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.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott to have season-ending surgery
Dak Prescott won't play again for the Dallas Cowboys this season.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that Prescott will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair his torn hamstring and is out for the remainder of the season.
"His prognosis is wonderful," Jones said Tuesday on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. "It just means we're not going to have him for the rest of the year."
Prescott sustained the injury in the Cowboys' 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on November 3, and he sat out this past Sunday's 34-6 home drubbing by the Philadelphia Eagles - Dallas' fourth consecutive defeat.
There was some hope that he wouldn't need surgery and return this season, but he has decided to have the procedure to repair a partial avulsion of the hamstring tendon.
The recovery time for his surgery is at least three months, and the Super Bowl is just under three months away.
With a 3-6 record, Dallas' chances of making the Super Bowl are slim, and it looks like the franchise will miss the play-offs for the first time since 2020 after going 12-5 each of the past three seasons.
The Cowboys' offence also looked completely inept in its first game without Prescott.
Cooper Rush started against the Eagles, but threw for just 45 yards - the fewest by a Cowboys starting quarterback in a game since Matt Cassel had 37 in a 19-16 loss to the New York Jets in 2015.
Trey Lance ended up replacing Rush, and passed for 21 yards, giving Dallas 66 total passing yards - the fewest by the team in a game since having 34 in a 10-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener after finishing as runner-up in NFL MVP voting in 2023, was off to a slow start to the 2024 season with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions through eight games.
NFL: Dolphins end skid, halt Rams' win streak
Tyreek Hill scored his first touchdown since the season opener and the Miami Dolphins put forth a stout defensive effort to get back in the win column with Monday's 23-15 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Miami (3-6) held the Rams to five Joshua Karty field goals and sacked Matthew Stafford four times to end a three-game losing streak and halt a run of six losses in seven outings. The win was also the first in three starts for Tua Tagovailoa since the star quarterback returned from a concussion that sidelined him four games.
Tagovailoa completed 20 of 28 passes for 207 yards with one interception and had a 1-yard touchdown strike to Hill that gave the Dolphins a 17-6 lead in the third quarter. Hill, who tied for the NFL lead with 13 touchdown catches last season, ended a stretch of seven consecutive games without reaching the end zone.
The Dolphins also got an 18-yard touchdown run from rookie receiver Malik Washington in the first quarter and three field goals from Jason Sanders to end a three-game winning streak for Los Angeles (4-5).
Stafford threw for 293 yards on 32-of-46 passing, but was intercepted once while directing an offence that settled for Karty field goals on three trips inside the red zone.
The Rams also struggled on third downs, converting just three of 12 opportunities while Miami went 6 of 13 in such situations.
Puka Nacua had nine catches for 98 yards for Los Angeles, which dropped to 1 1/2 games back of the first-place Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West. Team-mate Cooper Kupp finished with seven receptions totalling 80 yards.
'Any way you win is good', says Mahomes after Chiefs drama
Patrick Mahomes says "any way you win is good" in the NFL after the Kansas City Chiefs blocked a last-minute field goal to beat the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs held out for a 16-14 win on Sunday, with their defense proving the difference as Denver's only points were all scored in the second quarter.
Leo Chenal then pulled off the big play in the final seconds to secure the win, blocking Will Lutz's 35-yard field-goal attempt in the final seconds.
Kansas City trailed 14-3 late in the second half before Travis Kelce's touchdown and Harrison Butker's two field goals turned the game in their favour.
And even though the Chiefs' offense was not at its best, Mahomes, who completed 28 of 42 passes for 266 yards, says they are still happy with the result.
"Yeah, they all feel like wins," the quarterback told reporters. "I've learned that any way you win is good in this league.
"Obviously, there's stuff to learn from. I thought we did good things in good spots. I missed – I mean, if I made the touchdown throw to Trav [Kelce] and I made the touchdown throw to [Xavier] Worthy, we're probably in a different situation.
"I think more than anything [during the last play], I was just sick that last drive because I missed that touchdown throw that would've given us the chance to make it where they [the Broncos] had to score a touchdown.
"I thought our defense stepped up in that second half and did a great job. I was just happy. I was happy that we ended with that block and Leo [Chenal] got through there. It was just joy after that."
The two-time reigning Super Bowl champions are aiming for an unprecedented 'three-peat' and are on a 15-game winning streak, including the playoffs, dating back to Week 17 of last season.
Kansas City (9-0) are the only team in the NFL with a perfect record so far, and though Mahomes was delighted to keep that run going, he acknowledged it would be tough to maintain it.
"You live for these moments [at the end of the game]," he added. "When you grow up playing football, you live for the walk-off, whatever it is.
"It's special when you build [with] these guys for so long, and you've built this chemistry with them and guys get to make that play.
"It's week-to-week in this league. We know it’s going to be a great challenge this next week – Buffalo's playing great football.
"We know they'll be fiery, and they're going to be trying to beat us, so we're going to [have to] play better and execute at a higher level in order to win."
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