Bills at Jaguars
The Bills and Jaguars played the second of three games in London this year. The Jets beat the Dolphins 27-14 in week 4 and the Lions play the Chiefs there next week. The Bills came into the game with a 3-3 record and were trying to get into the playoff hunt. The Jaguars, on the other hand, came in with a 1-5 record and were looking for any improvement.
The Jaguars defense took control of the game in the second quarter, forcing three turnovers in less than three minutes, two of them going for touchdowns and the third one led to a touchdown. EJ Manuel led the Bills to 10 points in the last three minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to 27-13 at halftime.
The score stayed there until the Bills scored a field goal early in the fourth quarter. When there was less than seven minutes to go in the game, Manuel completed a 58-yard touchdown and, after a pass interference penalty, scored the two-point conversion to make it 27-24. Corey Graham picked off a Blake Bortles pass and ran it in for a 44-yard touchdown to give the Bills the lead, 31-27. But Bortles came back on the next drive and threw a 31-yard touchdown for a 34-31 lead that would hold up.
Jacksonville came away from London with a win after losing there the last two years. Buffalo will need to shake off this loss and get back to work to get back into the playoff picture.
Falcons at Titans
The Falcons suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the Saints last week, and they found themselves with the best second place record in the NFL. The Titans had a 1-4 record and they were without Marcus Mariota, who was injured last week against the Dolphins.
In a defensive battle, the Titans had a bend but don’t break defense. Matt Ryan had 251 yards passing and a touchdown, but he threw two interceptions. Devonta Freeman carried the ball 25 times for 116 yards, but he was kept out of the end zone. The Falcons were kept out of the end zone until nine minutes into the third period, when Ryan connected with Julio Jones for an eight-yard touchdown and a 10-7 lead.
That would be enough for the Falcons, as they held the Titans, led by Zach Mettenberger, to just seven points all game. Mettenberger only threw for 187 yards, but he did have a touchdown pass. He also threw two interceptions. The second one happened when the Titans were driving for a game-tying field goal with about a minute and a half left, sealing their fate.
The Falcons were not very impressive this week, but the did get back on the winning side after their first loss last week. The Titans lost their fifth straight game after an opening win at Tampa Bay.
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Saints at Colts
The Saints had a big win against the previously undefeated Falcons and they were hoping to dig themselves out of the 2-4 hole. The Colts welcomed back Andrew Luck, who threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s loss to the Patriots.
The Saints jumped out to a big lead, with a pair of touchdown runs by Khiry Robinson, a touchdown pass by Drew Brees, and a touchdown run by Mark Ingram. A missed extra point and a second-quarter interception were the only miscues for the Saints in the first half. They had a 27-0 lead early in the third quarter.
That is when Luck started the Colts’ comeback. He started with an 87-yard touchdown pass to TY Hilton. The defense got the ball back into Luck’s hands quickly, and Luck hit TY Hilton for another touchdown just three plays later. In the fourth quarter, Luch had another touchdown, this time to Donte Moncrief. But the Colts could not get the ball back and they came up just short.
Steelers at Chiefs
The Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick, so they had Landry Jones starting for the first time. The Chiefs have had a rough start, sitting in last place with a 1-5 record and they were without their running back, Jamaal Charles.
The Chiefs won the war of field goals in the first half, taking a 9-3 lead into halftime. Jones threw an interception early in the third quarter, and the Chiefs capitalized on it. Alex Smith led a 9-play drive that ended with a Charcandrick West touchdown to put the Chiefs up 16-7.
The Steelers answered that with a touchdown drive of their own, with Jones hitting Martavius Bryant for a 19-yard touchdown. Smith led another touchdown drive to give the Chiefs a 10-point lead with five minutes left in the game.
Jones was not able to answer that one, as he fumbled when he was sacked and the Chiefs recovered. The Chiefs were able to run the clock out and get their first win since Week 1.
Texans at Dolphins
The Texans got their second win last week and find themselves only one game behind the first-place Colts. The Dolphins also got their second win last week, their first game under new head coach Dan Campbell.
The Dolphins used big plays in the first half to put the game away early. The first quarter saw Ryan Tannehill throw a 53-yard touchdown to Rishard Matthews, a 50-yard touchdown to Jarvis Landry, and a 10-yard touchdown to Landry. Tannehill only had one touchdown pass in the second quarter, a 54-yarder to Lamar Miller. Reshard Jones returned an interception for a 23-yard touchdown and Miller had an 85-yard touchdown run (the kick failed) to give the Dolphins a 41-0 halftime lead.
The four plays of 50 or more yards is the most in at least 75 years, according to STATS. The Dolphins have scored 79 points in the first six quarters under Campbell, and the Dolphins are starting to think about the playoffs.
Brian Hoyer led the Texans on four touchdown drives in the second half, but it just was not enough. Even worse for the Texans, Arian Foster went down with an Achilles injury and he appears to be out for the season.
Jets at Patriots
The Jets and Patriots came together in a battle for first place in the AFC East. The Patriots were a perfect 5-0 and were looking to remain undefeated. The Jets came in at 4-1 and were trying to hand their division rival their first loss and take a share of the division lead.
The Jets built a 20-16 fourth quarter lead. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a pair of touchdown passes and Nick Folk had a pair of field goals and the defense was holding.
Tom Brady turned it on in the fourth quarter. He hit Danny Amendola for an eight-yard touchdown with 7:22 left to take the lead. After forcing a punt, Brady led the Patriots on another touchdown drive, giving them a 10 point lead with just over a minute to go.
The Jets drove down quickly and kicked a field goal. They attempted an onside kick and they recovered. The Jets were out of timeouts and needed a touchdown. Fitzpatrick completed a pass over the middle and the Jets hurried to the line to spike the ball and run one more play, but Brandon Marshall was not lined up and set, so a flag was thrown. The penalty included a 10-second runoff, so the game was over.
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Raiders at Chargers
This game pitted a pair of two-win division rivals against each other. Both teams are chasing the undefeated Broncos, and with a win in this game, either team could boost their slim chance to get to the playoffs.
The Raiders came out and scored early and often. Derek Carr threw two second quarter touchdowns, including a 52-yard pass that started as an inside screen to Amari Cooper. That score put the Raiders up 30-3. The Chargers would add a field goal before halftime. Carr added a touchdown pass in the third quarter, and they went to the fourth quarter with a 37-6 lead.
Philip Rivers took over in the fourth, throwing three touchdown passes and two two-point conversions for 23 fourth quarter points. It was a classic case of too little, too late.
