Newton runs for 2 TDs, Patriots hold off Dolphins 21-11

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Cam Newton looked just fine as Tom Brady’s replacement, rushing for two touchdowns Sunday, and the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins, 21-11, to open the season.

Newton rushed 15 times for 75 yards and threw for 155 yards, leading a Patriots offensive attack that did most of its damage on the ground in their first game since the departure of Brady to Tampa Bay as a free agent.

Sony Michel added a touchdown for New England, which had 217 of its 357 yards on the ground. Newton was 15 of 19 passing.

Miami struggled for most of the game offensively and lost top receiver DeVante Parker, who left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 20 of 30 for 191 yards and three interceptions. Miami was held to 269 total yards.

CAM NEWTON'S FIRST TD AS A PATRIOT ?

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— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2020

Newton scored from 11 yards early in the third quarter to put New England up 14-3.

The Patriots were threatening again late in the period, but Jerome Baker kept the Dolphins in the game. He stripped N’Keal Harry inside the 5-yard line, causing a fumble through the end zone for a touchback.

Miami then cut New England’s lead to 14-11 in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard TD run by Jordan Howard and 2-point conversion run by Fitzpatrick with 10 minutes, 31 seconds left.

The Patriots went quickly on their ensuing series and moved inside Miami’s 40, thanks to a 23-yard run by Julian Edelman and 15-yard penalty on Baker for a late hit. Newton muscled inside the 1 on a fourth-and-1 draw play. Michel went over the top for a TD on the next play.

The Patriots defense then shut the door when Fitzpatrick was intercepted in the end zone by J.C. Jackson.

Newton’s arrival was expected to bring more of a running mentality to New England’s offense, and it showed early.

Newton carried on the second play of the game and capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run on the Patriots’ third possession to put them up 7-0. The 2015 league MVP was untouched as he crossed into the end zone on the play, spiking the ball and flexing as he was surrounded by teammates.

For the half the Patriots rushed 19 times, compared to just nine passes. But Newton’s TD was the only score for New England in the opening 30 minutes, which included three punts and a missed field goal. It marked the eighth time since 2015 that the Patriots were held to seven points or less and 150 total yards or less in a first half.

The Dolphins didn’t fare much better. They had a field goal just before halftime, but Fitzpatrick was intercepted twice, including once by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.

Bears 27, Lions 23

DETROIT — Mitchell Trubisky perfectly lofted a 27-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Anthony Miller with 1:54 remaining and the Chicago Bears held on to beat the Detroit Lions 27-23 Sunday.

Detroit drove to the Chicago 16 with a chance to win, and rookie running back D’Andre Swift dropped a pass in the end zone. Matthew Stafford threw another incomplete pass as time expired to complete the collapse.

Trubisky threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to help Chicago come back from a 17-point deficit. It looked familiar to Lions fans: Detroit opened last season by blowing an 18-point lead at Arizona and settling for a tie. That began a trend that saw the team fail to stay ahead during a season that ended with just wins.

Trubisky, who held off Nick Foles to keep his job, shook off a shaky start to complete 20 of 36 attempts for 242 yards with three touchdowns, including short passes for scores to Jimmy Graham and Javon Wims.

Stafford was 24 of 42 for 297 yards with a TD pass to T.J. Hockenson in the third quarter — and an interception that gave Chicago a great chance to take its only lead of the game.

Adrian Peterson ran for 93 yards on 14 carries in his Detroit debut, just four days after signing with the team.

#Lions radio call: pic.twitter.com/i5kDUq2fJV

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 13, 2020

The Lions are not allowing fans to attend their first two home games due to state restrictions on the size of crowds during the pandemic. To fill some seats at fan-free Ford Field and raise money for charities, cutouts were sold for $150 and about 500 of them filled some seats beyond an end zone.

Packers 43, Vikings 34

MINNEAPOLIS — Aaron Rodgers took full advantage of the young cornerbacks and the empty stadium in Minnesota, beginning his 13th season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback by passing for 364 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Packers past the Vikings 43-34 on Sunday.

Davante Adams was predictably the biggest beneficiary, with a career-high, franchise-record-tying 14 catches for 156 yards and two scores. Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard each reached the end zone, too, as Green Bay had its way with a Minnesota defense renovated this year out of salary-cap necessity as hefty new contracts were given to quarterback Kirk Cousins and running back Dalvin Cook.

Aaron Jones rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown for the Packers, who posted their highest score against the Vikings since a 44-31 victory at the Metrodome on Oct. 27, 2013.

Cook rushed 12 times for 50 yards, two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions. Adam Thielen caught six passes for 110 yards, two scores and another 2-pointer, but Cousins underthrew him in the final minute of the first half. Jaire Alexander, who also recorded a safety on an untouched cornerback blitz in the second quarter, made the bobbling interception.

Then Rodgers hit Valdes-Scantling on a fade route up the right sideline with rookie Cameron Dantzler in position but too late to turn for the ball, a 45-yard touchdown that gave Green Bay a 22-7 lead with 11 seconds left in the first half.

Raiders 34, Panthers 30

CHARLOTTE — Josh Jacobs ran for 93 yards and three touchdowns, Derek Carr threw for 239 yards and a score and the Las Vegas Raiders hung on to beat the Carolina Panthers 34-30 on Sunday to spoil Matt Rhule’s coaching debut.

Jacobs’ 6-yard run around the right end with 4:14 left put the Raiders ahead for good after they’d surrendered a 12-point fourth quarter lead.

Carolina had a chance to take the lead, but the Panthers handed off to fullback Alex Armah — instead of All-Pro Christian McCaffrey — on fourth-and-inches at midfield, He was stopped at the line, turning the ball over on downs with 1:11 left. McCaffrey racked up 134 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns for Carolina.

After going three-and-out on their first drive, the Raiders scored on five straight possessions to take a 27-15 lead in a game played in front of fewer than 50 guests of the Panthers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Carolina battled back with McCaffrey getting 11 touches for 64 yards on one drive and scoring on a 3-yard run. After one of only three defensive stops by the Panthers, Teddy Bridgewater found Robby Anderson for a 75-yard strike on a blown coverage to take a 30-27 lead.

Washington 27, Eagles 17

LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Football Team played like a group of guys determined to make a name for themselves.

Peyton Barber ran for two touchdowns and Dwayne Haskins rallied Washington from a 17-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-17 Sunday in coach Ron Rivera’s debut.

After falling behind 17-0 following a pair of touchdown passes by Carson Wentz, Washington relied on a punishing defense and opportunistic offense in its first game since owner Dan Snyder finally agreed to change the team’s name and former employees alleged sexual harassment.

Rivera lived up to his “Riverboat Ron” nickname earned in nine seasons with Carolina. In his first game after finding out he has a form of skin cancer, Rivera went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 5 with the score tied midway through the fourth quarter.

Barber ran for the first down and then scored from the 3 to give Washington a 24-17 lead.

Zach Ertz dropped a pass on fourth-and-3 from the Eagles 42 on the ensuing drive and Dustin Hopkins kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 27-17.

Jaguars 27, Colts 20

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Minshew Mania is back and maybe better than before.

Gardner Minshew threw three touchdown passes, including a 22-yarder to Keelan Cole in the fourth quarter, and Jacksonville stunned Indianapolis and Philip Rivers 27-20 in their season opener Sunday.

The Jaguars entered Week 1 as the NFL’s biggest home underdogs, with talk of tanking being the most prevalent preseason topic surrounding the revamped team. The tempered expectations may have contributed to the team only being able to distribute about 14,000 tickets for the league’s lone game played with fans in the stands Sunday.

Minshew gave the sparse crowd plenty to celebrate. The second-year pro completed 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and no turnovers. He connected with DJ Chark, rookie Laviska Shenault and Cole for scores — and looked sharp all day.

Undrafted rookie running back James Robinson accounted for 90 yards, including 62 on the ground.

Jacksonville’s defense turned in several big plays, none more important than Andrew Wingard’s interception with less than five minutes remaining. That set up Josh Lambo’s second field goal and gave the Jags a little cushion down the stretch.

The Colts have themselves to blame for the loss. Coach Frank Reich went for it on fourth down from the 3-yard line early and failed to get points. Rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship hit the left upright from 30 yards out, another missed opportunity.

And Rivers looked solid at times, but also had some questionable throws with his new team.

The longtime Chargers star had tormented the Jaguars over the years, winning seven of his last eight starts against them and topping 30 points six times.

Seahawks 38, Falcons 25

ATLANTA — Russell Wilson was cooking right from the start, throwing four touchdown passes to lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 38-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener Sunday.

With the Falcons not allowing fans for at least their first two homes games because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Seahawks took advantage of what was essentially a neutral site to pull away in the second half.

Seattle heeded the pleas of its fans to “Let Russ Cook” — essentially a call to open up the offense in the first half rather than relying on Wilson to keep leading dramatic comebacks.

He completed 31 of 35 passes for 322 yards, throwing a pair of TD passes in the first quarter as Seattle built a 14-12 halftime lead and adding two more in the third quarter to put the Falcons away.

The biggest one of all came after the Falcons made what looked to be a crucial stop, leaving the Seahawks with fourth-and-5 at the Atlanta 38. The offense stayed on the field, but instead of going for the first down with a short throw, Wilson lofted one to DK Metcalf, who was streaking toward the end zone.

Metcalf beat cornerback Isaiah Oliver and hauled in the perfectly thrown ball without breaking stride to push Seattle to a 21-12 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Atlanta attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-2 from its own 33. Blocking back Sharrod Neasman took a direct snap and had enough for the first down on a run up the middle, only to fumble the ball. It was recovered by Seattle’s Freddie Swain at the 36.

Cardinals 24, 49ers 20

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — DeAndre Hopkins had a career-high 14 catches for 151 yards in his Arizona debut and set up Kenyan Drake’s 1-yard TD run with 5:03 to play that led the Cardinals over the San Francisco 49ers 24-20 on Sunday.

Kyler Murray threw for 230 yards and a touchdown and ran for 90 yards and another score to help the Cardinals overcome a pair of fourth-quarter deficits to beat the defending NFC champion 49ers in a smoky opener at an empty stadium.

Jerick McKinnon caught a 5-yard TD pass from Jimmy Garoppolo in the running back’s first game in more than two years to give San Francisco a 20-17 lead with 8:38 to play before Murray led a late comeback.

His 33-yard pass to Hopkins got the ball down to the 1 and then Drake ran it in on the next play to give Arizona the lead.

Garoppolo led the 49ers down to the 16 before throwing an incomplete pass to Trent Taylor on fourth-and-5 that ended the comeback attempt

Murray had given the Cardinals the lead earlier in the fourth with a 22-yard scramble and his running ability wore down San Francisco’s defense as the game went on.

Garoppolo finished 19 for 33 for 259 yards and two scores, also connecting on a 76-yarder to Raheem Mostert in the first quarter.

Bills 27, Jets 17

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills got the season off to a throwing start.

In overseeing three consecutive first-half touchdown drives, Allen became Buffalo’s first quarterback to top 300 yards passing in nearly three-plus years in a 27-17 season-opening win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

The Bills overcame injuries to two starting linebackers, while Allen overcame his own sloppiness in picking apart a rebuilt Jets secondary after star safety Jamal Adams forced his trade to Seattle this offseason.

“We wanted to start off and get the ball into our playmakers’ hands outside and let them do their thing,” Allen said. “But we still have to find more ways to get into the end zone. We left too many points out there. I take that responsibility on myself.”

Allen was referring to losing two fumbles in the first half, both times inside Jets territory.

Blemishes aside, Allen spread the ball to his upgraded group of receivers, which now features the addition of Stefon Diggs, in finishing 33 of 46 for 312 yards with two touchdowns, plus another one rushing. Tyrod Taylor, Allen’s predecessor, had 329 yards passing in a overtime loss to Miami on Dec. 24, 2016.

Saints 34, Bucs 23

Tom Brady was intercepted twice in his Tampa Bay debut, Alvin Kamara scored touchdowns running and receiving, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Buccaneers 34-23 on Sunday.

The first of Brady’s interceptions led to Kamara’s 6-yard touchdown run. The second pick thrown by the new, 43-year-old Bucs QB — who left the New England Patriots in free agency after 20 years and six Super Bowl triumphs — was returned 36 yards for a touchdown by Janoris Jenkins.

Neither quarterback was statistically exceptional in this first-ever NFL game featuring two quarterbacks in their 40s. The 41-year-old Drew Brees passed for 160 yards and two TDs, but he also avoided critical mistakes. He did not turn over the ball and took only one sack. His first TD pass was a dump-off to Kamara from 12 yards. In the fourth quarter he hit free-agent signing Emmanuel Sanders for a 5-yard score.

Few witnessed this historically significant quarterback matchup in person, with government leaders and the Saints having agreed that no fans should attend the opener amid the coronavirus pandemic. That turned the normally deafening 73,000-seat Superdome into more of an echo chamber. When Wil Lutz’s field goal put New Orleans up 17-7, the squeaking of pulleys could be heard across the stadium as the net behind the goal post was lowered.