NFL Roundup: Dolphins Score 70 Points in Routing Broncos

NFL Roundup: Dolphins Score 70 Points in Routing Broncos
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) eludes the tackle of Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders (41) in the third quarter of an NFL game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Sept. 24, 2023. (Jim Rassol/USA TODAY NETWORK via Field Level Media)
Field Level Media
9/25/2023
Updated:
12/30/2023
0:00

De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert had career days with four touchdowns apiece and Tua Tagovailoa completed his first 17 pass attempts as the Miami Dolphins crushed the Denver Broncos 70–20 on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Miami (3–0) put together its highest-scoring performance in franchise history while also coming within two points of matching the NFL record. Achane rushed for two touchdowns and caught two more. He ran for 203 yards on 18 carries as Miami racked up 726 yards of total offense.

Tagovailoa finished with 309 yards and four TDs on 23-of-26 passing, while Tyreek Hill made nine catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Russell Wilson completed 23 of 38 passes for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Broncos (0–3), who lost three turnovers.

Chargers 28, Vikings 24

Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. made a game-saving interception in the end zone with seven seconds to go, and Los Angeles escaped with a win over Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Justin Herbert completed 40 of 47 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers (1–2). Keenan Allen caught a career-high 18 passes for 215 yards, and he threw a touchdown pass on a trick play to Mike Williams. Kirk Cousins completed 32 of 50 passes for 367 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception for Minnesota (0–3). Justin Jefferson had seven catches for 149 yards and a touchdown.

Minnesota marched to the Chargers’ 6-yard line in the final seconds. Cousins tried to fire a pass to T.J. Hockenson, but the ball was deflected and Murray came down with it in the end zone.

Cardinals 28, Cowboys 16

Joshua Dobbs threw for 189 yards and a pivotal fourth-quarter touchdown as Arizona cracked the code on the previously impenetrable Dallas defense in the upset win in Glendale, Ariz.

Dobbs completed 17 of 21 passes while adding 55 yards on the ground. In giving coach Jonathan Gannon his first NFL win, Arizona (1–2) rolled up 400 total yards and averaged 7.5 yards per play against a team that allowed only 10 points combined in dominant wins over the New York Giants and New York Jets.

Dak Prescott completed 25 of 40 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys, while Tony Pollard rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries. But Prescott also tossed a game-clinching interception to Kyzir White in the end zone with three minutes left.

Browns 27, Titans 3

Deshaun Watson went 27-of-33 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns to lead Cleveland to a home win over Tennessee.

Amari Cooper caught seven passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, and Elijah Moore caught nine passes for 49 yards for the Browns (2–1). The Browns’ defense dominated, sacking Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill five times and limiting Derrick Henry to just 20 yards rushing on 11 carries. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett was credited with 3 1/2 sacks.

Tannehill completed 13 of 25 passes for 104 yards, while guiding Tennessee (1–2) to just six first downs and 94 yards of total offense.

Lions 20, Falcons 6

Behind two total touchdowns by quarterback Jared Goff and a stout defensive effort, Detroit earned a victory over visiting Atlanta.

Goff passed for 243 yards, while Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown had a team-high nine receptions for 102 yards. Tight end Sam LaPorta added eight receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown for Detroit (2–1).

Desmond Ridder, under constant pressure from the Lions defense, completed 21 of 38 passes for 201 yards. Rookie tailback Bijan Robinson, the NFL’s second-leading rusher entering the game, was limited to 33 yards on 10 carries for the Falcons (2–1). He also added four receptions for 27 yards.

Packers 18, Saints 17

Jordan Love ran for a touchdown and threw for another during an 18-point fourth-quarter blitz that gave host Green Bay a comeback victory against New Orleans.

The winning points came when Love engineered his second 80-yard touchdown drive and threw an 8-yard touchdown to Romeo Doubs to put Green Bay (2–1) ahead with 2:56 left. In Love’s first start at Lambeau Field, he completed 22 of 44 for 259 yards with one touchdown and his first interception of the season. Rashan Gary had three sacks, including the one that knocked Carr out of the game with 10:39 left in the third quarter.

New Orleans rookie Blake Grupe was wide right from 46 yards with 1:05 left. The Saints (2–1) rolled to a 17–0 halftime lead, but went scoreless in the second half as quarterback Derek Carr was lost to a shoulder injury in the third quarter. Jameis Winston replaced Carr and completed 10 of 16 for 101 yards.

Texans 37, Jaguars 17

Fullback Andrew Beck returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and C.J. Stroud passed for 280 yards and two scores to lead Houston to an upset of host Jacksonville in an AFC South battle.

Tank Dell caught five passes for a career-high 145 yards and a touchdown, and Brevin Jordan also had a scoring reception for the Texans (1–2). Dameon Pierce rushed for a touchdown, Blake Cashman made a key interception and Will Anderson III blocked a field goal to help Houston beat the Jaguars (1–2) for the 10th time in the past 11 meetings.

Trevor Lawrence completed 27 of 40 passes for 279 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Jaguars. Tank Bigsby rushed for a score and Christian Kirk had a touchdown catch for Jacksonville. Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries and had four receptions for 50 yards for the Jaguars.

Bills 37, Commanders 3

Visiting Buffalo intercepted four Sam Howell passes and sacked him nine times in a rout of Washington.

Josh Allen passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Bills (2–1) won their second straight. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 218 yards, while Stefon Diggs had eight catches for 111 yards. Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard had an interception, a fumble recovery, and two sacks.

Howell finished 19-of-29 for 170 yards for the Commanders (2–1).

Patriots 15, Jets 10

Matthew Judon recorded a safety with 2:19 to go and visiting New England preserved a win over New York on a rainy day in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Patriots (1–2) extended their winning streak against their AFC East rival to 15 games, dating to 2015. That ties Kansas City’s run against Denver for the NFL’s longest active streak against a single opponent. Mac Jones went 15-of-29 passing for 201 yards and a touchdown, and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a season-high 80 yards on 16 carries.

Zach Wilson and the Jets (1–2) attempted to salvage a dismal offensive performance with an 87-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter that cut their deficit to 13–10. But after New York got the ball back, Judon beat left tackle Mekhi Becton on third-and-long and took down Wilson in the end zone for his second sack of the day.

Colts 22, Ravens 19 (OT)

Matt Gay’s 53-yard field goal with 1:09 left in overtime, his fifth field goal of the day and fourth of more than 50 yards, lifted Indianapolis over host Baltimore.

Indianapolis (2–1) got the ball with 3:21 remaining when Lamar Jackson’s fourth-and-3 pass at the Colts’ 47-yard line for Zay Flowers fell incomplete. Zack Moss rushed four times for 18 yards to set up Gay’s game-winner, which dropped the Ravens to 2–1.

Moss finished with 30 rushes for 122 yards and a receiving touchdown. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, who started with rookie Anthony Richardson in concussion protocol, completed 27 of 44 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown.

Jackson hit 22 of 31 passes for 202 yards for Baltimore while rushing 14 times for 101 yards and two scores. The Ravens outgained Indianapolis 364–327 but lost two fumbles.

Chiefs 41, Bears 10

Patrick Mahomes passed for 272 yards and three touchdowns and Isiah Pacheco rushed for 62 yards and a score as host Kansas City routed skidding Chicago. Kansas City (2–1) scored the first 41 points of the game.

Mahomes led the way, going 24-of-33 passing while hooking up with Jerick McKinnon for two touchdowns. The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce had seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.

Chicago (0–3) has lost 13 in a row dating to last season, yielding at least 25 points in each game. Justin Fields was 11-for-22 passing for 99 yards with a touchdown and interception. Fields also was the team’s leading rusher with 47 yards.

Seahawks 37, Panthers 27

Kenneth Walker III rushed for two touchdowns and Jason Myers kicked five field goals as host Seattle kept Carolina winless in three games.

Walker gained a game-high 97 yards rushing on 18 carries and added three catches for 59 yards as the Seahawks (2–1) posted their second consecutive victory. Seattle’s Geno Smith was 23-of-36 passing for 296 yards, with one touchdown—a 5-yarder to rookie Jake Bobo with 4:17 left—and one interception. DK Metcalf had six catches for 112 yards.

Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton started for the Panthers in place of the injured Bryce Young (ankle), the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s NFL draft. Dalton completed 34 of 58 passes for 361 yards with two touchdowns. Adam Thielen made 11 receptions for 145 yards, including a 15-yard TD with 1:40 remaining.

Steelers 23, Raiders 18

Kenny Pickett threw two touchdown passes for the first time as a professional and T.J. Watt continued his early season splurge with two sacks as Pittsburgh held off host Las Vegas.

Calvin Austin III and Pat Freiermuth each caught scoring passes and Chris Boswell booted three field goals as Pittsburgh (2–1) won its second straight game. Watt, who also had two tackles for loss, has six sacks in three games.

Jimmy Garoppolo was 28-of-44 passing for 324 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions for Las Vegas (1–2). Davante Adams caught a scoring pass and accumulated season bests of 13 receptions and 172 yards for the Raiders. Las Vegas star Josh Jacobs rushed for 62 yards on 17 carries.