Russell Wilson brought out his powerful arm in a critical situation and the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Washington Commanders 28-27 on Sunday.
In this duel of division leaders, the Steelers (7-2) scored a third victory in a row with Wilson at the helm of the attack in place of Justin Fields. He completed 14 of his 28 passes, including three for touchdowns and 195 yards.
The visitors definitely took the lead with just over 2 minutes left in the game. Mike Williams scored his first touchdown with the Steelers by beating Quebecer Benjamin St-Juste on man-to-man coverage after catching Russell Wilson’s pass on the back foot on third down and 9.
“I’ve seen it a few times (in the past) watching highlights,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of Wilson’s ability to make big plays. It’s even better in person. Believe me. »
“It was quite a catch from Mike. I just tried to give him a chance, let him do his job, Wilson said of Williams, acquired last week from the New York Jets. We visualize these moments and what could happen, and we just trust the guys. »
The Commanders (7-3) were aiming for a fourth consecutive victory, but instead suffered a first loss at home this season.
Candidate for rookie of the year title, quarterback Jayden Daniels did not have his best game, but was not always helped by his receivers. He completed 17 of 34 passes for 202 yards and no touchdowns.
Austin Ekeler scored two rushing touchdowns and Jeremy McNichols added the other in the loss, all on short one-yard runs. Kicker Zane Gonzalez made his first two field goals in the Commanders uniform, at distances of 48 and 41 yards.
The Steelers were the first to score in their second offensive sequence. Pittsburgh took advantage of penalties against the opponent to gain ground, including one to Benjamin St-Juste for pass obstruction. Russell Wilson then threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens.
The Commanders tied the game at the end of the first quarter, taking advantage of a missed play on fourth down that put them in good position at the Steelers’ 15 line. The latter made a fake handover to the punt kicker, but James Pierre, who was completely alone on the left, was not able to catch Miles Killebrew’s pass.
Three plays later, Austin Ekeler crossed into the end zone.
Ekeler came back in the final seconds of the second quarter to give Washington their first lead, 17-14.
They came back strong in the second half. Jeremy McNichols completed his team’s first offensive sequence which was marked by a throw to Terry McLaurin for a 54-yard gain.
The Steelers closed to 24-21 on a Najee Harris touchdown.
A superb Steelers drive was completely wasted at the goalpost midway through the fourth quarter, preserving Washington’s lead. Quan Martin snatched the ball from running back Jaylen Warren and Jeremy Chinn grabbed it. The Steelers, however, recovered afterwards to seek victory.
The Commanders were unable to take advantage of their last chance by being stopped a few centimeters from a first down at the entrance to opposing territory.
More than 100 yards for McCaffrey on his return
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had a strong first game in a 23-20 Niners win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jake Moody played hero with a 44-yard field goal on the final play of the game to break a 20-20 tie and end the game.
McCaffrey returned to action after missing the first eight games of the 49ers (5-4) season due to tendinitis in both Achilles tendons. On Sunday, CMC was limited to 13 carries, which resulted in 39 yards.
However, he distinguished himself with six receptions as well as 68 yards of aerial gains, for a total of 107 yards. He didn’t get any touchdowns.
McCaffrey’s biggest play of the game was when he caught a 30-yard pass from Brock Purdy in the fourth quarter. This play was important since the 49ers eventually scored a touchdown on this sequence.
Purdy excelled with 25 completions and 353 yards, in addition to throwing touchdown passes to Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle.
Pearsall, who was shot in August, scored the first touchdown of his NFL career.
For the Buccaneers (4-6), Baker Mayfield only had 116 yards of aerial gains and his only touchdown pass was completed to Rachaad White. This is Mayfield’s worst performance since his 111 yards of aerial gains on December 19, 2022, against the Green Bay Packers.
The 49ers have won three of their last four games and will be back in action next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Buccaneers suffered a fourth loss in a row.
Darnold struggles, defense saves the Vikings
The Vikings’ defense limited the Jacksonville Jaguars to just 143 total yards and the Minnesota troop triumphed 12-7.
The Vikings (7-2) overcame three interceptions from quarterback Sam Darnold to sign a second straight victory.
It was Darnold’s first three-interception game in three years. They all came while he was trying to reach star receiver Justin Jefferson, who finished the game with five catches for a total of 48 yards.
The Minnesota team trailed most of the day, but took the lead thanks to John Parker Romo’s third of four field goals. Romo had field goals of 29, 34, 33 and 45 yards in his NFL debut.
The Jaguars (2-8), who had their worst offensive output in three seasons under head coach Doug Pederson, had a chance to win late in the game after a sack by Travon Walker, but in vain.
Mac Jones made his first start in nearly a year replacing Trevor Lawrence, but he was ineffective. However, he put the Jaguars in position to score points, also being helped by a penalty on linebacker Blake Cashman.
But Jones got his second interception with 1:49 left, essentially ending the game. He also committed two turnovers earlier in the fourth quarter.
Darnold completed 24 of 38 passes for 241 yards. Jones saw 14 of his 22 attempts being caught for gains of 111 yards.
Williams struggles in Bears setback
The Chicago Bears had a rough outing offensively on Sunday, in a 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
Caleb Williams completed only 53% of his pass attempts, for 120 yards, and he didn’t throw a single touchdown pass. This performance opened the door to the third victory of the season for the Patriots (3-7).
This is the third time in nine outings this season that Williams has had fewer than 150 passing yards. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in his last three games.
The Bears thus suffered a third defeat in a row and the team only totaled 27 points during this series of failures.
Quarterback Drake Maye passed for 184 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Ja’Lynn Polk. He connected with his receiver in the second quarter to give the Patriots a 10-3 lead.
Austin Hooper was the most productive target with 64 yards through the air, while running back Rhamondre Stevenson chipped in with 72 yards on the ground.
The Patriots’ other points were the result of four Joey Slye field goals from distances of 30, 37, 25 and 33 yards.
A rare triumph for the Bills in Indianapolis
Taron Johnson returned Joe Flacco’s first pass 23 yards for a touchdown, Josh Allen and James Cook each scored a rushing touchdown and the Buffalo Bills won 30-20 over the Indianapolis Colts.
With their first triumph in Indianapolis since 1998, the Bills (8-2) extended their winning streak to five.
Allen finished the game with 22 of 37 completions for 280 yards and two interceptions. He also rushed eight times for 50 yards. Cook carried the ball 19 times for 80 yards.
Flacco had four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble) in his second start since replacing the left-out Anthony Richardson. The veteran completed 26 of 35 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns.
The Colts (4-6) lost a third straight duel.
Jonathan Taylor ran the ball 21 times for 114 yards and rookie Adonai Mitchell had the best game of his young career with six receptions for 71 yards.
Victory for Saints interim coach
Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns in his second game with the New Orleans Saints and they won 20-17 over the Atlanta Falcons.
The new interim head coach, Darren Rizzi, 54, thus made a successful debut. The special teams coordinator replaced Dennis Allen, who was fired last Monday after three seasons at the helm of the Saints.
And this first victory has a special flavor since it came against the Falcons, who sit at the top of their section and who are their oldest rivals.
Tyrann Mathieu ended a great streak on the Falcons’ offense by intercepting a pass from Kirk Cousins at the Saints’ 38-yard line with two minutes left.
Alvin Kamara ran for 109 yards to become the Saints’ all-time rushing yards leader, but he fumbled a pinpoint pass from Derek Carr on a third down late in the game, which allowed the Falcons to take the ball back.
On the last play of the game, the Falcons could attempt a 60-yard field goal, but they decided to keep the offense on the field and Cousins joined Ray-Ray McCloud III, but the latter was tackled and there was no left of time on the dial.
Younghoe Koo missed three field goal attempts for the first time in his career.
Cousins finished the game with 306 yards and an interception while Carr had 269 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers.
Herbert leads Chargers against Titans
Justin Herbert threw a touchdown pass and ran for another, helping the Los Angeles Chargers win 27-17 over the Tennessee Titans.
The Chargers (6-3), who have won their last three games and four of their last five, are the fourth team since 1990 and first since 2013 to allow 20 points or fewer in their first nine games.
The Titans (2-7) entered the game leading the NFL in passing yards allowed, but were unable to force the Chargers into long passes on third downs.
Calvin Ridley scored both touchdowns for the Titans and caught five passes for 84 yards. Will Levis, who missed the last three games with a shoulder injury, completed 18 of 23 passes for 175 yards, but was sacked seven times.
Herbert completed 14 of 18 passes for 164 yards and added 32 yards on the ground. He gave the Chargers a 13-7 lead with 1:55 left in the first half with a run.
The Chargers quarterback then dealt a hard blow to the Titans at the start of the third quarter. He connected with Quentin Johnston for 16 yards into the end zone to make it 20-10.
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