KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs blocked Broncos kicker Wil Lutz’s 35-yard field goal attempt as time expired on Sunday, and Kansas City escaped with a 16-14 victory over the Broncos to extend its winning streak to 15 games dating to last season.
The Chiefs had taken the lead on Harrison Butker’s field goal with 5:57 remaining, but Bo Nix and the Broncos converted on a trio of third downs while marching right back down field. They proceeded to set up Lutz for the winner, but Leo Chenal was given credit for coming up the middle amid a big push by the Kansas City defensive line to get his hand on the kick.
Patrick Mahomes finished with 266 yards passing and a touchdown for Kansas City, which became only the fifth team to follow up a Super Bowl triumph by winning its first nine games. That also matches the best start to a season in franchise history.
The Chiefs’ winning streak dating to last season is the longest in the NFL since the Packers won 19 in a row from 2010-11.
Travis Kelce had eight catches for 64 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City. DeAndre Hopkins caught four passes for 56 yards, and Kareem Hunt was held to 35 yards rushing but also caught seven passes for 65 yards.
Nix finished with 215 yards passing and two touchdowns for the Broncos (5-5). Courtland Sutton had six catches for 60 yards and a score, and his 13-yard reception on third-and-6 with 1:45 left gave Denver a chance to kick as time expired.
PANTHERS 20, GIANTS 17, OT
MUNICH (AP) — Eddy Pineiro kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime and Carolina made back-to-back wins for the first time this season, beating New York in Germany.
The Giants (2-8) won the coin toss to start overtime, but rookie running back Tyrone Tracy fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Josey Jewell recovered at the 23 for the Panthers (3-7).
The Giants rallied from a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter and forced overtime on Graham Gano’s 42-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining.
Gano, who earlier missed from 43 yards, was playing for the first time since September after a hamstring injury.
VIKINGS 12, JAGUARS 7
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Minnesota’s stingy defense held Jacksonville to 143 yards — the fewest in coach Doug Pederson’s three seasons — and the Vikings overcame Sam Darnold’s three interceptions to beat the Jaguars.
It was Darnold’s first three-interception game in three years. All of them came while targeting All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished with five catches for 48 yards.
The Vikings (7-2) trailed most of the day, but took the lead on the third of John Parker Romo’s four field goals. Romo hit from 29, 34, 33 and 45 yards in his NFL debut.
The Jaguars (2-8) had a chance late thanks to Travon Walker’s sack on a third-and-1 play. Coach Kevin O’Connell had Darnold passing with roughly three minutes to go, a head-scratcher given Jacksonville had been so lethargic on offense.
BILLS 30, COLTS 20
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Taron Johnson returned Joe Flacco’s first pass 23 yards for a touchdown Sunday, and Josh Allen and James Cook each scored on TD runs to lead AFC East-leading Buffalo past Indianapolis.
The Bills (8-2) extended their winning streak to five with their first victory at Indianapolis since 1998. Allen was 22 of 37 for 280 yards with two interceptions while running eight times for 50 yards. Cook had 19 carries for 80 yards.
Flacco had four turnovers — three interceptions and a fumble — in his second start since replacing the benched Anthony Richardson. He was 26 of 35 for 272 yards and two TDs as the Colts (4-6) lost their third straight.
Jonathan Taylor rushed 21 times for 114 yards and rookie receiver Adonai Mitchell had his biggest game of the season with six catches for 71 yards.
It was an odd game, full of twists, turns and turnovers.
PATRIOTS 19, BEARS 3
CHICAGO (AP) — Drake Maye got the better of Caleb Williams in a matchup between top rookie quarterbacks and New England beat struggling Chicago.
Maye led five scoring drives and the Patriots sacked Williams a season-high nine times, helping New England (3-7) come away with the win after losing seven of eight.
As if losing at Washington on a Hail Mary pass by Jayden Daniels two weeks ago and then falling flat at Arizona last week wasn’t enough, things took another bad turn for the Bears (4-5).
They managed just 142 yards and were 1 of 14 on third downs facing a team that came in tied with six others for the worst record in the NFL. It got so bad that fans started calling for coach Matt Eberflus’ dismissal in the closing minutes, chanting “Fire ’Flus!”
Maye didn’t exactly light it up. The No. 3 overall draft pick was 15 of 25 for 184 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
STEELERS 28, COMMANDERS 27
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Russell Wilson shook off his first interception in 11 months and hit trade-deadline pickup Mike Williams for a 32-yard touchdown with less than 2 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter — the quarterback’s third scoring throw — to lift Pittsburgh to a comeback victory over Jayden Daniels and Washington.
Coming off a bye, the AFC North-leading Steelers (7-2) won their fourth game in a row, including all three since Wilson took over from Justin Fields as the starting QB. Wilson’s stats were not the prettiest, but he got the job done: 14 for 28 for 195 yards, the three TDs and the one pick.
George Pickens delivered an acrobatic catch in the end zone on a 16-yarder in the first quarter, and tight end Pat Freiermuth scored on a pass from 3 yards out in the second, much to the delight of the thousands of Terrible Towel-twirling Steelers fans in the stands.
Washington (7-3) led 24-14 but couldn’t hold on as it attempted to get to 8-2 overall for the first time since 1986 and 5-0 at home for the first time since 1991, when the team went on to win the Super Bowl under coach Joe Gibbs.
SAINTS 20, FALCONS 17
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his second game for New Orleans, and the Saints began Darren Rizzi’s tenure as interim coach by snapping a seven-game skid with a victory over the Falcons.
The 54-year-old Rizzi, the Saints’ special teams coordinator, was given his first head coaching opportunity on Monday after the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen.
His triumphant debut came not only against the NFC South’s first-place team, but the Saints’ oldest regional rival.
49ERS 23, BUCCANEERS 20
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jake Moody redeemed himself after missing three earlier field goals by booting a 44-yarder as time expired to give San Francisco a victory over Tampa Bay in running back Christian McCaffrey’s season debut.
Moody, in his first game back after being sidelined three weeks with a sprained ankle, also kicked field goals of 28 and 33 yards for the defending NFC champion 49ers (5-4), who have won consecutive games for the first time this season.
But the usually reliable kicker, who was 13 of 14 entering Sunday, also missed wide left from 49 and 50 yards before missing wide right on a 44-yard attempt that would have given San Francisco a six-point lead with 3:09 remaining.
TV cameras caught 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel exchanging words and appearing to shove long snapper Taybor Pepper when the wide receiver approached Moody on the sideline after the third miss.
CHARGERS 27, TITANS 17
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw for a touchdown and ran for one as Los Angeles won their third straight game, pulling away in the second half to beat Tennessee.
The Chargers (6-3) have won four of five and are the fourth team since 1990 and the first since the 2013 Kansas City Chiefs to allow 20 or fewer points in each of their first nine games.
The Titans (2-7) came in with the NFL’s top-ranked defense overall and against the pass but forced Los Angeles to go three-and-out only twice in nine possessions.
Calvin Ridley scored both of Tennessee’s touchdowns and had five catches for 84 yards. Will Levis, who missed the last three games with a shoulder injury, was 18 of 23 for 175 yards but was sacked seven times.
CARDINALS 31, JETS 6
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and a touchdown and also ran for two scores and Arizona won their fourth straight game by racing to a big lead and easily handling New York.
The Cardinals (6-4) scored touchdowns on four of their first five drives and never trailed.
Murray completed 22 of 24 passes — including a franchise-record 17 in a row during one stretch — spreading the ball around to James Conner, Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. The Cardinals quarterback also ran for 21 yards.
Conner had five catches for 80 yards. Harrison caught the sixth touchdown pass of his rookie season. The Cardinals’ defense didn’t allow a touchdown for the third straight home game.
EAGLES 34, COWBOYS 6
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a pair of scores, and Philadelphia rolled to a victory over the bumbling Cowboys in the first game since Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott tore a hamstring.
Hurts shook off two sacks from Micah Parsons in the star pass rusher’s return from injury, connecting with Dallas Goedert for one of the TDs after his tight end missed three games with a hamstring issue.
The Eagles (7-2) took over first place in the NFC East with their fifth consecutive victory while defending division champion Dallas (3-6) fell to 0-4 at home in a fourth straight loss overall.
Cooper Rush didn’t look anything like the replacement who went 4-1 filling in for Prescott two years ago, going 13 of 23 for just 45 yards. Rush won the first four games in that 2022 stretch before throwing three interceptions in a loss at the Eagles.
Picks weren’t the problem this time. Just about everything else was.
LIONS 26, TEXANS 23
HOUSTON (AP) — Jake Bates made a 52-yard field goal as time expired, and Detroit overcame a career-high five interceptions by Jared Goff to rally for a win over Houston.
The Lions improved to 8-1 for the first time since 1954 with their seventh straight victory overall and fifth in a row on the road.
Detroit trailed 23-7 at halftime after Goff threw three interceptions in the first two quarters, and he threw two more picks in the third quarter. Nonetheless, the Lions scored 16 straight points to tie it with about five minutes to go on Bates’ 58-yard field goal.
The Texans (6-4) had a chance to take the lead with just under two minutes left, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 58-yard try was wide left.
The Associated Press
