NFL roundup: Broncos rally to end Vikings’ 5-game winning streak, 21-20

DENVER — Stymied all night by the Minnesota Vikings’ smothering defense, Russell Wilson never lost faith in his sputtering offense whose first nine drives ended with Wil Lutz kicking five field goals and Riley Dixon punting four times.

“We just believe in each other … We knew we were going to win this game,” Wilson said after driving Denver on its only touchdown drive in the closing minutes for a 21-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, ending the NFL’s longest winning streak at five games.

Courtland Sutton’s leaping 15-yard touchdown catch with 1:03 remaining was the difference for Denver (5-5), which now owns the league’s longest winning streak at four.

“This guy’s been lights out,” Wilson said of Sutton, who outleapt cornerback Mekhi Blackmon for his eighth TD of the season. “He’s one of the best in the game and I tried to put it on a place that only he could get it. And sure enough.”

Wilson was smacked just as he released the throw, and never saw the game-winning reception: “I think my head was turned sideways. I just heard the crowd going crazy and knew he caught it.”

Danielle Hunter’s tackle of Javonte Williams on the 2-point try kept the Vikings within a point and needing a field goal by Greg Joseph in Denver’s thin air to win it.

The Broncos’ defense — which produced three more takeaways, giving Denver a dozen over its last three games — didn’t allow the Vikings (6-5) to get out of their own side of the field on Minnesota’s desperation drive in the final minute, however.

Denver forced Joshua Dobbs into an intentional grounding that brought up fourth-and-25 before Dobbs threw one final incompletion from the Vikings 21 with 16 seconds left.

Dobbs threw for 221 yards and a touchdown and ran for another but lost with the Vikings for the first time since they acquired him in an emergency trade with Arizona.

Still, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to have both a touchdown throw and a touchdown run in his first three games with a team.

“Man, he’s a lot slippier than I ever (realized) … he was tough to get down,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “And he’s taller. I turned to (offensive coordinator Joe) Lombardi in pregame and said, ‘Gosh, I don’t remember Dobbs being 6-3.’

“And I didn’t realize how well he can move in the pocket. And we all kind of lived it in that last 2-minute drive.

“It was just one escape after the other and finally we got off the field.”

Wilson went 27 of 35 for 259 yards without an interception for Denver.

The Broncos started their go-ahead drive from their 25 with 3:17 remaining after Joseph’s field goal made it 20-15. That kick capped a 7-minute, 20-second drive by the Vikings that featured a fake punt from their own 30.

Ty Chandler took the snap on fourth-and-5 and scurried 31 yards into Denver territory. He added a 19-yard catch-and-run before the drive stalled at the Broncos 12.

That 20-15 lead seemed safe given that Denver had struggled to find any rhythm all night, finishing 2-for-12 on third down and watching the Vikings outrun them 175 yards to 46 yards for a 10-minute advantage in time of possession.

Wilson drove the Broncos 75 yards in 10 plays to give Denver, which trailed 17-9 after three quarters, its first lead since 3-0.

“It’s hard in this league to go on the road and win. And it’s even harder when you don’t take care of the football like you’re supposed to,” Dobbs said.

The Broncos kept stalling deep in Minnesota territory with Lutz connecting from 31, 31, 53, 37 and 28 yards. That last one came after nickelback Ja’Quan McMillian’s interception of Dobbs set up the Broncos’ offense just inside the Vikings’ 10-yard line.

LIONS 31, BEARS 26

DETROIT (AP) — David Montgomery ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 29 seconds left against his former team, and Detroit rallied past Justin Fields and Chicago.

The NFC North-leading Lions (8-2) overcame four turnovers, including Jared Goff’s season-high three interceptions, and a 12-point deficit over the last 3:06.

Detroit has its best record through 10 games since 1962, giving the franchise a shot to win a division title for the first time in three decades.

The Bears (3-8) blew chances to win consecutive games for the first time in nearly two years.

Fields mostly played well in his first game in a month, but he fumbled on his last snap when Aidan Hutchinson sacked him and the ball went out of the end zone for a safety.

Fields threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore late in the third quarter. Cairo Santos made two of his four field goals in the fourth quarter to give the Bears a 26-14 lead with 4:15 remaining.

Goff bounced back from a shaky start to complete 23 of 35 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. Fields matched a career high with 18 carries and had 104 yards rushing. He was 16 of 23 for 169 yards with a touchdown.

RAMS 17, SEAHAWKS 16

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Lucas Havrisik made a 22-yard field goal with 1:31 to play for Los Angeles, which held on to beat Seattle when Jason Myers missed a 55-yard attempt with 3 seconds left.

Matthew Stafford passed for 190 yards in his return from injury and led two scoring drives in the fourth-quarter comeback by the Rams (4-6), who snapped their three-game losing streak with their second win over the Seahawks (6-4) this season.

Los Angeles hung on only after Geno Smith returned from a late injury of his own and led a frantic last-minute drive into field goal range. But Seattle ran out of time and had to settle for a long attempt that was missed badly by Myers, who had already hit three field goals at SoFi Stadium.

Seattle appeared to be cruising toward its fourth victory in five games until Smith, who passed for 233 yards, was sidelined by a hard hit from Aaron Donald late in the third quarter.

Darrell Henderson then ran for a 1-yard TD with 7:38 left to trim Seattle’s lead to two points, and Derion Kendrick intercepted Seattle backup Drew Lock’s long pass on Seattle’s next possession. Stafford drove the Rams to the Seattle 4 before they settled for Havrisik’s short field goal.

Smith made a 21-yard completion to DK Metcalf over the middle to the Los Angeles 39 with about 30 seconds left, but the Seahawks couldn’t get closer for Myers.

BILLS 32, JETS 6

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw three touchdown passes and Buffalo scored on six of its first eight possessions to rout New York.

With new offensive coordinator Joe Brady replacing the fired Ken Dorsey, the Bills (6-5) snapped a two-game skid and topped 25 points for the first time in seven weeks. That ended the team’s worst such drought since a six-game run during Allen’s rookie season in 2018.

After building a 9-0 lead on three field goals by Tyler Bass, Allen and the Bills broke the game open with three touchdowns over four possessions spanning halftime.

The Jets (4-6) dropped their third straight and coach Robert Saleh potentially opened the door for a quarterback switch. Starter Zach Wilson was benched with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter and replaced by Tim Boyle, who didn’t fare much better while overseeing an offense that managed to score just its ninth touchdown of the season.

Allen finished 20 of 32 for 275 yards with an interception, which came on a Hail Mary to end the first half.

Newly acquired cornerback Rasul Douglas had two interceptions — Buffalo’s first in seven games — and also recovered a fumble.

BROWNS 13, STEELERS 10

CLEVELAND (AP) — Dustin Hopkins kicked a 34-yard field goal with 2 seconds left after rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed four straight clutch passes, and Cleveland beat Pittsburgh.

Making his second NFL start, Thompson-Robinson rallied the Browns (7-3) days after Deshaun Watson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

With the crowd chanting “D-T-R!” and Watson watching from Cleveland’s sideline, Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round pick from UCLA, calmly completed his four passes for 39 yards to set up Hopkins.

The Browns have beaten the Ravens and Steelers (6-4) in consecutive weeks for the first time in 15 tries.

Pittsburgh was outgained for the 10th straight week and couldn’t get much going against Cleveland’s top-ranked defense. Jaylen Warren had a 74-yard TD run and finished with a career-high 129 yards for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh turned to its reliable defense in the second half and did a nice job shutting down Thompson-Robinson until the final moments. The Steelers had won each of their past nine games decided by eight points or fewer, including six this season.

COWBOYS 33, PANTHERS 10

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — DaRon Bland tied an NFL record with his fourth pick-6 of the season, Dak Prescott threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and Dallas trounced Carolina for its fourth win in five games.

Bland made a diving interception of Bryce Young near the sideline early in the fourth quarter, got up and raced 31 yards for a touchdown and a 30-10 lead. He tied a record shared by Philadelphia’s Eric Allen (1993), Kansas City’s Jim Kearney (1972) and Houston’s Ken Houston (1971).

Tony Pollard ran for 61 yards and a touchdown, and CeeDee Lamb found the end zone again for Dallas (7-3) in front of a predominantly pro-Cowboys crowd.

Young was 16 of 29 for 123 yards, and the No. 1 draft pick threw the third pick-6 of his rookie season and also fumbled. The Panthers (1-9) are assured their sixth straight losing season since David Tepper bought the team in 2018.

The Cowboys sacked Young seven times and limited the Panthers to 187 yards and 13 first downs in the first game since head coach Frank Reich resumed control of play-calling duties.

49ERS 27, BUCCANEERS 14

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy threw a 76-yard strike to Brandon Aiyuk for one of his three touchdown passes, and San Francisco beat Tampa Bay.

Purdy also threw a 4-yard TD pass to Christian McCaffrey and a 3-yarder to George Kittle to help the 49ers (7-3) post a second straight lopsided win following a three-game losing streak.

Baker Mayfield threw a TD pass for Tampa Bay (4-6), but the Bucs had no answers defensively against Purdy and the 49ers and lost for the fifth time in six games.

Purdy finished 21 for 25 for 333 yards and became the first Niners quarterback ever to post a perfect passer rating in a game with at least 20 attempts.

For the second straight week, the 49ers broke the game open with a big pass play from Purdy on the opening drive of the second half. San Francisco started the drive at its own 2 and moved the ball out to the 24.

Purdy struck from there, lofting a deep throw down the sideline to Aiyuk, who beat Jamel Dean for the catch and ran it in from there for the score that made it 20-6.

DOLPHINS 20, RAIDERS 13

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Ramsey had two of Miami’s three interceptions, including a pick in the end zone that put the game away with 22 seconds left, and the Dolphins overcame three turnovers of their own to beat Las Vegas.

With the Raiders driving toward a potential tying score, Ramsey intercepted a pass from rookie Aidan O’Connell intended for Tre Tucker, ending a rare game in which Miami’s defense outshined its offense.

Tua Tagovailoa went 28 of 39 for 325 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Miami. He also lost his third fumble of the season on a scramble on the Dolphins’ opening drive. Tyreek Hill caught his league-leading eighth touchdown of the season and had 146 yards on 10 receptions.

The Dolphins (7-3) solidified their spot atop the AFC East. They finished with 422 yards of offense but scored their fewest points at home all year.

O’Connell also threw a pick on Las Vegas’ penultimate drive. He finished 24 of 41 for 271 yards for the Raiders (5-6), who fell to 2-1 since coach Josh McDaniels was fired and replaced on an interim basis by Antonio Pierce.

TEXANS 21, CARDINALS 16

HOUSTON (AP) — Standout rookie C.J. Stroud threw for 336 yards with two touchdowns, and Houston Texans overcame his season-high three interceptions to beat Arizona.

The Texans (6-4) have doubled their win total from last season and have won three games in a row for the first time since a nine-game streak in 2018.

The Cardinals (2-9) had a chance to win late. Kyler Murray threw a deep pass on fourth-and-8 that was intended for Marquise Brown, but Steven Nelson batted it down with 35 seconds left.

Houston didn’t score after halftime and Stroud was picked off on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter. He had thrown just two interceptions in his first nine games.

Houston rookie Tank Dell had a season-high 149 yards on eight receptions and set a franchise rookie record with his sixth touchdown catch.

Murray threw for 214 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his second game back after recovering from a torn ACL. He also rushed for 51 yards and a score.

PACKERS 23, CHARGERS 20

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love threw for 322 yards and found Romeo Doubs for a 24-yard touchdown with 2:33 left to give Green Bay the win over Los Angeles.

Love went 27 of 40 and became the first Packer to throw for more than 300 yards since Aaron Rodgers had a 341-yard day against the Chicago Bears on Dec. 12, 2021. Love’s other touchdown pass was an 11-yarder to Christian Watson with 4 seconds left in the third quarter.

Los Angeles (4-6) lost another close one. Five of the Chargers’ six defeats have been decided by a combined 14 points.

The Chargers also suffered a major blow when star edge rusher Joey Bosa was carted off the field with a foot injury on the game’s opening series. Packers running back Aaron Jones was carted off with a shoulder injury late in the second quarter.

Justin Herbert threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen on third-and-9 to give the Chargers a 20-16 lead with 5:24 remaining. The Packers (4-6) answered on their next series.

Herbert was 21 of 36 for 260 yards with two touchdowns.

GIANTS 31, COMMANDERS 19

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Sam Howell threw three interceptions among six turnovers for Washington, which may have reached the low point of coach Ron Rivera’s tenure with the loss to last-place New York.

Undrafted quarterback Tommy DeVito picked up his first NFL win in his second start as the Giants (3-8) beat the Commanders (4-7) for the second time this season. Washington has lost seven of nine.

After a late comeback bid was ended by Isaiah Simmons picking off Howell and returning it 54 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left, Rivera’s future, and that of the entire coaching staff and front office, is now squarely in the forefront in the first season since Josh Harris’ ownership group bought the team.

Favored by more than a touchdown, the Commanders fumbled in nearly every possible way: Logan Thomas after a catch, Byron Pringle on a kickoff return and Chris Rodriguez Jr. on a run. The giveaways by Howell prevented Washington from getting back into the game.

New York scored a first-quarter TD for the first time all season. The Giants never trailed and won for the first time since Oct. 22, when they beat the Commanders 14-7 at the Meadowlands.

DeVito completed 18 of 26 passes for 246 yards and three TD passes: two to Saquon Barkley and one to Darius Slayton. The Giants dominated despite allowing DeVito to be sacked nine times and rushing for zero yards as a team in the first half.

JAGUARS 34, TITANS 14

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes to Calvin Ridley, and Jacksonville rebounded from its worst loss of the season by drubbing Tennessee.

Ridley finished with seven catches for 103 yards, finding the end zone twice for the first time with the Jaguars (7-3). Lawrence also ran for two scores for the first time in his three NFL seasons, becoming the first player in franchise history with two TD passes and two rushing scores in the same game.

It was a much-needed performance for a team that had lost three of four at home and was embarrassed by San Francisco a week earlier.

Jacksonville scored on five consecutive possessions and finished with 389 yards. Lawrence completed 24 of 32 passes for 262 yards, finishing with the fourth-best passer rating (119.5) of his career after the third-lowest outing against the 49ers.

The Titans (3-7), coming off a 14-point loss at Tampa Bay, fell to 0-6 away from home. Coach Mike Vrabel’s team has yet to top 16 points on the road.

Rookie Will Levis connected with DeAndre Hopkins for a 43-yard score in the third quarter and found two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons for a 2-yard score in the fourth. Levis completed 13 of 17 passes for 158 yards. He was also sacked twice and lost a fumble.