Tom Brady threw for three touchdowns and the New England Patriots hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 38-31 on Sunday when Kevin White got stopped at the one on a 54-yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky. About four or five defenders swarmed White after he leaped to haul in that long heave, preventing him from crossing the goalline while preserving the fourth straight win for New England.
Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf)
WOW.
The Bears just completed a Hail Mary as time expired but fell a yard short. pic.twitter.com/7VPZAIQrPn
The Patriots (5-2) also got two special teams touchdowns and came out on top even though they were missing Rob Gronkowski. The five-time Pro Bowl tight end missed the game because of ankle and back injuries. But New England squeezed past the Bears (3-3).
Brady improved to 5-0 against Chicago, one of five teams yet to beat him. He was 25 of 36 for 277 yards and an interception.
Cleveland Browns 23-26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Cleveland Browns went to overtime for the fourth time in seven games this season, before losing to a 58-yard field goal from Tampa Bay kicker Chandler Catanzaro.
The Browns had trailed Tampa Bay 23-9 going into the fourth quarter before Baker Mayfield threw a pair of touchdown passes to tie it at 23. Catanzaro had a chance to win it for the Buccaneers on the last play of regulation, but was wide right from 40 yards.
The last time a team played four overtime games in a season was Arizona in 2011. The Cardinals won all four. The Browns are 1-2-1 in overtime this season.
Houston Texans 20-7 Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake Bortles fumbled on Jacksonville’s third play of each half, leading to 10 points and his benching in a 20-7 loss to the streaking Houston Texans. The Texans (4-3) won their fourth consecutive game thanks to those two turnovers and took a one-game lead in the AFC South.
Deshaun Watson, who reportedly made the 800-mile road trip by bus instead of plane, had a touchdown pass despite playing with a bruised lung and injured ribs. Lamar Miller ran for a season-high 100 yards and a score . Watson’s health and Jacksonville’s quarterback situation surely will be the main topics going forward.
Cody Kessler replaced Bortles in the third quarter and threw a short touchdown pass to TJ Yeldon , creating speculation he might supplant Bortles in the starting lineup.
Carolina Panthers 21-17 Philadelphia Eagles
Cam Newton tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with 1:22 left and the Carolina Panthers overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wes Horton sacked Carson Wentz, forcing a fumble on fourth down from the Panthers 14 to seal the victory. The Panthers improved to 4-2 with the biggest comeback in franchise history. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles fell to 3-4.
After Carolina took the lead, the Eagles started at their 30. A 48-yard pass interference penalty on James Bradberry against Alshon Jeffery put the ball at the Carolina 22. Eric Reid appeared to intercept Wentz’s overthrown pass but the play was overturned on a video review. Wentz threw incomplete to Jeffery in the end zone on third-and-2 and was stripped on the next play.
Buffalo Bills 5-37 Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck threw four touchdown passes and Marlon Mack had his first rushing scores of the season as the Indianapolis Colts blew out Buffalo 37-5.
The Colts (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak and finally won their 300th game since moving to Indianapolis from Baltimore in 1984. Adam Vinatieri scored five points to move within five of breaking Morten Andersen’s NFL career record (2,544).
The Bills (2-5) lost their second straight, playing this one without injured starting quarterback Josh Allen.
Luck was 17 of 23 with 156 yards and extended the league’s longest active streak of consecutive games with a TD pass to 30 breaking a tie with Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan for No. 8 all-time. It’s the third time in four weeks he’s thrown four TDs in a game.
Detroit Lions 32-21 Miami Dolphins
Kerryon Johnson rushed for 158 yards and the Detroit Lions looked unstoppable by repeatedly mounting long scoring drives to beat the Miami Dolphins 32-21. Matt Stafford was 18 for 22 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. Detroit had 457 total yards and 248 on the ground, with scoring drives covering 64, 85, 75, 65, 75, 63 and 44 yards.
The Lions (3-3) punted once and had no turnovers to win on the road for the first time this season. They’ve climbed back to .500 after being outscored 78-44 in their first two games.
Injury-ravaged Miami (4-3) lost at home for the first time this season and lost another key player. Dynamic receiver Albert Wilson was sidelined in the first half with a leg injury. Receiver Kenny Stills also limped to the locker room with a minute left.
Minnesota Vikings 37-17 New York Jets
Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes, Latavius Murray ran for two scores, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled away in the second half to beat the New York Jets 37-17 for their third straight victory.
Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen became the fifth player in NFL history to get at least 100 yards receiving in seven consecutive games, catching nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Murray, coming off career-high 155 yards rushing against Arizona, finished with 69 yards on 15 carries to help lift the Vikings (4-2-1) to their first win against the Jets on the road after losing the first five meetings away from home.