NFL roundup: Jacobs rushes for 116 yards as Raiders improve to 2-0 under Pierce, beat Jets 16-12

LAS VEGAS (AP) — On a night when Josh Jacobs finally ended his 100-yard dry spell, he couldn’t quite forget the fumble that gave the New York Jets life late in the game.

“I didn’t want to be the reason why we lost,” he said.

Jacobs was just thankful the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense came through — twice.

Robert Spillane intercepted Zach Wilson’s pass at the Las Vegas 15 with 1:14 left and, after the Raiders punted, Wilson’s heave to the end zone fell incomplete on the final play to preserve the 16-12 victory Sunday night.

“There’s not too much difference between a 2-yard gain and a 4-yard gain, but when you get turnovers, you change the complexion of the game,” Spillane said.

The Raiders (5-5) improved to 2-0 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, who replaced Josh McDaniels.

“I had fun when I got in the locker room,” Pierce said. “When I was out there on the grass, that was stressful.”

Jacobs rushed for 116 yards on 27 attempts to end a 14-game streak without a 100-yard performance. The league’s reigning rushing champion came close the week before against the New York Giants, passing that mark before a 3-yard loss dropped him to 98 yards.

Aidan O’Connell who passed for 153 yards and connected with fellow rookie Michael Mayer for the game’s only touchdown and became the second Raiders rookie quarterback to win two of his first three starts. Mike Rae, in 1976, was the other.

“He’s not a rookie,” said Davante Adams, who led the Raiders with six catches for 86 yards. “By years he is, but by actions and the poise in those types of situations, you don’t see that often by a rookie quarterback. The way he commands the huddle, the way he talks to us, the communication, the confidence … I’m glad he’s our guy.”

The score was 9-9, with each team having made three field goals, when O’Connell scrambled and found Mayer for a 7-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth quarter to put the Raiders in front for good at 16-9. Mayer outjumped safety Jordan Whitehead for his first career TD catch.

BROWNS 33, RAVENS 31

BALTIMORE (AP) — Dustin Hopkins kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to cap a furious Cleveland rally in the fourth quarter, and the Browns edged the Baltimore Ravens 33-31 on Sunday.

Cleveland (6-3) trailed 31-17 before Deshaun Watson delivered the type of victory the Browns have been waiting for from their high-priced quarterback.

Watson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore with 8:57 remaining. Then one of Lamar Jackson’s passes caromed high into the air and was picked off by Greg Newsome II, and he returned the interception 34 yards for a TD just 41 seconds later.

The Ravens stayed ahead 31-30 because Hopkins missed the extra point, but Cleveland got the ball back and drove 58 yards for the winning kick.

Baltimore (7-3) had a four-game winning streak snapped, and the victory by Cleveland tightened the race in the AFC North significantly.

Watson got off to a terrible start — his first pass of the game was picked off and returned for a touchdown by Kyle Hamilton — but he finished with 213 yards passing and 37 rushing.

The Ravens led 14-0 less than five minutes into the game, 24-9 early in the fourth quarter and 31-17 early in the fourth, but couldn’t hold on. Lamar Jackson threw for 223 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice.

LIONS 41, CHARGERS 38

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jared Goff threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired, and Detroit beat Los Angeles.

The Chargers (4-5) tied it at 38-all with 3:34 remaining when Justin Herbert threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 38-yarder to Keenan Allen on fourth-and-1.

Goff responded by leading the Lions (7-2) on a nine-play, 53-yard drive, culminating in Patterson’s kick. The key play was Goff’s 6-yard completion to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta on fourth-and-2 from the LA 26-yard line.

Goff, playing in SoFi Stadium for the second time since being traded by the Rams to the Lions in 2021, was 23 of 33.

David Montgomery had 116 yards on 12 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs added 77 yards and two touchdowns for the NFC North-leading Lions.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had a career-high 156 receiving yards on eight catches, including a 20-yard TD to put the Lions ahead 31-24 in the third quarter.

Herbert completed 27 of 40 passes for 323 yards with the four TDs and an interception. Allen had 11 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns, including a 29-yard TD in the second quarter.

TEXANS 30, BENGALS 27

CINCINNATI (AP) — Rookie C.J. Stroud directed a last-minute, game-winning drive for the second straight week, finishing with 356 yards passing and leading Houston past Cincinnati.

With the game tied at 27-all and 1:33 remaining, Stroud moved the Texans 55 yards in six plays to set up a 38-yard field goal by Matt Ammendola as time expired. Ammendola had just been signed on Tuesday because Ka’imi Fairbairn suffered a quadriceps injury a week earlier.

Stroud connected with Dalton Schultz for 25 yards and Noah Brown for 22 yards on the decisive drive. Brown finished with seven catches for a season-high 172 yards, and Devin Singletary rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries for the Texans (5-4).

Stroud threw for a touchdown and ran for a score.

Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter. Still, he rallied the Bengals (5-4) from a 20-7 third-quarter deficit and kept them in striking distance late.

Cam Taylor-Britt intercepted Stroud with 3:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, and two plays later, Joe Mixon rushed for a 1-yard touchdown to cut Houston’s lead to 27-24.

Evan McPherson tied the game with a 31-yard field goal, but Burrow didn’t get another opportunity.

CARDINALS 25, FALCONS 23

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray threw for 249 yards and ran for a touchdown in his return from a serious knee injury, Matt Prater made a game-winning 23-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona beat Atlanta to snap a six-game skid.

Murray made a pair of important plays on the game-winning drive, providing reminders of why he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 and also why the Cardinals signed him to a $230.5 million contract before the 2022 season.

His 13-yard scramble on third-and-10 — and evading multiple sack attempts — helped keep Arizona’s drive alive. Then he hit tight end Trey McBride on a 33-yard pass that set up the short field goal.

That made it an easy kick for Prater, who also connected from 56, 51 and 46 yards.

McBride finished with eight catches for 131 yards, James Conner ran for 73 yards, and Murray completed 19 of 32 passes. Rookie BJ Ojulari had two sacks for the Cardinals (2-8).

The Falcons pushed ahead 23-22 with 2:33 remaining on Desmond Ridder’s 9-yard run to the left corner of the end zone. Atlanta’s 2-point conversion failed, which allowed the Cardinals to play for a game-winning field goal.

Ridder relieved starter Taylor Heinicke, who hurt his hamstring in the fourth quarter. Atlanta (4-6) has lost three straight.

SEAHAWKS 29, COMMANDERS 26

SEATTLE (AP) — Jason Myers converted his fifth field goal of the game, a 43-yarder as time expired, and Seattle held off Washington.

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and Commanders QB Sam Howell traded big throws and touchdown passes in the closing minutes, but it was Smith who had the the final chance at the victory and came through.

Howell pulled Washington even at 26-26 on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown with 52 seconds remaining. Smith took over and made a pair of big throws to DK Metcalf: a 17-yard strike on third-and-4 and a 27-yard pass to the Washington 25. Smith spiked the ball with 3 seconds left and Myers concluded his perfect day for Seattle (6-3), which remained tied with San Francisco atop the NFC West.

Smith was 31 of 47 for 369 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He hit Tyler Lockett for a 5-yard TD with 3:47 remaining.

Howell had an answer, giving Washington (4-6) a chance in the closing seconds. He finished 29 of 44 for 312 yards and three touchdowns. Howell also threw a 51-yard TD pass to running back Brian Robinson Jr. on the fourth play of the game and hit Antonio Gibson for a 19-yard TD with 8 minutes left that tied the game at 19-all. Robinson had six catches for 119 yards.

Metcalf had seven catches for 98 yards and Lockett had eight catches for 92 yards.

49ERS 34, JAGUARS 3

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, including a 66-yarder to George Kittle, and San Francisco drubbed Jacksonville to end a three-game skid.

Deebo Samuel returned from a three-game absence and had a 23-yard scoring run for the 49ers (6-3), who stopped Jacksonville’s five-game winning streak and reestablished themselves as a Super Bowl contender following a bye week.

San Francisco dominated both lines of scrimmage and controlled the game from the opening drive. The Niners ran for 147 yards against one of the league’s top run defenses and sacked Trevor Lawrence five times. Nick Bosa was a menace all game, and newly acquired defensive end Chase Young got in on one of the sacks.

The Jaguars (6-3), meanwhile, embarrassed themselves at every turn. They had a five-possession stretch in which they fumbled, kicked a field goal, threw an interception, fumbled and threw another interception. Lawrence was responsible for three of the team’s four turnovers.

It was Jacksonville’s worst home loss since a 45-10 blowout by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019.

Kittle finished with three catches for 116 yards. Christian McCaffrey finished with 142 total yards, but his streak of consecutive games with a TD ended at 17 games, including the playoffs.

Purdy completed 19 of 26 passes for 296 yards, giving way to Sam Darnold in the fourth with a 148.9 QB rating.

VIKINGS 27, SAINTS 19

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joshua Dobbs kept Minnesota’s offense on track in his first start, throwing for a career-high 268 yards as Minnesota beat New Orleans for its fifth straight victory.

T.J. Hockenson outgained the Saints by himself in the first half with 10 catches for 128 yards and a score for the Vikings (6-4), who took a 24-3 lead into the break but stalled from there.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr exited the game in the third quarter with a concussion and a shoulder injury. Jameis Winston replaced him with the Saints trailing 27-3 and delivered touchdown passes to Chris Olave and A.T. Perry.

But Winston was intercepted by Mekhi Blackmon and Byron Murphy on downfield heaves to end consecutive fourth-quarter possessions.

New Orleans (5-5) saw its two-game winning streak end.

Dobbs threw for a touchdown and ran for another in his second game for the Vikings after being pressed into action against Atlanta last week. Hockenson played through a painful rib injury and finished with 11 catches for 134 yards.

COWBOYS 49, GIANTS 17

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dak Prescott threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns while running for another score, and Dallas routed New York for the second time this season.

The Cowboys (6-3) won 40-0 in the opener in New Jersey, and the 72-point margin was their largest in a sweep of an NFC East opponent, topping their 66-point edge against Philadelphia in 1969. Dallas extended its home winning streak to 12 games.

The Giants (2-8) were outgained 368-27 in the first half with Tommy DeVito as the first undrafted rookie to start for them at quarterback in the common draft era, save for a strike-replacement game in 1987.

DeVito, who replaced Daniel Jones last week when the franchise QB sustained a season-ending knee injury, was 14 of 27 for 86 yards with two TDs and an interception.

The Cowboys — whose 640 total yards were 12 shy of the franchise record — had a 54-0 combined first-half margin in the two games.

CeeDee Lamb had a spectacular one-handed grab among 11 catches for 151 yards as he became the first Dallas receiver with at least 10 catches for at least 150 yards in three consecutive games. He also scored on a 14-yard run.

Brandin Cooks had his first 100-yard game since joining Dallas in an offseason trade, finishing 13 off his career high with 173.

COLTS 10, PATRIOTS 6

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Jonathan Taylor ran for a first-quarter touchdown, Mac Jones threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter, and Indianapolis held on to beat New England.

Jones was sacked five times in the first half and was picked off by Julian Blackmon at the 1-yard line after leading the Patriots into position for a go-ahead score. Jones has a league-worst 10 interceptions this season.

Bailey Zappe replaced Jones on the New England’s final possession. The Patriots fell to 2-8, their worst record since Bill Belichick’s first year as their coach in 2000.

Gardner Minshew threw for 194 yards for the Colts (5-5), who won an international game for the first time. Taylor had 69 yards on 23 carries, and Michael Pittman had eight receptions for 84 yards.

Rhamondre Stevenson had 20 carries for 88 yards, and Ezekiel Elliott added 13 carries for 54 yards for the Patriots.

STEELERS 23, PACKERS 19

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris combined for 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Pittsburgh beat Green Bay.

Chris Boswell kicked three field goals for the Steelers (6-3), who relied on big plays by their defense and special teams to win their ninth straight game decided by eight points or fewer.

Patrick Peterson blocked an extra point and later tipped a ball that turned into Keanu Neal’s interception in the end zone with 3:20 remaining.

Green Bay got the ball back with 59 seconds to go and drove deep into Pittsburgh territory, but Damontae Kazee picked off Jordan Love’s last-gasp throw to the end zone. Kazee returned it 30 yards before stepping out of bounds with time expired.

Love completed 21 of 40 for 289 yards and two touchdowns for the Packers (3-6), who outgained the Steelers 399 yards to 324. Pittsburgh has been outgained in every game this season.

Warren finished with 101 yards on 15 carries and Harris had 16 rushes for 82 yards.

BUCCANEERS 20, TITANS 6

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns, and Tampa bay beat Tennessee to stop a four-game skid.

Rachaad White turned a first-quarter screen pass into a 43-yard TD. Mike Evans redeemed himself from dropping a pass in the end zone with a 22-yard scoring catch and finished with six receptions for 143 yards for the Buccaneers (4-5).

A week after yielding five TD passes and an NFL rookie record 470 yards through the air to Houston’s C.J. Stroud, the Bucs’ defense fared much better against another first-year quarterback, Will Levis, who was sacked four times and intercepted once while failing to get his team into the end zone.

Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes and shrugged off a first-quarter interception to end Tampa Bay’s longest skid since 2019.

Tennessee (3-6) lost for the fourth time in five games. The Titans have dropped eight straight on the road dating to last season.

Levis led a field goal drive on Tennessee’s first possession but finished 19 of 39 for 199 yards in his third pro start. An injury-weakened offensive line struggled to protect the rookie, and Levis got little help from a running game that produced 42 yards on 16 carries.