NFL Wrap Week 9: Seattle win thriller, Detroit defeat Vikings, Cowboys crush Cleveland
THERE was plenty of controversy and late drama as Seattle held off fast-finishing Buffalo to close out Week 9 of the NFL.
American Sports
Don't miss out on the headlines from American Sports. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SEAHAWKS survive in a thriller, Detroit down Vikings to hand Minnesota their first home loss, Cowboys crush Cleveland, and the Ravens upset the Steelers.
It’s all in the NFL Week 9 Wrap!
AUSSIES IN ACTION
Steelers punter Jordan Berry had another impressive outing. Called on to punt nine times as Pittsburgh struggled to get their offense rolling. He had a net average of 41.6 yards, with two inside 20s and a long punt of 61 yards.
It was a busy day at the office for Giants punter Brad Wing with seven punts. His longest of the day was a 58-yard bomb, but had just one punt downed inside 20.
New York Jets punter Lachlan Edwards had three punts against the Dolphins, with a net average of 36.3 yards.
Denver’s Adam Gotsis had one tackle in a career-high 30 snaps in the loss to Oakland, with injury to defensive end Derek Wolfe in the second half. It’s also set to increase the Aussie’s involvement for the next month as Wolfe recovers.
HARD COUNT NFL PODCAST! Laurie Horesh, Melanie Dinjaski and Patrick Stack whip around the action from Week 9 as Oakland and San Diego make a statement, kickers get tricky, Detroit leave it late, and players get ejected!
VIDEO: KICKER’S EMBARRASSING RABONA FAIL
VIDEO: NFL PLAYER EJECTED FOR TOWEL THROWING
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 31 — BUFFALO BULLS 25
Jimmy Graham needed only one hand to catch two first-half touchdown passes from Russell Wilson as the Seattle Seahawks held off a late rally for a 31-25 NFL win over the Buffalo Bills.
Seattle won its 11th straight Monday night game behind a huge game from its tight end.
Still less than a year removed from a major knee injury, Graham used his right arm to catch a 17-yard touchdown from Wilson on the first play of the second quarter and later used the same arm to cradle an 18-yard TD pass in the final moments of the first half.
But the Seahawks had to hold on in the final seconds as Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor led the Bills inside the Seattle 10 in the final seconds.
Taylor was sacked by Cliff Avril on third-and-goal from the 8 and on fourth-and-goal Taylor’s pass into the end zone fell incomplete.
Buffalo would not have needed a touchdown if not for mistakes by the officiating crew at the end of the first half that cost the Bills a chance at a shorter field goal.
Dan Carpenter eventually missed a 54-yard attempt on the final play of the half, only after Seattle’s Richard Sherman got away with an unnecessary roughness penalty that wasn’t called and a delay of game caused in part by the officiating crew standing over the ball.
Taylor was outstanding, nearly matching Wilson’s performance, except for one miscommunication with a wide receiver that led to Sherman’s end zone interception in the third quarter.
Taylor threw for 289 yards. He kept plays alive with his legs and made smart reads and smart throws.
DETROIT LIONS 22 — MINNESOTA VIKINGS 16 (OT)
Matthew Stafford threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Golden Tate, who vaulted into the end zone in overtime to give the Detroit Lions a 22-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
After Matt Prater kicked a 58-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime, Tate finished the opening drive when he ran through arm tackles by Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith and leapt in for the winning score.
Stafford completed 23 of 36 passes for 219 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Lions (5-4), who have won four of their past five games. Tate had 11 catches for 79 yards.
Sam Bradford completed 31 of 40 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (5-3), who started the season 5-0 but have imploded since coming out of the bye. Stefon Diggs had a career-high 13 catches for 80 yards.
OAKLAND RAIDERS 30 — DENVER BRONCOS 20
Latavius Murray ran for 114 yards and three touchdowns and the Oakland Raiders showed they were ready for prime time, beating the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos 30-20 on Sunday night.
In what was being billed as the biggest game in Oakland since the team went to the Super Bowl following the 2002 season, the Raiders (7-2) put together a complete effort to overpower the Broncos (6-3) and take over sole possession of first place in the AFC West.
Derek Carr threw for 184 yards and did not turn the ball over, Khalil Mack had two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery and the Raiders outrushed Denver 218-33 behind a dominant performance in the trenches.
The performance was to the delight of an energetic crowd at the Coliseum, excited to host a prime time Sunday night game for the first time in more than a decade. After 13 straight seasons without a playoff berth or winning record, the Raiders have shown they are ready to contend in the AFC in the second season under coach Jack Del Rio.
NEW YORK GIANTS 28 — PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 23
Eli Manning threw for four touchdowns and New York’s defence had two interceptions and three stops on fourth downs to beat Philadelphia.
The Giants (5-3) won their third straight game, holding off the Eagles (4-4 after a 3-0 start) after Manning was intercepted with less than two minutes to go.
Two of Manning’s touchdowns went to Odell Beckham Jr., with the others to Roger Lewis Jr. and Sterling Shepard.
Manning moved into ninth place in yards passing with 46,428. Manning, in his 13th NFL season, threw for 257 yards against Philadelphia. He passed Vinny Testaverde, who had 46,233 yards through the air.
BALTIMORE RAVENS 21 — PITTSBURGH STEELERS 14
Joe Flacco threw a 95-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, and Baltimore frustrated an ineffective Ben Roethlisberger in a victory over Pittsburgh.
Baltimore (4-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and moved into a tie atop the AFC North with the Steelers (4-4), who have dropped three in a row.
Three weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee, Roethlisberger returned well ahead of schedule. Playing for the first time since Oct. 16, the 13-year veteran looked out of sync until the fourth quarter, when he directed a 75-yard drive that got the Steelers to 21-7 with 8:38 remaining.
Before that, Pittsburgh’s offence produced only two first downs and was limited to 69 yards. The Steelers finished with 36 yards rushing, 32 by Le’Veon Bell.
Roethlisberger ran for a 4-yard score with 48 seconds left, but Chris Boswell botched the onside kick — barely knocking it off the tee — and Baltimore ran out the clock.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 43 — TENNESSEE TITANS 35
Melvin Gordon ran for a career-high 196 yards and scored the go-ahead TD on a 1-yard run, and defensive backs Dwight Lowery and Brandon Flowers scored on turnovers by Marcus Mariota to lead the Chargers over Tennessee, which still hasn’t won in San Diego since 1990.
The Chargers (4-5) won two days before the team will ask voters to approve a billion-dollar subsidy for a new downtown stadium to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium. The measure was polling well short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass.
Gordon, who leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns, scored on a 1-yard run with 5:28 left in the third quarter to give the Chargers a 26-21 lead. He ran 32 times, and broke a 47-yard run in the closing minutes. He also caught four passes for 65 yards.
Mariota, who led the Titans to a 21-19 lead by guiding two quick scoring drives on either side of halftime, helped the Chargers surge to a 12-point lead when he fumbled late in the third quarter. Lowery picked up the ball ran 43 yards for a touchdown and a 33-21 lead.
The Titans (4-5) have lost seven straight in San Diego since 1993, when they were the Houston Oilers. The franchise’s last victory in San Diego was in 1990.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 31 — GREEN BAY PACKERS 26
Frank Gore rushed for two touchdowns, Jordan Todman had a tone-setting 99-yard return on the opening kickoff and Indianapolis held on for a win over Green Bay.
Andrew Luck shook off two interceptions in the first quarter to finish with 281 yards passing and a touchdown. The Colts, who had allowed an NFL-worst 31 sacks coming into the game, gave their quarterback decent protection. Indianapolis (4-5) heads into a bye week with a confidence-building victory after surviving a vintage Aaron Rodgers comeback.
His 3-yard touchdown pass to Randall Cobb with 3:29 left got Green Bay (4-4) within five, capping a 14-point spurt in four-plus minutes.
Rodgers finished 26 of 43 for 297 yards with three scores and an interception.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 41 — SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 23
Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes to Michael Thomas and another to Mark Ingram, who also ran for a 75-yard score a week after being benched and New Orleans beat lowly San Francisco. Ingram, replaced by Tim Hightower during last Sunday’s 25-20 win against Seattle after fumbling for a second straight game, scored his second straight TD for the Saints on a career-long run to answer immediately after DuJuan Harris caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick. Ingram’s run also was the second- longest in Saints history and he wound up with 158 yards rushing as San Francisco allowed an opposing 100-yard runner for the seventh straight game. The Saints (4-4) have grabbed back some momentum and returned to the race in the NFC South. They won for the fourth time in five games following an 0-3 start and eighth in the past 10 regular-season meetings with San Francisco. The Niners (1-7) didn’t have nearly enough to avoid their seventh straight loss since shutting out the Rams to start the season.
CAROLINA PANTHERS 13 — LA RAMS 10
Cam Newton persevered through five sacks to pass for 225 yards and a touchdown, and Carolina’s defense shut down Los Angeles. Greg Olsen caught a touchdown pass in the first half and Graham Gano added two fourth-quarter field goals for the Panthers (3-5), who won their second straight after a four-game skid.
Newton’s offense managed just 244 yards against the Rams’ vaunted defense, but the Panthers nearly shut out Los Angeles in a defense-dominated game. Case Keenum passed for 296 yards for the Rams (3-5), who have lost four straight after a strong start to their homecoming season. Los Angeles’ scoreless streak reached 102 minutes, 12 seconds before Greg Zuerlein’s 25-yard field goal with 8:01 to play.
MIAMI DOLPHINS 27 — NEW YORK JETS 23
Rookie Kenyan Drake scored untouched on a 96-yard kick-off return with 5:15 left, and Miami won a seesaw battle with New York Jets.
Jay Ajayi rushed for 111 yards and helped to run out the clock after the Dolphins came from behind for the third time.
A botched Dolphins punt led to a touchdown that put New York ahead 23-20. On the ensuing kick-off, New York’s Antonio Allen was called for being off-side, so the Jets had to kick again. Drake took the kick-off, found a lane and sped past the final Jet — kicker Nick Folk — into the clear.
The Dolphins (4-4) won their third game in a row, while New York (3-6) fell deeper into last place in the AFC East. The Jets hurt themselves with four personal foul penalties, two interceptions thrown by Ryan Fitzpatrick and numerous missed chances.
DALLAS COWBOYS 35 — CLEVELAND BROWNS 10
Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes and kept any talk for Tony Romo unnecessary, leading Dallas over winless Cleveland.
Rookie Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 92 yards and scored twice and durable tight end Jason Witten had 134 yards receiving for the Cowboys, off to their best start since 2007.
Prescott has won seven straight starts since losing the season opener, and with the Cowboys (7-1) leading the NFC East and getting better, there’s no reason for the team to accelerate Romo’s return from a back injury. The miserable Browns (0-9) dropped their franchise-record 12th straight game going back to last season and are 3-27 in their past 30. They also started 0-9 in 1975.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 19 — JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 14
Kansas City stuffed Jacksonville on fourth down with less than 2 minutes left deep in its own territory, preserving a victory despite finishing without five offensive starters.
Nick Foles threw for 187 yards and a first-half touchdown toss to Albert Wilson, and helped to set up four field goals by Cairo Santos, as Kansas City (6-2) won its 10th consecutive home game.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars (2-6) couldn’t overcome four turnovers — including a fumble at the goal line in the fourth quarter — in their first game with quarterback coach Nathaniel Hackett directing the offence.
HARD COUNT NFL PODCAST! Mid-Season Extravaganza, featuring a chat with former San Francisco 49er Jarryd Hayne!
ATLANTA FALCONS 43 — TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 28
MATT Ryan threw for 344 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Atlanta Falcons tighten their grip on first place in the NFC South with a 43-28 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Friday (AEDT).
Julio Jones had eight receptions for 111 yards and a TD as the Falcons (6-3) avenged a season-opening loss to the Bucs (3-5). Tampa Bay has dropped two straight on the heels of a three-game winning streak that got them back to .500.
Jones, who’s closing in on another 1,000-yard receiving season with 970 through nine games, caught a 3-yard scoring pass in the third quarter, when Ryan led TD drives of 86 and 82 yards to break it open.
Levine Toilolo, Patrick DiMarco and Austin Hooper also caught TD pass from Ryan, who leads the NFL with 2,980 yards and 23 touchdowns vs four interceptions.
Jameis Winston threw for 261 yards and three touchdowns for Tampa Bay, including scoring passes of 3 and 24 yards to Mike Evans, who had 11 receptions.
Both of Tampa Bay’s young stars finished the game on the sideline, with Evans being evaluated for a possible concussion and Winston limping off after being shaken up when he was tackled trying to score on a two-point conversion play with just under seven minutes remaining.
Winston was tackled around the ankle by Atlanta’s Brooks Reed and also hit by cornerback Jalen Collins.
Mike Glennon finished up for the Bucs, taking his first regular season snaps since 2014. He threw a late TD pass to Cameron Brate to cut into a 23-point deficit.
The Falcons’ win came at a cost, with dependable cornerback Desmond Trufant suffering a shoulder injury.
Originally published as NFL Wrap Week 9: Seattle win thriller, Detroit defeat Vikings, Cowboys crush Cleveland
Who is the real Josh Giddey? Big sis tells all on Boomers Paris star
Boomers Paris Olympic standout Josh Giddey carries himself with a reserved maturity and class that belies his tender years. But big sister Hannah says that’s not quite the Josh she knows.
Star’s never before seen piece of history
The biggest star in women’s basketball has etched her name into the record books with a never before seen display on Thursday.