NFL roundup: Rashaad Penny leads Seahawks past Eagles; Bucs romp over Falcons
Rashaad Penny ran for a career-best 129 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, Russell Wilson threw one TD pass and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles 17-9 Sunday.
Missing their top three wide receivers, leading rusher and two Pro Bowl offensive linemen, the Eagles (5-6) couldn’t do much on offense and hurt themselves with three turnovers inside Seattle territory and another near midfield.
The Seahawks (9-2) remain undefeated on the road in six games.
The Eagles didn’t have wideouts DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, running back Jordan Howard and right tackle Lane Johnson from the start. Right guard Brandon Brooks left the game in the first quarter. Rookie first-round pick Andre Dillard made his first career start at right tackle after playing the left side all season and was benched at halftime.
The Seahawks were without star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
Philadelphia’s defense did its best to keep it close, sacking Wilson six times.
But Carson Wentz struggled again and the offense was awful. Wentz was 33 of 45 for 256 yards, one TD, two interceptions and lost two fumbles, including one on a handoff exchange.
New England Patriots 13, Dallas Cowboys 9
Tom Brady threw a touchdown pass and the Patriots’ defense held the Cowboys’ top-ranked offense without a TD for the first time this season as New England beat Dallas at Foxborough, Mass.
It was New England’s 18th straight regular-season victory at home.
Dallas (6-5) had a chance to take the lead late. But facing fourth-and-11 on its own 25 with 1:50 left, Dak Prescott’s 20-yard completion to Amari Cooper was nullified after an official review.
The Patriots (10-1), who struggled to move the ball in their win over Philadelphia last week, played without two key receivers after Mohamed Sanu and Phillip Dorsett were ruled out with injuries. Brady made the most of what he had, tossing a first-quarter touchdown pass to rookie N’Keal Harry and completing a 32-yard pass to rookie Jakobi Meyers.
Brady finished 17 of 37 for 190 yards. Julian Edelman caught eight passes for 93 yards.
New Orleans Saints 34, Carolina Panthers 31
Wil Lutz kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the host Saints beat the Panthers to take a four-game lead in the NFC South with five games left.
Drew Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, and led New Orleans from its own 14-yard line with 1:51 left to the Carolina 15 with 3 seconds remaining to set up the winning kick, capping a contest filled with late momentum shifts and critical errors — none bigger than Carolina kicker Joey Slye’s missed field goal from 28 yards with 2 minutes left.
New Orleans (9-2) scored on the game’s opening possession and led until 9:23 remained in the fourth quarter, when D.J. Moore reached up with his right hand to corral a fourth-and-goal pass in the back of the end zone to tie it at 31.
Soon after, Panthers safety Eric Reid stuffed Alvin Kamara on a run to the right side on fourth-and-1 from the New Orleans 45. That set up a dramatic sequence in which Carolina coach Ron Rivera successfully challenged officials’ decision not to call pass interference on a third-down incomplete pass, setting up a first-and-goal at the 3 with 2:21 to go.
Carolina (5-6) squandered its opportunity, however, after Christian McCaffrey’s run was stuffed and Kyle Allen threw incomplete on second down and was sacked on third down by Marcus Davenport, setting up the end of a difficult day for Slye, who’d also missed two extra-point kicks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35, Atlanta Falcons 22
Massive defensive lineman Vita Vea turned receiver to haul in his first career touchdown, one of three scoring throws by Jameis Winston as the visiting Buccaneers escaped last place in the NFC South with a rout of the Falcons.
Winston shook off two more interceptions to post his sixth straight 300-yard passing game, leading the Buccaneers (4-7) to just their second victory in the last seven games.
Atlanta (3-8) had pulled even with Tampa Bay at the bottom of the division standings with a modest two-game winning streak. But the Falcons couldn’t keep the momentum going, dropping to 1-4 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in what has become a lost season for a team that reached the Super Bowl just three years ago.
Winston has been picked off an NFL-high 20 times but completed 18 of 28 for 313 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes to Chris Godwin. Yet the scoring play everyone will remember was a little 1-yard pass in the final minute of the first half to Vea, a 6-foot-4, 347-pound defensive lineman.
With the Bucs facing second-and-goal, Vea checked into the game — apparently to provide an extra blocker. After lining up at fullback, he slipped into the flat on play-action by Winston, going completely uncovered as he gobbled up the short pass for his first career reception.
Tennessee Titans 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 20
The Tennessee Titans scored four touchdowns over six offensive plays in the third quarter, routing the visiting Jaguars for their second straight victory to keep themselves firmly in the AFC playoff hunt.
Ryan Tannehill ran for two TDs and threw two TDs to improve to 4-1 as Tennessee’s starter. Derrick Henry ran for two TDs just 16 seconds apart, and rookie receiver A.J. Brown capped the scoring spurt with a 65-yard TD catch that made it 35-3 with 6:57 left in the third quarter.
The Titans (6-5) are tied with Indianapolis and Oakland just outside the AFC’s final wild-card spot — their next two opponents with both on the road.
Jacksonville (4-7) lost its third straight, the past two since Nick Foles returned to the lineup.
Buffalo Bills 20, Denver Broncos 3
Josh Allen threw two touchdowns passing and Shaq Lawson had two of Buffalo’s four sacks in a win over the visiting Broncos that has the Bills off to their best start in 23 years.
John Brown made a diving 34-yard touchdown catch, and Cole Beasley scored on an 18-yard reception. Allen finished 15 of 25 for 185 yards and threw his first interception in 172 attempts.
Frank Gore had 65 yards rushing to up his total to 15,289 and move ahead of boyhood idol Barry Sanders into third on the NFL career list. The 15-year veteran also increased his total to 19,154 yards from scrimmage to pass Marshall Faulk for fourth on the list.
Chicago Bears 19, New York Giants 14
Khalil Mack set up a touchdown with a strip-sack, Allen Robinson had a season-high 131 yards receiving and host Chicago beat struggling New York.
Trying to salvage something from a disappointing season, the Bears (5-6) bounced back from a loss to the Los Angeles Rams to win for the second time in three games. The Giants (2-9) dropped their seventh straight and clinched their third losing season in a row.
Mack broke through in the third quarter for just his second sack in seven games. Held without a tackle at Los Angeles, the three-time All-Pro nailed Jones deep in New York territory, and Chicago’s Nick Williams recovered at the 3. That led to a 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to make it 19-7.
Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Devlin “Duck” Hodges took over for struggling Mason Rudolph and threw a 79-yard touchdown pass Sunday, sparking the depleted Steelers to a victory that kept the host Bengals the only winless team in the NFL.
Hodges connected with James Washington on the game-turning play in the third quarter, leaving Pittsburgh (6-5) with a quarterback decision as it moves forward without Ben Roethlisberger.
The Steelers’ defense has steadied them through the transition, and it had a major impact in Pittsburgh’s 10th straight win over the hapless Bengals (0-11), who set franchise records for worst start and longest losing streak.
Cleveland Browns 41, Miami Dolphins 24
Jarvis Landry caught two touchdown passes against his former team and the host Browns won their third straight in their first game since losing star defensive end Myles Garrett to a season-ending suspension.
Landry couldn’t wait to get back at the Dolphins (2-9), who had him for four seasons before they decided not to give him a long-term contract extension and traded him to Cleveland in 2018. He got his revenge, finishing with 10 catches for 148 yards.
Baker Mayfield had 327 yards passing and hit a TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr., and Joe Schobert had two interceptions as the Browns (5-6) continued their climb back into the AFC playoff hunt.
Washington Redskins 19, Detroit Lions 16
Quinton Dunbar intercepted Jeff Driskel in the final minute, Dustin Hopkins hit the go-ahead field goal from 39 yards out with 16 seconds left and the host Redskins beat the Lions to snap a four-game losing streak.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins picked up his first NFL win after leading Washington (2-9) into field goal range following Dunbar’s interception. Haskins finished 13 of 29 for 156 yards and an interception but made a couple fewer mistakes than Driskel, who was picked off three times as the Lions (3-7-1) lost their fourth in a row and third since starter Matthew Stafford went out with injury.
For long stretches, the game was a comedy of errors with neither team looking like it wanted to win. Haskins fumbled on third down on Washington’s first possession, Detroit turned the ball over on consecutive offensive plays, Lions kicker Matt Prater missed a 39-yard field goal and his teammates were baffled on Steven Sims’ 91-yard kickoff return for a Redskins touchdown — after muffing the catch.
Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading the New York Jets to an impressive 34-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders for a third win in a row.
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