Canada's Chase Claypool scores again as Steelers dominate Browns
The Associated Press | Posted: October 18, 2020 9:42 PM | Last Updated: October 18, 2020
Abbotsford, B.C., native helps Pittsburgh remain undefeated with rushing TD
James Conner rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown Sunday as the host Pittsburgh Steelers dominated their AFC North rival Cleveland Browns 38-7.
Pittsburgh improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1978 while Cleveland (4-2) had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger was 14 of 22 passing for 162 yards, including a scoring pass to James Washington. Chase Claypool and Benny Snell Jr. also each ran for a touchdown. Minkah Fitzpatrick had an interception return for a touchdown.
The Steelers defense dominated throughout. The Browns, who entered as the NFL's top rushing team, were held to just 75 rushing yards and Cleveland was an anemic 1-of-12 on third down conversions.
Cleveland's Baker Mayfield was 10 of 18 for 119 yards, including a touchdown to Rashard Higgins, with two interceptions and four sacks.
Mayfield entered the game with bruised ribs, and that injury seemed to be aggravated when he was hit by Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward late in the first half, but he returned for the third quarter. With the Browns facing a 24-point deficit, Case Keenum came in for the fourth quarter.
Roethlisberger hit just 2 of 8 passes in the first quarter, but hit 5-for-5 on the first drive in the second, including a 36-yard completion down the left side to Claypool that helped set up Conner's 3-yard scoring run for a 17-0 Pittsburgh lead.
In the third quarter, Claypool's 3-yard run to the left pylon gave the Steelers a 31-7 lead and Snell pushed it to 38-7 with a 1-yard walk into the end zone with 8:08 left.
Brady's Bucs rout Packers, Rodgers
Ronald Jones II rushed for 113 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent the Green Bay Packers crashing from the unbeaten's ranks with a 38-10 pounding at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.
Tom Brady contributed an efficient 17 of 27 performance for 166 yards and two scores, including the 91st touchdown pass of his career to tight end Rob Gronkowski. The 12-yard connection with 1:02 left in the first half capped a 28-point second quarter outburst that shaped the game's remainder.
Brady and Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers were standing on the sidelines in baseball caps before the NFC battle ended. Rodgers was battered after a sharp first two possessions, finishing 16 of 35 for 160 yards with two interceptions.
Titans rally behind Henry for OT victory vs. Texans
Derrick Henry rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns and the Tennessee Titans blew a two-touchdown lead only to rally for a 42-36 overtime win over the Houston Texans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville
The Titans (5-0) amassed 601 yards, with quarterback Ryan Tannehill passing for 364 yards and four touchdowns to complement Henry. Tannehill engineered a 9-play, 76-yard drive in the waning moments, and his 7-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown with four seconds left forced overtime. In the extra period, Henry had a 53-yard reception before his 5-yard run ended it.
Deshaun Watson passed for 335 yards and four touchdowns to lead the comeback for Houston (1-5). But Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel made a late dubious decision that proved fatal.
Henry responded with a 94-yard touchdown run on the first snap of the Titans' next possession only for Watson to toss a 53-yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller V. When Watson threw a 1-yard touchdown to Brandin Cooks with 1:50 left, the Texans led 36-29. But a failed two-point conversion opened the door for the Titans, and they kicked it in over their last two drives.
Colts overcome 21-0 deficit to stun Bengals
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns and Julian Blackmon came up with a critical late interception to lift the Colts to a 31-27 win over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
Rivers completed 29 of 44 passes, and put the Colts (4-2) ahead to stay with a 14-yard touchdown to Jack Doyle with 14:55 remaining. Indianapolis pushed the lead to 31-27 with 4:03 left on a 40-yard field goal from Rodrigo Blankenship.
The Bengals (1-4-1) had a chance to steal the win late, but Blackmon intercepted Cincinnati rookie quarterback Joe Burrow at the Colts 19-yard line with 46 seconds left to seal it.
Burrow passed for 313 yards and scored on a one-yard touchdown run, posting his fourth 300-yard passing day in six games. But it wasn't enough at the Bengals saw their winless road streak extend to 17 games.
McManus kicks Broncos past Patriots
Brandon McManus kicked a franchise-record six field goals to lift the visiting Denver Broncos to an 18-12 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.
Phillip Lindsay rushed for 101 yards in his return to the lineup and Drew Lock completed 10 of 24 passes for 189 yards and two interceptions in his first game since suffering a right shoulder injury on Sept. 20. Tim Patrick had four catches for 101 yards for Denver (2-3).
The game, originally scheduled for Oct. 11, was pushed back to Oct. 12 and then postponed until Sunday due to several COVID-19 cases in the Patriots organization. New England was unable to hold many practices over the previous two weeks, including having Friday's session canceled due to center James Ferentz being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Falcons notch first win of season
Matt Ryan threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns and the defense secured three interceptions as the visiting Atlanta Falcons recorded their first victory of the season Sunday with a 40-23 win against the Minnesota Vikings.
The Falcons (1-5) scored 23 unanswered points to open the game, their first under the direction of interim coach Raheem Morris, who replaced the fired Dan Quinn this week. Younghoe Koo kicked field goals of 50, 21 and 47 yards during the run.
Atlanta took a 20-0 lead into halftime, turning a trio of interceptions by Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins into 17 points. After intercepting Cousins on the first play from scrimmage, the Falcons capitalized just five plays later, as Ryan connected for a 20-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones.
Jones caught a pair of scoring passes and finished with eight receptions for 137 yards. Calvin Ridley and Hayden Hurst also caught touchdowns from Ryan, who was 30-for-40 with zero interceptions.