Week Three NFL Recaps

Atlanta Falcons 56 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 (TNF on CBS)

Matt Ryan completed 21 of 24 passes for 286-yards and three touchdowns, including two to Julio Jones, who piled up 161-yards on nine receptions. Devin Hester made history as his 62-yard punt return for a touchdown helped him surpass Deion Sanders for the most career return touchdowns in NFL history with 20. Hester also scored a rushing touchdown and racked up 142 all-purpose yards. Atlanta’s defense recorded three sacks and forced five turnovers.

San Diego Chargers 22 @ Buffalo Bills 10

Philip Rivers completed 18 of 25 passes for 256-yards and two touchdown passes. Both of his scoring strikes went to Eddie Royal. E.J. Manuel completed 23 of 39 passes for 238-yards and a touchdown pass to Fred Jackson. Jackson accumulated 112-yards of total offense, but his score was the only touchdown the Bills would get. San Diego’s defense registered three sacks and forced a fourth quarter safety on an intentional grounding call against Buffalo.

Dallas Cowboys 34 @ St. Louis Rams 31

Dallas overcame a first half deficit of three touchdowns to defeat the Rams, 34-31. Tony Romo overcame a “picked six” by completing 18 of 23 passes for 217-yards and two touchdown passes. DeMarco Murray ran for 100-yards on 24 carries and scored once. The Cowboys defense also contributed points of its own when linebacker Bruce Carter ran an interception into the end zone for a 25-yard score.

Philadelphia Eagles 37 vs. Washington Redskins 34

The Eagles came back once again. Trailing 17-7, Nick Foles brought the Eagles from behind by completing 27 of 41 passes for 325-yards and three touchdown passes, two of which went to rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews. Jeremy Maclin made eight receptions for 154-yards and scored once. Philadelphia’s special teams got a boost when Chris Polk returned a kickoff for a 102-yard touchdown. In his first start of the season, Kirk Cousins completed 30 of 48 passes for 427-yards and three touchdown passes. DeSean Jackson returned to Philly and made five receptions for 117-yards, including an 81-yard touchdown reception. Pierre Garcon also found the end zone while catching 11 passes for 138-yards.

New York Giants 30 vs. Houston Texans 17

The Giants got into the win column by taking down the unbeaten Houston Texans. Eli Manning completed 21 of 28 passes for 234-yards and a pair of touchdown passes, including one to Victor Cruz. Cruz made five receptions for 107-yards. Rashad Jennings rushed for 176-yards on 34 carries and scored once. Ryan Fitzpatrick accounted for both of Houston’s touchdowns, passing for one and rushing for one. Fitzpatrick did throw three interceptions in the game.

New Orleans Saints 20 vs. Minnesota Vikings 9

Drew Brees completed 27 of 35 passes for 293-yards and a pair of touchdown passes. The Saints defense held Minnesota without a touchdown, limiting them to just three Blair Walsh field goals. Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater stepped in for Matt Cassel, who left the game in the second quarter with a broken foot. Bridgewater completed 12 of 20 passes for 150-yards in a promising debut.

Cincinnati Bengals 33 vs. Tennessee Titans 7

Andy Dalton completed 15 of 23 passes for 169-yards and scored on a touchdown reception. During the play, Dalton flipped the ball to wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, who then threw it back to Dalton. The signal caller ended up taking the pass for an 18-yard touchdown. Running back Giovani Bernard scored twice as Cincinnati’s offense scored 33 unanswered points. The Bengals defense intercepted Jake Locker twice and held Tennessee to a single touchdown, a one-yard run by Shonn Greene in the fourth quarter.

Baltimore Ravens 23 @ Cleveland Browns 21

Joe Flacco completed 19 of 31 passes for 217-yards and a touchdown pass. Flacco’s main target was Steve Smith, who made five catches for 101-yards. Ravens rookie running back Lorenzo Taliaferro rushed for 91-yards on 18 carries and scored once. Brian Hoyer completed 19 of 25 passes for 290-yards and a touchdown to Miles Austin. Cleveland actually led by a point in the fourth quarter, but Flacco got Justin Tucker into position for a game winning 32-yard field goal, which he made as time expired.

Detroit Lions 19 vs. Green Bay Packers 7

Despite throwing two interceptions, Matthew Stafford completed 22 of 34 passes for 246-yards. Running back Reggie Bush racked up 99-yards of total offense and scored the Lions only touchdown of the game on a 26-yard run. Detroit’s defense limited Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to 223-yards of total offense and a single touchdown. The Lions also got a safety and a defensive touchdown on a 40-yard fumble return by strong safety Don Carey.

Indianapolis Colts 44 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 17

Andrew Luck completed 31 of 39 passes for 370-yards and four touchdowns, in the Colts win over the Jaguars on Sunday. Indianapolis gained a total of 529-yards overall as the Colts scored a string of 30 unanswered points before the Jaguars could get on the board. At halftime, Jacksonville Head Coach Gus Bradley benched Chad Henne in favor of rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. Bortles completed 14 of 24 passes for 233-yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. One of the touchdowns came courtesy of Allen Hurns, who scored from 63-yards out.

New England Patriots 16 vs. Oakland Raiders 9

Tom Brady completed 24 of 37 passes for 234-yards and a scoring strike to tight end Rob Gronkowski for the only touchdown of the game. Oakland had a chance to tie the game and send it into overtime. With 3:12 remaining, Derek Carr led a seven play, 50-yard drive. However, his pass was intercepted by Vince Wilfork and the Patriots hung on for the win.

Arizona Cardinals 23 vs. San Francisco 49ers 14

Making his second straight start, Drew Stanton completed 18 of 33 passes for 244-yards and two touchdown passes, both to wide receiver John Brown. Stanton also benefitted from a five catch, 114-yard performance by Michael Floyd. Colin Kaepernick completed 29 of 37 passes for 245-yards and a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree, who made ten receptions. Arizona sealed the deal when kicker Chandler Catanzaro made a 35-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining.

Seattle Seahawks 26 vs. Denver Broncos 20 (OT)

This game marked the first rematch of the previous season’s Super Bowl since 1997, when the Packers traveled to Foxboro to face the Patriots. Denver trailed 17-3, but Peyton Manning led a comeback by completing 31 of 49 passes for 303-yards. Emmanuel Sanders made 11 receptions for 147-yards and tight end Jacob Tamme caught a 26-yard touchdown pass which helped tie the score at 20 in the fourth quarter. Russell Wilson, who completed 24 of 34 passes for 258-yards and two scores, led the game-winning 13 play, 80-yard drive in overtime. The game ended when Marshawn Lynch scored his second touchdown from six-yards out. Lynch piled up 128-yards of total offense.

Kansas City Chiefs 34 @ Miami Dolphins 15

The Chiefs broke a tight game wide open in the fourth quarter by scoring 13 unanswered points to defeat Miami. Alex Smith overcame five sacks, including one for a safety, by completing 19 of 25 passes for 186-yards and three touchdown passes, including two to running back Joe McKnight. Knile Davis carried 32 times for 132-yards and scored once from 21-yards out. Kansas City’s defense sacked Ryan Tannehill four times during the contest.

Pittsburgh Steelers 37 @ Carolina Panthers 19 (SNF on NBC)

Ben Roethlisberger completed 22 of 30 passes for 196-yards and two touchdown passes, both of which went to Antonio Brown, who made ten receptions. Pittsburgh finished with two 100-yard rushers. Le’Veon Bell rushed for 147-yards on 21 carries while LeGarrette Blount carried ten times and picked up 118-yards while scoring a touchdown. The Steelers defense registered three sacks and forced a pair of turnovers.

Chicago Bears 27 @ New York Jets 19 (MNF on ESPN)

Jay Cutler completed 23 of 38 passes for 225-yards and two touchdown passes, which both went to tight end Martellus Bennett. Alshon Jeffery led Chicago in receiving, making eight receptions for 105-yards. Geno Smith overcame two interceptions by completing 26 of 43 passes for 316-yards and a touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley. New York outgained the Bears in total yardage, 414-257, and had a chance to tie the game with just over three minutes remaining. Smith led a 12 play, 71-yard drive which carried to the Chicago nine-yard line. But on fourth and five, his pass completion to Kerley was caught out of bounds and the Bears hung on to win.