NFL Week 10: Vikings top Saints for 5th straight win on Joshua Dobbs' dazzling half

MINNEAPOLIS — This latest stop in Minnesota on Joshua Dobbs’ seven-year, seven-team NFL journey has become his most eventful experience in less than two weeks.

The Vikings have enjoyed having him even more.

Dobbs kept an injury-thinned offense on track in his first start, throwing for a career-high 268 yards and contributing two touchdowns to help the Vikings build a 24-point halftime lead and hold on to beat the New Orleans Saints 27-19 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.

“I did pinch myself,” Dobbs said, just 12 days after he was acquired in an emergency trade with Arizona and two days after he finally moved out of his hotel. “It’s just been really cool being able to take it all in.”

After an injury to Jaren Hall pressed Dobbs into action in Atlanta without any prior work with the first team offense, the former aerospace engineering major at Tennessee nicknamed “The Passtronaut” further impressed coach Kevin O’Connell and his staff with his preparation.

“He had a fantastic week of practice,” O’Connell said. “I’m having fun coaching him right now.”

T.J. Hockenson outgained the Saints by himself in the first half with 10 catches for 128 yards and a score for the Vikings (6-4), who stalled out after the hot start. Mekhi Blackmon and Byron Murphy had fourth-quarter interceptions of downfield heaves by Jameis Winston that ended consecutive Saints possessions, and Winston’s last-chance throw into a crowd in the end zone on the final play was knocked safely to the turf.

“We let some get away from us there at the beginning of the second half we’d like to have back,” safety Harrison Smith said, “but when the time came, we made the plays.”

After Derek Carr was forced out in the third quarter with a concussion and a shoulder injury, Winston entered with a 27-3 deficit and delivered touchdown passes to Chris Olave and A.T. Perry on highlight-reel, high-degree-of-difficulty catches in the end zone over Murphy. Alvin Kamara contributed the vital 2-point conversion runs.

The Saints (5-5) caught a break when Ty Chandler, whose first career touchdown run came in the first quarter for the Vikings, had a third-and-1 scamper for a 29-yard score called back for a questioned holding call on right tackle Brian O’Neill midway through the fourth quarter.

But the NFC South leaders have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season.

“We can’t keep digging ourselves into these holes,” coach Dennis Allen said.

With the adrenaline of the comeback victory over the Falcons worn off, the Vikings faced a significant challenge against a dangerous Saints secondary that entered the game leading the NFL in interceptions and passes defensed.

Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson (hamstring) was held out for the fifth straight game, and starting wide receiver K.J. Osborn (concussion) didn’t play. Hockenson played through a painful rib injury that was aggravated multiple times. Then starting running back Alexander Mattison (concussion) was forced out of the game in the third quarter. Dobbs was only here, after all, because of the season-ending torn Achilles tendon for Kirk Cousins.

But he went 23 for 34 without a turnover and rushed eight times for 44 yards, including a third-and-6 scramble that started with a 360-degree spin around the pocket to find a crease and ended with a 7-yard touchdown when he juked cornerback Alontae Taylor at the 5 and beelined inside the pylon.

“We’ve got to get him down,” Saints defensive tackle Malcolm Roach said. “We can’t ask these guys to cover for 30 seconds.”

Buccaneers 20, Titans 6

TAMPA, Fla. — Baker Mayfield threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns Sunday to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stop a four-game losing streak with a 20-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

Rachaad White turned a first-quarter screen pass into a 43-yard TD. Mike Evans redeemed himself from dropping a pass in the end zone with a 22-yard scoring catch and finished with six receptions for 143 yards for the Bucs (4-5).

A week after yielding five TD passes and a NFL rookie record 470 yards through the air to Houston’s C.J. Stroud, the Bucs’ defense fared much better against another first-year quarterback, Will Levis, who was sacked four times and intercepted once while failing to get his team into the end zone.

Mayfield completed 18 of 29 passes and shrugged off a first-quarter interception to end Tampa Bay’s longest skid since 2019.

Tennessee (3-6) lost for the fourth time in five games following a 2-2 start. The Titans have dropped eight straight on the road dating to last season.

Levis led a field goal drive on Tennessee’s first possession but finished 19 of 39 for 199 yards in his third pro start — and his first since coach Mike Vrabel announced the second-round draft pick was replacing an injured Ryan Tannehill as the No. 1 quarterback moving forward.

An injury-weakened offensive line struggled to protect the rookie, and Levis got little help from a running game that produced 42 yards on 16 carries.

Nick Folk kicked field goals of 38 and 35 yards for the Titans, who haven’t won a road game since a prime-time victory at Green Bay last Nov. 17.

Levis fell to 1-2 as a starter. In his three starts, the 33rd overall pick has thrown for 699 yards, four TDs and two interceptions.

Evans’ TD catch put the Bucs up 17-3 late in the third quarter. He caught the ball at the Titans 5 and dragged cornerback Kristian Fulton into the end zone. Earlier, Evans forced his team to settle for a field goal when he dropped a pass in the back of the end zone.

49ers 34, Jaguars 3

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, including a 66-yarder to George Kittle, and the San Francisco 49ers seemingly fixed all their woes with a cross-country trip and a 34-3 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars that ended a three-game skid Sunday.

Deebo Samuel returned from a three-game absence and added a 23-yard scoring run for the 49ers (6-3), who stopped Jacksonville’s five-game winning streak and reestablished themselves as a Super Bowl contender following a bye week.

San Francisco dominated both lines of scrimmage and controlled the game from the opening drive. The Niners ran for 147 yards against one of the league’s top run defenses and sacked Trevor Lawrence five times. Nick Bosa was a menace all game, and newly acquired defensive end Chase Young got in on one of the sacks.

The Jaguars (6-3), meanwhile, embarrassed themselves at every turn and looked nothing like a legit playoff contender. They had a five-possession stretch in which they fumbled, kicked a field goal, threw an interception, fumbled and threw another interception. Lawrence was responsible for three of the team’s four turnovers.

It was Jacksonville’s worst home loss since a 45-10 blowout to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2019.

Kittle finished with three catches for 116 yards. Christian McCaffrey finished with 142 total yards, but his streak of consecutive games with a TD ended at 17 games, including the playoffs.

He was tied with Lenny Moore for the NFL record, and the Niners tried to get him the mark by giving him the ball or targeting him on five consecutive plays in a 31-point game while other starters had been removed.

Purdy completed 19 of 26 passes for 296 yards, giving way to Sam Darnold in the fourth with a 148.9 QB rating. Purdy’s first TD pass was a shaky one to Brandon Aiyuk into double coverage, but he was much better the rest of the game.

Purdy threw five INTs during the team’s three-game skid, but vowed to have better ball security coming out of the bye. It surely helped that Samuel and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams were back in the lineup.

After scoring 17 points in each of their three losses, San Fran topped the 30-point mark for the sixth time this season — most in the NFL.

Colts 10, Patriots 6

FRANKFURT, Germany — Jonathan Taylor ran for a first-quarter touchdown and Mac Jones threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter and the Indianapolis Colts held on for a 10-6 win over New England Patriots in Germany on Sunday.

The NFL’s 50th regular-season game outside the United States, and last of this season, was dominated by defense and Taylor’s first-quarter touchdown was the only one of the game.

Jones was sacked five times in the first half and was replaced with backup Bailey Zappe late in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 10-6 late in the fourth quarter, Jones drove the Patriots inside the red zone but was intercepted by Julian Blackmon on a pass intended for tight end Mike Gesicki at the 1-yard line.

Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew threw a 28-yard pass to Josh Downs for a first down that forced the Patriots to start using their timeouts. Minshew was 18 for 28 for 194 yards and Taylor had 69 yards on 23 carries. Michael Pittman had eight receptions for 84 yards.

After eventually forcing the Colts to punt, Zappe replaced Jones with 1:52 remaining in the game. After converting on a fourth down, Zappe attempted a fake spike, but threw into triple coverage and was picked off by Rodney Thomas to seal the game.

Jones was 15 for 20 for 170 yards and his league-leading 10th interception. Zappe, who replaced Jones for the third time this season, was 3 for 7 for 25 yards on the final drive. Rhamondre Stevenson had 20 carries for 88 yards and Ezekiel Elliott added 13 carries for 54 yards.

The Patriots dropped to 2-8 on the season, matching the worst since Bill Belichick’s first year as coach in 2000 and the Colts improved to 5-5. The Patriots have not won a game outside of the AFC East this season.

Chad Ryland’s 37-yard field goal gave the Patriots an early lead, Taylor rushed for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth down after twice gaining first downs on third-and-1 earlier in the drive.

Matt Gay missed a 57-yard field-goal attempt for the Colts at the end of the second quarter to leave the score 7-3 at the half.

Ryland, who missed a 35-yard attempt early in the third quarter, had a 24-yarder early in the fourth quarter to reduce the Colts’ lead to 7-6.

Gay then added 51-yard field goal restored the Colts’ four-point lead on a drive that was aided by Isaiah McKenzie’s 42-yard kickoff return.

The Patriots are rivaling Kansas City for the title of the most popular team in Germany, which is widely viewed as the NFL’s most promising international market.

Patriots support in Germany grew in the 2010s during the team’s Super Bowl titles and the appeal of German offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer, but the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs have caught up fast.

The Colts won an international game for the first time, moving to 1-1, and the Patriots lost a regular-season game outside the U.S. for the first time after winning their previous three.

It was the second regular-season NFL game at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt after the Chiefs beat the Dolphins 21-14 last week.

Seahawks 29, Commanders 26

SEATTLE — Jason Myers converted his fifth field goal of the game, a 43-yarder as time expired, and the Seattle Seahawks held off the Washington Commanders 29-26 on Sunday.

Seattle quarterback Geno Smith and Washington QB Sam Howell traded big throws and touchdown passes in the final 5 minutes, but it was Smith who had the the final chance at the victory and came through.

Howell pulled Washington even at 26-26 on a 35-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown with 52 seconds remaining. Smith took over and made a pair of big throws to DK Metcalf: a 17-yard strike on third-and-4 and a 27-yard pass to the Washington 25. Smith spiked the ball with 3 seconds left and Myers concluded his perfect day for Seattle (6-3), which remained tied with San Francisco atop the NFC West.

Smith was 31 of 47 for 369 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He hit Tyler Lockett for a 5-yard TD with 3:47 remaining, which appeared to be the decisive score at the time.

Howell had an answer, giving Washington (4-6) a chance in the closing seconds. Howell converted a fourth-and-1 at the Seattle 43 with an 8-yard pass to Terry McLaurin. Three plays later, on third-and-10, Howell dropped a pass over the arms of defenders Jordyn Brooks and Devon Witherspoon and into the hands of Brown, who sprinted untouched for the tying score. It was Brown’s first touchdown of the season.

Howell finished 29 of 44 for 312 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw a 51-yard TD pass to running back Brian Robinson Jr. on the fourth play of the game and hit Antonio Gibson for a 19-yard TD with 8 minutes left that tied the game at 19-all.

Smith completed 9 of 11 passes on Seattle’s final two possessions, and he connected with Kenneth Walker III on a 64-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the third quarter, the longest play from scrimmage this season for the Seahawks. Smith also didn’t turn the ball over for the first time since Week 4. Metcalf had seven catches for 98 yards and Lockett had eight catches for 92 yards.

Along with the game-winner, Myers made field goals from 45 (twice), 42 and 33 yards. Myers has made 17 of his last 18 field-goal attempts after starting the season 3 of 6.

Robinson had six catches for 119 yards for Washington, which struggled to get a ground game going. The Commanders had just 68 yards on 14 carries.

Cowboys 49, Giants 17

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dak Prescott threw for 404 yards and four touchdowns while running for another score, and the Dallas Cowboys routed the New York Giants for the second time this season, extending their home winning streak to 12 with a 49-17 victory Sunday.

The Cowboys (6-3) won 40-0 in the opener in New Jersey, and the 72-point margin was their largest in a sweep of an NFC East opponent, topping their 66-point edge against Philadelphia in 1969.

The Giants (2-8) were outgained 368-27 in the first half with Tommy DeVito as the first undrafted rookie to start for them at quarterback in the common draft era, save for a strike-replacement game in 1987.

DeVito, who replaced Daniel Jones last week when the franchise QB sustained a season-ending knee injury, was 14 of 27 for 86 yards with two TDs and an interception.

The Cowboys — whose 640 total yards were 12 shy of the franchise record — had a 54-0 combined first-half margin in the two games, this time without any help from defense or special teams after those units scored a TD apiece early in the first rout.

Receiver CeeDee Lamb scored on 14-yard run before Prescott’s touchdown tosses to Jake Ferguson (1 yard) and Brandin Cooks (10 yards). Prescott made it 28-0 with a 10-yard run 16 seconds before the break.

After DeVito’s 19-yard scramble sparked a New York scoring drive in the third quarter, including his second career TD pass, Prescott connected with Michael Gallup on a 41-yard touchdown for a 35-7 lead.

Lamb had a spectacular one-handed grab among 11 catches for 151 yards as he became the first Dallas receiver with at least 10 catches for at least 150 yards in three consecutive games.

Cooks had his first 100-yard game since joining Dallas in an offseason trade, finishing 13 off his career high with 173.

Not only did the Cowboys secure their longest home winning streak since an 18-victory run at old Texas Stadium from 1989-91, but Prescott beat the Giants for a 12th consecutive time since losing to them twice as a rookie in 2016. Dallas has won the past six and 13 of the past 14 in the series.

Prescott finished 26 of 35 and set a franchise record with his third game of at least 400 yards passing and four TDs — all in the first three quarters — while throwing an interception that set up New York at the Dallas 12-yard line when the Cowboys’ lead was just 7-0.

But Saquon Barkley and coach Brian Daboll had a testy exchange — one of several among Giants players and coaches on a frustrating day — after a failed fourth-down try from the 4 when the star running back was stuffed for no gain.

The Cowboys promptly went 96 yards the other direction, capped by the run from Lamb, who also had a punctuating 12-yard scoring catch late in third quarter.

Cardinals 25, Falcons 23

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray threw for 249 yards and ran for a touchdown in his return from a serious knee injury, Matt Prater made a game-winning 23-yard field goal as time expired and the Arizona Cardinals snapped a six-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Falcons 25-23 on Sunday.

Murray made a pair of important plays on the game-winning drive, providing reminders of why he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 and also why the Cardinals (2-8) signed him to a $230.5 million contract before the 2022 season.

His 13-yard scramble on third-and-10 — and evading multiple sack attempts — helped keep Arizona’s drive alive. Then he hit tight end Trey McBride on a 33-yard pass that set up the short field goal.

That made it an easy field goal for Prater, who also connected from 56, 51 and 46 yards.

McBride finished with eight catches for 131 yards, James Conner ran for 73 yards and Murray completed 19 of 32 passes. Rookie BJ Ojulari had two sacks for the Cardinals (2-8).

The Falcons pushed ahead 23-22 with 2:33 remaining on Desmond Ridder’s 9-yard run to the left corner of the end zone. Atlanta’s 2-point conversion failed, which allowed the Cardinals to play for a game-winning field goal.

The 24-year-old Ridder started the team’s first eight games of the season before losing his job to Taylor Heinicke, but was forced into the game in the fourth quarter after Heinicke hurt his hamstring.

Atlanta (4-6) has lost three straight.

Murray — who hadn’t played a game in 335 days — scored his first touchdown of the season with 10 seconds left in the first half, faking a handoff to Conner before keeping the ball himself and running 6 yards into the end zone, cutting the Falcons lead to 14-12 entering halftime.

Backup quarterback Clayton Tune and the offensive line pushed the pile for a 1-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left in the third quarter that gave the Cardinals a 22-17 lead.

Atlanta’s Nate Landman intercepted an off-the-mark Murray pass in the middle of the third quarter, returning it 25 yards to the Arizona 14. The Falcons settled for a field goal on the ensuing drive to take a 17-15 advantage.

Heinicke was 8 of 15 passing for 55 yards and a touchdown. Ridder was 4 of 6 for 39 yards.

Murray — a two-time Pro Bowl selection — tore the ACL in his right knee on Dec. 12, 2022, against the New England Patriots. The Cardinals have had several fill-in quarterbacks, including Colt McCoy, Trace McSorley, David Blough, Joshua Dobbs and Tune.

None of them had much success. The Cardinals had a 1-13 record over that span.

Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson ran for a 5-yard touchdown late in the first half — completing a 13-play, 76-yard drive — to give the Falcons a 14-6 lead late in the second quarter. Robinson finished with 95 yards rushing on 22 carries.

Lions 41, Chargers 38

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Jared Goff threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired, and the Detroit Lions prevailed in a 41-38 shootout over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

The Chargers (4-5) tied it at 38-all with 3:34 remaining when Justin Herbert threw his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 38-yarder to Keenan Allen on fourth-and-1.

Goff responded by leading the Lions (7-2) on a nine-play, 53-yard drive, culminating in Patterson’s kick. The key play was Goff’s 6-yard completion to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta on fourth-and-2 from the LA 26-yard line.

Goff, playing in SoFi Stadium for the second time since being traded by the Rams to the Lions in 2021, was 23 of 33.

David Montgomery had 116 yards on 12 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs added 77 yards and two touchdowns for the NFC North-leading Lions.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had a career-high 156 receiving yards on eight catches, including a 20-yard TD to put the Lions ahead 31-24 in the third quarter. He is the first Detroit receiver to have six 100-yard games in a seven-game span since Calvin Johnson in 2012.

Herbert completed 27 of 40 passes for 323 yards with the four TDs and an interception. Allen had 11 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns, including a 29-yard TD in the second quarter.

The teams traded field goals before a pair of 1-yard TD runs by Gibbs put the Lions up 17-3 midway through the second quarter. His first score was set up by a 35-yard scamper where he went off right end and then made a nice cut before being tackled at the Chargers 1-yard line.

The Chargers got within 24-17 on Austin Ekeler’s 2-yard carry with 23 seconds remaining in the first half. After forcing Detroit to punt on the opening series of the second half, Los Angeles tied it for the second time when Herbert threw a 18-yard bullet to Jalen Guyton.

After that, the game settled into a pattern of Detroit taking the lead and LA rallying to tie it.

Following St. Brown’s score, Chargers first-round pick Quentin Johnston scored his first touchdown on a 1-yard reception on fourth-and-goal with 11:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Four minutes later, the Lions’ Brock Wright was wide open down the middle on a 25-yard TD reception.