NFL: Week 3 RECAP

Eagles 15, Saints 12

Saquon Barkley rushed for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards, and the Eagles rebounded from a late-game collapse six days earlier to beat the previously surging New Orleans Saints, 15-12 on Sunday.

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Barkley’s shorter scoring run came with 1:01 left, one play after Dallas Goedert got free across the middle on third-and-16 for a 61-yard catch and run that gave him a career-high 170 yards on 10 receptions.

Eagles safety Reed Blankenship sealed the victory by intercepting Derek Carr’s pass over the middle with 48 seconds left.

The Eagles (2-1) did not allow a touchdown until Carr found Chris Olave for a 12-yard, go-ahead score with just more than two minutes left. That gave the Saints a 12-7 lead after a failed 2-point try.

Jalen Hurts finished 29 of 38 for 311 yards passing and scrambled for 25 yards. But he also turned the ball over twice in the first half, intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu in the end zone and losing a fumble on a sack by Carl Granderson.

 

Packers 30, Titans 14
Malik Willis ran for a touchdown and threw for a score in his best performance as a pro, leading the Packers to a 30-14 rout of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Willis not only won his second straight start subbing for Jordan Love, he got a sweet measure of revenge against the team that traded him to Green Bay (2-1). Willis accounted for 134 of the Packers’ 137 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 202 yards passing and 73 rushing.

Two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander scored a touchdown on his first career pick-6 late in the first quarter. The Packers ultimately scored 20 straight points for a 27-7 advantage midway through the third.

The Packers had eight sacks, their most since getting eight at Chicago on Jan. 2, 2005. They also forced three turnovers.

Will Levis threw two TD passes, one to Nick Vannett and the other to DeAndre Hopkins.

The 33rd pick overall in 2023 out of Kentucky has eight turnovers in three games, including two interceptions returned for TDs.

 

Steelers 20,  Chargers 10
Justin Fields delivered his most efficient performance yet in a 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, throwing for a touchdown and running for another as the Steelers improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020.

Pittsburgh’s defense limited the Chargers (2-1) to 168 total yards and the offensive line manhandled Los Angeles late.

Justin Herbert, the Chargers franchise quarterback began the day by starting despite a balky right ankle that limited his practice time during the week. He ended it with his right foot in a boot after being pulled late in the third quarter not long after being sacked by Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts.

 

Giants 21, Browns 15

Malik Nabers caught two touchdown passes from Daniel Jones, made a sensational grab over a defender down the sideline and even broke up a potential interception as New York held off the Cleveland Browns 21-15 on Sunday for its first win.

Jones and Nabers connected twice in the first half as the Giants (1-2) built a 21-7 lead before holding on for dear life.

Despite losing three offensive linemen to injuries, Deshaun Watson rallied the Browns (1-2) and Cleveland had three chances to take the lead in the fourth quarter. But the Giants recovered a fumble and stopped the Browns twice on downs.

Colts 21, Bears 16

Jonathan Taylor scored twice and topped the 100-yard mark for the second straight week and Anthony Richardson helped Trey Sermon get across the goal line as the Indianapolis Colts held on for a 21-16 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champ finished with 23 carries for 110 yards.

The Colts’ maligned defense managed to limit Chicago to just 63 yards rushing, forced three turnovers, sacked rookie Caleb Williams four times and made a crucial goal-line stand late in the first half.

While he threw the first two TD passes of his NFL career, Williams was again under constant duress.

He finished 33 of 52 with 363 — all career bests — but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble on a strip-sack that led to Taylor’s 1-yard TD run, which essentially sealed the game.

 

Seahawks 24, Dolphins 3

Geno Smith threw for 289 yards and a 71-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf, Zach Charbonnet rushed for two TDs, and the Seattle Seahawks beat Miami 24-3.

A week after losing Tua Tagovailoa to the third concussion in the past two years, the Dolphins watched Skylar Thompson suffer a chest injury in the second half, leaving Tim Boyle to try and lead the charge back from a 17-3 deficit.

Boyle was unable to direct a comeback and the Dolphins (1-2) were stuck back in a place of uncertainty about their QB situation.

Thompson was 13 of 19 for 107 yards prior to leaving the game. He was also sacked five times.

Smith was 26 of 34 passing, including the long TD toss to Metcalf. Charbonnet finished with 91 yards on 18 carries and his 10-yard TD run with 4:55 left finally put the Dolphins away. Seattle improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020.

 

Vikings 34, Dolphins 7

Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Vikings intercepted C.J. Stroud twice and sacked him four times in a 34-7 victory over the Texans on Sunday.

Jonathan Greenard had three sacks of his former teammate Stroud, as the Vikings (3-0) rattled the Texans (2-1).

Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter. In the second half, he delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and got Johnny Mundt one, too.

Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards for the Vikings.

Darnold went 17 for 28 for 181 yards without a turnover, and the 2018 third overall draft pick also tied his career best with a three-game winning streak as a starter.

Stroud went 20 for 31 for 215 yards.

Panthers 36, Raiders 22

Andy Dalton threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns to lead Carolina past the Las Vegas Raiders 36-22 on Sunday.

Promoted to the starting job in place of the ineffective Bryce Young, Dalton guided the Panthers (1-2) to their first win and moved to 4-0 lifetime against the Raiders.

Carolina, now 3-17 going back to last season, was outscored a combined 73-13 by the Saints and Chargers in the first two weeks before Coach Dave Canales benched Young, the No. 1 overall draft pick just a year ago, on Monday.

Chuba Hubbard rushed for 114 yards and caught five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Gardner Minshew completed 18 of 28 passes for 214 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Las Vegas running game, which entered the game last in the league with a 49-yard average, totaled just 55 yards.

 

Broncos 26, Buccaneers 7

Bo Nix ran for an early touchdown and led the Broncos (1-2) to a 26-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Wil Lutz kicked field goals of 43, 38, 33 and 43 yards for Denver.

Nix completed 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards without an interception after tossing four of them in his team’s first two games.

The Broncos also turned away two Tampa Bay possessions in Denver territory in the fourth quarter, stopping one drive on downs and forcing a fumble on the other.

The three-time defending NFC South champion Bucs (2-1) were limited to 223 yards total offense.

Baker Mayfield was 25 of 33 passing for 163 yards, including a 6-yard scoring throw to Chris Godwin in the second quarter. Rookie Bucky Irving set up the touchdown with runs of 32 and 13 yards.

 

Lions 20, Cardinals 13
Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes, David Montgomery ran for 106 yards and a score and the Detroit Lions held on late to beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-13 on Sunday.

The Lions improved to 5-0-1 against the Cardinals since 2017. Detroit’s defense kept Kyler Murray and Arizona out of the end zone in the second half, giving up just one field goal.

Goff completed his first 14 passes before an incompletion in the third quarter. It was his longest streak without an incompletion to start a game in his nine-year career and he finished 18 of 23 for 196 yards.

Arizona had multiple good chances to cut into Detroit’s lead in the third quarter, but couldn’t convert on critical plays.

The Cardinals (1-2) were driving early in the third when Murray tried to go deep to Marvin Harrison Jr., but the pass was short and intercepted by Kerby Joseph in the end zone.

 

Rams 27, 49ers 24

Rookie Joshua Karty hit a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds to play, as the Los Angeles Rams staged a late rally for a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Kyren Williams rushed 4 yards for his third touchdown of the day with 1:50 left for the Rams (1-2), who came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half for their second straight win over San Francisco (1-2).

Jauan Jennings set career highs with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns for the 49ers, who blew a lead of at least 14 points for the first time since 2018.

Brock Purdy passed for 292 yards, but the defending NFC champions and Super Bowl favorites took their second straight road loss after falling at Minnesota last week.

Both teams were missing most of their top offensive playmakers due to injury.

The 49ers played without running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle, while the Rams were without Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper Kupp, record-setting receiver Puka Nacua and tight end Tyler Higbee.

 

Ravens 28, Cowboys 25

 

Derrick Henry ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Lamar Jackson accounted for two scores and the Baltimore Ravens held on for a 28-25 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

The Ravens (1-2) scored touchdowns on their first two drives.

The Cowboys (1-2) have allowed 120 points in their past three home games, including a 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay in January that ended Dallas’ 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium.

Brandon Aubrey kicked a 65-yard field goal for the Cowboys, 1 yard shy of the NFL record from 2021 held by the kicker on the other sideline, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker.

A late Dallas surge put Dak Prescott at 28 of 51 for 379 yards and two touchdowns but once again didn’t have any help from an anemic running game, even before the score got out of hand. Dallas averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

 

 

SUNDAY NIGHT:   Chiefs 22, Falcons 17

 

Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes and the Chiefs defense stopped Atlanta twice on fourth down in the closing minutes, preserving a 22-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Mahomes threw for 217 yards, including scoring throws to Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Harrison Butker booted three field goals for the Chiefs.

Kirk Cousins was 20 of 29 for 230 yards with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Drake London.

 

TONIGHT on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: DOUBLEHEADER

 

The (0-2) Jacksonville Jaguars are in Buffalo to battle the (2-0) Bills. (Game time 7:30pm eastern.)

The (1-1) Washington Commanders are in Cincinnati to take on the winless (0-2) Bengals.  (Game time 8:15pm eastern.)

 

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