The Miami Dolphins defense stopped Josh Allen and the Bills on the goal line late, then held back again after punter Thomas Morstead bizarrely threw the ball to a teammate and out of bounds for a safety during a 21-19 win over Buffalo on Sunday.
Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins improved to 3-0 in an AFC East thriller that ended with Allen and the Bills trying to steal the ball near midfield as time ran out just on their luck to try a long-range field goal. .
Tagovailoa briefly left the game in the second quarter, returning after halftime as he seemed disoriented with a head injury. Allen may have also been injured, heading to the x-ray room after the game. He had his throwing hand checked late by coaches.
Miami took the lead with about 10 minutes left in the game, scoring a touchdown to move up 21-17, and the Bills faced their first deficit of the season. Although he was sacked and flagged for unnecessary roughness the next practice, Allen led Buffalo on the field with a 17-game, eight-minute drive that mirrored how the Bills offense performed throughout the game. Miami’s defense held, however, nearly intercepting a pass on the drive and forcing a turnover on tries from the two-yard line.
Kansas City Chiefs 17-20 Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jelani Woods with 24 seconds left to give the Indianapolis Colts a comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ryan earned his first win for the Colts in their home opener when he teamed up with Woods for both touchdowns in Indianapolis, a week after their shutout in Jacksonville.
But it took a 16-game, 76-yard drive aided by a personal foul on Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones after a third sack for Indy (1-1-1) to snap a four-game winless streak that included two losses at the end of last season.
Ryan went 27 of 37 for 222 yards on his 225th career start. He was sacked five times and lost two fumbles.
For the Chiefs (2-1), it was a rare September miss. Mahomes fell to 13-3 in the opening month while going 20 of 35 for 262 yards, a touchdown and his first interception of the season.
Kansas City had chances. Matt Amendola missed an extra point in the first half and a 34-yard field goal with 8:38 left. Tommy Townsend also threw an incomplete on a fake field goal early in the fourth.
Cincinnati Bengals 27–12 New York Jets
Joe Burrow threw three touchdown passes and the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals earned their first win of the season, passing the New York Jets.
After going 0-2 with a pair of three-point losses, Burrow insisted there was no Super Bowl panic or hangover for the Bengals. And they came out aggressive against the Jets, who fell flat after a stunning comeback win last week at Cleveland. Burrow finished 23 of 36 for 275 yards with TD throws to Samaje Perine, Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase.
Baltimore Ravens 37–26 New England Patriots
Lamar Jackson threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score to help the Baltimore Ravens hold off the New England Patriots.
New England’s Mac Jones injured his leg with less than two minutes left, jumping off the pitch and heading straight for the locker room. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 321 yards but threw three interceptions. Justin Tucker threw for a 56-yard field goal, the 50th of his career from 50 yards or more, as Baltimore earned its first regular-season win over New England in seven tries.
Jacksonville Jaguars 38-10 Los Angeles Chargers
Trevor Lawrence threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns, James Robinson rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown and the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped an 18-game road losing streak with a decisive victory over Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Herbert started after being listed as questionable all week with a rib injury. The third-year quarterback passed for 297 yards but returned it twice, going 25 of 45 with a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles 24-8 Washington Commanders
DeVonta Smith caught eight passes from Jalen Hurts for a career-high 169 yards and a touchdown, Carson Wentz failed in his opener against the team that drafted him and the Philadelphia Eagles routed the Washingtons Commanders to stay undefeated.
Smith made acrobatic catches along the sideline and the edge of the end zone for gains of 45 and 44 yards respectively, and made a TD pass on fourth down to end the first half without a shot. there is time left on the stopwatch. Hurts was 22 of 35 for 340 yards and three touchdowns. Wentz, Philadelphia’s second pick in the 2016 draft on his third team in three years, was 25 of 43 for 211 yards with two fumbles including one lost.
Los Angeles Rams 20–12 Arizona Cardinals
Matthew Stafford threw for 249 yards, Cam Akers and Cooper Kupp both scored touchdowns, and the Los Angeles Rams used a stellar defensive effort to beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-12. The Rams (2-1) continued their dominance in the NFC West rivals series, winning 11 of the last 12 games dating back to 2017, including last year’s 34-11 playoff win.
New Orleans Saints 14-22 Carolina Panthers
Laviska Shenault caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield, Marquis Haynes returned a 44-yard fumble for a touchdown and the Carolina Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints to snap a nine-game losing streak . Mayfield threw for 170 yards and Christian McCaffrey rushed for 108 as the Panthers (1-2) won at home for the first time since beating the Saints 26-7 on Sept. 19, 2021. Jameis Winston, playing with an injured back, completed 25 of 41 passes for 353 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Las Vegas Raiders 22-24 Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score and the Tennessee Titans never trailed, holding off the Las Vegas Raiders 24-22 for their first win this season. Derrick Henry also ran for 85 yards and a touchdown. Henry also added 58 more receiving yards as the Titans (1-2) avoided their worst start since 2009 when they lost the first six games of the season. The Raiders (0-3) are off to their worst start since 2018.
Houston Texans 20–23 Chicago Bears
Roquan Smith set up Cairo Santos’ late field goal when he intercepted Davis Mills deep in Houston territory, and the Chicago Bears beat former coach Lovie Smith and the Texans. Khalil Herbert rushed for a career-high 157 yards and two touchdowns for Chicago.
The Texans had a third-and-one when they turned 26 when defensive tackle Angelo Blackson tipped a pass intended for Rex Burkhead. Smith, who missed practice all week with a hip injury, intercepted it at 30 and brought it back to 12. Chicago ran Herbert, then knocked the ball down twice before Santos does nail a 30-yarder when time runs out.
Atlanta Falcons 27-23 Seattle Seahawks
Cordarrelle Patterson rushed for a career-high 141 yards and a touchdown, Marcus Mariota threw a 14-yard touchdown to rookie Drake London in the second half, and the Atlanta Falcons earned their first win of the season . Patterson rumbled for 107 yards in the second half and the Falcons were able to avoid starting 0-3 for the second time in three seasons. Mariota used the passing game to pick up chunks of yardage in the first half, then it was Patterson who threw big plays in the running game.