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• Cowboys quarterback Prescott expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury

  The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.

  Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

  The severity of the injury was determined Monday following an MRI.

  Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.

   

  Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.

  He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

  Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.

  The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.

  They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.

  Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.

  In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.

  There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.

• Stumbling Saints fire head coach Allen

  The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, one day after the team’s losing streak reached seven games with a 23-22 defeat to the lowly Carolina Panthers.

  New Orleans got off to an unexpected strong start to the 2024 season by outscoring its first two opponents 91-29 in a pair of victories.

  The Saints lost their next two games by just a combined five points, but then it really started to unravel for the team.

  New Orleans’ next four defeats all came by 13 points or more, and on Sunday, the Panthers pulled out a 23-22 win over the Saints after Carolina entered the meeting with a 1-7 record.

  Allen was promoted from New Orleans' defensive coordinator to head coach after the 2021 season, and the Saints posted an 18-25 record under him with no play-off appearances.

  The Saints (2-7) are expected to name special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as interim head coach ahead of their Week 10 visit from the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-3).

• Barkley's spectacular backward hurdle sparks Eagles in win over Jaguars

  Saquon Barkley has made several sensational plays in his career, but his amazing backward hurdle in the Philadelphia Eagles' 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday may go down as one of the most incredible plays by any player ever on an NFL field.

  Early in the second quarter on a third-and-six, Jalen Hurts dumped off a short pass to Barkley. The first-year Philadelphia running back promptly lowered his shoulder to break one tackle and used a spin move to beat another Jacksonville defender before performing an amazing reverse hurdle over Jaguars cornerback Jarian Jones to cap off a 14-yard gain.

  Barkley had a touchdown on the ground and one through the air, finishing with 159 rushing yards and another 40 receiving yards for 199 scrimmage yards - his most since amassing 279 in Week 16 of 2019.

  DeVonta Smith also made a spectacular play for Philadelphia, hauling in a one-handed 25-yard touchdown grab. He finished with four receptions for 87 yards.

  Hurts threw for 230 yards with a pair of touchdowns and scored on an 18-yard run for the Eagles (6-2), who won their fourth in a row.

  Trevor Lawrence completed 16-of-31 passes for 169 yards with two interceptions for a 40.9 passer rating - his lowest since his rookie season - as the Jaguars fell to 2-7.

   

   

  Lions win at Green Bay to improve to 7-1

  The Detroit Lions did enough to stay firmly atop the NFC North, beating the Green Bay Packers 24-14 at rainy Lambeau Field.

  The Lions converted two fourth downs into touchdowns and scored on a Kerby Joseph 27-yard interception return en route to a sixth straight win. Detroit improved to 7-1 for the first time since 1956.

  Despite being out-gained 411-261 in total yards, the Lions' defence stood firm, holding the Packers (6-3) without a point on three drives that moved inside Detroit's 35-yard line.

  Jared Goff only passed for 145 yards, but was efficient with his throws, with only four incompletions on 22 attempts for a 109.3 passer rating. He is the first player in NFL history to record six consecutive games with a completion rate of 72 per cent, a passer rating of at least 105 and a TD pass.

  The Lions scored their first points on the first play of the second quarter on Goff's 3-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on a fourth-and-goal. Detroit went up 24-3 on its first possession of the second half, when Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a 15-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1.

  Jordan Love was 23 of 39 for 273 yards with the pick-six in a game he was uncertain to play after exiting Green Bay's win last week with a strained groin.

   

   

  Daniels helps Commanders to best start in nearly 30 years

  Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels helped deliver another win for the Washington Commanders, throwing a pair of touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin in a 27-22 triumph over the New York Giants.

  Winner of just four games in 2023, the Commanders improved to 7-2 for the first time since 1996.

  Daniels finished 15 of 22 for 209 yards with TD passes of 1 and 18 yards in the first half.

  He also rushed for 35 yards, while Chris Rodriguez Jr. ran for 52 yards and Austin Ekeler gained 42 rushing yards with a touchdown.

   

  Linebacker Dante Fowler set up Washington's first touchdown with a strip-sack of Daniel Jones, who finished with 174 passing yards and two touchdowns.

  The Giants lost their fourth straight game and fell to 2-7.

   

  Bills beat Dolphins on Bass' late 61-yard field goal

  Buffalo and Miami traded blows in a back-and-forth thriller, but it was the Bills who had the final score.

  Tyler Bass kicked a 61-yard field goal with five seconds to play to send the Bills to a 30-27 win over their AFC East rivals.

   

  Josh Allen drove Buffalo into field goal range after Miami took the lead on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Jaylen Waddle with 1:45 to play.

  The teams traded leads four times and combined to score on seven consecutive possessions in the second half.

  Allen threw three second-half touchdowns in leading the division-leading Bills (7-2) to a fourth straight victory.

  Tagovailoa had two passing TDs for the Dolphins (2-6), who lost their third in a row.

   

  Falcons deal Cowboys third straight loss; Prescott exits with injury

  Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes to lead the Falcons to a 27-21 win over the struggling Dallas Cowboys.

  Cousins, who completed 13 consecutive passes at one point, had a nine-yard touchdown to Drake London, a 36-yard TD to Darnell Mooney and an 11-yarder to Ray-Ray McCloud.

  The Falcons (6-3) won for the fifth time in six games to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.

  The Cowboys (3-5) not only lost their third straight game, but also lost their quarterback to injury with Dak Prescott exiting after three quarters due to a hamstring injury.

  Cooper Rush stepped in and completed 13 of 25 passes for 115 yards with a touchdown but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.

  The Cowboys have now equaled their loss total from each of the last three seasons.

   

   

  Cardinals bottle up Bears to move atop NFC West

  The Arizona Cardinals overwhelmed the Chicago Bears, rolling to a 29-9 victory for a third straight win.

  The winning streak - the Cardinals' longest since 2021 - moved Arizona (5-4) into sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

  The Cardinals won behind their running game and defence, as Kyler Murray threw for just 154 yards and didn't throw a TD pass for the first time in 16 games.

  James Conner rushed for 107 yards and Emari Demercado ran for 59 yards - including a 53-yard TD run just before half-time to change the momentum of the game and give Arizona a 21-9 lead at the break.

   

  The Cardinals held the Bears to just 241 yards and hounded Caleb Williams all game, sacking the No. 1 overall pick six times.

  Williams finished 22 of 41 for 217 yards without a touchdown or interception as Chicago (4-4) lost its second game in a row.