Bengals have confidence with Flacco at quarterback. Now they need to work on quicker starts By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer The Associated Press
Joe Flacco has given the Cincinnati Bengals a jolt of confidence after one start.
Next up on the to-do list is getting the Bengals (2-4) back on the winning track.
Flacco passed for 219 yards and two touchdowns in Cincinnati's 27-18 loss at Green Bay on Sunday. Most of Flacco's production came after the Bengals fell behind 10-0 at halftime.
The Bengals have been outscored 79-9 in the first half during their four-game skid and are one of three teams to not have a first- or second-quarter touchdown during that span.
“We want to win. We’re hungry for it. We got to do a better job from start to finish getting that done, but there’s a lot here,” coach Zac Taylor said Monday.
Making his first start after the Bengals got him in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, Flacco quickly established connections with star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 10 receptions for 94 yards and a TD, while Higgins added five catches for 62 yards.
Flacco led the Bengals to two touchdowns and a field goal on the first three drives of the second half. The 40-year-old completed 21 of 30 passes for 179 yards after halftime.
The Bengals and Flacco also benefit from his first two opponents. He faced Green Bay three weeks earlier, when he was with Cleveland, and Thursday night will be his 25th career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the playoffs.
Flacco came off the bench for the Indianapolis Colts last season and completed 16 of 26 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-24 win over the Steelers. Now he'll try to salvage the Bengals' season while Joe Burrow recovers from toe surgery.
“I know it’s easy to be down on yourself in hard times, but you know, playing with confidence shows. So, we got to find a way to kind of get some of that back, but I think we do have the ability to do that,” Flacco said after Sunday's game. “We got a big week coming up, and these division games are always good matchups and going in and playing a good game this upcoming week could help a lot with that.”
What’s working
Keeping penalties to a minimum. After being flagged 17 times for 95 yards the past two games, the Bengals were penalized only three times for a season-low 17 yards against the Packers.
What needs help
Stopping quick passes. Cincinnati has allowed 73 completions on passes thrown under 2.5 seconds, the fifth most in the league, and 118 yards per game, which is second most. Green Bay's Jordan Love was 9 of 9 on quick passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Stock up
LB Barrett Carter. The fourth-round pick got the start and led the team with 10 tackles. He also wore the green dot on his helmet, which meant he was getting the plays from the sideline and getting the defense in the right formation. Carter was in for all 61 snaps while Logan Wilson was in for only 12 plays.
Stock down
WR Andrei Iosivas dropped three passes and had only one catch for 5 yards.
Injuries
TE Mike Gesicki (pectoral) is expected to miss multiple games while DE Trey Hendrickson (back bruise) is questionable. TE Tanner Hudson is in the concussion protocol.
Key numbers
3 — Quarterbacks who have started for at least three teams in a calendar year since 1950 — Flacco, Baker Mayfield (2022) and Joshua Dobbs (2023).
50 — Touchdown catches for Chase. He reached the milestone in 68 games, the fourth-fastest among players in the Super Bowl era (1966-present).
What’s next
The Bengals' grueling five-game stretch against teams that made the playoffs last season concludes with a Thursday night matchup against AFC North leader Pittsburgh (4-1).
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After beating the Titans, the Raiders prepare for a tough stretch starting against the Chiefs By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer The Associated Press HENDERSON, Nev.
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Raiders finally enter a game off a victory — and what a perfect time to do it.
They're set to travel to face Kansas City, which is showing signs of the being the team that has ruled the AFC West. That trip kicks off a challenging part of the schedule for Las Vegas.
After the Chiefs, the Raiders come back from their bye week and face Jacksonville and Denver, both of which are currently 4-2. The Raiders (2-4) likely will be underdogs in all three games and then probably the week after against Dallas (2-3-1).
Had the Raiders lost to Tennessee on Sunday, they could have gone into a real tailspin. Now Las Vegas at least can take a better mindset into this stretch after defeating the Titans 20-10 in a game the Raiders controlled throughout.
“It just happens to be Kansas City that’s next, so we’ll do everything we can to prepare and come off this game clear-minded and really drilled into the challenge that they bring,” coach Pete Carroll said Monday. "It’s a tremendous program that Andy (Reid's) been running for a long time, and we’re going to have to play really well to have a chance.”
The Raiders are 11 1/2-point underdogs to the Chiefs, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, but Las Vegas has been known to pull stunners.
Last season, it was a Week 2 victory at Baltimore . The Raiders also have won at Kansas City twice since 2020, and last year a bungled snap in field-goal range deprived them of a third victory.
But the Raiders aren't catching the early-season Chiefs, who opened with back-to-back losses. Kansas City has won three of four, including a statement-making 30-17 victory over Detroit on Sunday night.
The Chiefs looked in that game like the team that has won the division every year since 2016 and appeared in five of the six most recent Super Bowls, winning three.
If the Raiders are to compete with Kansas City — and most of the teams that follow — they will need to play significantly better than they have this season, including against the Titans.
Las Vegas rushed for 68 yards and passed for 174, relying on its defense against a Titans team that was even more offensively challenged. Tennessee fired coach Brian Callahan a day later.
But as Carroll pointed out, the Raiders could easily be 3-3 given that they had what would have been a winning field goal blocked by Chicago on Sept. 28.
“We’re so much closer to being on the other end of it than it has appeared,” Carroll said. “It’s why this game (against Tennessee) is important to us, to get this win and at home. It is important as we take our next step forward, hopefully we can capitalize on it.”
What’s working
The Raiders pressured on a season-high 36.4% of dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. Las Vegas sacked Cam Ward six times, its most since registering eight sacks against the New York Giants in Week 9 of 2023. The Raiders had just eight sacks through their first five games.
What needs help
The offensive line continues to have problems , with the running game averaging 2.1 yards per attempt against Tennessee. Ashton Jeanty was hit repeatedly behind the line of scrimmage, though he managed to rush for 75 yards. Geno Smith was under considerable pressure in the first half and was sacked twice. The line did protect him much better in the second half, and Smith wasn't sacked.
Stock up
Special teams had been a disappointment this season, but not Sunday. Daniel Carlson made both field goals, including a 50-yarder. AJ Cole averaged 41.8 yards per punt, despite playing with an injured ankle, and placed all four attempts inside the 20-yard line. Dylan Laube on kickoffs and Alex Bachman on punts were highly effective with their returns.
Stock down
Smith didn't challenge the Titans downfield, throwing just one pass 10 or more yards in the air, according to Next Gen Stats. He hadn't thrown one or fewer of those types of passes in nine years. Smith entered the game with a league-high nine interceptions while often forcing passes deep, so he played conservatively and took what the Titans gave him.
Injuries
How close TE Brock Bowers (knee) is to returning is uncertain. He has missed the past two games.
Key number
10 — DE Maxx Crosby has at least 10 tackles for loss in each of his first seven seasons. Jared Allen and Aaron Donald are the only players since 2000 to accomplish that.
Next steps
The Raiders visit the division rival Chiefs on Sunday.
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Bijan Robinson's 81-yard TD run is longest rush in NFL this season on career night for Falcons star By BILL TROCCHI Associated Press The Associated Press ATLANTA
ATLANTA (AP) — Bijan Robinson turned to an unlikely source for inspiration before the Falcons’ Monday night game against the Buffalo Bills, and it led to a career performance.
Robinson, who played at Texas, said he watched highlights of Adrian Peterson’s freshman season at Oklahoma. He quickly made the “horns up” gesture in recognition of Texas’ win over its archrival on Saturday, and said he likes to watch all kinds of NFL and college stars before games.
“I see what kind of moves (Peterson’s) got and how he attacks downhill," Robinson said. “And that’s the kind of game that I had to do today.”
Robinson totaled a career-best 238 yards from scrimmage and matched his career high with 170 rushing yards on 19 carries, helping the Falcons to a 24-14 win .
The highlight came in the second quarter, when Robinson ripped through the Bills’ defense for an 81-yard touchdown , the longest rush of his career and the longest in the NFL this season.
Robinson’s TD gave the Falcons a 21-7 lead. He took a handoff from Michael Penix Jr., broke through the right side of the line and had one man to beat along the right sideline. Bills safety Cole Bishop, playing in his hometown, dived at Robinson and tried to wrap him up around the waist at the Atlanta 45-yard-line, but Robinson barely broke stride while shaking him off and sprinted the rest of the way to the end zone.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Robinson is the best player in the league.
“I’ve said it multiple times. I can’t say it enough,” Morris said. “You know, you can always have your pick. You can always go out there and figure out what you want to go for. But like, in my opinion, he’s the best player in football.”
Robinson also earned some praise from his favorite NBA player on social media.
“Bijan so COLD!!!!!!!!!” LeBron James posted on X .
Robinson had four touches on a critical drive in the fourth quarter, including a 23-yard reception that pushed the Falcons into Buffalo territory. That possession ended in a field goal for a 24-14 lead with 1:43 to play.
It was Robinson's 11th straight game with at least 90 yards from scrimmage, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Robinson has three plays of 50 yards or more this season after having just one play from scrimmage longer than 30 yards last year. He knew breaking off long plays was a focus in the offseason for the offensive staff.
“I know that was a big goal, but it’s just a thing of my game where I want to get better at and continue to get better at every single day,” Robinson said. “And you know, if I can get better at that and breaking those long runs, it’s only helping the team.”
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Lions' inability to create big plays on offense costly in loss to Chiefs By DAVE HOGG Associated Press The Associated Press DETROIT
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions struggled in Kansas City on Sunday night.
The Chiefs had an effective game plan set up to stop Detroit and the personnel advantage needed to execute it.
The Lions lost 30-17 to the perennial AFC powerhouse.
“I'm disappointed,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. "It's been a long time since we've watched someone kneel (the ball) three times at the end of a game that isn't even close. We were down two scores and we got worked pretty good.
“So yeah, it is really disappointing.”
Campbell said he expected his team to need at least 30 points to have a chance to win — a prediction that turned out to be accurate.
“I felt like this was the kind of game where we needed at least that many and we couldn't,” he said. “Defensively, we had some opportunities that we have to capitalize on — we didn't get any takeaways — but, really, the offense needed to show up there.”
Jared Goff threw for 203 yards and two touchdowns, and the Lions rushed for 98 yards, but they weren't able to break the big plays the offense usually produces. They didn't have a rushing touchdown for just the second time this season — the other being the Week 1 loss in Green Bay — and the Chiefs took away Detroit's catch-and-run ability.
Goff averaged 8.8 yards per completion, his second-lowest total of the season behind the 7.3 yards against the Packers.
“I don't want to take anything away from how well their defense played,” Goff said. "They were well prepared and did a lot of things that gave us issues. But our mentality was to score on every drive, and when we had long drives, we needed to finish them with touchdowns.
“We didn't do that and they did.”
One drive that ended in a field goal was Detroit's first, although the Lions were originally ruled to have scored a touchdown off one of their many trick plays.
Goff walked up behind center, then went into motion and caught a touchdown pass from running back David Montgomery. However, the officials ruled he hadn't set for 1 second before splitting out wide, making it a penalty for illegal motion.
“I was under the impression that I wasn't declared as a quarterback until I put my hands under center,” Goff said. “But there's a new version of the rule that I had never heard of, and I guess some of our coaches had never heard of, so we'll have to do some research.
“But that wasn't the reason we lost the game.”
What’s working
After struggling to get speedy Jameson Williams into the passing game all season, he caught six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. They weren't able to get the ball to him deep — his catches came an average of just 4 yards downfield, but he put up 44 yards after the catch.
What needs help
Jahmyr Gibbs was held in check by the Kansas City defense, finishing with 18 touches — 17 rushes and one reception — for just 65 total yards.
Stock up
Aidan Hutchinson finished with one sack and a forced fumble — the fourth straight week he has had at least one of each. That matches the longest streak since 1999, also achieved by Cedric Jones (1999), Simeon Rice (2002), Robert Mathis (2005) and Khalil Mack (2018).
Stock down
Safety Brian Branch was suspended for one game without pay by the NFL on Monday for unsportsmanlike conduct following a loss at Kansas City. Branch punched Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Sunday night, setting off a postgame melee.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it is not going to be accepted here,” Campbell said. “It's not what we do, and I apologize to Coach (Andy) Reid and the Chiefs.”
Injuries
Safety Kerby Joseph missed 11 of Detroit's 64 defensive snaps after aggravating a knee injury. He returned to the game, but it remains unclear how the injury will affect him in upcoming games.
Key number
4 — With Branch suspended, Joseph dealing with his knee and cornerbacks D.J. Reed (hamstring) and Terrion Arnold (shoulder) out with injuries, the Lions will be facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night without any of their starting defensive backs at full health.
Next steps
The Lions will have to find a way to put pressure on Baker Mayfield if they want to avoid him picking apart the banged-up secondary the way Patrick Mahomes did on Sunday night.
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Seahawks rediscover their pass rush as they remain unbeaten on the road By ANDREW DESTIN AP Sports Writer The Associated Press SEATTLE
SEATTLE (AP) — Perhaps the Seahawks needed to get away from Seattle for their formidable defense to return to form.
In Sunday’s 20-12 victory against the Jaguars , the Seahawks limited Jacksonville to 273 yards of offense and sacked Trevor Lawrence a career-high seven times. Seattle moved to 3-0 on the road this season while carrying a 1-2 mark at Lumen Field, and the pass rush was a key factor in its latest victory outside the Emerald City.
In a back-and-forth, 38-35 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a week earlier, the Seahawks brought down Baker Mayfield only once.
“We didn’t do that last week; we did it this week,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “That’s how we’ve got to play moving forward. I thought the guys played great.”
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who returned from a quadriceps injury, had his first two sacks of the season, as well as five QB hits.
“D-Law played a tremendous game,” Macdonald said. “To be able to play the run the way we played the run, he’s one of the guys leading the charge there. Just the mentality, too. The guy is just an absolute beast.”
The Seahawks held the Jaguars to 59 rushing yards, and Travis Etienne Jr. finished with 27 yards on 12 carries. On the other side of the ball, Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had big days, while for the defense, it was a collective effort.
“I think we nailed our process this week,” Macdonald said, “and I think the challenge is going to (be to) keep rolling.”
What’s working
Smith-Njigba has emerged as one of the best receivers in the NFL. The third-year wideout had a season-high 162 receiving yards on eight catches, including a touchdown.
Smith-Njigba overtook the Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua as the league leader in receiving yards.
What needs help
There have been games, like a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, in which the Seahawks’ run game sprung to life. Sunday was not one of those.
Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet combined to carry the ball 24 times for 58 yards. The Seahawks are 27th in the league in rushing yards per attempt.
Stock up
Six games into his Seattle tenure, Darnold has proven to be not just efficient, but willing to take shots downfield. Though he completed a season-low 59.3% of his passes on Sunday, Darnold finished with 295 yards, tied for his second most in a game this year.
Darnold has 1,541 passing yards through six games, tied for third most in the league.
Stock down
Rookie wide receiver Tory Horton had touchdown catches in two of his first three games, as well as a punt return for a score against the New Orleans Saints. But Horton was targeted only once by Darnold on Sunday and finished without a catch for the first time since the Seahawks’ season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers .
Injuries
All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon, linebacker Derick Hall, safety Julian Love and cornerback Tariq Woolen all sat out Sunday, and defensive tackle Jarran Reed left in the fourth quarter.
Key number
22 — The Seahawks have won 22 of their last 28 games that kicked off at 1 p.m. on the East Coast.
Next steps
The Seahawks host Houston next Monday night.
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Falcons ride Robinson's 170 rushing yards, including 81-yard TD, to 24-14 win over Allen and Bills By CHARLES ODUM AP Sports Writer The Associated Press ATLANTA
ATLANTA (AP) — Big plays from Bijan Robinson and Drake London and mistake-free leadership from Michael Penix Jr. made the Atlanta Falcons look like a playoff contender.
A lack of big offense and more miscues from Josh Allen provided more reason to question the Buffalo Bills.
Robinson matched a career high with 170 rushing yards and gave Atlanta an early two-touchdown lead with the NFL's longest run of the season , and the Falcons denied Allen's comeback attempt to beat the Bills 24-14 on Monday night.
Robinson's career-long 81-yard touchdown run in the second quarter put Atlanta (3-2) ahead 21-7.
“We've been waiting for that moment,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said.
Robinson got his 170 yards on 19 carries. He added six catches for 68 yards for a career-best 238 yards from scrimmage. Morris said Robinson “is the best player in football; I've said it multiple times.”
For Robinson's big game to come against Allen, last season's MVP, was meaningful because he paid the same compliment to the Bills quarterback.
“I think he's the best football player in the NFL,” Robinson said. “Shout out to our defense. They made him uncomfortable the whole day.”
London had 10 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. Penix threw for 250 yards, including a 9-yard TD to London, while completing 20 of 32 passes without an interception.
Allen threw two touchdown passes, including a 16-yarder to Ray Davis to open the second half.
Allen and the Bills (4-2) were stopped on fourth down near midfield late in the third quarter. They failed to take advantage of another opportunity when Greg Rousseau blocked Parker Romo's 37-yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth.
“Blocking the kick I thought was big for us,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “Obviously, I thought we had some momentum coming out of that. ... So overall, opportunities, just not good enough and getting the result we want.”
Allen and the Bills again failed to capitalize. The Falcons secured the win with a 14-play, 5-minute drive that included Penix's 23-yard pass to Robinson. Romo's 33-yard field goal extended the lead to 10 points, and the Bills were left with 1:47 on the clock and no timeouts.
“They had a good plan,” Allen said of the Falcons. “Looks like they came off the bye week and got to game-plan us quite a bit. Again, I’ve got to be better in seeing the things they’re trying to do to us and make adjustments accordingly.”
Atlanta linebacker DeAngelo Malone intercepted Allen's last throw with 41 seconds remaining. Allen completed 15 of 26 passes for 180 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, giving him four interceptions in his last three games. He had only one pick in his previous 12 games, including the playoffs.
Tyler Allgeier scored the Falcons' first touchdown on a 21-yard run.
Allen had the support of a strong contingent of Buffalo fans who were so loud that Penix was forced to use a silent count on an early possession.
From 4-0 to 4-2
The Bills' loss added more reasons to doubt their 4-0 start. Those wins came against teams that are now a combined 3-21: Baltimore (1-5), the New York Jets (0-6), Miami (1-5) and New Orleans (1-5).
“We’ll work hard at it,” McDermott said. “We’ve got to figure it out. It’s not going to be easy, but we got to figure out it out and work our tails off to get it done.”
No Ray-Ray McCloud
In a surprise, Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III, normally a starter, was a healthy scratch and was on the sideline in street clothes. The move came despite another starter, Darnell Mooney (hamstring), getting ruled out on Saturday.
Morris called the move “a coaches' decision” and said McCloud will “be back out competing next week.”
Two weeks to clean up
The Bills have a bye week. When asked if the timing was good, Allen said: “It’s going to eat at me for the next two weeks. I mean, a lot of stuff to clean up. We’ll put our focus on our next opponent and go from there.”
Injuries
Bills: WR Joshua Palmer (left ankle) was ruled out early in the second half. ... LB Terrel Bernard left with a right ankle injury. ... TE Dalton Kincaid was inactive with an oblique injury. The decision was made after he participated in pregame warmups. Kincaid leads the team 287 receiving yards and three touchdowns and had a career-best 108 yards in his last game. DT DaQuan Jones, a starter, was held out after suffering a calf injury in pregame warmups.
Falcons: LT Jake Matthews (ankle) was escorted to the locker room late in the first half and ruled out. ... Starting nickel back Billy Bowman Jr. (knee, hamstring) was inactive.
Up next
Bills: After a bye, Buffalo plays another NFC South team when it visits Carolina on Oct. 26.
Falcons: In another prime-time game, Atlanta visits San Francisco on Sunday night.
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No Hail Mary magic this time and Moody's last-play kick lifts the Bears past the Commanders 25-24 By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer The Associated Press LANDOVER, Md.
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — It wasn't quite the same drama as the Hail Mary that decided these teams' game a year ago, but Caleb Williams and the Bears did get the better of Jayden Daniels and the Commanders on a final-play score Monday night, with Chicago defeating Washington 25-24 with a 38-yard field goal by new kicker Jake Moody .
With D'Andre Swift rushing for 108 yards on 14 carries, and grabbing a pair of receptions for 67 yards — including a 55-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown — the Bears (3-2), coming off their bye , extended their winning streak to three games under first-year coach Ben Johnson.
Washington (3-3) continued its pattern of alternating wins and losses in 2025 and flopped with a chance to pull even with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles atop the NFC East.
The Commanders, so good protecting the ball until now, hurt themselves with three turnovers, matching their total from the first five games.
“You really don't deserve to win many games when you're in that space,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said.
That included Jayden Daniels' first interception of the season, rookie running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt's second fumble in two weeks and, most critical of all, a botched handoff between the two that resulted in a fumble as Washington was trying to run out the clock while up 24-22.
That gave Chicago the ball with a little more than three minutes left, and Williams then led the nine-play, 36-yard closing drive that finished with Moody’s fourth field goal of a rainy night. His teammates mobbed him, then raised up off the ground in a mass celebration on the field.
“I got here not too long ago,” Moody said. “But for everybody to embrace me and take me in as one of their own is an amazing feeling.”
Williams and Daniels — both won the Heisman Trophy in college and they entered the NFL together as the top two overall selections in the 2024 draft — are now 1-1 against each other as pros.
“You play versus great players, you want to have those games, have those moments, where you’re playing versus somebody else on the opposite side, where you’re going to have a battle," Williams said. "He knows that. I know that.”
Moody , signed off the practice squad because Cairo Santos was out with an injured quadriceps, made field goals from 47 and 48 yards in the first quarter and 41 in the third. But he had a 48-yard attempt blocked on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
Moody was cut by the San Francisco 49ers — who drafted him in the third round in 2023 — this September after two missed attempts in Week 1.
“It's always good to have a fresh start,” Moody said. "I always believed in myself."
Williams finished 17 for 29 for 252 yards through the air, with the TD pass to Swift that was helped by a whiffed tackle along the sideline by Washington safety Quan Martin.
“That one stings,” Quinn said.
Williams also ran for a score.
Daniels ended up 19 for 16 for 211 yards and a trio of TD tosses.
“I’m not going to sit up here and blame it on the elements,” Daniels said when asked whether the weather played a role in the miscue between him and Croskey-Merritt. “I had a lack of focus there and it cost us the game.”
It was 50 weeks ago that Washington defeated Chicago 18-15 on a final-play, 52-yard TD pass from Daniels to Noah Brown .
That play is known as the “Hail Maryland” around these parts and as “Fail Mary” among Bears fans — and it sent Washington on a path that led to the conference title game, while beginning a 10-game losing streak for Chicago.
Injuries
Bears: WR D.J. Moore was going to stay overnight in the Washington area for precautionary medical attention, the Bears said after the game. ... LB Noah Sewell was ruled out with a concussion in the second quarter.
Commanders: Daniels was without two of this top three receivers: Brown, who sat out his fourth game in a row with knee and groin issues, and Terry McLaurin , sidelined for a third straight week with a quad muscle issue. ... DE Dorance Armstrong hurt his hamstring but returned in the third quarter and picked up his sixth sack of the season. He then left again.
Up next
Chicago returns home to face the NFC-worst New Orleans Saints (1-5) on Sunday, when Washington plays at the rival Dallas Cowboys (2-3-1).
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Jake Moody goes from no job to kicking a winning field goal for the Bears against the Commanders By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer The Associated Press LANDOVER, Md.
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — For all the big plays D'Andre Swift contributed Monday night for the Chicago Bears , he knew it wouldn't have resulted in a victory without one big kick by the newest guy on the team, Jake Moody .
So Swift made sure to head on over to Moody and get to know him after a 38-yard field goal as time expired lifted Chicago past the Washington Commanders 25-24 on a rainy night.
“I introduced myself to him on the sideline,” Swift said with a big smile after accounting for 175 yards from scrimmage and a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown. “First time I spoke to him. He did a great job. ... Happy to have him on the team.”
Moody went from high NFL draft pick by San Francisco in 2023 to playing in the Super Bowl for the 49ers to a guy without a job after coach Kyle Shanahan's club cut him for missing two kicks in Week 1 this season.
Chicago added him to its practice squad.
“I didn’t necessarily fully know who he was when he got here,” said Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for one score and ran for another. “Being able to hear about his story when he got here ... I know he’s been through some tough moments. So having this moment for him, I know, is important. It’s important for us.”
Moody finally got a chance to play Monday because the usual Bears kicker, Cairo Santos, was sidelined by a quadriceps injury.
“I'm glad to be on the team. Glad to be a part of this,” Moody said. “Can't wait to formally meet everybody else at some point.”
Surely, they'll all be glad to shake his hand after his role in stretching their winning streak to three games.
As it is, some teammates hoisted Moody on their shoulders and paraded him on the soggy field after Monday's win improved Chicago's record to 3-2.
“It's a pretty cool series of events. A couple days ago, I didn’t know I was playing,” said Moody, who also made kicks from 41, 47 and 48 yards. “To get lifted up by my teammates, it's an amazing feeling. Really glad I got to share that.”
Bears coach Ben Johnson said he never had a doubt about the final make — even after Moody had a 48-yard attempt blocked on the initial play of the last period.
“We’ve seen him in practice now for a number of weeks, and we know what he’s capable of. He’s made big kicks in big games over the course of his career so far. None of it was surprising,” Johnson said. “I think that’s who he is, and I think that change of scenery was really good for him.”
As if making the winning kick wouldn't be a big enough deal on its own, there was that not-so-little matter of overcoming what had happened 15 minutes of game time earlier: The block left Chicago trailing 17-16, a deficit that would grow to 24-16.
The Bears cut it to 24-22 on Swift's long TD — aided by safety Quan Martin's missed tackle — but the Commanders were putting together a clock-draining drive later in the final period when quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt botched a handoff with a little more than three minutes to go.
That gave the Bears the ball on their own 44-yard line, and Williams directed them down the field to give Moody another shot.
He came through.
“You’ve got to always think about the next kick, not think about the previous kick,” Moody said. “All I had to do was kick it straight.”
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Veteran linebacker Devin White leads Raiders' defense with huge stat line in win over Titans By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press The Associated Press LAS VEGAS
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White had every reason to boast after Sunday’s 20-10 win over the Tennessee Titans , sitting at his locker surrounded by reporters with the game ball he intercepted beside him.
Yet even after becoming the third Raider since 1999 to record a sack, a forced fumble and a pick in a game — and the first since 2016 — White chose to speak of his teammates.
“Great team win, man,” White said. “I knew coming in that I just wanted to be cool, calm, collected — and play hard.
“Obviously, everything wasn’t perfect, but that’s why you got teammates. They lift you up, and you just keep going, man. We had a positive mindset on the sideline. Whether it went good, went bad, we just stayed in it. Just proud to go out there with these guys and just dominate.”
The Raiders (2-4) dominated the Titans with a suffocating defense, holding them to 225 yards. White led the charge with nine tackles, including five solo, a quarterback hit and a pass deflection.
The 27-year-old White was a standout in five seasons with Tampa Bay, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2020, before playing for Houston last season.
“He played a great game,” linebacker Malcolm Koonce said. “That’s the guy that we see make plays in practice. It’s great to see him do that on the field. He had a day today.”
White helped put the Raiders in position to score their first touchdown in seven quarters when he sacked Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward and forced a fumble deep in Tennessee territory. Defensive end Tyree Wilson was there to pounce on the ball, and three plays later, Geno Smith found Michael Mayer for a 4-yard touchdown.
White later intercepted Ward to thwart a Titans drive that got to the Las Vegas 30 and keep Tennessee scoreless.
“Devin’s been in the league many years. He’s made plenty of plays,” Wilson said. “So it was time to get back to the Devin we know, and he showed up today. He had big plays in the game that were keys to the win.”
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Joe Flacco's strong second half in Cincinnati debut gives slumping Bengals reason for hope By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Joe Flacco rallied the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half. That was enough to provide some hope for his new teammates.
Just five days after he was acquired in a trade with Cleveland, Flacco passed for 219 yards and two touchdowns in his Cincinnati debut. The Bengals lost 27-18 at Green Bay on Sunday, but they pushed the Packers all the way to the very end.
“He’s just so poised,” All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase said of Flacco.
Cincinnati (2-4) has been outscored 140-55 during a four-game losing streak. The slide started a week after Joe Burrow departed a 31-27 victory over Jacksonville on Sept. 14 with a toe injury .
After Jake Browning started at quarterback in the first three games in the current streak, the Bengals acquired the 40-year-old Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick from the Browns on Tuesday for a fifth-round selection.
There wasn't a noticeable difference for Cincinnati at first.
The Bengals trailed 10-0 after getting outgained 240-65 in the first half. It was the fourth straight game in which they failed to score a touchdown before halftime. Flacco was 8 of 15 for 40 yards at the break, and Cincinnati totaled one first down in its first four possessions.
“Usually playing a good football team, playing one good half isn’t going to be good enough,” Flacco said. “But we gave ourselves a chance down at the end, and we did some good things but just not enough.”
The breakthrough began on the opening possession of the second half.
Flacco orchestrated a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive lasting 10 minutes, 14 seconds. Flacco capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tanner Hudson on fourth-and-goal.
That set the tone for the rest of Flacco's outing.
Flacco went 21 of 30 for 179 yards in the second half. The Bengals scored two touchdowns and a field goal on their first three second-half drives before their final possession ended with a missed field-goal attempt.
The veteran quarterback was at his best in the fourth quarter. With the Bengals trailing 24-10 and facing fourth-and-5, Flacco threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Chase in the right corner of the end zone. He then connected with Chase Brown on a 2-point conversion that made it 24-18 with 4:11 left.
“I certainly thought that he had a lot of confidence and got into a rhythm," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “There are times when you get in those games where you are having to throw the ball there at the end to get back in it, it is not all stuff that is on the call sheet. We were having to ad-lib a little bit as you explore how they are playing our guys. You have to adjust as the game goes, and I thought he did an unbelievable job of handling that.”
Flacco faced Green Bay again just three weeks after helping the Browns beat the Packers 13-10. He became the eighth quarterback since at least 1950 to start against the same opponent twice in a season while playing for two different teams.
The only quarterback to win both games under those circumstances was Jack Kemp, who led the AFL’s Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers past the New York Titans in 1962.
Flacco couldn't quite join Kemp, but he did give the Bengals some reason for optimism as they prepare to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night.
“At the end of the day, Joe did good with communicating with the receivers and talking to the receivers about what we like, what we see,” Chase said.
Flacco is looking forward to playing alongside his new teammates again.
“They talk about learning how to win, good football teams know how to do that,” Flacco said. "That’s because they always believe that they can. Listen, I’ve only been here for a week, but I think these guys in the locker room got a good head on their shoulders, and I’m excited to get to work with them.”
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