Ravens beat Rams 37-31 on Tylan Wallace's walk-off punt return in OT
Sun, Dec 10, 2023
NFL News (AP)
BALTIMORE (AP) - Tylan Wallace returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown in overtime to lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 37-31 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday, snapping the Rams' three-game winning streak.
Wallace, who committed a crucial penalty on special teams earlier in the game that led to points for Los Angeles (6-7), eluded a couple of tackles after fielding the punt and stayed on his feet when Shaun Jolly made a diving attempt at him along the left sideline.
The Ravens (10-3) remained atop the AFC, a half-game ahead of Miami, which hosts Tennessee on Monday night.
Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford threw three touchdown passes apiece, overcoming wet conditions and dropped passes in a game that was high-scoring yet sloppy. Each offense went three-and-out in overtime before the final Los Angeles punt.
Jackson's 21-yard touchdown strike to Zay Flowers with 1:16 remaining - and his 2-point conversion pass to Flowers - put Baltimore up 31-28. Stafford then guided the Rams into position to take multiple shots to the end zone, and when that failed, Lucas Havrisik made a 36-yard field goal with 7 seconds left to force OT.
Jackson threw for 314 yards with an interception, while Stafford threw for 294 yards without a turnover.
BROWNS 31, JAGUARS 27
CLEVELAND (AP) - Joe Flacco threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns in his home debut for Cleveland, which survived a late rally by Jacksonville.
The 38-year-old Flacco, who was signed three weeks ago by the Browns (8-5), went 26 of 45 and improved to 10-2 as a starter in Cleveland. His previous wins came while playing for Baltimore and the New York Jets.
Trevor Lawrence for the Jaguars (8-5) played despite spraining his right ankle in Monday night's loss to Cincinnati. He finished 28 of 50 for 256 yards and threw a season-high three interceptions.
Lawrence's third TD pass - to Evan Engram with 1:33 left - pulled the Jaguars within four points. Myles Garrett then sacked Lawrence on the 2-point conversion, and the Browns recovered an onside kick.
Flacco threw two TD passes in the first half to tight end David Njoku and completed a 41-yarder to David Bell in the fourth quarter when the Jaguars gambled with an all-out blitz on fourth down.
JETS 30, TEXANS 6
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Zach Wilson threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes in his return from a two-game benching as New York beat Houston to stop a five-game skid.
The Jets shut down the Texans' C.J. Stroud before the star rookie quarterback left late with a concussion.
Wilson was 27 of 36 for 301 yards - his third career game of 300 or more yards - in easily his best performance of the season.
Breece Hall and Randall Cobb caught touchdown passes and Xavier Gipson ran for a score for the Jets (5-8), who reached 30 points for just the second time this season.
Stroud left with 6:30 remaining after a hit by Quinnen Williams. Davis Mills replaced him.
Stroud, who came in leading the NFL in yards passing, was 10 of 23 for a season-low 91 yards. The Texans (7-6) finished with 135 total yards and went 1 for 12 on third down.
BEARS 28, LIONS 13
CHICAGO (AP) - Justin Fields threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and Chicago beat NFC North-leading Detroit.
Receiver DJ Moore had his first career rushing touchdown and caught a scoring pass to help the Bears (5-8) win for the third time in four games.
The Bears scored 15 points in a span of about seven minutes to break open a game that was tied at 13-all late in the third quarter. They got the payback they were seeking after giving up 17 points over the final 2:59 in a loss at Detroit three weeks earlier.
Detroit's Jared Goff threw two interceptions, lost a fumbled snap and was sacked four times. The Lions (9-4) have lost two of three.
Fields completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards. He also ran for 58 yards, giving him 2,021 in his career.
BUCCANEERS 29, FALCONS 25
ATLANTA (AP) - Baker Mayfield threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 31 seconds remaining, and Tampa Bay beat Atlanta to move into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC South.
The Buccaneers (6-7) sit atop the division alongside the Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.
Atlanta (6-7) rallied for a 25-22 lead with a pair of TDs in the final period, including quarterback Desmond Ridder's 6-yard scoring run with 3:23 remaining.
But Mayfield, who passed for just 144 yards, guided a 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive. The biggest play was a 32-yard completion to Chris Godwin.
Atlanta had one last chance at winning it. Ridder completed a pass down the middle from the Tampa Bay 31 to Drake London, who was smothered 3 yards shy of the end zone.
BENGALS 34, COLTS 14
CINCINNATI (AP) - Jake Browning threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in his second straight outstanding performance as Cincinnati pounded Indianapolis.
With Joe Burrow out for the season because of a wrist injury, Browning has kept the Bengals (7-6) in playoff contention. He followed up a 354-yard outing in a win at Jacksonville last Monday night by completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards with an interception.
Indianapolis (7-6) had its four-game win streak snapped and its playoff positioning took a hit. Gardner Minshew threw for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Colts, whose offense stalled after halftime.
The game was tied at 14-all at the break, but Indy's first four second-half possessions ended with two punts, a pick thrown by Minshew and a failed fourth-down attempt. Meanwhile, the Bengals scored on their first two drives of the second half.
SAINTS 28, PANTHERS 6
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Derek Carr returned from a recent concussion and upper-body injuries to throw touchdown passes to Chris Olave and Jimmy Graham, and New Orleans beat NFL-worst Carolina.
Alvin Kamara ran 9 yards for a touchdown as the Saints (6-7) snapped a three-game skid and pulled into a first-place tie with Atlanta and Tampa Bay in the feeble NFC South.
The Panthers (1-12) have lost six straight for the second time this season.
Johnny Hekker's punt attempt in the second quarter was smothered by Saints linebacker Nephi Sewell. D'Marco Jackson scooped up the ball and returned it 8 yards for a touchdown that gave New Orleans a 14-3 lead.
Carr had just 37 yards passing through three-plus quarters. He finished 18 for 26 for 119 yards.
Rookie Bryce Young's season-long struggles continued. The first overall draft choice finished 13 of 36 for 137 yards and lost a fumble in the first half. He was sacked four times.
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