Football Roundup: Raiders Hand Ravens First Loss

Baltimore — Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes, the last to Michael Crabtree with 2:12 left, and the Oakland Raiders beat the previously undefeated Baltimore Ravens 28-27 on Sunday.

After the Ravens rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to go ahead with 3½ minutes remaining, Carr directed a 66-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard strike to Crabtree in the back of the end zone.

Carr went 25-for-35 for 199 yards. Three of his TD passes went to Crabtree, who finished with seven catches for 88 yards to help Oakland (3-1) to its third road win.

The Ravens (3-1) trailed 14-3 in the second quarter and 21-12 with 11:11 to go before coming back.

A 52-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Steve Smith cut the deficit to 21-19. Ravens defensive tackle Lawrence Guy then forced a fumble by DeAndre Washington, and Baltimore recovered at the Oakland 17.

Four plays later, Terrance West scored from the 3 to give Baltimore its first lead.

The Ravens won their previous three games by excelling in the fourth quarter. This game was a throwback to last year, when Carr pulled out a 37-33 win over Baltimore.

Falcons 48, Panthers 33

Atlanta — Matt Ryan shredded Carolina’s defense, passing for a team-record 503 yards and four touchdowns, Julio Jones had 12 receptions for a Falcons-record 300 yards. The totals by Ryan and Jones are the most ever allowed by Carolina.

One week after being held to one catch in a win at New Orleans, Jones had a 75-yard scoring catch late in the game as Atlanta solidified its early hold on the NFC South lead.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, the 2015 league MVP, left in the fourth quarter and was evaluated for concussion symptoms after taking a hit from Deion Jones on a successful 2-point run. There appeared to be helmet-to-helmet contact but there was no penalty on the hit.

Jaguars 30, Colts 27

London — Blake Bortles threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Jacksonville held off a furious Indianapolis Colts rally for the Jaguars’ first win of the season. The victory at a raucous Wembley Stadium elevated Jacksonville into a tie with Indianapolis at 1-3 in the AFC South.

Andrew Luck led the Colts on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to rattle the Jaguars’ nerves. But his fourth-and-1 pass at the Jacksonville 49 with 1:36 remaining fell from the hands of tight end Dwayne Allen to preserve the victory for under-fire Jaguars coach Gus Bradley.

The Jaguars got a semblance of a running game going for the first time this season. T.J. Yeldon carried 13 times for 68 yards and Bortles added seven scrambles for 36 yards, including a 1-yard run that put Jacksonville ahead 14-6 midway through the second quarter.

Seahawks 27, Jets 17

East Rutherford, n.j. — Russell Wilson was sharp and efficient despite playing with a sprained knee, throwing three touchdown passes.

Wilson injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee last week against San Francisco and wasn’t his usual mobile self in this one, but his arm was plenty good. He finished 23 of 32 for 309 yards while wearing a brace on his leg as the Seahawks (3-1) won at MetLife Stadium for the first time since beating the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl in 2014.

Redskins 31, Browns 20

Landover, Md. — Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Jordan Reed, and the Washington Redskins cashed in on several trips to the red zone.

The Redskins (2-2) scored four red zone touchdowns against the Browns (0-4) after going 3-for-14 in their first three games. Cousins connected with Reed for 8- and 9-yard touchdowns, Chris Thompson for a 5-yard score, and running back Matt Jones scored from 1 yard as part of his 117-yard performance.

Texans 27, Titans 20

Houston — Will Fuller had a tiebreaking 67-yard punt return for a touchdown. It was the first time Houston (3-1) played without its star defensive end J.J. Watt since the 2010 season. Watt, out for the season after back surgery, had started 83 straight games since being drafted in 2011.

Bears 17, Lions 14

Chicago — Brian Hoyer threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bears (1-3) got a win after starting 0-3 for the second time in as many seasons under coach John Fox.

They also stopped a six-game home losing streak as well as a six-game slide against Detroit (1-3), though things got tight near the end.

Saints 35, Chargers 34

San Diego — Drew Brees led New Orleans to two touchdowns in the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds to rally the Saints to a stunning victory against Philip Rivers and the Chargers, who blew a 13-point lead by committing two crucial turnovers.

Brees overcame two interceptions to win in his return to San Diego, where he played his first five NFL seasons before being allowed to leave as a free agent. It was also the first win this season for the Saints (1-3).

Rams 17, Cardinals 13

Glendale, Ariz. — Tavon Austin returned a punt 47 yards to set up Case Keenum’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick with 2:41 to play, and the Rams improved to 3-1 for the first time in a decade with a victory over the Cardinals (1-3).

Arizona’s Carson Palmer threw for 288 yards and a touchdown but left the game to be evaluated for a concussion after his head slammed to the turf on a sack by Aaron Donald with 5:40 to play.

Cowboys 24, Niners 17

Santa Clara, Calif. — Ezekiel Elliott ran for 138 yards and a touchdown and Dak Prescott threw for two scores to help the Cowboys overcome an early 14-point deficit to beat the 49ers.

The Cowboys (3-1) fell in a 14-point hole early in the second quarter before taking over the game behind a pair of rookies who have helped the team get off to a fast start this season with starting quarterback Tony Romo sidelined by a back injury.

Broncos 27, Buccaneers 7

Tampa, Fla. — Paxton Lynch made his NFL debut sooner than expected, stepping in for injured starter Trevor Siemian to help the Broncos remain unbeaten with a victory over the Buccaneers.

Siemian left the game with two minutes remaining in the first half with what the defending Super Bowl champions described as an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder.

Steelers 43, Chiefs 14

Pittsburgh — Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns passes for the fifth time in his career and Pittsburgh throttled Kansas City.

A week after suffering the franchise’s worst loss in 27 years, the Steelers (3-1) responded by overwhelming the erratic Chiefs (2-2).

Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown — wearing cleats featuring the profile of golf great and western Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer — for a pair of scores.

Roethlisberger also found Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jesse James for touchdowns as the Steelers emphatically rebounded from a 31-point meltdown in Philadelphia. The quarterback finished 22 of 27 for 300 yards and a rating of 152.5, just shy of a perfect 158.3 rating.

Le’Veon Bell ran for 144 yards on 18 carries and caught five passes for 34 yards in his return from a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Bell’s return brought Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense back to full strength for the first time this year, though he spent most of the first half watching Roethlisberger go to work.

The Steelers scored a franchise-record 22 points in the first quarter as their defense forced a pair of turnovers Roethlisberger quickly converted into touchdowns. Pittsburgh reached the end zone three times in a span of six offensive snaps in the quarter and added a two-point conversion on top of it while the Chiefs floundered in the rain.

Smith was 30 of 50 for 287 yards and two inconsequential fourth-quarter touchdowns after things were well out of hand. Spencer Ware ran for 82 yards but also fumbled in the first quarter that kick-started Pittsburgh’s record-setting run. The Chiefs allowed four sacks to a team that came in with an NFL-worst one on the season and could do little right.

Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles ran one time for 6 yards in his first game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October. It was perhaps the lone bright spot in a loss that played in stark contrast to a romp over the New York Jets last week in which the Chiefs forced eight turnovers.

They didn’t force one against the Steelers and instead watched Pittsburgh cross the goal line six times. Pittsburgh’s 43 points were the most allowed by Kansas City in a regular season game since Andy Reid took over in 2013.

INJURIES

Chiefs: Running back Knile Davis was evaluated for a concussion

Steelers: Right tackle Marcus Gilbert went down with a left ankle injury late in the first half and did not return. Linebacker Anthony Chickillo (knee) and Jarvis Jones (ankle) and Heyward-Bey (shoulder) all left in the second half and did not return.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: are off next week before traveling to take on the suddenly dangerous Oakland Raiders on Oct. 16. Kansas City is 5-1 against the Raiders under Reid.

Steelers: Begin a three-game swing against AFC East teams next Sunday when they host the New York Jets.