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Bill Belichick gets 300th regular-season win as Patriots beat Bills 29-25 on Mac Jones' late TD pass

2023-10-23 08:45
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, making Bill Belichick the third coach in NFL history with 300 regular-season victories.
Bill Belichick gets 300th regular-season win as Patriots beat Bills 29-25 on Mac Jones' late TD pass

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Mac Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki with 12 seconds remaining to lift the New England Patriots to a 29-25 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, making Bill Belichick the third coach in NFL history with 300 regular-season victories.

Belichick joins Pro Football Hall of Famers Don Shula (328) and George Halas (318) as the only coaches to reach the milestone.

Jones completed 25 of 30 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns as the Patriots (2-5) snapped a three-game skid. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a score and rookie Chad Ryland added three field goals to help the Patriots beat back a second-half rally by Buffalo (4-3), which briefly took the lead late in the fourth quarter.

Josh Allen was 27 of 41 for 265 yards with two TDs ran for a score. He also threw an interception that set up New England’s first touchdown. The Bills struggled on third down and scored touchdowns on only two of their four red-zone opportunities.

Allen led two touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter to turn a 22-10 deficit into a 25-10 lead for Buffalo.

Jones began the decisive drive with a short pass to Rhamondre Stevenson that turned into a 34-yard gain. He hit Hunter Harvey for 14 yards on a third-and-8, and the Patriots had a first-and-goal after six plays. A pass-interference penalty set them up at the Buffalo 1, and Jones connected with Gesicki on second down.

RAVENS 38, LIONS 6

BALTIMORE (AP) — Lamar Jackson guided Baltimore to touchdowns on its first four possessions of a dominant first half, and the Ravens trounced Detroit in a matchup of division leaders that was lopsided from the start.

Baltimore (5-2) was up 28-0 before the NFC North-leading Lions (5-2) even managed a first down. It was the most complete performance of the season by the Ravens, and a resurgent Detroit squad fell flat while facing a major test on the road.

Jackson went 21 of 27 for 357 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a near-perfect passer rating of 155.8. He also ran for a TD. Jackson had great success with deep passes, often finding receivers open in the secondary with plenty of room to run. Baltimore protected Jackson well, and when that started to break down, his scrambling kept plays going.

Jackson opened the scoring with a 7-yard bootleg on fourth-and-1. On his team’s next possession, he escaped the pocket to the right and extended the play long enough to find Nelson Agholor for a 12-yard touchdown.

An 11-yard TD pass to Mark Andrews made it 21-0, and then Gus Edwards scored on a 2-yard run. At that point, the Lions had only managed three three-and-outs. Baltimore had a 28-0 lead, a 16-0 edge in first downs and a 325-13 advantage in total yards.

Baltimore has allowed a league-low seven touchdowns this season.

CHIEFS 31, CHARGERS 17

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 424 yards and four touchdowns, Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 179 yards and a score, and Kansas City beat Los Angeles to take command of the AFC West.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco also caught TD passes, and the Chiefs (6-1) won their sixth straight to take a three-game lead in a division they have won seven straight years.

The Chiefs were leading 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter when Mecole Hardman, who returned to Kansas City this week in a trade with the New York Jets, brought back a punt 50 yards. That gave Kansas City a short field and, six plays later, Mahomes hit Pacheco out of the backfield for the touchdown that put the game away.

Justin Herbert, who spent the day under constant pressure from the league’s No. 2 scoring defense, had 259 yards passing with a touchdown and two interceptions for the Chargers (2-4). Joshua Palmer caught five passes for 133 yards and Joshua Kelley ran seven times for 75 yards and a score.

After an opening drive that netted a field goal, Mahomes capped three of the next four drives with TD passes — the last to Kelce, who was again cheered on by pop superstar Taylor Swift.

BROWNS 39, COLTS 38

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kareem Hunt scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge with 15 seconds left, capping an 80-yard touchdown drive that gave Cleveland a win over Indianapolis.

Backup quarterback P.J. Walker used all but 15 seconds of the final 2:35 to rally the Browns for the second consecutive week, this time taking advantage of debatable back-to-back defensive penalties against the Colts, an illegal contact and a defensive pass interference call — both on cornerback Darrell Baker Jr.

The first penalty nullified a fumble recovery by the Colts. The second put the ball at the 1-yard line, setting up Hunt’s fourth-down score. Hunt had 10 carries for 31 yards and two TDs.

Walker rallied Cleveland (4-2) for the second straight week. This time it was in relief of Deshaun Watson, who started his first game since Sept. 24 but left in the first quarter after taking a big hit. Watson was cleared after being evaluated for a head injury but did not return to avoid aggravating his already injured right shoulder.

The Colts (3-4) lost their second straight as Gardner Minshew committed four more turnovers — three of which Cleveland turned into scores. Minshew hooked up with Michael Pittman Jr. on a 75-yard TD pass to give the Colts a 38-33 lead, but they couldn't hold it.

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett dominated the game. He had nine tackles, two strip-sacks and blocked a 60-yard field goal attempt.

Cleveland's Dustin Hopkins broke the NFL record by making a field goal of 50 or more yards in a fifth straight game. He converted two 54-yarders and a 58-yarder.

Minshew was 15 of 23 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for a career-high two scores.

BRONCOS 19, PACKERS 17

DENVER (AP) — P.J. Locke saved Denver from another second-half meltdown, intercepting Jordan Love’s deep pass in the closing minutes to preserve a win over Green Bay.

Locke — subbing for safety Kareem Jackson, who was ejected for the second time this season following an illegal high hit earlier in the fourth quarter on tight end Luke Musgrave — picked off the throw intended for Samori Toure just after the two-minute warning.

The Broncos ran out the clock to give coach Sean Payton his first win at home in four tries and end a dubious streak in which Denver had lost 10 consecutive games when leading at halftime.

This time, it was a 9-0 lead the Broncos (2-5) frittered away before regaining the advantage on Wil Lutz’s 52-yard field goal with 3:50 remaining.

The Packers (2-4) scored all of their points in the second half and took a 17-16 lead on Love’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed that went off Romeo Doubs’ hands.

Doubs pulled the Packers within 16-10 in the third quarter on a 16-yard touchdown catch that both he and cornerback Patrick Surtain II caught as they tumbled to the ground.

Russell Wilson threw for 195 yards on 20-of-29 passing with one touchdown, a 18-yarder to Courtland Sutton that gave Denver a 16-3 lead.

FALCONS 16, BUCCANEERS 13

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Younghoe Koo’s third field goal of the game, a 51-yarder as time expired, bailed out quarterback Desmond Ridder and gave mistake-prone Atlanta a win over Tampa Bay.

The Falcons (4-3) snapped an eight-game road losing streak and moved atop the NFC South ahead of the Bucs (3-3) despite Ridder losing three fumbles inside Tampa Bay’s red zone, including one that cost him a 12-yard touchdown run that would have put Atlanta up 10 points with less than four minutes to go.

Ridder’s fumble on a sack stopped the Falcons from breaking a 10-10 tie just before halftime. The young quarterback lost another fumble in the third quarter, one play after Drake London’s 13-yard reception gave the Falcons a first down inside the Bucs 1.

Ridder, who threw for 250 yards, moved the Falcons into position for Koo’s winning kick after the Bucs pulled even on Chase McLaughin’s 36-yard field goal with less than a minute remaining.

Kyle Pitts’ 39-yard reception was the biggest play on the winning drive.

Baker Mayfield threw for 275 yards, one touchdown and one interception for Tampa Bay, which scored on Mike Evans’ 40-yard TD reception in the first quarter and field goals of 24 and 36 yards by McLaughlin.

STEELERS 24, RAMS 17

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris rushed for touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and Pittsburgh awoke from a quiet offensive day just in time to beat Los Angeles.

Kenny Pickett passed for 230 yards and ran for a score for the Steelers (4-2), who had just 110 yards in the first three quarters. Pittsburgh’s only early touchdown came after T.J. Watt intercepted Matthew Stafford’s first pass of the second half and returned it inside the Los Angeles 10, setting up Pickett’s TD sneak.

Coordinator Matt Canada’s offense finally found some holes in the Los Angeles defense in the fourth quarter, racking up three long drives culminating in two TDs and the chance to run out the clock. George Pickens made four of his five receptions for 107 yards in the second half.

Pickett got a generous spot on a sneak to convert a fourth-and-1 at the two-minute warning, allowing Pittsburgh to secure the franchise’s first win over the Rams in Los Angeles.

Stafford passed for 231 yards and hit Tutu Atwell for a 31-yard touchdown right before halftime for Los Angeles (3-4), which dropped to 1-3 at home.

Rookie sensation Puka Nacua had eight catches for 154 yards, but the Rams struggled for consistent drives after halftime. Brett Maher also missed two long field-goal attempts and an extra point.

SEAHAWKS 20, CARDINALS 10

SEATTLE (AP) — Kenneth Walker III rushed for a season-high 105 yards, rookies Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo both caught first-half touchdown passes, and Seattle beat Arizona.

The Seahawks (4-2) relied on their defense to make key stops in the second half after a handful of mistakes.

Geno Smith threw for 219 yards and connected with his rookie pass catchers while DK Metcalf missed the first game of his career. Smith-Njigba caught his first NFL touchdown on a 28-yard reception in the first quarter and Bobo made a terrific 18-yard TD catch in the second quarter.

But Smith’s performance was shaky at times. He threw an interception and lost a fumble, allowing Arizona (1-6) to hang around into the fourth quarter.

Smith completed 18 of 24 passes. Smith-Njigba and Bobo each had four receptions and became the first pair of Seattle rookies to catch TDs in the same game since 2015.

Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs was 19 of 33 for 146 yards and was sacked four times. He ran for a 25-yard touchdown in the first half, the longest run play allowed this season by Seattle.

BEARS 30, RAIDERS 12

CHICAGO (AP) — Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent led three touchdown drives with Justin Fields sidelined, D’Onta Foreman ran for two scores and caught a TD pass, and Chicago beat Las Vegas.

The Bears (2-5) won for the second time in three games after dropping 14 in a row. They won a showdown of backup quarterbacks after both teams’ starters were injured the previous week.

Brian Hoyer threw for 129 yards and two interceptions in place of Jimmy Garoppolo for the Raiders (3-4), whose two-game winning streak ended.

The Bears relied on short throws and handoffs with Bagent — who played last year for Division II Shepherd University in West Virginia — behind center. He completed 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a TD, helping Chicago stop a 10-game home losing streak.

Foreman ran for 89 yards on 16 attempts and his first two touchdowns since signing with Chicago in March. He scored from the 2 in the first quarter and from the 3 early in the second as the Bears grabbed a 14-0 lead, then caught a 5-yard TD in the third to make it 21-3.

Jaylon Johnson had two late interceptions. He returned one against Hoyer 39 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-6 and then picked off Chicago-area product Aidan O’Connell.

Hoyer completed 17 of 32 passes and posted a 37.1 passer rating. O’Connell was 10 of 13 for 75 yards with a touchdown and the interception.

GIANTS 14, COMMANDERS 7

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Tyrod Taylor threw two second-quarter touchdown passes and New York's defense had six sacks and made a last-minute stand to beat Washington, snapping a four-game skid.

Taylor, starting for the second straight week with Daniel Jones sidelined with a neck injury, hit Darren Waller from 15 yards and added a 32-yard TD pass to Saquon Barkley as New York (2-5) scored its first offensive first-half touchdowns of the season. He finished 18 of 29 for 279 yards.

Dexter Lawrence had two sacks for New York and Kayvon Thibodeaux added 1 1/2. Chase Young had two sacks for the Commanders.

Brian Robinson Jr. scored on a 4-yard run for Washington (3-4) early in the third quarter after Giants veteran Sterling Shepard muffed a punt and the Commanders, who were limited to 46 yards in the first half, recovered at the 21.

The Giants had to make one more stand after Saquon Barkley lost a fumble inside the Washington 5 and the Commanders recovered. Sam Howell (22 of 42 for 249 yards) led Washington to a first-and-10 at the New York 12. His pass on fourth-and-5 to Jahan Dotson was incomplete.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl