Ravens 26, Steelers 6
Full recap here
Buffalo Bills 29, Miami Dolphins 10
After a week in which the team’s future was secured in Buffalo, a sold out crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium witnessed a dominating victory for the Bills (2-0) over the AFC East rival Dolphins (1-1).
The Bills offense moved the ball up and down the field early on, getting into the redzone on the first three possessions. However, they came away with only three Dan Carpenter field goals to make it 9-0, while their defense sacked Ryan Tannehill three times and shut out Miami in the first half.
After the Dolphins had not scored a point in the last six quarters in games against Buffalo following a shutout loss last December, Miami got a field goal from Caleb Sturgis on their first possession of the second half. On the ensuing kickoff, C.J. Spiller took the ball down the right sideline for a 102 yard kickoff return touchdown to give Buffalo a 16-3 lead.
Later in the third quarter, Tannehill found receiver Mike Wallace, who made a sensational one-handed catch from six yards out to make it 16-10. But after more than an hour with the Bills offense not on the field, E.J. Manuel answered with a pair of passes to Sammy Watkins, including a 12 yard touchdown pass in which the rookie took a short crossing pattern and ran to the pylon for the score to make it 23-10 at the end of the third.
A dominant fourth quarter by Buffalo’s defense, along with Carpenter’s fourth and fifth field goals sealed the win. Dealing with a rib injury, Watkins caught eight passes for 117 yards and the touchdown, becoming the first Bills rookie with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown since Lee Evans in 2004.
Manuel was 16 of 26 for 202 yards and a touchdown, while Tannehill had 49 passing attempts go for 241 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Carolina Panthers 24, Detroit Lions 7
Despite a late healthy scratch of defensive end Greg Hardy, Carolina (2-0) was physically dominant in Cam Newton’s first start of the season, a 24-7 victory over Detroit (1-1).
With a 6-0 halftime lead, the Panthers allowed the Lions to score on their first possession of the second half, as Matthew Stafford found fullback Jed Collins for a one-yard touchdown to take a 7-6 lead. Carolina answered right back, as Newton found receiver Jason Avant for a touchdown from 14 yards out to give the Panthers a 13-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, a Jonathon Stewart touchdown run sealed the deal. Newton was 22 of 34 for 281 yards and a touchdown, while Stafford went 27 of 48 for 291 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Hardy’s replacement, Mario Addison, had two and a half sacks of Stafford.
Cincinnati Bengals 24, Atlanta Falcons 10
Despite an injury to another one of his top receivers, Andy Dalton overcame it to lead the Bengals (2-0) to a win over the Falcons (1-1).
The game was supposed to be a matchup between the two top drafted receivers of the 2011 NFL Draft, A.J. Green and Julio Jones. However, Green left in the first quarter with a toe injury without a catch and did not return, joining tight end Tyler Eifert and receiver Marvin Jones as skill players missing for the Bengals.
A 3-3 stalemate was ended near the end of the first half with a four-yard touchdown ran from Giovani Bernard. Cincinnati’s offense continued their newfound success in the second half, as Dalton found receiver Mohamed Sanu on a quick slant, with Sanu breaking a tackle and going 76 yards for the score.
After an interception of Matt Ryan, rookie running back Jeremy Hill got his first career rushing touchdown from one yard out to make it 24-3. Ryan found Jones for a 14 yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to make it a two-score game, but Atlanta would get no closer.
Dalton was 15 of 23 for 252 yards and a touchdown, while Hill had 74 yards rushing, and Bernard had 90 yards rushing and 79 yards receiving. Ryan threw for 244 yards on 24 of 44, a touchdown and three interceptions.
Cleveland Browns 26, New Orleans Saints 24
For the second straight week, Cleveland (1-1) had a field goal at the end of the game to decide the victor. This time, they took it and made it to defeat New Orleans (0-2), 26-24.
The Browns dominated early, as Brian Hoyer found Miles Austin for a touchdown, and Tashaun Gipson returned an interception of Drew Brees 62 yards for another trip to the endzone to give Cleveland a 16-3 lead. Near the end of the first half, Brees passed John Elway for fourth on the all-time career passing yards list, and found tight end Jimmy Graham for a 9 yard touchdown to make it 16-10 at half.
Brees continued to keep it going early in the third quarter, finding graham for a one-yard touchdown to go ahed, 17-16. Rookie running back Terrance West gave the Browns the lead back with a nine-yard touchdown run at the end of the third quarter, 23-17.
New Orleans took the lead with just over 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter with a one-yard touchdown from running back Mark Ingram. With under three minutes to go, Cleveland went 85 yards in 14 plays with Hoyer’s direction, setting up Billy Cundiff for a 29 yard field goal that was made with three seconds left for the win.
Hoyer was 24 of 40 for 204 yards and a touchdown, while rookie backs West and Isaiah Crowell ran for a combined 122 yards on 30 carries. Brees was 27 of 40 for 237 yards, the two touchdowns to Graham and the interception.
New England Patriots 30, Minnesota Vikings 7
Against his one-time backup Matt Cassel, Tom Brady found his rhythm, as the Patriots (1-1) scored the game’s final 30 points to defeat an Adrian Peterson-less Vikings squad (1-1), 30-7.
On their first possession, Minnesota went right down the field, as Cassel was 4 of 4 for 75 yards and a 25 yard touchdown to Peterson’s replacement, Matt Asiata. But New England answered back with a one-yard touchdown run by Stevan Ridley to tie the game, and then 48 yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski to take a 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, cornerback Darrelle Revis picked off Cassel to get his first interception of the season, and Brady found receiver Julian Edelman for a nine-yard touchdown to make it 17-7. With nine seconds remaining in the half, Chandler Jones blocked a Blair Walsh field goal and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown to have a 24-7 lead at the break.
Cassel was only 15 of 32 after the opening drive score, throwing four interceptions to Revis, rookie defensive lineman Dominique Easley, cornerback Logan Ryan, and safety Devin McCourty, finishing with 202 yards through the air. Brady was 15 of 22 for 149 yards and a score, while Ridley had 101 yards and a touchdown.
Arizona Cardinals 25, New York Giants 14
The Cardinals (2-0) overcame the fact that Carson Palmer sat out with a shoulder injury and coming off a short week to beat the Giants (0-2) at the Meadowlands.
Arizona started out hot, as Drew Stanton lead an opening drive touchdown that ended in a Jonathan Dwyer one-yard touchdown run. Following a Sam Acho interception of Eli Manning, the Cardinals got a 49 yard field goal from rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro to lead 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Giants got back in it, with a seven yard touchdown pass to receiver Rueben Randle near the end of the first half to make it 10-7. Manning threw a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Fells to take the lead in the third quarter, 14-10.
After a Catanzaro field goal and a defensive stop early in the fourth quarter, Ted Ginn returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown to take back the lead, 19-14. A fumbled kick return by New York led to another Catanzaro field goal, and a fumble by running back Rashad Jennings in Cardinals territory with 4:30 left ended the Giants’ biggest threat.
Stanton threw for 167 yards, while Andre Ellington ran for 91 yards. Manning was 26 of 39 for 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Dallas Cowboys 26, Tennessee Titans 10
The Dallas Cowboys defense responded from a dissapointing week 1 loss to the 49ers with a huge performance in Tennessee to beat the Titans, 26-10.
Dallas (1-1) shut out Tennessee’s (1-1) offense in the first half, as Jake Locker was only 4 of 12 for 26 yards and an interception. The Cowboys rode their defense and DeMarco Murray’s 115 yards rushing in the first two quarters and a rushing touchdown, along with three Dan Bailey field goals to make it 16-0 at halftime.
The Titans mounted a bit of a comeback, however, as after a field goal, Locker found tight end Delanie Walker for a 63 yard touchdown. After that, though, Dallas answered, with their offense going on a 12 play, 80 yard drive that ended with a three yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant to make it 23-10 at the end of the third quarter.
A one-handed interception by Rolando McClain and a fourth-down stop in the redzone by the Cowboys ended the Titans threat. Romo finished 19 of 29 for 176 yards and the touchdown, while Murray ran for 167 yards and the score. Locker was threw for 234 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Washington Redskins 41, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
The Redskins (1-1) may have won the game against the Jaguars (0-2) in a big way, 31-7, but potentially lost a lot more in the process.
Robert Griffin III was carted off the field in the first quarter with an ankle injury that has been diagnosed to be a dislocated left ankle, according to Comcast Sportsnet. Receiver DeSean Jackson left with a shoulder injury in the first half, and Jaguars receiver was carried off the field with a leg injury.
In terms of the game, backup Kirk Cousins came in and completed his first 12 passes on the way to 21 first-hpalf oints for the Redskins, including a touchdown pass to fullback Darrel Young from 20 yards out. Running back Alfred Morris had two second quarter touchdown runs from a yard out to give Washington a 21-0 lead, but Chad Henne found Marcedes Lewis for a 63 yard touchdown to make it 21-7 in the final two minutes of the half.
In the second half, however, Cousins threw a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Niles Paul in the fourth quarter, and Silas Redd ran for a 14 yard touchdown to give the Redskins a 41-10 victory. Cousins threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, while Morris had 85 yards and his two scores, while Henne had only 193 yards passing, was sacked 10 times, and the Jaguars only 25 yards rushing.
San Diego Chargers 30, Seattle Seahawks 21
San Diego (1-1) rebounded from a Monday Night loss to defeat defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle (1-1) at Qualcomm Stadium, 30-21
Chargers kicker Nick Novak began the scoring with a 50 yard field goal, but the Seahawks answered with a 51 yard touchdown run by Percy Harvin to lead after the first quarter, 7-3. But Philip Rivers began to put his stamp on the game, as he found Antonio Gates for a pair of touchdowns, both from 8 yards out to make it 20-7.
But a Russell Wilson touchdown pass to Robert Turbin from three yards out made it 20-14 at halftime. Rivers and Gates connected again in the third quarter, as Rivers floated a pass between two defenders that Gates caught with one hand for a 21 yard touchdown to give San Diego a 27-14 lead.
Wilson drove Seattle 80 yards in 7 plays, finding Marshawn Lynch on a 14 yard touchdown throw to again decrease the lead to 6, 27-21. In the fourth quarter, a botched handoff between Rivers and running back Ryan Mathews resulted in Mathews’ suffering a leg injury and being carted off.
But the Chargers were able to stop Seattle a pair of times, including in the final two minutes, resulting in Novak kicking a 28 yarder to seal the win, 30-21. Rivers was spectacular against the Seahawks’ secondary, going 28 for 37 for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns, with Gates grabbing seven balls for 96 yards and all three Rivers touchdowns,
Wilson finished 17 of 25 for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Houston Texans 30, Oakland Raiders 14
The Bill O’Brien era has started very well for the Texans (2-0), as they were able to beat the overmatched Raiders (0-2) in Oakland, 30-14.
Houston’s best player, J.J. Watt, once a college tight end, contributed unexpectedly on offense with a one-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Arian Foster ran for a five-yard touchdown to have a 14-0 lead after the first quarter that went to 17-0 at halftime after a 33 yard field goal by Randy Bullock.
The Texans continued their domination in the third quarter, as Fitzpatrick found receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a 12 yard touchdown, and Bullock added 39 yard field goal to put it at 27-0 before the start of the fourth quarter. The Raiders had a one-yard touchdown run from Darren McFadden and a last-minute 9 yard touchdown pass from rookie Derek Carr to receiver James Jones , but they proved to be only window dressing.
Houston’s defense has only allowed 20 points in their first two games, and forced four turnovers. Fitzpatrick threw for 139 yards on 14 of 19 and two touchdowns, while Foster ran for 138 yards and a touchdown. Carr went 27 of 41 for 263 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in his second career start.
Green Bay Packers 31, New York Jets 24
The Packers (1-1) overcame an 18 point first-half deficit to beat the visiting Jets (1-1), 31-24.
It was all New York early on, as an Aaron Rodgers fumble resulted in an Geno Smith ran for a one-yard touchdown. On the next Jets possession, Smith went deep to receiver Eric Decker, who hauled in a 29 yard pass in the endzone to make it 14-0.
After a Mason Crosby field goal before the end of the first quarter, running back Chris Ivory finished an eight-minute plus drive with a four yard touchdown run to put it at 21-3. After a pair of Crosby field goals, Green Bay finally got within striking distance when Rodgers found Randall Cobb for a touchdown late in the first half, and the Packers were only down 21-16 at halftime.
Rodgers and Cobb connected on a one-yard touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to give Green Bay a 24-21 lead. After the two-pointer, a brawl in the end zone resulted in the ejection of defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson, who threw a punch.
The Jets answered with a 52 yard field goal by Nick Folk to tie the game at 24. On the first play of the Packers’ next possession, Rodgers found Jordy Nelson deep, and Nelson split a pair of defenders in the open field for an 8o yard touchdown to make it 31-24 at the end of three quarters.
Green Bay’s defense held the entire fourth quarter to win the game. Rodgers went 25 of 42 for 346 yards and three touchdowns, with Nelson tallying nine catches for 209 yards and a touchdown.
Smith was 16 of 32 for 176 yards, a touchdown and interception.
Denver Broncos 24, Kansas City Chiefs 17
For the second straight week, the Broncos’ (2-0) defense held against a late rally, this time defeating the AFC West rival Chiefs 24-17.
For the second straight Sunday, Peyton Manning was again flawless in the first half, beginning with a four-yard touchdown to tight end Julius Thomas. Kansas City did get a 45 yard field goal by Cairo Santos to make it 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, although Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles left with a foot injury after just two carries for four yards and did not return.
His replacement, Knile Davis, ran for a two-yard touchdown early in the second quarter for a 10-7 Chiefs lead. However, Manning dominated the quarter, finding tight end Jacob Tamme on a four-yard touchdown, and Demaryius Thomas on a 12 yard touchdown right before the half to get a 21-10 lead.
Kansas City wasted a 10-plus minute drive that ended in a missed Santos field goal in the third quarter, and were still down by 11 entering the fourth quarter. But Davis ran for a four-yard score after a 90 yard drive, and the Chiefs were only down 7 late with 3:27 left after a 20 yard Brandon McManus field goal for Denver.
The offense got to the Denver 2 yard line, but couldn’t put it in on either third or fourth down in the final minute, as the Bronco defense sealed the victory. Manning was 21 of 26 for 242 yards and his three touchdowns, and found receiver Emmanuel Sanders eight times for 108 yards.
Alex Smith was 26 of 42 for 255 yards, while Davis had 105 yards of total offense and his two touchdowns.
St. Louis Rams 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
The Rams (1-1) rode their third quarterback in three weeks, Austin Davis, and a stiff defense to a 19-17 win over the Buccaneers (0-2).
Tampa Bay began the scoring, as quarterback Josh McCown ran the ball in from five yards out. St. Louis quickly answered, as running back Zac Stacy scored on the ground on a two-yard run to make it 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
A weather delay made the second quarter much longer, with Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein making a 36 yard field goal to make it 10-7 at halftime. The Buccaneers tried to take control in the third quarter, with McCown getting his second touchdown run of the game from one yard out, but Zuerlein hit a 35 yarder before the end of the third quarter to cut the lead to 14-13.
A 46 yarder by Zuerlein gave the Rams the lead in the fourth quarter, but McCown drove Tampa Bay 64 yards to set up rookie kicker Patrick Murray for a 36 yarder to take a 17-16 lead with just over five minutes remaining. Davis completed three passes for first downs, including a 27 yarder to Austin Pettis on third down to get St. Louis at the Buccaneers’ 25 yard line.
Zuerlein then hit a 38 yarder with 38 seconds remaining, and the Rams defense held on to win late. Davis was 22 of 29 for 235 yards, while McCown went 16 of 21 for 179 yards and an interception, with Bobby Rainey running for 144 yards in place of the injured Doug Martin.
Chicago Bears 28, San Francisco 49ers 20
In the first game for the San Francisco franchise at Levi’s Stadium, a potential blowout victory turned into a nightmare, with the Bears (1-1) rallying to defeat the 49ers (1-1), 28-20.
San Francisco started fast, as a blocked punt after Chicago’s first possession put the ball inside the Bears’ 10. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick quickly found Michael Crabtree for a three yard touchdown, and Phil Dawson hit a 27 yard field goal for a 10-0 lead after the first quarter.
Despite a pair of Kaepernick turnovers in the second quarter, the 49ers increased their lead with an 8 yard Frank Gore touchdown run with 2:22 left to put the game at 17-0. But Chicago didn’t give up, as Jay Cutler survived a huge hit to the chest to lead the offense to a touchdown, finding Brandon Marshall for a 17 yard touchdown, with Marshall reaching behind him for a one-handed grab.
San Francisco increased their lead in the third quarter, as a nine minute drive ended in a 24 yard field goal for Dawson to make it 20-7. But the Bears answered on their next drive, as Cutler found Marshall again from five yards out with 13:41 left in the fourth quarter to cut the lead, 20-14.
On the first play of the next drive, Kaepernick went for receiver Michael Crabtree, but rookie Kyle Fuller stole the ball from the receiver, and ran it to the 6. An inappropriate language penalty on Kaepernick put the ball at the 3, and Cutler went to tight end Martellus Bennett on the next play for a touchdown, taking the lead 21-20 after two touchdowns in the span of 24 seconds.
Fuller picked off Kaepernick on the 49ers’ next drive, and returned the ball to the San Francisco 42 with just over nine minutes left. Cutler again went to Marshall in the redzone from three yards out to make it an eight-point lead.
Kaepernick had just under seven minutes remaining, and got the ball inside the Chicago 20, but a pass in the endzone for Crabtree went in and out of his hands with 1:11 remaining, ending the game. Cutler threw for 176 yards on 23 of 34 and four touchdowns, while Kaepernick had 248 yards through the air on 21 of 34 and 66 yards rushing, but turned the ball over three times (three interceptions and a fumble).
Philadelphia Eagles 30, Indianapolis Colts 27
Full recap here.
