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By The Associated Press
The Latest on Week 3 in the NFL (all times EDT):
2:58 p.m.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has made some team history while sparking his team to a 28-3 lead over the Los Angeles Rams early in the second half.
Allen has thrown three touchdown passes and has run for a fourth score in this game. That means he has now accounted for 11 touchdowns, the most by any Bills player through the first three games of a season.
Jim Kelly accounted for 10 touchdowns in Buffalo’s first three games of the 1991 season.
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2:55 p.m.
Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Russell Gage won’t be returning for the second half against the Chicago Bears.
Gage went down with a concussion in the first half. After being evaluated, the Falcons ruled him out for the rest of the game, depriving the Falcons of another key player.
The Falcons already are playing without six starters, including star receiver Julio Jones.
-Paul Newberry reporting from Atlanta
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2:35 p.m.
Minnesota Vikings rookie Justin Jefferson is having his breakout game. The first-round draft pick from LSU had six receptions for 104 yards in the first half against Tennessee.
Jefferson totaled just five catches for 70 yards over the first two games as the Vikings offense struggled to find a rhythm. This time, Minnesota has a 17-9 halftime lead.
Jefferson was taken with the 22nd overall selection that was acquired in a trade with Buffalo that sent wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills.
The Minnesota-Tennessee matchup is one of three early games in which a winless team leads an unbeaten team. The others have Atlanta ahead of Chicago 16-10 and Houston leading Pittsburgh 21-17.
-Dave Campbell reporting from Minneapolis.
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2:07 p.m.
Already missing six starters, the Atlanta Falcons have taken another blow in the first half against the Chicago Bears.
Receiver Russell Gage is being evaluated for a possible concussion. His return to the game is questionable.
Gage is one of four Atlanta players who came into the game with at least 100 receiving yards in the first two games. He had 15 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Star receiver Julio Jones is among those who were ruled out by the Falcons before the game. He is dealing with a hamstring injury.
Despite all the injuries and rookie cornerback A.J. Terrell being placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, the winless Falcons lead the unbeaten Bears 16-3 late in the first half.
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2 p.m.
Washington star rookie defensive end Chase Young left Sunday’s game in Cleveland with a groin injury.
Team officials said Young, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, won’t return.
The former Ohio State All-American came into the game tied for the NFL lead with 2 ½ sacks.
It’s not clear when Young got injured. The Browns spent the week preparing to face him and a Washington defense leading the league with 11 sacks.
Jonathan Allen sacked Baker Mayfield in the first quarter for sack No. 12.
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1:50 p.m.
Three NFL teams are allowing paying customers into the stands for Week 3 games today: the Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns.
The Broncos are allowing 5,700 fans to watch the Buccaneers’ visit and the Colts are allowing 7,500 fans to attend their game against the Jets.
Fans also were allowed into the Dolphins-Jaguars game on Thursday night.
Out of 48 NFL games so far in 2020, 10 have included paying customers.
Several teams have allowed between 250 and 750 friends and family members of players and coaches to sit in the stands to test COVID-19 protocols for the eventual return of fans.
The Broncos did that for their opener two weeks ago. Another four teams are doing that this weekend: the Vikings, Cardinals and Saints today and the Ravens tomorrow night.
The Broncos allowed 500 family members of players and coaches to watch their opener as a test run for today’s return of fans, who have to wear masks and will be socially distanced in pods of between one and six people.
–Arnie Stapleton reporting from Denver.
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1:38
The Denver Broncos have filled their south stands with cardboard cutouts of the entire town of “South Park” for their game today against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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The Broncos are also allowing 5,700 actual fans to also attend the game.
–Arnie Stapleton reporting from Denver.
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1:35 p.m.
New York Giants safety Jabrill Peppers sprained an ankle trying to block a field goal by San Francisco’s Robbie Gould.
Peppers’ return is questionable
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1:25 p.m.
There was NFL history made away from the action in Cleveland.
Sunday’s game between Washington and the Browns marked the first time two female coaches were on the sideline with a female official on the field.
Jennifer King is in her first season on Washington’s staff, while Callie Brownson is the chief of staff for Browns first-year coach Kevin Stefanski. Sarah Thomas was the down judge. She’s became the league’s first female official in 2015.
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1:15 p.m.
With a 2-yard rush in the first quarter against the Raiders, New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton has passed Randall Cunningham and now has the second-most career rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history.
Michael Vick is first with 6,109 yards.
Newton is also close to another milestone. He rushed for multiple touchdowns in each of New England’s first two games this season.
The Patriots’ single-season record for consecutive games with two or more rushing touchdowns is three by Horace Ivory (1978) and Curtis Martin (1995).
__ Kyle Hightower, reporting from Foxborough, Mass.
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1:12 p.m.
Four Washington players, including quarterback Dwayne Haskins and No. 2 overall pick Chase Young, raised their fists on the sideline while standing for the national anthem in Cleveland.
There were various other forms of expression as the national anthem played at NFL stadiums.
The Buffalo Bills stayed in the locker room for the national anthem. About a dozen Los Aneles Rams knelt, including defensive linemen Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers and Sebastian Joseph-Day kneeling and linking arms at the far end of the sideline. Offensive lineman Bobby Evans was also among the Rams who knelt.
Both teams were on the field for the anthem at the 49ers-Giants game. About half of the Giants kneeled and half stood.
Six Chicago Bears kneeled on the sideline during the national anthem before their game in Atlanta. No one from the Falcons took a knee.
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12:20 p.m.
The Minnesota Vikings are again playing without fans in attendance, but they’ve invited up to 250 staff members and family members for their game against Tennessee to test COVID-19 protocols in preparation for the potential return of fans to home games later this season.
The attendees will be seated in the southwest corner of the lower bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium to replicate a pod seating system, required to wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. Team officials and stadium operators will focus on testing mobile ticketing, stadium entrance and exit procedures, cashless concession stands and other protocols. The Vikings are continuing to work with state and city officials on a plan for bringing a limited number of fans back to the stadium for their remaining home games.
Current Minnesota guidelines prohibit indoor gatherings of more than 250 people.
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