Sam Darnold throws 4 TDs as Vikings pillage Texans defence

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MINNEAPOLIS — Sam Darnold matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings used another dominant performance on defence to trounce C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans 34-7 on Sunday.

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Jonathan Greenard had three of the four sacks of Stroud, his former teammate, as the Vikings (3-0) intercepted the 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year twice while rattling the Texans (2-1) with their aggressive and unpredictable scheme — and the crowd noise that cranked up with each stop.

Darnold connected with Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones for scores in the first quarter on third down plays inside the 10. In the second half, he delivered a touchdown to Jalen Nailor for the third straight game and got tight end Johnny Mundt one, too.

Jefferson had six catches for 81 yards and Jones rushed 19 times for 102 yards and caught five passes for 46 yards for the Vikings, who were a trendy pick for last place in the NFC North but have beaten back-to-back contenders to start their home slate against San Francisco and Houston.

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GIANTS 21, BROWNS 15

Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes to rookie Malik Nabers and the Giants’ defensive players took turns sacking Deshaun Watson as New York held off the Browns in Cleveland.

Jones completed 24 of 34 passes for 236 yards as the Giants (1-2) shook off a loss at Washington that prompted a week of criticism toward coach Brian Daboll.

It wasn’t easy.

The Browns (1-2) rallied in the fourth after being dominated for three quarters and losing three offensive linemen to injuries.

Watson threw his second TD pass to Amari Cooper, and Cleveland had the ball three times with a chance to take the lead. But running back Jerome Ford fumbled, and the Giants twice stopped the Browns on fourth down in the final four minutes.

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STEELERS 20, CHARGERS 10

Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another as the Steelers topped Los Angeles in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2020 behind another efficient performance from Fields, who completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III midway through the fourth quarter that broke it open.

Fields also added a 5-yard touchdown run and is quietly making a compelling case that he should be the starter even after Russell Wilson’s injured calf heals. Fields has played largely mistake-free through three games, though he did throw his first interception of the season on a tipped pass in the third quarter.

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Najee Harris ran for 70 yards, Chris Boswell kicked a pair of field goals and Pittsburgh’s defence racked up five sacks while handing the Chargers (2-1) their first loss.

PACKERS 30, TITANS 14

Malik Willis ran for a touchdown and threw for a score in his best performance in the NFL, leading Green Bay to a rout over Tennessee in Nashville.

Willis not only won his second straight start subbing for Jordan Love, he got a sweet measure of revenge against the team that traded him to Green Bay (2-1) in August. Willis accounted for 134 of the Packers’ 137 yards in the first quarter. He finished with 202 yards passing and 73 rushing.

Cornerback Jaire Alexander scored a touchdown on his first career pick-6 late in the first quarter, helping Green Bay jump out to a 17-7 lead after 15 minutes. The Packers led 20-7 at halftime and ultimately scored 20 straight points for a 27-7 advantage midway through the third, prompting a loud chant of “Go Pack, go!”

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The Packers had eight sacks, their most since getting eight at Chicago on Jan. 2, 2005. They also forced three turnovers.

BRONCOS 26, BUCCANEERS 7

Rookie Bo Nix ran for an early touchdown and Wil Lutz kicked four field goals to help Denver avoid starting 0-3 for the second straight season with a victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa, Fla..

Nix completed 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards without an interception. The 12th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft, however, still hasn’t thrown for a TD through three games.

Denver’s defence did its part in helping Nix rebound from struggling the previous two weeks, too, sacking Baker Mayfield seven times and intercepting the Bucs quarterback once to set up a second-quarter touchdown. The Broncos (1-2) also turned away two Tampa Bay possessions in Denver territory in the fourth quarter, stopping one drive on downs and forcing a fumble on the other.

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The three-time defending NFC South champion Bucs (2-1), looking to start a season with three consecutive victories for the first time since 2005, was limited to 223 yards of total offence. Mayfield was 25 of 33 passing for 163 yards, including a 6-yard scoring throw to Chris Godwin in the second quarter.

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EAGLES 15, SAINTS 12

Saquon Barkley rushed for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards, and Philadelphia rebounded from a maddening late-game collapse six days earlier to beat the Saints in New Orleans.

Barkley’s shorter scoring run came with 1:01 left, one play after Dallas Goedert got free across the middle on third-and-16 for a 61-yard catch and run that gave him a career-high 170 yards on 10 receptions.

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Eagles safety Reed Blankenship sealed the victory when he intercepted Derek Carr’s pass over the middle with 48 seconds left, capping a banner performance by Philadelphia’s defence against an offence that had scored an NFL-high 91 points during the regular season’s first two weeks under new co-ordinator Klint Kubiak.

Coming off a 22-21 home loss to Atlanta on Monday night, the Eagles (2-1) did not allow a touchdown until Carr found Chris Olave for a 12-yard, go-ahead score with just more than two minutes left. That gave the Saints a 12-7 lead after a failed 2-point try.

The Eagles looked the better team on both sides of the ball, outgaining New Orleans (2-1) in total net yards by a 460-219 margin. But a number of curious decisions by heavily scrutinized Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni, along with some clutch plays by the Saints defence, kept the Eagles off the board for three quarters.

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COLTS 21, BEARS 16

Jonathan Taylor had two touchdown runs and Trey Sermon added another as Indianapolis held on for a victory at home over Chicago.

Taylor ran 23 times for 110 yards as the Colts (1-2) avoided their first 0-3 start since 2021. Anthony Richardson completed 10 of 20 passes for 167 yards, but had two more interceptions.

Chicago (1-2) lost its second straight despite getting two offensive TDs — one more than its total in the first two weeks. Caleb Williams, this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, went 33 of 52 with 363 yards through the air — all season bests — and threw the first two TD passes of his NFL career. Williams also was intercepted twice.

The performances sure didn’t win many style points.

Chicago and Indy combined for just 71 total yards in the first quarter and had five turnovers overall, and the league’s two youngest starting quarterbacks each had passer ratings below 81.

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PANTHERS 36, RAIDERS 22

Andy Dalton gave the Panthers the quarterback play they’ve been sorely lacking, throwing for 319 yards and three touchdowns to lead Carolina past the Raiders in Las Vegas.

Promoted to the starting job in place of the ineffective Bryce Young, Dalton guided the Panthers (1-2) to their first win and moved to 4-0 lifetime against the Raiders.

Carolina, now 3-17 going back to last season, was outscored a combined 73-13 by the Saints and Chargers in the first two weeks before coach Dave Canales benched Young, the No. 1 overall draft pick just a year ago, on Monday.

Dalton resembled the quarterback who earned the nickname “Red Rifle” in his prime more than a 36-year-old who last started in Week 3 of last season. He was sharp throughout, completing 26 of 37 passes and becoming the first NFL quarterback this season to post a 300-yard, three-TD performance. Dalton has thrown for 1,027 yards and 10 TDs in four career starts against the Raiders.

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SEAHAWKS 24, DOLPHINS 3

Geno Smith threw for 289 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown to DK Metcalf, and Zach Charbonnet rushed for two TDs as the Seahawks beat Miami in Seattle, where the attention turned to another injury suffered by a Dolphins quarterback.

A week after losing Tua Tagovailoa to the third concussion in the past two years, the Dolphins watched Skylar Thompson suffer a chest injury in the second half, leaving Tim Boyle to try to lead the charge back from a 17-3 deficit.

Boyle was unable to direct a comeback and the Dolphins (1-2) were stuck back in a place of uncertainty about their QB situation.

Thompson was hurt in the third quarter, staying down after being shoved by Dre’Mont Jones following a pass to De’Von Achane. But the injury was likely suffered on the previous drive when Thompson was sacked by Tyrel Dodson and was hunched over at the midsection as he ran off the field.

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LIONS 20, CARDINALS 13

Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes, David Montgomery ran for 106 yards and a score and Detroit held on late to beat Arizona in Glendale, Ariz.

The Lions continued their recent dominance in the series, improving to 5-0-1 against the Cardinals since 2017. Detroit’s defence kept Kyler Murray and Arizona out of the end zone in the second half, giving up just one field goal.

Goff completed his first 14 passes before an incompletion in the third quarter. It was his longest streak without an incompletion to start a game in his nine-year career and he finished 18 of 23 for 196 yards.

Detroit (2-1) took a 20-7 lead just before halftime on a well-executed hook-and-ladder play. Goff threw short to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who immediately lateralled to Jahmyr Gibbs, who dashed 20 yards for the touchdown. The Lions caught a break earlier in the drive when Goff appeared to throw a pick-6, but officials ruled the play had been whistled dead just before the snap for the two-minute warning.

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RAVENS 28, COWBOYS 25

Derrick Henry ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns, Lamar Jackson accounted for two scores and Baltimore held on for a victory over Dallas in Arlington, Texas.

The Ravens (1-2) scored touchdowns on their first two drives, running and throwing with ease while emphatically responding to the first 0-2 start since 2015 for a franchise coming off a trip to the AFC championship game.

The Cowboys (1-2) have allowed 120 points in their past three home games, including a 48-32 wild card loss to Green Bay in January that ended Dallas’ 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium.

Brandon Aubrey kicked a 65-yard field goal for the Cowboys, 1 yard shy of the NFL record from 2021 held by the kicker on the other sideline, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker.

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RAMS 27, 49ERS 24

Rookie Joshua Karty hit a 37-yard field goal with 2 seconds to play, and Los Angeles staged a spectacular late rally for a victory over San Francisco in Inglewood, Calif.

Kyren Williams rushed 4 yards for his third touchdown of the day with 1:50 left for the Rams (1-2), who came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half for their second straight win over San Francisco (1-2) after losing 10 of the NFC West archrivals’ previous 12 meetings.

Jauan Jennings set career highs with 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns for the 49ers, who blew a lead of at least 14 points for the first time since 2018.

Los Angeles trailed 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter, but Jake Moody missed a 55-yard field goal attempt for San Francisco with 2:43 to play. Matthew Stafford quickly hit Tutu Atwell for a 50-yard completion to the San Francisco 5, and Williams took it in two plays later.

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