Harrison Butker kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired and the Kansas City Chiefs, kept alive by a pass interference call on Bengals safety Daijahn Anthony on fourth down in the final minute, rallied to beat Cincinnati 26-25 on Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 151 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but it was his incomplete pass to Rashee Rice on fourth-and-16 from the Kansas City 35 that turned out to be decisive. Anthony arrived a split-second early and hit Rice from behind with his body, and flags flew with 38 seconds remaining as the crowd in Arrowhead Stadium erupted.
The penalty came just after the Chiefs had a long gain on fourth down wiped out by a penalty of their own.
The pass interference call moved the Chiefs to the Cincinnati 36, and the Chiefs ran a couple of plays to bleed the clock for the big-legged Butker, who turned around and started walking off the field even before his kick went through the uprights.
Joe Burrow threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns, both to Andrei Iosivas, as the Bengals (0-2) came up empty against one of their biggest nemeses for the third straight time. That includes a loss to Kansas City in the AFC championship game.
Chamarri Conner returned a fumble 37 yards for a touchdown for the Chiefs, and big offensive tackle Wanya Morris – who had the penalty that nearly cost them in the final minute – had a touchdown reception on a day full of bizarre plays.
It was the second win for Kansas City decided on the final play after their 27-20 victory over Baltimore on opening night.
New Orleans Saints 44-19 Dallas Cowboys
Alvin Kamara scored four touchdowns, including a 57-yarder on a screen pass, and the New Orleans Saints ended Dallas’ 16-game home winning streak in the regular season.
Derek Carr threw for 243 yards and two TDs to go along with a one-yard sneak for a score, and the Saints (2-0) got touchdowns on their first six drives a week after setting a franchise record by starting the season with points on nine consecutive possessions in a 47-10 rout of Carolina.
It was actually the second straight loss at AT&T Stadium for the Cowboys (1-1) after their 48-32 wildcard shocker against Green Bay last January.
Carr was 11 of 16 but lost his perfect passer rating early in the fourth quarter when he was intercepted by Donovan Wilson with the Saints leading 41-19.
San Francisco 49ers 17-23 Minnesota Vikings
Sam Darnold passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns against his former team, including a 97-yard strike in the second quarter to Justin Jefferson, and an attacking defense again fueled the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold won his second straight start. The Vikings got three field goals by rookie Will Reichard and six sacks and two interceptions against Brock Purdy to overcome two turnovers and a quadriceps injury that forced Jefferson out of the game in the third quarter.
Los Angeles Rams 10–41 Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr caught his first two touchdown passes and the Arizona Cardinals rolled past the Los Angeles Rams. The Cardinals’ offense dazzled on the way to a 24-3 halftime lead. Murray found Harrison for a 23-yard touchdown on the first drive, a 60-yard touchdown on the second drive and then somehow evaded three Rams defenders before hitting tight end Elijah Higgins on an 18-yard touchdown on the third drive for a 21-0 advantage.
Los Angeles Chargers 26–3 Carolina Panthers
Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes to Quentin Johnston, JK Dobbins ran for 131 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown, and the Los Angeles Chargers drubbed the Carolina Panthers. The unbeaten Chargers methodically wore down the Panthers, piling up 219 yards on the ground while holding Carolina to just 159 total yards and seven first downs. Second-year quarterback Bryce Young had another miserable game, finishing 18 of 26 passing for 84 yards with one interception and was booed repeatedly by the home crowd while falling to 2-16 as a starter. The Panthers have been outscored 73-13 this season.
Indianapolis Colts 10–16 Green Bay Packers
Malik Willis threw his first career touchdown pass, Josh Jacobs had 151 of Green Bay’s 261 yards rushing and the Packers withstood the absence of injured quarterback Jordan Love to beat the Indianapolis Colts. Green Bay’s Evan Williams recovered an onside kick and intercepted a Hail Mary pass to clinch the victory. The Packers intercepted three of Anthony Richardson’s passes. Love didn’t play after injuring his left medial collateral ligament during the final series of a season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pittsburgh Steelers 13–6 Denver Broncos
Justin Fields won his second straight start in place of an injured Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers throttled Bo Nix in a win over the sputtering Denver Broncos. A lingering calf injury kept Wilson on the sideline as the Steelers’ emergency QB in his return to Denver to face the team that benched him late last season and then cut him in March. Nix struggled again to find any rhythm and the Broncos had a hard time moving the ball in losing Nix’s home opener and falling to 0-2 for the second straight season under coach Sean Payton.
Las Vegas Raiders 26–23 Baltimore Ravens
Gardner Minshew led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter, Daniel Carlson kicked a go-ahead 38-yard field goal with 27 seconds left and the Las Vegas Raiders rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore appeared headed toward their first win of the season after Derrick Henry plowed into the end zone for a 23-13 lead with 12 minutes left. But the Raiders stormed back behind Minshew. Seeking to bounce back from a harrowing opening loss to the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens instead dropped to 0-2 for the first time since 2015.
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Seattle Seahawks 23–20 New England Patriots (OT)
Jason Myers nailed a 31-yard field goal with 4:37 remaining in overtime to give the Seattle Seahawks a narrow win over the New England Patriots. New England got the ball to begin the extra session but went three-and-out. The Seahawks capitalized, using eight plays to move 71 yards to Myers’ game-winner. Myers also came through in the clutch in regulation, putting home a 38-yard field goal that tied the game at 20-all with 55 seconds left.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20–16 Detroit Lions
Baker Mayfield had an 11-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Detroit Lions in a playoff rematch.
Tampa Bay (2-0) fell behind only once in the closely contested game, and they stopped Detroit (1-1) when the Lions had two chances to drive for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes. The Lions turned it over on downs at the Bucs’ six with 53 seconds left and again at their 26 with two seconds left.
Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson had three sacks in the first quarter and finished with a career-high five sacks.
Cleveland Browns 18-13 Jacksonville Jaguars
Deshaun Watson ran for a touchdown, Dustin Hopkins kicked three field goals and the stingy Cleveland Browns did just enough to hold off the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Browns dominated much of the rainy day, sacking Trevor Lawrence four times and holding Jacksonville in check for nearly three quarters. The Jaguars woke up late. Lawrence found rookie Brian Thomas Jr for 66 yards to set up a touchdown and then they added a field goal to make it a one-score game. Lawrence was a non-factor most of the afternoon.
New York Jets 24–17 Tennessee Titans
Braelon Allen ran for a 20-yard touchdown with 4:31 left to put the New York Jets ahead for good as they beat the Tennessee Titans. Aaron Rodgers threw for 176 yards and two TDs and got to kneel down for his first victory with the Jets as the starter. One of those TDs was to Allen, marking a score by the NFL’s oldest and youngest players. The Jets ruined the home opener for Titans first-year coach Brian Callahan. Quarterback Will Levis had two turnovers. The Titans had a chance at the end but couldn’t find the end zone.
New York Giants 18–21 Washington Commanders
Austin Seibert kicked seven field goals to help the Washington Commanders beat the New York Giants. Jayden Daniels picked up his first victory as an NFL quarterback. Daniels engineered the 65-yard go-ahead drive in the final minutes. Daniel Jones threw for two touchdowns and Devin Singletary ran for one in a losing effort for the Giants. New York lost kicker Graham Gano to injury on the opening kickoff. That kept the team from trying field goals and forced several fourth-down attempts.
