NFL Week 10 roundup: Tom Brady picked off twice in 1st; Bucs lose to Washington

LANDOVER, Md. — Tom Brady threw two interceptions in the first quarter as part of an implosion by the reigning Super Bowl champions, contributing to Washington upsetting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 29-19 Sunday while losing Chase Young to injury.

Tampa Bay lost a second consecutive game on either side of its bye week and was dealt an extra blow in the last minute when nose tackle Vita Vea was carted off with an injury on the final play of a 19-play, 80-yard drive over 10:26 that sealed the victory for Washington (3-6).

Brady threw two picks just like the loss to New Orleans two weeks ago and finished 23 of 34 for 220 yards and two touchdown passes.

The Buccaneers (6-3) couldn’t find much of a rhythm on either side of the ball in a rematch of their wild-card victory at Washington from January. Brady’s interceptions on two of his first six throws — one off the hands of rookie Jaelon Darden and another inexplicable toss that was caught by Washington safety Bobby McCain — disjointed the NFL’s best scoring and passing offense, which did not have a first-half touchdown for just the fifth time in the past two seasons.

After tearing his ACL in today's game, Chase Young is already back on the sideline to support his team ???? @WashingtonNFL pic.twitter.com/brsLRx8xHW

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 14, 2021

Brady bounced back in the second half, throwing TD passes to Cameron Brate and Mike Evans. The 40-yard connection with Evans cut the Buccaneers’ deficit to 23-19.

That’s where the comeback bid faltered, when Tampa Bay’s defense could not stop Washington’s offense on the final, clock-draining drive. Coach Ron Rivera lived up to his “Riverboat Ron” nickname by going for it on fourth-and-goal from the Tampa Bay 1-yard line with 31 seconds to go, and Antonio Gibson’s second touchdown run of the day put the game away and caused Vea’s injury, which could linger for the Buccaneers.

Washington QB Taylor Heinicke put his stamp on the improbable result much earlier, hooking up with DeAndre Carter for a 20-yard TD pass and leading a 71-yard drive in the third quarter. A pass interference penalty on the Buccaneers set up Gibson’s first TD run — one of several self-inflicted mistakes made by Tampa Bay, which was flagged six times for 43 yards.

19 PLAYS. 80 YARDS. OVER TEN MINUTES.@WashingtonNFL just iced the game with a historic TD drive. #WashingtonFootball #TBvsWAS pic.twitter.com/pgG0qi9P9V

— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2021

Heinicke, who earned his contract by impressing in a surprise start against the Buccaneers in the playoffs, was 26 of 32 for 256 yards and also rushed for 15 yards.

Cowboys 43, Falcons 3

ARLINGTON, Texas - Ezekiel Elliott ran for two touchdowns, Nahshon Wright recovered a blocked punt for a score a week after touching one kept Dallas from getting the ball, and the Cowboys routed the Atlanta Falcons 43-3 on Sunday.

Plenty of things that went wrong for the Cowboys in a blowout loss to Denver that ended a six-game winning streak a week ago went right to help the NFC East leaders get back on track.

Offensive execution was among them.

Dallas (7-2) looked much more like the NFL’s No. 1 offense with Dak Prescott throwing two TD passes to CeeDee Lamb and Elliott finishing two drives kept alive by fourth-down conversions, all before halftime.

Then came the sequence that led to the highest-scoring quarter in franchise history (29 points in the second) and Dallas’ biggest halftime lead (36-3) since 1971.

Dorance Armstrong’s one-armed block of Dustin Colquitt’s punt was recovered by Wright in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining in the first half. A week earlier again Denver, Wright touched a blocked punt past the line of scrimmage without securing the loose ball, and the Broncos recovered to retain possession.

Atlanta (4-5) had 12 men on the field for the extra point, so the Cowboys went for the 2-point conversion from the 1. Elliott added another plunge across the goal line.

Matt Ryan led the Falcons to the Dallas 20 in just four plays on their first possession before settling for a field goal. Ryan didn’t get that deep into Cowboys territory again, threw two interceptions — including Trevon Diggs’ NFL-leading eighth — and was pulled before the end of the third quarter with Atlanta down 43-3.

Make it EIGHT interceptions for @TrevonDiggs!

????: #ATLvsDAL on FOX
????: NFL app pic.twitter.com/CcobwxC65Y

— NFL (@NFL) November 14, 2021

Prescott was 24 of 31 for 296 yards with a fourth-down rushing TD before sitting in the fourth quarter, while Ryan finished with a 21.4 rating, going 9 of 21 for 117 yards.

Battling an arm contusion that came from an early incompletion, Lamb had all 94 of his yards receiving at halftime, the most before the break for the second-year player. It was Lamb’s third two-TD game.

Elliott’s first touchdown was a 1-yarder five plays after Prescott’s 21-yard pass to Lamb on fourth-and-5. The two-time rushing champ’s 2-yard score came the play after Prescott scrambled on fourth-and-3 and found Michael Gallup along the sideline for 23 yards in the first game for Gallup (calf strain) since the opener.

Titans 23, Saints 21

NASHVILLE — Ryan Tannehill ran and threw for touchdowns as the Tennessee Titans held off the New Orleans Saints 23-21 Sunday for their NFL-best sixth straight victory.

The Titans (8-2) also became he second team in NFL history to win five straight over playoff teams from the season before, joining the 2003 Philadelphia Eagles. Tennessee improved to 7-0 overall against 2020 playoff teams this season.

The Saints (5-4) dropped their second straight since losing quarterback Jameis Winston to a season-ending ACL injury.

On to the next one. @GrindSimmons94 pic.twitter.com/cOi3ywZyQ8

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) November 14, 2021

Against the Titans, they also played without a trio of starters in four-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara because of an injured knee, left tackle Terron Armstead (knee and shoulder injuries) and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson (foot), who was just put on injured reserve.

The Saints still had a chance to tie late.

Trevor Siemian, the Titans’ designated survivor QB for part of last season, threw a 15-yard TD pass to Marquez Callaway with 1:16 left, pulling the Saints within 23-21. But Adam Trautman was flagged for a false start, pushing the Saints back to the Titans 7 on the 2-pointer.

Siemian’s pass to Mark Ingram at the right edge of the end zone was incomplete, with Titans cornerback Jackrabbit Jenkins defending. That was the Saints’ eighth straight failed 2-point conversion over several seasons.

The Titans recovered the onside kick to seal their tightest victory yet.

The Saints could have kicked the extra point for the win if kicker Brian Johnson hadn’t missed two extra points earlier. Johnson did kick a 20-yard field goal with 5:33 left to pull New Orleans within 23-15, but the Titans stopped the Saints on five plays with goal to go trailing 23-12.

Jeffery Simmons, who had a career-high three of the Titans’ five sacks in last week’s win over the Rams, had two more by halftime. Harold Landry also had a sack, giving him a career-high 10 for the season, and the Titans had four by halftime.

The AFC-leading Titans had some luck extending their streak.

A slight roughing-the-passer penalty on linebacker Kaden Elliss wiped out Tannehill’s interception in the end zone by safety Marcus Williams, and he later scored on a 1-yard sneak for a 13-6 lead. Tannehill also fumbled a snap at the end of the third quarter, and receiver A.J. Brown recovered for a 6-yard gain and a first down.

Dylan Cole stripped Deonte Harris of the ball on the opening kickoff of the third quarter to set up Tannehill’s 2-yard TD pass to MyCole Pruitt. That prompted fans to start volleying a beach ball around the lower bowl on the Tennessee sideline.

The ball disappeared as the Saints kept getting the football back in the fourth quarter.

Ingram, who became the Saints’ all-time rushing leader in the third quarter, scored on a 13-yard run late in the third period to start the comeback, pulling New Orleans within 20-12.

Bills 45, Jets 17

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, Buffalo ran for four scores and the Bills’ top-ranked ranked defense intercepted Mike White four times and smothered the New York Jets in a 45-17 victory Sunday.

It was an impressive showing for the Bills (6-3), who rebounded from an embarrassing 9-6 loss at Jacksonville last week by thoroughly dominating the lowly Jets (2-7).

Allen was 21 of 28 for 366 yards with TD passes to Matt Breida and Stefon Diggs with an interception. Breida added a scoring run, as did Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie as Buffalo’s offense looked alive and well.

Taron Johnson, Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace and Jordan Poyer each intercepted White, who made his third straight start for the injured Zach Wilson — and it might have been his last.

Wilson is getting closer to a return from a sprained knee ligament and there was some speculation the Jets could continue with White even when the rookie is healthy. His performance against the Bills might have ended all that. White was 24 of 44 for 251 yards and the four INTs before leaving late with an injury and being replaced by Joe Flacco.

Jets coach Robert Saleh said White was cleared to come back, but Flacco stayed in to finish the drive.

A week after failing to get into the end zone at Jacksonville, Allen and the Bills wasted no time against the Jets.

After White and the Jets went three-and-out to start the game, Allen marched Buffalo down the field with throws of 11 yards to Emmanuel Sanders and 17 to Dawson Knox, back from broken right hand. After a 15-yard run by Singletary, Allen avoided a sack and found Breida streaking downfield for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. It was Breida’s first TD of the season in his first game active since Week 2.

Johnson easily picked off White on the Jets’ next drive when the quarterback was hit by Efe Obada as he threw, causing the ball to sail right into the hands of the Buffalo cornerback.

The Bills took advantage, adding to their lead on Tyler Bass’ 29-yard field goal.

Matt Ammendola put New York on the scoreboard with a 48-yarder late in the first half. But the Bills came right back to take a 17-3 halftime lead on Diggs’ 12-yard TD catch. It came a play after Diggs nearly came up with an acrobatic reception, but his back foot touched the back line of the end zone. Diggs also had a 57-yard catch to start the drive.

Buffalo picked up right where it left off to start the second half, driving down the field 75 yards on five plays, capped by McKenzie’s 8-yard TD run following a 24-yard gain by Sanders on an end-around.

White, trying to get the Jets’ offense going, threw deep into double coverage on first down and Tre’Davious White intercepted him to give the Bills the ball right back.

And Buffalo kept going.

Allen connected with Gabriel Davis for 49 yards, and Breida followed with a 15-yard scamper to make it 31-3. Moss ran it in from 1 yard on Buffalo’s next possession, and Singletary had a 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to complete the rout.

Colts 23, Jaguars 17

INDIANAPOLIS — Jonathan Taylor rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown, Indianapolis returned a blocked punt for a score and the Colts’ defense held on for a 23-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Indy (5-5) has won four of five to reach .500 for the first time this season.

The Jaguars (2-7) have lost 12 consecutive road games and nine straight against AFC South foes.

Taylor has scored in seven straight games and posted at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of those, both league-highs. He’s the fourth player during the Super Bowl era to achieve both feats and he’s tied with two-time defending NFL rushing champ Derrick Henry for the league lead with 937 yards.

After taking an early 17-0 lead, the Colts struggled to seal it — again.

All they could muster was Michael Badgley’s short field goal near the end of the first half and his 37-yarder with 2:22 left in the fourth quarter.

It turned out to be just enough against a Jacksonville offense that finished with 331 total yards.

James Robinson scored on a 1-yard TD run and Trevor Lawrence hooked up with Dan Arnold on a 2-point conversion, getting the Jags within 20-17 early in the fourth.

Lawrence got the ball back with a chance to win it in the waning minutes — until he fumbled near midfield with 50 seconds to go and Colts defensive lineman Kemoko Turay recovered it.

Jacksonville couldn’t overcome a slow start.

Zaire Franklin’s blocked punt and E.J. Speed’s recovery in the end zone gave Indy a 10-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game. Taylor scored on a 4-yard run on Indy’s next possession.

Jacksonville finally answered with Jamal Agnew’s 66-yard scoring run. Matthew Wright missed the extra point, and each team finished the first half with field goals. Wright nailed a 56-yarder on the final play of the half.

Indy’s Carson Wentz was 22 of 34 with 180 yards but was held without a TD pass.

Lawrence finished 16 of 35 with 162 yards. He has 13 turnovers this season. Agnew had three carries for 79 yards and Robinson ran 12 times for 57 yards after missing last week’s game with a bruised heel.

Packers 17, Seahawks 0

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers was uneven in his return from covid-19 but did more than enough to support a standout Green Bay Packers defense in a 17-0 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

A.J. Dillon rushed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Packers, who handed the Seahawks their first shutout loss in a decade.

A week after he was forced to sit out a loss at Kansas City because of a positive covid-19 test and the subsequent revelation that he was not vaccinated, Rodgers went 23 of 37 for 292 yards and threw an interception in the end zone in the third quarter.

Rodgers did not practice all week and was cleared to play Saturday under the NFL’s protocols for unvaccinated players. The QB said before the season he was “immunized,” and after his positive test, he detailed in an incendiary radio interview his reasons for seeking alternatives to vaccination and his skepticism about the shots’ effectiveness. Rodgers later apologized for the misleading statement about his vaccination status.

Although Rodgers was hardly at his best, his return made this much clear: With him, the Packers (8-2) are among the best teams in the NFC and a Super Bowl contender.

Seattle’s Russell Wilson also struggled in his return after missing three games with an injury to the middle finger on his throwing hand. He went 20 of 40 for 161 yards with two interceptions. The Seahawks (3-6) wasted two scoring opportunities when Kevin King and Adrian Amos picked off Wilson passes in the end zone.

The Packers recorded their first shutout since a 22-0 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 30, 2018. The Seahawks hadn’t been shut out since falling 24-0 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 18, 2011.

Seattle wide receiver DK Metcalf was ejected with 1:19 remaining following a skirmish after the whistle that resulted in penalties for both teams. Metcalf appeared to grab the face mask of at least one Packers player.

Seattle has lost its last 10 games at Lambeau Field, including three in the playoffs, and hasn’t won at Green Bay since 1999.

Green Bay’s 3-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter matched the second-lowest score through three quarters of any NFL game since 2008. Dallas and Philadelphia were scoreless through the third quarter of a 2017 game that Dallas eventually won 6-0.

With 2020 Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones sidelined by a knee injury in the second half, Dillon carried the Packers’ rushing attack down the stretch.

On third-and-goal from the 3, Dillon ran into Bobby Wagner around the line of scrimmage but essentially carried the six-time All-Pro linebacker into the end zone for his first touchdown run of the season. That extended Green Bay’s lead to 10-0 with 10:37 left.

Dillon also scored on a 2-yard run with 2 minutes left after setting up that touchdown with a 50-yard reception. He rushed for 66 yards on 21 carries and had two catches for 62 yards.

Green Bay outgained Seattle 201 yards to 86 in the first half but failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Mason Crosby missed a 42-yard field goal and another possession ended with Rodgers throwing incomplete on fourth-and-2 from the 34.

Seattle drove to the Green Bay 35 in the closing seconds of the first half, but a holding penalty on Damien Lewis pushed the Seahawks out of field-goal range and Wilson’s Hail Mary attempt was incomplete.

With Seattle down 3-0, Wilson threw a third-and-10 pass from the 12 that King intercepted in the end zone. On the ensuing drive, Jamal Adams picked off Rodgers’ third-and-6 pass from the 15.

Vikings 27, Chargers 20

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kirk Cousins threw a pair of touchdown passes to Tyler Conklin, Dalvin Cook rushed for 94 yards and a score, and the Minnesota Vikings bounced back after a trying couple of weeks to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 27-20 Sunday.

Justin Jefferson had nine receptions for 143 yards to help Minnesota (4-5) snap a two-game losing streak after it squandered late leads to Dallas and Baltimore.

The Vikings came into the game with five players on the covid-19 list, including starting safety Harrison Smith and center Garrett Bradbury. They also were missing four other defensive starters because of injuries.

As if the health issues were not enough, a former girlfriend of Cook filed a civil suit last week, alleging the running back assaulted her during an altercation at his home last year. Cook’s attorney said his client was assaulted by the woman and had the right to defend himself.

Los Angeles (5-4) has dropped three of its past four.

The Vikings went up 13-3 in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Conklin. Minnesota had a short field to work with following a diving interception by Eric Kendricks at the Chargers 31.

Los Angeles scored on touchdowns by Larry Rountree and Austin Ekeler for a 17-13 lead.

Minnesota then regained the lead with 2:33 remaining in the third quarter. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, Conklin was open in the back of the end zone on a crossing route after Chargers safeties Derwin James and Alohi Gilman ran into each other.

Cousins completed 25 of 37 passes for 294 yards.

Cook extended the Vikings’ advantage to 27-17 early in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard run. Dustin Hopkins’ second field goal got the Chargers within a touchdown, but they didn’t get the ball back.

Cousins connected with Adam Thielen for an 18-yard completion on third-and-18 from the Minnesota 46, and Cook had a 4-yard gain on fourth down to allow the Vikings to run out the clock after the Chargers burned all their timeouts.

Justin Herbert was 20 of 34 for 195 yards with a touchdown and interception. Keenan Allen had eight catches for 98 yards.

Eagles 30, Broncos 13

DENVER — Cornerback Darius Slay returned a fumble 82 yards for a touchdown and rookie DeVonta Smith hauled in two TD passes from Jalen Hurts in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 30-13 win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The Eagles (4-6) won for the fourth time on the road and prevented the Broncos (5-5) from sweeping the NFC East teams on their schedule just one week after Denver dominated Dallas in one of the biggest upsets of the season.

The Broncos had trouble punching it in all afternoon, stalling at the Eagles 3, 10 and 11 before Melvin Gordon III took the handoff on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 23 with the Broncos trailing 20-13 late in the third quarter. He gained the 2 yards necessary for the first down, but he coughed up the football before going down.

Slay scooped the ball from the pile, reversed direction just in front of his 10-yard line and then zig-zagged his way downfield through a smattering of orange jerseys.

Inexplicably, Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater failed to even attempt a tackle, even a halfhearted one, as Slay ran right past him for the game-sealing score.

The Broncos, 1-20 when trailing at halftime under coach Vic Fangio, frittered away several golden opportunities, among them Albert Okwuegbunam’s 64-yard catch-and-run. They stalled at the 3 and settled for a 21-yard field goal by Brandon McManus that tied the game at 10 in the second quarter.

They reached the Eagles 4 on the opening drive of the second half, but McManus’ 22-yard attempt was blocked by safety K’Von Wallace, who sliced through the line untouched just like a Dallas defender did on a punt last week.

When the Eagles turned back the Broncos again, this time at the 11, McManus’ 28-yarder pulled Denver to 20-13.

Justin Simmons’ interception gave Denver the ball at midfield and the chance to tie it. The Broncos again drove deep into Philadelphia territory before Gordon, who scored on a 1-yard run in the first half, fumbled and Slay scooped it and scored.

In the closing minutes, Bridgewater overthrew a wide-open Tim Patrick in the end zone on fourth down.

The Eagles took a 20-10 halftime lead behind Smith’s pair of touchdown catches and two of Jake Elliott’s three field goals.

With offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur out with a covid-19 infection, Broncos QBs coach Mike Shula called the offensive plays. The first series was a debacle: a 1-yard run, and a drop and a catch for minus-2 yards on two passes behind the line of scrimmage sandwiched by a field goal and a TD by Philadelphia.

Smith hauled in a 36-yard pass from Hurts with fellow first-round draft pick Patrick Surtain II in tight coverage to put Philadelphia ahead 10-0.

The Broncos responded with Gordon’s 1-yard TD run and were on the verge of taking the lead when Okwuegbunam’s 64-yard catch-and-run gave Denver first-and-goal at the Eagles 8. But a season-long struggle in goal-to-go situations continued and the Broncos settled for McManus’ field goal.

Nothing went Denver’s way after that. Philadelphia converted three third downs on a 12-play 75-yard drive capped by Smith’s second TD catch that made it 17-10.

The Broncos went three-and-out but buried the Eagles at their 15 with 1:49 remaining in the half. Hurts drove the Eagles downfield and Elliott connected from 52 yards.

Panthers 34, Cardinals 10

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Cam Newton provided a flashback to his Superman days in his second debut with the Panthers, throwing for one touchdown, running for another and sparking Carolina to a 34-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Newton — the 2015 NFL MVP who was signed by the quarterback-thin Panthers earlier in the week — made his presence felt on his first play of the game, entering on third down and screaming “I’m back!” after barreling into the right corner of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown.

On Carolina’s next drive, Newton threw a 2-yard TD pass to Robby Anderson as the Panthers (5-5) built a stunning 17-0 lead in the first quarter and a 23-0 advantage by halftime.

The Cardinals (8-2) had the best record in the NFL coming into the game but looked discombobulated from the beginning.

Backup Colt McCoy, who was playing a second straight game for the injured Kyler Murray, coughed up a fumble after being sacked on the third play of the game. It gave Carolina great field position that it eventually converted into Newton’s touchdown run and a 7-0 lead.

It only got worse for Arizona.

The Cardinals — who were also missing top receiver DeAndre Hopkins — managed 169 total yards and could never mount a response after Carolina’s opening onslaught.

Carolina’s struggling offense looked reborn with Newton in the mix. The majority of snaps went to P.J. Walker, who completed 22 of 29 passes for 167 yards, and Newton was saved for mostly short-yardage situations. Christian McCaffrey also had a big day in the backfield, running for 95 yards and catching 10 passes for 66 yards.

Carolina’s defense also helped, coming up with an early fumble recovery, an interception and a fourth-down stop that gave the Panthers good field position.

Newton’s deal is worth $10 million, including $4.5 million fully guaranteed and a $1.5 million roster bonus, according to a person familiar with the situation. The 32-year-old spent the best years of his career with the Panthers before signing with the Patriots before the 2020 season and being released prior to this season.

At least for one week, it appears the deal is worth every penny.