SEATTLE (AP) — Russell Wilson found backup tight end Cooper Helfet for a 20-yard catch-and-run touchdown late in the third quarter, Steven Hauschka kicked four field goals and the Seattle Seahawks handed the Arizona Cardinals their second loss of the season, 19-3 on Sunday.
Wilson was sacked a season-high seven times by Arizona’s ultra-aggressive defense and the assortment of blitzes they called to confuse and fluster the Seahawks quarterback. But when Seattle (7-4) needed a scoring drive, after squandering advantageous field position throughout the game, Wilson delivered.
The victory was a must for Seattle if it had any hopes of getting back into the division race. The Seahawks entered the day trailing Arizona (9-2) by three games in the NFC West.
Arizona was held to a season-low 204 total yards. A week after throwing for a career-high 306 yards, Drew Stanton was 14 of 26 for 149 and one interception.
BRONCOS 39, DOLPHINS 36
DENVER (AP) — Peyton Manning threw three of his four TD passes to Demaryius Thomas and C.J. Anderson ran for 167 yards and the go-ahead score in the Denver Broncos’ win over the Miami Dolphins.
Anderson’s 6-yard run with 5:01 left gave the Broncos (8-3) their first lead of the game at 32-28. T.J. Ward’s 37-yard interception return of Ryan Tannehill’s pass set up Wes Welker’s insurance TD catch.
The Broncos needed it after Tannehill drove the Dolphins (6-5) on another scoring drive, hitting Jarvis Landry from a yard out with 1:34 left. Lamar Miller’s 2-point dive made it a 3-point game.
The Dolphins’ onside kick was recovered by — who else? — Anderson, who sealed the game with a 26-yard run. Anderson, who had 27 carries, also caught four passes for 38 yards.
Manning became the third player in NFL history with touchdown passes in 50 consecutive games, joining Drew Brees (54) and Tom Brady (52). He completed 28 of 35 passes for 257 yards and no interceptions on a cool Colorado evening.
BROWNS 26, FALCONS 24
ATLANTA (AP) — Brian Hoyer shook off three interceptions, leading Cleveland down the field in the final minute to set up Billy Cundiff’s 37-yard field goal.
Taking advantage of the last of Hoyer’s picks, the Falcons drove for Matt Bryant’s 53-yard field goal with 44 seconds remaining to seize the lead.
But Hoyer completed four straight passes, the last of them to the Falcons 19, and spiked the ball with 5 seconds left. Cundiff trotted on and made his fourth field goal of the game for the Browns (7-4).
Atlanta (4-7), coming in improbably tied for first in the woeful NFC South, dropped to 0-7 against teams outside the division.
Isaiah Crowell scored a pair of touchdowns for the Browns, who also were bolstered by the return of Josh Gordon. He had eight catches for 120 yards.
PATRIOTS 34, LIONS 9
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Tom Brady threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns in a pass-heavy offense against the NFL’s stingiest rushing defense and the New England Patriots stretched their winning streak to seven games with a victory over the Detroit Lions.
The Patriots led 24-6 at halftime as Brady repeatedly found wide-open receivers while the Lions struggled on offense. For the second straight game, Detroit failed to score a touchdown.
New England (9-2) routed a division leader for the third consecutive game, following wins over Denver and Indianapolis. Detroit (7-4) lost for the second straight week against a conference leader after falling to Arizona 14-6 last Sunday.
LeGarrette Blount rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns three days after signing with New England after being cut by Pittsburgh. In the win over the Colts, the Patriots stuck with the running game as Jonas Gray rushed 37 times for 201 yards and four touchdowns. After being sent home from Friday’s practice for reporting late, he didn’t play at all on Sunday.
PACKERS 24, VIKINGS 21
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eddie Lacy rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries, both season highs to help Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers hang on against the Minnesota Vikings.
Lacy scored twice, on a run in the first quarter and a catch in the fourth. Then, he rumbled through the line for two first downs to drain the clock after the Vikings (4-7) cut the lead to three with 3:23 remaining.
Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and again avoided a turnover for the Packers (8-3), who stayed out of a potential trap against a struggling team with a game next week against surging New England. They also moved past Detroit into sole possession of first place in the NFC North when the Lions lost to the Patriots.
Charles Johnson and Greg Jennings caught touchdown passes from Teddy Bridgewater, who finished 21 for 37 for 210 yards and an interception.
EAGLES 43, TITANS 24
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Josh Huff returned the opening kickoff 107 yards, LeSean McCoy ran for 130 yards and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans.
Huff’s return was the longest in franchise history and the 10th non-offensive touchdown for Philadelphia this season.
Mark Sanchez threw for 307 yards and one touchdown in his third start for the injured Nick Foles. He has 300 yards passing in three straight games, tying a team record.
Now, the Eagles (8-3) can shift their focus to the Dallas Cowboys (7-3) for a first-place showdown on Thanksgiving. The top two teams in the NFC East will play twice in 18 days, starting with Thursday’s game at Dallas.
Rookie Zach Mettenberger had 345 yards passing and two TDs and Delanie Walker had 155 yards receiving for the Titans (2-9).
BENGALS 22, TEXANS 13
HOUSTON (AP) — Andy Dalton threw for 233 yards and a touchdown and A.J. Green had 121 yards receiving on a career-high 12 receptions to give the Cincinnati Bengals a win over the Houston Texans.
The Bengals (7-3-1) led throughout, but Houston (5-6) cut the lead to three points late in the third quarter before Cincinnati tacked on two field goals in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Rookie Jeremy Hill scored on a 2-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter after an interception by Ryan Mallett for Cincinnati’s only touchdown of the second half.
Mallett struggled in his second career start, finishing with 189 yards passing and often overthrowing open receivers. Houston’s only touchdown came on a 60-yard interception return by Johnathan Joseph in the third quarter.
Rookie Alfred Blue ran for 46 yards filling in for the injured Arian Foster for the second straight game.
CHARGERS 27, RAMS 24
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Marcus Gilchrist intercepted Shaun Hill at the goal line with 56 seconds left to preserve the San Diego Chargers’ victory against the St. Louis Rams that helped tighten the AFC West race.
Gilchrist jumped the route as Hill tried to force a pass to Kenny Britt, who also was covered by Shareece Wright, on second-and-goal from the 4. Hill had beaten Gilchrist on a 7-yard TD pass to Stedman Bailey with 2:04 left that pulled the Rams within three points.
The Rams (4-7) were trying for consecutive wins for the first time this season, having upset Denver a week earlier. Janoris Jenkins returned an interception by Philip Rivers 99 yards for a touchdown.
Ryan Mathews had a 32-yard touchdown run and linebacker Andrew Gachkar scored on a 13-yard fumble recovery 21 seconds later for the Chargers (7-4).
COLTS 23, JAGUARS 3
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — T.Y. Hilton celebrated the birth of his first child with a 73-yard TD catch, spurring a second-half turnaround that allowed Indianapolis to pull away from Jacksonville.
Andrew Luck was 21 of 32 for 253 yards with one score, but his streak of consecutive 300-yard games ended at eight — one short of Drew Brees’ NFL record.
The Colts (7-4) have won 11 straight against AFC South foes. Jacksonville (1-10) has lost four straight overall and five straight to Indy.
Hilton promised to score a touchdown for his new daughter, but it sure wasn’t easy. Luck was sacked five times, fumbled three times and lost two of those in the first half.
But Indy still led 6-3 at the half and 13-3 after Trent Richardson’s 1-yard TD run in the third quarter. Hilton’s long catch made it 20-3. Adam Vinatieri’s third field goal capped the scoring.
BEARS 21, BUCCANEERS 13
CHICAGO (AP) — Matt Forte rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Chicago Bears beat Lovie Smith and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jay Cutler threw a 2-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery as the Bears (5-6) scored 21 straight points to erase a 10-0 halftime deficit. Forte had a 13-yard run that put Chicago ahead to stay, and then added a 1-yard plunge that made it 21-10.
Smith coached the Bears to three playoff appearances and a trip to the 2007 Super Bowl during his successful nine-year run in Chicago. He was hired by Tampa Bay (2-9) in January.
Tampa Bay had three turnovers in the third. Josh McCown, who played for the Bears the previous three seasons, lost a fumble and threw an interception. Vincent Jackson also lost a fumble at the end of a 24-yard reception that would have resulted in a first-and-goal.
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