NFL Week 11: Marcus Jones returns punt for TD to give Pats win over Jets
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with 5 seconds remaining and the New England Patriots stunned the New York Jets 10-3 on Sunday.
The rookie’s score was the first TD on a punt return in the NFL this season and broke a stalemate on a day when both offenses struggled to move the ball.
It was the third straight win for the Patriots (6-4) and their 14th straight over New York. They also denied the Jets (6-4) a chance to move into first place in the AFC East this late in the season for the first time since 2010. Instead, New York dropped into last place.
Marcus Jones had Gillette in a frenzy. ???? @Patriots pic.twitter.com/KcsD7Js1uJ
— NFL (@NFL) November 20, 2022
The Jets haven’t won in Foxborough since the 2010 playoffs when they knocked out the Patriots in the divisional round.
The Patriots moved the ball well at times, with Mac Jones completing 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards. But they were 4 of 15 on third down and had only one field goal — with Nick Folk missing two attempts — despite getting inside the Jets 30 three times.
New York sacked Jones six times, but managed just 103 yards of offense. Zach Wilson was 9 of 22 for 77 yards, and Braden Mann punted 10 times.
Eagles 17, Colts 16
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Hurts ran for an 8-yard touchdown with 1:20 remaining and Philadelphia rallied past Indianapolis.
Coming off their first of the season, the Eagles (9-1) trailed 13-3 in the fourth quarter. Hurts threw for a touchdown early in the period to get Philly within three.
The third-year quarterback was 18 of 25 with 190 yards through the air and rushed 16 times for 86 yards as the Eagles won their seventh straight road game.
Indianapolis (4-6-1) never trailed until Hurts’ scoring run. Interim coach Jeff Saturday evened his record at 1-1 since taking over for the fired Frank Reich.
Indy had a chance for a game-winning drive, but it stalled before the Colts could get to midfield and they turned it over on downs.
The Colts drove 75 yards on their opening drive and went ahead on Jonathan Taylor’s 1-yard TD run. But Indy could only manage three field goals after that.
Lions 31, Giants 18
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Jamaal Williams ran for a career-high three touchdowns and Detroit stunned New York.
The Lions (4-6) posted consecutive roads wins and their first three-game winning streak since November 2017. Until last week, Detroit had not won a road game under second-year coach Dan Campbell.
Williams ran for a 4-yard TD and two 1-yard scores and the Lions’ much-maligned run defense shut down NFL leading rusher Saquon Barkley and forced three turnovers on a cold, blustery day.
Rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble to help set up 14 points. Jared Goff and the Lions’ offense didn’t have a turnover for the second straight game.
The mistake-prone Giants (7-3) got 3-yard touchdown runs by Daniel Jones and Matt Breida. Jones also threw a meaningless late TD to Richie James but also was intercepted twice, his first picks since Week 3. He went 27 of 44 for 341 yards.
Goff finished 17 of 26 for 165 yards with Amon-Ra St. Brown catching seven passes for 76 yards. The Lions had 163 yards rushing led by Justin Jackson (66) and Williams (64). Barkley finished with 22 yards on 15 carries.
Falcons 27, Bears 24
ATLANTA — Younghoe Koo made a tiebreaking 53-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play and Atlanta overcame another impressive game from Chicago’s Justin Fields.
Marcus Mariota ran and threw for touchdowns for Atlanta (5-6), which pulled within one-half game of NFC-leading Tampa Bay on the Buccaneers’ bye week.
Fields ran for 85 yards with a touchdown, but the Bears (3-8) suffered their fourth consecutive loss and sixth of seven.
Fields’ pass for running back David Montgomery was intercepted by Falcons safety Jaylinn Hawkins with 1:07 remaining. A 26-yard run by rookie Tyler Allgeier allowed the Falcons, who rushed for 149 yards, to wind down the clock.
Atlanta running back Cordarrelle Patterson set the NFL record with his ninth career kickoff return for a touchdown. His 103-yard return in the second quarter broke a tie with Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.
Patterson’s lost fumble after a 19-yard run set up Fields’ 4-yard scoring run that gave Chicago a 17-7 lead. Patterson responded with his record-breaking return.
Saints 27, Rams 20
NEW ORLEANS — Andy Dalton passed for three touchdowns, Mathew Stafford left the field to be evaluated for a concussion in the second half New Orleans beat reeling Los Angeles.
Stafford’s departure from the game came two days after he’d been cleared to return from the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Stafford was effective in the first half, after which the Rams led 14-10, and he left the game having completed 11 of 18 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns, including a 62-yarder to Tutu Atwell.
He was replaced by Bryce Perkins, who led the Rams to a field goal on his first series, but struggled thereafter. The defending champion Rams (3-7) have lost four straight.
Dalton’s performance validated a decision by the Saints (4-7) to stick with him after the club’s worst offensive performances of the season during a two-game skid. He completed 21 of 25 passes for 260 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown pass deep down the middle of the field to Chris Olave to make it 24-14 late in the third quarter.
Dalton also threw TD passes to Jarvis Landry and Juwan Johnson.
Commanders 23, Texans 10
HOUSTON — Taylor Heinicke threw for 191 yards, Kendall Fuller returned an interception for a touchdown, and Washington rolled past Houston.
Heinicke, who started a fifth straight game for the injured Carson Wentz, had another solid performance to help the Commanders (6-5) build on last week’s victory over Philadelphia and win their fifth of six.
Davis Mills threw two interceptions and Houston mustered a season-low 148 yards of offense as the Texans (1-8-1) lost their fifth straight and remained the NFL’s only one-win team.
Washington led 20-0 at halftime behind Fuller’s pick-6, a TD run by Curtis Samuel and a historically bad first half by Houston’s offense.
The Texans were outgained 246-5 in the first half, their fewest net yards in a half franchise history, passing the 8 they managed in the first half of a 40-0 loss to the Bills last season.
It was the fewest yards by a team in a half since the Raiders had minus-12 in a win over the Broncos in 2015.
Cowboys 40, Vikings 3
MINNEAPOLIS — Tony Pollard had two touchdown catches for Dallas with a career-high 189 yards from scrimmage, and the Cowboys sacked Kirk Cousins a career-most seven times in a 40-3 victory over Minnesota on Sunday that slammed the Vikings’ seven-game winning streak to a screeching halt.
Dak Prescott was flawless at quarterback, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for two scores in his return from injury and Brett Maher made four field goals — including a 60-yarder to end the first half. The Cowboys (7-3) didn’t punt until their eighth possession, and the defense was just as good.
Micah Parsons and Dorance Armstrong had two sacks apiece in the fifth-largest loss ever for the Vikings — and the biggest road win in Cowboys history.
The Vikings (8-2) have been the king of the comebacks in an NFL season featuring the smallest average winning margin in 90 years, none more remarkable than last week at Buffalo when they turned a 17-point deficit late in the third quarter into an overtime victory.
But the Cowboys carried out a near-perfect game plan with stunning ease. Dallas gained 108 yards on the ground in the first half. Pollard, the Cowboys’ most dangerous weapon on offense all year, finished with six catches for 109 yards and 15 rushes for 80 yards.
Dallas held Justin Jefferson to 33 yards on three catches. Kirk Cousins went 12 of 23 for 105 yards and a lost fumble that Parsons forced with a blind-side sack.
Raiders 22, Broncos 16
DENVER — Derek Carr hit a wide-open Davante Adams with a 35-yard touchdown pass on the third play of overtime, powering Las Vegas past Denver.
The Raiders (3-7) never led in regulation but sent the game into OT when Daniel Carlson kicked a 25-yard field goal with 16 seconds left after a crucial blunder by Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
The Broncos (3-7) were clinging to a 16-13 lead at the 2-minute warning but Wilson rolled right on third-and-10 from his own 34 and instead of sliding to burn more time, he pulled up and fired out of bounds. That saved crucial seconds for the Raiders.
Carr drove them 71 yards, hitting running back Josh Jacobs for 43 yards to the Denver 7 to set up Carlson’s game-tying kick. Jacobs finished with 109 yards rushing and 51 receiving.
In overtime, Carr hit Foster Moreau for 33 yards over the middle to the Denver 35. From there, Adams confused the Denver defense and was all alone for the game-winner, which gave him 141 yards and two TDs on seven catches. Carr finished 23 of 37 for 307 yards.
The Broncos scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time after Wilson, but their offense didn’t do much after that.
Falcons 27, Bears 24
ATLANTA — Younghoe Koo made a tiebreaking 53-yard field goal with less than two minutes to play and Atlanta overcame another impressive game from Chicago’s Justin Fields.
Marcus Mariota ran and threw for touchdowns for Atlanta (5-6), which pulled within one-half game of NFC-leading Tampa Bay on the Buccaneers’ bye week.
Fields ran for 85 yards with a touchdown, but the Bears (3-8) suffered their fourth consecutive loss and sixth of seven.
Fields’ pass for running back David Montgomery was intercepted by Falcons safety Jaylinn Hawkins with 1:07 remaining. A 26-yard run by rookie Tyler Allgeier allowed the Falcons, who rushed for 149 yards, to wind down the clock.
Atlanta running back Cordarrelle Patterson set the NFL record with his ninth career kickoff return for a touchdown. His 103-yard return in the second quarter broke a tie with Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington.
Patterson’s lost fumble after a 19-yard run set up Fields’ 4-yard scoring run that gave Chicago a 17-7 lead. Patterson responded with his record-breaking return.
Chiefs 30, Chargers 27
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Patrick Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce for their third touchdown of the game with 31 seconds remaining, and the Kansas City Chiefs rallied past the Los Angeles Chargers 30-27 on Sunday night to stay atop the AFC.
Mahomes hit Kelce on a short crossing route that Kelce took to the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown, concluding a six-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:15. The Chargers had pulled ahead 27-23 on Justin Herbert’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Joshua Palmer with 1:46 left.
Herbert and the Chargers had one final chance, but Nick Bolton intercepted a deflected pass to seal it for the Chiefs (8-2), who swept the season series from Los Angeles (5-5) and took a three-game lead in the AFC West.
With a one-game lead over four teams in the conference, Kansas City is in position to claim home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Mahomes completed 20 of 34 passes for 329 yards without two of his top receivers. He still had Kelce, who had six catches for 115 yards. Chiefs rookie Isiah Pacheco rushed for a career-high 107 yards.
Herbert went 23 of 30 for 280 yards and two touchdowns, both to Palmer, who had eight receptions for 106 yards.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.