San Francisco 49ers 37-8 Green Bay Packers
The San Francisco 49ers’ defence held Aaron Rodgers to just 104 yards passing while sacking him five times en route to a 37-8 rout of the Green Bay Packers.
The 49ers solidified their spot atop the NFC pecking order with a 10-1 record, while sending the Packers back to Green Bay at 8-3. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns on just 20 attempts, completing 14.
His 145.8 passer rating was about double that of his counterpart, Rodgers, who had too little time and too few open receivers. Rodgers finished 20 of 33 with a touchdown, posting the lowest yards-per-attempt (3.15) in any start in his career and his second-lowest yardage total in a start in which he wasn’t injured. He was pulled for the final five minutes of the game. San Francisco didn’t allow a single third-down conversion until the final seconds of the game, as the Packers opened 0-for-15.
Pittsburgh Steelers 16-10 Cincinnati Bengals
Devlin “Duck” Hodges took over for struggling Mason Rudolph and threw a 79-yard touchdown pass on Sunday, sparking the depleted Pittsburgh Steelers to a 16-10 victory that kept the Cincinnati Bengals the only winless team in the NFL.
Hodges connected with James Washington on the game-turning play in the third quarter, leaving Pittsburgh (6-5) with a quarterback decision as they move forward without Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers’ defense have steadied them through the transition, and they had a major impact in Pittsburgh’s 10th straight win over the hapless Bengals (0-11), who set franchise records for worst start and longest losing streak.
Earlier in the day, Rudolph – albeit in piñata form – had received similarly rough treatment from Cleveland Browns fans. Tailgaters took swings at an effigy of Rudolph using a Steelers helmet. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett hit Rudolph with his own helmet in a game earlier this month. Garrett was subsequently suspended for at least the rest of the season, but claimed Rudolph had racially abused him in the run-up to the fight. Rudolph denied the accusation after he was asked about reports he felt “distraught” about Garrett’s claim.
“I think any human would be in one day, when your integrity’s attacked and something’s said about you that’s totally untrue,” Rudolph said after Sunday’s game. “And I couldn’t believe it, and I couldn’t believe that he would go that route after the fact. But it is what it is. I think I’ve moved on.”
New England Patriots 13-9 Dallas Cowboys
Tom Brady completed 17 of 37 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown, and New England held on to clip visiting Dallas on a cold, wet and windy afternoon in Foxborough.
N’Keal Harry scored the lone touchdown for New England (10-1), which notched double-digit victories for the 17th straight season while beating the current NFC East leader. Julian Edelman led all receivers with eight catches for 93 yards, and Sony Michel led the ground attack with 20 carries for 85 yards. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott struggled in the inclement weather, completing 19 of 33 passes for 212 yards and an interception. Dallas (6-5) lost for the second time in the past three weeks.
Tennessee Titans 42-20 Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee exploded for 28 third-quarter points and kept its playoff hopes alive with a runaway victory over Jacksonville in Nashville.
Derrick Henry rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Ryan Tannehill accounted for four touchdowns as Tennessee (6-5) moved into a second-place tie with Indianapolis in the AFC South, one game behind division-leading Houston.
Jacksonville (4-7) are now firmly entrenched in last place. Tannehill hit Dennis Kelly for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 13:13 left in the third quarter to give the Titans a 14-3 lead, then Henry scored on 74- and 7-yard touchdown runs just 16 seconds apart to give the Titans a 28-3 lead. The Titans scored their fourth touchdown of the third on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Tannehill to AJ Brown.
Carolina Panthers 31-34 New Orleans Saints
Wil Lutz kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 to take a four-game lead in the NFC South with five games left. Drew Brees completed 30 of 39 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, and led New Orleans from their own 14-yard line with 1:51 left to the Carolina 15 with three seconds remaining to set up the winning kick, capping a contest filled with late momentum shifts and critical errors none bigger than Carolina kicker Joey Slye’s missed field goal from 28 yards with two minutes left.
Miami Dolphins 24-41 Cleveland Browns
Jarvis Landry caught two touchdown passes against his former team and the Cleveland Browns won their third straight, 41-24 over the Miami Dolphins in their first game since losing Garrett.
Landry couldn’t wait to get back at the Dolphins (2-9), who had him for four seasons before they decided not to give him a long-term contract extension and traded him to Cleveland in 2018. He got his revenge, finishing with 10 catches for 148 yards. Baker Mayfield had 327 yards passing and hit a TD pass to Odell Beckham Jr, and Joe Schobert had two interceptions as the Browns (5-6) continued their climb back into the AFC playoff hunt.
Seattle Seahawks 17-9 Philadelphia Eagles
Rashaad Penny ran for a career-best 129 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown, Russell Wilson threw one TD pass and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Missing their top three wide receivers, leading rusher and two Pro Bowl offensive linemen, the Eagles (5-6) couldn’t do much on offense and hurt themselves with three turnovers inside Seattle territory and another near midfield. The Seahawks (9-2) remain undefeated on the road in six games.
Oakland Raiders 3-34 New York Jets
Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading the New York Jets to an impressive 34-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders for their first three-game winning streak in over two years. Brian Poole returned an interception 15 yards for a TD and the rest of the Jets defense made things miserable for Derek Carr, who was pulled by coach Jon Gruden with just under two minutes left in the third quarter.
New York Giants 14-19 Chicago Bears
Khalil Mack set up a touchdown with a strip-sack, Allen Robinson had a season-high 131 yards receiving and the Chicago Bears beat the struggling New York Giants 19-14. Trying to salvage something from a disappointing season, the Bears (5-6) bounced back from a loss to the Los Angeles Rams to win for the second time in three games. The Giants (2-9) dropped their seventh straight and clinched their third losing season in a row.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-22 Atlanta Falcons
Massive defensive lineman Vita Vea turned receiver to haul in his first career touchdown, one of three scoring throws by Jameis Winston as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers escaped last place in the NFC South with a 35-22 rout of the Atlanta Falcons. Winston shook off two more interceptions to post his sixth straight 300-yard passing game, leading the Buccaneers (4-7) to just their second victory in the last seven games.
Denver Broncos 3-20 Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen threw two touchdowns passing and Shaq Lawson had two of Buffalo’s four sacks in a 20-3 win over the Denver Broncos that has the Bills off to their best start in 23 years. John Brown made a diving 34-yard touchdown catch, and Cole Beasley scored on an 18-yard reception. Allen finished 15 of 25 for 185 yards and threw his first interception in 172 attempts.
Frank Gore had 65 yards rushing to up his total to 15,289 and move ahead of boyhood idol Barry Sanders into third on the NFL career list. The 15-year veteran also increased his total to 19,154 yards from scrimmage to pass Marshall Faulk for fourth on the list.
Detroit Lions 16-19 Washington
Quinton Dunbar intercepted Jeff Driskel in the final minute, Dustin Hopkins hit the go-ahead field goal from 39 yards out with 16 seconds left and Washington beat the Detroit Lions to snap a four-game losing streak.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins picked up his first NFL win after leading Washington (2-9) into field goal range following Dunbar’s interception. Haskins finished 13 of 29 for 156 yards and an interception but made a couple fewer mistakes than Driskel, who was picked off three times as the Lions (3-7-1) lost their fourth in a row and third since starter Matthew Stafford went out with injury.
