Rob Issa, FISM News
Patrick Mahomes was unstoppable, making one acrobatic play after another to beat Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.
MAHOMES IS UNREAL 🤯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/rwsDTey5ah
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 3, 2022
Mahomes and the Chiefs handed Brady and the Bucs their second straight home loss, 41-31. Tampa Bay, who’ve struggled through suspensions and injuries to their receiving core in recent weeks, finally got its offense going in the second quarter, but the defense couldn’t stop Kansas City.
“Our red zone defense was poor. Our run defense was poor. Our pass defense was poor. Our third-down efficiency was poor,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “We played a poor game. That falls on me.”
On another Sunday filled with close games, comebacks, and upsets, Mahomes-Brady was the marquee matchup.
It didn’t meet expectations because of Tampa’s suddenly leaky defense, though, as the game wasn’t as close as the final score indicates.
Mahomes tossed three TD passes and the Chiefs led 38-17 late in the third quarter. Star tight end Travis Kelce had nine catches for 92 yards and one score.
Mahomes led the Chiefs to a convincing win in Tampa, hours after Kansas City’s main competition in the AFC enjoyed a big win of their own.
Bills 23, Ravens 20
The Bills rallied from a 20-3 deficit in Baltimore to beat the Ravens 23-20.
Ravens’ Coach John Harbaugh’s decision to go for it on fourth down from Buffalo’s two-yard line with just over four minutes left backfired when Lamar Jackson threw an interception. Josh Allen then led the Bills on a game-winning drive as Tyler Bass kicked a 21-yard field goal at the end of regulation.
“I thought, like, it gave us the best chance to win the game,” Harbaugh said. “It didn’t turn out that way, unfortunately, and we lost the game. Hindsight, you take the points. But you look at it analytically, you’ll understand why we did it.”
It marked the second time this year the Ravens have blown a lead of at least 20 points. They lost two weeks ago after leading the Miami Dolphins by 21 points at home.
Eagles 29, Jaguars 21
After four weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles remain the NFL’s only undefeated team. Miles Sanders ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns for the Eagles in a 29-21 win over Jacksonville and former Eagles coach Doug Pederson.
“It’s exciting,” Sanders said. “I’ve never been 2-0, never been 3-0 here. But the best thing about being 4-0 is being able to be 5-0. We’re just going to go back to watch film from this game to see what we can get better at, and then on to the next.”
The Eagles’ landmark Draft-day trade has paid off so far. Wide receiver A.J. Brown — who cost the Eagles first and third-round draft picks and a $100 million, four-year contract — had five catches for 95 yards on the day. He’s currently in the top five receivers in the league in yards (404), first-down receptions (18), and yards after catch (157).
Chargers 34, Texans 24
Justin Herbert threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns and Austin Ekeler had three total TDs to lead the Los Angeles Chargers over the Houston Texans 34-24.
Seahawks 48, Lions 45
Geno Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 48-45 victory over the Detroit Lions.
The two clubs combined for 93 points and 1,075 total yards of offense (Seattle had 555 yards, Detroit had 520 yards). It was the second game in NFL history in which two teams combined for at least 90 points and 1,075 total yards of offense, joining Cincinnati at Cleveland in Week 2 of the 2007 season.
Giants 20, Bears 12
Daniel Jones ran for two touchdowns and Saquon Barkley had 146 yards rushing to help the New York Giants beat the Chicago Bears 20-12. The Giants are arguably the surprise of the league, now sitting at 3-1 on the season. The Bears fell to 2-2.
Jets 24, Steelers 20
Zach Wilson rallied the New York Jets in Pittsburgh and Breece Hall ran for a 2-yard touchdown with 16 seconds remaining for a 24-20 win over the Steelers.
Packers 27, Patriots 24
Mason Crosby kicked a 31-yard field goal as overtime expired to lift the Green Bay Packers to a 27-24 win over the depleted New England Patriots. Rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe made his debut for New England just a week after sitting third in the depth chart after Brian Hoyer left with a head injury. Starter Mac Jones is out with an ankle injury.
Vikings 28, Saints 25
Greg Joseph kicked a 47-yard field goal with 24 seconds left to give Minnesota a 28-25 win over New Orleans in London. The Saints managed to get a last-second shot at overtime, but kicker Wil Lutz’s 61-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright and then the crossbar as time expired.
Cowboys 25, Commanders 10
Cooper Rush improved to 3-0 filling in for injured star quarterback Dak Prescott. He threw a touchdown pass to Michael Gallup as the Dallas Cowboys defeated Washington 25-10.
Falcons 23, Browns 20
Younghoe Koo’s 45-yard field goal, his third of the game, with 2:28 remaining gave the Atlanta Falcons a 23-20 win against Cleveland. Both teams now sit at 2-2 on the year.
Titans 24, Colts 17
Derrick Henry ran for 114 yards and a touchdown, mostly in the first half, and the Tennessee Titans held off Indianapolis 24-17.
Cardinals 26, Panthers 16
Kyler Murray threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns to outduel Baker Mayfield and Arizona beat Carolina 26-16. The Cardinals improved to 2-2, while the rebuilt Panthers offense continued to disappoint. Carolina is 1-3 on the year.