Los Angeles Rams

Under-fire Dan Quinn saw his men surrender a 16-point lead to lose 30-26 a week after a humiliating last-gasp loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

There were big wins for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns, while the Tennessee Titans once more had Stephen Gostkowski to thank for a narrow victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers also won, with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals playing out the first tie of the season.

FALCONS FELLED BY FOLES

Falcons coach Quinn looks to be in trouble after another fourth-quarter collapse by Atlanta, this time leading to a four-point loss to the Bears.

Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes in the final quarter, the latter connecting with Anthony Miller with two minutes remaining, as Chicago recovered from 16 points down to move to 3-0 for the season.

The Falcons are the first team in NFL history to blow a lead of 15 points or more in the fourth quarter and lose in back-to-back matches.

Matt Ryan was intercepted by Tashaun Gipson late on as a miserable day for the Falcons was compounded by the losses of Russell Gage (concussion) and Grady Jarrett (hip).

RAMS FALL SHORT IN SPECTACULAR COMEBACK, PATRIOTS SIX IN A ROW AGAINST RAIDERS

The Los Angeles Rams almost completed the third-biggest comeback ever in the regular season, only to be denied by a Tyler Kroft touchdown with 15 seconds remaining.

The Bills had squandered a 25-point advantage but were bailed out by Kroft's second of the game following good work from Josh Allen.

Elsewhere in the East, the Patriots moved to 2-0 at home as three touchdowns from Rex Burkhead led them to a 36-20 defeat of the Las Vegas Raiders.

TITANS BUOYED BY GOSTKOWSKI SIX APPEAL

The Titans downed the winless Minnesota Vikings 31-30 thanks to the boot of Stephen Gostkowski.

A career-high six field goals, including a 55-yarder with less than two minutes on the clock, helped to banish memories of some wayward kicking in his first two Titans outings.

Dalvin Cook rushed for a career-high 181 yards and scored for the Vikings, but they are 0-3 for the first time in seven years.

The Steelers are still perfect, though – they moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2010 by defeating the Houston Texans 28-21, Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 237 yards and two touchdowns in a franchise-record 221st appearance.

Week 3 scores:

Atlanta Falcons 26-30 Chicago Bears
Buffalo Bills 35-32 Los Angeles Rams
Cleveland Browns 34-20 Washington Football Team
Minnesota Vikings 30-31 Tennessee Titans
New England Patriots 36-20 Las Vegas Raiders
New York Giants 9-36 San Francisco 49ers
Philadelphia Eagles 23-23 Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers 28-21 Houston Texans

Monday's setback saw Chicago's record worsen to 5-2 as they were limited to a season-low in points and had 279 total yards of offense. 

Quarterback Foles finished 28-of-40 for 261 yards and no touchdowns at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, throwing two interceptions and being sacked on four occasions. 

"This is where you test your culture," Foles said. 

"This is where you test the people you work with, whether it's the coaches or players. 

"Like, who are we going to be? Are we going to be in it together or are we going to go against each other? That's sort of the crossroads. 

"We're very fortunate to be 5-2. Everything's in front of us, season's not over. I think that's important, to remind every single person, not only in the locker room but out there. 

"We have to continue to work through this. Conversations are important and obviously implementing, so that's something the coaching staff and players, we have to continue to look at ourselves in the mirror and ultimately be there for one another and go through this thing like people that care about each other. 

"It's the toughest part of sports but I know someday when I'm done playing this game I'll look back and miss these moments in the sense of, wow, that's where those special relationships were made, and the tough times." 

Coach Matt Nagy expressed concerns about Chicago's capabilities running the ball. Their numbers this season are a far cry from what Nagy wants, and they were held to just 49 rushing yards by the Rams. 

Overall, they have rushed for 589 yards in seven games, compared to 839 by their opponents. 

That gives Chicago the lowest average rushing yards per game in the NFL - just 84.1 - paling against the 164.3 average achieved by the Baltimore Ravens, the leaders in that department. 

Nagy said: "It's not where I want to be. You've got to run the ball in this league. You've got to be able to run the ball. We're trying to figure out ways to do it and right now we gotta be better there, it starts with me. 

"I have to be able to rely on our other coaches that we have on the staff that I have a lot of belief in. And I'm talking all across the board, but in particular, offensively. 

"We're 5-2. We built this little cushion and now it's our job to be able to use it, and not lose it." 

Wagner was released by the Seahawks earlier in March, fresh on the back of Russell Wilson's trade to the Denver Broncos, despite having a year to run on his contract.

The 31-year-old visited both the Baltimore Ravens and the Rams over the past week, and he has opted to stay in the NFC West with the reigning champions.

The Rams confirmed the news on their official website on Thursday, with reports suggesting the deal is worth an initial $50million, with a further $15m in incentives.

Wagner spent 10 seasons in NFL with the Seahawks and won the Super Bowl in 2013.

He played at an extremely high level for a struggling Seattle team in 2021, earning his eighth Pro Bowl selection and being named second-team All-Pro.

Since entering the NFL in 2012, only Lavonte David (867) has racked up more tackles than Wagner (817), who is third in pass breakups (60) and joint-fifth in interceptions (11).

A six-time first-team All-Pro, Wagner has recorded at least 104 total tackles in each of his 10 seasons so far.

Samuel took a helmet to his knee late in the 49ers' win over the Green Bay Packers but was a full participant at practice on Wednesday.

Quarterback Garoppolo has been battling shoulder and thumb complaints, but he also did not appear on the injury report.

"I'm sure it's pretty good," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday.

"I hear about the thumb more than the shoulder, so that's off the injury report now, so I guess we're good."

Left tackle Trent Williams is in some doubt for the Rams game due to a right ankle issue sustained against the Packers.

"In Trent's mind, there's no way he is not playing," Shanahan said. "That's why he was so crushed last game because he believed he would and his body wouldn't let him.

"Hopefully we'll have some better luck this game. But I know he believes he's playing and so do I, so we'll see how that pans out as the week goes. If he can, he will."

The Niners are on the brink of a second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons but are underdogs against the Rams despite winning the last six meetings between the two teams.

San Francisco's status as underdogs is in part tied to the quarterback matchup, which most see as stacked in favour of the Rams and Matthew Stafford rather than the Niners and Garoppolo.

With the 49ers' defense and running game excelling, the onus has largely been taken off Garoppolo during the playoffs, in which he has completed 61.4 per cent of his passes for 303 yards and two interceptions, a tally that could have been significantly higher as he made several dangerous throws during last week's 13-10 win over the Green Bay Packers at a snowy Lambeau Field.

In two wins over the Rams this season, however, Garoppolo has completed 74.5 per cent of his passes for 498 yards, three touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. He has a passer rating of 108.1 across those games.

Garoppolo helped the 49ers come back from 17-0 down in Week 18 to beat the Rams and punch their ticket to the postseason, leading a game-tying drive in the final 90 seconds of regulation with no timeouts to send a thrilling contest to overtime.

The 49ers could face the Kansas City Chiefs again in the Super Bowl having lost to the same opposition on the biggest stage two years ago, when they led 20-10 with seven minutes remaining.

Garoppolo missed a potential game-winning throw to Emmanuel Sanders in Super Bowl LIV, and the prospect of atoning for that defeat is fuelling the Niners' quarterback.

"Since it's happened, it's been a motivator for me," Garoppolo told a media conference of the Chiefs loss. 

"Honestly, it's a feeling that can't be described. It's unlike any other loss I've ever had. And since that moment it's motivated me and it always will going forward.

"But those are the lessons, sports are never going to be perfect. And if you can take those lessons and be better from it, you'll be better off in the long run."

The history books are in favour of the Niners as they prepare to face the Rams for the third time this season.

Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, there have been 22 playoff rematches between teams where one team won both regular-season contests. The sweeping team has won 14 of those games.

Garoppolo, though, does not make much of what is a new experience for the signal-caller.

"This will be my first time. I've never actually done it," said Garoppolo of playing the Rams for the third time. 

"So, it'll be a little different, but these guys know us, we know them. There's really no secrets or anything like that. So it's about going out there, beating your man and executing. Other than that, it's just football."

The Niners went into Sunday's clash at SoFi Stadium knowing a victory would clinch a place in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons. A loss would have allowed the New Orleans Saints, who cruised past the Atlanta Falcons, to sneak in at their expense.

Quarterback Garoppolo, playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb, struggled early and the Niners fell into a 17-0 hole, a Robbie Gould field goal all San Francisco could muster before half-time.

But Deebo Samuel ran for a touchdown and then threw one to Jauan Jennings on a trick play to tie things up, with the same receiver on the end of a pass from Garoppolo to force overtime after Jalen Ramsey's endzone interception followed by Matthew Stafford's touchdown strike to Cooper Kupp had put the Rams back on top 24-17.

The 49ers won the coin toss and Garoppolo led a 12-play drive that ended in a Robbie Gould field goal to give them their first lead of the game, one they clung on to as rookie Ambry Thomas intercepted a Stafford deep shot intended for Odell Beckham Jr. to give San Francisco a sixth successive win over the Rams, securing a Wild Card matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.

Garoppolo was limited in practice throughout the week after missing the 23-7 win over the Houston Texans in Week 17, but felt his hand improved over the course of an instant classic.

Asked about his thumb, Garoppolo told a media conference: "It feels great right now, after a win of course. It got better as it went I would say.

"Obviously with injuries like that your body's just learning and adapting the whole time. Early on it was pretty numb so it felt alright and then just got better and better as it went and I think my arm just kind of learned how to adapt to it.

"[There were] a lot of emotions, throughout the whole game, getting off to a slow start and just coming back like we did.

"It took everything, we say that a lot of weeks but this one really did. I felt it after the game I know a lot of guys in that locker room did, it was one of those games that you won't forget anytime soon."

Shanahan, who said Garoppolo's strong week of practice made it an easy decision to start him over rookie Trey Lance, echoed his quarterback's sentiments.

"Our guys are real resilient, I've been very proud of them," Shanahan said. 

"I'm just glad we get to go into the tournament and be a part of it because regardless of what happened today I was going to be very proud of those guys.

"Our goal every year is to get into the tournament so you've got a chance at the ultimate one. I think it's real hard when you have a season where you lose four in a row [as the Niners did Weeks 3-7].

"Most places when you lose four in a row it's tough to keep guys together. The character in our building and the players and everyone around it makes easy, you can just focus on your job and keep fighting and that's what our guys have done all year, they've just kept fighting, not worried about it anything else, in the meantime I think we've gotten better each time doing that and we've been able to overcome some injuries too."

The New York Giants have six wins, the Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West and two preseason NFC favourites, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers, have collapsed to 3-5 starts.

This is a campaign in which to expect the unexpected and, as such, three of the top quarterback displays from Week 8 heading into Monday Night Football are entirely in keeping with the theme of 2022.

While one star still shaking the rust off following an injury lay-off delivered the kind of game most have come to anticipate from him, the degree of accuracy displayed by the trio of signal-callers surrounding him at the top of Stats Perform's well-thrown rate chart by the end of Sunday's action was eyebrow-raising to say the least.

And there was one quarterback who tried and failed to find a new team in the offseason who rose above the rest. 

Jimmy G's perfect day

There will never be a game that definitively decides the endless Jimmy Garoppolo debate in the Bay Area, where the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback who was meant to be elsewhere this season remains a beloved but polarising figure.

But nobody could argue Garoppolo was not excellent in Week 8 as the 49ers scored 24 unanswered points to sweep the Los Angeles Rams with an emphatic 31-14 win at SoFi Stadium.

So much of the attention in the immediate aftermath was rightly on Christian McCaffrey, who became the fourth player with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown and touchdown reception in a single game since the 1970 merger in a remarkable performance just 10 days on from his trade from the Carolina Panthers.

However, Garoppolo also deserves a share of the spotlight following what was, by at least one measure, a perfect game from a quarterback frequently criticised for his volatility.

Garoppolo ended the defeat of the Rams with a 100 per cent well-thrown rate. Each of his 25 passes, excluding throwaways, was deemed to be accurate and well-thrown.

He is the 35th player to achieve such a feat and the second this season following Trevor Lawrence for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts.

While Garoppolo averaged only 6.76 yards per attempt, he still completed a host of big-time throws, including a third-down touchdown shot to a leaping McCaffrey and a 56-yard bomb down the left sideline to Ross Dwelley that was followed by a perfectly placed ball to George Kittle in the back of the endzone on a sprint out pass that iced the game.

At 4-4 heading into the bye with a star-studded offense and a series of players still to return from injury on defense, the 49ers are ideally positioned for a surge down the stretch. They won't get perfect every game from Garoppolo, but if he maintains a level close to what he produced in Inglewood on Sunday, San Francisco will be a major threat in the NFC.

Air Marcus has Falcons on top

Marcus Mariota had hardly been trusted to throw the ball over the four games prior to Atlanta's wild win over the Carolina Panthers by head coach Arthur Smith.

Only once over those four games had he registered more than 20 passing attempts, but Mariota was allowed to air it out on Sunday, and the Falcons should be delighted by the manner in which he did so.

The former second overall pick delivered an accurate well-thrown ball on 92.6 per cent of his 27 pass attempts, maintaining remarkable accuracy while pushing the ball down field with consistency in a captivating shoot-out.

Mariota averaged 10.15 air yards per attempt against Carolina. Just five quarterbacks – Josh Allen (12.96), P.J. Walker (12.33), Tua Tagovailoa (11.79), Russell Wilson (11.04) and Jalen Hurts (11.04) – were more aggressive in that respect.

Of that quintet, Tagovailoa (82.4 per cent) and Wilson (84.6 per cent) were the only two signal-callers to even post a well-thrown rate of 80 per cent.

Mariota blended accuracy and deep-ball aggression in a way most quarterbacks struggle to replicate and, though he tossed an overtime interception that should have cost the Falcons the game, his performance may convince Smith to diversify his approach and shift to a more balanced attack as the 4-4 Falcons look to make a surprise run at the NFC South title.

Dak looks all the way back

The case could be made that the Cowboys were still running the 'Cooper Rush' offense in Prescott's first game back from a finger injury in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions.

Dallas laboured somewhat in that one before pulling away and, though the Week 8 performance was not a faultless one from Prescott, it was one to breed hope the Cowboys can legitimately contend to go deep into the NFC playoffs with him at the helm of the attack.

Prescott posted a well-thrown rate of 92.3 per cent in the Cowboys' 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears, with arguably his most aesthetically pleasing throw coming on his first touchdown pass as he split safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker on a 21-yard rope to CeeDee Lamb on third-and-nine.

Third down did not prove a challenge for Prescott at any point. He completed five of his six third-down throws for 85 yards and a touchdown, with a Bears defense ill-equipped to stop the Cowboys consistently frustrated when they got into positions to get off the field. 

An interception by Jackson was the sole blemish on the day for Prescott, who also had a rushing touchdown, and the room for improvement he clearly still has after a showing of this calibre should be of great excitement to the 6-2 Cowboys as they attack the second half of the season.

Fields fills Chicago with hope 

The Bears did not produce the all-round performance to keep pace with the Cowboys, but it was another effort by last year's first-round pick Justin Fields to boost optimism around his prospects of blossoming into one of the league's better quarterbacks.

After finally building a gameplan around his athleticism in the Monday Night Football win over the New England Patriots, the Bears once again leant on Fields' mobility. He threw seven times on the move, with Chicago also implementing play-action and the quarterback bootleg into the attack.

The results were impressive as Fields finished the game with a well-thrown rate of 90.9 per cent while averaging 9.5 air yards per attempt. On top of that, he did not throw a single interceptable pass, though he did have one pick called back because of a roughing the passer penalty.

Fields was perfect on play-action, with all six of his passes from those concepts well thrown, and he would have had significantly more than 151 passing yards to his name had rookie receiver Velus Jones not dropped an outstandingly placed moonball down the right sideline from the Chicago 47-yard line in the second quarter.

But Fields still accounted for three touchdowns, throwing two and rushing for another in a 60-yard display on the ground. Though the Bears' decision to trade defensive stars Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith will play a role in limiting their wins in 2022, the Bears will be increasingly convinced Fields is the right man to rebuild the team around if he continues in this vein of form.

The playoff picture is wide open and Week 13 action presents clashes between a number of sides who each boast a winning record this season.

Victories this week would provide a considerable boost for those teams' hopes of continuing beyond the regular campaign.

A huge divisional rivalry between the Washington Commanders and New York Giants is the pick of the action, while there is also a rematch from last season's AFC Championship game with the Kansas City Chiefs seeking redemption against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Stats Perform has delved into the numbers for those matchups along with some of Sunday's other big games.

New York Jets (7-4) @ Minnesota Vikings (9-2)

The Jets head to Minnesota with an 8-3 record against the Vikings, though have lost the last two meetings – including a 37-17 loss in the last meeting in 2018, which marked the most ever points scored by the Vikings in this series.

Defensive strength has been key for the Jets this season, with last week's 31-10 victory over the Chicago Bears being the fourth time this year where they have held their opponents to 10 or fewer points – the last time they had such a sequence was five games in 2010, which was also their last season with a trip to the playoffs.

The Jets defense will be tested against the Vikings' aerial threat, however, with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen each catching touchdown passes in the Thanksgiving win over the New England Patriots – the ninth time each player has had a receiving TD in the same game, which marks the most of any NFL teammates since Jefferson's 2020 debut.

A win against the Jets would see head coach Kevin O'Connell join Jim Caldwell and Jim Harbaugh as the only men this century to earn 10 wins in 12 or fewer games to start their career as an NFL head coach.

Washington Commanders (7-5) @ New York Giants (7-4)

A series sweep for Washington last season was the franchise's first against the Giants since 2011, leaving the Commanders looking for their first win streak of at least three games against New York since a four-game streak that ended in 2000.

Four consecutive wins on the road have seen Washington hold their opponents to 54 points total in those contests, marking the first time they have won four straight road games while allowing fewer than 60 points since 2001.

The Giants head into the contest having lost their last five against divisional opponents, standing just 1-7 in that regard over the past two seasons. That makes them just one of two teams without multiple wins in divisional games over that span (also Denver Broncos, 1-8).

Saquon Barkley remains the biggest threat for the Giants and sits just eight rushing yards short of his third 1000-yard season, where he would join Tiki Barber (6), Rodney Hampton (5) and Joe Morris (3) as the only Giants with at least three such seasons for the team.

Tennessee Titans (7-4) @ Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)

Philadelphia host the Titans on the back of a six-game winning run against AFC opponents dating back to last season, matching the Eagles' longest such streak in franchise history.

Last time out against the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles scored a touchdown in four of their five trips to the red zone – with Philadelphia leading the NFL in touchdown efficiency in the red zone this season, scoring in 29 of 40 trips (72.5 per cent).

Tennessee, meanwhile, have rushed for fewer than 100 yards in each of their last three games, matching their longest streak since Mike Vrabel became head coach in 2018.

In the 20-16 loss to the Bengals last time out, Derrick Henry fumbled but was it was recovered. Of the 39 players with at least 200 offensive touches since the beginning of last season, Henry, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey are the only three to have not lost a fumble.

Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)

Two meetings last season saw the Bengals win by three points in both contests, including in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, with the Chiefs' last road win against the Bengals coming in 1984 – losing six straight since.

A 26-10 home victory against the Los Angeles Rams last week saw Travis Kelce catch his 12th touchdown pass of the season, with no other tight end having more than five this term. The largest all-time gap between a league leader and second place stands at six (Rob Gronkowski in 2011 and Antonio Gates in 2004).

The Bengals overcame the Titans 20-16 on the road last week, giving Cincinnati their first three-game winning streak of the season. Since 2018, they stand 3-34 when scoring 20 or fewer points in a game, but two of those wins have come against Tennessee.

Cincinnati have converted 78.1 per cent (25-for-32) of their third downs this season when needing fewer than four yards, the best mark in the league. However, they've also allowed opponents to convert such third downs at a 76.5 per cent rate (26-for-34), the worst record in the league.

Elsewhere…

The Miami Dolphins head to San Francisco with a 4-3 record on the road against the 49ers, the second-best such record by any team behind the Carolina Panthers (7-4).

The Los Angeles Rams host the Seattle Seahawks having won eight of the last 10 clashes between the two divisional rivals, with Seattle's last victory on the road in this matchup coming in Week 5, 2017.

An overtime victory over the Seahawks last week was the second in a row for the Las Vegas Raiders, having beaten the Denver Broncos in OT in Week 11. No NFL team has ever won three consecutive games in overtime going into the Raiders' latest battle with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Dallas Cowboys host the Indianapolis Colts on the back of a four-game spell with at least 400 net yards, with only one longer streak in team history – running eight games in that regard in 2016.

Goff was part of a blockbuster trade in March, the two-time NFL Pro Bowler sent to the Lions in exchange for quarterback Matthew Stafford along with an exchange of a series of draft picks.

The number one pick in 2016, Goff conceded there was some "sourness" at how the trade was handled, citing a lack of communication from the Rams.

"Of course, you're motivated. Of course, you have the chip on your shoulder," Goff said on Wednesday following practice.

"There was some disrespect felt towards the end, there was some sourness there towards the end and you still feel that.

"You still have that chip on your shoulder, but at the same time, when the game starts, if I let any of that come into how I'm going to play the game, it'll be selfish.

"I'm going to play the game just how I would any other game and to be honest, I'm not worried about feeling some type of way, once the game starts."

Goff has started 0-6 with the Lions, completing 159 of 238 attempts for 1,505 yards since the move, while the Rams have opened with a 5-1 start to the season.

The 26-year-old has had zero touchdown passes and an interception in each of his last two games. It is the first time he has had back-to-back such games since a three-game streak in November 2019, according to Stats Perform.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes initiated the trade, while Rams head coach Sean McVay acknowledged regret about how they handled it on their side, wishing for "better, clearer communication".

"I appreciate it. It takes a man to say something like that," Goff said about McVay's comments. "It still happened the way it did, but I do appreciate him saying that and got all of the respect in the world for him over there."

On his relationship with McVay, Goff added: "I don't think it nearly eroded the way people thought and I think that was part of the confusion at the end. I don't feel like it really eroded that way."

Goff, who spent five years at the Rams, ranks second in franchise history in completion percentage (63.4 per cent) and passer rating (91.5).

The Rams ended a six-game losing streak against the Patriots with a 24-3 victory at SoFi Stadium on Thursday.

Akers, 21, led the way with 171 rushing yards, becoming the fourth youngest player in NFL history to rush for 170-plus yards in a game, as per Stats Perform.

Goff, who finished 16 of 25 for 137 yards, a touchdown and an interception and also had a rushing TD, lauded Akers.

"Absolutely we knew that was in him. He's shown sparks of that all year. I think you go all the way back to the Washington game, he broke one off late in the game for about 40 yards and ever since then just trying to bottle that up," Goff told a news conference.

"I think tonight it was on full display for everyone to see what he can do. He's a special talent, special player, humble kid, does a great job, works hard and deserves all this."

After back-to-back wins, the Rams improved to 9-4 and sit top of the NFC West, ahead of the Seattle Seahawks (8-4), Arizona Cardinals (6-6) and San Francisco 49ers (5-7).

Goff is happy with the position the Rams are in, insisting he was ignoring any critics.

"It's our ninth win, we're right where we want to be, everything in front of us, three big games coming up," he said.

"I don't think we're very concerned with what people are thinking or saying or doing, I know I'm not, just going out there and trying to win games and do our best."

After facing the winless New York Jets, the Rams have clashes against the Seahawks and Cardinals to finish the regular season.

Goff led an eight-play, 53-yard drive that saw Matt Gay convert a 40-yard field goal that was enough for the Rams to edge the Buccaneers 27-24 in the NFL on Monday.

Brady was intercepted by Jordan Fuller for the second time as he tried to respond for the Buccaneers, the Rams winning to improve to 7-3 and go top of the NFC West.

Goff said there were no guarantees against Brady after Gay's field goal with two minutes, 36 seconds remaining.   

"You never know. Whenever Brady's on the other side, with that much time, you never know," he told ESPN.

"Our defense stepped up and did a great job and that's a good offense we played today, and a good defense.

"We did a great job."

Like Brady, Goff threw two interceptions, while the Rams QB went 39 of 51 for 376 yards and three touchdowns.

Goff lamented his own errors before composing himself late, with Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods becoming the fourth team-mate duo in the past 70 years to have 11-plus receptions and 130-plus receiving yards in the same game, as per NFL Research.

"The last drive, we just got back to ourselves," Goff said.

"I was making some pretty dumb mistakes, honestly, at the end there, just not taking care of the ball and being smart with it, got back to ourselves on that last drive and put some points on the board."

Regular QB Goff has not started since the Rams' Week 16 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, having undergone surgery on his thumb.

However, John Wolford, who played in Week 17 and then again in the playoff opener against Seattle, took a blow to the head in the postseason Seahawks game.

Wolford was not able to return – with Goff required to step up, still nursing his thumb – and the 25-year-old has now been ruled out against the Packers, the team confirmed on Thursday.

That means a return for Goff, who completed just nine of 19 passes from the bench last time out but threw for a touchdown and no interceptions in an upset win.

The former first overall pick has failed to convince since a dismal Super Bowl defeat at the end of the 2018 season.

Goff was rewarded for that playoff run with a new $134million contract, including a then-record $110m in guarantees, yet he has thrown 29 picks over the subsequent two campaigns.

Meanwhile, the Week 17 win over the Arizona Cardinals was Wolford's NFL bow and he put up 231 passing yards and another 56 over the ground, despite one interception.

With Wolford not involved at all against Green Bay this week, Blake Bortles is in line to serve as back-up to Goff.

Los Angeles claimed their first victory over a team with a winning record this season thanks to a solid defense and lethal offense at SoFi Stadium.

The Rams improved to 5-2 for the season as defensive tackle Aaron Donald pressurised Bears quarterback Nick Foles, whose Chicago (5-2) were held to a season-low 10 points and 279 total yards of offense.

Foles was intercepted twice and sacked four times – Jalen Ramsey, Taylor Rapp and Leonard Floyd flexing their muscles for the Rams.

Bears signal-caller Foles finished 28-of-40 for 261 yards and no touchdowns in Los Angeles, where Rams counterpart Jared Goff was 23-of-33 for 219 yards and two TDs without an interception.

The Rams fell to the San Francisco 49ers last time out but bounced back emphatically on home soil.

Goff found Josh Reynolds on a four-yard touchdown pass with less than four minutes remaining in the opening quarter and it was a lead the Rams never relinquished.

Chicago's Cairo Santos and Samuel Sloman traded field goals in the second quarter before the Rams pulled clear with two unanswered touchdowns in the third for a 24-3 advantage – Malcolm Brown setting the tone with a one-yard run before Gerald Everett caught a Goff pass during the closing stages of the period.

Eddie Jackson scored the Bears' only touchdown of the game at the 7:30 mark in the final quarter but it was too little too late for the visitors.

The Rams' Johnny Hekker became the only NFL punter in the last 30 years to punt five-plus times in a game and pin the opponent to their 10-yard line or inside on every occasion, per Stats Perform.

Whitworth has been in the NFL since 2006, when he was drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

But he had to wait until this year to finally get his hands on a Super Bowl ring, beating his former team the Bengals with the Rams.

It was widely expected Whitworth would call time on his career if the Rams won the title, yet one of sport's great names has given him food for thought.

Whitworth told NFL Total Access: "You definitely think about [winning a second Super Bowl], especially with Matthew Stafford coming back and Cooper Kupp and some of the special players – Aaron Donald being the biggest one, which we'll hopefully hear soon is going to be back.

"I've already seen him in the weight room working out, so I think that's a positive sign.

"It's a special group of guys, so you wouldn't want to miss that, that's for sure.

"I'll never forget after we won the game, the 'Great One', Wayne Gretzky, called me, because I live near him. He said, 'Hey Whit, there's only one thing better than winning one, and that's winning two'. I said I can't argue with you.

"It's going to be tough. One way or another, it's going to be a tough decision. There'd be a lot of great guys I'd be missing out on."

Thursday's 24-3 road loss for the Patriots came amid a disappointing showing for Newton, the former Carolina Panthers star who was NFL MVP five years ago. 

He finished nine of 16 for 119 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception – a pick six – to go with seven carries and 16 yards. 

Collectively, New England were far from the level Belichick expects as they had their two-game winning run halted and slid to 6-7 for the season. 

An 18th consecutive year with a double-digit haul of regular-season wins is now beyond them, while Newton can only point to five touchdown passes in 2020 and he sits 23rd in passing yards (2,172 yards). 

The first question in Belichick's post-game news conference saw him asked whether he would continue to start with Newton. 

Cutting in, Belichick said: "Great question. I'm really glad you asked that. Cam's our quarterback." 

Asked to explain what Newton has done to deserve such support, Belichick again put it bluntly, saying: “He's our quarterback." 

Across the team, however, there must be improvements to meet the coach's demands. 

“We didn't do well enough to win tonight. We've all got to do a better job," Belichick added. 

"The Rams were the better team tonight, they deserve a lot of credit. We were out-coached, out-played, out-everything really. 

"They did a good job in all areas. We weren't really able to stay with them here. They're a good football team. They played well and they deserved to win. 

"We have to all do a better job, starting with me. it just wasn't our night tonight." 

Rams coach Sean McVay, who at 34 is half Belichick's age, was praised for his strategy by the Patriots coach. 

"They had a good running game. They've run the game well all year. Sean had a good plan and the players executed it well," Belichick said. 

"[Cam] Akers ran well. They did a better job than we did." 

The result saw the Rams (9-4) end a run of six losses to the Patriots. 

Newton, who was eventually withdrawn as Jarrett Stidham was introduced under center, took his share of responsibility for the defeat. 

He said: "We've just got to be better and it starts with me personally. Just have to make more plays, that's what it comes down to. 

"I think we didn't play a good style or brand of football tonight and they did and they made more plays than us. So, it led to them winning."

Rodgers was honoured during Saturday's awards – on the eve of Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – as he added to his 2011 and 2014 MVPs.

The 37-year-old is now level with Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Packers great Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas and Jim Brown with three Most Valuable Player honours – only Peyton Manning (five) has more in NFL history.

The Packers fell short in the NFC Conference Game, beaten by Super Bowl finalists the Buccaneers, but Rodgers still enjoyed a memorable campaign.

Packers star Rodgers amassed 48 touchdowns, five interceptions and a completion rate of 70.7 per cent this season.

His quarterback rating of 121.5 puts him second on the all-time list among qualifiers, behind only his 2011 campaign (122.5).

In total, Rodgers completed 372 of 526 attempts for 4,299 yards as the Packers topped the NFC North with a 13-3 record to clinch home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs for the first time since 2011.

Rodgers – a Super Bowl champion during the 2010 season – featured in his first NFC title decider at Lambeau Field, but the Packers fell to Brady's Buccaneers 31-26.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald won the Defensive Player of the Year for a third time.

Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt had been tipped to win the award, but Donald maintained his dominance, having also reigned supreme in 2017 and 2018.

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski claimed the Coach of the Year award after leading the franchise to their first postseason victory in 25 years.

Not since the 1994 season had the Browns won a playoff matchup, until upstaging the Steelers before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

List of NFL Honors

Rookie of the Year: Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert
Defensive Player of the Year: Los Angeles Rams DL Aaron Donald
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert
Offensive Player of the Year: Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Washington DE Chase Young
Comeback Player of the Year: Washington QB Alex Smith
Coach of the Year: Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski
Most Valuable Player:Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

He may not be at the Super Bowl for the first time in four years, but Brady ensured he remained the focus in Miami with an uncaptioned black-and-white photo he uploaded to his social media accounts on Thursday.

Six-time Super Bowl champion Brady, who could be seen walking in the tunnel at the Patriots' stadium in the picture, is due to become a free agent this offseason and the 42-year-old has indicated he wants to carry on playing.

The possibility of him starting his 21st NFL season away from New England is therefore seemingly a realistic possibility.

"Oh, that means he's out the door," Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ramsey said when shown the tweet.

"He's out the door. He's definitely out the door. He's gone from New England. That's exactly what that means."

The Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts have been mooted as potential destinations for Brady.

Though when asked where he thought Brady could wind up, Ramsey added: "I don't know, the [Las Vegas] Raiders maybe."

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jackson interpreted the tweet in another way, believing Brady is about to hang up his cleats after 20 glorious years with New England.

"He's walking away. He's retiring," said Jackson, who, like Ramsey, was speaking at the EA SPORTS Bowl.

"I don't know, man, he's walking out the tunnel, man. He's leaving. I'm surprised you don't see a deuce sign! 

"I don't know, he's playing with you, man. He's playing with you."

New York Jets Pro Bowler Jamal Adams had implored Brady to "please leave the AFC East!", yet Jarvis Landry, who plays in the AFC North for the Cleveland Browns, feels it would be strange to see the veteran in a different jersey.

"It's not right to take the Patriots out without Tom Brady there," Landry added.

"Like, does it even count anymore? You know what I mean?

"I'm kidding. But, you know, he's a true competitor.

"I'm sure whatever decision that he makes is going to be the right one for him and he's going to make it work."

But the four-time Pro Bowler took it all in his stride, determined to spread the goodwill through the ranks after the 24-10 success on Monday. 

Hekker became the only NFL punter in the past 30 years to punt five times or more in a game and pin an opposing team to their 10-yard line or inside on every occasion. 

The 30-year-old's reaction was casual. 

"We got bounces," he said. "Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't, and when they come in bunches like this it's fun. 

"It was a great overall performance by our punt team and shows the work we put in during the week pays off." 

McVay said: "He was phenomenal. Exactly what we expect. Don't ever take it for granted. I wasn't surprised but you're definitely appreciative of the effort he had tonight. It was a big-time deal." 

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald told ESPN that Hekker was the Rams' star performer, saying: "He did an amazing job, he was on fire. I think he deserves the game ball. He had a hell of a game." 

Reacting to that level of praise, Hekker said: "It's great to know that Aaron Donald knows my name sometimes, that guy's such a star in this league. I love AD, it's so much fun." 

He added: "I'm really proud of the way we played complementary football tonight. 

"You get good bounces and our guys produced on the outside. Our gunners did a great job of being available down there to down some footballs. 

"Our protection was great. They brought in some big bodies and really wanted to rush some punts, got into some defensive safe looks and weren't going to give us much as far as they were trying to take away fakes, and in their plus territory they were trying to rush and get near me if they could. 

"But our guys did a great job and were stout. It's just another day at the office. I'm glad we got some production and it just needs to be another building block in the progression of our special teams unit, because we need to get better if we want to help our team win games." 

The Rams improved to 5-2 with their victory. 

"You go into every game with the same mentality and same mindset, to be a positive influence on the game," Hekker said. "We were able to be a bit more of a prominent positive influence." 

While the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos have made strong starts to move to 2-0 in 2021, division favourites the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers were each beaten in Week 2.

Those results ramp up the pressure heading into Week 3 when leading young quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert meet.

Mahomes sat out last year's Week 17 game, which the Chargers won on the road, but he will be involved this time and hoping to bounce back.

This is one of a number of intriguing matchups to look forward to this Sunday, as explored by Stats Perform.

Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs

That late-season win for the Chargers last year moved them to 2-1 at the Chiefs since the start of 2018. Kansas City are 18-4 at home to every other team in that time.

The Chiefs are a little vulnerable right now, too, having allowed a league-high 938 total net yards so far this season – music to Herbert's ears – and last week lost to the Baltimore Ravens despite leading by 11 points entering the fourth quarter. It was their first defeat with Mahomes under center when leading by double digits through three quarters, having previously gone 29-0 in such scenarios.

But the Chargers have an awful knack of coming up just short. Their 20-17 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys last time out was a league-high 16th loss by seven points or fewer since 2019.

Herbert does not know when he is beaten, though. He leads all QBs in completions (19), passing yards (271) and first-down conversions (16) on third down this season, while he is a stunning five-for-six for 112 yards and four first downs on third-and-11 or more.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams

There are also two games this week that could easily be early rehearsals for the NFC Championship Game, starting with Tom Brady versus the Rams defense.

Brady threw for five touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons last week and became the fifth player – including a former Buc in Ryan Fitzpatrick (2018) – ever to toss four or more scores in each of the first two games of a season.

However, the Rams, who gave up a league-low 281.9 yards per game in 2020, recorded three sacks and two interceptions against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2.

They pose a threat on offense, too, with Cooper Kupp's 271 receiving yards the third-most by a Ram through the team's first two games of a season in the past 60 yards. Reaching new heights alongside Matthew Stafford, Kupp had just 252 receiving yards over his final five games of 2020.

Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers

The Packers and the 49ers will consider themselves worthy challengers to the Bucs and the Rams, with Green Bay hoping they are now back on track after a dismal Week 1.

They restricted Kyle Shanahan's run game to 55 rushing yards in last year's matchup, with the Niners having averaged 176.8 yards on the ground across their previous eight meetings, going 6-2.

On offense, the Packers have obvious threats in the form of Aaron Jones and Aaron Rodgers.

Jones had four total TDs against the Detroit Lions, becoming the fifth running back in the past 25 yards to record three or more receiving scores in a game, while Rodgers has thrown 18 TDs to two interceptions in eight regular-season games against the Niners, with his 106.9 passer rating the highest versus San Francisco in the Super Bowl era (minimum 100 attempts).

Elsewhere...

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off their first loss under Pete Carroll when leading by 10 at halftime (now 31-1) but face favourable opponents in the Minnesota Vikings, who have lost the teams' past seven meetings – a joint-record including playoffs in the Vikings' history.

The Miami Dolphins also suffered a painful defeat last week and are unlikely to find any comfort in Jacoby Brissett's promotion in Tua Tagovailoa's absence at the Las Vegas Raiders. The backup QB has lost five of his past six games as a starter, while his streak of 146 consecutive passes without a touchdown in the NFL is the longest ongoing run.

Jameis Winston's regression for the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 came at a bad time, with the New England Patriots next up. The Pats have had four or more interceptions in a league-high 16 different games in the Bill Belichick era, including against the New York Jets last time out.

Beaten by both the 49ers and the Packers, the Lions' next test is against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson has rushed for 80 yards in four consecutive regular-season games, the most by any QB in the Super Bowl era.

Those numbers pale a little next to running back Derrick Henry's 182 yards and three rushing TDs in Seattle. Only Jim Brown (five) has had more 175-yard, three-score rushing games than the Tennessee Titan's four – tied with LaDainian Tomlinson. He plays the Indianapolis Colts next.

The 49ers led 17-7 going into the fourth quarter, though the Rams soon trimmed that gap to three points with Cooper Kupp's second touchdown catch of the game from Matthew Stafford.

San Francisco looked destined to change the momentum with just under 10 minutes remaining as Stafford uncorked a deep shot intended for Van Jefferson but straight into the arms of Tartt, only for the Niners safety to let the ball slip from his grasp and to the turf.

The mistake did not lead to a touchdown as a Matt Gay field goal tied the game, but the Niners never managed to turn things back in their favour and a late Jimmy Garoppolo interception after another go-ahead kick from Gay gave the Rams victory.

And Tartt offered no excuses as he accepted blame for the agonising defeat.

"For me, it's tough. But it's a moment a lot of athletes I know dream of... you can make that game-changing play," Tartt told a post-game media conference.

"It was something that I was thinking about all week. I know I can make that play, and the play came up and I ain't make it.

"I know that was a big play of the game, a big opportunity for me and for the team. As a player, I feel like I let my brothers down.

"But for us, we didn't play how we needed to play.... Obviously my play was a crucial one that I left on the field. Really wish I can have it back, but at the end of the day, take your hat off to the Rams."

Asked what he thought as the ball was coming to him, Tartt replied: "I see it, I'm like 'Oh yeah, he f****d up. We about to win this game,'. It hit my hands. I thought I had it, and I dropped it."

Though Tartt will have nightmares about the would-be interception during the offseason, to lay the blame entirely at his feet would be overly harsh.

San Francisco still had two possessions after Gay's game-tying field goal and lost seven yards across those series as the offense completely collapsed when it most needed to step up and deliver.