The Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals ended in a 27-27 tie after neither team scored in overtime. The Carolina Panthers had a 30-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. NFL writer Gregg Rosenthal felt that Carolina had the game won early.
“The Panthers won this game before halftime, just like in last season’s NFC Championship,” Rosenthal said. “They pressured and confused Carson Palmer consistently, sacking him eight times. They held the Cardinals to three first downs and a lost fumble on Arizona’s first five drives. By then, it was 24-0.”
Quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defeated the Buffalo Bills 41-25 in Buffalo, NY. Tight end Ron Gronkowski broke a franchise record for tight ends, getting his 69th touchdown in the second quarter. In a 20-13 game, the Houston Texans won at home against the Detroit Lions. The Lions were unsuccessful in pulling off another come-from-behind victory.
Down in the Bayou, the New Orleans Saints pulled an upset over the Seattle Seahawks after Russell Wilson’s incomplete pass to Jermaine Kearse in the final seconds of the game. The Atlanta Falcons barely scrapped past the Green Bay Packers in a 33-32 win. The Packers lacked heavily in their offense, with a good majority of their receivers and running backs being out with injuries.
Despite the lack in the Packer’s offense, NFL writer Chris Wesseling said quarterback Aaron Rodgers statistics are going in the right direction.
“Rodgers lacks a running game and a reliable downfield element in his aerial attack, but the arrow is finally pointing up again. Over his past six quarters going back to last week, he has completed 48 of 64 passes (74 percent) for 422 yards, seven touchdowns and a 128.5 passer rating,” Wesseling said.
In Denver, the Broncos’ defense snuffed out the San Diego Chargers, getting four sacks on quarterback Philip Rivers and three interceptions, including a pick six in the second quarter that changed the game for the Broncos. The New York Jets came out on top against the Cleveland Browns in a 31-28 win in Cleveland, while next door in Indiana the Indianapolis Colts fell to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Oakland Raiders were victorious against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going for it on fourth down in overtime. Quarterback Derek Carr hit receiver Seth Roberts down mid-field who broke away from a tackle and ran it into end zone to make it 30-24.
In the final game late on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys went into overtime against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott found tight end Jason Witten in the end zone, finalizing their 29-23 comeback in Arlington.
“Dak also guaranteed himself a start next week against the Browns,” said NFL Network writer Jeremy Bergmanowner. “Jerry Jones said after the game that Romo still isn’t ready to play, per NFL Network’s Jane Slater.”
