The Kansas City Chiefs incredibly remained unbeaten by blocking a 35-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the game to hold off the Denver Broncos 16-14 on Sunday.
Two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City went ahead on Harrison Butker's 20-yard field goal with 5:57 left, but Denver put together a drive that brought the Broncos down to the Chiefs' 17-yard line with one second remaining.
The Chiefs then blocked Will Lutz’s field-goal attempt to hang on and win their 15th straight game, including the play-offs, dating back to Week 17 of last season. The streak is the longest in the NFL since the Green Bay Packers won 19 straight spanning the 2010 and 2011 seasons.
Kansas City (9-0) trailed 14-3 before Patrick Mahomes threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce with 1:44 to go in the first half to pull the Chiefs within four points.
Butker’s second and third field goals of the game were the only points either team scored in the second half.
Mahomes finished with 266 yards on 28-of-42 passing, while Kelce recorded eight catches for 64 yards.
Bo Nix completed 22 of 30 attempts for 215 yards with touchdown passes to Devaughn Vele and Courtland Sutton for Denver (5-5), which has lost two straight since winning five times in a six-game stretch.
Lions rally past Texans despite five Goff interceptions
Jake Bates kicked two long field goals, including a 52-yarder as time expired, as the rolling Detroit Lions overcame five Jared Goff interceptions in a stunning 26-23 comeback win over the Houston Texans.
Down 23-7 at half-time in this interconference clash of division leaders, Detroit scored 19 unanswered points over the final two quarters to extend its winning streak to seven games in improbable fashion. The Lions are the first team to win a game in which their quarterback was picked off five times since the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Arizona Cardinals in 2012.
Goff did deliver a pair of touchdown passes, a 20-yarder to Sam LaPorta in the second quarter and a 9-yard strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown with 11:38 left that brought Detroit within 23-20. The Lions tied it 6 1/2 minutes later when Bates knocked home a career-long 58-yard field goal.
Detroit, which is 8-1 for the first time since 1954, began its rally with the first of two second-half picks of C.J. Stroud, which set up David Montgomery's 3-yard touchdown run that trimmed Houston's lead to 23-13 after the Lions failed on the ensuing 2-point try.
Stroud did throw a 15-yard touchdown pass to John Metchie late in the second quarter that sent Houston (6-4) into the break up 23-7. The Texans also got three first-half field goals from Ka'imi Fairbairn and an 8-yard touchdown run from Joe Mixon in the first quarter, a score that came shortly after the Texans got their first of three first-half interceptions of Goff.
Fairbairn missed a 58-yard try with the game tied at 20-20 with under two minutes to go, however, and Goff's 11-yard completion to St. Brown on third down shortly after put the Lions in range for Bates' winning kick.
Metchie finished with 74 yards on five catches in the loss, the Texans' second straight and third in four games.
Wilson's late touchdown pass to Williams puts Steelers over Commanders
Mike Williams made an immediate impact in his Pittsburgh Steelers debut, as the wide receiver hauled in a go-ahead 32-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson with 2:22 remaining to lift his new team to a 28-27 win over the Washington Commanders.
Williams, acquired in a trade with the New York Jets on Tuesday, caught the last of three touchdown passes from Wilson that helped the Steelers rally from a 24-14 third-quarter deficit. The veteran quarterback also had first-half scoring strikes to Pat Freiermuth and George Pickens, who finished with 91 yards on five receptions.
Pittsburgh (7-2), now a half-game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens for first place in the AFC North, also got another big effort from its defence to extend its winning streak to four games - including all three Wilson has started since he returned from a calf injury that sidelined him six games.
The Steelers held Washington (7-3) to a season-low 242 total yards and came up with a crucial late stop when Damontae Kazae tackled tight end Zach Ertz just short of the first-down marker on a 4th-and-9 catch with 1:18 left to play.
Washington had a three-game win streak halted despite two first-half rushing touchdowns from Austin Ekeler and another from Jeremy McNichols that put the Commanders up 24-14 early in the third quarter. The Steelers countered with a nine-play, 75-yard drive capped by Najee Harris' 1-yard touchdown run that cut the lead to three points midway through the period.
Jayden Daniels had a fifth straight game without an interception, but the Commanders' star rookie quarterback went without a touchdown pass while completing just half of his 34 attempts for 202 yards. Most of that total went to Terry McLaurin, who registered 113 yards on five catches.
Eagles dominate decimated Cowboys to take NFC East lead
The surging Philadelphia Eagles passed the Commanders for first place in the NFC East with a lopsided 34-6 victory over the injury-plagued Dallas Cowboys, a win sparked by Jalen Hurts' four total touchdowns.
Hurts rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more in a game Philadelphia (7-2) controlled from start to finish en route to a fifth consecutive win. The star quarterback ended with 202 yards and an interception on 14-of-20 passing while accounting for 56 of the Eagles' 187 rushing yards.
Playing its first game since quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury expected to end his season, Dallas (3-6) managed a mere 146 total yards while committing five giveaways to lose its fourth straight overall and drop to 0-4 at home this season.
Cooper Rush started in Prescott's place but produced a measly 45 yards while completing 13 of 23 attempts before being replaced in the fourth quarter. Trey Lance took over for Rush and was 4 of 6 for 21 yards with an interception.
Hurts had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, a score set up by Rush's fumble deep in Dallas territory, and a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert late in the second to send the Eagles into half-time with a 14-6 lead.
Philadelphia then dominated the final two quarters, outscoring the Cowboys 20-0 in the second half. The Eagles' final two touchdowns - a 5-yard pass from Hurts to Johnny Wilson and an 8-yard touchdown run by the quarterback - both came in the third quarter.
Saints end seven-game skid in Rizzi's debut
After losing their final seven games under Dennis Allen, the New Orleans Saints are now 1-0 under interim head coach Darren Rizzi after coming through with a surprising 20-17 victory over the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons.
Derek Carr threw two second-quarter touchdown passes to Marques Valdes-Scantling and New Orleans (3-7) got a couple of key late stops on defence to prevail in its first game since firing Allen on Monday and promoting Rizzi from special teams coach to take over.
Valdes-Scantling, signed by the Saints on Oct. 22 after being released by the Buffalo Bills, had a 40-yard touchdown catch to give the Saints a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter and finished with 109 yards on three receptions. Carr went 16 of 25 for 269 yards with no interceptions and New Orleans also received 109 yards from scrimmage from Alvin Kamara.
Atlanta (6-4) lost for just the second time in its last seven games by failing to capitalise on several scoring chances. Kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goals and quarterback Kirk Cousins was intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu with 1:59 left to end another drive in New Orleans territory.
The loss overshadowed an impressive day for Falcons running back Bijan Robinson, who rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The 2023 first-round pick ripped off a 37-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that brought Atlanta within 20-17.
Drake London had 97 yards on eight catches for Atlanta, while Darnell Mooney added 96 yards on five receptions. Cousins finished with 306 yards on 23-of-38 passing.
Murray dazzles as Cardinals crush Jets to stay hot
Kyler Murray accounted for three touchdowns in a near-perfect performance that propelled the Arizona Cardinals to a fourth straight win, a 31-6 rout of the disappointing New York Jets.
Murray set a franchise record with 17 consecutive completions while going 22 of 24 for 266 yards with a touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison Jr. The playmaking quarterback added two more touchdowns on the ground to keep Arizona (6-4) ahead of second-place San Francisco in the NFC West race. The 49ers kept pace with a 23-20 win at Tampa Bay on Jake Moody's 44-yard field goal as time expired.
The Cardinals' defence did its part as well by limiting the Jets to 207 total yards and sacking Aaron Rodgers three times. Rodgers managed just 151 passing yards despite completing 22 of 35 throws.
Murray and James Conner each had 1-yard touchdown runs to stake Arizona to a 14-3 lead through one quarter. Murray's 9-yard touchdown pass to Harrison extended the margin to 21-6 in the second, and the Cardinals closed out the first half with Chad Ryland's 37-yard field goal for an 18-point advantage.
New York (3-7) also couldn't get anything going in the second half while being dealt another unwanted result in a season that began with high expectations. The Jets have now lost six of seven and are 1-4 since firing head coach Robert Saleh last month and replacing him with defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Murray closed out the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Conner led the Cardinals with 80 receiving yards on five catches, while Trey Benson recorded 62 rushing yards on 10 carries in the win.
NFL: Texans bounce back, extend Cowboys' woes
Joe Mixon's 109 rushing yards and three touchdowns helped get the Houston Texans back on track with Monday's 34-10 win over the floundering Dallas Cowboys.
Houston (7-4) snapped a two-game losing streak behind Mixon's powerful running and a defence that sacked Cowboys' fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush five times and forced two turnovers, including a fumble Derek Barnett returned 28 yards for a touchdown that gave the Texans a 27-10 lead in the fourth quarter.
Dallas (3-7) has now lost five straight, its longest skid since dropping seven in a row in 2015, and fell to 0-5 at home. The Cowboys have been outscored by 118 points (187-69) at AT&T Stadium, the third-largest negative differential through five home games in a season in NFL history.
Rush did throw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin in his second straight start subbing for an injured Dak Prescott, and finished with a career-high 354 passing yards with one interception while completing 32 of 55 attempts.
C.J. Stroud threw for 257 yards with an interception for Houston, which extended its lead over the second-place Indianapolis Colts to two games in the AFC South.
The Texans never trailed after Mixon ripped off a 45-yard touchdown run on the game's opening drive, and the veteran running back added a 1-yard scoring plunge late in the first quarter to give Houston a 14-0 lead.
Turpin got Dallas on the board by taking a short pass from Rush and breaking free from the Houston defence nine seconds into the second quarter, but the Cowboys were shut out in the second half after pulling to within 17-10 on Brandon Aubrey's 53-yard field goal with just under six minutes left before half-time.
Burnett's strip sack of Rush and return of the resulting fumble helped put the game away with 12:31 left, and Mixon tacked on his final touchdown of the night with 3:16 remaining to cap a 35-yard drive that began after the Texans stopped the Cowboys on downs.
Mahomes to use Chiefs' first loss of 2024 as 'spark'
Patrick Mahomes said the Kansas City Chiefs will use their first loss since Christmas Day 2023 as fuel after the Buffalo Bills halted their unbeaten start to the season.
Josh Allen scrambled for a stunning 26-yard touchdown with just over two minutes to play as the Bills improved to 9-2 with a 30-21 win over the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The result ended the Chiefs' 15-game winning streak, a run that began after they lost to the Los Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day last year and included their dramatic triumph over the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII.
The Chiefs had started this season 9-0 to take control of the race for the AFC's top seed, but they could have few complaints about Sunday's result.
The Bills outgained the Chiefs by 366 yards to 259, also recording 24 first downs to Kansas City's 19 and enjoying almost nine more minutes in possession.
Mahomes, however, was relaxed about the end of his team's winning streak, saying: "The undefeated thing was cool, but that's not our ultimate goal.
"It's a good football team, so there's nothing to hang your head about. We feel like we can play better, so we will get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end."
The Chiefs rank just 16th in the NFL for yards per game (337.9) and 11th for points per game (24) in 2024, with many of their victories – including against the Denver Broncos in Week 10 and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1 – coming via last-gasp defensive or special teams plays.
Mahomes actually feels the team could benefit from a reality check, adding: "I'm hoping that [losing] is a benefit.
"I'm not going to say I or we are relaxed, but at the same time I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of the games.
"I think it's going to spark us to have more urgency, especially at the start of football games, especially with the offense, and that comes from me and turning the ball over on the first drive. It's something you can't do in big games like this."
No quarterback has thrown more interceptions than Mahomes' 11 (level with Geno Smith and Jordan Love) this season, while a passer rating of 90.3 ranks him a lowly 20th among all players at the position.
NFL: Bills end Chiefs' unbeaten run
Josh Allen threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass and ran for a game-sealing touchdown late as the Buffalo Bills ended the Kansas City Chiefs' quest for a perfect season with Sunday's 30-21 win.
James Cook added two rushing touchdowns and the Bills' defence intercepted Patrick Mahomes twice as the AFC East leaders handed the Chiefs their first defeat since Christmas Day of last season. The two-time defending Super Bowl champions had won 15 consecutive games, including a 27-24 victory over the Bills in Buffalo during the 2023 AFC Playoffs, and started this season 9-0.
Allen completed 27 of 40 passes for 262 yards with one interception in the sixth straight win for Buffalo (9-2). His 12-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel extended the Bills' lead to 23-14 with 12:51 left to play.
The Chiefs answered with a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped by Mahomes' second touchdown pass of the day to Noah Gray, a 1-yard strike that got the Chiefs within two points with 7:53 remaining.
Buffalo responded, however, by marching 70 yards in 12 plays on the ensuing possession, which Allen finished by scrambling out of the pocket on a 4th-and-2 play and eluding several defenders for a pivotal 26-yard touchdown with 2:17 to go.
Mahomes threw for three touchdowns but was held to 196 yards on 23-of-33 passing. Xavier Worthy had a 10-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter for Kansas City's first points and finished with 61 yards on four receptions.
Steelers hold off Ravens to strengthen lead atop AFC North
The Pittsburgh Steelers stymied Lamar Jackson and pulled out an 18-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the latest slugfest between these AFC North rivals.
The win was the fifth straight for the first-place Steelers (8-2), giving them some breathing room atop the division as they moved 1 1/2 games in front of the second-place Ravens (7-4).
Led by Jackson, Baltimore entered the game with the NFL’s top-ranked offence, but was held to season lows in points, total yards (329) and first downs (16).
Pittsburgh kept the Ravens out of the end zone until 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter, when Jackson hooked up with Zay Flowers for a 16-yard touchdown to bring Baltimore within 18-16. The Steelers then stopped the potential game-tying 2-point attempt as Jackson’s desperation pass fell incomplete.
The two-time NFL MVP finished with 207 yards and an interception after entering Week 11 leading the league with a sensational 123.2 passer rating.
Russell Wilson also struggled, throwing for just 205 yards with an interception. All of Pittsburgh’s points came via kicker Chris Boswell, who converted all six of his field goal attempts to match a franchise single-game record he already co-owned.
Lions demolish Jaguars to improve to 9-1
The Detroit Lions obliterated the over-matched Jacksonville Jaguars, rolling to a 52-6 blowout win for the largest margin of victory in franchise history.
The NFC-leading Lions, who won their eighth straight to improve to 9-1 for the first time since 1934, also set a franchise record in total yards with 645. The defence held the Jaguars to a mere 170 total yards for a difference of 475 yards – the third-largest gap in total offence in a single game since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
Detroit quarterback Jared Goff bounced back after throwing five interceptions in last Sunday’s 26-23 comeback win over the Houston Texans, as he completed 24 of 29 passes for 412 passing yards – his most since 2019 – and four touchdowns for a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was on the receiving end of two of Goff’s touchdown throws and finished with a season-best 161 yards on 11 catches.
Jameson Williams had a career high in receiving yards with 124 – with 64 coming on a touchdown grab in the third quarter – and Detroit’s dangerous running tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
For the Jaguars, the 46-point drubbing marked the largest defeat in franchise history and further spread speculation about the job security of head coach Doug Pederson. Jacksonville will head into its Week 12 bye with a 2-9 record and four straight losses.
Blocked field goal secures Packers' comeback win over Bears
Karl Brooks blocked Cairo Santos' 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired as the Green Bay Packers escaped with a 20-19 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bears to further enhance their play-off hopes.
Brooks' game-saving play came moments after the Packers took a 20-19 lead on quarterback Jordan Love's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:59 remaining, a score set up by Love's 60-yard completion to Christian Watson.
The Bears stuffed running back Josh Jacobs on the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt, however, before three completions by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams put them in range for Santos' foiled field goal try.
Love threw a touchdown pass to Jayden Reed earlier in the game and finished with 261 yards and an interception while completing 13 of 17 attempts. Jacobs rushed for 76 yards and had a 7-yard touchdown run that put Green Bay (7-3) up 14-13 with 6:34 left in the third quarter.
The Bears went back ahead on D'Andre Swift's 39-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter, though Williams' pass on the 2-point try fell incomplete to keep the score 19-14.
Chicago (4-6) was dealt a fourth straight loss - and 11th in a row to long-time rival Green Bay - despite Williams recording 231 passing yards and 70 rushing yards in a turnover-free performance for the 2024 No. 1 overall pick.
Watson racked up a career-high 150 yards on just four catches in the Packers' first game since a Week 9 home defeat to NFC North-leading Detroit.
Seahawks stun 49ers on Smith's late touchdown run
Geno Smith's go-ahead 13-yard touchdown run with 12 seconds remaining further tightened the race in the NFC West as the Seattle Seahawks came away with an important 20-17 road win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Smith's late heroics lifted Seattle (5-5) to just its second victory in its last seven games and created a three-way tie for second place in the division between the Seahawks, 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, who posted a 28-22 win at New England on Sunday. All three teams trail the first-place Arizona Cardinals by one game.
Seattle also received 110 yards on 10 catches from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a strong effort from a previously struggling defence that held the defending NFC champion 49ers to a season-low 277 total yards. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy managed just 159 yards on 21-of-28 passing with one touchdown and one interception.
The 49ers still appeared on their way to a third straight win after taking a 17-13 lead on Purdy's 3-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with 9:33 left and then stopping the Seahawks on 4th-and-1 at the San Francisco 37-yard line on the following series.
Seattle was able to get the ball back again with 2:38 left, however, and Smith engineered an 11-play, 80-yard drive the veteran quarterback capped with his go-ahead scramble.
Smith finished 25 of 32 for 221 yards with one interception, while Kenneth Walker III had 54 rushing yards and gave the Seahawks a 13-10 edge with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.
Jennings led San Francisco, which played without star tight end George Kittle due to a hamstring injury, with 10 catches totalling 91 yards.
Dobbins' touchdown run lifts Chargers to fourth straight win
In another Week 11 game that went down to the wire, the Los Angeles Chargers outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals by a 34-27 score as J.K. Dobbins ripped off a tie-breaking 29-yard touchdown run with 18 seconds left.
Dobbins' second touchdown of the night sparked Los Angeles (7-3) to a fourth consecutive win despite the Chargers blowing a 21-point third-quarter lead. Cincinnati (4-7) rallied behind three Joe Burrow touchdown passes, including a pair to Ja'Marr Chase, to erase a 21-6 deficit.
Burrow finished with 356 yards on 28-of-50 passing as the Bengals' offence got a lift from the return of wide receiver Tee Higgins, who recorded 148 yards and a touchdown on nine catches after missing three games with an injured quadriceps.
Chase added 75 yards on seven catches, and his 17-yard touchdown grab with 12:21 remaining knotted the score at 27-27. However, the Bengals' next two drives ended in missed field goals by Evan McPherson that contributed to their second straight loss.
The Chargers' defence also forced a late three-and-out before Justin Herbert brought Los Angeles into Cincinnati territory with 28 and 27-yard completions to Ladd McConkey. Dobbins then broke free up the middle before shaking off a defender and diving into the end zone for the go-ahead points.
Herbert threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly and a 26-yard scoring strike to Quentin Johnson to help the Chargers build a 24-6 half-time lead. The standout quarterback recorded 297 yards despite completing just 17 of 36 attempts while adding a team-high 65 rushing yards.
McConkey delivered his best game as a pro as the rookie accumulated 123 yards on six receptions.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
