Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) celebrates his 8-yard touchdown run against the Vikings on Sunday.
Abbie Parr | AP photo
Click here to subscribe today or Login.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Detroit Lions became division champions for the first time in 30 years late last season with a clinching win at Minnesota. They departed this time with another memorable and resilient performance — plus a big boost in their pursuit of another NFC North title.
Jake Bates kicked a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left in the Lions ’ 31-29 victory on Sunday, handing the Vikings their first loss in a back-and-forth game befitting of the NFL’s strongest division.
“We talked about patience, keeping your composure, communication and an attitude, and our guys did that,” coach Dan Campbell said. “We didn’t bat an eye when things appeared to start going a little south.”
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 116 yards and two of Detroit’s three second-quarter touchdowns. He also helped Jared Goff guide the Lions 48 yards in four plays to get in range for their rookie kicker while forcing the Vikings to burn their timeouts.
Bates, who was plucked from the United Football League after incumbent Michael Badgley got hurt at the beginning of training camp, is 10 for 10 on field goals this season.
Goff went 22 for 25 for 280 yards with touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond and no turnovers in his third straight game with a 140-plus passer rating, joining Aaron Rodgers (2011), Kurt Warner (1999) and Roger Staubach (1971) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to accomplish the feat.
“He doesn’t get frazzled. He’s tough. He’s competitive, and he’s reliable,” Campbell said.
Gibbs had 150 total yards to spearhead a commanding performance by the Lions (5-1) at the line of scrimmage against the defense that entered the week with a rushing average per play (3.6) allowed that was the second-best in the league.
“He’s been so close to exploding,” Campbell said, “and we felt like this was the game.”
Ivan Pace Jr. returned David Montgomery’s fumble 36 yards for a touchdown with 5:50 remaining to give the Vikings (5-1) a one-point lead after they trailed 21-10 at halftime, but Sam Darnold’s crucial 2-point conversion pass sailed past Justin Jefferson.
The Vikings reached midfield on their last-gasp possession, but an illegal formation penalty on left tackle Christian Darrisaw after the hustle to get set pushed them out of range for their own perfect rookie Will Reichard to attempt a field goal. Darnold was sacked to end the game and give the Lions their fourth consecutive victory over the Vikings for their longest streak in the series since 1961-63.
The defending division champion Lions are tied with the Vikings, with the Green Bay Packers (5-2) a half-game back and the idle Chicago Bears (4-2) one game behind. The quartet that has produced exactly one Super Bowl champion in the previous 27 seasons had the highest combined winning percentage for one division in NFL history entering Week 7 or later.
Aaron Jones rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota despite being listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Jefferson had 81 yards receiving and a score, and Reichard made three field goals, including a 57-yarder.
Darnold went 22 for 27 for 259 yards, but he spoiled a promising drive in the second quarter by ignoring a wide-open Jones in the flat off a play-action fake and forcing a throw to Jordan Addison that was intercepted by a diving Brian Branch.
“Obviously can’t let that happen,” Darnold said. “But Branch made a really good play on it.”
The Lions played a second quarter for the ages. They had three scoring drives that all covered at least 69 yards on the strength of some shrewd play-calling by offensive coordinator Ben Johnson that rendered the chess moves by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores moot, as Goff beat blitz after blitz.
“They want to apply the pressure. For us, we go down 10-nothing and we’re kind of getting kicked in the mouth a little bit,” Goff said. “Stay calm, stay relaxed.”
JAGUARS 32, PATRIOTS 16
LONDON — Tank Bigsby rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns and Parker Washington returned a punt 96 yards for a score in Jacksonville’s comeback win over New England at Wembley Stadium.
Rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught a touchdown pass as the Jaguars (2-5) erased an early 10-0 deficit.
In his second start, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye led one fourth-quarter scoring drive but couldn’t muster a second one as New England (1-6) lost its sixth straight game.
Bigsby scored on a 4-yard run after the Patriots turned the ball over on downs after the two-minute warning.
The win should at least temporarily ease some pressure off Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.
SEAHAWKS 34, FALCONS 14
ATLANTA — Geno Smith passed for two touchdowns and Derick Hall returned a fumble 36 yards for a clinching score as Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Atlanta.
The Seahawks (4-3) ended Atlanta’s run of three straight victories, shutting down a Falcons offense that averaged 37 points the two previous weeks.
Smith completed 18 of 28 passes for 207 yards, his second-lowest output of the season but more than enough to throttle the Falcons. He connected with Kenneth Walker on a 17-yard touchdown and a huge 31-yard scoring play to DK Metcalf just before halftime.
After Walker’s TD catch made it 24-14 late in the third quarter, Seattle’s defense clinched the victory.
PACKERS 24, TEXANS 22
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Brandon McManus kicked a 45-yard field goal as time expired in his debut performance with Green Bay, lifting the Packers past the Texans.
Green Bay (5-2) overcame three turnovers to win its third straight and snap the Texans’ three-game winning streak.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love was 24 of 33 for 220 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Houston’s Joe Mixon rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Ka’imi Fairbairn was 3 of 3 on field-goal attempts and put the Texans (5-2) ahead by making a 35-yarder with 1:44 left.
C.J. Stroud was just 10 of 21 for a career-low 86 yards and was sacked four times.
BENGALS 21, BROWNS 14
CLEVELAND — Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a likely season-ending Achilles tendon injury in the first half of Cleveland’s loss to Cincinnati on Sunday as Joe Burrow got his first road win against the Bengals’ in-state AFC North rival.
Watson’s leg crumpled on a non-contact play as he dropped back to pass with 1:26 left before halftime. As he planted, Watson’s calf appeared to quiver before he gave himself up and dropped to the turf.
Burrow threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter as the Bengals (3-4) ended a six-game losing streak at Cleveland. While he has played well against every team in the NFL, Burrow had struggled against the Browns, coming in 1-5 overall and 0-3 on the road.
Burrow connected with Ja’Marr Chase for an 18-yard TD and Tee Higgins for a 25-yard score six minutes later. He completed 15 of 25 passes for 181 yards.
Before he got hurt, Watson was 15 of 17 for 128 yards. He was replaced by Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who moved ahead of Jameis Winston on the depth chart this week. Thompson-Robinson finished 11 of 24 for 82 yards and two interceptions before leaving with a finger injury.
Winston played the final 3:43 and threw a TD pass to David Njoku and a 2-point conversion.
Charlie Jones returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown for the Bengals (3-4), who have won three of four after a three-game slide to start the season.
BILLS 34, TITANS 10
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Amari Cooper scored the go-ahead touchdown in his debut with Buffalo and Josh Allen overcame a sluggish first half to throw two touchdown passes in his 100th career start to help the Bills rally from a 10-point deficit and beat the Titans.
Cooper’s 12-yard TD catch was his first reception for the Bills and came five days after being acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns. Ty Johnson also scored on a 4-yard catch, and James Cook and Ray Davis rounded out the rout with touchdown runs.
After being limited to 4 of 11 for 65 yards in the first half, Allen finished 21 of 33 for 323 yards. It marked his 26th career 300-yard game and first this season. And Allen did so against a Titans defense that entered ranked first against the pass and had yet to allow 200 yards passing this season.
Allen improved his career record to 68-32 as a starter, matching four players — Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers — for the sixth-most wins in a quarterback’s first 100 starts.
COLTS 16, DOLPHINS 10
INDIANAPOLIS — Tyler Goodson ran for one touchdown and Anthony Richardson led Indianapolis on two fourth-quarter scoring drives to clinch a victory over Miami.
Matt Gay’s 22-yard field goal with 8:41 left in the game gave Indy its first lead, and a defensive stop at the Indianapolis 33-yard line in the final minute sealed the victory over the NFL’s lowest-scoring team.
The Dolphins (2-4) had a chance to tie the score on a 54-yard field goal with 5:14 to go, but Jason Sanders’ kick hit the left upright and bounced harmlessly into the end zone.
Indy (4-3) has won four of its past five and three straight home games since a loss to Houston in its opener.
COMMANDERS 40, PANTHERS 7
LANDOVER, Md. — Marcus Mariota replaced injured rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels early in the second quarter, Dante Fowler returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown and Washington routed Carolina.
Concern over Daniels’ status overshadowed the victory after the No. 2 pick and offensive rookie of the year favorite left with a rib injury. His mother posted on social media that “he’s fine,” and given the lopsided score, it would have been more surprising if Daniels returned, and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner spent the second half on the bench chatting and laughing with teammates.
The Commanders (5-2) did just fine without him for a vast majority of the game after he had a 46-yard run and completed a couple of passes on their opening possession. They already led at that point thanks to Fowler’s pick-6, Andy Dalton’s first of two interceptions, the second by Emmanuel Forbes, who returned from being a healthy scratch last week.
The defense dominated, allowing 180 yards, stopping seven of 10 third-down chances and sacking Dalton twice.
RAMS 20, RAIDERS 15
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kam Curl returned a fumble 33 yards for a touchdown and Kyren Williams rushed for 76 yards and two scores in Los Angeles’ victory over Las Vegas.
Cobie Durant had an interception and later caused the fumble returned for a TD by Curl for the Rams (2-4), who forced four turnovers by Gardner Minshew. The Raiders’ backup quarterback was forced into action by an early hand injury for Aidan O’Connell.
Jaylen McCollough had two more interceptions for Los Angeles, including the game-clinching pick with 1:18 to play.
Matthew Stafford passed for 154 yards for the Rams (2-4), who snapped a two-game skid during their worst start to a season in coach Sean McVay’s eight years in charge.