NFL Week 4 roundup: Giants and Jets pick up first wins; Cowboys beat Panthers

NEW ORLEANS — Saquon Barkley ran for a six-yard touchdown in overtime after Daniel Jones passed for a career-high 402 yards, and the New York Giants rallied for their first win of the season, 27-21, over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

The Saints, playing in New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Ida struck Aug. 29, led 21-10 in the fourth quarter before Jones and Barkley combined for a 54-yard touchdown pass that ignited the Giants’ comeback.

Jones ran for a two-point conversion to make it 21-18, then led the Giants to Graham Gano’s tying, 48-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in regulation.

After New York won the coin toss to start the extra period, Jones completed five passes for 67 yards to set up Barkley’s winning score, giving the Giants (1-3) a last-play victory for a change after they had lost on game-ending field goals the previous two weeks.

Jameis Winston passed for 226 yards and a touchdown and reserve quarterback Taysom Hill ran for two touchdowns for the Saints (2-2), who wilted in front of nearly 70,000 fans in the first game played in the Caesars Superdome without restrictions on crowd size since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York Jets kicker Matt Ammendola kicks a field goal against the Tennessee Titans in the second half of Sunday’s win.

(Seth Wenig / Associated Press)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Matt Ammendola kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime, and then Randy Bullock was wide left on a potential tying 49-yarder with 15 seconds left to give New York its first victory.

After the Jets took the lead in the extra period but failed to seal it with a touchdown despite getting to the one-yard line, Ryan Tannehill — playing without injured wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Brown — marched the Titans downfield with the help of two fourth-down conversions.

On second and five from the Jets’ 26, Anthony Firkser couldn’t hold onto a pass from Tannehill and then the Titans took a delay of game penalty. Tannehill threw incomplete to Jeremy McNichols, setting up the tying kick for Bullock — but the ball sailed wide of the left upright and sent the Jets (1-3) into a wild celebration.

Rams

Kyler Murray, running backs pour it on in Arizona Cardinals’ 37-20 rout of Rams

In a battle of NFC West unbeatens, the Cardinals dominated the Rams 37-20 behind the arm of Kyler Murray and the legs of Chase Edmonds and James Conner.

Oct. 3, 2021

Coach Robert Saleh got his first win as a head coach, getting a Gatorade shower on the sideline from Ryan Griffin.

The Jets had a chance to win it without giving the ball back to the Titans (2-2) when they got to the one on Tevin Coleman’s eight-yard catch — on which it was ruled he was out of bounds as he dived just short of the goal line. Zach Wilson took a three-yard loss on third down, a rookie mistake, setting up Ammendola’s 22-yarder.

Wilson was mostly terrific, going 21 for 34 for 297 yards with touchdown passes to Corey Davis and Jamison Crowder and an interception.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott throws under pressure from Carolina Panthers defensive end Marquis Haynes in the second half.

(Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press)

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott threw four touchdown passes, Ezekiel Elliott had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season against the NFL’s No. 1 defense, and Dallas beat Carolina.

Elliott finished with 143 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries as the Cowboys (3-1) rolled up 245 yards on the ground after the Panthers gave up just 135 total in the first three games.

Leading the Panthers in their first full game without injured star running back Christian McCaffrey, Sam Darnold had two rushing touchdowns to become the first quarterback in NFL history with at least five touchdowns on the ground in the first four games.

It was a different story for Darnold behind the line of scrimmage before getting hot in the passing game with the Panthers (3-1) trying to erase a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter in their first loss.

Trevon Diggs had two interceptions for an NFL-leading five while becoming the first Dallas player with a pick in each of the first four games since the 1970 merger.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson passes in front of San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle D.J. Jones.

(Tony Avelar / Associated Press)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Russell Wilson overcame a shaky start to throw for two touchdowns and run for a third and Seattle rebounded from back-to-back losses by beating San Francisco.

The Seahawks (2-2) went three-and-out on their first five drives of the game and appeared in danger of their first three-game losing streak in a season in nine seasons with Wilson at quarterback.

But he connected on a 12-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf late in the first half and then produced two touchdowns in a span of less than a minute in the third quarter with a 16-yard run and 13-yard pass to Freddie Swain around a fumbled kickoff by Trenton Cannon.

The TD pass to Swain was vintage Wilson, who spun away from a blitzing Dontae Johnson before finding Swain for the TD.

Alex Collins added a 14-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter, and the 49ers (2-2) were unable to overcome it after losing starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a calf injury at halftime and playing without injured kicker Robbie Gould all game.

Garoppolo threw a 21-yard TD pass to Ross Dwelley on the opening drive but did little else before leaving with the injury.

Rookie Trey Lance took over and connected on a 76-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel, but the Niners only crossed midfield one other time before scoring on another TD pass to Samuel with 1:20 remaining. Seattle recovered the onside kick to seal the game.

Lance finished nine for 18 for 157 yards with two TDs, 41 yards rushing and a two-point conversion run.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws as Denver Broncos linebacker A.J. Johnson chases him during the second half.

(Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)

DENVER — Lamar Jackson threw for 316 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown pass to a diving Marquis Brown, and Baltimore used a relentless defense to swat Denver from the ranks of the unbeaten.

The Ravens (3-1) won their third consecutive game following an overtime loss to Las Vegas in the opener. They were in danger of coming up just short of tying the Steelers’ NFL record for consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing before Baltimore cornerback Anthony Averett intercepted Drew Lock in the end zone with three seconds left.

Instead of taking a knee in victory formation, Jackson took the shotgun snap from his 20 and hustled around left end for a five-yard gain. That gave the Ravens 102 yards on the ground, their 43rd consecutive 100-yard rushing game, which tied the mark set by Pittsburgh from 1974 to 1977.

The Ravens knocked Broncos starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater from the game with a concussion on his final pass of the first half. Rookie linebacker Odafe Oweh wasn’t flagged for hitting Bridgewater in the chin.

Neither was cornerback Tavon Young whistled one play earlier for hitting a defenseless receiver when his brutal hit sent WR/KR Diontae Spencer from the game with an injury to his sternum.

The injuries occurred during a series of curious calls by Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who had Bridgewater throw three times after Denver got the ball at its 17 with 1:02 left in the first half and Denver down 14-7.

All three throws fell incomplete — Bridgewater completed just seven of 16 passes after posting 75% days in each of Denver’s three wins — and the Broncos punted the ball back to Baltimore with Justin Tucker, fresh off an NFL-record 66-yard game-winning field goal at Detroit, warming up on the sideline.

Tucker didn’t need to attempt a record long field goal this time because Devin Duvernay’s 42-yard return set him up for a relatively short 40-yarder as the first half expired, giving the Ravens a 17-7 halftime lead.

The Broncos (3-1), whose three wins came against opponents who were a combined 0-9, turned to Lock, who lost his QB clash to Bridgewater during training camp, and the Broncos struggled to move the ball in the second half.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws past Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush during the second half.

(Morry Gash / Associated Press)

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers connected with Randall Cobb for two touchdowns and ran for another score and Green Bay won its third straight.

Cobb caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to put the Packers (3-1) ahead for good and scored again on a one-yard reception that made it 27-10 in the third period. That short throw was the 420th TD pass of Rodgers’ career, tying Dan Marino for sixth all time.

Rodgers went 20 of 36 for 248 yards and scored the Packers’ first points on a 4-yard rush in his first home start against the Steelers, the only team he hadn’t faced at Lambeau Field.

Pittsburgh (1-3) has lost three straight, failing to top 17 points in each game, since a surprising season-opening win at Buffalo.

It was the first time Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger had faced off as starting quarterbacks since Green Bay edged Pittsburgh 31-25 in the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, 2011.

Roethlisberger threw his 400th career touchdown pass on the game’s opening series — a 35-yarder to Diontae Johnson — and became the eighth player to reach that milestone. That ended an 11-game stretch in which Pittsburgh’s offense had failed to score any first-quarter points.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passes in front of Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett during the first half.

(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

PHILADELPHIA — Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes three different ways, including three to Tyreek Hill, and Kansas City beat Philadelphia.

Andy Reid returned to Philadelphia and earned his 100th career win with the Chiefs, becoming the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two teams. Reid’s 140 victories with the Eagles are the most in franchise history.

Jalen Hurts threw for a career-high 387 yards and two TDs, but Philadelphia (1-3) couldn’t keep up with Kansas City’s high-powered offense. The Eagles had three touchdowns negated by penalty and settled for field goals three times inside the red zone.

The two-time defending AFC champion Chiefs (2-2) ended a two-game losing streak after entering with a losing record for the first time since they were 4-5 in 2015.

Mahomes tossed TD passes underhanded, overhanded and shoveled one on Kansas City’s three possessions in the first half. He finished with 278 yards passing, and his interception was the only possession the Chiefs didn’t score a TD. Hill had 11 catches for 186 yards.

Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke runs with the ball against the Atlanta Falcons.

(Danny Karnik / Associated Press)

ATLANTA — Taylor Heinicke ad-libbed a 30-yard touchdown pass to J.D. McKissic with 33 seconds remaining, rallying Washington over Atlanta.

Returning to the metro area where he grew up, Heinicke completed 23 of 33 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns — two of them in the final 3:52 to pull it out for Washington (2-2).

Both were vintage Heinicke.

First, he eluded Dante Fowler Jr. and delivered an off-balance throw with another rusher in his face that Terry McLaurin, eluding two defenders, managed to catch in the back of the end zone for a 17-yard TD.

Two missed extra points by Dustin Hopkins left Washington still trailing. Heinicke threw high on the two-point conversion, preserving a 30-28 lead for the Falcons (1-3).

The Washington defense forced a punt, giving Heinicke one more chance. He drove his team into field-goal range, but it turned out Hopkins wasn’t needed.

Rolling to his left, Heinicke didn’t see anyone open. McKissic slipped out into the right flat with no one around, Heinicke spotted him, and threw throw back across the field.

McKissic broke a diving attempt by Deion Jones — the only guy with a chance to make a tackle — took off down the sideline and dove over the pylon for the winning score.

Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison is tackled by Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett during the second half.

(Bruce Kluckhohn / Associated Press)

MINNEAPOLIS — Myles Garrett and the Cleveland defense produced another dominant performance, giving coach Kevin Stefanski a victory over his old team as the Browns beat Minnesota.

Garrett was credited with one-half of Cleveland’s two sacks and four hits on Kirk Cousins, Greedy Williams became the first player this season to intercept Minnesota’s quarterback, and the Browns (3-1) again leaned on their two-pronged rushing attack with predictable success.

Kirk Cousins hit Justin Jefferson for a touchdown pass to cap a commanding opening drive by the Vikings (1-3), who took possession 11 more times without scoring or even trying a field goal. The furthest they came was the 26-yard line, where they had one final play to tie the game. Cousins threw on the run into the end zone, where the ball fell incomplete.

Nick Chubb had 21 carries for 100 yards, Kareem Hunt ran 14 times for 69 yards and a touchdown, and Chase McLaughlin made two critical field goals to help offset a rocky game for Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield went for 15 for 33 for 155 yards. Cousins was 20 for 38 for 203 yards.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields passes against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

(Kamil Krzaczynski / Associated Press)

CHICAGO — Rookie Justin Fields brushed off a nightmarish first start, and Chicago bounced back from one of the worst offensive performances the NFL has seen to beat winless Detroit.

Fields and the Bears (2-2) were in much better form coming off a brutal loss at Cleveland last week. They rang up 373 yards after being held by the Browns to 47, the ninth-lowest total in league history.

Fields looked more comfortable, completing 11 of 17 passes for 209 yards and an interception in his second consecutive start with Andy Dalton sidelined because of a bone bruise in his left knee.

David Montgomery ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns before leaving with a knee injury. He scored on Chicago’s first two possessions, running it in from the four and nine to make it 14-0, but he hobbled off the field following a five-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

The Lions (0-4) remained winless under coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes and lost their eighth straight since beating the Bears.

Jared Goff was 24 for 38 for 299 yards. He hit Kalif Raymond with a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter and 25-yarder in the fourth to make it 24-14.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz passes against the Miami Dolphins.

(Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Carson Wentz threw a pair of touchdown passes to Mo Alie-Cox, Jonathan Taylor rushed for 103 yards and a score, and Indianapolis got its first win of the season by topping sputtering Miami.

Wentz completed 24 of 32 passes for 228 yards for the Colts (1-3), who avoided what would have been their first 0-4 start since 2011. They spent most of the day frustrating former Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who completed 20 of 30 passes but threw for 123 of his 199 yards in the final quarter.

It was the first two-touchdown game for Alie-Cox, who had a total of four scores in his first 43 NFL appearances entering Sunday.

Brissett found Mike Gesicki with 10:40 left on fourth and goal from the one — two runs from there went nowhere, so the Dolphins went back to the air — to get Miami within 20-10. It was only the second passing touchdown of the season for the Dolphins, the first coming in the Week 1 win at New England when Tua Tagovailoa connected with Jaylen Waddle.

If there was hope for Miami (1-3), it didn’t last long.

The Dolphins’ ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving Indianapolis the ball at the 40. Wentz threw a 41-yard pass to Zach Pascal on the first play of the possession to get the Colts inside the Dolphins’ red zone, then wound up finding Alie-Cox seven plays later for the clincher.

Buffalo Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds tackles Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks during Sunday’s game.

(Adrian Kraus / Associated Press)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had the first of Buffalo’s four interceptions, and the Bills suffocated the offensively inept Houston.

Micah Hyde, Tyler Matakevich and Jaquan Johnson, in his first career start, each had interceptions, while Cam Lewis forced a fumble as Buffalo overwhelmed rookie quarterback Davis Mills in his second career start.

The Bills limited Houston to 109 yards — eight in the first half — and six first downs to earn their second shutout in three weeks. Buffalo, which blanked Miami 35-0 on Sept. 19, has two shutouts in a season for the first time since 1990.

Josh Allen finished 20 for 29 for 248 yards with two touchdowns — a 25-yarder and a one-yarder, both to Dawson Knox — and an interception before giving way to backup Mitchell Trubisky with 8:03 remaining.

Tyler Bass hit all four field-goal attempts — three from inside 30 yards — in a steady rain. Buffalo led 19-0 through three quarters before Knox and Zack Moss, on a two-yard run, blew the game open. Trubisky closed the scoring with a four-yard TD run as Buffalo scored 40 or more points in consecutive weeks for the second time in team history, and first since 1990.

The Bills (3-1), coming off a 43-21 win over Washington, have won three straight since a season-opening loss to Pittsburgh, and are 3-1 or better through four games for the third consecutive season.

Houston (1-3) dropped its third straight, the skid coinciding with starter Tyrod Taylor being sidelined with a hamstring injury in a 31-21 loss at Cleveland in Week 2.