NFL week six: 49ers overhaul 14-point margin, Cowboys stun Seattle, Brady fires again, Panthers and Bengals tie, Browns crush Steelers
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HOW about them Dallas Cowboys? The Super Bowl champions Seattle suffered a shock defeat at home to the visiting Cowboys, while Colin Kaepernick helped San Francisco overhaul an early 14-point deficit to beat St Louis on the road.
SAN FRANCISCO 31 — ST LOUIS RAMS 17
COLIN Kaepernick passed for 343 yards and three touchdowns as the San Francisco 49ers erased an early 14-point deficit en route to a 31-17 victory over St. Louis.
San Francisco quarterback Kaepernick recorded the second-best passing performance of his career.
But things looked grim for the 49ers after the Rams leapt to an early 14-0 lead. San Francisco responded by scoring 24 straight points, a run that included a game-changing touchdown at the end of the first half.
The 49ers trailed 14-3 with less than 30 seconds left in the first half when San Francisco Brandon Lloyd eluded Rams defender Janoris Jenkins and turned up the left sideline.
Kaepernick found him and Lloyd sprinted for an 80-yard touchdown. Kaepernick also connected with Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree on touchdown passes as San Francisco won their third straight game.
It was Kaepernick’s first three-touchdown game since last November 25 at Washington.
San Francisco improved to 4-2, to lie second behind Arizona in the NFC West, while the Rams at 1-4 are in last place in the division.
The win may have been costly for San Francisco.
All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis with a toe injury, rookie linebacker Jimmie Ward with a quadriceps injury and Pro Bowl guard Mike Iupati with a concussion all departed the game.
Rookie Dontae Johnson sealed the win with a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown with 53 seconds remaining.
DALLAS COWBOYS 30 — SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 23
DeMarco Murray scored on a 15-yard run with 3:16 left as the Dallas Cowboys stunned the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 30-23 on Sunday.
Dallas, 5-1 for the first time since 2007, overcame a pair of special teams turnovers to become the first team outside the NFC West to win in Seattle since 2011.
Murray’s touchdown run capped a 75-yard drive that saw Tony Romo convert a third-and-20 with a pass to Terrance Williams along the sideline.
Murray had 115 yards on 29 carries to join Jim Brown as the only running backs in NFL history to open a season with six straight 100-yard games. Murray also had six receptions for 31 yards.
Romo was 21 of 32 for 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
Russell Wilson had a 9-yard touchdown run, and Mike Morgan returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a score for Seattle (3-2). Wilson was 14 of 28 for 126 yards and an interception, and was limited to 12 yards on two carries.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 27 - NEW YORK GIANTS 0
Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes and LeSean McCoy had a season-high 149 yards rushing as the Philadelphia Eagles beat New York for its first shutout in 18 years.
A rough night for the Giants (3-3) became worse when wide receiver Victor Cruz tore the patella tendon his right knee while leaping for a pass on fourth down from the Eagles 3 in the third quarter. Cruz was crying and holding his hands to his face as he was carted off the field with an injury that’s expected to end his season.
Wearing all-black uniforms for the first time in franchise history, the Eagles (5-1) stayed tied with Dallas (5-1) for the lead in the NFC East. They hadn’t shut out an opponent since a 24-0 win over the Giants on Dec. 1, 1996, at old Veterans Stadium.
The defense harassed and pressured Eli Manning often, sacking him six times and preventing New York’s upstart offense from getting on track.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 31 — OAKLAND RAIDERS 28
Poised to end a 10-game losing streak, the Raiders fell to the San Diego Chargers when Brenden Oliver scored on a 1-yard run with 1:56 to play. Oliver’s score and a 30-yard field goal by Nick Novak erased a 28-21 lead for the Raiders, who fell to 0-5 in a rousing but ultimately unsuccessful debut under interim coach Tony Sparano. San Diego’s winning drive covered just 39 yards, with Keenan Allen returning a punt 23 yards to the Oakland 39. Oliver had consecutive runs of 12, 10, 6 and finally 1 yard into the teeth of the Oakland defense.
Rookie quarterback Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes for the Raiders, finding Andre Holmes for scores of 77 and 18 yards as well as a 6-yard strike to James Jones and a 47-yard scoring pass to Brice Butler.
Carr completed 18 of 34 passes for 283 yards.
On the Raiders’ second-to-last possession, however, they had a costly three-and-out. After San Diego took the lead for good, Carr’s final throw intended for Butler was intercepted by rookie Jason Verrett at the 5-yard line with 1:13 to play.
San Diego escaped with a 5-1 record, with quarterback Philip Rivers completing 22 of 34 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Oliver carried 26 times for 101 yards.
ARIZONA CARDINALS 30 — WASHINGTON REDSKINS 20
Carson Palmer returned from a five-week absence to throw two touchdown passes, and the Arizona Cardinals beat Washington, the Redskins’ fourth straight loss and 13th in 14 games.
Larry Fitzgerald caught six passes for a season-high 98 yards and his first touchdown of the year for the Cardinals (4-1), who bounced back from a 41-20 drubbing at Denver.
Kirk Cousins was 24 for 38 for 354 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson for the Redskins (1-5), but threw three fourth-quarter interceptions.
Palmer had not played since damaging a nerve in his throwing shoulder in the season-opening win over San Diego and was not announced as the starter until just before kick-off.
Arizona’s Chandler Catanzaro kicked field goals of 33, 49 and 37 yards.
DENVER BRONCOS 31 — NEW YORK JETS 17
No record this week for Peyton Manning. Manning connected with Julius Thomas twice and Demaryius Thomas once, leaving him two shy of Brett Favre’s career mark for passing TDs, and the Broncos held on to beat the New York Jets.
Manning has 506 touchdown passes, and could tie or break Favre’s record next Sunday at home against San Francisco. Manning finished 22 of 33 for 237 yards — a far cry from last week’s performance against Arizona, when he passed for a career-high 479 yards with four TDs.
But Manning displayed his methodical best at times in his return to MetLife Stadium, where he and the Broncos (4-1) were blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl last February.
Demaryius Thomas had 10 catches for 134 yards, and Ronnie Hillman ran for 100 yards on 24 carries. The Jets (1-5) had a chance to tie when they got the ball deep in their own territory with less than a minute left. But after a sack put the ball at the 1, Geno Smith’s pass was intercepted by Aqib Talib, who returned it 22 yards for a sealing touchdown that sent New York to its fifth straight loss.
The struggling Smith, looking to keep his starting job, was 23 of 43 for 190 yards and touchdown passes to Jace Amaro and Eric Decker, with the one interception.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 37 — BUFFALO BILLS 22
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes and had his 60th 300-yard game to lead New England past Buffalo.
Brandon LaFell had two touchdown catches, including a 56-yarder, and the Patriots forced three turnovers that resulted in 13 points in the second quarter. Brady finished 26 of 36 for 352 yards to spoil the Bills’ first game under new owners Terry and Kim Pegula.
Brady is 23-2 against AFC East rival Buffalo with the Patriots (4-2).
Kyle Orton went 24 of 38 for 299 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a lost fumble in his second start for Buffalo (3-3) since replacing EJ Manuel.
CHICAGO BEARS 27 - ATLANTA FALCONS 13
Jay Cutler threw for 381 yards and a touchdown, Matt Forte ran for a couple of second-half scores, and Chicago picked up another road victory by beating Atlanta.
Chicago (3-3) has won three of four away from Soldier Field this season, though there were so many Bears fans at the Georgia Dome that it seemed almost like a neutral site.
After the Falcons (2-4) rallied from a 13-3 halftime deficit to tie it late in the third quarter, the Bears bounced back to hand Atlanta its third straight loss. Cutler unleashed a towering pass to Alshon Jeffery that went for 74 yards. On the next play, Forte scored on a 6-yard run.
The Falcons went three-and-out, and Chicago finished them off with a 15-play, 87-yard drive. Forte capped it with a 9-yard scoring burst up the middle.
GREEN BAY PACKERS 27 — MIAMI DOLPHINS 24
Aaron Rodgers threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Quarless with 3 seconds left to lift Green Bay past Miami.
Green Bay twice gave up leads and trailed 24-17 before Rodgers directed a 68-yard drive for a field goal with 4:09 to go. The Packers (4-2) quickly forced a punt to start at their 40 with 2:04 left, and Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson on fourth-and-10 for 18 yards to keep the winning drive alive.
Rodgers finished with three touchdown passes and 264 yards while committing no turnovers.
The Packers earned their third consecutive victory and won in Miami for only the second time ever. The Dolphins (2-3) lost despite the return of six starters who had missed playing time.
CAROLINA PANTHERS 37 CINCINNATI BENGALS 37
Cincinnati’s Mike Nugent missed a 36-yard field goal attempt on the final play of overtime, and the Bengals and Carolina played to the NFL’s first tie this season.
Nothing new about the Bengals tying at home. They finished 13-13 with Philadelphia in their last overtime game at Paul Brown Stadium in 2008.
Nugent made a 42-yard field goal that put Cincinnati (3-1-1) up after the opening drive of overtime. Carolina (3-2-1) tied it on Graham Gano’s 36-yarder with 2:19 left.
Andy Dalton was nearly perfect in overtime, going 8 for 9 for 87 yards with one throwaway. He led the Bengals into range to win it, but Nugent sliced the kick wide right.
TENNESSEE TITANS 16 — JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 14
Sammie Hill blocked a field-goal attempt in the final seconds, and Tennessee held off winless Jacksonville to snap a four-game losing streak.
Jackie Battle ran for a touchdown, and Ryan Succop kicked three field goals to help the Titans (2-4) bounce back after blowing the biggest lead ever by a home team in the regular season in a loss to Cleveland.
Jurrell Casey had two of Tennessee’s six sacks. The Titans forced two turnovers as they won their first game at home this season — only their second here in nine games.
The Jaguars (0-6) scored with 37 seconds left when Blake Bortles found Clay Harbor for a 20-yard TD strike. They recovered the onside kick, but Hill got his right fingers on Josh Scobee’s 55-yard field goal attempt.
CLEVELAND BROWNS 31 — PITTSBURGH STEELERS 10
Brian Hoyer passed for 217 yards and pulled off a rarity for a Cleveland quarterback, leading the Browns to rout over Ben Roethlisberger and rival Pittsburgh.
Hoyer threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Cameron and improved to 6-2 as Cleveland’s starter as the surprising Browns (3-2) beat the Steelers for the third time in 23 games. Cleveland hadn’t beaten Pittsburgh so badly since a 51-0 victory in 1989.
It was a mixed day for Aussie punter Brad Wing, muffing a snap for Suisham in a field-goal attempt but then ending the game with a 70-yard punt.
Ben Tate had two rushing TDs and rookie Isaiah Crowell added another one as the Browns opened a 21-3 lead in the first half and rolled to the easy win a week after staging the largest comeback in NFL history by a road team against Tennessee.
DETROIT LIONS 17 — MINNESOTA VIKINGS 3
Tahir Whitehead intercepted two of Teddy Bridgewater’s passes, and Joique Bell put the game away with a fourth-quarter touchdown run in Detroit’s victory over Minnesota.
With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush missing, the Lions played a low-risk game. But their defense made another case for top billing in the league. Ziggy Ansah had 2 1/2 of Detroit’s eight sacks,
Bridgewater threw three interceptions in his second career start for the Vikings (2-4).
The biggest problem for Detroit (4-2) was two more missed field goal attempts, through Matt Prater did make one from 52 yards in his Lions debut. Detroit won at Minnesota for only the second time in its last 17 trips.
BALTIMORE RAVENS 48 — TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 17
Joe Flacco threw for 306 yards and five touchdowns to help Baltimore beat Tampa Bay.
Baltimore (4-2) scored on six straight possessions to begin the game, with Flacco throwing touchdown passes on the first five. Torrey Smith caught the first two, and Kamar Aiken, Michael Campanaro and Steve Smith had the others as the Ravens rebounded from a road loss to Indianapolis.
Tampa Bay (1-5) was embarrassed for the second time in six games under first-year coach Lovie Smith. The Bucs fell 56-14 at Atlanta on Sept. 18.
Originally published as NFL week six: 49ers overhaul 14-point margin, Cowboys stun Seattle, Brady fires again, Panthers and Bengals tie, Browns crush Steelers
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