NFL roundup: rampant Payments finish Dolphins’ unbeaten begin as Bengals droop once more

Josh Allen threw 4 landing passes and ran for a rating, and the Buffalo Payments introduced Miami’s unbeaten begin to an emphatic finish, beating the division rival Dolphins 48-20 on Sunday.

Per week after Miami had one of the spectacular offensive performances in NFL historical past of their 70-20 win over Denver, Buffalo (3-1) confirmed the Dolphins (3-1) a factor or two about environment friendly offense whereas taking up first place within the AFC East.

Stefon Diggs caught three touchdowns and completed with six receptions for 120 yards. Allen went 21 of 25 for 320 yards and had his tenth sport with 4 passing TDs.

Miami moved the ball fairly properly, ending with 393 yards of offense, however the Payments pressured two turnovers and sacked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa 4 instances.

The Payments suffered one main setback when cornerback Tre’Davious White was carted off within the third quarter with what the group mentioned was an achilles tendon harm. White pulled up whereas masking Tyreek Hill and was unable to place any weight on his proper leg.

Buffalo (3-1) by no means trailed and completed with 414 yards of offense, scoring on eight of their first 9 possessions. The Payments have gained three straight since a season-opening loss on the New York Jets. The Dolphins (3-1) squandered probabilities to open a season with 4 wins for the primary time since 1995 and to take a two-game lead over Buffalo within the division.

Cincinnati Bengals 3–27 Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill threw for 240 yards and a landing and the Tennessee Titans (2-2) rebounded from the franchise’s worst offensive efficiency in 49 years by routing the Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans managed solely 94 yards in final week’s loss in Cleveland. On Sunday, they scored 27 straight factors and led 24-3 at halftime, giving coach Mike Vrabel his first win in 4 tries in opposition to Cincinnati. Derrick Henry ran 29 yards for a landing. He additionally additionally discovered rookie tight finish Josh Whyle for a two-yard TD on a bounce cross from the wildcat simply earlier than halftime. Joe Burrow, nonetheless hampered by a calf harm, was sacked 3 times and fumbled as soon as because the Bengals fell to 1-3 this season.

Denver Broncos 31–28 Chicago Bears

Russell Wilson threw for 3 touchdowns, Wil Lutz kicked a tiebreaking subject purpose with slightly below two minutes remaining and the Denver Broncos bounced again from one of the lopsided losses in franchise historical past by rallying to beat the Chicago Bears.

Denver (1-3) have been coming off a 70-20 blowout by Miami however Lutz’s 51-yarder capped a comeback from a 28-7, third-quarter deficit. Kareem Jackson then intercepted Justin Fields with the Bears (0-4) close to midfield. The Bears dropped their 14th in a row since a Week 7 win at New England final season.

The Bears had an opportunity to interrupt a 28-28 tie late within the fourth quarter. Chicago opted to go for it on fourth-and-one on the 18 fairly than kick a subject purpose, and Herbert received stopped. Fields threw for a career-high 335 yards and 4 touchdowns. He accomplished his first 16 passes and was 28 of 35.

Baltimore Ravens 28–3 Cleveland Browns

Lamar Jackson ran for 2 touchdowns and threw for 2 extra in opposition to Cleveland’s top-ranked protection, main the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) previous the Browns. Cleveland (2-2) performed with out injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson appeared overmatched in his NFL debut. The Ravens intercepted him 3 times and sacked him 4 instances. Jackson scored untouched on runs of 10 yards and two yards and threaded a seven-yard scoring cross to tight finish Mark Andrews with 11 seconds left earlier than halftime. Jackson linked with Andrews once more from 18 yards out within the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh Steelers 6–30 Houston Texans

Rookie CJ Stroud had another big game, throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Houston Texans (2-2) over the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2). It’s the second straight win for the Texans and their first at home since beating the Chargers on 26 December 2021. Houston’s 24-point win marked their largest margin of victory since a 57-14 win over Tennessee on 1 October 2017. Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, continued his strong start and threw a TD pass to get things going in a first half where they built a 16-0 lead. Sunday was his second 300-yard passing game and he has thrown six touchdown passes with no interceptions in his first four games. Kenny Pickett threw for 114 yards with an interception and struggled to move the Steelers offense before leaving late in the third quarter with a knee injury.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-9 New Orleans Saints

Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints. Derek Carr returned to start for New Orleans after suffering a shoulder injury last week, but he did little to help the Saints’ anemic offense. Mayfield completed 25 of 32 for 246 yards including TDs to Cade Otten, Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins. The Bucs improved to 3-1 and took over first place in the NFC South. The Saints lost their second straight after a 2-0 start. Alvin Kamara totaled just 84 yards from scrimmage in his first game back from a three-game suspension.

Minnesota Vikings 21–13 Carolina Panthers

Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and DJ Wonnum returned Bryce Young’s fumble 51 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown, and the Minnesota Vikings held on to beat the Carolina Panthers (0-4) for their first win of the season. Cousins overcame two interceptions, including one that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Sam Franklin, and finished with 139 yards passing. Jefferson beat a Carolina secondary playing without three starters for 85 yards on six catches. Alexander Mattison ran for 95 yards and Harrison Smith had three sacks for the Vikings, including the one that led to Wonnum’s score.

Atlanta Falcons 7-23 Jacksonville Jaguars

Calvin Ridley caught a touchdown pass against his old team and Darious Williams returned an interception for a 61-yard score and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons (2-2) at Wembley Stadium. The Jags (2-2) halted a two-game skid with a series of big plays as the team celebrated playing for the 10th time in London and held on as the Falcons tried to rally in the second half. Trevor Lawrence threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Ridley in the first half and Williams intercepted Desmond Ridder’s pass for a 61-yard touchdown to make the score 17-0. Ridder connected with receiver Drake London on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the second half.