ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Tyler Bass kicked a career-best 61-yard field goal with 5 seconds left, Josh Allen threw three second-half touchdown passes in a back-and-forth duel with Miami's Tua Tagovailoa, and the Buffalo Bills continued their domination of the Dolphins with a 30-27 victory on Sunday.
The teams traded leads four times in a thrilling second half that included seven consecutive scoring drives — four by AFC East-leading Buffalo (7-2) and three by division rival Miami (2-6).
Buffalo's final drive stalled at the Miami 43 following a spike and two incompletions, and coach Sean McDermott put his faith in the inconsistent Bass, who missed an extra point earlier in the game. Bass not only split the uprights, but had enough length to reach the first row of fans in the end zone. It was the longest field goal in franchise history.
The Bills are 7-2 for the first time since 2020 and moved four games ahead of the New York Jets in the AFC East, which they have won the past four seasons. Buffalo swept its season series against Miami and has beaten Miami six straight times and 13 of 14, including playoffs. The Dolphins have also lost nine straight trips to Buffalo, a skid that dates to Dec. 24, 2016.
The Dolphins took a big hit to their playoff chances. They've lost three straight and two since Tagovailoa returned from a concussion that sidelined him for four games.
This defeat wasn't for lack of effort by Tagovailoa, who was 25 of 28 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. Allen finished 25 of 39 for 235 yards and one interception alongside his three TDs.
LIONS 24, PACKERS 14
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Kerby Joseph scored on a 27-yard interception return and the Detroit Lions converted two fourth downs into touchdowns as they continued one of the best starts in franchise history by beating the Green Bay Packers 24-14 on Sunday.
The NFC North-leading Lions are 7-1 for the first time since 1956. They withstood the second-quarter ejection of safety Brian Banks and won at Lambeau Field for a third straight year, thriving on a rainy and windy day.
Detroit took the lead for good on the first play of the second quarter when Jared Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 3-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Jahmyr Gibbs capped the opening drive of the second half by rushing for a 15-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1 to extend the Lions’ lead to 24-3.
Goff had another efficient day, finishing 18 of 22 for 145 yards.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love went 23 of 39 for 273 yards with an interception, one week he left in the third quarter of a 30-27 victory at Jacksonville with a groin strain. Jayden Reed had five catches for 113 yards and Josh Jacobs rushed for 95 yards.
FALCONS 27, COWBOYS 21
ATLANTA — Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes and the Atlanta Falcons maintained their hold on first place in the NFC South with a 27-21 victory Sunday over the struggling Dallas Cowboys, who took their third straight setback and lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury.
Cousins completed 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards, including 13 in a row at one point for the Falcons (6-3). He had scoring plays of 9 yards to Drake London, 36 yards to Darnell Mooney and 11 yards to Ray-Ray McCloud, the third three-TD game of the quarterback's debut season with Atlanta.
Tyler Allgeier capped the Falcons' fifth win in six games by powering into the end zone from 6 yards with just over 11 minutes remaining.
The Cowboys (3-5) tried to rally behind Cooper Rush after Prescott was ruled out, having completed 18 of 24 for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Rush guided an 86-yard drive in the closing minutes, capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert and a 2-point conversion. But the Falcons recovered an onside kick to seal the victory.
It's the longest losing streak for Dallas since a four-game skid during the 2020 season, which is also the most recent time the Cowboys finished with a losing record (6-10).
RAMS 26, SEAHAWKS 20, OT
SEATTLE — Demarcus Robinson made a one-handed, 39-yard touchdown reception in overtime, and Los Angeles stunned Seattle.
With the Rams needing only a field goal after stuffing the Seahawks on fourth down on the first possession of OT, Matthew Stafford went for the win by throwing a deep ball to Robinson, who was well covered by cornerback Riq Woolen. With his one free hand, Robinson grabbed the ball in the end zone and secured it as he fell to the turf.
Stafford threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams (4-4), who have won three straight after losing four of their previous five. Robinson finished with six catches for 94 yards and both scores.
Geno Smith threw for 363 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions for the Seahawks (4-5), who have lost four straight at home and five of six overall to fall into last place in the bunched-up NFC West. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had seven catches for a career-best 180 yards and two scores.
RAVENS 41, BRONCOS 10
BALTIMORE — Lamar Jackson threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns to finish with a perfect passer rating, Derrick Henry surpassed a few more rushing milestones, and the Baltimore Ravens had little difficulty with Denver's defence in a 41-10 victory Sunday.
Baltimore's beleaguered defence didn't force a punt until the third quarter, but a couple of early fourth-down stops helped the Ravens (6-3) build a lead as they rebounded from last weekend's surprising loss at Cleveland. Zay Flowers had five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns, and Henry rushed for 107 yards and two TDs.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix caught a touchdown pass on a trick play for Denver, but the Broncos (5-4) looked outclassed at the beginning of a tough two-game stretch on their schedule. They visit Kansas City next weekend.
Henry scored the 100th and 101st rushing touchdowns of his career, and he surpassed 1,000 yards on the ground on the season for the sixth time. Henry has scored in every game this season, and he is the third player to manage at least 10 rushing TDs in seven consecutive years, joining LaDainian Tomlinson (2001-09) and Adrian Peterson (2007-13).
Jackson completed 16 of 19 passes. The perfect 158.3 passer rating was the fourth of his career.
EAGLES 28, JAGUARS 23
PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley made a dazzling backward hurdle during a stellar performance and Nakobe Dean had a game-saving interception to help the Philadelphia Eagles to their fourth straight win, 28-23 over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.
Barkley had 27 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also had three receptions for 40 yards and a TD.
The Eagles (6-2) held on after coach Nick Sirianni wasted chances to put easy points on the board. The Eagles went 0 for 2 on fourth down and were 0 for 3 on 2-point conversions, forcing them to let Jake Elliott try a 57-yard field goal with 2:16 left.
Elliott missed, giving the Jaguars (2-7) the ball at their own 47-yard line.
Eagles defensive back Avonte Maddox was flagged 18 yards for pass interference that helped move the ball to the Eagles 13.
But Jacksonville's second-half rally ended when Trevor Lawrence's terrible pass was picked off in the end zone by Dean for the linebacker's first career interception.
The Eagles have found their groove out of the bye, riding a winning streak behind Jalen Hurts and Barkley that has thrust them into the thick of the NFC East race.
Hurts was 18 of 24 for 230 yards. He threw for two scores and ran for another.
COMMANDERS 27, GIANTS 22
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Sensational rookie Jayden Daniels threw two touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin, and the Washington Commanders beat the bumbling New York Giants 27-22 on Sunday for their best start to a season in almost 30 years.
Daniels hit McLaurin on scoring passes of 1 and 18 yards in the first half, and Austin Ekeler, filling in for the injured Brian Robinson, scored on a 1-yard run as the Commanders completed a season sweep of the NFC East rival Giants (2-7). Washington is 7-2 for the first time since 1996.
Austin Seibert, who kicked seven field goals in the Commanders’ 21-18 win in September, added two more, and linebacker Dante Fowler had a big strip-sack early to set up the opening touchdown. The Giants have lost four straight and fell to 0-5 at home.
Daniel Jones threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Manhertz and powered his way through two tackles on a 2-yard fourth-quarter TD run for New York. He added a late 35-yard TD pass to rookie Theo Johnson, but the Giants missed both 2-point conversions. Jude McAtamney kicked a 31-yard field goal in the Irishman’s NFL debut.
CHARGERS 27, BROWNS 10
CLEVELAND — Justin Herbert passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns — all in the first half — to lead the Los Angeles Chargers to a 27-10 victory Sunday over the Cleveland Browns, who couldn't get anything going with Jameis Winston.
Herbert connected on a 66-yard TD pass to Quentin Johnston and a 27-yarder to Joshua Palmer as the Chargers (5-3) built a big halftime lead and rolled to their fifth straight win over Cleveland.
Herbert finished 18 of 27 for 282 yards and was sacked six times.
J.K. Dobbins had two rushing touchdowns for Los Angeles.
The Chargers' defence, which came in allowing a league-low 13 points per game, intercepted Winston three times, sacked him six more and limited the Browns (2-7) to just 57 yards in the first 30 minutes.
The Chargers didn't do much after halftime. They didn't have to as the Browns were unable to mount any serious threat and fell to 1-4 at home.
BENGALS 41, RAIDERS 17
CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow tied a career high with five touchdown passes, Chase Brown rushed for a career-high 120 yards and the Cincinnati Bengals got their first home win, routing the Las Vegas Raiders 41-17 on Sunday.
Burrow was 27 for 39 for 251 yards. He threw touchdown passes to Brown, Andrei Iosivas, Drew Sample and the last two to Mike Gesicki. But he also had an interception that was returned by Jack Jones for a TD early in the fourth quarter.
Brown, who got a season-high 27 carries with Zack Moss sidelined with a neck injury, consistently picked up chunks of yards for the Bengals, who have struggled running the ball this season.
The Raiders (2-7) aided Cincinnati drives with penalties, and quarterback Gardner Minshew fumbled the ball away in the third, leading to a 10-yard TD catch by Gesicki, his first since last Christmas Eve when he played for the Patriots. That put the Bengals up 31-10.
Gesicki finished with five catches for 100 yards.
PANTHERS 23, SAINTS 22
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chuba Hubbard scored on a 16-yard run with 2:18 left and the Carolina Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak, beating the New Orleans Saints 23-22 on Sunday.
Bryce Young completed 16 of 26 passes for 171 yards a touchdown to improve to 1-3 against the Saints in his career. Coach Dave Canales would not say after the game if Young would start next Sunday against the New York Giants in Munich.
Hubbard ran for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers (2-7) got big games from a pair of rookies as tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders caught four passes for 87 yards and wide receiver Xavier Legette had his fourth touchdown of the season to avenge an embarrassing 47-10 Week 1 loss to their division foes.
Alvin Kamara had 215 yards from scrimmage for the Saints (2-7), who have lost seven straight. Kamara carried 29 times for 155 yards and caught six passes for 60 yards.
Derek Carr struggled in his return to action after missing the last three games with an oblique injury, finishing 18 of 31 for 236 yards with one touchdown pass.
TITANS 20, PATRIOTS 17 (OT)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Nick Folk kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:32 left in overtime and the Tennessee Titans beat the New England Patriots 20-17 Sunday, giving coach Brian Callahan his first victory at home this season.
The Titans (2-6) snapped both a three-game skid overall and at Nissan Stadium.
The Patriots (2-7) got rookie Drake Maye back after the third overall pick out of North Carolina cleared the concussion protocol Saturday. He started after being knocked out of last week’s win over the Jets and used his legs, running for a career-best and team-high 95 yards.
New England had a final chance after Maye forced overtime with a 5-yard TD pass to Rhamondre Stevenson. But Amani Hooker's second interception of the game clinched the victory for the Titans with 2:07 left.
CARDINALS 29, BEARS 9
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Emari Demercado ran 53 yards for a touchdown just before halftime, James Conner added 107 yards on the ground and the surging Arizona Cardinals put together a dominant 29-9 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
The Cardinals (5-4) have won three in a row for the first time in three seasons.
It's another tough loss for the Bears (4-4), who have dropped two straight. They lost to the Commanders 18-15 last week on a Hail Mary and were burned once again as the clock was winding down against the Cardinals, though this lapse came in the final seconds of the first half.
Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked six times, completing 22 of 41 passes for 216 yards. The Bears had just 241 yards total.
VIKINGS 21, COLTS 13
MINNEAPOLIS — Sam Darnold overcame four sacks and three turnovers by throwing three second-half touchdown passes, and the Minnesota defence made Indianapolis quarterback Joe Flacco's return to the starting role a rough one as the Vikings beat the Colts 21-13 on Sunday night.
Justin Jefferson had 137 receiving yards, Jordan Addison made a one-handed diving grab in the back corner of the end zone to get Minnesota on the board after a sloppy and scoreless first half, and Jalen Nailor had the tiebreaking touchdown reception to help the Vikings (6-2) stop a two-game skid.
Kenny Moore II had a 38-yard fumble return in the second quarter, the only touchdown for the Colts (4-5) in their first game all season that wasn't decided by six points or fewer.
Flacco replaced Anthony Richardson, with the 2023 fourth overall NFL draft pick struggling badly and becoming the self-created subject of a week of hot takes after taking himself out for a play last week because he was tired.
The AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award winner with Cleveland last season after he came off his couch past midseason to help the Browns make the playoffs, Flacco went 16 for 27 for 179 yards and one interception.
He moved the Colts to the Minnesota 40 midway through the fourth quarter facing a 14-10 deficit, but Harrison Smith, who recovered an opening-drive fumble by Jonathan Taylor, broke up consecutive passes to force a turnover on downs.
Darnold, who finished 28 for 34 for 290 yards, hit Josh Oliver for the game-sealing score with 2:05 left.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.