NFL round-up: Dolphins finally get first win of season over struggling Jets

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw three touchdown passes, two of them to rookie Preston Williams, and the Miami Dolphins got their first win of the season by beating their former head coach, Adam Gase, and the New York Jets 26-18 on Sunday.

The Dolphins avoided what would have been the second 0-8 start in franchise history, joining 2007. The win leaves Cincinnati (0-8) as the NFL’s lone winless team this season, and for now the frontrunners to win the No1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Fitzpatrick completed 24 of 36 passes for 288 yards, and led the Dolphins to their highest point total of the season. It was also Miami’s fourth straight win over the Jets the first three of those coming with Gase being the coach on the winning side. Not this time. The Jets went 11 plays on the first drive of the game for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead, and their highlights were few and far between the rest of the day. The Jets (1-7) actually fell below Miami in the AFC East standings based on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

In the day’s later kick-offs the Chargers inflicted only the Packers’ second defeat of the season; the Browns’ misery continued with a loss to the Broncos; the Raiders squeezed past the Lions; and the Seahawks beat the Buccaneers in overtime.

Minnesota Vikings 23-26 Kansas City Chiefs

Harrison Butker matched a career long with a 54-yard field goal to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, then drilled a 44-yarder as time expired to give the Kansas City Chiefs a thrilling 26-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The first person to greet Butker in celebration? Patrick Mahomes, the reigning league MVP, who missed his second consecutive game as he recovers from a dislocated kneecap. Mahomes looked just fine rushing onto the field to party. Matt Moore started in his place and threw for 275 yards and a touchdown without a pick, and he made the crucial plays when they mattered. Moore hit favorite target Tyreek Hill to convert a crucial third down and set up the tying field goal, then hit him again to make the winner more manageable.

Indianapolis Colts 24-26 Pittsburgh Steelers

Adam Vinatieri missed a go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 1:14 remaining, helping the Pittsburgh Steelers escape with a 26-24 victory. Vinatieri, whose 55-yard kick last week against Denver gave the Colts their third straight victory, pulled his attempt left of the uprights as the Colts (5-3) fell out of first place in the AFC South.

Mason Rudolph threw for 191 yards with a touchdown and an interception for Pittsburgh, and Minkah Fitzpatrick returned an interception 96 yards for a score as the Steelers (4-4) won their third consecutive game. Backup running back Trey Edmunds ran for a career-high 73 yards and Chris Boswell kicked four field goals as Pittsburgh reached the midpoint of the season at .500 despite losing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a right elbow injury in Week 2.

The Colts may have quarterback issues of their own after Jacoby Brissett left in the second quarter with a left knee injury. Brian Hoyer came on and threw for three touchdowns in Brissett’s absence

Chicago Bears 14-22 Philadelphia Eagles

Carson Wentz threw for 239 yards and one touchdown, Jordan Howard ran for 82 yards and a score and the Philadelphia Eagles held on for a 22-14 victory over the Chicago Bears. The Bears had just nine yards in the first half and trailed 19-0 before David Montgomery had a pair of one-yard TD runs to make it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter.

But Philadelphia put it away with 16-play, 69-yard drive capped by Jake Elliott’s 38-yard field goal. Wentz completed all four of his third-down passes on the drive for first downs. The Eagles (5-4) have won two in a row after a pair of lopsided losses. The Bears (3-5) have lost four straight.

Tennessee Titans 20-30 Carolina Panthers

Christian McCaffrey had 166 yards from scrimmage and scored three touchdowns, and the Carolina Panthers bounced back from an embarrassing defeat with a 30-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Kyle Allen, who threw three interceptions in last week’s 51-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, threw TD passes of 7 yards to McCaffrey and 12 yards to Curtis Samuel to improve to 5-1 this season as Carolina’s starting QB. Carolina’s defense forced three turnovers and sacked Ryan Tannehill four times one week after allowing the 49ers to run for 232 yards and four touchdowns.

Washington 9-24 Buffalo Bills

Rookie Devin Singletary had 95 yards rushing, including a two-yard touchdown, and the Buffalo Bills are off to their best start since 1993 following a 24-9 win over Washington on Sunday. Josh Allen had a touchdown pass and scored on a one-yard plunge for the Bills, who improved to 6-2 a record built on victories over some of the NFL’s worst teams.

The Bills’ wins have come against teams that entered this weekend with a combined record of 7-31. And their latest came against a team who have already fired their coach and were down to their third quarterback, with rookie first-round pick Dwayne Haskins making his first career start. Washington (1-8) matched their worst start since 1998.

source: theguardian.com