Detroit Lions

Legendary quarter Brady struggled as the Buccaneers went down 34-23 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 on Sunday.

As for the 49ers, they were upstaged by Kyler Murray's Arizona Cardinals 24-20 in San Francisco.

BRADY'S BUCS BEATEN

Brady has taken his Super Bowl-winning expertise to Tampa Bay, but the six-time NFL champion endured a tough debut against NFC South champions the Saints.

A high-profile recruit from the New England Patriots following 20 years in Foxborough, Brady threw two interceptions in the team's season opener.

The 43-year-old had a pick-six, finishing 23 of 36 for 239 yards and two touchdowns, while he was sacked three times.

Brady started well, scoring a two-yard touchdown. He led a nine-play, 85-yard drive, completing his two passes for 37 yards before running the ball into the endzone for the first points of the game.

But Brady turned the ball over twice, with the second turnover resulting in a touchdown for the Saints' Janoris Jenkins.

It was a far better outing for fellow veteran quarterback Drew Brees, who passed for 160 yards and two touchdowns, without turning the ball over – throwing TD passes to Alvin Kamara and Emmanuel Sanders in New Orleans.

CARDINALS RALLY AMID GAROPPOLO WOES

The Cardinals – led by their star QB Murray – completed a comeback to upstage the highly rated 49ers on the road.

Murray's throw to DeAndre Hopkins set up Kenyan Drake's one-yard score with just over five minutes remaining as the Cardinals topped the 49ers.

The Cardinals overcame a pair of fourth-quarter deficits thanks to Murray, who threw for 230 yards and a touchdown, while running for 91 yards and another score.

It came as 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo struggled as criticism grows.

After a disappointing display in the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, further questions have been raised after Garoppolo led just one scoring drive in the second half.

Garoppolo finished 19 of 33 for 259 yards and two touchdowns, and he missed two crucial throws, with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan saying: "He's gotta play better. We've all gotta play better. The entire offense missed opportunities."

RAMS OPEN NEW STADIUM WITH WIN

In their first game at SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles Rams topped the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 behind a career-high 79 yards and two touchdowns from Malcolm Brown.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff passed for 275 yards, while Cowboys counterpart Dak Prescott was 25 of 39 for 266 yards and a touchdown.

Number one draft pick Joe Burrow put the Cincinnati Bengals in a position to claim a dramatic last-gasp win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

But after running 23 yards for a touchdown, Burrow watched Randy Bullock miss a 31-yard field goal with seven seconds to play as the Chargers prevailed 16-13.

Week 1 scores:

Seattle Seahawks 38-25 Atlanta Falcons
Baltimore Ravens 38-6 Cleveland Browns
Buffalo Bills 27-17 New York Jets
Las Vegas Raiders 34-30 Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears 27-23 Detroit Lions
Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 Indianapolis Colts
Green Bay Packers 43-34 Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots 21-11 Miami Dolphins
Washington Football Team 27-17 Philadelphia Eagles
Arizona Cardinals 24-20 San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints 34-23 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Los Angeles Chargers 16-13 Cincinnati Bengals
Los Angeles Rams 20-17 Dallas Cowboys

Smith developed life-threatening sepsis and required 17 surgeries to prevent his leg from being amputated after the veteran quarterback suffered a compound fracture of his tibia and fibula two years ago.

The 36-year-old returned to action last month, however, his comeback reached another level as he started in Washington's last-gasp 30-27 defeat to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Despite the agonising loss as time expired, three-time Pro Bowler Smith set career highs in attempts (55), completions (38) and yards (390), while he did not turn over the ball.

"I think obviously this was a better step, I got extended time last week coming off the bench and then another step here this week starting and taking all the reps," said Smith, who now has back-to-back 300-yard passing games for the first time in his 16-year career

"Going out there, yeah I felt good. I felt like I saw it well. I didn't feel like I was hindered at all, felt like I moved around well when I needed to. So certainly from that respect, felt good out there."

"Not at all," Smith said when asked if he felt any pain before or after the game. "I think, if anything, certainly wear and tear of stacking days and days and days, and that's really the rest of my body included in that, not just my leg. But nothing out there during the game, I felt great. Still feel great, so a good sign."

Smith, who went down in November 2018, led Washington to a 6-3 record in 2018, completing 205 of 328 passes for 2,180 yards, 10 touchdown and five interceptions before being sidelined.

"I think that was the scary part, was how normal it felt," he added.

"Felt really good, felt really normal and that I gotta pinch myself how lucky I am to feel that way and I am lucky that it's progressed this far and I am where I am. Certainly, a lot of people with similar injuries aren't as lucky."

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said: "I thought he played a heck of a football game. I think he's getting more and more comfortable back there, his decision-making is getting quicker.

"You see some of the really good decisions, some excellent throws – put the ball where he needed to – and again, it was good to see, it really was. Going forward, he's really just getting stronger and stronger."

Earlier this week, Lions quarterback Stafford was added to the list a day after team-mate Jarrad Davis, though it was not confirmed if he had tested positive for coronavirus.

Stafford has not trained with the team this week but coach Matt Patricia confirmed he is in line to throw against the Vikings.

"Every situation that we have is individually based," Patricia said Thursday. 

"Based on the player, whether or not there's a guy that's able to practice through the course of the week and then play in the game. 

"Certainly it depends on what those situations are as far as being ready to go. It's all just individually based."

Stafford was also put on the list in August, but it emerged he had a false positive test.

So far this season, Stafford has thrown for 1,916 yards and 13 touchdowns, while completing 61.4 per cent of his passes for the 3-4 Lions.

The 33-year-old quarterback left the Detroit Lions in a trade after representing the team for 12 years, with the Rams sending QB Jared Goff and a package of draft picks that contained two first-round selections in the other direction.

Stafford and the Lions agreed it was the best move as the team embarked on a rebuild after firing head coach Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn towards the end of a 5-11 season in 2020.

The number one overall pick in 2009, Stafford leaves the Lions without having won a playoff game.

He hopes the chance to represent the Rams, who were in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2018 season, will give him a chance to play in the biggest NFL games.

Stafford should upgrade the QB position for Rams coach Sean McVay, but he was not expecting to join the likes of Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in LA when his offseason began.

"I've always wanted to play in those big games," Stafford said to the Detroit Free Press. "I feel like I will excel in those situations. I wanted to shoot my shot.

"I thought [I would go to] all the places that everybody else thought. Indianapolis. San Francisco - although you didn't know what was gonna happen with Jimmy [Garoppolo] - Washington.

"But we obviously didn't know what was gonna happen there. I just didn't know how they [the Rams] would ever be able to [pull it off]. You know, I'm not a salary cap guru. It kind of got to a point where I'm like, 'OK, I can't sit there and go crazy'. I just tried to let it happen and LA aggressively jumped into it.

"I'm excited about their roster, their coaching staff, what they can bring to the table and their recent success."

Stafford initially thought he would never leave Detroit, but he came to realise a rebuild could be on the cards if the 2020 season did not meet expectations as the pressure grew on Patricia.

"To be honest, [my wife] Kelly and I probably started talking about it before last season," he said. "It was one of those where we were hoping, 'Golly, let's go, I hope this thing takes off and we play great'.

"But if it doesn't, you just knew what was going to happen. They were going to tear it down and rebuild.

"Anytime you switch GMs and a head coach, you know that they're going to want to bring their own people in, and that's going to take time. Frankly, I didn't feel like I was the appropriate person to oversee that time."

Stafford thought his ability would hinder the Lions' rebuild as he would win too many games to prevent them from topping the draft order.

He leaves with 45,109 passing yards, 282 touchdowns, 144 interceptions and 74 wins – all franchise QB records.

Stafford finishes with a record of 74-90-1, though, and with no NFC North titles after enduring three consecutive losing seasons between 2018 and 2020.

He added: "Sometimes it's not the perfect storybook ending in the same place, but I can leave here knowing that I gave this team every damn thing I had."

Stafford was traded from the Lions to the Rams in a deal agreed in January, with Jared Goff and two first-round picks going the other way in a blockbuster move that is working out brilliantly for Los Angeles.

The Rams were heavy favourites to see off the winless Lions, meaning the focus was primarily on the reunions for Stafford and Goff with the franchises they used to call home.

Despite a spirited effort from the Lions, for whom Stafford owns the franchise record in passing yards after throwing 45,109 over 12 seasons, the Rams emerged with a 28-19 victory.

Stafford was imperious, throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns, and afterward, he expressed his satisfaction at being able to focus purely on games rather than the narrative surrounding this matchup.

"Am I happy it's over with? Yeah," Stafford said. "I've got a lot of great friends, got a lot of people that I care about that are on that team or from that city and I'm just glad to have this one over with and put the storylines away and just go out and play football the rest of the year."

Stafford, however, was touched to see some Lions fans who made the journey to Los Angeles still sporting his jersey.

"I thought to myself that was pretty cool," he added. "I really appreciate it. I've said it a bunch of times, and I truly mean it, I loved my time there. I loved all the people there that treated me, my family, my wife with a ton of respect and a ton of grace for a long time.

"It was cool to see that. Once the ball was snapped, it was football time, and I was ready to go play."

Stafford, 32, has spent 12 seasons with the Lions after being selected with the top pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

But the quarterback apparently asked for a fresh start and the Lions are planning to discuss trade options for the 2014 Pro Bowler in coming weeks, according to widespread reports.

Stafford started all 16 games for the Lions this season, completing 339 of 528 passes for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Detroit were 5-11, missing the playoffs for the ninth time in 12 seasons since Stafford's arrival.

The Lions are without a playoff victory since the 1991 season, having lost in the Wild Card Round in the 2011, 2014 and 2016 campaigns.

The San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Football Team are most strongly linked with making a deal with the Lions for Stafford.

Detroit announced on Saturday they had named Aaron Glenn as their defensive coordinator, while they are reportedly set to make Anthony Lynn their offensive coordinator.

Earlier this week, the Lions agreed terms with Dan Campbell to become their new head coach.

The two future Hall of Famers are set to face each other twice this year following ex-New England Patriots quarterback Brady's decision to join the Saints' NFC South rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.

Six-time Super Bowl winner Brady - the league's most decorated quarterback - will be aiming to bring the success he enjoyed in New England to a Bucs team deprived of postseason action in recent years.

Here, using Stats Perform data, we take a look at some of the most intriguing Week 1 matchups.

FEATURE GAME

Bucs at Saints - Sunday, 4.25pm (all times Eastern)

- Tampa Bay have gone 12 straight seasons without making the playoffs, the second-longest drought in the NFL (Cleveland Browns, 17 straight). The Buccaneers have not won a playoff game since defeating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII in January 2003.

- Brady has joined the Buccaneers after 20 seasons and 285 career games played with the Patriots – the most games with a franchise all-time by a player who subsequently played for another team. Brady has an all-time best .774 career win percentage as a starting QB (minimum 100 starts); the Bucs' .387 all-time win percentage is the worst among current franchises.

- The Saints have won the NFC South three straight years, posting a 13-3 record in each of the last two. They are the fourth NFC team since the merger to have back-to-back seasons of 13-plus wins, joining the 1985-86 Chicago Bears, 1989-90 San Francisco 49ers and 1996-97 Green Bay Packers; no NFL team has ever had three straight 13-win seasons.

OTHER KEY GAMES

Browns at Ravens - Sunday, 1pm

- Since the franchise returned in 1999, the Browns are 1-19-1 in season openers, with the lone win in 2004 versus Baltimore (20-3). Every other team has won at least seven season openers in that span. 

Seahawks at Falcons - Sunday, 1pm

- Ten of the Seattle Seahawks' 11 wins last year – and two of their five losses – came by eight points or fewer. They joined the 1978 Houston Oilers as the only teams in NFL history to win 10 one-score games in a season (defined as seven points when there was no two-point conversion rule, and eight points when there was).

Chargers at Bengals - Sunday, 4.05pm

- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will be trying to become the first Heisman-winning QB drafted first overall to win his first start in the NFL since Jim Plunkett in 1971.

Cardinals at 49ers - Sunday, 4.25pm

- In their three-game postseason run in the 2019 campaign, the 49ers outrushed their opponents 612 yards to 212 yards, the best playoff differential for any team since Washington in 1982 and the best all-time by a non-champion.

Cowboys at Rams - 8.20pm

- The 2019 Los Angeles Rams finished third in the NFC West with a 9-7 record. Los Angeles were 7-0 when allowing fewer than 17 points last season, but just 2-7 when allowing 17 or more.

ELSEWHERE...

Dolphins at Patriots - 1pm

- When Cam Newton starts for the Patriots on Sunday, it will snap a streak of 471 consecutive games – regular season and playoffs – in which the Pats have started a QB that they drafted. This is the longest such streak in NFL history.

Bears at Lions - 1pm

- Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is set to make his 150th career start on Sunday. His 41,025 career passing yards are already the most by any QB through 150 career starts, with only Aaron Rodgers (40,715) also reaching the 40,000 mark.

Cam Newton, Tom Brady's replacement at quarterback, led New England to a 21-11 victory over the Miami Dolphins, while Russell Wilson put on a passing clinic when completing 31 of his 35 attempts in Seattle's 38-25 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

A repeat of Super Bowl XLIX is the standout game of Sunday's slate, though there are plenty more mouth-watering encounters, including the Baltimore Ravens facing the Houston Texans.

Here we break down the big matchups using Stats Perform data.

FEATURE GAME

Patriots at Seahawks - Sunday, 8.20pm (all times Eastern)

- This will be the first game in NFL history in which both teams will have a head coach aged 68 or older. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is 69, while Patriots coach Bill Belichick is 68.

- Newton led the Patriots with 75 yards rushing on a game-high 15 carries in his Pats debut last week. Should he finish as New England's leading rusher again in Seattle, Newton will be his team's leading rusher for a 37th time - a new record for the most such games by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966).

- New England have won eight straight games against NFC opponents, including their Super Bowl LIII win over the Los Angeles Rams, dating back to a loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 3 of the 2018 season.

OTHER KEY GAMES

Rams at Eagles - Sunday, 1pm

- The Eagles have won the last six meetings between these teams, including one-score wins in Los Angeles in 2017 (43-35) and 2018 (30-23). They have averaged 32.2 points during the win streak, with at least 30 points in each of the last five meetings.

Broncos at Steelers - Sunday, 1pm

- The Broncos have won four of the last five games against the Steelers, including two playoff wins. Four of those five games were decided by seven points or fewer.

Chiefs at Chargers - Sunday, 4.25pm

- After starting last season 6-4, Kansas City have won 10 straight games - regular season and playoffs. The streak began last November with a win over the Chargers in Mexico City. Each of the last seven victories have come by a double-digit margin; since 2000, only the 2007 Patriots (eight games) have had a longer streak of wins by 10 or more points.

Ravens at Texans - Sunday, 4.25pm

- The Ravens have gone 12 straight regular-season games without trailing in the second half, the longest streak by any NFL team since the Chicago Bears had a 12-game streak from 1933-34. The last team to have a streak longer than 12 games was the Green Bay Packers from 1929-30 (18).

Saints at Raiders - Monday, 4.15pm

- Josh Jacobs had three rushing touchdowns in Week 1, becoming the first Raider to do so since Latavius Murray, who is now with New Orleans, had three in Week 9 of 2016. Only two Raiders have rushed for three touchdowns more than once – Marcus Allen (five times) and Pete Banaszak (twice).

ELSEWHERE...

Falcons at Cowboys - Sunday, 1pm

- Dak Prescott has not been intercepted in his last 223 pass attempts going back to last November, the longest streak in Cowboys history. Troy Aikman held the previous mark at 216 passes in 1999.

Lions at Packers - Sunday, 1pm

- Green Bay have won seven straight home openers since a 30-22 loss against the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. That is the second-longest active streak of its kind, behind the Seahawks (11 straight).

Coronavirus protocols kept Roethlisberger away from Pittsburgh's team facility all week, but the star quarterback led the unbeaten Steelers to a 36-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Kyler Murray's throw saw the Cardinals claim a stunning last-gasp 32-30 success against the Buffalo Bills, while Cam Newton enjoyed a memorable outing as the New England Patriots upstaged the Baltimore Ravens.

STEELERS STAY PERFECT

There is no stopping the Steelers through nine games of the 2020 season.

Roethlisberger – one of four Steelers placed on the COVID-19 list at the start of the week – threw for a season-high 333 yards and four touchdowns, completing 27 of 46 passes.

The two-time Super Bowl champion connected with Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster in the first half, before throwing TD passes to Chase Claypool twice in the second half.

T.J. Watt sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow twice – he had two sacks, four QB hits and two tackles for loss. T.J. Watt and J.J. Watt (2015) are the only players over the past 15 seasons to record nine-plus sacks, 25-plus quarterback hits and 10-plus tackles for loss in their team's first nine games of a season, per NFL Research.

It was a tough outing for number one pick Burrow, who was 21 of 40 for 213 yards, a touchdown and four sacks as the Bengals fell to 2-6-1.

CARDINALS CLAIM LAST-GASP WIN

Murray made NFL history after combining with DeAndre Hopkins for an incredible game-winning touchdown for the Cardinals.

Murray's 43-yard pass was brilliantly caught by Hopkins in the endzone with two seconds remaining to secure a victory for the Cardinals, who improved to 6-3 after scoring 17 unanswered points, having trailed the Bills 23-9.

The top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray's throw to Hopkins was his only touchdown pass, as he finished 22 of 32 for 245 yards.

According to Stats Perform, Murray became the first player in NFL history with a pass TD and a rush TD in five straight games, thanks to his pass to Hopkins.

Murray also joined Newton as the only QBs in NFL history with 6,000-plus pass yards and 1,000-plus rush yards in their first 25 career games, as per NFL Research.

NEWTON'S PATS SILENCE JACKSON AND RAVENS

The Patriots may be struggling following the departure of Tom Brady, but Bill Belichick's side shocked the Ravens 23-17 for back-to-back wins.

Newton became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era with nine rushing touchdowns in his first eight games of a season, according to NFL Research.

The former MVP rushed for one TD and 21 yards, while he was 13-of-17 passing for 118 yards and another touchdown in New England, where the Patriots (4-5) rallied.

With seven weeks still remaining, 2020 is already the first season in league history in which two quarterbacks – Newton (nine) and Murray (10) – have each had nine-plus rushing TDs.

Baltimore star and reigning MVP Lamar Jackson was 24 of 34 for 249 yards, two touchdowns and an interception as the Ravens fell to 6-3.

RAMS TAKE DOWN WILSON'S SEAHAWKS, BREES INJURY OVERSHADOWS SAINTS WIN

The Los Angeles Rams smothered Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson and won 23-16.

Wilson did not throw a touchdown, finishing 22 of 37 passing for 248 yards and two interceptions as the Rams (6-3) stifled the high-flying Seahawks (6-3).

The NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints topped the San Francisco 49ers 27-13 but it came at a cost on home soil.

Drew Brees suffered a rib injury in the first half and is set to undergo an MRI and X-Ray after taking a hit from 49ers defensive tackle Kentavius Street before being replaced by Jameis Winston at half-time.

Brees threw a touchdown, the 41-year-old finishing eight of 13 for 76 yards as the Saints eventually improved to 7-2 for the season.

Week 10 scores:

Cleveland Browns 10-7 Houston Texans
Detroit Lions 30-27 Washington Football Team
Green Bay Packers 24-20 Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Giants 27-17 Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 46-23 Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers 36-10 Cincinnati Bengals
Los Angeles Rams 23-16 Seattle Seahawks
New Orleans Saints 27-13 San Francisco 49ers
Arizona Cardinals 32-30 Buffalo Bills
Las Vegas Raiders 37-12 Denver Broncos
Miami Dolphins 29-21 Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots 23-17 Baltimore Ravens

For the first time in their history, the Steelers are 8-0 to start the season following Sunday's 24-19 victory against the Cowboys.

The Los Angeles Chargers suffered an agonising defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Miami Dolphins topped the Arizona Cardinals.

STEELERS STAY HOT

The Steelers have won eight consecutive games to open the 2020 season, surpassing the 7-0 mark set by the 1978 team.

Pittsburgh, though, did not have it all their own after trailing by as many as 13 points against the Cowboys.

The Steelers used a big final quarter, scoring 15 unanswered points to take down the Cowboys in Dallas.

Ben Roethlisberger's afternoon almost ended early after hurting his left knee, but the star Steelers quarterback finished 29-of-42 passing for 306 yards and three touchdowns.

Roethlisberger became the second QB in NFL history to lead his team to an 8-0 start at the age of 38 or older (must have started all eight games), per Stats Perform. The other is Brady, who achieved the feat in 2015 and 2019.

Cowboys QB Garrett Gilbert was 21 of 38 for 243 yards, a touchdown and one interception as Dallas fell to 2-7.

SAINTS CRUISE PAST BUCS

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers were no match for the Saints in Sunday's blockbuster showdown, beaten 38-3.

The Buccaneers (6-3) had won three games in a row to top the NFC South ahead of the Saints (6-2).

But the Saints claimed top spot in the division thanks to Drew Brees' dazzling display in Tampa, where the star quarterback threw four touchdowns on 26-of-32 passing for 222 yards.

In contrast, Brady was 22 of 38 for 209 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions on a tough night for the Buccaneers, who were scoreless until late in the final quarter.

RAIDERS SURVIVE AT THE DEATH

The Raiders handed the Chargers a soul-crushing 31-26 loss.

Los Angeles thought they had claimed one of the most thrilling wins of the season when Justin Herbert (28 of 42 for 326 yards and two TDs) connected with Donald Parham for a game-clinching touchdown on the final play.

However, there was a review as the Chargers (2-6) celebrated.

The review went against the Chargers – Parham lost the ball as he went to ground and the Raiders (5-3) escaped with back-to-back wins.

Raiders QB Derek Carr was 13 of 23, finishing with 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Tua Tagovailoa impressed as the Dolphins took down the playoff-contending Cardinals 34-31 for their fourth successive triumph.

Tagovailoa ended the game 20-of-28 passing for 248 yards and two touchdowns, while Cardinals counterpart Kyler Murray was 21 of 26 for 283 yards and three TDs.

Week 9 scores:

Atlanta Falcons 34-27 Denver Broncos
Buffalo Bills 44-34 Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens 24-10 Indianapolis Colts
Houston Texans 27-25 Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs 33-31 Carolina Panthers
Minnesota Vikings 34-20 Detroit Lions
Tennessee Titans 24-17 Chicago Bears
New York Giants 23-20 Washington Football Team
Pittsburgh Steelers 24-19 Dallas Cowboys
Miami Dolphins 34-31 Arizona Cardinals
Las Vegas Raiders 31-26 Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints 38-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The team announced the move late Saturday, and Mason Rudolph is expected to start in Roethlisberger's place. 

Roethlisberger landed on the COVID-19 list the same day another veteran quarterback, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, was activated after missing last week's game at the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Rudolph figures to have an easier assignment than Rodgers' backup Jordan Love did, with Pittsburgh (5-3) hosting the winless Lions (0-8) Sunday. 

The 26-year-old Steelers backup has not played this season but started one game last year and eight games as a rookie in 2019 after Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. 

Roethlisberger, 39, said in a recent interview that he has received the coronavirus vaccine. He could return for Pittsburgh's November 21 game at the Los Angeles Chargers. 

D'Ernest Johnson rushed 10 yards for the game's first touchdown in the third quarter to put Cleveland seemingly in control at FirstEnergy Stadium.

The Steelers' chances were already damaged by the loss of Boswell to a concussion following a huge hit from Browns tackle Jordan Elliot, but Najee Harris' touchdown closed the gap to a point.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two yards on fourth down for Pat Freiermuth to earn the decisive score with a little over 11 minutes on the clock.

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett came in costume as the Grim Reaper to mark October 31, his cape inscribed with the names of his sacked quarterbacks, but it was the Steelers' trick play that proved far from a treat in the first half: Boswell took a direct snap from 28 yards and, after rolling right and throwing for the end zone, he took a powerful hit from Elliot.

After rookie Harris had dragged Pittsburgh back into contention following Johnson's score, Roethlisberger, who is now 24-3-1 in career starts against the Browns, made his mark.

The 38-year-old, who finished 22 of 34 for 266 yards, almost saw his two-yard pass fumbled by Freiermuth but the tight end recovered to land both feet in the end zone.

By contrast, Jarvis Landry's handling let him down as he was stripped by Joe Schobert with a little over six minutes left.

The 4-4 Browns will hope for better next time out against the 5-3 Bengals, who were stunned by a New York Jets 34-31 comeback win in which Mike White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns on his first NFL start.

Rams rout Texans, Lions looking toothless

The Philadelphia Eagles ran in four touchdowns as they snapped a two-game losing streak to crush the Detroit Lions.

As coach of the NFL's only winless team after eight straight defeats, Dan Campbell will head into a bye week to try to arrest a terrible run of results that culminated in Sunday's 44-6 loss, in which the Lions only got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.

The Houston Texans (1-7) are faring little better, their 38-22 loss to the Los Angeles Rams (7-1) looking only a little more respectable after they ran in 22 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, Davis Mills throwing for 310 yards and two touchdowns.

49ers down Bears through sensational Samuel

The San Francisco 49ers improved to 3-4 after a 33-22 defeat of the Chicago Bears in which Deebo Samuel set pulses racing with a spectacular 83-yard catch-and-run.

After being denied an apparent touchdown for being ruled out of bounds, Samuel's run still allowed Jimmy Garoppolo to score from two yards out just a handful of plays later to cut the Bears' advantage.

Not only did Samuel produce the Niners' longest play of the season, he passed Jerry Rice for the most receiving yards for the franchise across the first seven games of an NFL season.

The Lions bounced back from a loss last week to trounce the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sunday, making it seven wins from their past nine fixtures and improving their record to 8-8.

There was also some history made by the second overall selection from the 2022 NFL Draft, with Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson snagging his third interception to tie the record for the most by a defensive lineman in a season in the Super Bowl era.

Hutchinson also shared a sack with teammate Ifeatu Melifonwu, one of seven total sacks on Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Campbell pointed to a fully padded practice on Wednesday as the rallying point for his side facing a tricky quarterback matchup with their season on the line.

"We went full pads on Wednesday and said we were going to get our identity back, and we're going to recalibrate, and those guys did that," he said.

"They trusted us, and they came out and it looked like that. It looked like we were ready to go, it looked like we were more physical. I was proud of them.

"Here's the hard thing with playing a guy like [Justin] Fields, man. If you just come barrelling off the edge, and you're out of control, then he's gone.

"So you have to be able to bring a little bit of force and close the pocket in on him, but you can't commit one way or another because he'll break contain again.

"While all this is happening, our back-end is having to cover their rear off for five, six, seven seconds at a time. You give up a couple of holding calls, that's not an easy task there.

"But all-in-all, I thought we snapped back on defense. We were much more physical, we got takeaways, we got sacks, we were disruptive."

Detroit's win keeps their season alive for at least one more week, and Campbell said he feels blessed to get a chance to play a massive January game at the famous Lambeau Field.

"I think it means everything," he said. "I think it's just so special – it's as good as it can get, seriously.

"You get to go to Lambeau – historic Lambeau – where the top of this division has been Green Bay every year for years, with a chance to earn your right to potentially get in.

"Even if we do get the win, it doesn't mean we're guaranteed to get in. But I know this, we're guaranteed to get one more week, and so I just think this is as special as it gets. I don't think you'd want it any other way."

The Lions will be relying on another strong performance from quarterback Jared Goff, who Campbell said is "extremely hot" after his three-touchdown effort.

"He has a ton of confidence right now, and he's had that for a while," he said. "He's played pretty well all year.

"You can just tell he's in this mode right now where you feel like every time you dial up a pass, he's going to find somebody. He's going to find the throw, he's going to get it to the guy that's open.

"That's a great feeling, man. To feel your quarterback is in that mode, and he's been there, that's a great feeling."

Goff himself has played in playoff games and took the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl appearance, but he still acknowledged how meaningful it still is to just have a chance at making the postseason.

"It's huge," he said. "Not every team, players, young guys get an opportunity to play in games like this.

"There are a bunch of guys here who, for the first half of their careers, have not had a chance to play a game in January that means something, and we're going to get that chance next week.

"Whether it gets us in or not, that's not up to us, but we're going in there and trying to win, and see where everything falls at the end."

In a new format, the NFL decided to scrap the traditional Pro Bowl game as the injury risk of a real football game led to a mediocre product in recent years, with players only going at half-speed.

Instead, they replaced it with a series of mini-games – including dodgeball, and a best catch contest utilising a trampoline – spread over multiple days.

The two teams competed in four events on Thursday, with the NFC only securing victory in the dodgeball event. For the AFC, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's 320-yard bomb won the long drive competition, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr guided them to victory in the precision passing, and the team combined to win the three-event lightning round.

That gave the AFC the lead heading into Sunday's finale, although the NFC trimmed into the margin when Detroit Lions receiver Amon Ra St. Brown won the best catch contest.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered the winning touchdown pass to Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 12 seconds remaining to take the first of the three flag football games for the NFC, before the AFC won the next to force a decider.

In the second, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught the game-winning touchdown, but not before he accidentally threw an earlier interception to his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the hero in the final game, throwing passing touchdowns to team-mate Justin Jefferson as well as San Francisco 49ers pair George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to secure the victory.

NFC players received $84,000 each for taking part and coming away with the win, while AFC players earned $42,000.

In a new format, the NFL decided to scrap the traditional Pro Bowl game as the injury risk of a real football game led to a mediocre product in recent years, with players only going at half-speed.

Instead, they replaced it with a series of mini-games – including dodgeball, and a best catch contest utilising a trampoline – spread over multiple days.

The two teams competed in four events on Thursday, with the NFC only securing victory in the dodgeball event. For the AFC, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer's 320-yard bomb won the long drive competition, Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr guided them to victory in the precision passing, and the team combined to win the three-event lightning round.

That gave the AFC the lead heading into Sunday's finale, although the NFC trimmed into the margin when Detroit Lions receiver Amon Ra St. Brown won the best catch contest.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith delivered the winning touchdown pass to Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 12 seconds remaining to take the first of the three flag football games for the NFC, before the AFC won the next to force a decider.

In the second, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs caught the game-winning touchdown, but not before he accidentally threw an earlier interception to his brother, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was the hero in the final game, throwing passing touchdowns to team-mate Justin Jefferson as well as San Francisco 49ers pair George Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk to secure the victory.

NFC players received $84,000 each for taking part and coming away with the win, while AFC players earned $42,000.

Minnesota are sending a 2023 second-round draft pick and a 2024 third-round selection to Detroit, and the Vikings will also receive a 2023 fourth-round pick along with a 2024 conditional fourth-round selection. 

The Vikings lead the NFC North with a 6-1 record, while Detroit is in last place at 1-6. 

It is a move which comes hours before the trade deadline after Minnesota lost tight end Irv Smith Jr. to a high ankle sprain in last week's 34-26 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Smith is expected to miss eight to 10 weeks. 

The Lions selected Hockenson with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has 186 catches for 2,068 yards and 15 touchdowns in 47 career games. 

Hockenson was leading the Lions with 395 receiving yards and had a team high-tying three TD grabs this season.

He is under contract through 2023 after the Lions picked up his fifth-year option.

Miller appeared to bend his knee awkwardly after he had his foot stepped on as he tried to get to Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

The Pro Bowl outside linebacker was able to limp off but spent time in the medical tent before being carted to the locker room.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott was unclear about the extent of Miller's knee issue, which forced him out of the game with less than three minutes left in the first half.

"I don't know," McDermott told reporters when asked about Miller's status. "I only connected with [head athletic trainer] Nate [Breske] at half-time, so I don't have anything to give you on that."

Miller was spotted leaving the X-ray room at Ford Field but was not wearing a moon boot nor using crutches.

The 33-year-old, who joined the Bills in the offseason from the Los Angeles Rams, has a team-high eight sacks this season. He entered Week 12 ranked second in the NFL with 37 pressures.

Despite the offense struggling, Pittsburgh forced four turnovers against a Titans side who continue to lead the AFC South but slip to 9-5 with this setback.

Linebacker T.J. Watt had 1.5 sacks to reach 17.5 for the season, establishing a new Steelers record as the home team improved to 7-6-1, getting the better of a side that blanked the Jaguars 20-0 last week.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin hailed the effort from his team to overcome their shortcomings and capitalise on their strengths, with Chris Boswell kicking four field goals and Ben Roethlisberger snatching a rare touchdown.

Roethlisberger (16-of-25 for 148 yards) also went fifth on the all-time NFL passing yards list in this game, jumping ahead of Philip Rivers with a three-yard pass to Najee Harris and boosting his career total to 63,562 yards by the end.

Tomlin said: "It's an exciting victory for us, a very necessary one. They won the battle of field position, their special teams were better than ours, but in spite of all those things I thought the guys continued to fight.

"The turnovers levelled the playing field in the second half. That was the catalyst for us to go ahead and secure victory. I like the way the guys collectively smiled in the face of adversity.

"We'll be thankful for this win. That's a really good football team we played and were able to beat today. Hopefully there's some growth associated with conquering challenges like that, and we are going to need that as we go on the road next week."

The Steelers tackle the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs on December 26, while the Titans are back in action against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.

Lions chew up Cardinals

Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes and kept the Arizona Cardinals waiting to nail down a playoff place as the Detroit Lions sprang a huge shock with their 30-12 win.

With just one win, Detroit headed into the game against the Cardinals, who were 10-3 for the season, as heavy underdogs, despite Arizona losing last week to the Los Angeles Rams.

Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown and Josh Reynolds for touchdowns in the first half as the Lions surge to a 17-0 lead at halfway – at that point their biggest advantage at any stage of any game all season and the Cardinals' biggest half-time deficit for three years.

The lead was even wider come the end of the game, with Goff finding Jason Cabinda for another touchdown, meaning Arizona's once-firm grip on first place in the NFC West is now far from that, as the Rams (9-4) lurk.

The NFL said the result marked only the third time since 1970 that a team with the worst record in the NFL had beaten a team with the best or joint-best record, taking into account only games when the sides had already played at least eight times in the season.

It was also the third-largest win all-time by a team with nine-plus fewer wins than an opponent, per Stats Perform.

Cowboys almost there

The Dallas Cowboys moved to the brink of a first playoff appearance since 2018 thanks to a 21-6 win over the New York Giants, improving to 10-4 as they continue to lead the NFC East.

Behind the arm of Dak Prescott (28-of-37 for 217 yards and one touchdown), the Cowboys had just enough to avoid any undue worries, with the scoring all wrapped up by the end of the third quarter.

While Prescott was far from perfect, he was streets ahead of Giants starting QB Mike Glennon (13-of-24 for 99 yards) who was picked off three times by the Cowboys. Trevon Diggs had the third of those interceptions to reach 10 for the season. Glennon was eventually benched to allow Jake Fromm (6-of-12 for 82 yards) a chance to impress.

Prescott lost both of his starts against the Giants as a rookie in 2016 but has now gone 9-0 in subsequent starts against New York.

They didn't need to. The brevity head coach Sean McVay and Les Snead displayed and their unwillingness to express confidence in Goff as the long-term starter at quarterback spoke volumes.

Indeed, their reluctance to offer vociferous support for the quarterback proved a harbinger of an offseason blockbuster, which was agreed with the final chapter of the 2020 NFL season still to be written in Tampa.

Los Angeles paid a steep price to move on from Goff, sending him to the Detroit Lions along with a third-round pick in this year's draft and first-rounders in 2022 and 2023 to acquire Matthew Stafford. The Rams have not made a first-round pick since selecting Goff in 2016 and, through this latest aggressive move, are not scheduled to do so until 2024.

It is a move made with the intention of realising the potential of a championship calibre offense that has too often operated with the handbrake applied during Goff's time with the team.

"I'm just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me," Goff told NFL.com of his trade to Detroit.

But were Goff's contributions underappreciated in Los Angeles? And will Stafford, himself one of the more underrated quarterbacks in football, unlock McVay's offense in a way Goff couldn't?

There are raw numbers that would indicate Goff at least being Stafford's equal. 

Since McVay took over from Jeff Fisher in 2017, Goff has thrown 102 touchdowns, seven more than Stafford and 10th in the NFL in that span.

His yards per attempt average of 7.71 is also superior to Stafford over the past four seasons, albeit by a narrow margin, Stafford having gained 7.64 yards per pass in the same period.

In the 2018 season, when the Rams were defeated by the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, Goff was third in yards per attempt with 8.36 compared to Stafford's 6.81.

Only Patrick Mahomes (52) managed more passing plays of 25 yards or more than the 40 produced that year by Goff, who was third in the NFL in percentage of throws that went for a first down (41.5).

Yet those statistics must be looked at through the prism of him operating in one of the most quarterback-friendly offenses in football.

Set up for success

Though the two attacks have their differences, a useful way to judge Goff's performance in McVay's offense is to compare his performance to the San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks in Kyle Shanahan's system.

Both offenses are based heavily on play-action and passing concepts designed to maximise their receivers' ability to pick up yardage after the catch.

The 2018 season, in which the 49ers played without starter Jimmy Garoppolo for 13 games, saw then third-stringer Nick Mullens feature for eight weeks of the season and average 8.31 yards per attempt.

That negligible difference between Goff and Mullens is reflective of the assistance schemes such as those of McVay and Shanahan give to quarterbacks.

Stafford has had no such help in recent times in Detroit and yet, over the last four seasons, he comes out as the superior signal-caller in a series of categories.

Stafford's downfield dynamism

While Stafford has been recognised as more of a gunslinger than Goff, he has done a superior job of taking care of the football.

Since 2017, Goff has a touchdown to interception ratio of 2.13, putting him 21st in the NFL. Stafford, meanwhile, is 12th with a TD-INT ratio of 2.64.

Stafford has also been the more accurate thrower in that timeframe, completing 65.2 per cent of his passes compared to 64.3 per cent for Goff, while his greater aggressiveness as a downfield thrower is reflected by their respective air yards per attempt averages across the past four seasons.

Goff has averaged 7.4 air yards per attempt, as opposed to 8.4 for Stafford, who has been substantially more successful when pushing the ball downfield.

Indeed, Stafford has completed 40.8 per cent of throws of 20 air yards or more since 2017, putting up 3,449 yards, 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, resulting in a passer rating of 106.7.

Those numbers are in stark contrast to Goff, who has connected on 35.8 per cent of such passes for 2,639 yards, 16 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a passer rating of 89.3.

Stafford has also fared better in an area of the game this is pivotal to the Rams' offense under McVay.

Play-action production

Goff attempted 768 play-action passes during his time working under McVay, completing 65.1 per cent of them for 6,861 yards, 38 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a 103.0 passer rating.

Those are excellent numbers but they are inferior to those of Stafford. In a smaller sample size of 470 play-action throws since 2017, Stafford has a completion percentage of 69.4, passing for 4,364 yards and 25 touchdowns with only six interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 111.0.

Play-action is a tremendous tool for slowing down aggressive defenses and negating pressure, but the Rams can afford to have more confidence in Stafford's ability to handle pressure than they did with Goff.

Goff made his first NFL start in Week 11 of the 2016 season. Since then he has completed 46 per cent of his passes when under pressure - compared to 72.5 when the pocket is kept clean - for 4,907 yards, 26 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Over the same span, Stafford's completion percentage dropped to 51.7 when pressured as opposed to 70.8 from clean pockets. He threw for 4,777 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions when under duress, his passer rating of 65.6 well above Goff's 55.3.

There is no question Goff has previously flourished in McVay's offense. The numbers and the playoff wins speak to that, but the fact he ranks fifth in the NFL in yards after catch per reception (6.0) since 2017 is evidence of him being aided by a play-action heavy system that can keep pressure off him and puts the onus on receivers to make plays in the open field.

Stafford, who got an average of 5.5 YAC per reception in the last four seasons, has not enjoyed the perks of playing in one of the most innovative offenses in football, yet the data paints a clear picture of why the Rams made the trade.

He can add a downfield element to the passing game that has been sorely lacking with Goff and improve the Rams' play-action game while giving them the option of leaning more on straight dropback passes without as much fear of what will happen when the pocket breaks down.

Goff is worthy of credit and, yes, appreciation for his early success in McVay's scheme. However, in recent times he has drastically limited the ceiling of the Rams' offense. Stafford can remove those limits and help the Rams finally cash in after years of throwing their chips to the middle of the table.

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks topped last season's Super Bowl finalists the San Francisco 49ers 37-27.

The Broncos somehow rallied past the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints were involved in a brawl, while the Philadelphia Eagles saw off rivals the Dallas Cowboys.

SEAHAWKS BOUNCE BACK

The Seahawks went down to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime in Week 7, ending their unbeaten start to the season.

But Wilson threw four touchdowns and star wide receiver DK Metcalf dominated as NFC West leaders the Seahawks (6-1) powered past the 49ers in Seattle.

MVP candidate Wilson completed 27 of 37 passes for 261 yards and no interceptions, teaming up with Metcalf in devastating fashion.

Metcalf caught Wilson's first two TD passes, finishing with 12 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. It gave the WR new career bests in both receptions and yards.

After Seattle's Tyler Lockett had 15 catches, 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns last week, the Seahawks became the first team ever to have different players with 12/150/2 or better in back-to-back games, per Stats Perform.

The 49ers dropped to 4-4 and 1-2 in the NFC West at CenturyLink Field, where stars Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle exited with injuries in the fourth quarter.

After Tevin Coleman (knee) left in the first quarter, quarterback Garoppolo – who missed two games recently – appeared to tweak his ankle, while tight end Kittle hurt his foot.

"I knew it was hurt once we all saw it and he didn't go back in on that one play," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "He had a good week of practice throwing, but high ankle sprains linger, so you never know when it's going to affect you. I know he hurt it later in the game, or re-hurt it, and we'll wait until tomorrow to see how bad it is."

Garoppolo was 11-of-16 for 84 yards and an interception prior to exiting the game.

BRONCOS BLITZ CHARGERS

The Broncos (3-4) emerged from the jaws of defeat to snatch a 31-30 win over the Chargers (2-5).

Denver – led by Drew Lock – scored 21 points in the final quarter and 28 in the second half to stun the visiting Chargers.

Lock went 14-of-18 passing for 155 yards with three touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, the Broncos QB finishing 26 of 41 for 248 yards, three TDs and an interception.

KJ Hamler completed the comeback at the death, connecting with Lock on a one-yard pass as time expired.

Hamler became the first player to score a game-winning touchdown with no time left for his first career TD since Ernest Wilford in 2004, according to Stats Perform.

WIMS EJECTED FOR PUNCHING GARDNER-JOHNSON

The Bears went down 26-23 to the Saints in overtime, a loss headlined by wide receiver Javon Wims' ejection.

Wims sucker-punched Saints safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the third quarter – approaching the latter from behind and unleashing a flurry of hits to the helmet.

Saints cornerback Janoris Jenkins jumped in and attacked Wims before both teams got involved and broke up the brawl.

"We talked to him and told him that's not how things go here," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "One of Javon's strengths is character and who he is as a person and he has since apologised but there is no part of that in this game. Again, I still haven't seen it, but from what I heard it is not good. That's now how we roll here and we'll be talking to him."

In Sunday's late game, the Eagles defeated the slumping Cowboys 23-9 to extend their lead in the NFC East.

Carson Wentz was 15 of 27 for 123 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Eagles improved to 3-4-1, while the Cowboys fell to 2-6.

The Eagles became the first NFL team to have under 250 total yards, turn the ball over four-plus times, get sacked four or more times and yet still win the game by 14-plus points since the Miami Dolphins beat the New York Jets 14-0 in the 1982 AFC Championship Game, per Stats Perform.

Week 8 scores:

Atlanta Falcons 25-17 Carolina Panthers
Buffalo Bills 24-21 New England Patriots
Cincinnati Bengals 31-20 Tennessee Titans
Las Vegas Raiders 16-6 Cleveland Browns
Indianapolis Colts 41-21 Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings 28-22 Green Bay Packers
Kansas City Chiefs 35-9 New York Jets
Miami Dolphins 28-17 Los Angeles Rams
Pittsburgh Steelers 28-24 Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos 31-30 Los Angeles Chargers
New Orleans Saints 26-23 Chicago Bears (OT)
Seattle Seahawks 37-27 San Francisco 49ers
Philadelphia Eagles 23-9 Dallas Cowboys