EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score, leading the Miami Dolphins to their first win of the season with a 28-25 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
The Dolphins (1-5) came off their bye-week break and avoided their first 0-6 start since 2019 by scoring on their first two drives and controlling most of the game before holding on to give coach Jeff Hafley his first win.
Trailing 28-17 with 4:44 left, the Jets (2-5) made a late push. On fourth-and-four, Geno Smith completed a short pass to Isaiah Davis, who zipped downfield 41 yards to the Dolphins 18. Three plays later, Smith found Mason Taylor in the back left corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown, the tight end's second of the game.
Penalties negated New York's first two two-point tries before Smith threw to Taylor to make it 28-25 with 3:24 left.
But Willis sealed the victory when he pushed forward for two yards on fourth-and-one as the Dolphins celebrated and frustrated Jets fans filed out of MetLife Stadium.
Willis was 14 of 21 for 208 yards and two TD passes to rookie Caleb Douglas, and ran for 37 yards on eight carries. Ollie Gordon rushed for 103 yards and a score.
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FALCONS 29, 49ERS 20
ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr. threw three touchdown passes, Atlanta scored 13 points off four turnovers and the Falcons handed the San Francisco 49ers their first loss, 29-20 on Sunday.
San Francisco (6-1) was already thin at wide receiver before its offence faced additional limitations when running back Christian McCaffrey missed much of the first half with a thigh injury.
Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels intercepted Brock Purdy's pass intended for Jordan Watkins with 2:34 remaining. It was Purdy's second interception. Daniels then recovered a fumble by George Kittle with less than a minute remaining.
The 49ers had only six turnovers in their first six games.
Penix threw scoring passes to tight ends Nick Muse and Kyle Pitts before giving Atlanta (3-4) a 26-14 lead with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Drake London in the fourth quarter. Penix completed 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards with no interceptions.
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BENGALS 35, RAVENS 13
BALTIMORE — Joe Burrow threw four touchdown passes in the second half, and the Cincinnati Bengals rebounded from a desultory first two quarters to beat Baltimore 35-13 on Sunday, handing the Ravens a second straight divisional loss with Lamar Jackson sidelined.
Baltimore (4-3) dominated the first half but led only 13-0 after settling for a couple of short field goals. Then the Ravens blew a double-digit second-half lead for the second straight week and 10th time since the start of the 2022 season.
The Bengals (4-2) were shut out in their second meeting with Baltimore last season, and were scoreless through two quarters this time before going 66 yards on the first drive after halftime, capped by Burrow's six-yard TD pass to Mike Gesicki.
Baltimore, which held the ball for 22:20 in the first half, went three-and-out on its first possession of the second. Burrow's 13-yard scoring pass to Tee Higgins put Cincinnati ahead to stay.
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GIANTS 27, TEXANS 21 (OT)
HOUSTON — Devin Singletary’s 30-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted the New York Giants to a 27-21 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Cam Skattebo had a 16-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and his 42-yard scamper to set up Singletary’s game-winning run. He had 17 carries for 124 yards after not having a carry last Sunday following a costly fumble two weeks ago.
J.J. McCarthy moved the ball effectively for the Giants (4-2-1) in his first start of the season after coach John Harbaugh benched Jameis Winston. He was 20 of 28 for 252 yards in the stadium in which he won the national title with Michigan in January 2024.
The Texans (2-5) got the ball first in overtime, but New York’s defence forced a three-and-out with Kayvon Thibodeaux dropping a potential interception on second down.
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BUCCANEERS 43, PANTHERS 13
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bucky Irving ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and Tampa Bay forced four turnovers as the Buccaneers hammered the Carolina Panthers 43-13 on Sunday in Baker Mayfield’s return.
Mayfield, who missed the previous three gameswith a dislocated right thumb, attempted just 11 passes and threw for 64 yards while wearing a protective glove on his right hand. That was more than enough for him to improve to 7-1 against the Panthers, including 6-1 since joining the Bucs (2-5).
Mayfield didn’t need to do much because Tampa Bay’s run game, defense and special teams dominated. The Bucs had 258 yards on the ground, with Sean Tucker adding a 46-yard touchdown run to put Tampa Bay up by 37.
Carolina's Bryce Young turned the ball over three times. Al-Quadin Muhammad had a strip-sack of Young that Calijah Kancey returned 32 yards for a touchdown.
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VIKINGS 16, COLTS 10
MINNEAPOLIS — Harrison Smith capped another dominant performance by Minnesota's defence with the game-sealing interception, and the Vikings overcame another sluggish start to stay unbeaten with a 16-10 victory over the spiraling Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Linebacker Blake Cashman led the onslaught of pressure on Daniel Jones all afternoon with 12 tackles, two sacks, four passes defenced and three quarterback hits for the Vikings (6-0), who won yet again despite minimal production from Kyler Murray and the offence.
Smith picked off Jones around midfield with about a minute left to kill the last-ditch drive by the Colts (2-5) before it ever got going, the 40th career interception for the stalwart safety who decided right before the regular season to return for his 15th year.
Jones went 13-for-122 for 108 yards and lost 44 yards on four sacks, with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores continually sending blitzers into the backfield.
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BROWNS 27, TITANS 24
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Deshaun Watson led his fifth game-winning drive in the fourth quarter this season, connecting with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 36-yard catch-and run that set up Andre Szmyt's 32-yard field goal as time expired, and the Cleveland Browns beat the Tennessee Titans 27-24 on Sunday for their fifth win in six games.
Watson ran for a touchdown and threw for 308 yards. Quinshon Judkins ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns, and rookie KC Concepcion caught eight passes for 129 yards in his best game yet.
The AFC North-leading Browns (5-2) had two takeaways as they started a three-game road swing with a win.
Szmyt got the chance with his game-winning kick to make up for clanking a 43-yarder off the right upright within the first minute of the fourth quarter. The Titans responded with a drive capped by a 29-yard field goal by Joey Slye, which tied the game at 17-all with 8:41 remaining.
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STEELERS 16, SAINTS 10
SAINT-DENIS, France — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers knew a protective slide was out of the question when he scrambled on a key fourth-quarter play in New Orleans territory Sunday.
The 42-year-old star left the pocket on third-and-6 and picked up 8 yards before being tackled just before the two-minute warning to help Pittsburgh seal a 16-10 victory in the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
“Sometimes you’ve got to suck it up and make a play for your guys,” Rodgers said. “I think because I am so much less athletic than I used to be, it actually fires up the guys even more.”
Rodgers threw one touchdown pass and Chris Boswell kicked three field goals in the victory at Stade de France.
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BRONCOS 30, CARDINALS 16
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Bo Nix ran for a 62-yard touchdown, RJ Harvey turned a short screen pass into a 52-yard touchdown and the Denver Broncos used a handful of big offensive plays to beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-16 on Sunday.
The Cardinals have lost 10 straight home games in a streak that's lasted 406 days.
The Broncos (5-2) have struggled on offence for most of this season and that trend continued for part of Sunday's game, but Nix and Harvey took advantage of costly mistakes by the Cardinals' defence to get things moving.
Denver has won three straight. Its defence was dominant once again with 12 quarterback hits, six tackles for a loss and three sacks.
Nix's long touchdown run came late in the second quarter, giving the Broncos a 13-6 lead. He dropped back to pass and then stepped up in pocket, surging forward when a huge patch of grass appeared. No one on the Cardinals' defence was near him until a few yards before the end zone, when he sidestepped a tackle and tumbled forward for the touchdown.
RAMS 35, RAIDERS 21
LAS VEGAS — Matthew Stafford threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns to become the Rams' career leader in passing TDs, and Los Angeles resembled the team previously favoured to win the Super Bowl, beating the Las Vegas Raiders 35-21 on Sunday.
The Rams (3-4) still have a ways to go to overcome their slow start and numerous injuries, but this victory improves their chances to be a factor in the playoff race. Since the NFL playoffs expanded from 12 to 14 teams in 2020, 10 of 41 clubs have made the playoffs after opening 3-4, with just 4 of 33 making it after going 2-5.
At least in the first half, when they took a 28-6 lead, the Rams showed why they entered the season favoured to win it all. The Raiders (3-4) made a push in the second half but lost their fourth straight.
Stafford has 155 touchdown passes in a Rams uniform, one more than previous team record holder Roman Gabriel.
Las Vegas native Puka Nacua, who had been listed as questionable with a calf injury, caught eight passes for 68 yards and a touchdown for the Rams, and tight end Davis Allen had two TD catches — his first trips to the end zone this season.
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined to rush for 192 yards and two touchdowns for Los Angeles.
LIONS 20, PACKERS 17
DETROIT — Jake Bates made a 22-yard field goal as time expired to give the Detroit Lions a 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
The Lions (4-2) have won two straight for the first time this season, putting them in third place in the NFC North behind Minnesota (6-0) and Chicago (5-2).
The Packers (4-3) had a three-game winning streak stopped and dropped to last place in the NFC North, likely lamenting a lot of penalties that went against them. The AFC North also has all four teams with winning records.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell, who is known for being aggressive, seemed to make a reckless decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his 24 with just under 5 minutes to play. Jahmyr Gibbs was stopped for no gain, but the curious choice didn't backfire.
One play after Jordan Love put a pass on Josh Jacobs' hands for an incompletion that landed in the end zone, rookie Trey Smack missed a 35-yard field goal after D.J. Wonnum got a finger on the kick. Smack missed from 26 in the first half.
