Burrow, Chase hook up for 2TDs in Bengals win
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HOUSTON (AP) -- Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 20-6 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The big day by Chase came a week after the five-time Pro Bowler had just two receptions for 12 yards in a win over Tampa Bay. That prompted Burrow, coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher to say that getting him the ball more had to be a priority against the Texans.
They showed they meant that early as Chase eclipsed last week’s performance with 14 yards receiving on Cincinnati’s first drive and didn’t slow down after that.
He put the Bengals (2-0) on top 7-0 when he managed to drag his toe inbounds on a spectacular 32-yard TD catch over Derek Stingley with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half.
The Bengals were up by 7 when Burrow found Chase again. This time, he grabbed an 18-yard pass in the end zone in front of a diving Reed Blankenship to make it 17-3 with about three minutes left in the third.
Chase had seven receptions for 75 yards and Burrow was 20 of 31 for 207 yards despite dealing with back tightness that caused him to miss practice time this week. Tee Higgins added five receptions for 95 yards.
It was another disappointing game for the Texans, who are 0-2 after losing to Buffalo 36-31 in the opener. They’ll need to get back on track next week to avoid starting 0-3 for a second year in a row.
C.J. Stroud was 30 of 55 for 353 yards passing on a day the Texans had trouble running the ball. Their backs finished with just 18 yards rushing. They failed to score a touchdown while playing without star receiver Nico Collins after scoring 31 points last week.
PATRIOTS 20, STEELERS 3
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- TreVeyon Henderson ran for a 39-yard touchdown in his season debut, Eli Ponder added a 19-yard fumble recovery for a score and the New England Patriots’ defense smothered Aaron Rodgers on the way to a 20-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
With the victory, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel avoided just the second 0-2 start of his eight-year coaching career.
Drake Maye finished 14 of 22 for 208 yards and an interception. Romeo Doubs, who had no catches in his Patriots debut last week, had a 63-yard catch in the third quarter to set up Andy Borregales’ second field goal of the game.
But it was the New England defense that set the tone. A year after leading the Steelers to a win in New England, Rodgers struggled to deal with the Patriots’ pressure. The 42-year-old quarterback fumbled twice, including the one that led to Ponder’s score.
Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez also shadowed Steelers receiver DK Metcalf at times, forcing Rodgers to look for other options in the passing game.
Rodgers finished 23 of 39 for 187 passing yards, an interception and was sacked four times. Metcalf had only four catches for 27 yards.
EAGLES 24, TITANS 20
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Jalen Hurts threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper with 9 seconds left, and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20 on a hot and steamy Sunday.
The Eagles (2-0) appeared ready to dominate Tennessee. They opened the game by stringing together three straight drives of at least 11 plays.
The Titans (0-2) sacked Hurts three times and picked him off twice, turning those into 10 points. The second interception set up Joey Slye’s 33-yard field goal with 1:56 left, putting Tennessee up 20-17.
Hurts had 1:56 to drive the Eagles 65 yards for the win. He finished with 264 yards passing and two TDs. DeVonta Smith had 10 catches for 117 yards, Tank Bigsby ran for a TD, and Jake Elliott kicked a 58-yard field goal.
Cam Ward got the Titans (0-2) to midfield, but his final pass under pressure hit the turf harmlessly as time expired.
VIKINGS 9, BEARS 3
CHICAGO (AP) -- Isaiah Rodgers recovered a fumble and blocked a late field-goal attempt, and the Minnesota Vikings shut down Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears for a 9-3 victory on a rainy Sunday.
Aaron Jones rushed for 105 yards as Minnesota improved to 2-0 for the first time since it opened the 2024 season with five consecutive wins. Will Reichard kicked three field goals, including a 39-yarder with 1:09 left.
Williams departed with a right hamstring injury midway through the fourth quarter, silencing a drenched crowd of 58,914 at Soldier Field. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft was 15 for 26 for 138 yards, and he also had five carries for 42 yards.
PANTHERS 34, FALCONS 3
ATLANTA (AP) -- Bryce Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Darren Waller, Carolina’s Devin Lloyd returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown and the Panthers routed the short-handed Atlanta Falcons 34-3 on Sunday.
The Panthers (1-1) earned their fourth straight win in the NFC South rivalry. Young completed 23 of 36 passes as he improved to 5-1 against the Falcons. He set a franchise record with 448 yards passing in a 30-27 overtime win to cap last season’s sweep.
With fill-in starter Cooper Rush at quarterback, the Falcons (0-2) had more offensive woes following their 20-13 opening loss at Pittsburgh last week. Michael Penix Jr. (knee) and Tua Tagovailoa (oblique) again were inactive.
Rush completed 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards with two interceptions and also lost a fumble.
SAINTS 24, RAVENS 17
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Tyler Shough scored on a fourth-down sneak with 1:28 remaining, and the New Orleans Saints rallied to a 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
New Orleans (1-1) had first down from the 2 before a penalty and a costly incomplete pass allowed Baltimore -- with only two timeouts left -- to stop the clock after the next two plays. On fourth-and-goal, the Saints decided against a short field goal, and Shough was ruled to have scored on a 1-yard sneak. The play was upheld after a review.
Trey Smack’s OT kick lifts the Packers past the Jets, ending a 6-game skid
PACKERS 20, JETS 17
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Trey Smack kicked a 26-yard field goal in overtime and the Green Bay Packers overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and a sloppy, penalty-filled performance to snap a six-game skid with a 20-17 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes for the Packers (1-1), who had 14 accepted penalties.
Love finished 16 of 29 for 145 yards with TD tosses to Christian Watson and MarShawn Lloyd.
Jets QB Geno Smith was 27 of 41 for 247 yards and a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson for the Jets, who were also sloppy in their home opener; they were called for 13 accepted penalties.