Derrick Henry's franchise-record 87-yard touchdown run set the tone as the Baltimore Ravens knocked the Buffalo Bills from the ranks of the unbeaten with an emphatic 35-10 victory on Sunday night.

Henry broke free for the longest run in team history on Baltimore's first play from scrimmage to foreshadow a dominating performance from the defending AFC North champions, who out-gained the Bills by a 427-236 margin in total yards en route to handing Buffalo (3-1) its first loss of the season. 

The Ravens amassed 271 yards on the ground, with Henry producing 199 on 24 carries and adding a touchdown catch to lead Baltimore (2-2) to a second straight win following a surprising 0-2 start.

Lamar Jackson chipped in as well by throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. The 2023 NFL MVP completed 13 of 18 passes for 156 yards and added 54 as a runner.

The Ravens scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives to build a 21-3 half-time lead. After Buffalo's Tyler Bass hit a 50-yard field goal after Henry's record-setting run, Baltimore promptly marched 70 yards in nine plays to reach the end zone again.

Henry finished that drive as well by catching Jackson's short pass and crossing the goal line untouched on the first play of the second quarter.

The Bills also offered no resistance on Baltimore's next drive, a 10-play, 81-yard march capped by Jackson's 19-yard touchdown pass to Justice Hill midway through the second quarter.

Buffalo regrouped after intermission, with Josh Allen finding Khalil Shakir for a 52-yard gain before Ty Johnson cut the lead to 21-10 with a 3-yard touchdown run on the Bills' opening series of the third quarter.

The Bills' next possession ended in a turnover, however, as Allen fumbled when sacked by Kyle Van Noy and the Ravens recovered at Buffalo's 41-yard line.

A 25-yard Henry run and Hill's 17-yard catch following the takeaway preceded Jackson's 9-yard touchdown run and a 28-10 advantage late in the third quarter.

Henry nearly had a third touchdown of the night, but he fumbled into the end zone after taking a hand-off at Buffalo's 1-yard line. Baltimore fullback Patrick Ricard fell on the loose ball, however, for the Ravens' final TD with 11:23 left to play.

Allen, coming off a four-touchdown passing performance in Buffalo's 47-10 rout of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, was held to 180 yards while completing 16 of 29 attempts.

 

Darnold delivers again as 4-0 Vikings hold off Packers

Sam Darnold continued his remarkable comeback season with three more touchdown passes as the Minnesota Vikings moved to 4-0 by holding on for a 31-29 win over the NFC North-rival Green Bay Packers.

Darnold led the Vikings to touchdowns on four of their first five drives as Minnesota built a 28-0 lead before fending off a late comeback attempt spurred by Jordan Love in the Green Bay quarterback's return from a two-game absence.

Love threw three of his four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including two to Dontayvion Wicks, and finished with 389 yards through the air in his first start since spraining his knee in the Packers' season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil.

The Packers' franchise signal-caller was intercepted three times, however, and Green Bay (2-2) had four total turnovers that contributed to its two-game winning streak being halted.

Darnold completed 20 of 28 passes for 275 yards with one interception to spark Minnesota to its first 4-0 start since 2016. Former Packer Aaron Jones contributed 139 yards from scrimmage in his first game at Lambeau Field since being released by Green Bay in the offseason and signing with the Vikings.

Minnesota took control right away, as Darnold hit Jailen Nailor for a 31-yard gain on 3rd-and-14 before capping the game's initial drive with a 29-yard strike to a wide-open Jordan Addison just 3:07 into the contest.

After Green Bay's Brayden Narveson missed a 37-yard field goal attempt on the ensuing possession, the Vikings marched 73 yards in eight plays to take a 14-0 lead on Darnold's 2-yard touchdown pass to Josh Oliver late in the first quarter.

Kamu Grugier-Hill then intercepted Love to give Minnesota the ball near midfield, with the takeaway setting up Addison's 7-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep that extended the lead to 21-0 with 11:50 left before half-time.

Green Bay's next two drives ended in another Narveson missed field goal and Love's second interception, which Shaquil Griffin returned 28 yards to the Packers' 4-yard line. 

After the Vikings were backed up by a holding penalty, Darnold found Justin Jefferson in the end zone for a 14-yard score to increase the margin to 28-0 with 5:28 remaining in the second quarter.

The Packers finally got some momentum late in the first half when Nailor fumbled a punt and Green Bay recovered deep in Minnesota territory, setting up Love's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed just before half-time.

Reed finished with a career-high 139 yards on seven catches.

The Vikings maintained their 28-7 advantage into the fourth quarter, when Green Bay's offence came back to life.

Love engineered an 89-yard drive culminating in his 6-yard touchdown pass to Wicks to start the rally attempt, and cornerback Keisean Nixon sacked Darnold on the next play from scrimmage to force a fumble the Packers recovered on Minnesota's 20-yard line.

Two plays later, Love connected with Tucker Kraft for a 13-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 28-22 with 10:16 left.

The Vikings answered on their next possession, as a 27-yard completion from Darnold to Jefferson led to Will Reichard's 33-yard field goal with 6:50 remaining that made it a two-score game again.

Green Bay turned it over on its following two drives before closing within 31-29 on Love's 17-yard touchdown pass to Wicks with 56 seconds to play. The Vikings recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, however, and ran out the clock.

 

Chiefs stay unbeaten with comeback win over Chargers

The Kansas City Chiefs also got to 4-0 on the season after overcoming an early 10-point deficit and an injury to wide receiver Rashee Rice in a 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Samaje Perine scored the tie-breaking touchdown with 6:04 remaining as the two-time defending Super Bowl champions won their 10th consecutive game dating back to last season, which includes four victories during the 2023 playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, a 54-yard strike to rookie Xavier Worthy in the second quarter that came after Rice was carted off with what the Chiefs fear is a torn ACL in his right knee, according to multiple reports.

Travis Kelce also stepped up in Rice's absence, as the veteran tight end posted season highs of seven catches and 89 receiving yards.

Worthy hauled in Mahomes' perfectly thrown deep ball to bring the Chiefs within 10-7 at the half, and Kansas City got the ball near midfield on their first drive of the third quarter after Los Angeles' Cameron Dicker missed a 55-yard field goal attempt.

Mahomes completed 4 of 5 passes on the series to put the Chiefs in range for Harrison Butker's 37-yard field goal that tied the game.

Kansas City's defence stopped the Chargers on 4th-and-1 from the Chiefs' 3-yard line early in the fourth quarter to keep the score at 10-10, then forced a three-and-out on Los Angeles' next possession before the offence came through with the go-ahead drive.

The Chiefs marched 60 yards in just five plays, highlighted by Mahomes' 29-yard pass to Noah Gray, and took their first lead of the day when Perine powered into the end zone from two yards out.

Chris Jones' third-down sack of Justin Herbert forced the Chargers to punt with 3:15 to go, and Los Angeles never got the ball back as Kansas City successfully ran out the clock.

Herbert, playing on a sprained ankle he injured in Week 2, completed 16 of 27 passes for 179 yards and had a 7-yard touchdown toss to Ladd McConkey that gave Los Angeles (2-2) a 7-0 lead with 6:16 left in the first quarter.

Kristian Fulton then intercepted Mahomes on the next snap from scrimmage - the play where Rice was injured - and returned the ball 29 yards to set up Dicker's 50-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage.

 

Flacco's relief effort helps Colts deal Steelers first loss

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes in relief of an injured Anthony Richardson, and the Indianapolis Colts got a late defensive stop to hold on for a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Flacco took over after Richardson hurt his hip on a scramble late in the first quarter and threw for 168 yards on 16-of-26 passing. The 39-year-old hit Josh Downs and Drew Ogletree for touchdowns to help Indianapolis (2-2) to a second straight win following an 0-2 start.

Downs finished with 82 yards on eight catches and Michael Pittman amassed 113 yards on six receptions for the Colts, who also received 88 rushing yards and a touchdown from Jonathan Taylor.

Pittsburgh (3-1) was handed its first loss of the season despite Justin Fields rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for another. Fields was sacked four times and had one of two Pittsburgh lost fumbles, however, as the Steelers failed to overcome a 17-0 deficit. 

Fields completed 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards, while George Pickens led the Steelers' receivers with 113 yards on seven catches. 

Richardson made an impact before his early departure, as he hit Pittman for a 32-yard gain on the game's first play to ignite an eight-play, 70-yard drive that Taylor finished with a 2-yard touchdown run less than three minutes in.

The 2023 first-round pick left after being tackled on a short run near the goal line on the Colts' next possession, which Flacco capped with a 4-yard touchdown delivery to Downs to extend the lead to 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Matt Gay's 33-yard field goal early in the second quarter increased Indianapolis' advantage to 17-0, but a 29-yard completion from Fields to Pat Freiermuth late in the first half got Pittsburgh on the board via Chris Boswell's 50-yard field goal.

The Steelers' defence then forced a pair of three-and-outs to begin the third quarter, and Fields and Pickens hooked up for a 38-yard completion to highlight a six-play drive culminating in Fields' 5-yard touchdown run that brought Pittsburgh within 17-10 with 2:53 to go in the period.

Indianapolis responded with a 10-play, 70-yard drive kept alive by Flacco's 25-yard completion to Downs on 3rd-and-7. The veteran quarterback later hit Ogletree over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown that put the Colts up 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh answered once again, though, as a 32-yard catch and run by Najee Harris moved the ball deep into Indianapolis territory before Fields trimmed the lead to 24-17 with a 2-yard touchdown run with 11:23 remaining.

After Gay hit a 35-yard field goal to increase the Colts' lead to 10, Fields found Freiermuth for an 8-yard touchdown with 3:40 left to pull the Steelers within 27-24. The score was set up by a 37-yard catch by Pickens.

Pittsburgh got the ball back with 2:39 remaining, but Fields' final two passes fell incomplete and the Colts took over on downs with 29 seconds on the clock.

 

Broncos earn narrow win over Jets as defence flusters Rodgers

Wil Lutz hit a go-ahead 47-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter, and the Denver Broncos' defence made the kick stand up in a 10-9 win over the New York Jets at a soggy MetLife Stadium.

Denver (2-2) got its second straight win following an 0-2 start despite quarterback Bo Nix mustering just 60 passing yards in the rainy conditions. The rookie quarterback did throw his first NFL touchdown pass, however, when he found Courtland Sutton for an 8-yard score in the third quarter.

Running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 123 rushing yards to give the offence some spark, though, while the defence kept Aaron Rodgers and the Jets out of the end zone while recording five sacks of the four-time NFL MVP.

Rodgers completed just 24 of 42 pass attempts for 225 yards on a day New York (2-2) managed just three Greg Zuerlein field goals and went 4 of 17 on third downs.

Zuerlein misfired on a 50-yard field goal try with 47 seconds left, however, to snap the Jets' two-game winning streak.

New York had taken a 9-7 lead on Zuerlein's 40-yard field goal with 13:34 remaining, a kick set up by Rodgers' 22-yard completion to Mike Williams and a 23-yard connection with Garrett Wilson on the following play. 

Denver then answered with an eight-play drive in which all of its yards came on the ground, putting it in range for Lutz's field goal that put the Broncos back ahead with 8:55 to go.

Lutz later missed a 50-yard attempt with 1:27 remaining to give the Jets another chance, and a defensive pass interference penalty and a short catch from Williams got New York to Denver's 32-yard line for a field goal opportunity in the final minute.

Zuerlein's kick veered to the right of the post, however.

The Broncos managed just 46 total yards over the first two quarters and trailed 6-0 at the half after Zuerlein hit from 23 and 35 yards out in the second quarter. The first field goal came after Denver's Ty Badie fumbled when injured on a short catch and the Jets recovered at the Broncos' 34.

Nix was just 12 of 25 passing for the game, but the rookie came through with a key 29-yard completion to Sutton on 3rd-and-11 to extend what turned out to be the lone touchdown drive of the day.

Sutton got wide open in the end zone shortly afterward and came down with Nix's 8-yard toss to put the Broncos up 7-6 with 3:08 left in the third quarter.

 

Texans score late touchdown to keep Jaguars win-less

Dare Ogunbowale caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Stroud with 18 seconds remaining to lift the Houston Texans to a 24-20 victory over Jacksonville that dropped the reeling Jaguars to 0-4.

After being forced to punt on their first five drives of the second half, the Texans' offence finally got untracked in the final minutes as Stroud led a nine-play, 69-yard series to put his team ahead.

The 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year connected with Nico Collins for 26 yards to the Jacksonville 27-yard line with Houston (3-1) down 20-17 at the two-minute warning. Stroud later found Dalton Schultz for a 6-yard gain on 3rd-and-3 from the Jaguars' 8 before rolling out and hitting Ogunbowale in stride for the go-ahead score. 

Stroud finished with 345 yards and two touchdowns while completing 27 of 40 passes, with nearly half of them going to Collins. The star wide receiver racked up 151 yards and a touchdown on a career-high 12 catches.

Trevor Lawrence threw two touchdown passes for Jacksonville (0-4), including an 8-yard strike to Christian Kirk that put the Jaguars up 20-17 with 6:16 left in the third quarter.

Lawrence's first TD pass came after the Jaguars recovered a muffed punt from Houston's Steven Sims at the Texans' 2-yard line in the opening minutes. Rookie Brian Thomas Jr. came down with the former No. 1 overall pick's short toss on the next play to quickly give Jacksonville a 7-0 lead 2:16 in.

Houston answered with a nine-play, 70-yard drive capped by wide receiver Stefon Diggs' 6-yard touchdown run on an aborted passing play midway through the first quarter.

Cam Little's 41-yard field goal on the ensuing possession put Jacksonville back ahead until Stroud's 3-yard touchdown pass to Collins gave the Texans a 14-10 edge with 7:19 left in the second quarter, with the score ending a 12-play, 74-yard drive.

Both teams traded field goals to close out the first half, with Little making a 52-yarder and Ka'imi Fairbairn countering with a 32-yard kick that sent Houston into half-time up 17-13.

Thomas recorded 86 yards on six catches for Jacksonville, while Kirk had seven receptions totalling 61 yards and Tank Bigsby rushed for 90 yards on just seven carries in the loss.