NFL roundup: Derek Carr leads Raiders past Steelers

September 20, 2021

Derek Carr threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns Sunday as the Las Vegas Raiders topped the host Pittsburgh Steelers 26-17 in Week 2 action.

Carr hit on 28 of 37 passes, including a pair of huge completions in the fourth quarter, as the Raiders improved to 2-0. The Steelers, upset winners in Buffalo in Week 1, were denied achieving a 2-0 start for the second straight season.

After teaming with speedy receiver Henry Ruggs for a 61-yard scoring strike with 9:35 remaining to give Las Vegas a 23-14 lead, Carr found Darren Waller for 25 yards and a first down with three minutes on the clock. That helped the Raiders run the clock down to 20 seconds, and Daniel Carlson connected on a 45-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, to ice the outcome.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 27 of 40 passes for 295 yards with a touchdown pass — to rookie running back Najee Harris — and an interception for Pittsburgh. Kicker Chris Boswell pulled the Steelers within 23-17 with 3:42 left in the game when he boomed a 56-yard field goal, the longest in the 20-year history of Heinz Field.

Bears 20, Bengals 17

Roquan Smith had eight tackles, one sack and an interception return for a 53-yard score and Chicago held off visiting Cincinnati.

Allen Robinson II added a touchdown reception for Chicago (1-1), which won its home opener. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields completed six of his 13 passes for 60 yards and an interception and rushed 10 times for 31 yards as an injury replacement for starter Andy Dalton, who left because of a knee injury.

Cincinnati (1-1) rallied with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns but could not overcome four turnovers on offense. Bengals signal-caller Joe Burrow completed 19 of 30 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, but threw interceptions on three consecutive passes in the second half.

Rams 27, Colts 24

Matthew Stafford passed for 278 yards and two touchdowns as Los Angeles rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit for a victory over host Indianapolis.

Cooper Kupp caught nine passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns and running back Darrell Henderson Jr. had 53 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown as the Rams (2-0) won despite blowing an 11-point second-half lead. The Rams took the lead for good on a 38-yard field goal from Matt Gay with 2:27 remaining.

Carson Wentz passed for 247 yards with one touchdown for the Colts (0-2), but was not on the field for Indianapolis’ final drive after he rolled his ankle following a fourth-quarter hit from Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Backup Jacob Eason took over for Wentz. He was intercepted by Jalen Ramsey on his second pass attempt with 2:13 remaining.

Broncos 23, Jaguars 13

Teddy Bridgewater passed for 328 yards and two touchdowns to lead Denver over host Jacksonville.

Noah Fant and Tim Patrick caught touchdown passes and Courtland Sutton had nine receptions for 159 yards for Denver. Bridgewater completed 26 of 34 passes as the Broncos achieved their first 2-0 start since 2018.

Trevor Lawrence completed 14 of 33 passes for 118 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Jacksonville, which dropped its 17th straight game. Jamal Agnew returned a kickoff 102 yards for a score and Marvin Jones II caught six passes for 55 yards and one touchdown.

Patriots 25, Jets 6

Mac Jones prevailed in a battle of highly touted rookie quarterbacks as New England earned a win over Zach Wilson and the host New York Jets.

Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in this year’s draft, completed 22-of-30 passes for 186 yards en route to his first NFL victory. Damien Harris rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown and James White also had a rushing TD for New England (1-1), which bounced back from a season-opening 17-16 home loss to Miami.

No. 2 overall pick Wilson was intercepted four times and threw for 210 yards on 19-of-33 passing for the Jets. Wilson has thrown five picks in his first two NFL games. New York (0-2) suffered its 11th consecutive loss to New England over a six-year span.

49ers 17, Eagles 11

Jimmy Garoppolo scored his first rushing touchdown since 2019 and threw for another score as San Francisco completed a 2-0 trip to the Eastern Time Zone with a victory over Philadelphia.

One week after allowing 430 yards and 33 points in a win at Detroit, the 49ers limited the Eagles to 328 yards and nothing more than a 45-yard Jake Elliott field goal over the game’s first 55 minutes.

Garoppolo’s 1-yard quarterback sneak capped a 16-play, 92-yard drive and gave the 49ers (2-0) a 14-3 lead with 10:52 remaining in the game.

Panthers 26, Saints 7

Sam Darnold threw two touchdown passes and Carolina rode a solid first half to victory over visiting New Orleans in Charlotte, N.C.

Thanks to stingy defense, the Panthers (2-0) took a 17-0 halftime lead that allowed them to win at home for the second week in a row. The Saints (1-1) managed only 128 yards of total offense on a day that several members of the coaching staff were absent due to COVID-19 protocols.

Jameis Winston of the Saints (1-1) was limited to 111 yards on 11-of-22 passing with two interceptions after tossing five touchdown passes a week earlier in a rout of the Green Bay Packers.

Bills 35, Dolphins 0

Josh Allen passed for 179 yards and two touchdowns to lead Buffalo to a shutout of host Miami.

The Dolphins (1-1) lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first quarter due to a rib injury. He was hit while trying to pass as defensive end AJ Epenesa beat Dolphins right tackle Jesse Davis on the play. Jacoby Brissett, who replaced Tagovailoa, completed 24 of 40 passes for 169 yards, no touchdowns and one pick. The Dolphins made numerous mistakes, including lost fumbles by Jakeem Grant and rookie first-round pick Jaylen Waddle.

Devin Singletary rushed 13 times for 82 yards and one touchdown to lead Buffalo (1-1). Backup running back Zack Moss added a pair of late touchdown rushes.

Browns 31, Texans 21

Baker Mayfield threw for a touchdown and rushed for another to lead host Cleveland to a win over Houston.

Mayfield completed 19 of 21 passes for 213 yards and Nick Chubb added 95 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Browns (1-1).

Tyrod Taylor completed 10 of 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown for the Texans (1-1). He also rushed for a score before leaving the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. That touchdown made it 14-7 Houston midway through the second quarter, but Cleveland took over from there with 17 straight points.

Buccaneers 48, Falcons 25

Tom Brady tossed five touchdown passes and Mike Edwards returned two fourth-quarter interceptions for scores to finalize Tampa Bay’s home win over Atlanta (0-2).

Leading 28-25 as the fourth period started, the Buccaneers (2-0) pulled away as Brady hit Chris Godwin for a 12-yard touchdown with 9:18 left. Edwards picked off Matt Ryan less than 90 seconds later and lugged it 31 yards to make it 41-25. Edwards sealed the outcome with 4:01 remaining with a 15-yard interception return.

Brady completed 24 of 36 passes for 276 yards and has thrown for nine scores in the first two games. Ten different receivers caught at least one pass, with Mike Evans grabbing five for 75 yards.

Cowboys 20, Chargers 17

Kicker Greg Zuerlein drilled a 56-yard field goal with no time remaining to push visiting Dallas over Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium.

The Cowboys (1-1) were led by the running game that totaled 198 yards. Tony Pollard paced Dallas with 109 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Ezekiel Elliott added 71 yards and a score on 16 carries. Dak Prescott finished 23-of-27 passing for 237 yards, and an interception. CeeDee Lamb led the Cowboys with eight receptions for 81 yards.

For the Chargers (1-1), Justin Herbert completed 31 of 41 passes for 338 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Cardinals 34, Vikings 33

Kyler Murray passed for three touchdowns, ran for another and accounted for 431 yards in total offense, and rookie Rondale Moore had seven receptions for 114 yards and a score as host Arizona exhaled with a tight victory against Minnesota.

The Vikings (0-2) intercepted Murray twice in the second half and had the Cardinals (2-0) pressured into a fourth-and-5 from the Vikings’ 41 with 6:12 left, but Murray connected with Christian Kirk on a 35-yard fadeaway jump pass to convert, eventually setting up Matt Prater’s game-winning kick.

Minnesota had a chance to win on the final play, but Greg Joseph missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt wide right as time expired.

Titans 33, Seahawks 30 (OT)

Randy Bullock kicked four field goals, including a 36-yarder with 4:50 remaining in overtime, as Tennessee rallied to defeat host Seattle (1-1).

Derrick Henry rushed 35 times for 182 yards and three touchdowns — all in the second half — as the Titans (1-1) came back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

Henry scored on a 60-yard run with 12:17 remaining to pull the Titans within 30-23 and plunged in from 1-yard out to tie the score with 24 seconds left in regulation.

–Field Level Media

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