NFL roundup: Patriots shock Bills for Bill Belichick's 300th win

 

[October 23, 2023]  Bill Belichick earned the 300th regular-season victory of his head-coaching career thanks to some late-game heroics from Mac Jones that lifted the New England Patriots to a 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

After New England (2-5) squandered a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead, Jones found Mike Gesicki for a go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the game. Belichick joins Don Shula (328 wins) and George Halas (318) as the only coaches in NFL history to reach 300 wins in the regular season.

Reaching the milestone didn't come easy, as Josh Allen headlined a ferocious rally for Buffalo (4-3). Allen connected with Stefon Diggs for a 25-yard TD with 5:32 left in the game before sneaking into the end zone from the goal line with 1:58 to go, giving the Bills a 25-22 edge.

Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two TDs. Allen threw for 265 yards, two scores and an interception on 27-for-41 passing.

Browns 39, Colts 38

Kareem Hunt's 1-yard touchdown run with 15 seconds left lifted Cleveland to a wild win over host Indianapolis.

The Browns (4-2) went 80 yards in 12 plays on the winning drive, aided by a pair of critical penalties. The Colts (3-4) were flagged for illegal contact that negated a fumble recovery with 38 seconds left, then committed pass interference to give Cleveland first-and-goal at the 1.

After P.J. Walker tossed three straight incomplete passes, Hunt broke the goal line's plane on a run up the middle. Walker came on in relief of Deshaun Watson, who departed late in the first quarter. Watson was evaluated for a concussion during the first half, but the Browns said he cleared the protocol. After the game, Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski named Watson the starter for next Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Falcons 16, Buccaneers 13

Younghoe Koo nailed a 51-yard field goal as time expired as Atlanta downed host Tampa Bay.

Despite losing three fumbles, Desmond Ridder threw for 250 yards on 19-of-25 passing for Atlanta. His 39-yard pass to Kyle Pitts helped set up Koo's game-winning kick. With Bijan Robinson slowed due to an illness, Tyler Allgeier led the Falcons (4-3) in carries (21) and rushing yards (59) and added 53 yards receiving.

Baker Mayfield passed for 275 yards and a touchdown and added 32 rushing yards for the Buccaneers (3-3). His 31-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter helped set up Chase McLaughlin's game-tying, 36-yard field goal with 49 seconds to play.

Ravens 38, Lions 6

Lamar Jackson passed for 357 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score as host Baltimore manhandled Detroit.

Baltimore scored touchdowns on its first four possessions while racing to a 28-0 halftime advantage. The Ravens racked up 355 yards before the break, including 255 passing yards by Jackson. Mark Andrews caught a pair of touchdown passes for Baltimore (5-2). Gus Edwards rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and had an 80-yard reception.

Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown and caught nine passes for 58 yards for the Lions (5-2), who had their four-game winning streak snapped. Jared Goff passed for 284 yards and was intercepted once. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 13 passes for 102 yards.

Bears 30, Raiders 12

D'Onta Foreman rushed for two touchdowns and caught a TD pass from Tyson Bagent, who was making his first NFL start, to boost host Chicago to a win against Las Vegas.

The undrafted Bagent, from NCAA Division II Shepherd, got the best of a matchup featuring backup QBs as Chicago (2-5) secured its first victory at home since Week 3 of 2022. Bagent was 21 of 29 for 162 yards and a touchdown, and Foreman rushed 16 times for 89 yards while the Bears amassed 173 yards on the ground.

Brian Hoyer was 17 of 32 for 129 yards and two interceptions for the Raiders (3-4). Davante Adams, who earlier in the week said he wanted to be more involved in the offense after back-to-back quiet weeks, had seven catches on 12 targets for 57 yards.

Giants 14, Commanders 7

Tyrod Taylor tossed two touchdown passes and the defense held firm as New York earned a win over Washington in East Rutherford, N.J.

Oct 22, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

In his second start for the injured Daniel Jones, Taylor went 18-for-29 passing for 279 yards. The Giants (2-5) scored on offense for the first time since Sept. 21, ending a three-game drought. Their defense racked up six sacks and Leonard Williams blocked a field goal. Darren Waller caught seven passes for 98 yards and a TD for New York, and Saquon Barkley rushed 21 times for 77 yards while adding three catches for 41 yards and a score.

Sam Howell went 22-for-42 passing for 249 yards and an interception for the Commanders (3-4), who punted 10 times and had eight three-and-outs.

Steelers 24, Rams 17

Kenny Pickett threw for 230 yards and ran for a touchdown as Pittsburgh overcame a sluggish first half to pull off a victory over Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.

Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris each rushed for fourth-quarter touchdowns as Pittsburgh (4-2) erased a seven-point deficit over the final 15 minutes. The Steelers won despite scoring just three first-half points and gaining 91 yards of total offense before halftime.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 231 yards and a touchdown, while rookie Puka Nacua had eight receptions for 154 yards. Nacua delivered his fourth game of at least eight receptions and his third of at least 140 yards. Royce Freeman rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries for Los Angeles (3-4).

Seahawks 20, Cardinals 10

Geno Smith threw touchdown passes to rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo in the first half and Seattle held on to defeat visiting Arizona.

Smith completed 18 of 24 passes for 219 yards with an interception and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 105 yards on 26 carries. The Seahawks (4-2) played without star receiver DK Metcalf because of a hip injury, but the rookies came through with four receptions apiece.

Arizona's Joshua Dobbs was 19-of-33 passing for 146 yards. Emari Demercado rushed for 58 yards on 13 attempts and made a team-high four catches. The Cardinals (1-6) forced three turnovers -- as many as Seattle had in its first five games of the season -- but were only able to turn those into three points.

Broncos 19, Packers 17

Wil Lutz kicked four field goals, including the decisive 52-yarder with 3:50 remaining, to help host Denver record a victory over Green Bay.

P.J. Locke notched his first career interception with 1:40 remaining as Denver (2-5) snapped a two-game slide. Russell Wilson completed 20 of 29 passes for 194 yards and one touchdown, Courtland Sutton caught a TD pass and Javonte Williams had 96 yards from scrimmage (82 rushing, 14 receiving) for the Broncos.

Jordan Love was 21-of-31 passing for 180 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Packers (2-4), who lost their third straight game. Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed had scoring catches for Green Bay.

Chiefs 31, Chargers 17

Patrick Mahomes completed 32 of 42 passes for 424 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, and Kansas City held on to beat visiting Los Angeles.

Travis Kelce finished with 12 catches for 179 yards and caught the go-ahead touchdown for the Chiefs (6-1), who won their sixth straight game. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco also caught one touchdown pass apiece.

Justin Herbert completed 17 of 30 passes for 259 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Chargers (2-4). Joshua Kelley ran seven times for 75 yards and a touchdown. The teams combined for five touchdowns during a frenzied second quarter, but Kelce's 1-yard TD with 15 seconds left put Kansas City up for good.

--Field Level Media

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