Top pick Joe Burrow was carted off with a left knee injury before Alex Smith rallied Washington past the Cincinnati Bengals 20-9 on Sunday to keep his team in the thick of the NFC East race.
Burrow, Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback, was injured early in the third quarter when he was hit high and low by two Washington linemen after throwing a pass. His left leg bent awkwardly, and he couldn’t put any weight on it, ending his day at 22-of-34 passing for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Thanks for all the love. Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year✊
— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) November 22, 2020
His season appears over, too. Burrow tweeted: “Thanks for all the love. Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year.”
Burrow’s departure allowed Smith and Washington (3-7) to take over and move a half-game back of Philadelphia for first place in the NFL’s weakest division. Just after Burrow left, the 36-year-old Smith, who broke his right tibia and fibula on the same field just over two years ago, led a go-ahead, 55-yard scoring drive that ended with a three-yard TD pass to Steven Sims. In his second start since that gruesome injury in November 2018, Smith was 17 of 25 for 166 yards and had a pass intercepted after it was tipped late in the first half.
Tennessee Titans 30–24 Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry’s 29-yard touchdown run with 5:21 left in overtime Sunday capped a Tennessee Titans’ rally from a 21-10 third quarter deficit as they stopped the Baltimore Ravens at home.
Henry, who finished with 133 yards on 28 carries, jump-cut from left to right around a tackler and sped into the end zone for his second walk-off score of the year. It finished a 73-yard drive that started after the Ravens (6-4) went 3-and-out with their overtime possession. Baltimore forced overtime when Justin Tucker converted his third field goal of the day, a 29-yarder with 16 seconds left in regulation.
Ryan Tannehill completed 22 of 31 passes for 259 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Tennessee, which improved to 7-3. Lamar Jackson connected on 17 of 29 throws for 186 yards with a touchdown and a pick for the Ravens.
The action started before the game did, as the teams engaged in a pregame altercation. Baltimore coach John Harbaugh took umbrage to Tennessee players gathering on the Ravens’ logo at midfield. Harbaugh, Titans coach Mike Vrabel and cornerback Malcolm Butler exchanged words.
Atlanta Falcons 9–24 New Orleans Saints
Taysom Hill rushed for two touchdowns and the host New Orleans Saints won their seventh consecutive game by defeating the Atlanta Falcons.
Hill made his first NFL start at quarterback as Drew Brees began at least a three-game absence due to rib and lung injuries. Hill completed 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards and had scoring runs of two and 10 yards among his team-high 51 rushing yards as the NFC South-leading Saints improved to 8-2.
New Orleans play their next three games on the road, including a rematch with the Falcons in two weeks. Alvin Kamara added a rushing touchdown and All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas caught nine of Hill’s passes for 104 yards.
New England Patriots 20–27 Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson passed for 344 yards and totaled three touchdowns while the Houston Texans’ beleaguered run defense held firm in a 27-20 victory over the visiting New England Patriots at NRG Stadium.
The Texans (3-7) amassed 399 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per play. Ka’imi Fairbairn booted field goals of 36 and 46 yards in the second half to help keep the Patriots (4-6) at bay.
New England (4-6) twice rallied to within four points in the second half but could not secure the lead. The Patriots had a two-game winning streak snapped. Cam Newton passed for 365 yards including a 42-yard touchdown to Damiere Byrd in the third quarter, his first touchdown toss to a Patriots wide receiver this season, but was sacked twice and had four passes batted by Texans defensive end JJ Watt.
Philadelphia Eagles 17–22 Cleveland Browns
Sione Takitaki returned an interception for a touchdown and Olivier Vernon had three sacks and a safety to lift the host Cleveland Browns to a 22-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nick Chubb rushed for 114 yards and Kareem Hunt scored from five yards out for the Browns (7-3), who are off to their best 10-game start since going 8-2 in 1994. Cleveland’s victory over Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak in the series.
Carson Wentz threw for 235 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for the Eagles (3-6-1), who had 315 total yards and three turnovers en route to losing their second consecutive contest.
Pittsburgh Steelers 27-3 Jacksonville Jaguars
Pittsburgh’s most dominant defensive performance of the season kept the Steelers perfect. Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted two passes each and the Steelers steamrolled their way to a 10-0 record with a 27-3 win.
Rookie quarterback Jake Luton looked lost most of the day against the Steelers, who allowed 206 yards and finished with two sacks. They celebrated each turnover by running into the end zone and posing for the cameras.
Detroit Lions 0-20 Carolina Panthers
PJ Walker threw for 258 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start, the much-maligned Carolina defense earned its first shutout since 2015 and the Panthers defeated the Detroit Lions 20-0 to snap a five-game losing streak.
Walker, a former XFL player, was made the starter less than two hours before kickoff when Teddy Bridgewater was officially ruled out with a knee injury. Walker did well, connecting on a perfect 52-yard strike to DJ Moore along with a well-placed 17-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel. But he also had two terrible mistakes, twice throwing interceptions in the red zone, essentially hitting the defender right in the hands.