who flashed his considerable potential last season before tearing up his left knee in Week 11, completed 20 passes on 27 attempts and didn’t show any residual effects from being sacked five times by the Vikings. The 24-year-old played only one series in the preseason, in the final game, as he continued to rehab.
Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon, making a return from a foot injury that sidelined him much of last season, rushed for 127 yards and had a 2-yard touchdown plunge in the third quarter.
Kirk Cousins passed for 351 yards and two touchdowns to Adam Thielen for the Vikings.
Broncos 27, Giants 13
Teddy Bridgewater threw two touchdowns in his first start for Denver and the Broncos dominated possession and beat the Giants 27-13, spoiling the return of New York running back Saquon Barkley after a long ACL rehabilitation.
Acquired in the offseason from Carolina, Bridgewater completed 28 of 36 passes for 264 yards, sharing the ball with nine receivers.
Melvin Gordon III added a late 70-yard TD run and Brandon McManus kicked two field goals for the Broncos, who have had four straight losing seasons since their Super Bowl 50 title.
Daniel Jones threw a 37-yard touchdown pass play to Sterling Shepard for New York and ran for a 4-yard touchdown on the final play. The third-year quarterback finished 22 of 37 for 253 yards. He also lost a fumble in the red zone with the Giants trailing 20-7 in the third quarter.
Like the offence, Barkley never got going. The 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finished with 10 carries for 26 yards. His longest run was 5 yards.
49ers 41, Lions 33
Dre Greenlaw returned an interception for a touchdown to help the San Francisco 49ers score 17 points over two-plus minutes late in the first half, and they barely held on for a 41-33 win over the host Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The 49ers led 38-10 early in the fourth quarter and allowed the Lions to score 23 points in three-plus minutes to pull within eight. But the Lions turned the ball over on downs at the 49ers 24 with 12 seconds left after getting it back on a fumble by Deebo Samuel.
San Francisco welcomed back Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle on offense and Nick Bosa on defense after each missed much of last season with injuries.
Kittle had four receptions for 78 yards. Bosa had four tackles, including a drive-ending sack early in the fourth quarter.
Garoppolo, who lost a fumble on his first snap, was 17 of 25 for 314 yards. He threw a 79-yard touchdown pass to Samuel, who took advantage of cornerback Jeff Okudah falling.
Samuel had nine catches for a career-high 189 yards. Rookie Elijah Miller, filling in for injured Raheem Mostert, had a tiebreaking 38-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and finished with 104 rushing yards.
In his Lions debut, Jared Goff was 38 of 57 for 338 yards with three touchdowns and a costly interception. T.J. Hockenson had a career-high eight receptions for 97 yards and scored in the season opener for the third time in three years.
Goff, the former Los Angeles Rams quarterback acquired along with first-round draft picks for Matthew Stafford, was picked off late in the second quarter by Greenlaw. The linebacker returned the interception 39 yards to give the 49ers a 28-10 lead.
** Rookie quarterback Trey Lance connected with receiver Trent Sherfield on a 5-yard play-action pass to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter. The former North Dakota State star is the first rookie to throw for a touchdown on his first pass since the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan against the Lions in 2008. Lance also became the first 49ers rookie to throw for a score in a season opener since they joined the NFL in 1950.
Texans 37, Jaguars 21
Tyrod Taylor threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns as the Houston Texans defeated Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars 37-21.
Taylor took over at quarterback for Houston with Deshaun Watson Watson’s future with the team uncertain after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging sexual assault or harassment after he requested a trade.
Lawrence, the former Clemson standout, became the first rookie quarterback to start an opener in franchise history. It was a bumpy debut during which he threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions, often overthrew open receivers and was the victim of several drops.
Brandin Cooks had 132 yards receiving and Mark Ingram had 85 yards rushing and a TD in his Houston debut.
Chargers 20, Washington 16
Justin Herbert threw for 337 yards as the Los Angeles Chargers earned a 20-16 win over the Washington Football Team.
Herbert led scoring drives of 75, 76 and 68 yards, and a go-ahead touchdown pass to Mike Williams made up for his fumble into the end zone and red zone interception on consecutive possessions. The reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Chargers went 14 of 19 on third downs, wearing down Washington’s defense led by last year’s top defensive rookie, Chase Young.
Washington lost veteran starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a right hip injury midway through the fourth quarter of his team debut.
Fitzpatrick was replaced by popular backup Taylor Heinicke, who tossed a TD throw to tight end Logan Thomas. Heinicke was 11 of 15 for 122 yards and could be Washington’s starter moving forward.
Saints 38, Packers 3
Jameis Winston and the hurricane-displaced New Orleans Saints looked right at home in northeast Florida with a 38-3 victory against the Green Bay Packers.
Winston passed for five touchdowns and the Saints intercepted reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers twice as they kicked off the post-Drew Brees era with a dominant opening victory over the Packers on Sunday in Jacksonville.
The game, originally scheduled for the Superdome, was moved while the New Orleans area continues to clean up wreckage left by Hurricane Ida, which struck southeast Louisiana as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 29 — 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the same region.
Winston was 14 of 20 for 148 yards without an interception.
Packers fans seemed to outnumber Saints fans in a crowd announced at 35,242 for what was officially a Saints home game. But they left disappointed on a day that could not have gone much worse for Rodgers, who was pulled with nearly 11 minutes left.
He finished 15 of 28 for 133 yards and no touchdowns. He led one drive to a field goal at the end of the first half.
Dolphins 17, Pats 16
Tua Tagovailoa threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle in the third quarter and Xavien Howard recovered a Damien Harris fumble with New England driving in the fourth to help the Miami Dolphins hold on for a 17-16 win over the Patriots.
Tagovailoa finished 16 of 27 for 202 yards, a touchdown and one interception, and also had a 3-yard TD run. DeVante Parker caught four passes for 81 yards.
Miami’s win spoiled the debut of New England’s Mac Jones, the first rookie quarterback to start for the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe in 1993. Jones was 29 of 39 for 281 yards and a touchdown. Harris rushed 23 times for 100 yards, but had the costly fumble to end New England’s comeback hopes. New England had four fumbles on the day, losing two.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Rams 34, Bears 14
Matthew Stafford passed for 321 yards and three touchdowns in a dynamic debut with his new team, leading the Los Angeles Rams past Andy Dalton and the Chicago Bears for a 34-14 victory.
Stafford found Van Jefferson for a 67-yard touchdown on his second pass for the Rams, who swung a blockbuster offseason trade to acquire the 13-year veteran quarterback from Detroit. Stafford then hit a wide-open Cooper Kupp for a 56-yard TD to open the third quarter, and he found Robert Woods for a clinching score with 3:17 to play.
The Rams scored on six of Stafford’s first seven full drives while racking up 375 yards of offense, and Kupp finished with seven catches for 108 yards.
Dalton passed for 206 yards in his Bears debut, and rookie quarterback Justin Fields rushed for a 3-yard score while getting a handful of snaps in his NFL debut. Chicago moved the ball steadily, but Dalton’s end-zone interception after a solid opening drive left the Bears playing from behind all night.
David Montgomery rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown for the Bears, who dropped to 1/3 in season openers under coach Matt Nagy.
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
The Baltimore Ravens begin their season in Las Vegas, taking on the Raiders.
Betting Line: BAL -4.0
