Dolphins at Titans
The Dolphins and Titans came into this game with 1-3 records. The Dolphins have a new head coach and were hoping for a new, winning attitude. The Titans have been relying on rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The Dolphins offense jumped all over the Titans, and the defense suffocated anything that was thrown at them. Jarvis Landry opened up the scoring with a 22-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Each team tacked on a field goal to make it 10-3 after the first. Lamar Miller added a 7-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give the Dolphins a 17-3 halftime lead.
The defense sacked Mariota five times in the second quarter to help the Dolphin defense keep the Titans to just 3 points. Reshad Jones picked off Mariota and took it to the house for a 30-yard pick-6 early in the third to give the Dolphins a 24-3 lead.
Mariota appeared to have tweaked his knee and was replaced by Zach Mettenberger.
Texans at Jaguars
The Texans and Jaguars faced off in a game between the two worst teams in the AFC. The Jaguars have scored the least while giving up the most points in the AFC. The Texans were third worst in points scored and points allowed.
Brian Hoyer led the Texans offense with 293 yards passing and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter. DeAndre Hopkins was his favorite target, catching 10 passes for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Blake Bortles threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions. Bortles was also the Jags’ leading rusher, with 37 yards on four carries.
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Bengals at Bills
The Bengals brought their undefeated record into Buffalo looking to avoid a “trap” game. They beat the Seahawks last week and have a bye week next week before facing the Steelers. The Bills are chasing the Jets and the Patriots in the AFC East, and they need a win to stay relevant.
EJ Manual started for the Bills and led them to an early touchdown drive to give the Bills a 7-0 lead on the first drive of the game. Unfortunately for the Bills, that was the only lead they would have.
Andy Dalton capped off a first quarter drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Hill. Giovani Bernard had a 17-yard touchdown run to give the Bengals a 14-7 second quarter lead. Two second half touchdown passes by Dalton put the game out of reach as the Bengals stayed unbeaten.
Broncos at Browns
The Broncos are another undefeated team taking their show on the road. Peyton Manning has not put up the numbers that everybody expects him to, but the Broncos defense has stepped up. The Browns have improved more than many have expected and they are trying to stay with the Steelers and the Bengals.
Peyton Manning struggled again this week, throwing three interceptions, and the defense came to the rescue again. Aqib Talib returned an interception 63 yards for Denver’s first touchdown, and the Broncos went into halftime with a 10-0 lead.
Gary Barnidge scored on a 11-yard touchdown pass, his first of the day, to make it a 10-7 game. After a pair of Bronco field goals, Barnidge caught another touchdown pass, this one from 14 yards out. The Broncos went ahead on a 75 yard touchdown pass from Manning to Emmanual Sanders, but the Browns tied the game up with 2 seconds to go in regulation with a field goal.
On the opening drive of overtime, Manning threw an interception that gave the Browns the ball on the 39 yard line, just on the outside of field goal range. That is when the defense really stepped up, stopping R Turbin for a three-yard loss and then sacking Josh McCown twice for a total of 10 yards to push them far out of field goal range.
After the Broncos managed to recover their muffed punt, Manning drove the Broncos from their own 12 yard line to the Cleveland 16 to set up the game-winning 34-yard field goal.
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Redskins at Jets
The Redskins have had a rough start to the season, but they are only a game behind the Giants in the NFC East. The Jets have shaken off the train wreck of a preseason to start 3-1, and they are looking to add pressure to the Patriots.
The Redskins defense had a great first half. It started with the first play by the Jets, when Kyshoen Jarrett forced a fumble that Bashaud Breeland recovered. That led to a touchdown for the Redskins. Then, in the second quarter, Breeland forced and recovered a fumble, leading to a Redskins field goal. On the next drive, Breeland intercepted a pass and that led to another three points and a 13-10 halftime lead.
Ryan Fitzpatrick settled the team down in the second half and led the Jets to a solid victory. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for another to give the Jets a 34-13 lead. The Redskins would block a punt in the end zone for a touchdown, but the Jets would be able to run out the last four minutes of the game.
Cardinals at Steelers
The Cardinals defense has been extremely opportunistic, and their offense has been high flying. The Steelers offense is missing Ben Roethlisberger, but their defense has done enough to force an overtime in one game and set up a game-winning touchdown as time expired in the other since Big Ben went down.
The Steeler defense kept the team in the game while the offense struggled. They kept the Cardinals out of the end zone on all but one of the first half drives. An interception and a missed field goal helped keep the score to 10-3 at halftime.
Michael Vick came out of the game early in the third quarter with a hamstring issue and Landry Jones took advantage of his chance behind center. He completed eight of twelve passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns against a very tough Cardinal defense to lead the Steelers to a victory.
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Patriots at Colts
The Patriots brought their undefeated record into Indianapolis for the Sunday night game. They needed a win in order to stay in control of the AFC East. The Colts have been without Andrew Luck, but Luck was not having a good season before he went down. The AFC South is weak, and the Colts will stay on top regardless of how this game turns out.
The Colts came out fast, scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Tom Brady and the Patriots came right back with a touchdown drive of their own. The Colts added two touchdowns in the second quarter while holding the Patriots to a touchdown and two field goals for a 21-20 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, with the Patriots leading 27-21, the Colts made one of the strangest plays in NFL history. They lined up for a punt, then the entire team shifted to the right. Wide receiver Griff Whalen ran over to the ball and lined up as the center and backup safety Colt Anderson lined up under center. The Patriots lined five guys across from them, and when they snapped the ball, it was an easy tackle for a loss. The Patriots then drove for a touchdown and a 13 point lead.
That lead was just too much to overcome, as the Patriots held on for the victory.
