PJ Walker threw two touchdown passes and the Carolina Panthers shut down Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 21-3 victory Sunday afternoon at Charlotte, N.C.
It was the first Panthers win under interim coach Steve Wilks and it came just three days after the trade of star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. The Panthers (2-5) were playing at home for the first time since the firing of coach Matt Rhule.
The Buccaneers (3-4) managed 322 yards of total offense. Brady was 32 of 49 for 290 yards, but Tampa Bay’s ground game was held to 46 yards. Since Brady joined the Buccaneers, it was the first time in five meetings that Carolina topped Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers didn’t score until Ryan Succop’s 27-yard field goal with 13:38 remaining, cutting the deficit to 14-3.
Carolina running backs D’Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard, the duo tasked to replace McCaffrey’s production, made key plays. Foreman gained 118 yards on 15 carries and Hubbard picked up 63 yards on nine carries with a touchdown.
Commanders 23, Packers 21
Taylor Heinicke overcame a rough start, but threw two touchdown passes as Washington rallied to hand Green Bay its third straight loss, in Landover, Md.
Heinicke, playing for the first time this year after an injury to starter Carson Wentz, threw an early pick-6 as the Commanders (3-4) fell behind 14-3. After that, Washington scored 20 unanswered points on its way to its second straight win.
The Commanders defense limited the Packers (3-4) to 232 yards and 16 first downs. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 23 of 35 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Green Bay got 38 rushing yards on 12 attempts and failed to convert on all seven of their attempts on third or fourth down.
Chiefs 44, 49ers 23
Patrick Mahomes passed for 423 yards and three touchdowns as Kansas City cruised to a victory over San Francisco in Santa Clara, Calif.
Wide receiver Mecole Hardman scored his third touchdown of the game on a 3-yard run with 10:43 remaining to give the Chiefs a 35-23 lead. Leading 14-13 at halftime, the Chiefs (5-2) exploded for 30 second-half points, including two on a safety, as Mahomes finished the day completing 25 of 34 passes. The Chiefs totaled 529 yards, while the 49ers (3-4) had 444.
Christian McCaffrey, who arrived in the Bay Area on Friday after being acquired in a trade from the Carolina Panthers late Thursday, made his 49ers debut. At halftime, McCaffrey had 39 yards rushing on six carries and one reception for 13 yards. However, he finished the day with just 38 yards on eight attempts and 24 yards on two receptions.
Ravens 23, Browns 20
Gus Edwards rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns in his return and Justin Tucker kicked three field goals to help Baltimore defeat visiting Cleveland.
Edwards ran well in his season debut after missing all of last season and the first six games of this season while recovering from a major knee injury. Justin Houston had two sacks and a forced fumble and Malik Harrison blocked a late field goal for the Ravens (4-3). Lamar Jackson passed for 120 yards and rushed for 59.
Jacoby Brissett passed for 258 yards and Nick Chubb rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown for the Browns (2-5), who outgained Baltimore 336 to 254. Kareem Hunt added a scoring run and David Njoku had seven catches for 71 yards before leaving with an ankle injury.
Bengals 35, Falcons 17
Joe Burrow threw for 481 yards and three touchdowns as Cincinnati jumped to a big lead and rolled past visiting Atlanta.
Burrow connected with Tyler Boyd for a 60-yard touchdown strike and with Ja’Marr Chase for 32- and 41-yard scores in building a 28-7 lead with 49 seconds left in the first half for the Bengals (4-3). It was the second-biggest passing day of Burrow’s career.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota went 8 of 13 passing for 124 yards for the Falcons (3-4), with 75 of those yards on a touchdown strike to Damiere Byrd with 39 seconds left in the first half.
Cowboys 24, Lions 6
Dak Prescott threw for 207 yards and a touchdown in his return from a broken thumb as he led Dallas to a home victory over Detroit.
The Cowboys (5-2) welcomed back Prescott to jolt their offense, despite only losing once behind backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Dallas tallied 330 total yards, and running back Ezekiel Elliott scored twice on 1-yard plunges to lead the offensive attack. Prescott’s passing score came on a 2-yard completion to Peyton Hendershot.
Detroit converted two field goals from Michael Badgley, and quarterback Jared Goff threw for 228 yards. The Lions (1-5), despite having an early lead, had five turnovers.
Giants 23, Jaguars 17
Daniel Jones ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:31 left to play to lead visiting New York over Jacksonville.
Leading 17-13 and at the Giants 20, Jacksonville went for a fourth-and-1 and came up short, turning the ball over on downs. Jones then led New York (6-1) on a 10-play, 79-yard excursion that resulted in the game-winning points.
A defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone set the Giants up at the Jaguars 1 before Jones punched it in on a sneak play. Graham Gano added a 34-yard field goal to seal the victory. Travis Etienne went for 114 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries for Jacksonville (2-5), which has lost four straight.
Titans 19, Colts 10
Randy Bullock kicked four field goals, Derrick Henry rushed for 128 yards and Tennessee beat AFC South rival Indianapolis at Nashville, Tenn.
The Titans (4-2) won their fourth straight game and also received a tiebreaker advantage over Indianapolis (3-3-1) by sweeping the season series. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 13 of 20 passes for 132 yards and played the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. Most of the Titans’ offense was Henry, who rushed 30 times and went over 100 yards for the third straight week.
Colts quarterback Matt Ryan completed 33 of 44 passes for 243 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to Parris Campbell with 4:07 left in the third quarter. But Ryan also tossed two interceptions, giving him nine in seven games, and was sacked three times.
Jets 16, Broncos 9
Breece Hall ran for 72 yards and a score before leaving with a knee injury, Greg Zuerlein kicked three field goals and New York beat host Denver.
Zach Wilson was 16-for-26 passing for 121 yards for New York (5-2), which has won four straight and improved to 4-0 on the road. Latavius Murray ran for a score, Brett Rypien was 24-for-46 passing for 225 yards and an interception and Jerry Jeudy had seven receptions for 96 yards for the Broncos (2-5).
Both teams punted on their first three possessions of the second half before Lamarcus Joyner intercepted Rypien at the New York 36 and returned it to the Broncos 37. Seven plays later, Zuerlein hit from 33 yards out to stretch the lead to 13-9 early in the fourth quarter. Denver went three-and-out on its next possession and the Jets used 6 minutes and 12 seconds to go 50 yards for Zuerlein’s 40-yard field goal that made it a seven-point game with 4:35 left.
Raiders 38, Texans 20
Josh Jacobs rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns, and Las Vegas stormed back from a sluggish first half to claim a victory over visiting Houston.
Jacobs recorded touchdown runs of 4, 7 and 15 yards in the second half for the Raiders (2-4), who scored on their first and last possessions of the first half before suddenly catching fire following the intermission. In producing touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the second half, Las Vegas amassed 232 yards on 24 plays.
The Texans (1-4-1) forged a 10-10 halftime tie with a pristine effort. Houston recorded zero penalties and did not commit a turnover prior to the break, and the lone sack of quarterback Davis Mills came on the final play of the second quarter.
Seahawks 37, Chargers 23
Rookie Kenneth Walker III rushed for a career-high 168 yards and two touchdowns, including a 74-yarder with 6:56 remaining, as Seattle defeated Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.
Geno Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns — both to Marquise Goodwin — as the Seahawks (4-3) moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC West.
The Chargers (4-3) had a three-game winning streak snapped. Justin Herbert was 33-of-51 passing for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Austin Ekeler was limited to 31 yards on nine carries, but added 12 catches for 96 yards and scored rushing and receiving TDs.
–Field Level Media
