The Minnesota Vikings made up for three bad quarters of football with a dominant one on Sunday.
Kirk Cousins was 29-of-35 passing for 319 yards and three touchdowns to lead Minnesota to a come-from-behind 27-23 home win over the Denver Broncos.
The Vikings (8-3) trailed 20-0 at halftime and 23-7 after three quarters, but scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to rally and win for the sixth time in their past seven games. Cousins hit Kyle Rudolph for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 6:01 remaining to give the Vikings a 27-23 lead, their first of the game.
Denver (3-7) took the ball and put together a 19-play drive to the Minnesota 4-yard line in the final seconds, but the Broncos couldn’t connect on three consecutive passing plays before time ran out.
Patriots 17, Eagles 10
Wide receiver Julian Edelman threw a touchdown pass, Nick Folk kicked three field goals and visiting New England scored 17 unanswered points to defeat Philadelphia in their first meeting since the Eagles won Super Bowl LII.
The win clinched the 19th consecutive winning season for the Patriots (9-1), one behind the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time record of 20 from 1966-85. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady finished 26 of 47 for 216 yards.
Quarterback Carson Wentz was 20 of 40 for 214 yards and a touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert, but the Eagles dropped back to .500 at 5-5 and had their two-game winning streak snapped.
Ravens 41, Texans 7
Lamar Jackson passed for four touchdowns and produced 308 total yards as Baltimore turned a high-profile matchup with Houston into a rout at home.
Though the Ravens (8-2) failed to score on their opening drive for just the second time this season, Jackson caught fire with two long second-quarter scoring drives that provided Baltimore a 14-0 halftime lead, en route to its sixth consecutive win. The Ravens’ top-ranked rushing offense finished with 263 yards on 7.3 yards per carry.
Deshaun Watson passed for 169 yards and was sacked six times. Carlos Hyde scampered 41 yards for a score with 7:10 remaining in the game to help Houston avoid the shutout.
49ers 36, Cardinals 26
Jimmy Garoppolo passed for a career-high 424 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns, including the game-winning 25-yard score to Jeff Wilson Jr. with 31 seconds remaining, as host San Francisco rallied past Arizona in Santa Clara, Calif.
The 49ers overcame a 16-point deficit, beating the Cardinals for the second time in three weeks. San Francisco (9-1) rebounded from its only loss on Monday night to take a one-game lead over idle Seattle (8-2) in the NFC West.
Larry Fitzgerald and Pharoh Cooper had touchdown receptions for the Cardinals (3-7-1), who have lost a season-high four in a row entering a bye week.
Cowboys 35, Lions 27
Dak Prescott threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns, while Ezekiel Elliott added a pair of TDs as visiting Dallas notched a victory over short-handed Detroit.
Prescott completed 29 of 46 passes, while surpassing 400 yards for the third time this season, and Michael Gallup caught nine passes for 148 yards as the Cowboys (6-4) remained in first place in the NFC East.
The Cowboys have won three of their last four games since a three-game losing streak, rebounding from a defeat at home against the Vikings last Sunday.
Saints 34, Buccaneers 17
Drew Brees threw three touchdown passes, and visiting New Orleans recorded four interceptions of Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston.
Brees completed 28 of 35 passes for 228 yards. Michael Thomas, the leading receiver in the NFL, caught eight of Brees’ passes for 114 yards and a touchdown that helped the Saints (8-2) build a 20-0 lead.
The Buccaneers (3-7) pulled within 20-10 when Matt Gay kicked a 55-yard field goal on the first possession of the second half, but Brees responded on the ensuing possession with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr.
Colts 33, Jaguars 13
Jonathan Williams rushed for 116 yards, and Marlon Mack ran for 109 yards and a touchdown as Indianapolis beat visiting Jacksonville to move into a first-place tie in the AFC South with Houston.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett ran and threw for a touchdown in the third quarter in a successful return from a knee injury that forced him to sit out last week’s 16-12 loss to Miami. Brissett completed 15 of 24 passes for 148 yards for the Colts (6-4).
It wasn’t quite as nice a return for quarterback Nick Foles, making his first start for Jacksonville (4-6) since suffering a broken clavicle in a Week 1 loss to Kansas City. Foles hit on 33 of 47 passes for 296 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Falcons 29, Panthers 3
Atlanta intercepted four passes and defeated a second NFC South rival in as many weeks, clobbering host Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.
Quarterback Matt Ryan threw for 311 yards and a touchdown, and the Falcons took advantage of some stellar work on special teams, including a 78-yard punt-return touchdown by Kenjon Barner.
A week after knocking off the New Orleans Saints on the road, the Falcons (3-7) didn’t give Carolina quarterback Kyle Allen many open looks. Allen, who had never lost at home when starting for the Panthers, finished 31 of 50 for 325 yards with four interceptions.
Raiders 17, Bengals 10
Derek Carr threw one touchdown pass and ran for a second score as Oakland used a strong defensive performance to hold off visiting Cincinnati.
Josh Jacobs rushed for 112 yards on 23 carries. The Raiders’ defense limited the Bengals to a total of 246 yards en route to a third consecutive win that completed a homestand hat trick after a rough travel start to the season.
Carr finished 25 of 29 for 292 yards with the one score and one interception. The interception, by the Bengals’ Jessie Bates III, was the first thrown by Carr in his last four games.
Bills 37, Dolphins 20
Josh Allen passed for three touchdowns and ran for another as Buffalo defeated host Miami.
Allen completed 21 of 33 passes for 256 yards with no interceptions. His top receiver was John Brown, who is from the Miami area and caught nine passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Brown also recovered a Buffalo fumble.
Jakeem Grant’s 101-yard kick-return touchdown was a highlight for the Dolphins, but it wasn’t enough as the Bills (7-3) swept their two-game season series with Miami (2-8). Grant also ran for a 7-yard touchdown and had 237 total yards.
Jets 34, Redskins 17
Sam Darnold threw a career-high four touchdown passes as visiting New York cruised past Washington to win a second consecutive game for the first time since Oct. 7-14, 2018.
The Redskins (1-9) have lost four straight but snapped a franchise-record touchdown drought of 254 minutes and 49 seconds when rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Derrius Guice in the fourth quarter.
Darnold finished 19 of 30 for 293 yards. Le’Veon Bell rushed 18 times for 59 yards and scored a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Jets (3-7). Safety Jamal Adams recorded three sacks.
Rams 17, Bears 7
Todd Gurley matched a season high with 97 yards rushing and scored a touchdown, Malcolm Brown added a score, and the Rams returned home to win a defensive tussle against the Bears.
The elite Rams defense, behind tackle Aaron Donald, held the Bears scoreless in the first half and kept Chicago to 193 yards passing and 74 yards rushing. The Bears missed field goals on two of their first three possessions.
Jared Goff passed for 173 yards but it was enough for the Rams (6-4) to win for the third time in their past four games following a three-game losing streak.
–Field Level Media
