BALTIMORE — Dustin Hopkins kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to cap a furious Cleveland rally in the fourth quarter, and the Browns edged the Baltimore Ravens 33-31 on Sunday.
Cleveland (6-3) trailed 31-17 before Deshaun Watson delivered the type of victory the Browns have been waiting for from their high-priced quarterback.
Watson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore with 8:57 remaining. Then one of Lamar Jackson’s passes caromed high into the air and was picked off by Greg Newsome II, and he returned the interception 34 yards for a TD just 41 seconds later.
The Ravens stayed ahead 31-30 because Hopkins missed the extra point, but Cleveland got the ball back and drove 58 yards for the winning kick. The key play was a 17-yard pass to Amari Cooper on second-and-19.
Baltimore (7-3) had a four-game winning streak snapped, and the victory by Cleveland (6-3) tightened the race in the AFC North significantly.
Watson got off to a terrible start – his first pass of the game was picked off and returned for a touchdown – but he finished with 213 yards passing and 37 rushing, and his elusiveness was an issue for Baltimore’s vaunted pass rush.
49ERS 34, JAGUARS 3: Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, including a 66-yarder to George Kittle, and San Francisco (6-3) seemingly fixed all its woes with a cross-country trip as it ended a three-game skid by drubbing host Jacksonville (6-3).
Deebo Samuel returned from a three-game absence and added a 23-yard scoring run for the 49ers, who stopped Jacksonville’s five-game winning streak and reestablished themselves as a Super Bowl contender.
San Francisco, coming off a bye week, dominated both lines of scrimmage and controlled the game from the opening drive. The Niners ran for 147 yards against one of the league’s top run defenses and sacked Trevor Lawrence five times.
TEXANS 30, BENGALS 27: C.J. Stroud directed a last-minute, game-winning drive for the second straight week, finishing with 356 yards passing and leading Houston (5-4) to a victory at Cincinnati (5-4).
Stroud moved the Texans 55 yards in six plays to set up a 38-yard field goal by Matt Ammendola as time expired.
Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter.
LIONS 41, CHARGERS 38: Jared Goff threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard as time expired, and Detroit (7-2) prevailed over Los Angeles (4-5) in Inglewood, California.
The Chargers tied it with 3:34 remaining when Justin Herbert threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 38-yarder to Keenan Allen on fourth-and-1.
Goff responded by leading the Lions on a nine-play, 53-yard drive.
COWBOYS 49, GIANTS 17: Dak Prescott threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns while running for another score, and Dallas (6-3) routed New York (2-8) for the second time this season, extending their home winning streak to 12.
The Giants were outgained 640-172, with 75 yards coming on a touchdown drive at the end of the game.
SEAHAWKS 29, COMMANDERS 26: Jason Myers converted his fifth field goal of the game, a 43-yarder as time expired, and Seattle (6-3) edged visiting Washington (4-6).
Sam Howell pulled Washington even at 26-26 with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown with 52 seconds remaining. Geno Smith then made a pair of big throws to DK Metcalf: a 17-yard strike on third-and-4 and a 27-yard pass to the Washington 25.
Smith was 31 of 47 for 369 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
VIKINGS 27, SAINTS 19: Joshua Dobbs kept Minnesota’s injury-thinned offense on track in his first start, throwing for a career-high 268 yards and totaling two touchdowns to help the Vikings (6-4) build a 24-point halftime lead and hold on to beat visiting New Orleans (5-5) for their fifth straight victory.
T.J. Hockenson outgained the Saints by himself in the first half with 10 catches for 128 yards and a score for the Vikings, who stalled out after the hot start.
After Derek Carr was forced out in the third quarter because of a concussion and a shoulder injury, Jameis Winston entered with a 27-3 deficit and delivered touchdown passes to Chris Olave and A.T. Perry on highlight-reel, high-degree-of-difficulty catches in the end zone. But Winston threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, and his throw into a crowd in the end zone on the final play was knocked down by the Vikings.
STEELERS 23, PACKERS 19: Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris combined for 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Pittsburgh (6-3) beat visiting Green Bay (3-6).
The Steelers won their ninth straight game decided by eight points or less by following a formula that has become familiar – a little offense, a timely turnover, and just enough of everything else to survive.
Patrick Peterson blocked an extra point and tipped a pass that turned into Keanu Neal’s interception in the end zone with 3:20 remaining. Green Bay got the ball back with 59 seconds to go and drove deep into Pittsburgh territory, but Jordan Love’s last-gasp throw to the end zone was picked off by Damontae Kazee.
BUCCANEERS 20, TITANS 6: Baker Mayfield threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns to help Tampa Bay (4-5) stop a four-game losing streak with a victory at home against Tennessee (3-6).
Rachaad White turned a first-quarter screen pass into a 43-yard TD. Mike Evans redeemed himself from dropping a pass in the end zone with a 22-yard scoring catch and finished with six receptions for 143 yards.
A week after yielding five TD passes and an NFL rookie record 470 yards through the air to Houston’s C.J. Stroud, the Bucs’ defense fared much better against another first-year quarterback, Will Levis, who was sacked four times and intercepted once while failing to get his team into the end zone.
CARDINALS 25, FALCONS 23: Kyler Murray threw for 249 yards and ran for a touchdown in his return from a serious knee injury, Matt Prater made a 23-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona (2-8) snapped a six-game losing streak by beating visiting Atlanta (4-6).
RAIDERS 16, JETS 12: Josh Jacobs rushed for 116 yards, rookie Aidan O’Connell connected with Michael Mayer for the game’s only touchdown, and Las Vegas (5-5) improved to 2-0 under interim coach Antonio Pierce, beating visiting New York (4-5).
The Raiders turned away two late attempts by the Jets to rally. Robert Spillane intercepted Zach Wilson’s pass at the Las Vegas 15 with 1:22 left, and after the Raiders punted, Wilson’s heave to the end zone fell incomplete on the game’s final play.
Jacobs ended a 14-game streak of failing to gain 100 yards, getting 27 attempts as Pierce committed to a run-first attack, but his fumble late in the fourth quarter gave the Jets a chance.
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