SCOREBOARD
Monday, Oct. 31
Minnesota at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. EDT. Sam Bradford and the Vikings (5-1) are coming off their first loss, a 21-10 defeat against Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler is set to return for the Bears (1-6), who are off to their worst start since the 2000 team dropped seven of its first eight.
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STARS
Passing
- Derek Carr, Raiders, threw for a franchise-record 513 yards - completing 40 of 59 passes without an interception - including a 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:45 remaining in overtime, leading Oakland past Tampa Bay 30-24.
- Tom Brady, Patriots, went 22 of 33 for 315 yards and threw four touchdowns in leading New England to a 41-25 win over Buffalo.
- Drew Brees, Saints, passed for 265 yards and a touchdown, and scored on a quarterback keeper in New Orleans’ 25-20 win over Seattle.
- Carson Palmer, Cardinals, was 35 of 46 for 363 yards with three touchdowns, including two to J.J. Nelson, in a losing cause as Arizona fell to Carolina 30-20.
- Matt Ryan, Falcons, tossed three touchdown passes and finished 28 of 35 for 288 yards in Atlanta’s 33-32 win over Green Bay.
- Kirk Cousins, Redskins, threw for 458 yards and two TDs on 38-of-56 passing with an INT in Washington’s 27-27 tie with Cincinnati in London.
- Dak Prescott, Cowboys, threw for 287 yards and two scores, including a winning 5-yarder to Jason Witten in overtime, to lead Dallas past Philadelphia 29-23.
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Rushing
- Melvin Gordon, Chargers, rushed for 111 yards on 23 carries in San Diego’s 27-19 loss at Denver.
- Tim Hightower, Saints, ran for 102 yards on 26 carries as New Orleans’ first 100-yard rusher this season after replacing the benched Mark Ingram in a 25-20 win over Seattle.
- Jonathan Stewart, Panthers, ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns in Carolina’s 30-20 victory over Arizona.
- Matt Forte, Jets, rushed for 82 yards and two second-half TDs in New York’s 31-28 win at Cleveland.
- Rob Kelley, Redskins, carried 21 times for 87 yards and his first rushing touchdown, a juking 4-yard carry up the gut on Washington’s opening drive in a 27-27 tie with Cincinnati.
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Receiving
- Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, Raiders. Cooper had 12 catches for 173 yards and a TD in Oakland’s 30-24 overtime win at Tampa Bay, while Crabtree caught eight passes for 108 yards.
- Dez Bryant, Cowboys, caught four passes for 113 yards, including a game-tying 22-yard touchdown, in his return after missing three games with a hairline fracture of a bone in his right knee to help Dallas to a 29-23 overtime victory over Philadelphia.
- A.J. Green, Bengals, caught nine passes for 121 yards in Cincinnati’s 27-27 tie with Washington.
- Rob Gronkowski, Patriots, had five catches for 109 yards and a TD, the 69th of his career to break a franchise record previously held by Stanley Morgan, in New England’s 41-25 win over Buffalo.
- Jamison Crowder, Redskins, caught nine passes for 107 yards and a score in Washington’s 27-27 tie with Cincinnati.
- Tyler Eifert, Bengals, had seven receptions for 102 yards and a TD as Cincinnati and Washington played to a 27-27 tie.
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Special Teams
- Wil Lutz, Saints, kicked field goals of 22, 53, 21 and 41 yards in New Orleans’ 25-20 win over Seattle.
- Graham Gano, Panthers, had field goals of 43, 52 and 21 yards in Carolina’s 30-20 win over Arizona.
- Shaq Barrett, Broncos, blocked an extra-point attempt by Josh Lambo in Denver’s 27-19 win over San Diego.
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Defense
- Dee Ford, Chiefs, had 3 1/2 sacks in Kansas City’s 30-14 win at Indianapolis.
- Star Lotulelei, Panthers, had three of Carolina’s eight sacks of Carson Palmer in a 30-20 victory over Arizona.
- Bradley Roby, Broncos, scored on a 49-yard interception return in Denver’s 27-19 win over San Diego.
- Earl Thomas, Seahawks, returned a fumble forced by Cliff Avril 34 yards for a touchdown in Seattle’s 25-20 loss at New Orleans.
- Thomas Davis, Panthers, returned a fumble 46 yards for a score - the first of his 12-year career - to help Carolina top Arizona 30-20.
- Casey Hayward, Chargers, had a 24-yard interception return for a score in San Diego’s 27-19 loss at Denver.
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STREAKS & STATS
New York outgained the Browns 287-133 in the second half and the Jets put together the biggest second-half road comeback in team history, winning 31-28 after trailing 20-7 at halftime in Cleveland. … Tom Brady has 20 regular-season games with four touchdowns throws or more, and six have been against Buffalo - including four TDs in a 41-25 victory Sunday. … Drew Brees has a TD pass in 58 consecutive home games, extending his NFL-record streak with one in a 25-20 win over Seattle. … Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was Green Bay’s leading rusher in a 33-32 loss at Atlanta with a career-high 60 yards on six carries. He broke his previous best of 57 yards in 2012, and posted the highest rushing total by a Packers quarterback since Don Majkowski’s 88-yard effort in 1990. … Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott ran for 96 yards on 22 carries in a 29-23 overtime win over Philadelphia, ending his NFL rookie record of four straight games with at least 130 yards rushing.
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MILESTONES
Oakland’s Derek Carr became the third player in NFL history with 500 or more yards passing, four or more TD throws and no interceptions in a game, joining Y.A. Tittle (1962) and Ben Roethlisberger (2014). Carr was 40 of 59 for a franchise-record 513 yards - surpassing Cotton Davidson’s 427 in 1964 - with four TDs in the Raiders’ 30-24 overtime win at Tampa Bay. … Rob Gronkowski’s 53-yard touchdown catch in New England’s 41-25 win at Buffalo was the 69th of his career and 68th receiving, breaking the previous marks held by Stanley Morgan. … With two TD runs in New York’s 31-28 win at Cleveland, the Jets’ Matt Forte joined Marcus Allen, Marshall Faulk and Herschel Walker as the only players with at least 50 rushing TDs (51), 500 receptions (507) and 20 TD catches (20). … With 458 yards passing in Washington’s 27-27 tie with Cincinnati, Kirk Cousins tied Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen for the most games with 300 yards or more passing in franchise history with 15. … Dallas’ Jason Witten broke Ed “Too Tall” Jones’ franchise record with his 204th start in the Cowboys’ 29-23 overtime victory over Philadelphia.
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ROUGH START
Cleveland’s 31-28 loss to the New York Jets dropped the Browns to 0-8, their worst start since the 1975 team dropped its first nine games en route to going 3-11. The Browns have lost 11 straight overall dating to Week 14 of last season and are 3-26 over their last 29. Three of the losses this season have come with the Browns ahead at the break.
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BRADY CORRALS BILLS
Tom Brady asserted his on-field ownership of the Buffalo Bills again Sunday, matching an NFL record in beating them for the 26th time. Brady went 22 of 33 for 315 yards and threw four touchdowns in leading New England to a 41-25 win. He improved to 26-3 against Buffalo , matching a record set by Brett Favre, who went 26-9 against Detroit.
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LOTS OF LAUNDRY
Oakland overcame an NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards to remain unbeaten on the road with a 30-24 overtime win at Tampa Bay. The Raiders hurt themselves repeatedly with penalties, including a delay of game on first-and-goal and an offensive pass interference call against WR Michael Crabtree that nullified a touchdown. They wound up settling for Sebastian Janikowski’s 31-yard field goal that trimmed a second-quarter deficit to 10-3. Oakland was penalized four times, twice on third-and-1 for lining up with 12 men on defense, during the fourth-quarter drive Jameis Winston used to put Tampa Bay up 24-17.
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STEPPING IN
Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes in relief of the injured Alex Smith to help the Kansas City Chiefs hold off Indianapolis 30-14 on Sunday. Smith was checked for a concussion in the first half and cleared to return, which he did in the second quarter. He left again early in the third quarter after Clayton Geathers shoved Smith’s head to the turf as the quarterback tried to slide underneath the tackle. Smith was then diagnosed with a concussion and did not return. Foles was 16 of 22 for 223 yards with no interceptions.
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ALL TIED UP
The Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals played to a 27-27 draw Sunday in London as the NFL got its second tie game in a season for the first time since 1997. Washington (4-3-1) appeared to have the game won with 2:13 left in overtime, but Dustin Hopkins hooked his 34-yard field goal attempt wide left. Seattle and Arizona tied 6-6 last Sunday. Oddly, the last time the NFL had two ties in a season also happened in back-to-back weeks. In Weeks 12 and 13 of the 1997 season, Baltimore and Philadelphia tied 10-10, followed seven days later by Washington and the New York Giants’ 7-7 draw.
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BIG-MAN TD
Oakland offensive lineman Donald Penn, who was with Tampa Bay for eight years before being released after the 2013 season, caught a 1-yard TD pass that made it 10-10 early in the third quarter of the Raiders’ 30-24 overtime win at Tampa Bay. The 315-pound tackle crossed his arms and struck a pose for the announced crowd of 61,058. “I had to let them know they made a big mistake in cutting me,” Penn said. “I had to let them know I’m back.”
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SLOPPY
Washington and Cincinnati’s 27-27 tie in London was marred by penalties, particularly by the Redskins. Washington was flagged 15 times for 106 yards, leading to eight Bengals first downs and damaging Washington’s overtime drives into Bengals turf. Cincinnati had seven penalties for 85 yards.
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SIDELINED
Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was carted off the field and taken to the hospital for observation Sunday after being upended by a San Diego player who was blocked into the Denver sideline. The team said the 69-year-old coach had movement in all his extremities. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was blocked into Phillips while trying to catch Bradley Roby during an interception return. … Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith was twice forced out of the game by hits to the head, leaving for good early in the third quarter with a concussion. Running back Spencer Ware was also concussed during the 30-14 victory over the Colts on Sunday. Left guard Parker Ehinger also left the game in the third quarter with a sprained right knee. … The Colts didn’t go unscathed. Pro Bowl cornerback Vontae Davis and right tackle Joe Reitz both left the game with concussions and did not return. … In Buffalo, NFL sack leader Lorenzo Alexander hurt his hamstring during a punt return early in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the loss to New England. … The NFC championship game rematch won by Carolina over Arizona included the departure of two stars. Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu left in the first half with a shoulder injury, and Panthers center Ryan Kalil also hurt his shoulder.
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SPEAKING
“Enough is enough. I don’t think there’s a person that can go through what I go through and keep their head, you know what I’m saying? Hits to the head, that’s one thing, but when you’re not protected in the pocket, that’s another thing. It became the story of my life ever since I came in (to the league). It’s always, ’Oh, we missed that, I’m sorry.’ That’s bull c—-.” - Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, criticizing NFL officials for their lack of calls and his perception that he is treated differently from other QBs, after the Panthers’ 30-20 win over Arizona.
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“It’s weird. On one hand, you’re mad, because there’s a couple plays that if we make, we can win. But at the same time, we didn’t lose. It’s bittersweet, you know? I’m glad we didn’t take the ’L,’ but I’m upset we didn’t win.” - Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson after Cincinnati and Washington tied 27-27 in London on Sunday.
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