NFL roundup: Cardinals stun Bills on Hail Mary; Raiders beat Broncos
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Hail Murray!
Kyler Murray completed a stunning 43-yard desperation pass to DeAndre Hopkins with 2 seconds left to lift the Arizona Cardinals to a 32-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
The catch was as sensational as the throw.
The game appeared lost for the Cardinals until Murray rolled out to his left as the seconds ticked off the clock. He flung the ball toward the end zone, where Hopkins was waiting with three Buffalo defenders draped all over him. Somehow, the three-time All-Pro came down with the ball, and the Cardinals started a wild celebration in the end zone.
Josh Allen threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs with 34 seconds left that looked like it would win it for the Bills (7-3). But Murray and the Cardinals (6-3, tied for the NFC West lead) ended the Bills’ winning streak at three games with the improbable throw and catch.
The Rams proved they’re contenders for the NFC West title by slowing down one of the NFL’s top offenses in a 23-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
It was a crazy ending to another entertaining Cardinals game, which usually have come down to the final seconds in recent weeks. Murray threw for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hopkins had seven catches for 127 yards — and he’ll remember the last one for a long, long time.
The Cardinals trailed 23-9 midway through the third quarter but responded with two touchdown drives sandwiched around a field goal to take a 26-23 lead by the beginning of the fourth. Murray, wearing bright yellow cleats, ran for both of the touchdowns, including a 15-yard dash up the middle that gave Arizona its first lead of the day.
Allen was having a mediocre game until the late drive that lasted 12 plays and went 73 yards. The quarterback capped the series with a perfect throw to a diving Diggs, who finished with 10 catches for 93 yards.
Allen completed 32 of 49 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Cole Beasley had 11 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Raiders 37, Broncos 12
LAS VEGAS — Josh Jacobs ran for 112 yards and two TDs and Jeff Heath had two of Las Vegas’ five takeaways to help the Raiders earn their third straight win.
Derek Carr didn’t have to do much for the Raiders (6-3) offensively for a change as the running game and an opportunistic defense that came into the game last in the league with five takeaways carried the load.
Heath intercepted Drew Lock twice in the first half, Carl Nassib and Nick Kwiatkoski got picks in the fourth quarter and Nevin Lawson forced and recovered a fumble by DaeSean Hamilton to send the Broncos (3-6) to their third loss in four games.
The game changed late in the first half after Lock appeared to run in for a TD in the closing seconds that would have given the Broncos a 13-10 lead.
Tight end Noah Fant was called for holding in the end zone on the play and Lock threw his second interception to Heath on the next play.
The Raiders then put the game away with two long scoring drive in the third quarter, leading to a 52-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson and a 5-yard TD run for Jacobs’ second score.
Patriots 23, Ravens 17
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Cam Newton threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score and New England fought through rain and wind to hold off Baltimore.
Damien Harris ran for a career-high 121 yards to help the Patriots (4-5) win consecutive games for the first time this season. Newton was 13 of 17 for 118 yards. His touchdown pass, on a short sprint-out to Rex Burkhead in the first quarter, was his since first since Week 3 — a span of four games.
The Ravens’ road winning streak ended at 10. Baltimore (6-3) is 0-6 in the regular season in New England.
Lamar Jackson was 24 of 34 for 249 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens. New England bottled him up on the ground for most of the game, limiting him to just 11 rushes for 55 yards.
Steelers 36, Bengals 10
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger threw for a season-high 333 yards and four touchdowns despite being forced to stay away from the team facility all week due to COVID-19 protocols and Pittsburgh stayed unbeaten.
Roethlisberger, one of four Steelers put on the COVID-19 list last Monday following contact tracing after tight end Vance McDonald tested positive for the novel coronavirus, completed 27 of 46 passes on a blustery afternoon at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger connected with Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster for touchdowns in the first half and found rookie Chase Claypool twice in the second half as Pittsburgh improved to 9-0.
Cincinnati rookie quarterback Joe Burrow struggled to generate any momentum behind a patchwork offensive line. Two weeks after a promising victory over Tennessee, the Bengals (2-6-1) were reminded how much work remains to be done under second-year head coach Zac Taylor.
Cincinnati went 0 for 13 on third down and Burrow spent much of the second half under duress. T.J. Watt collected two of Pittsburgh’s four sacks as the Steelers won their 11th straight meeting with their division rival.
Saints 27, 49ers 13
NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees was pulled at halftime with a rib injury after passing for just 76 yards and one touchdown, but Alvin Kamara scored three times and New Orleans’ defense largely stifled San Francisco.
Brees’ injury appeared to occur when defensive tackle Kentavius Street was called for a personal foul on a sack in which he got a clean shot at the 41-year-old quarterback and landed directly on top of him. Officials ruled Street violated the NFL’s “bodyweight rule,” which bans defenders from landing on a defenseless passer with all or most of their weight.
Brees missed just two plays after the hit and returned for a third-down pitchback to Kamara that resulted in a 2-yard touchdown that tied it at 10.
Brees continued to play for the rest of the second quarter, going 5 for 6 on a two-minute drive that he completed with a 3-yard touchdown toss to Kamara that made it 17-10 just before halftime.
But when the second half began, Jameis Winston took the field while Brees stood with his helmet on and his hands on his hips in front of New Orleans’ bench, where he watched the rest of the Saints’ sixth straight victory.
Winston completed six of 10 passes for 63 yards. Nick Mullens passed for 247 yards and a 4-yard touchdown to Brandon Aiyuk on San Francisco’s first series.
Buccaneers 46, Panthers 23
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tom Brady threw for 341 yards and was involved in four touchdowns, Ronald Jones had a franchise-record 98-yard touchdown run, and Tampa Bay bounced back from a dreadful defeat with a resounding 46-23 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Coming off the most lopsided loss of his illustrious career — a 38-3 defeat to the Saints — Brady threw touchdown passes to Cameron Brate, Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski, then ran for another score in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Jones’ run in the third quarter broke open a tight game. He raced up the middle behind left guard, shook off safety Tre Boston and was gone. Jones finished with a career-high 181 yards and became the fourth NFL player with a TD run of 98 yards or longer, joining Tony Dorsett, Derrick Henry and Ahman Green.
Chris Godwin had 92 yards receiving for the Buccaneers (7-3), who swept the season series and handed the Panthers (3-7) their fifth straight loss.
Lions 30, Washington 27
DETROIT — Matt Prater made a 59-yard field goal as time expired, lifting Detroit to victory.
Matthew Stafford threw two of his three touchdown passes in the first half and directed the winning drive with just 16 seconds left. Rookie defensive end Chase Young was called for roughing the passer, giving Detroit the ball at midfield. Stafford threw a 9-yard pass to Marvin Jones to set up the kick.
The Lions (4-5) won at home for the first time in more than a year after building a 14-point lead at halftime and going ahead 24-3 midway through the third quarter.
Washington (2-7) pulled into a tie by scoring touchdowns on three straight series in the second half in Alex Smith’s first start in nearly two years. But its defense could not stop Stafford when it mattered most.
The Justin Herbert vs. Tua Tagovailoa duel never materializes, but special-teams miscues cost the Chargers in a 29-21 loss at Miami as a sour streak continues.
Prater made a go-ahead, 37-yard field goal with 2:42 remaining.
Detroit cornerback Desmond Trufant extended the ensuing possession with two penalties that gave Washington first downs and it took advantage, setting up Dustin Hopkins’ tying 41-yard field goal.
Stafford finished 24 of 33 for 276 yards and threw three touchdown passes without a turnover for the first time this season.
Packers 24, Jaguars 20
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third score as Green Bay overcame numerous mistakes to rally to victory.
Rodgers put the Packers (7-2) ahead for good with 9:11 left by throwing a 6-yard TD pass to Davante Adams, who had left with an ankle injury earlier in the second half. Rodgers also had a 5-yard touchdown run and a 78-yard scoring strike to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who caught four passes for a career-high 149 yards.
Keelan Cole scored on a franchise-record 91-yard punt return and a 12-yard reception for Jacksonville (1-8), which lost its eighth straight. Jacksonville’s James Robinson rushed for 109 yards on 23 carries.
Cole became the first Jaguar ever to score on a punt return and a reception in the same game, as well as the first player from any team ever to accomplish that feat against the Packers.
Jake Luton, who had thrown for 304 yards in his first career start last week, was 18 of 35 for 169 yards Sunday with one touchdown and one interception for the Jaguars. Rodgers was 24 of 34 for 325 yards.
Browns 10, Texans 7
CLEVELAND — Nick Chubb returned from a stint on injured reserve and scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter — topping 100 yards rushing along with teammate Kareem Hunt — and Cleveland pushed through rough weather for a win.
Chubb reeled off a 59-yard run with 1:07 left and then smartly ran out of bounds at the 2-yard line instead of scoring so the Texans, who were out of timeouts, wouldn’t get the ball back.
Chubb finished with 126 yards on 19 carries. Hunt finished with 104 yards, including 37 yards — and three first downs — on Cleveland’s final drive as the Browns (6-3) ran out the clock.
With the Browns up 3-0 on a day where passing was almost impossible, Chubb, playing for the first time since Oct. 4, took a handoff on the right, cut left and ran past Texans defensive end J.J. Watt as Cleveland finally found the end zone to go up 10-0.
Deshaun Watson’s 16-yard TD pass to Pharaoh Brown with 4:59 left pulled the Texans (2-7) within three, but Hunt pounded away after the Browns were backed up at their own 3 after a muffed kickoff. Cleveland ate up the final 4:54 against the NFL’s worst rushing defense.
The game’s start was delayed 36 minutes after a severe thunderstorm barreled into FirstEnergy Stadium just before kickoff.
Giants 27, Eagles 17
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Daniel Jones threw for 244 yards and ran for a touchdown, Wayne Gallman Jr. had two TD runs and New York beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-17 on Sunday.
The Giants improved to 3-7 under first-year coach Joe Judge with their second straight win, snapping an eight-game losing streak against Philly.
The Eagles (3-5-1) still lead the NFL’s worst division. Dallas and Washington are each 2-7.
Carson Wentz and the rest of Philadelphia’s offense were out of sync following a bye. They were 0 for 9 on third downs. Boston Scott had a 56-yard TD run early in the third quarter but the Eagles couldn’t get closer.
Jones ran untouched 34 yards for a score to cap a well-executed 85-yard drive to start the game and the Giants led the entire game. It was similar to Jones’ 80-yard run against Philadelphia in a 22-21 loss on Oct. 22 except he didn’t stumble at the 8 this time.
Jones finished with 64 yards rushing and the Giants had 151 on the ground.
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