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NFL recap: 49ers surprised by Rams comeback, while Willis gets revenge on Titans | NFL


NFL recap: 49ers surprised by Rams comeback, while Willis gets revenge on Titans | NFL

With two seconds left, rookie Joshua Karty scored a 37-yard field goal and the Los Angeles Rams pulled off a spectacular final comeback to win 27-24 over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Kyren Williams ran for four yards with 1:50 left and scored his third touchdown of the day for the Rams (1-2), who overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half and celebrated their second consecutive victory over San Francisco (1-2) after losing 10 of their last 12 games against their NFC West arch-rivals.

Jauan Jennings set career highs with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns for the 49ers, who blew a lead of at least 14 points for the first time since 2018.

Los Angeles trailed 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, but Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt for San Francisco with 2:43 left. Matthew Stafford quickly found Tutu Atwell for a 50-yard pass to the San Francisco five, and Williams completed the pass two plays later.

Ronnie Bell then dropped a long pass with 1:02 left that would have put San Francisco within field goal range, and Xavier Smith – who was called up from the Rams’ practice squad for this game – threw his first career punt return 38 yards to the halfway line a few moments later.

A 25-yard pass interference penalty on linebacker De’Vondre Campbell put the Rams within field goal range, and their rookie kicker sank the kick. San Francisco threw several laterals on the final snap as time expired, but the play ended on the Rams’ sideline.

Baltimore Ravens – Dallas Cowboys 28-25

Derrick Henry ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Lamar Jackson scored two scores and the Baltimore Ravens held on for a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The Ravens scored touchdowns on their first two drives. Baltimore responded to the first 0-2 start since 2015 for a franchise that just appeared in the AFC championship game. The Cowboys have allowed 120 points in their last three home games, including a 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay in January that ended Dallas’ 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium. Dallas cut a 28-6 deficit to three in the fourth quarter before Baltimore took advantage of the final 2:53.

Green Bay Packers – Tennessee Titans 30:14

Malik Willis ran for a touchdown and threw for a score, his best performance in the NFL, to lead the Green Bay Packers (2-1) to a victory over the Tennessee Titans. Willis won his second consecutive start as Jordan Love’s backup. He also got some sweet revenge on the team that traded him to Green Bay in August. Willis accounted for 134 of the Packers’ 137 yards in the first quarter. He finished the game with 202 yards passing and 73 rushing. The Titans fell to 0-3 under new coach Brian Callahan, their worst start since losing their first six games of 2009.

Miami Dolphins – Seattle Seahawks 3:24

Geno Smith threw for 289 yards and a 71-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf, Zach Charbonnet ran for two TDs and the Seattle Seahawks beat Miami while attention turned to another injury to a Dolphins quarterback. A week after Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined by his third concussion in the last two years, the Dolphins watched Skylar Thompson suffer a pectoral injury in the second half, leaving Tim Boyle to try to bring the offense back from a 17-3 deficit. Boyle was unable to lead a comeback, and the Dolphins found themselves again in a situation of uncertainty about their QB situation. Seattle improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020.

Houston Texans – Minnesota Vikings 7:34

Sam Darnold matched his career-high with four touchdown passes and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings put together another dominant performance on defense, crushing CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans. Jonathan Greenard had three of Stroud’s four sacks as the Vikings intercepted the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year twice. Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter and scored a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game in the second half. He also provided a touchdown to tight end Johnny Mundt. The Vikings are 3-0. The Texans are 2-1.

New York Giants – Cleveland Browns 21-15

Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes to rookie Malik Nabers, New York’s defensive linemen took turns sacking Deshaun Watson and the Giants held the Cleveland Browns at bay. Jones completed 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards as the Giants (1-2) shook off a loss at Washington that drew a week of criticism for coach Brian Daboll. The Browns (1-2) rallied in the fourth quarter after dominating three quarters and missing three offensive players with injuries. But Cleveland failed to take the lead on three occasions. Running back Jerome Ford fumbled and the Giants stopped the Browns twice on fourth down in the final four minutes.

Carolina Panthers – Las Vegas Raiders 36-22

Andy Dalton gave the Panthers the quarterback play they have sorely lacked, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns to lead Carolina to a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Promoted to the starting lineup in place of the ineffective Bryce Young, Dalton led the Panthers to their first win and a 4-0 record against the Raiders. Carolina went 3-17 last season. The Panthers were beaten in the first two weeks of this year, prompting coach Dave Canales to bench Young. Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes and became the first NFL quarterback this season to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Chicago Bears-Indianapolis Colts 16-21

Jonathan Taylor ran for 110 yards and scored two touchdowns, Trey Sermon added a rushing TD and Jaylon Jones grabbed two interceptions to lead the Indianapolis Colts to victory over the Chicago Bears.

Indianapolis (1-2) overcame two Anthony Richardson interceptions and thrived with its running game while rebuilding its previously questionable run defense. The Colts had 151 rushing yards compared to 63 yards for the Bears (1-2).

Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, completed 33 of 52 passes for a career-high 363 yards and his first two touchdowns, along with two interceptions. Williams also lost a fumble on a strip sack that set up Taylor’s one-yard touchdown run with 5:22 left to give the Colts a 21-9 lead.

Philadelphia Eagles – New Orleans Saints 15-12

Saquon Barkley ran for touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) recovered from an annoying collapse at the end of the last game to beat the New Orleans Saints (2-1). Barkley’s shorter run came with 1:01 left, one play after Dallas Goedert’s 61-yard catch that gave him a career-high 170 yards on 10 catches. Eagles safety Reed Blankenship sealed the victory when he intercepted a pass from Derek Carr with 48 seconds left, capping a stellar performance by Philadelphia’s defense against an offense that had scored an NFL-record 91 points in the first two weeks of the regular season under new coordinator Klint Kubiak. The Saints’ lone touchdown came on a 12-yard catch by Chris Olaves.

Los Angeles Chargers – Pittsburgh Steelers 10-20

Justin Fields threw a touchdown and ran for another, and the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled away late to beat the Los Angeles Chargers. Pittsburgh improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020 thanks to another efficient performance from Fields. The quarterback completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, including a game-tying 55-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III midway through the fourth quarter. Fields also added a five-yard touchdown run and is quietly making a compelling case that he should be the starter even after Russell Wilson’s calf injury heals. The Chargers (2-1) lost starting quarterback Justin Herbert in the third quarter with an ankle injury.

Detroit Lions – Arizona Cardinals 20-13

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes, David Montgomery ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, and the Detroit Lions (2-1) held on to beat the Arizona Cardinals (1-2). The Lions continued their recent dominance of the series with a 5-0-1 record since 2017. Detroit’s defense held Arizona out of the end zone in the second half, allowing just one field goal. Goff completed his first 14 passes before throwing an incomplete pass in the third quarter. It was his longest streak without an incomplete pass to start a game in his nine-year career. He completed 18 of 23 passes for 196 yards.

Denver Broncos – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7

In his first NFL win, Bo Nix completed 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards and ran for 47 yards and a touchdown to lead the Denver Broncos to victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tyler Badie ran for 70 yards and Courtland Sutton caught seven passes for 68 yards as the Broncos (1-2) held Tampa Bay scoreless in the second half. Wil Lutz converted all four of his field goal attempts for Denver. Baker Mayfield completed 25 of 33 passes for 163 yards and threw a touchdown and an interception. Bucky Irving led Tampa Bay (2-1) with 70 rushing yards, while Chris Godwin caught six balls for 53 yards and a touchdown.

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