LDN - Sports

NFL roundup: Eagles hand Vikings first loss

[October 24, 2016] The Sports Xchange

PHILADELPHIA -- A ball-hawking defense and a back-breaking kickoff return led the Philadelphia Eagles past the Minnesota Vikings 21-10 Sunday, as the NFL's final undefeated team took its first defeat.

Neither team's offense was effective and both team's quarterbacks struggled.

Rookie Carson Wentz completed 16 of 28 passes for 138 yards and had a passer rating of 52.3 for the Eagles (4-2).

Sam Bradford, who was traded from the Eagles before the season opener, was even worse for most of the game for the Vikings (5-1). He completed 24 of 41 passes for 224 yards and had a passer rating of 71.5, but most of that came in garbage time when Philadelphia was giving up short passes. Prior to the Vikings' final possession, Bradford was 15 of 32 with a passer rating of 45.7.

Josh Huff returned a second-quarter kickoff 98 yards, and the subsequent two-point conversion run by Wentz gave the Eagles an 8-3 lead. Minnesota was never in front again.

Dolphins 28, Bills 25

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Jay Ajayi became the fourth player in NFL history to rush for more than 200 yards in consecutive games, leading Miami over Buffalo.

The Dolphins (3-4) won their second straight game. The Bills (4-3) had their four-game win streak snapped.

Ajayi, a second-year running back from Boise State, ran 29 times for 214 yards and one touchdown. The previous week, he ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before that game, Ajayi, a former fifth-round pick who started the season as a backup, had never rushed for 100 yards in an NFL game.

The Bills were led by quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who threw a touchdown pass and also ran for a score. Running back LeSean McCoy re-injured his hamstring and was held to 11 yards on eight carries.

Giants 17, Rams 10

Landon Collins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie each had two interceptions, fueling a strong defensive effort in New York's win over Los Angeles at Twickenham Stadium in London.

Collins returned his first interception for a highlight-reel touchdown and set up Rashard Jennings' go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter with his second pick of the game.

The Giants (4-3) intercepted Rams quarterback Case Keenum four times. New York had only three takeaways all season before Sunday.

Both of Rodgers-Cromartie's picks came in the end zone in the fourth quarter. New York also sacked Keenum three times and handed the Rams (3-4) their third straight loss.

Bengals 31, Browns 17

CINCINNATI -- Jeremy Hill rushed for a career-high 168 yards and Andy Dalton passed for 308 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a Hail Mary to A.J. Green at the end of the first half, to lift Cincinnati over Cleveland.

The Bengals (3-4) badly needed a win to keep pace in the AFC North heading into next week's matchup with the Washington Redskins in London.

It was another rough afternoon for the Browns (0-7), who lost quarterback Cody Kessler to a concussion in the second quarter. Kessler had just completed an 11-yard shovel pass when he was thrown hard to the turf by Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap. At the time of his injury, Kessler was 9 of 11 for 82 yards.

Backup quarterback Kevin Hogan took over for Kessler and rushed for 107 yards, including a 28-yard touchdown, but was 12 of 24 for 100 yards and two interceptions passing.

Jets 24, Ravens 16

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Matt Forte generated 155 yards in total offense and scored two touchdowns as New York snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Baltimore.

The Jets (2-5) lost starting quarterback Geno Smith in the second quarter but pulled away in the second half thanks to Forte, who had 103 total yards in the final two quarters. New York's opportunistic defense picked off Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco twice to set up a pair of scoring drives.

Chris Moore recovered a fumble in the end zone and Justin Tucker kicked three field goals for the Ravens (3-4), who have lost four straight. Flacco was 25 of 44 for 248 yards and the pair of damaging interceptions.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who lost his starting job after throwing two touchdowns and 10 interceptions during the four-game losing streak, was 9 of 14 for 120 yards and one touchdown after Smith (4 of 8 for 95 yards and a 61-yard touchdown to Quincy Enunwa) was injured while being sacked.

Lions 20, Redskins 17

DETROIT -- Matthew Stafford connected with Anquan Boldin on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left, lifting Detroit over Washington.

Stafford, making his 100th career start, engineered a six-play, 75-yard drive after Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins scored on a 19-yard run with 1:05 remaining.

Stafford completed 18 of 29 passes for 266 yards as the Lions (4-3) won their third straight, all at home. Wide receiver Golden Tate caught six passes for 93 yards and Zach Zenner scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run.

The Redskins (4-3) saw their four-game winning streak snapped. Cousins, the former Michigan State quarterback playing in his home state for the first time, completed 30 of 39 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown.

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Chiefs 27, Saints 21

KANSAS CITY, Mo -- Led by the efforts of running back Spencer Ware on offense and a defense that forced two turnovers, Kansas City beat New Orleans Saints.

Six games into the season, Ware has proven to be a major contributor as a runner and receiver, touching the ball 19 times against the Saints for 132 yards. He caught a short pass from quarterback Alex Smith and turned it into a 46-yard touchdown play in the first quarter.

The Kansas City defense allowed the New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees to throw for 348 yards and three touchdowns. But the Chiefs (4-2) forced a Brees interception that was returned for a touchdown by nickel safety Daniel Sorensen. The Saints dropped to 2-4.

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Raiders 33, Jaguars 16

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Oakland's offense was efficient and its league-worst defense stifled Jacksonville throughout the game.

The Raiders (5-2) are now 4-0 on the road this season -- the last time they accomplished that came when the franchise advanced to the AFC Championship Game in 2000. The team has won at New Orleans, at Tennessee, at Baltimore and now Jacksonville.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr outplayed counterpart Blake Bortles in a game that featured plenty of boos from a Jacksonville fan base that hasn't had much to cheer for this season for the 2-4 Jaguars. Carr finished 23-of-37 passing for 200 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers.

Colts 34, Titans 26

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Indianapolis scored two touchdowns in an eight-second span to beat Tennessee, possibly saving its season.

Andrew Luck hit Jack Doyle with a 7-yard touchdown pass with 1:55 left to give the Colts (3-4) a 27-23 lead. On the Titans' first play after the kickoff, T.Y. McGill strip-sacked Marcus Mariota and Robert Mathis scooped it up, rumbling 14 yards for the clinching score.

Ryan Succop drilled a 44-yard field goal with 43 seconds remaining to pull Tennessee (3-4) within a score, but the onside kick bounced out of bounds to seal the verdict.

Luck completed 27 of 39 passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns despite being without three offensive starters due to injuries. Mariota was 22 of 37 for 232 yards and two touchdowns.

Patriots 27, Steelers 16

PITTSBURGH -- LeGarrette Blount ran for two touchdowns and 127 yards against his former team, and New England turned to its old reliables -- Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski -- to hold off Ben Roethlisberger-less Pittsburgh (4-3).

Gronkowski caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Brady in the third quarter after the Steelers cut what was a 14-0 deficit to 14-13. The tight end then made a 37-yard catch to set up Blount's 5-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter. Blount earlier ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and Brady threw for two scores.

Brady went 19 of 26 for 222 yards and no interceptions. He has eight touchdown passes and no interceptions in three games since returning from his four-game suspension -- and the Patriots (6-1) have won all three.

Chargers 23, Falcons 20 (OT)

ATLANTA -- It took a comeback and overtime, but San Diego (3-4) beat Atlanta (4-3) to post consecutive wins for the first time since November 2014.

Josh Lambo kicked 42-yard field goal six minutes into OT after Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman stopped Devonta Freeman for a loss on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons 45-yard line on the first possession of the extra period.

The Chargers, down by 17 points in the second quarter, tied it on a 33-yard field goal by Lambo with 18 seconds remaining in regulation after Matt Ryan was intercepted by Perryman.

Buccaneers 34, 49ers 17

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 156 yards, Jameis Winston threw three touchdown passes, and Tampa Bay (3-3) came from behind to defeat San Francisco (1-6).

Mike Evans caught eight passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns for the Buccaneers, who won their second straight game. Russell Shepard caught five passes for 77 yards and a score.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick started his second straight game and threw for 143 yards and one touchdown for the 49ers, who lost their sixth in a row. Kaepernick rushed for a team-high 84 yards on nine carries. He completed 16 of 34 passes, was intercepted once and lost a fumble.

Cardinals 6, Seahawks 6 (OT)

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- In a game featuring two blocked kicks and missed field goals that would have won the game for both teams on what essentially were chip shots, Arizona and Seattle wound up settling for a tie.

Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro had a chance to win the game with a second field goal in overtime, but his 24-yard attempt with 3:19 remaining bounced off the left upright.

The Seahawks took over, and after two long pass plays from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin, Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka shanked a 28-yard field goal wide left with seven seconds left to play in the extra period.

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