NFL Week 13: Gardner Minshew throws for TD in OT as the Colts win 4th straight

NASHVILLE — Gardner Minshew threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with 2:31 left in overtime and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28 Sunday for their fourth straight victory to keep pace in the playoff race in the AFC.

The Colts (7-5) had to score a touchdown after Nick Folk made a 46-yard field goal with 4:19 left in overtime to put Tennessee up. Indianapolis came in holding the seventh and last spot in the AFC.

Tennessee (4-8) lost its first true home game this season and has yet to win consecutive games overall.

The Titans not only blew a 17-7 lead, but Folk missed his first extra point this season with 5:26 left in regulation that could have put Tennessee up 26-25.

.@GardnerMinshew5 & @MikePitt_Jr called game ???? pic.twitter.com/ApOwwKBuMn

— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2023

Backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill had to fill in with Ryan Stonehouse knocked out of the game early in the fourth quarter with an injured left leg.

Special teams helped the Colts score 10 points off Nick Cross’ blocked punt that Grant Stuard returned 18 yards for a TD late in the third quarter. Then Tony Brown forced a fumble on Stonehouse’s next punt attempt, running into his left leg.

Minshew threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns as he won his fourth straight game for the first time in his five NFL seasons.

The Colts sacked rookie Will Levis six times despite being outgained 381-355. Tennessee held the ball for more than 38 minutes.

Indianapolis easily could’ve turned this into a rout except for the Colts’ struggles inside the Titans 10.

The Colts had first-and-goal four times only to settle for three of Matt Gay’s four field goals. They lost a fumble on another trip.

Gay’s fourth field goal, a 28-yarder, came with 11:34 left off Brown’s forced fumble on Stonehouse’s punt attempt.

This was a costly loss for Tennessee.

Derrick Henry ran for 102 yards and two touchdowns before leaving in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. He went to the locker room and never returned.

The Titans also lost two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons to an injured right knee, and Folk had to punt once Stonehouse was knocked out of the game.

Dolphins 45, Commanders 15

LANDOVER, Md. — Tyreek Hill wasn’t surprised to see just one defender covering him. After catching a 78-yard touchdown pass, he was plenty thankful.

“I just appreciate it,” he said. “Thanks for not respecting me, I guess.”

Hill had two touchdowns among his five catches for 157 yards, and he and the Miami Dolphins routed the Washington Commanders 45-15 Sunday to pad their lead atop the AFC East and get to 9-3 for the first time since 2001.

A year after losing five in a row once the calendar flipped to December, Tua Tagovailoa and Co. are determined to avoid another late-season swoon. This was a good start.

“Everyone is locked in,” said Tagovailoa, who was 18 of 24 for 280 yards and the TD passes of 78 and 60 yards to Hill. “Everyone knows that we can do something special this year, and no one on our team is trying to waste that opportunity.”

De’Von Achane ran for two touchdowns in his return after missing five of the past six games with a knee injury. Raheem Mostert also had a rushing TD for Miami’s league-leading offense that put up 406 yards.

Tagovailoa was also turnover-free after giving the ball away four times over the past two games.

“To be that aggressive while having that burden of frustration was exactly what you hope for from your starting quarterback,” coach Mike McDaniel said.

In extending their winning streak to three, the Dolphins even got scoring from their defense, thanks to linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel’s 33-yard pick-6 of Sam Howell late in the first quarter. They also sacked Howell three times in the first game without Jaelan Phillips, who’s out for the season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Miami’s last game at the New York Jets.

“I don’t think they wanted anything to do with letting Jaelan down,” McDaniel said. “I think they did enough to make Jaelan smile”.”

Washington (4-9) had no answer for Hill in the first game with coach Ron Rivera calling the defensive plays following his decision to fire coordinator Jack Del Rio. Hill, the NFL’s leading receiver who also has the most TD catches with 12, remains on track to break Calvin Johnson’s record for the most yards receiving in a season and become the first to reach 2,000.

“I believe I am having my best season,” Hill said. “Even if I didn’t have the numbers, I feel like I’m doing a good job being in the right spot for the quarterback, I’m doing a great job blocking and just understanding this whole offense.”

Howell, who ran for two touchdowns while going 12 of 23 for 127 yards, is on pace for a more dubious record: the most sacks taken in a season. He’s up to 58 — David Carr set the record with 76 in 2002 — leads the league in interceptions with 14 and has had one returned for a TD in three consecutive games.

The Commanders lost a fourth game in a row and have been outscored 90-25 over the past two. They’ve lost nine of 11 since opening the season with back-to-back victories.

“We can’t do the things we did and expect to win,” Rivera said. “We didn’t really give ourselves a chance.”

Miami was so convincingly ahead that McDaniel pulled Tagovailoa, Hill and many of the offensive skill players early in the fourth quarter. Backup Mike White led a touchdown drive in garbage time.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Hill said of being 9-3. “And the way that this league is, if you somehow get complacent, if you somehow start feeling yourself, it’ll catch up with you fast.”

Lions 33, Saints 28

NEW ORLEANS — Sam LaPorta had career highs of nine catches for 140 yards, including an early touchdown and a crucial first-down snag in the final minutes, and the Detroit Lions defeated the reeling New Orleans Saints 33-28 on Sunday to post their best record through 12 games since 1962.

The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr in the fourth quarter to back, shoulder and head injuries. Carr was hurt on a penalized hit by Bruce Irvin, who drove the weight of his body into the quarterback.

Jared Goff passed for 213 yards and two TDs for the Lions (9-3), who raced to a three-touchdown lead and then held off a valiant comeback bid by the Saints. New Orleans (5-7) fell one game behind first-place Atlanta in the league’s weakest division, the NFC South.

After falling behind 21-0 in the first quarter, the Saints pulled as close as 24-21 late in the third. The Saints also had the ball at midfield with a chance to take the lead in the final three minutes, but turned the ball over on downs when Jameis Winston threw behind Chris Olave.

Detroit was able to run out the clock from there, thanks to first-down catches by LaPorta and Josh Reynolds.

The Saints turned the ball over twice and both were costly.

Carr was intercepted on the Saints’ first offensive play of the game. He also lost a fumble in the fourth quarter when left guard James Hurst inadvertently knocked the ball from Carr’s hands as the quarterback gathered the snap on the New Orleans 25 and turned as if to hand off. The Lions converted both takeaways into touchdowns.

Tracy Walker recovered Carr’s fumble, setting up Jameson Williams’ 19-yard touchdown run on a reverse to make it 33-21.

The Saints got back within one score with 7:30 to go when Alvin Kamara, who had 109 yards and two TDs from scrimmage, scored his 53rd career TD rushing to set a new franchise mark.

The Lions roared out of the gate, tying a franchise record with 21 first-quarter points.

David Montgomery’s short run made it 7-0, capping a drive highlighted by Jahmyr Gibbs’ 32-yard run to the New Orleans 2.

Next came Lions defensive back Brian Branch’s interception on a pass tipped by tight end Juwan Johnson, setting up Goff’s 13-yard scoring pass to LaPorta.

Goff’s 29-yard completion to LaPorta set up his 25-yard scoring strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who also passed Calvin Johnson for most yards receiving by a Lion in his first three seasons.

Falcons 13, Jets 8

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Desmond Ridder threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to MyCole Pruitt and the Atlanta Falcons took over sole possession of first place in the NFC South by slogging their way to an ugly 13-8 victory over the punchless New York Jets on a dreary, rainy Sunday.

The Falcons (6-6) have back-to-back wins for the first time since opening the season with victories over Carolina and Green Bay. Atlanta entered tied atop the division with New Orleans, which lost to Detroit.

But this game appealed only to fans of sloppy play, punting and penalty flags.

The Jets (4-8) got an early safety but couldn’t get anything going — again — on offense in losing their fifth straight game. New York even pulled quarterback Tim Boyle and replaced him with Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter to try to provide a spark, but it was more of the same misery in what appeared a half-filled, rain-soaked MetLife Stadium.

Siemian and the Jets had a chance to win with 1:53 left but again were ineffective other than a 25-yard completion to Xavier Gipson.

The loss for New York, which had three turnovers, is a serious hit to the Jets’ playoff hopes — as well as the possibility of a return by Aaron Rodgers, who has said his potential comeback this season was contingent on the team remaining in the postseason hunt.

Ridder finished 12 of 27 for 121 yards and the touchdown to Pruitt. Bijan Robinson ran for 53 yards on 18 carries and had three catches for 26 yards.

Ashtyn Davis and Quinnen Williams combined to give the Jets a 2-0 lead late in the opening quarter when they blasted Robinson in the end zone for a safety.

The Falcons took advantage of a short field after Dee Alford recovered Dalvin Cook’s fumble forced by Nate Landman in the second quarter. Ridder capped a six-play, 47-yard drive by connecting with a diving Pruitt for a 20-yard touchdown and a 7-2 lead.

Greg Zuerlein cut the Jets’ deficit to 7-5 with 3:56 remaining before halftime with a 27-yard field goal.

Younghoe Koo’s 22-yarder as time expired in the half made it 10-5 on a drive that was helped by Jets penalties. First was a personal foul on Chazz Surratt for illegal use of the helmet on the kickoff, putting Atlanta in New York territory. Later came a pass interference call on Quincy Williams and an unnecessary roughness call on D.J. Reed in the end zone.

The Jets had eight penalties in the first half — four in the last 1:55 — for 56 yards, compared to just two calls on the Falcons.

New York finished with 11 penalties for 71 yards, while Atlanta was penalized six times for 55 yards.

After Boyle was intercepted by Jessie Bates at the end of the third quarter, Siemian replaced him to loud cheers as he jogged onto the field with the offense.

It was the last thing to cheer for Jets fans.

Boyle finished 14 of 25 for 148 yards and the INT. Siemian was 5 of 13 for 66 yards.

Texans 22, Broncos 17

HOUSTON — Nico Collins had a career-high 191 yards receiving and a fourth-quarter touchdown, and Jimmie Ward intercepted Denver’s Russell Wilson in the end zone with 9 seconds left to left to help the Houston Texans hold on for a 22-17 win over the Broncos on Sunday.

Ward leapt in front of intended receiver Lucas Krull to secure the fourth victory in five games for Houston (7-5) and snap a five-game winning streak for Denver (6-6).

Wilson was intercepted a season-high three times, all of them after halftime. Derek Stingley Jr. had the first two picks for the Texans. The Broncos had forced 15 turnovers in their winning streak but did not have a takeaway Sunday.

Houston rookie C.J. Stroud threw for 274 yards to end a streak of four straight games with at least 300 yards passing. Star rookie receiver Tank Dell injured his ankle in the first half and was carted off the field.

Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the third overall pick in the draft, had the best game of his young career. The former Alabama star had two sacks, four quarterback hits, deflected one of the balls that Stingley intercepted and deflected a punt.

Wilson threw for 186 yards with a touchdown in Denver’s first loss since Oct. 12.

Early in the fourth quarter, Wilson’s 41-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy got Denver to the 1, and the QB ran for the touchdown on the next play to cut Houston’s lead to 22-17.

The Broncos got a stop and were driving on the ensuing possession when Stingley hopped in front of a pass intended for Courtland Sutton to give Houston the ball back.

Stroud was shaken up on a run on the next drive and left the game for two plays while he was examined in the medical tent on the sideline. He returned and was sacked before the Texans punted.

Sutton grabbed a 45-yard touchdown pass from Wilson that cut the lead to 16-10 with about five minutes remaining in the third. It was the 329th career TD pass for Wilson, who moved past Dan Marino for second-most in a player’s first 12 seasons.

Stroud was sacked and fumbled on third down on Houston’s next possession, but the Texans got the ball back. They punted, but Stingley intercepted Wilson on Denver’s first play on a ball that was deflected by Anderson.

The Texans cashed in on the miscue when Collins scored on a 3-yard reception on the second play of the fourth quarter. The 2-point conversion failed to leave Houston up 22-10.

The Texans forced a three-and-out on the first possession of the second half when Anderson sacked Wilson on first down and Jonathan Greenard took him down on third down. Houston pushed the lead to 16-3 on Matt Ammendola’s 38-yard field goal.

The Texans led by three in the first quarter when they went for it on fourth-and-2. Houston was called for a false start on the play, but Alex Singleton hit Stroud late to draw an unnecessary roughness penalty and give the Texans a first down at the Broncos 3.

Two plays later, Pierce bulled in for the touchdown to make it 10-0. Dell was injured when he got rolled up at the end of Pierce’s run.

Chargers 6, Patriots 0

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Justin Herbert threw for 212 yards and set up a pair of Cameron Dicker field goals that were all the Los Angeles Chargers needed on a cold and rainy day for their first shutout in six years, a 6-0 victory over the New England Patriots and their latest hapless quarterback, Bailey Zappe.

Keenan Allen came back from a thigh bruise to catch five passes for 58 yards. But the only scoring the Chargers (5-7) could manage was a pair of 38-yard field goals in the second quarter.

New England (2-10) made a quarterback switch, benching Mac Jones in favor of Zappe, but still lost its fifth straight game. For the first time in franchise history, the Patriots were shut out at home twice in a season.

It was the third time in a row that New England gave up 10 or fewer points — and lost. They are the first team to do that since the 1938 Chicago Cardinals.

Zappe was sacked five times — two by Khalil Mack, giving him a career-high 15 for the season and 99 in his career. In all, Zappe was 13 for 25 for 141 yards; he did avoid an interception for the first time in three games, the previous two in relief of Jones.

For the third straight game, the Patriots defense kept them in the game until the end. Trailing 6-0 heading into the two-minute warning, Zappe advanced New England from its 13 to near midfield before throwing three straight incompletions. One of them was a long pass that DeVante Parker caught before landing on the sideline.

After taking over on downs, Herbert found Alex Erickson for a 23-yard gain on third-and-11 to allow the Chargers to run out the clock. Herbert completed 22 of 37 passes.

Playing in a cold and steady downpour in front of a half-empty stadium, the Patriots continued their joyless decline from one of the NFL’s most-decorated dynasties to a bumbling mélange of mediocrity.

After sticking with Jones for 11 games — long after it became clear he could not win games — Patriots coach Bill Belichick turned to Zappe and got the same result.

Trailing 3-0 at the first-half two-minute warning, and starting from their 13, the Patriots went: incomplete pass, run for minus-1 yard, false start penalty, incomplete pass, punt that was returned for 34 yards to set up another Chargers field goal.

It was the first time since 1993 that the Patriots failed to score in the first half in back-to-back games, ESPN tweeted. It came after a week in which their game against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs — and Taylor Swift boyfriend Travis Kelce — was flexed out of “Monday Night Football,” a first in for the NFL.

And the shivering crowd let them have it, with the first of several choruses of boos.

49ers 42, Eagles 19

PHILADELPHIA — Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns, Deebo Samuel scored three TDs and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was checked for a concussion in the San Francisco 49ers’ 42-19 win over Philadelphia on Sunday night.

The fiery NFC championship game rematch also featured 49ers’ touchdowns on six straight possessions and a pair of ejections that showed this year’s title game might not run again through Philly, after all.

The 49ers (9-3) left Philly 10 months ago battered in the NFC championship game behind injuries to Purdy and his backup, and they never stood a chance in a 31-7 loss. The 49ers spent an offseason chirping at the Birds — Samuel called one Eagles cornerback “trash” — and then entered the Linc as a rare betting favorite against a 10-win team at home.

The Eagles (10-2) suffered a scare when Hurts jogged off the field in the fourth and went straight to the locker room. He was cleared to play and returned to action with about 10 minutes left.

It was not immediately clear when Hurts was injured.

By the time last season’s NFL MVP runner-up returned, the Eagles trailed 35-13 and were on their way toward their first home loss of the season. Hurts did hit DeVonta Smith for a 2-yard TD on his return drive. He finished 26-of-45 passing for 298 yards.

Purdy put the finishing touches on the win with a 46-yard TD to Samuel.

Perhaps all that braggadocio paid off for the 49ers. Hard feelings spilled into the game, highlighted by a scrap in the third quarter that got 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw and the the Eagles’ chief security officer tossed.

Dom DiSandro, a constant presence on the Eagles’ sideline, pulled Greenlaw off Smith after a reception. Greenlaw popped up and reached over two officials to touch DiSandro’s face with a closed fist.

Greenlaw was ejected. DiSandro, a cult hero in Philly for his ever-present backup when Eagles are out in public, also was told to leave and walked to the locker room to a roaring ovation.

The Eagles offered few other reasons cheer.

Purdy picked apart a defense that left receivers open for big chunks of the game. Samuel also inflicted his damage in the third quarter on a 12-yard rushing TD and caught a 48-yard TD pass from Purdy that stretched a 14-6 halftime lead to 28-13.

The scores were clutch in any game, of course. But they kept an Eagles offense that made a habit of halftime rallies at bay and sucked the atmosphere out of the Linc.

The Eagles turned halftime deficits into wins in each of the last four games — including a Super Bowl rematch at Kansas City — and five times overall this season. The Eagles have been outscored 144-156 in the first half this season.

One pesky detail among all those comebacks — Philly never trailed against 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers are 33-1 (including playoffs) when leading by eight-plus points at the break under Shanahan.

Hurts did his part in the first half to drive the Eagles inside the 20, connecting with A.J. Brown for 38 yards on the opening drive and to Brown for 17 yards on the second drive. The Eagles instead had to settle for Jake Elliott field goals of 26 and 39 yards for the 6-0 lead.

The 49ers shook of a first-quarter funk that saw them finish with minus-6 total yards until Purdy got the offense rolling in the second. Much like in the NFC championship game, Purdy was pressured early. But he stayed strong, notably on a scramble where he was popped twice but stayed on his feet and still got a 6-yard gain. He capped that drive with a 2-yard TD pass to Brandon Aiyuk that cut it 7-6.

Christian McCaffrey, who finished with 93 yards rushing, added a 2-yard score with 38 seconds left for a 14-6 lead.

Buccaneers 21, Panthers 18

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans scored on a 75-yard reception and joined Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to string together 10 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving while helping the Buccaneers beat the struggling Carolina Panthers 21-18 on Sunday.

Evans finished with seven receptions for 162 yards, increasing his season totals to 61 catches for 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rice set the league record of 11 straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving from 1986 through 1996.

The Bucs (5-7) won for only the second time in the past eight games, climbing into a tie for second place in the weak NFC South. Carolina (1-11) scored late to pull within a field goal, but No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young threw an interception with just over two minutes remaining, ending any chance of coming from behind to win the Panthers’ debut under interim coach Chris Tabor.

Rachaad White scored an early touchdown and receiver Chris Godwin scored on a 19-yard run early in the fourth quarter, increasing Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-10. Chuba Hubbard rushed 104 yards and two TDs for Carolina, and Young’s 2-point conversion run trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-18 with 5:02 left.

Despite losing six of seven games following a 3-1 start, the Bucs began the day trailing Atlanta and New Orleans by one game in the NFC South. The Falcons (6-6) beat the New York Jets to remain on top of the division, while the Saints (5-7) lost to the Detroit Lions to fall into a tie for second place with the Bucs.

The Panthers fired Frank Reich last Monday, 11 games into the coach’s first season leading the Panthers. Tabor was promoted to interim coach for the rest of the season and said he encouraged players to “play loose, not reckless” and have fun moving forward.

It was the second time in a little more than a year that Carolina faced Tampa Bay shortly after the in-season hiring of a coach. Matt Rhule was dismissed in October 2022, two weeks before the Panthers knocked off Tom Brady and the Bucs 21-3 in Charlotte.

Evans had 10 catches for 207 yards that previous time the division rivals met in Tampa. He had a 40-yard reception to set up White’s 1-yard TD run in the first quarter and turned Baker Mayfield’s short pass into a 75-yard TD that put the Bucs ahead for good — one play after the first of Hubbard’s two TD runs put the Panthers up 10-7 late in the third quarter.