NFL Roundup: Lions Get First Win With TD on Final Play

NFL Roundup: Lions Get First Win With TD on Final Play
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver K.J. Osborn (17) scores a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during an NFL game at Ford Field, in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 5, 2021. (David Reginek/USA TODAY Sports via Field Level Media)
Field Level Media
12/7/2021
Updated:
12/7/2021

Jared Goff completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on the last play of the game and the Detroit Lions (+8.5) entered the win column with a 29–27 victory over the visiting Minnesota Vikings (-3) on Sunday.

Goff passed for 296 yards and three touchdowns for the Lions (1–10–1), who drove 75 yards in 14 plays after squandering a 14-point lead. St. Brown had a career-high 10 receptions for 86 yards. Jamaal Williams rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries.

Kirk Cousins threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead score to Justin Jefferson with 1:50 remaining, for Minnesota.

Jefferson caught 11 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (5–7). Alexander Mattison rushed for 90 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown.

Cardinals 33, Bears 22

Kyler Murray passed for two touchdowns and ran for two more in his return from injury and the defense snagged four interceptions as visiting Arizona defeated Chicago for its third win in four games.

Arizona (10–2) remained atop the NFC while clinching its first double-digit victory season since 2015. Murray was 11-for-15 passing for 123 yards while rushing 10 times for 59 yards. James Conner ran for 75 yards and had 36 receiving yards and a score.

David Montgomery rushed 21 times for 90 yards and a touchdown for the Bears while adding 51 yards on eight receptions. Andy Dalton was 26-for-41 passing for 229 yards and two touchdowns. Jakeem Grant had five catches for 62 yards and a score.

Chargers 41, Bengals 22

Justin Herbert threw all three of his touchdown passes in the first half and visiting Los Angeles survived a late scare to earn a victory over Cincinnati.

Keenan Allen caught two TD passes from Herbert in the first quarter alone as the Chargers (7–5) rebounded from a road defeat at Denver last week. Herbert was 26 of 35 for 317 yards with an interception.

Joe Burrow was 24 of 40 for 300 yards with one TD and two interceptions for Cincinnati (7–5), while playing with a swollen right pinky finger. Joe Mixon had 54 yards rushing on 19 carries with a TD, finding the end zone in his ninth consecutive game.

Steelers 20, Ravens 19

Ben Roethlisberger and Diontae Johnson connected on the go-ahead touchdown with 1:48 remaining, and Pittsburgh stopped Baltimore on a potential game-winning two-point conversion in the final seconds to cap a thrilling home win.

Pittsburgh (6–5–1), which was coming off an ugly 0–2–1 stretch that included a tie against the lowly Detroit Lions and a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals (+1), trailed by one with 7:18 left. Roethlisberger finished 21 of 31 for 236 yards with two TD passes to Johnson, who totaled 105 yards on eight receptions.

Lamar Jackson passed for 253 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran for a team-high 55 yards for Baltimore (8–4), which dropped into a tie with the Tennessee Titans (-9) and New England Patriots (+3) in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. The Titans (8–4) have a bye this weekend, while the Patriots (8–4) visit the Buffalo Bills (-2.5) on Monday Night Football.

Buccaneers 30, Falcons 17

Tom Brady threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to tight end Rob Gronkowski, as visiting Tampa Bay posted a win over Atlanta.

Brady completed 38 of 51 attempts as Tampa Bay improved to 9-3 and moved one step closer to clinching the NFC South. Brady and Gronkowski hooked up on a 11-yard scoring strike with 29 seconds left in the third quarter for a 10-point lead. But it was Chris Godwin who carried most of the load for the Bucs’ receiving corps, catching 15 passes for 143 yards.

Matt Ryan completed 30 of 41 passes for 297 yards for Atlanta, including finding Russell Gage 11 times for 130 yards. The Falcons (5–7) missed on a chance to put pressure on Washington, which entered the day holding the NFC’s last playoff spot at 6–6.

Dolphins 20, Giants 9

Tua Tagovailoa passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns, leading host Miami past New York for its fifth straight win.

Rookie Jaelan Phillips had two of the three sacks by the Dolphins (6-7), who held an opponent without a touchdown for the second time in five weeks. Tagovailoa completed 30-of-41 passes with no interceptions. Dolphins rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for 90 yards before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter due to leg cramps.

The Giants (4–8) struggled on offense without three injured standouts: quarterback Daniel Jones (neck) and wide receivers Kadarius Toney (oblique) and Sterling Shepard (quad). Giants backup QB Mike Glennon completed 23-of-44 passes for 187 yards and one interception. Running back Saquon Barkley rushed 11 times for 55 yards.

Eagles 33, Jets 18

Gardner Minshew II threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns in his first start for Philadelphia and Jake Elliott kicked four field goals to help defeat New York at East Rutherford, N.J.

Miles Sanders rushed for 120 yards on 24 carries for the Eagles (6–7), while tight end Dallas Goedert had six receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Elliott connected on field goals from 31, 32, 43 and 46 yards. Minshew, who was 20-for-25 with no interceptions, was traded to the Eagles by Jacksonville in late August to make way for rookie Trevor Lawrence. He played in place of Jalen Hurts, who sprained his ankle last week.

Zach Wilson finished 23 of 38 for 226 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Jets (3–9) in his second game back after missing four games because of a knee injury.

Rams 37, Jaguars 7

Matthew Stafford completed 26 of 38 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and Los Angeles cruised over Jacksonville.

Cooper Kupp had eight catches for 129 yards and a touchdown for Los Angeles (8–4), which snapped a three-game losing streak and won for the first time since Oct. 31. Sony Michel had 24 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown to lead the Rams on the ground.

Trevor Lawrence completed 16 of 28 passes for 145 yards for Jacksonville (2–10). Carlos Hyde scored a rushing touchdown for the Jaguars, who have lost four straight games.

Seahawks 30, 49ers 23

Russell Wilson completed 30 of 37 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns and Seattle made a goal-line stand in the final minute to snap a three-game losing streak with a victory against visiting San Francisco.

The 49ers (6–6) had a three-game winning streak come to an end, even though Adrian Peterson scored on a 1-yard run in his debut for the Seahawks (4–8). It was his 126th career touchdown, tying Jim Brown for 10th on the NFL’s all-time list.

San Francisco (6–6) took over at its own 2-yard line with 4:03 remaining after Seahawks tight end Gerald Everett fumbled after catching a pass on third-and-goal. The 49ers drove to Seattle’s 3, but Jimmy Garoppolo’s fourth-down pass was deflected by Carlos Dunlap at the line of scrimmage to clinch the victory. Dunlap sacked Garoppolo for a safety early in the third quarter to tie the score at 23-all.

Washington 17, Raiders 15

Brian Johnson kicked a 48-yard field goal with 37 seconds left and the Football Team escaped with a victory against host Las Vegas, winning their fourth game in a row.

Washington (6–6) led most of the game but needed a final scoring drive to pull off its third road win of the season. The Raiders never reached Washington territory on their last chance.

Taylor Heinicke was 23-for-30 passing for 196 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for Washington. Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr threw for 249 yards by completing 28 of 38 passes. Daniel Carlson’s 37-yard field goal with 2:22 left gave the Raiders (6–6) the lead for the first time in the game.

Chiefs 22, Broncos 9

Patrick Mahomes passed for only 184 yards and no touchdowns, but the Kansas City defense maintained its stubborn streak in helping to down Denver in breezy Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City (8–4) forced three turnovers, including a 75-yard touchdown return of an interception Daniel Sorensen grabbed off a deflection by teammate Ben Niemann. Harrison Butker kicked three field goals for the Chiefs as Andy Reid improved to 20-3 for his NFL coaching career when coming off a bye in the regular season.

Teddy Bridgewater completed 22 of 40 passes for 257 yards but threw two interceptions as the Broncos dipped to 6–6 with their 12th straight loss to the Chiefs. Rookie Javonte Williams carried 23 times for 102 yards taking over for injured Melvin Gordon.

Colts 31, Texans 0

Jonathan Taylor posted his seventh 100-yard rushing game this season and matched the franchise record for single-season rushing touchdowns, lifting visiting Indianapolis past Houston.

Taylor had 32 attempts for 143 yards plus scoring runs of 1 and 3 yards, bumping his season total to 16 rushing touchdowns and matching the number Hall of Famer Lenny Moore produced in 1964. The Colts (7–6) remained unbeaten when Taylor has rushed for at least 100 yards. Defensively the Colts dominated, allowing 141 yards while forcing a pair of turnovers.

Texans quarterback Davis Mills supplanted veteran Tyrod Taylor, who finished 5 of 13 for 45 yards with an interception. The Colts sacked Taylor twice and battered him repeatedly, sending Taylor to the medical tent after his last possession. Taylor was evaluated for an injury and cleared to return but did not.