NFL roundup: Derek Carr and Raiders overcome weather to beat Browns
CLEVELAND — The whipping winds, snowy mix and winter-like weather didn’t stop the Las Vegas Raiders. The Browns didn’t offer much resistance either.
Derek Carr threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow early in the fourth quarter, Daniel Carlson kicked three field goals in nasty conditions along Lake Erie and the Raiders controlled the clock to beat the Cleveland 16-6 Sunday.
“This week we made a big deal about the weather,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “We knew the weather was going to be really harsh. We kept talking about how we struggled playing on the road last year in bad weather against the Jets and the Chiefs.
“We kind of enjoyed it. I think our guys look forward to the challenge of the weather more than anything.”
Carr’s strike to Renfrow with 14:53 to go was the game’s only TD and helped the Raiders (4-3) bounce back after they fell apart late in last week’s 45-20 loss to Tampa Bay.
The Browns (5-3) may have suffered a bigger loss as NFL sacks leader Myles Garrett injured his knee in the first quarter. He’ll undergo an MRI on Monday.
“It’s part of the game,” Garrett said. “I took a shot on one of the first plays. After that, it was tough.”
Jared Goff threw two interceptions and lost the ball on two fumbles to put the Rams in a huge early hole in their 28-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Using running back Josh Jacobs and a short passing game, Carr controlled the clock in the second half and kept the ball away from the Browns (5-3).
Jacobs finished with a career-high 128 yards — 80 in the second half — on 31 carries. Last week, he had just 17 yards on 10 attempts.
The Raiders had allowed 10-plus points in an NFL-record 116 straight games.
Baker Mayfield couldn’t get anything going with Cleveland’s offense, which was without star receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week. Mayfield, who completed 21 passes in a row in the win over Cincinnati a week ago, went 12 of 25 for 122 yards.
Mayfield’s last throw toward Jarvis Landry in the end zone was incomplete with 1:58 left, and Cody Parkey missed a 37-yard field goal to end Cleveland’s chances. Parkey did make kicks of 41 and 38 yards.
The weather was brutal.
The wind, measured from the west at 35 mph at kickoff, made it difficult for both quarterbacks to throw; affected every punt and kick; and forced the 12,000 fans to bundle up as it felt more like a game in late December — or in Cleveland, early May.
Steelers 28, Ravens 24
BALTIMORE — Pittsburgh rallied behind Ben Roethlisberger to remain the lone unbeaten team in the NFL, beating error-prone Lamar Jackson and Baltimore in a duel for first place in the AFC North.
Roethlisberger threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes to bring Pittsburgh (7-0) back from a 10-point halftime deficit. After completing only four passes for 24 yards in the first half, the 38-year-old finished 21 for 32 for 182 yards.
Jackson threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, turnovers that helped Pittsburgh stay within striking distance until its offense finally got on track.
The Steelers led 28-24 when the Ravens (5-2) faced a fourth-and-3 at the Pittsburgh 8 with 2 minutes left. Jackson ran a quarterback draw and lost the ball while being stopped short.
Baltimore got the ball back and moved to the Pittsburgh 23 before Jackson’s pass in the end zone was broken up on the final play.
Earlier, Robert Spillane took an interception back for a score to end Baltimore’s first possession; Jackson lost a fumble inside the Pittsburgh 5; and Alex Hightower set up a Steelers touchdown by picking off a pass on Baltimore’s initial offensive play of the second half.
The Steelers stretched their streak of games with at least one sack to 64, and Baltimore’s run of games with a takeaway reached 20 when Peters forced a fumble by Claypool in the first quarter.
Bills 24, Patriots 21
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Backup defensive lineman Justin Zimmer punched the ball out of Cam Newton’s arms and the fumble was recovered by safety Dean Marlowe at the Buffalo 13 with 31 seconds remaining to secure Buffalo’s victory.
Zack Moss scored two touchdowns rushing and the AFC East-leading Bills are off to consecutive 6-2 starts for the first time since a six-year run from 1988 to 1993.
Buffalo snapped a seven-game skid against the division-rival Patriots, and beat a New England-coached Bill Belichick team for just the sixth time in 41 meetings, going back to 2000.
New England dropped to 2-5 and has lost four in a row, matching its worst skid since 2002.
The game was decided just as the Patriots were threatening to at least force overtime. Facing second-and-10 at the Buffalo 19, Newton took the snap and followed a line of blockers to his left.
Zimmer came diving in from behind and punched out the ball, which rolled directly into Marlowe’s arms.
Newton finished 15 of 25 for 174 yards passing, and added 54 yards rushing plus a touchdown. Damien Harris had 102 yards rushing and scored on a 22-yard run.
Josh Allen went 11 of 18 for 154 yards passing and also scored on a 2-yard run in a game the Bills never trailed.
Tyler Bass’ 28-yard field goal with 4:06 remaining broke the 21-21 tie, after Allen’s pass to Gabriel Davis sailed through the receiver’s arms in the end zone.
Vikings 28, Packers 22
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Dalvin Cook gained 226 yards from scrimmage and became the first Viking in over four decades to score four touchdowns in a single game.
The Vikings withstood a three-touchdown performance from receiver Davante Adams, who had seven catches for 53 yards.
Green Bay had the ball at Minnesota’s 41-yard line with 12 seconds and no timeouts left, but D.J. Wonnum sacked Aaron Rodgers and knocked the ball loose. Eric Wilson recovered at the 24 as time expired.
Cook missed Minnesota’s last game with a groin injury that had him listed as questionable, but he looked just fine while dicing up Green Bay’s defense all day. Each of the Vikings’ first four possessions ended with Cook touchdowns. He ran for 163 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Cook also had two catches for 63 yards, including a 50-yard score.
The only other Vikings to score four touchdowns in a game are Ahmad Rashad in 1979 and Chuck Foreman in 1975.
Saints 26, Bears 23 (OT)
CHICAGO — Drew Brees threw for two touchdowns to regain the NFL’s all-time lead from Tom Brady, and Wil Lutz nailed a 35-yard field goal in overtime.
The Bears’ Cairo Santos booted a 51-yard field goal at the end of regulation to force the extra period.
The Saints (5-2) led 23-13 early in the fourth quarter after scoring 20 consecutive points, only to have Chicago rally in the closing minutes of regulation. But the three-time defending NFC South champions pulled out their fourth straight win when Lutz connected on their second possession of OT.
The Saints had a first down at the 16 when coach Sean Payton called on him. And Lutz delivered, sending the Bears (5-3) to their second straight loss. New Orleans tied Tampa Bay for the division lead, with Brady and the Buccaneers meeting the struggling New York Giants on Monday night.
Chicago receiver Javon Wims got ejected for punching New Orleans safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the third quarter. Marshon Lattimore then intercepted Nick Foles, leading to a tiebreaking field goal by Lutz.
Brees added a 20-yard touchdown to Taysom Hill to make it 23-13 early in the fourth period. The Bears (5-3) pulled within three with 3:32 remaining on Foles’ 3-yard pass to Darnell Mooney.
After the Saints went three-and-out, Chicago tied it with 13 seconds left on Santos’ field goal into the wind.
Seahawks 37, 49ers 27
SEATTLE — Russell Wilson threw four more touchdown passes, two to DK Metcalf. Wilson and Metcalf tormented San Francisco and its banged-up secondary as the top-scoring offense in the league continued to pile up points. The Seahawks (6-1) have scored at least 30 points in six of seven games.
Wilson hit Metcalf on a pair of first-half touchdown passes, but it was a 2-minute sequence midway through the third quarter when Seattle blew the game open.
Wilson found rookie DeeJay Dallas on a 2-yard TD pass after San Francisco went three-and-out to open the second half for a 20-7 lead. Dante Pettis fumbled the ensuing kickoff on a big hit from Cody Barton. Six plays later, Wilson evaded pressure in the pocket and zipped a 6-yard TD pass to David Moore for a 27-7 lead.
Seattle added one more score on a 1-yard TD run by Dallas with 3:33 left after the 49ers (4-4) pulled within 10.
Wilson finished 27 of 37 for 261 yards and has 26 TD passes on the season, one behind Tom Brady for the most in the first seven games of a season.
Eagles 23, Cowboys 9
PHILADELPHIA — Carson Wentz threw a pair of touchdown passes to overcome four turnovers, Rodney McLeod returned a fumble 53 yards for a score and Philadelphia beat Dallas.
A pair of two-win teams fighting for first place in the weak NFC East in Week 8 put on a sloppy performance fit for the preseason instead of prime time.
The Eagles (3-4-1) took control of the division with their second straight victory. Dallas (2-6) has lost three in a row.
Dallas rookie Ben DiNucci, a seventh-round pick from James Madison making his first start, was sacked four times and lost two fumbles. He completed 21 of 40 passes for 180 yards.
Wentz threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles but his 9-yard TD pass to Travis Fulgham in the third quarter gave Philadelphia the lead for good. Wentz connected with Jalen Reagor on the 2-point conversion to make it 15-9.
DiNucci started because Andy Dalton is out with a concussion and Dak Prescott broke his right ankle in Week 5.
Boston Scott ran for a career-best 70 yards for the Eagles. Wentz finished 15 of 27 for 123 yards.
Bengals 31, Titans 20
CINCINNATI — After watching Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine run for early scores, Joe Burrow threw two fourth-quarter TD passes and closed it out with a time-consuming drive to seal Cincinnati’s victory.
The Bengals (2-5-1) blew leads each of the previous two weeks, but Burrow would not allow it to happen again. Instead, he threw for 249 yards and the crucial late scores to snap a three-game losing streak. Cincinnati has now matched its victory total from last season. And it was the first time second-year head coach Zac Taylor has defeated a team with a winning record.
Tennessee (5-2) has lost two straight and had a five-game road winning streak end. They are now tied with the Indianapolis Colts atop the AFC South.
Cincinnati’s reversal of fortune came on a day that began with five offensive starters on the inactive list and despite A.J. Green again struggling to become a major contributor.
Cincinnati jumped to a 10-0 lead, courtesy of Randy Bullock’s 33-yard field goal and Perine’s 1-yard TD run, then answered each challenge from the Titans.
Colts 41, Lions 21
DETROIT — Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter to give Indianapolis a double-digit lead.
Rivers picked apart Detroit’s defense while completing 23 of 33 attempts, mostly short passes to the outside or over the middle. The 38-year-old quarterback also showed he still has some arm strength to go along with his savvy touch, perfectly throwing a 29-yard pass to Nyheim Hines late in the first half.
The Colts (5-2) were healthy and looked rested and ready to roll after being idle last week and improved to 3-0 after a bye under coach Frank Reich.
The Lions (3-4) lost a seventh straight home game, dating to last season, and missed an opportunity to win three in a row for the first time with coach Matt Patricia.
Matthew Stafford was 24 of 42 for 336 yards with three touchdowns, two to Marvin Jones, and two costly turnovers.
Chiefs 35, Jets 9
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes threw for 416 yards and five touchdowns, the Kansas City defense shut down Sam Darnold and the inept Jets offense, and the Chiefs romped to a victory over winless New York.
Tyreek Hill had 98 yards receiving and two touchdowns, Travis Kelce finished with 109 yards and another score, and Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson also reached the end zone as the Chiefs (7-1) gave Andy Reid his 229th win to move into a tie with Hall of Fame coach Curly Lambeau for the fifth most in NFL history.
Le’Veon Bell, getting a crack at the Jets just a few weeks after they released him, was held to just 7 yards rushing with three catches for another 31 yards — though it wasn’t as if Kansas City needed him.
Darnold, who was without top receivers Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman because of injuries, was just 18 of 30 for 133 yards as the Jets fell to 0-8 for the first time since the 1996 team of Rich Kotite.
New York went three-and-out on five of its first six second-half possessions and finished with 221 yards total offense.
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