ShareLOS ANGELES: Quarterback Jalen Hurts ran in an overtime touchdown to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 37-34 NFL win over the Buffalo Bills Sunday and move them to 10-1 on the season. The Eagles, who lost the Super Bowl to Kansas City last season, trailed at half-time but rallied to win for the fifth straight game.
The defeat was a bitter blow for the Bills who led 17-7 at the break and were ahead with seconds remaining. Buffalo fell to 6-6 and now face a battle to make the playoffs. The Eagles fightback began when 21-14 behind early in the fourth with DeVonta Smith scoring on a 15-yard pass from Hurts followed by Olamide Zaccheaus clutching a 29-yard touchdown pass from Hurts, despite double coverage.
The Bills responded with quarterback Josh Allen zipping a seven-yard pass to Gabe Davis to lead 31-28 with less than two minutes remaining. The Eagles suffered two five-yard penalties on their final drive leaving kicker Jake Elliott to make a 59-yard attempt in heavy rain to force overtime.
Tyler Bass converted a 40-yard field goal for the Bills before Hurts capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive by spotting a gap for the walk-off touchdown. Kansas City Chiefs came back from an early 14-point deficit for a 31-17 win against the Raiders in Las Vegas.
Isiah Pacheco ran for a one-yard touchdown and then Patrick Mahomes connected with Justin Watson on a three-yard pass as Kansas City went in level at half-time. Another Pacheco touchdown put the Chiefs in front and although the Raiders managed a field goal in response, Kansas City’s 10 points in the fourth quarter ensured the victory to take them to 8-3.
The Denver Broncos won their fifth straight game, defeating the Cleveland Browns 29-12 as quarterback Russell Wilson threw for one touchdown and ran in another. Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw for 364 yards and a touchdown as the Jaguars stretched their AFC South lead with a nail-biting 24-21 victory over division rivals Houston.
The Jags improved to 8-3, avenging a 37-17 home loss to the Texans, who fell to 6-5. Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns enabling him to overtake Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert for most passing yards by a rookie in his first 11 games.
Stroud’s 3,266 yards eclipsed Herbert’s mark of 3,224 set in 2020. The final Texans drive ended with Matt Ammendola’s game-tying 58-yard field goal attempt coming up agonizingly short with 34 seconds remaining.
Ravens grind out win
The Baltimore Ravens relied on their running game and strong defense to earn a 20-10 win at the Chargers. The victory gives the Ravens an AFC best 9-3 record after they forced four turnovers and sacked Chargers quarterback Herbert three times.
Los Angeles drew within three points when Herbert connected with Gerald Everett on a three-yard pass but Baltimore made sure of the win with a 37-yard rush from Zay Flowers. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for a season-high 278 yards in a 16-10 victory over the injury-hit Cincinnati Bengals.
The rejuvenated Steelers, who sacked offensive coordinator Matt Canada this week, gained 400-plus yards on offense for the first time since 2020 as they came out on top against their AFC North rivals. Chris Boswell kicked two of his three field goals in the fourth quarter and Najee Harris ran for a touchdown in the third for the Steelers.
Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, making his first start after Joe Burrow was ruled out for the season with a right wrist injury, connected on 19 of 26 passes with one touchdown and one interception in the red zone. The Atlanta Falcons beat New Orleans 24-15 to grab a share of first place alongside the Saints in the NFC South. — AFP
