Browns at Bengals
The Browns have lost three in a row and seem destined to be at or near the bottom of the division. The Bengals came into the game as one of four unbeaten teams at 7-0. The Battle of Ohio looked like a one-sided affair on paper.
The Browns kept it close in the first half. Andy Dalton threw a pair of touchdowns to Tyler Eifert, but the Browns were able to score a field goal to go along with a Johnny Manziel touchdown pass to keep it to 14-10 at halftime.
The Bengal defense clamped down on the Browns, giving up just 32 yards and two first downs to the Browns. A field goal and a 25-yard touchdown run by Mohamed Sanu preceded a third touchdown pass to Eifert as the Bengals improved their record to 8-0. The eight-game winning streak is the longest that the Bengals have ever had in a single season.
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Dolphins at Bills
The Dolphins hot start under head coach Dan Campbell was cooled off last week in New England. The Bills had a bye week last week after losing the prior two games. This game featured the bottom two teams of the AFC East.
The Bills’ defense struck first when they forced a fumble by Ryan Tannehill on the Dolphins’ first play that went out of bounds in the end zone for a safety. LeSean McCoy busted out for a 48-yard touchdown on the ensuing Bills’ drive to open up a 9-0 lead.
Sammy Watkins scored on a 44-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to put the Bills up 26-14 and sent them on their way to a victory. The Dolphin loss dropped Campbell’s record to 2-2.
The Bills received bad news as McCoy left the game with a right shoulder injury. He is expected to play against the Jets on Thursday.
Raiders at Steelers
The Raiders carried a two-game winning streak into Pittsburgh after putting up 34 points against a good Jets defense. The Steelers, on the other hand, lost Le’veon Bell for the season last week, and could not get their offense going after their opening drive touchdown.
The Steelers and Raiders lit up the scoreboard, 73 points and 1037 yards. Derek Carr threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns. DeAngelo Williams ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 334 yards, giving him 40,565 in his career, passing Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana. But the star of the game was Antonio Brown, who had 17 catches for 284 yards. The 17 catches are a Steeler record and sixth most in NFL history. The 284 yards is also a Steeler record and is ninth most in NFL history.
The Steelers had built a 35-21 lead with two fourth quarter touchdowns, but Roethlisberger went down with a sprained foot. Carr led two touchdown drives to tie the game and the Raiders had the momentum. The Steelers got the ball with 1:15 left, and Landry Jones connected with Brown for a 57-yard pass that set up the game-winning field goal.
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Jaguars at Jets
The Jaguars had a bye week after their win over the Bills in Week 7. The Jets lost to the high-flying Raiders in Week 8, and put themselves in a tough position behind the undefeated Patriots.
Ryan Fitzpatrick started, even though he tore a ligament in his thumb against the Raiders. He threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Jets past the Jaguars. Eric Decker caught a seven-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to give the Jets their first lead. Chris Ivory had a pair of touchdown runs and Brandon Marshall capped off the Jets’ scoring with a 20-yard touchdown catch.
Blake Bortles did his best to keep the Jaguars in the game, throwing for 381 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. His second touchdown pass brought the score to 28-23 with 2:16 left in the game, but his second interception came with just 54 seconds left and kept the Jaguars from coming back.
Redskins at Patriots
The Redskins found themselves just a half game out of first place after their bye week. The Patriots came into this game as one of four undefeated teams.
The Patriots scored two touchdowns before the Redskins ran their second play, and it could have been worse. The Patriots started with the ball and an eight-yard touchdown pass capped off a 13-play drive. The Patriots then recovered an onside kick. On third and six, Julian Edelman had an 11-yard reception, but he fumbled and the Redskins recovered. On the very first play from scrimmage, Kirk Cousins threw an interception. The Patriots drove for a touchdown to put the Patriots up 14-0.
Jordan Reed caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but by then it was too little, too late. The Patriots have scored in 31 straight periods, all but the first quarter of the first game of the season. By the time the Redskins finally found the end zone, the Patriots already had 27 points.
Broncos at Colts
The Broncos were yet another undefeated team coming into Week 9. Peyton Manning came into the game needing just 284 yards to pass Brett Favre for the most career passing yards in NFL history. Manning was also tied with Favre with the most single season wins for a quarterback. This was the third time in four weeks that the Colts were playing an undefeated team, losing to the Patriots in Week 6 and the Panthers last week.
The Colts came out ready to play. Frank Gore scored on a seven-yard run to open the scoring in the first quarter, and Andrew Luck threw a touchdown pass in the second quarter to give the Colts a 17-0 lead. Omar Bolden scored on an 83-yard punt return as time expired in the first half to bring the score to 17-7.
Manning brought the Broncos back in the third quarter, starting with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders. They added a field goal to tie the game at 17. Luck threw his second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter only to have Manning answer that with one of his own.
Adam Vinatieri kicked a 55-yard field goal to put the Colts up with just over six minutes left. Manning got the ball back needing just three yards to break Favre’s record. On the first play of the drive, he threw an interception that ended his pursuit of both of Favre’s records, as the Colts would run out the clock and win the game.
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Bears at Chargers
The Bears have not played well this season, and they came into the game with a 2-5 record. The Chargers have lost four in a row, including a tough loss in Baltimore last week.
The Bears had issues with bad penalties that kept Charger drives going in the first half. Luckily for the Bears, the Chargers were having just as many problems on their end. Jason Verrett intercepted a Jay Cutler pass and ran it in for a 68-yard touchdown, but Josh Lambo missed the extra point. Then, when the Chargers were driving for a field goal late in the first half, the Bears went into a prevent defense that allowed the Chargers to get into much better field goal position.
The Chargers held a 16-7 lead going into the fourth quarter, but they could not hang on to it. Cutler led the Bears to two touchdown drives. Zach Miller had an incredible one-handed grab for the game-winning touchdown. Earlier in the game, Cutler threw a touchdown to Martellus Bennett for his 138th touchdown, breaking a tie with Sid Luckman for the most in Chicago Bears history.
The Chargers dropped their fifth in a row.
