Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston celebrates after scoring with tight end Will Dissly during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 15 in Charlotte, N.C.Erik Verduzco/The Associated Press
CHARGERS 26, PANTHERS 3
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes to Quentin Johnston, J.K Dobbins ran for 131 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown, and the Los Angeles Chargers drubbed the Carolina Panthers.
The Chargers (2-0) methodically wore down the Panthers, piling up 219 yards on the ground while holding Carolina to just 159 total yards and seven first downs.
Second-year quarterback Bryce Young had another miserable game, finishing 18 of 26 passing for 84 yards with one interception and was booed repeatedly by the home crowd while falling to 2-16 as a starter.
The Panthers have been outscored 73-13 this season.
RAIDERS 26, RAVENS 23
BALTIMORE (AP) – Gardner Minshew led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter, Daniel Carlson kicked a go-ahead 38-yard field goal with 27 seconds left and Las Vegas rallied to beat Baltimore.
Baltimore appeared headed toward its first win of the season after Derrick Henry plowed into the end zone for a 23-13 lead with 12 minutes left. But the Raiders (1-1) stormed back behind Minshew.
After Carlson kicked a 25-yarder to cut Las Vegas’ deficit, Minshew connected with Davante Adams on a 1-yard TD pass to tie it with 3:54 to go.
The Raiders quickly got the ball back and Minshew moved Las Vegas downfield before Carlson kicked his fourth field goal of the game.
BUCCANEERS 20, LIONS 16
DETROIT (AP) – Baker Mayfield had an 11-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and Tampa Bay beat Detroit in a playoff rematch.
Tampa Bay (2-0) fell behind only once in the closely contested game, and it stopped Detroit (1-1) when it had two chances to drive for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.
The Lions turned it over on downs at the Bucs 6 with 53 seconds left and again at their 26 with 2 seconds left.
Lions coach Dan Campbell lamented a mistake he made in the first half, causing confusion for his offence and special teams that had both units on the field. That drew a flag that ran off the clock and took away an opportunity to kick a short field goal and pull within four points.
SAINTS 44, COWBOYS 19
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Alvin Kamara scored four touchdowns, including a 57-yarder on a screen pass, and New Orleans ended Dallas’ 16-game home winning streak in the regular season with a victory over the Cowboys.
Derek Carr threw for 243 yards and two TDs to go along with a 1-yard sneak for a score, and the Saints (2-0) got touchdowns on their first six drives a week after setting a franchise record by starting the season with points on nine consecutive possessions in a 47-10 rout of Carolina.
It was actually the second straight loss at AT&T Stadium for the Cowboys (1-1) after their 48-32 wild-card shocker against Green Bay last January.
PACKERS 16, COLTS 10
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Malik Willis threw his first career touchdown pass, Josh Jacobs had 151 of Green Bay’s 261 yards rushing and the Packers withstood the absence of injured quarterback Jordan Love to beat Indianapolis.
Indianapolis (0-2) cut the Packers’ lead to 16-10 on Anthony Richardson’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 1:47 left, but Green Bay’s Evan Williams recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Colts got the ball back at their own 5-yard line with 43 seconds left, but Williams intercepted a Hail Mary attempt from the Indianapolis 41 to end the game.
Richardson was 17 of 34 for 204 yards, but threw three interceptions. He ran for 37 yards on four carries.
Love didn’t play after injuring his left medial collateral ligament during the final series of a 34-29 season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6 in Brazil. It was the first game Love missed since taking over as Green Bay’s starting quarterback last year.
BROWNS 18, JAGUARS 13
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Deshaun Watson ran for a touchdown, Dustin Hopkins kicked three field goals and stingy Cleveland did just enough to hold off Jacksonville.
The Browns (1-1) dominated much of the rainy day, sacking Trevor Lawrence four times and holding Jacksonville in check for nearly three quarters.
The Jaguars (0-2) woke up late, with Lawrence finding rookie Brian Thomas Jr. for 66 yards to set up a touchdown and then adding a field goal to make it a one-score game.
Cleveland had a chance to put it away, but three penalties left the Browns facing a third-and-36 from midfield. Corey Bojorquez dropped a punt inside the 2-yard line, and Alex Wright sacked Lawrence in the end zone on the ensuing play.
The Jags got a chance in the final minute and mustered a threat with 8 seconds left. But Lawrence’s pass to the end zone fell to the ground.
VIKINGS 23, 49ERS 17
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Sam Darnold passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns against his former team, including a 97-yard strike in the second quarter to Justin Jefferson, and an attacking defence again fuelled Minnesota in a victory over San Francisco.
Darnold went 17 for 26 with one interception to win his second straight start for the Vikings (2-0), who used the last of three field goals by rookie Will Reichard to give themselves a bigger cushion midway through the fourth quarter.
Blake Cashman had 13 tackles, six passes defenced and a sack and Patrick Jones II had two of the six sacks of Brock Purdy, who threw two interceptions and found himself playing from behind all game. Purdy went 28 for 36 for 319 yards.
Overcoming two red zone turnovers that the 49ers (1-1) turned into touchdowns and a quadriceps injury that forced Jefferson out of the game in the third quarter, Darnold and the Vikings put on a show in his home debut after backing up Purdy last season for the NFC champions.
SEAHAWKS 23, PATRIOTS 20, OT
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Jason Myers hit a 31-yard field goal in overtime to lift Seattle to a win over New England.
The game-winner capped a three-for-three day for Myers, who ensured the game went into OT with a 38-yard field goal with less than a minute left in regulation. Myers also hit from 44 yards in the second quarter.
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith led Seattle on an eight-play, 71-yard drive to the New England 13 to set up the winning score. Smith was 33 of 44 for 327 yards on the day, with a 56-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf in the first half.
Metcalf finished with 10 catches for 129 yards.
The Seahawks (2-0) also got a 100-yard receiving game from Jaxon Smith-Njigba (12 catches for 117 yards).
JETS 24, TITANS 17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Braelon Allen, the NFL’s youngest player, ran for a 20-yard touchdown with 4:31 left to put Aaron Rodgers and New York ahead to stay as they beat Tennessee.
Rodgers threw for 176 yards and two TDs and got to kneel down for his first victory with the Jets that he started and finished. One of those TD passes by the 40-year-old Rodgers was to the 20-year-old Allen, marking a score by the NFL’s oldest and youngest players.
The Jets (1-1) ruined the home opener for Titans first-year coach Brian Callahan, whose offence was rolling until a pair of back-to-back turnovers by second-year quarterback Will Levis.
The Titans (0-2) had a chance at the end.
COMMANDERS 21, GIANTS 18
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – Jayden Daniels picked up his first win as an NFL quarterback, leading Washington past New York thanks to a franchise-record seven field goals from new kicker Austin Seibert.
Daniels engineered the go-ahead, 65-yard drive in the final minutes to get the ball into the red zone, setting up Seibert’s 30-yard field goal that won it as the clock expired. Seibert’s 7-for-7 performance came days after he replaced Cade York, who missed each of his two attempts in the season opener.
The Commanders (1-1) came back to win an ugly game after the Giants lost kicker Graham Gano to injury on the opening kickoff. Not having Gano forced New York (0-2) to go for it on several fourth-down situations after punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra point attempt early.
Daniels was 23 of 29 for 226 yards and rushed for 44 in his second professional start, beating former LSU teammate and fellow top-10 pick Malik Nabers in their first matchup in the league. Nabers was the Giants’ best player with 10 catches for 127 yards and his first career TD reception.
CARDINALS 41, RAMS 10
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his first two NFL touchdown passes and Arizona rolled past Los Angeles.
The Cardinals’ offence – highlighted by the Murray-to-Harrison combo – dazzled on the way to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Murray found Harrison for a 23-yard touchdown on the first drive, a 60-yard touchdown on the second drive and then somehow evaded three Rams defenders before hitting tight end Elijah Higgins on an 18-yard touchdown on the third drive for a 21-0 advantage.
Arizona (1-1) snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Rams (0-2) at State Farm Stadium, and won for just the third time in 16 tries in the NFC West rivalry.
STEELERS 13, BRONCOS 6
DENVER (AP) – T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh’s stingy defence throttled rookie Bo Nix on Sunday and Justin Fields, subbing again for an injured Russell Wilson, led the Steelers to a win over sputtering Denver.
Fields threw a touchdown pass and finished 13 for 20 for 117 yards with no interceptions to help Pittsburgh (2-0) beat the Broncos (0-2) for the third consecutive time, something that never happened in the teams’ 35-game all-time series.
Although Nix threw for 246 yards on 20-of-35 passing, he never found the end zone and was intercepted twice. And like Fields, he was sacked twice.
KANSAS CITY 26, BENGALS 25
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Harrison Butker kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired and Kansas City, kept alive by a pass interference call on Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony on fourth down in the final minute, rallied to beat Cincinnati 26-25 on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 151 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but it was his incomplete pass to Rashee Rice on fourth-and-16 from the Kansas City 35 that turned out to be decisive. Anthony arrived a split-second early and hit Rice from behind with his body, and flags flew with 38 seconds remaining as the crowd in Arrowhead Stadium erupted.
The penalty came just after KC had a long gain on fourth down wiped out by a penalty of their own.
The pass interference call moved Kansas City to the Cincinnati 36, and they ran a couple of plays to bleed the clock for the big-legged Butker, who turned around and started walking off the field even before his kick went through the uprights.
TEXANS 19, BEARS 13
HOUSTON (AP) – C.J. Stroud threw for 260 yards and a touchdown and Ka′imi Fairbairn kicked four field goals to help Houston top Chicago.
Fairbairn connected from 56, 47, 59 and 53 yards, and Houston’s defence put heavy pressure on Caleb Williams for much of the game.
Stroud’s 28-yard scoring pass to Nico Collins put Houston up 10-3 early in the second quarter, and the Texans led 16-10 at halftime.
Houston (2-0) had trouble moving the ball in the second half and managed only a field goal, but its defence intercepted Williams twice to secure the victory.
Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, was 23 of 37 for 174 yards. He was sacked seven times.