Josh Jacobs rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns and the defense forced three turnovers to lift the host Green Bay Packers to a 38-10 rout of the slumping San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Green Bay (8-3) avenged last season’s playoff defeat to the reigning NFC champion 49ers, who lost their second game in a row to fall to 5-6.
Jordan Love passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Packers to a season high in points.
Green Bay scored the first 17 points, moving the ball efficiently against a San Francisco defense whose inactives included defensive end Joey Bosa (hip, oblique) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (personal matter).
Injuries on offense also took a toll. Brandon Allen started at quarterback for San Francisco in place of Brock Purdy, who was out with a sore right (throwing) shoulder, while left tackle Trent Williams also missed the game.
Love hit Tucker Kraft for an 11-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. The Packers made it 10-0 on Brandon McManus’ 51-yard field goal late in the first quarter and surged ahead 17-0 on Jacobs’ 1-yard TD run with 6:33 left in the second.
Jacobs struck again with 4:28 remaining in the third quarter on another score from a yard out. Green Bay capitalized on a short field after Xavier McKinney intercepted Allen and returned the ball to the San Francisco 26.
Following a Jake Moody field goal for the 49ers, the Packers scored another touchdown off a takeaway. Jacobs sealed the third three-TD effort of his career with 10:59 left in the game, shortly after Allen fumbled on Lukas Van Ness’ sack and Kenny Clark recovered at the Niners’ 16.
The 49ers punted on their first two possessions but the attack began clicking before halftime. San Francisco collected its initial first down on an Allen pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk, which proved to be the first play of a 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. Allen capped the possession with a 3-yard scoring pass to George Kittle.
Tagovailoa, Dolphins extend Patriots’ misery in Miami
Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Miami Dolphins to an easy 34-15 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Tagovailoa completed 29 of 40 passes as Miami (5-6) continued to dominate the Patriots at home. New England has now dropped 10 of its past 12 games at Hard Rock Stadium.
Jaylen Waddle hauled in eight receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown and former Patriot Jonnu Smith had nine catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Dolphins, who have won three straight games. Running back De’Von Achane was on the receiving end of a pair of scores.
Drake Maye finished with 222 yards, one TD and one interception on 22-of-37 passing for New England (3-9), which punted five times, missed a field goal and lost a fumble before finally putting up points with 13:43 left in the game.
With nothing to lose on fourth-and-15 from the Miami 38, Maye lobbed up a deep ball that Austin Hooper snagged near the 3. Hooper then spun around and crossed the goal line to get the Patriots within 31-7.
After Joey Slye missed a 45-yard field-goal attempt at the end of New England’s second drive of the game, the Dolphins completely took over.
Seahawks use defense to defeat Cardinals
Coby Bryant returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown midway through the third quarter as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the visiting Arizona Cardinals 16-6 Sunday afternoon to move into a tie for first place in the NFC West.
Geno Smith completed 22 of 31 passes for 254 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Seahawks (6-5), who won their second consecutive divisional game.
Seattle’s Jason Myers kicked a 50-yard field goal with 1:56 remaining to help clinch the victory.
Kyler Murray was 24-of-37 passing for 285 yards with one interception for the Cardinals (6-5). Tight end Trey McBride established career highs of 12 catches and 133 yards.
Trailing 7-3, the Cardinals reached Seattle’s 40-yard line on their opening possession of the second half. They decided to go for it on fourth-and-1, with Murray rolling to his right in an attempt to run for the first down. But Murray’s path was blocked and he lofted a pass for Michael Wilson that was picked off by Bryant and returned down the left sideline.
The Seahawks took the lead for good on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 1:14 remaining in the second quarter. The key to the seven-play, 61-yard drive was a screen pass to Smith-Njigba that he turned into a 46-yard gain to Arizona’s 4. Smith-Njigba had six catches for 77 yards.
Cowboys beat Commanders to halt five-game slide
Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush passed for two touchdowns while watching his team return two kicks for additional scores and Dallas held off the Washington Commanders in a wild fourth quarter for a 34-26 win on Sunday afternoon in Landover, Md.
Dallas led 10-9 after three quarters.
With his team trailing 27-20, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels hit Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter, but Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game to prevent the Commanders from drawing even.
Juanyeh Thomas of the Cowboys then returned an onside kick 43 yards for a touchdown to complete the scoring.
Rush completed 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards for Dallas (4-7), which snapped a five-game losing streak. Rico Dowdle ran 19 times for 86 yards, and CeeDee Lamb had 10 catches for 67 yards.
Daniels was 25-of-38 passing for 275 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for reeling Washington (7-5), which has lost three straight games. Daniels ran for 74 yards and one score. McLaurin had five catches for 102 yards.
Trailing 20-9 late in the fourth quarter, Washington drove 69 yards in nine plays, and Daniels hit Zach Ertz for a 4-yard touchdown. Daniels ran for two points, and Washington trailed 20-17 with 3:02 remaining.
KaVontae Turpin muffed the ensuing kickoff, picked it up at his own 1 and raced 99 yards for a touchdown to make it 27-17.
Seibert’s 51-yard field goal pulled the Commanders within 27-20 with 1:40 left.
With the score tied 3-3, Washington started with the ball in the second half and went 60 yards in 10 plays. On third-and-3 from the Dallas 17, Daniels faked a handoff, ran left and scored his first rushing touchdown since Week 4. Seibert missed the point after, and Washington led 9-3.
Dallas answered with an 80-yard drive. A 24-yard pass interference penalty gave the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the 3. Two plays later, Rush found Jalen Tolbert in the end zone for a 6-yard score, and the ensuing extra point made it 10-9.
Brandon Aubrey’s 48-yard field goal made it 13-9 with 8:11 remaining in the game.
On the next play from scrimmage, Daniels hit John Bates for 13 yards, but Donovan Wilson forced a fumble and Dallas recovered at the Washington 44. Five plays later, Rush found Luke Schoonmaker down the middle for a 22-yard touchdown and a 20-9 advantage with 5:16 left.
Chiefs hold off Panthers, win on last-second FG
Patrick Mahomes threw three touchdown passes and Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yard field goal on the game’s final play as the Kansas City Chiefs topped the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday afternoon at Charlotte.
It was a bounce-back effort for the Chiefs (10-1), who lost for the first time this season a week earlier against the Buffalo Bills. Kansas City never trailed yet had to use a 57-yard drive to move into scoring position to close the game.
Mahomes was 27-of-37 for 269 yards, tight end Noah Gray caught two touchdown passes and Shrader kicked three field goals.
Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard ran 1 yard for a touchdown with 1:46 remaining and tacked on a two-point conversion run to knot the score at 27-all. It was the second try on the conversion after a defensive pass penalty on an incomplete throw.
Bryce Young threw for 263 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (3-8), who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Eddy Pineiro kicked field goals from 30, 32, 29 and 33 yards.
Carolina tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders was carted off the field just before halftime and was hospitalized with a neck injury. Sanders had movement in all extremities and was released from the hospital, according to head coach Dave Canales.