NFL roundup: Puka Nacua, Rams outlast Colts in OT

Matthew Stafford connected with rookie Puka Nacua on a 22-yard touchdown pass on the first possession of overtime as the visiting Los Angeles Rams earned a 29-23 victory against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday after blowing a 23-point lead.

The Rams went 75 yards on their overtime drive with Nacua scoring his first career TD on a third-down play. The BYU product made NFL history twice, with his 39 receptions and 501 receiving yards both marking the most in a player’s first four career games.

Kyren Williams scored two first-quarter touchdowns and had 103 yards on 25 carries for the Rams (2-2). Stafford was 27-of-40 passing for 319 yards and one interception with his touchdown as he was hobbled in the second half by a right leg injury. Nacua had nine receptions for 163 yards.

The Colts (2-2) rallied to tie the game at 23-23 with 1:56 remaining on a 5-yard TD pass from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson to Drew Ogletree, then getting a two-point conversion on a Michael Pittman Jr. reception. Richardson was 11-of-25 passing for 200 yards and two TDs in the air, while getting another on a fourth-quarter run.

Bills 48, Dolphins 20

Josh Allen threw for four touchdowns, three of which went to Stefon Diggs, as Buffalo crushed Miami in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Allen completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards while also rushing for a score. Diggs finished with six catches for 120 yards for Buffalo (3-1), which racked up 414 yards of total offense.

One week after totaling four touchdowns (two rushing, two receiving), Miami rookie De’Von Achane ran for two more TDs and 101 yards on just eight carries. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 25-for-35 passing for the Dolphins (3-1).

Broncos 31, Bears 28

Wil Lutz converted a 51-yard field goal with 1:46 left to cap Denver’s comeback from a 21-point third-quarter deficit, edging host Chicago in a battle of previously winless teams.

In earning Sean Payton his first win as their coach, the Broncos (1-3) scored 24 unanswered points to end the game. Russell Wilson completed 21 of 28 passes for 223 yards and three scores for Denver. He connected on a 48-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. that set up Lutz’s go-ahead kick.

The Bears (0-4) wasted a big day from Justin Fields, who was 28 of 35 for 335 yards and four touchdowns. Chicago lost its 14th straight game dating back to October 2022.

Eagles 34, Commanders 31 (OT)

Jake Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal with 3:58 left in overtime to give host Philadelphia a win over Washington.

In a seesaw game, the Eagles (4-0) recovered after surrendering the game-tying touchdown on the final play of regulation. Sam Howell’s 10-yard pass to Jahan Dotson as the game clock hit zeroes, followed by Joey Slye’s extra point, sent the game to overtime.

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 25 of 37 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, both in the second half to A.J. Brown, who had nine receptions for 175 yards. Meanwhile, Howell led Washington (2-2) with 29 completions in 41 attempts for 290 yards and no interceptions in a turnover-free game.

Chiefs 23, Jets 20

Isiah Pacheco accounted for a career-best 158 total yards and scored on a long run to lead Kansas City to a victory over New York at East Rutherford, N.J.

Patrick Mahomes passed for 203 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Noah Gray as the Chiefs (3-1) prevailed despite blowing a 17-point first-quarter lead. Pacheco rushed for 115 yards on 20 carries and caught three passes for 43 yards.

Zach Wilson was 28-of-39 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns for the Jets while once again starting in place of injured Aaron Rodgers. Allen Lazard and C.J. Uzomah caught scoring passes for New York (1-3).

Jaguars 23, Falcons 7

Jacksonville rolled past Atlanta in London behind quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a 61-yard pick-six by defensive back Darious Williams.

Lawrence completed 23 of 30 passes for 207 yards and a score. He also added 42 yards on the ground. For his part, Williams added five tackles in addition to that interception return for a score. Brandon McManus made three field goals, including a 56-yarder, for the Jaguars (2-2).

Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson had 14 carries for 105 yards and added five receptions for 32 yards. After throwing two first-half interceptions, quarterback Desmond Ridder settled down and finished with 191 passing yards and a touchdown for Atlanta (2-2).

Vikings 21, Panthers 13

Justin Jefferson caught six passes for 85 yards and two touchdowns, and Minnesota rallied for a win over Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.

Kirk Cousins completed 12 of 19 passes for 139 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Vikings (1-3). Alexander Mattison led the team with 95 rushing yards on 17 carries. Sam Franklin Jr. had a 99-yard pick-six for the Panthers’ lone TD. Bryce Young completed 25 of 32 passes for 204 yards for Carolina (0-4).

The Vikings scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to secure their first win. Minnesota relied on its defense to take its first lead with 3:58 left in the third. Harrison Smith rushed in on a safety blitz, which caused Young to fumble. Linebacker D.J. Wonnum did the rest with a 51-yard scoop and score to put the Vikings ahead 14-13.

Ravens 28, Browns 3

Lamar Jackson passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more to help Baltimore cruise to a victory over host Cleveland.

Brandon Stephens, Geno Stone and Kyle Hamilton had interceptions for the Ravens (3-1), while Mark Andrews had two touchdown receptions and Jackson completed 15 of 19 passes for 186 yards.

Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson started at quarterback for the Browns (2-2) in place of an injured Deshaun Watson and was 19-of-36 passing for 121 yards and three interceptions. Myles Garrett had a sack for the Browns to raise his season total to 5.5.

Texans 30, Steelers 6

C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins hooked up for two touchdowns and host Houston took down Pittsburgh for its second straight win.

On the same day the Texans inducted former star defensive end J.J. Watt into their Ring of Honor, Houston (2-2) held the Steelers (2-2) to 12 first downs and outgained Pittsburgh 451-225. Stroud completed 16 of 30 passes for 306 yards, and Collins racked up seven catches for a career-high 168 yards.

Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett went 15-of-23 passing for 114 yards and an interception before suffering a left knee injury late in the third quarter. Mitch Trubisky played the rest of the game and could not guide Pittsburgh out of its hole.

Buccaneers 26, Saints 9

Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes and the Tampa Bay defense did not allow a touchdown in a win against host New Orleans.

Mayfield completed 25 of 32 passes for 246 yards and threw touchdowns of 4 yards to Cade Otton, 1 yard to Trey Palmer and 5 yards to Deven Thompkins. Saints running back Alvin Kamara made his season debut after serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

The Bucs (3-1) held Kamara to 51 yards on 11 rushes and 33 yards on 13 receptions, while Derek Carr completed 23 of 37 passes for 127 yards. New Orleans (2-2) managed just 197 total yards of offense and three field goals by Blake Grupe.

Titans 27, Bengals 3

Derrick Henry ran 22 times for 122 yards and a touchdown and also threw a touchdown pass to help Tennessee rout Cincinnati in Nashville.

The Titans (2-2) held the Bengals (1-3) to just 211 yards while Ryan Tannehill completed 18 of 25 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown. One week after gaining just six first downs, the Titans rebounded with a balanced attack and led 24-3 at the half.

Joe Burrow was ineffective and off-target, finishing 20 of 30 for 165 yards as Cincinnati was held to three points for the second time in four games this season. Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins suffered a rib injury in the first half and did not return while starting cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt went into concussion protocol.

Chargers 24, Raiders 17

Khalil Mack had six sacks and five tackles for loss to help Los Angeles beat Las Vegas in Inglewood, Calif.

Justin Herbert completed 13 of 24 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added two rushing scores for the Chargers (2-2). Herbert stayed in the game after injuring his left (non-throwing) hand during an interception return, wearing a splint on the middle finger. Mack, meanwhile, fell one sack shy of tying Derrick Thomas’ single-game sack record.

Aidan O’Connell made his first NFL start for the Raiders (1-3) after Jimmy Garoppolo remained in concussion protocol. The rookie completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards with an interception and a 1-yard touchdown run. Davante Adams caught eight passes for 75 yards and Josh Jacobs caught eight passes for 81 yards while adding 58 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Raiders.

Cowboys 38, Patriots 3

Leighton Vander Esch and DaRon Bland each scored defensive touchdowns in the first half, and Dallas rolled to a win over New England in Arlington, Texas.

CeeDee Lamb and Hunter Luepke also scored for the Cowboys (3-1), whose three victories have all come by 20 points or more. Dak Prescott completed 28 of 34 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown. Dallas tallied 22 first downs, compared to 10 for the Patriots (1-3).

The Cowboys wasted no time setting the tone. They established a 10-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter and surged to a 28-3 lead by halftime. Mac Jones completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards and two interceptions for New England. Jones was replaced late in the third quarter by Bailey Zappe.

49ers 35, Cardinals 16

Christian McCaffrey gained 177 yards from scrimmage and scored four touchdowns as San Francisco remained undefeated with a victory over Arizona in Santa Clara, Calif.

It was the 14th consecutive regular-season win for the 49ers (4-0) dating back to last season, and the seventh straight game in which they have scored at least 30 points. McCaffrey rushed for 106 yards on 20 carries and scored three touchdowns, while adding another score on one of his seven receptions for 71 yards.

Brock Purdy scored the final touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run and completed 20 of 21 passes for 283 yards and a 134.6 passer rating. Josh Dobbs completed 28 of 41 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns, both to Michael Wilson, for the Cardinals (1-3).

–Field Level Media