NFL Week 11 roundup: Watson, Watt lead Houston to 27-20 win over New England

HOUSTON — Deshaun Watson threw for 344 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and J.J. Watt defended a career-high four passes to lead the Houston Texans to a 27-20 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.

Watson’s two touchdown passes and scoring run all came in the first half as the Texans (3-7) built a 21-10 halftime lead.

Watson and Houston’s offense slowed down after that to allow the Patriots (4-6) to get back into it. But a 46-yard field goal by Káimi Fairbairn extended the lead to 27-20 with about 3½ minutes to go.

Houston’s beleaguered defense sealed the victory with a stop after that. Watt swatted down Cam Newton’s pass on third down and heavy pressure from Justin Reid forced him to throw the ball away on fourth down to give the Texans the ball back.

It is the first time since 2009 that the Patriots will have at least six losses in a regular season.

It’s also the Texans’ first win of the season against a team besides the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars. And the Texans’ win gave interim coach Romeo Crennel a rare victory by a former Bill Belichick assistant against his former boss.

Watt and Reid led the defense all game long with Watt knocking down multiple passes and Reid getting his first career sack and finishing with three tackles for losses and two quarterback hits.

The Texans’ NFL-worst run defense did a good job of limiting New England’s rushing. They held the Patriots to 86 yards rushing after they entered the game averaging 161.1 yards a game.

It was the first game in Houston with the roof open since Nov. 30, 2014, on a nice day where the temperature was 78 at kickoff. The crowd was limited to 12,503 because of coronavirus restrictions.

Newton threw for 365 yards and a touchdown, but was limited to a season-low 6 yards rushing.

New England got within 21-17 with about eight minutes left in the third quarter when Newton threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Damiere Byrd, who finished with six catches for 132 yards.

Houston settled for a 36-yard field goal later in the third after Watson’s pass on third-and-3 was too high for Keke Coutee.

A 36-yard field goal by Nick Folk cut the lead to 24-20 with about 7½ minutes left.

The Patriots led early after a 9-yard touchdown run by Damien Harris on their first possession.

Houston tied it up when Watson connected with Randall Cobb on a 3-yard score later in the first. Brandin Cooks had a 44-yard reception earlier in that drive to set up the score.

New England led 10-7 after a field goal in the second quarter when Watson scrambled 4 yards for a touchdown, dragging two defenders into the end zone with him. Watson threw passes of 25 and 21 yards on consecutive plays to get the Texans to the 4 before his scoring run.

The Texans made it 21-10 when Watson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Coutee just before halftime.

Saints 24, Falcons 9

NEW ORLEANS — Taysom Hill rushed for two touchdowns and passed for 233 yards in his first NFL start at quarterback, and the New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-9 on Sunday for their seventh straight victory.

With 41-year-old quarterback Drew Brees sidelined at least three games with multiple rib fractures, Saints coach Sean Payton gave Hill the nod over offseason free-agent acquisition Jameis Winston.

Hill, who started his career as a utility player with the Saints in 2017, looked comfortable running the scheme Payton designed for him this week. He completed 18 of 23 passes (78.3%) without an interception and used his all-around athleticism to run intermittently on scrambles or designed read-option plays, finishing with a team-high 51 yards rushing.

He had a considerably better day than Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, who was sacked eight times and finished 19-of-37 passing for 232 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions to defensive backs Marcus Williams and Janoris Jenkins. Cameron Jordan sacked Ryan three times, while Trey Hendrickson and David Onyemata each had two sacks.

Because of Hill’s unconventional role, with duties ranging from change-of-pace option QB to tight end and special teams, he had played in 46 previous NFL games before finally getting his first start under center.

He entered having thrown just five passes with four completions for 86 yards this season, and was 10 of 18 for 205 yards in his career, leaving him relatively unproven as a passer.

Not anymore. Despite a level of athleticism that would have made scrambling a tempting default choice, he regularly showed patience and poise in the pocket and delivered accurate passes moments before impact from onrushing defenders.

Hill was among the last to leave the field after the game, raising one hand to acknowledge cheers of the pandemic-limited crowd of about 6,000.

All that was missing was a first-career scoring pass — in part because of how effective the Saints were running the ball. Alvin Kamara scored New Orleans’ first TD on a 3-yard run, Hill scored the second on a keeper on fourth down from the Atlanta 2, and Hill’s second TD came on a 10-yard scramble.

Kamara, Hill and Latavius Murray powered a ground game that netted 168 yards, which helped the Saints (8-2) sustain drives that consumed a total of 33:41.

New Orleans’ second-ranked run defense held Atlanta to 52 yards rushing, and the Saints defense did not allow a touchdown for the second time in three games — with only one touchdown given up in between.

The Falcons (3-7) struck first with a field goal set up by Ryan’s 46-yard completion to Calvin Ridley and led 9-3 on three Younghoe Koo kicks before the Saints responded with 21 straight points.

Panthers 20, Lions 0

CHARLOTTE — P.J. Walker threw for 258 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL start, the much-maligned Carolina defense earned its first shutout since 2015 and the Panthers defeated the Detroit Lions 20-0 on Sunday to snap a five-game losing streak.

Walker, a former XFL player, was made the starter less than two hours before kickoff when Teddy Bridgewater was officially ruled out with a knee injury.

Walker did plenty well, connecting on a perfect 52-yard strike to D.J. Moore along with a well-placed 17-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel. But he also had two terrible mistakes, twice throwing interceptions in the red zone, essentially hitting the defender right in the hands.

Still he did enough to win, as Moore had seven catches for 127 yards and Samuel had eight grabs for 70 yards. Mike Davis ran for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Matthew Stafford, who played despite a thumb injury that prevented him from taking a snap under center all week in practice, finished 18 of 33 for 178, He was sacked five times as the Lions were blanked for the first time since Oct. 18, 2009, his rookie season — although he didn’t play in that game.

Carolina’s two biggest issues this season have been scoring points in the third quarter on offense and getting off the field on third down on defense. They cured both Sunday.

Walker completed his first nine passes of the second half for 90 yards, including his first career TD pass to Samuel in the right corner of the end zone as the Panthers (4-7) scored a season-high 10 points in the third quarter.

Carolina’s defense, which was allowing opponents to covert a season-high 55.3% of third- down opportunities, limited the Lions to 3 of 14 on them. Indeed, nothing went right for the Lions (4-6).

Even when Stafford completed an apparent 51-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Jones, it was called back because of an illegal formation. And the normally reliable Matt Prater missed a 51-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t help that the Lions were without three important skill position players: running back D’Andre Swift, wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola.

But the Panthers were in even worse shape injury-wise.

Carolina played without five starters, including Bridgewater, running back Christian McCaffrey, left tackle Russell Okung, right guard John Miller, and cornerback Donte Jackson.

It was an amazing turnaround for the Panthers’ defense, which had allowed 32.7 points per game over the last four games and forced just two punts. On Sunday, the Panthers forced a season-high six punts.

Colts 34, Packers 31

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis defense may have turned Aaron Rodgers into a believer Sunday.

Everyone else might want to take notice, too.

After allowing three touchdown passes and 28 first-half points, the Colts gave up only three second-half points. They also forced a game-changing fumble less than a minute into overtime for a 34-31 victory over Green Bay.

Rodrigo Blankenship won it with a 39-yard field goal with 7:10 remaining.

Indy (7-3) did it with an old-school combination: The offense that played keep-away, a defense that came up with two three-and-outs and a fourth-down stop late in the fourth quarter, and the key turnover in overtime.

Philip Rivers was 24 of 35 with 288 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in his 234th consecutive start, tying Eli Manning for the 10th-longest streak in league history. Jonathan Taylor had 22 carries for 90 yards in a wild game that included Green Bay scores in the final 10 seconds of each half; Indianapolis erasing a 14-point halftime deficit, then failing to seal the win because of five holding calls on its final drive in regulation.

Rodgers took full advantage of the second chance, hooking up with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 47-yard pass play. That took the Packers from the 6-yard line to the Colts 47. Seven plays later, Mason Crosby tied the game at 31 with a 26-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining.

But Green Bay won the coin toss, Valdes-Scantling lost a fumble when hit by Julian Blackmon on Green Bay’s second play. DeForest Buckner recovered and four plays later, Blankenship won it.

Rodgers was 27 of 38 for 311 yards, three TD passes and one interception. Davante Adams had seven catches for 106 yards and one score, and Aaron Jones rushed for another score.

Trailing 28-14, Indy opened the second half by going heavily with the run, taking more than seven minutes off the clock before settling for a 37-yard field goal.

The Colts closed to 28-25 when Jack Doyle caught a 6-yard TD pass from Rivers and Nyheim Hines scored on a 2-point conversion run. They finally tied it when Blankenship made a 32-yard field goal.

Green Bay, which had only run six plays in the second half, then gave it right back to Indy on Darrius Shepherd’s fumbled kickoff return. Four plays later, Blankenship’s 43-yard field goal gave Indy a 31-28 lead.

The Packers ran only 18 plays over the final 33 minutes.

Cowboys 31, Vikings 28

MINNEAPOLIS — Andy Dalton returned from a two-game absence to throw three touchdown passes, hitting Dalton Schultz for a 2-yard score with 1:37 left to lift Dallas over the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 on Sunday to stop the Cowboys’ four-game losing streak.

Dalton went 22 for 32 for 203 yards and one interception after fill-ins Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert started the previous two games. After missing games to a concussion and COVID-19, Dalton directed an 11-play, 66-yard drive down the stretch that was extended with a fourth-and-6 completion to Amari Cooper at the 19.

Kris Boyd stepped in front of Schultz and nearly picked off a first-and-goal pass in the end zone, but Dalton delivered to his wide open tight end two plays later. That snapped the Vikings’ three-game winning streak and kept the Cowboys (3-7) alive and well in the lackluster NFC East. They’re in a three-way tie for second place behind Philadelphia (3-6-1).

Dodging pressure all afternoon, Kirk Cousins completed 22 of 30 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns to punctuate possessions of 75, 81 and 85 yards to start the second half after the Vikings trailed 16-7 following a first half marked by two lost fumbles and six penalties for 60 yards.

Adam Thielen caught the first two touchdowns, the first one with a falling-down, one-handed grab in the back corner of the end zone while being held by Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown.

Justin Jefferson had the third score, a 39-yarder that gave the Vikings the lead back after Tony Pollard’s 42-yard touchdown run.

When it counted the most, the Vikings (4-6) stalled out on their final two possessions while Cousins went 2 for 7. His fourth-and-6 throw to Thielen from the 29 fell incomplete with 1:18 left.

Ezekiel Elliott reached his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and caught a TD pass. CeeDee Lamb made a flat-on-his-back touchdown catch in the second quarter for the Cowboys.

NFL leader Dalvin Cook had 115 rushing yards and a touchdown plus 45 receiving yards for the Vikings, who remained two games out of the final wild card spot and in ninth place in the NFC.

Broncos 20, Dolphins 13

DENVER — Justin Simmons intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass in the end zone with 63 seconds left Sunday, sealing the Denver Broncos’ 20-13 win over the Miami Dolphins.

The Broncos (4-6) not only prevented Tua Tagovailoa from becoming just the second rookie in the past 40 years to win his first four starts but they sacked him a half-dozen times and knocked him from the game in the fourth quarter.

Although the Dolphins (6-4) didn’t announce an injury to Tagovailoa before game’s end, the lefty walked gingerly to the sideline after his final sack, by Bradley Chubb.

On the play, Tagovailoa’s left leg bent awkwardly and guard Solomon Kindley stepped on Tagovailoa’s right foot.

Fitzpatrick entered the game with the Dolphins down 10 points and drove them to a field goal that made it a one-score deficit.

The Dolphins, who had won five in a row, had a chance to tie it after they turned away the Broncos at their 1.

Melvin Gordon was just about to score his third touchdown of the game when linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel atoned for a pair of penalties on the previous play by punching the ball loose at the 1. Safety Eric Rowe recovered.

Fitzpatrick completed 12 of 18 passes for 117 yards — better than Tagovailoa’s line of 11-for-20 for 83 — but Simmons intercepted his underthrown pass in the end zone after he’d driven the Dolphins from their 1 to the Broncos 15-yard line.

The Broncos ran out the clock with Drew Lock completing a 61-yard pass to Tim Patrick on fourth-and-14 from his 16, a play that began with 4 seconds remaining.

Lock completed 18 of 30 passes for 270 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. He started despite missing practice time during the week because of bruised ribs.

Linebacker Elandon Roberts stuffed Gordon a few inches shy of the first down on fourth-and-1 from the Dolphins 14 to open the second half, but Gordon scored from 20 yards on Denver’s next drive, putting the Broncos ahead 20-10 late in the third quarter.

Brandon McManus nailed a 47-yard field goal as the first half ended, sending the Broncos into the tunnel with a 13-10 lead.

The Broncos got off to another bad start, failing to score a touchdown on the opening drive for the 12th consecutive time when Lock threw his 11th interception of the season.

Xavien Howard stepped in front of Patrick and picked off his sixth pass of 2020, giving Miami the ball at the Denver 22.

It was Lock’s league-high sixth straight game with an interception and came on his second throw. He got the start over backup Brett Rypien after missing a day of practice with bruised ribs and a strained oblique courtesy of Arden Key’s blindside hit last week in Las Vegas.

Tagovailoa’s first career interception, by Simmons, two plays later was negated by A.J. Bouye’s holding call, and Bouye was beaten by DeVante Parker for a toe-tapping 3-yard touchdown catch that put Miami ahead 7-0.

Chargers 34, Jets 28

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Keenan Allen set a Chargers franchise record with 16 receptions, Justin Herbert threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns and Los Angeles held on for a 34-28 victory over the winless New York Jets on Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak.

The prolific-catch day helped Allen tie Antonio Brown as the fastest to reach 600 receptions. Both reached the mark in their 96th career game. It is also Allen’s sixth game with 13 or more receptions, the most by a player in NFL history.

Allen had 145 yards receiving and a 13-yard TD in the third quarter to extend the lead for the Chargers (3-7) to 31-13. New York would rally to get within 34-28 in the fourth quarter on Frank Gore’s 1-yard run and Joe Flacco’s 6-yard pass to Chris Herndon.

New York (0-10) — off to the worst start in franchise history — drove to the Chargers 32 with under a minute remaining before turning over the ball on downs.

Herbert, who completed 37 of 49 passes, again had a day where he established a bunch of rookie superlatives. He extended his mark of multiple touchdown passes with seven and had his fifth 300-yard passing game, becoming the fifth rookie in league history to reach that mark.

Herbert’s 39-yard connection with Mike Williams early in the second quarter made him only the fifth QB in league history to reach 20 TD passes in nine or fewer games. It was also part of a first half that saw him have the most first-half completions (23), attempts (31) and yards (277) by a rookie since at least 1991.

Flacco was 15 of 30 for 205 yards with two touchdowns as he started his fourth game in place of the injured Sam Darnold. He struggled in the first half, including a pick-6 in the first quarter to Tevaughn Campbell that gave the Chargers a 7-6 lead in the first quarter.