Chicago Bears 47–42 Cincinnati Bengals
Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left, and the Chicago Bears beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a wild game that featured three touchdowns in the last two minutes and two lead changes in the final minute.
After Joe Flacco put the Bengals ahead 42-41 with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Andrei Iosivas, Chicago took over on its own 28 with 54 seconds left. Four plays later, on first down from the 42, Williams found Loveland down the middle. The rookie tight end caught it at the Bengals 36, bounced off Cincinnati defensive backs Jordan Battle and Geno Stone and ran to the end zone to give Chicago its fifth win in six games.
Williams passed for 280 yards and three touchdowns, and he also caught a TD pass from DJ Moore on a trick play for the Bears’ first score. He later hauled in a 20-yard pass from Tyson Bagent, becoming the first starting QB in nearly 82 years with multiple receptions in a game.
The 40-year-old Flacco, who did not practice on Wednesday and Friday after injuring his throwing shoulder, was 30 of 44 for a career-high 470 yards and four TDs. But the Bengals scored at least 30 points and lost for the second straight week and sixth time dating to last season.
Minnesota Vikings 27–24 Detroit Lions
JJ McCarthy threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in his return from an ankle injury, leading the Minnesota Vikings (4-4) to victory over the Detroit Lions (5-3). McCarthy sealed the victory by throwing a 16-yard pass to Jalen Nailor on third-and-five from the Minnesota 28, a play that allowed them to run out the clock. McCarthy threw both of his scoring passes in the first quarter and his nine-yard run midway through the third gave the Vikings a 24-14 lead. Jared Goff threw a touchdown pass to Jameson Williams as the Lions tried to rally, but they kicked off and didn’t get the ball back.
Indianapolis Colts 20–27 Pittsburgh Steelers
Jaylen Warren ran for two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers forced six turnovers in their victory over Indianapolis. The Steelers improved to 5-3 after snapping a two-game losing streak. Pittsburgh’s embattled defense sacked the Colts’ Daniel Jones five times and forced him into five giveaways. The Steelers converted three of the Colts’ turnovers into touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers threw for 203 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh. Indianapolis fell to 7-2 but remain atop the AFC South. The Steelers travel to the Los Angeles Chargers next week. The Colts face Atlanta in Germany.
San Francisco 49ers 34-24 New York Giants
Christian McCaffrey caught a touchdown pass from Mac Jones, rushed for another score and the San Francisco 49ers (6-3) got back on track by running all over the New York Giants on the way. McCaffrey accounted for 173 scrimmage yards – 106 on the ground on his 28 carries and 67 receiving on five catches. Many of the 49ers fans in attendance chanted “CMC! CMC!” after he got into the end zone past the midway point of the fourth quarter. The Giants lost their third game in a row to drop to 2-7.
Carolina Panthers 16–13 Green Bay Packers
Rico Dowdle rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns, and his big run in the final minute set up Ryan Fitzgerald’s last-second 49-yard field goal as the Carolina Panthers (5-4) beat Green Bay (5-2-1). The Packers’ three-game winning streak ended, and they lost star tight end Tucker Kraft to a knee injury in the third quarter. Dowdle had been splitting time with Chuba Hubbard, but Panthers coach Dave Canales said Dowdle would get the bulk of the carries, and the move paid off. He made one big mistake, getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after a touchdown. But his 19-yard run got the Panthers in range for the winning kick.
Denver Broncos 18–15 Houston Texans
Bo Nix threw two touchdown passes and Wil Lutz made a 34-yard field goal as time expired and the Denver Broncos (7-2) rallied to beat the Houston Texans (3-5) to extend their winning streak to six games. They improved to 4-0 this season in games where they trailed entering the fourth quarter. The Broncos had punted three times in a row before a 25-yard scramble by Nix got them to their 39 with less than a minute to go. JK Dobbins followed with a nine-yard scamper and a nine-yard run by Nix two plays after that set up the game-winning field goal.
Atlanta Falcons 23–24 New England Patriots
Drake Maye threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns as the New England Patriots held on for victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons. Maye also threw an interception, while Demario Douglas had 100 receiving yards and a score for the Patriots (7-2), who won their sixth straight. Atlanta (3-5) had a chance to tie the game with 4:40 left, but kicker Parker Romo missed wide right on an extra point. Michael Penix Jr threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns and Drake London had 118 receiving yards and three scores, as the Falcons dropped their third straight.
Los Angeles Chargers 27–20 Tennessee Titans
Justin Herbert threw for 250 yards and had a hand in all three Los Angeles Chargers touchdowns as they stopped the Tennessee Titans (1-8) in Nashville. Herbert, who completed 19 of 29 passes with two scores and an interception, capped a 15-play, nine-minute, 99-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 12:58 left in the game. It came after Tony Pollard was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-goal at the Los Angeles one-yard line to end Tennessee’s bid to take the lead. Joey Slye converted a 37-yard field goal with 4:19 remaining to get the Titans (1-8) within a score but they never saw the ball again. The Chargers (6-3) chewed up the remaining clock, picking up a trio of first downs to seal their third win in their past four games.
