NFL Week 4: Russell Wilson leads Seahawks to first 4-0 start since 2013

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Russell Wilson threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns, and the Seattle Seahawks improved to 4-0 on the season by beating the Miami Dolphins 31-23 Sunday.

The Seahawks have won their first four games only one other time in franchise history — in 2013, when they won their only Super Bowl. They’ve scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games for the first time since 2015.

Jet lag and subtropical heat weren’t issues for the Seahawks. Neither were injuries that left them short-handed in the secondary, and five times Seattle forced Miami to settle for a field goal before the Dolphins finally reached the end zone in the final minutes.

Wilson connected with David Moore for 57 yards in the final seconds of the first half to set up a touchdown that gave Seattle a 17-9 halftime lead.

Wilson, who went 24 for 34, tied Peyton Manning’s record of 15 touchdown passes in the first four games of a season. Manning did it 2013.

DK Metcalf had four catches for 106 yards, Moore had three for 95 yards, and Chris Carter rushed for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But the Seahawks were twice blanked on trips to the red zone, including when Xavien Howard intercepted Wilson. Seattle had been 10 for 10 previously this season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was 29 for 45 and 315 yards but threw two interceptions for Miami (1-3). He also rushed for a touchdown and was the leading rusher for Miami with six carries for 47 yards.

Leading 17-15, Wilson tossed a 17-yard touchdown pass to Moore to stretch the Seahawks’ lead to 24-15 with 5:24 left in the fourth quarter.

On their next possession, Wilson hit Metcalf with a 32-yard pass to the Dolphins 1-yard-line, setting up Carter’s second touchdown with 4:05 left to make it 31-15.

Russell Wilson tied Peyton Manning for the most touchdown passes in the first four games of a season with (16)! #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/rH65mJpj7d

— SeahawksUnited (@SeahawksUnited_) October 4, 2020

Fitzpatrick scored Miami’s only touchdown with 1:50 left, but Seattle recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Jason Sanders kicked five field goals for the Dolphins.

Saints 35, Lions 29

DETROIT — Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes to Tre’Quan Smith 2:19 apart in the second quarter, helping the short-handed New Orleans Saints overcome a 14-point deficit and beat the Detroit Lions 35-29 Sunday.

New Orleans (2-2) started the game without six injured starters after a short night of rest. The Saints had a player test falsely positive for the coronavirus Saturday, according to a person familiar with the situation, leading to another round of tests for players and staff overnight in the Motor City.

Early in the game at fan-free Ford Field, the Lions (1-3) looked as though they might take advantage of facing a tired team without three starters on both sides of the ball as they led 14-0 lead 4:37 after kickoff.

New Orleans, though, responded by scoring 35 straight points from late in the first period to midway through the third to take control.

Matthew Stafford ended the Saints’ run with a 1-yard TD pass to T.J. Hockenson late in the third quarter. The Lions pulled within six points with 3:36 left in the fourth on Adrian Peterson’s 5-yard run and Hockenson’s 2-point conversion catch.

The Saints sealed the win with Brees converting a third-and-5 from his 27 with a 19-yard pass to Smith and Alvin Kamara running for 5 yards on third-and-3 from midfield.

Detroit has gotten off to a strong start in every game this season, but only has one victory to show for it.

Stafford capped the opening drive with a 7-yard TD pass to rookie D’Andre Swift. And after Brees’ first pass was deflected and intercepted by Darryl Roberts on his first snap, Stafford threw a 15-yard pass to Kenny Golladay to give Detroit its third double-digit lead that wasn’t large enough.

The Lions lost a 17-point, fourth-quarter lead the opener against Chicago. In Week 2, they were ahead by 11 points against Green Bay before giving up 31 straight points and losing an 11th straight game.

Detroit bounced back to beat Arizona with a game-ending drive last week, but embattled coach Matt Patricia fell to 10-25-1 after his team collapsed again. Patricia may have a lot of questions to answer from ownership during the bye week to keep his job.

Vikings 31, Texans 23

HOUSTON — Dalvin Cook ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings withstood a late rally from the winless Houston Texans to get their first victory on Sunday, 31-23.

The Texans cut the lead to 8 when Deshaun Watson connected with Kenny Stills on a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-10 with about six minutes remaining.

Houston’s defense got a stop and Will Fuller made an acrobatic one-handed catch on fourth down for what was initially ruled a touchdown with about a minute left. But after a review it was determined that the ball hit the ground before Fuller gained control, and Minnesota (1-3) ran out the clock from there.

Alexander Mattison added a rushing touchdown and Kirk Cousins threw for 260 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings.

Houston’s NFL-worst run defense continued to struggle, giving up 162 yards as the Texans dropped to 0-4 for the first time since 2008. The loss at home to a previously winless team after a brutal season-opening schedule will ratchet up pressure on coach Bill O’Brien, whose team won the AFC South the previous two seasons.

Watson threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns and Fuller had 108 yards receiving and a touchdown before he was unable to corral the last ball thrown to him.

Minnesota’s Harrison Smith was ejected from the game for a leaping helmet-to-helmet hit on Houston’s Jordan Akins late in the first half. Akins suffered a concussion on the play but held onto the ball for a 26-yard reception. He dropped to the ground and put both hands on his head before slowly getting up and walking off the field.

Adam Thielen had eight receptions for 114 yards and a TD for the Vikings, and rookie Justin Jefferson had four catches for 103 yards, his second straight 100-yard receiving game.

After struggling to move the ball in the first half, the Texans opened the third quarter with a 73-yard drive capped by a 24-yard TD reception by Fuller that cut the lead to 17-13.

The Vikings missed a 55-yard field goal attempt on their next possession before Watson and Fuller hooked up again. Fuller made a 43-yard reception to get the Texans to the 8-yard line, but Houston settled for a 25-yard field goal to get within 17-16.

Thielen’s 9-yard catch with 41 seconds left in the third quarter made it 24-16. Jefferson had a 23-yard reception and Kyle Rudolph grabbed one for 19 yards to power that drive.

Panthers 31, Cardinals 21

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Teddy Bridgewater threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, ran for his first score since a devastating knee injury in 2016, and the Carolina Panthers solved their red zone woes in a 31-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

The Panthers (2-2) scored touchdowns on their first four trips inside the Cardinals’ 20-yard line to build a 28-7 lead one week after settling for five short field goals in a 21-16 victory over the Chargers last week.

Carolina controlled the clock, putting together scoring drives of 13, 9, 10, 8 and 15 plays.

Bridgewater scored his first rushing touchdown since Dec. 20, 2015 on an 18-yard scramble, sidestepping several tacklers to reach the end zone and give Carolina a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. It was his first TD rushing since tearing an ACL and suffering a dislocated left kneecap during a training camp practice with the Vikings.

Mike Davis, filling in for the injured Christian McCaffrey, had 111 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Reggie Bonnafon and Ian Thomas caught short TD tosses from Bridgewater and Robby Anderson had eight catches for 99 yards.

The Panthers’ defense limited Kyler Murray to 133 yards passing, although he did throw for three touchdowns.

DeAndre Hopkins, who came into the game averaging more than 10 catches and 118 yards receiving per game, was limited to 41 yards on seven receptions after a week in which he didn’t practice due to a foot injury.

Carolina, which allowed 65 points in the first two weeks, has held its last two opponents to 37 points.

Buccaneers 38, Chargers 31

TAMPA, Fla. — Tom Brady threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns, all to different receivers, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rally from a 17-point deficit Sunday to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 38-31 for their third straight victory.

With several members of the newly crowned Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning cheering on from a suite at Raymond James Stadium — along with the Cup — Brady shrugged off throwing an early interception returned from a touchdown to keep the Bucs (3-1) in first place in the NFC South.

Five players — Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate and rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn — caught scoring passes from Brady, who threw four of them after falling behind 24-7 in the second quarter.

Rookie Justin Herbert completed 20 of 25 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns for the Chargers (1-3), who’ve lost three straight with the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft playing earlier than expected because of injuries to Tyrod Taylor.

Michael Davis intercepted Brady’s sideline throw intended for Justin Watson and returned the ball 73 yards for a first-quarter score and a 14-7 lead. LA extended the advantage to 17 with a 19-yard TD pass to Donald Parham Jr. and Michael Badgley’s 53-yard field goal.

The game swung dramatically in the final minute of the opening half. Ndamukong Suh forced a fumble inside the Los Angeles 10 with the Chargers attempting to run out at the clock. Linebacker Devin White recovered, setting up Brady’s 6-yard TD to Evans, who finished with seven catches for 122 yards.

The Bucs drew closer on Brady’s 28-yard scoring throw to O.J. Howard, and Tampa Bay took a short-lived 28-24 lead when the three-time league MVP hit Miller on consecutive plays for 44 yards and 19 yards to get the ball into the end zone again.

Herbert, who threw a 51-yard TD pass to Tyron Johnson in the first half, put the Chargers up 31-28 with a scintillating 73-yard strike to Jalen Guyton, releasing the ball under heavy pressure.

Brady’s 9-yard scoring pass to Vaughn finished a seven-play, 75-yard drive that put Tampa Bay ahead for good with 11 minutes remaining.

Rams 17, Giants 9

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Until Jalen Ramsey and Golden Tate traded postgame punches in the culmination of an estranged family’s feud, there wasn’t much drama in the New York Giants’ visit to Los Angeles.

The Rams hung on to win a mostly dismal game with just enough big plays on offense and a redemptive interception by Darious Williams.

Jared Goff hit Cooper Kupp for a 55-yard touchdown with 6:56 to play, and the Rams grinded out a 17-9 victory over New York on Sunday before the wild fight between Ramsey and Tate.

Williams made a diving pick at the Los Angeles 7 with 52 seconds to play as the Rams (3-1) barely stayed unbeaten at new SoFi Stadium and kept first-year Giants coach Joe Judge winless. Los Angeles managed 240 total yards and went nearly 45 minutes between its two touchdowns, but it was enough.

“Being 3-1, it’s still a good start,” Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said. “Definitely made mistakes here and there, but I’d rather fix things off of winning instead of off a loss.”

Daniel Jones passed for 190 yards and rushed for 45 for the Giants (0-4), who haven’t scored a touchdown in their last two games. New York had two chances with the ball after Kupp’s TD, but the Giants turned it over on downs before Jones drove them deep into Rams territory.

That’s when Williams stepped up. The fourth-year cornerback was whistled for a debatable pass interference penalty on fourth down in the final minute of the Rams’ 35-32 loss at Buffalo last week, and the Bills scored the winning TD on the next play.

One week later, Williams came up huge on a pass by Jones intended for Damion Ratley, diving to get both hands on the ball just above the turf. Williams said he recognized the Giants’ play call from earlier in the game, allowing him to anticipate the throw.

“I felt like they were going to come back to it,” Williams said. “Basically just seeing that play, seeing him, everything, I knew that was kind of his play. Luckily I just made a play on it.”

After the kneeldown, even more action happened: Ramsey and Tate scuffled at midfield after a game filled with trash-talking between the two Nashville-area natives. Ramsey has two young children with Tate’s sister, and Tate was publicly upset last year when the couple went through a nasty breakup.

Bills 30, Raiders 23

LAS VEGAS — Shaking off a banged-up left shoulder, Josh Allen threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another, leading the Buffalo Bills to a 30-23 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Buffalo has opened consecutive seasons with 4-0 records, just the third time in team history and first since 1991 and ’92, both seasons when the Bills lost in the Super Bowl.

The Bills have scored at least 30 points in three consecutive games, and are averaging 30.75 points per game, third highest in the NFL.

Las Vegas (2-2) lost its second straight game after falling in New England last week. It marked the Raiders’ first loss inside the shiny new $2 billion Allegiant Stadium.

Off to a sensational start to the season, Allen carved up a Raiders secondary with precision passes over the middle, to the sidelines, or between defenders. Allen continued to mesh well with offseason acquisition Stefon Diggs, who finished with six receptions for 115 yards.

Derek Carr had a strong performance for the Raiders, going 32 for 44 for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Carr, who has yet to throw an interception this season, surpassed Ken Stabler and set a franchise record with 151 career touchdown passes.

Allen was brilliant in the first half, finishing 15 of 20 with two touchdowns. His 26-yard strike to Gabriel Davis on the opening drive was his 13th TD of the season, surpassing Ryan Fitzpatrick (12) for the most total touchdowns by a Bills player in the first four games of the schedule. Allen also found Cole Beasley for an 11-yard reception to push Buffalo’s lead to 14-3.

The Bills not only survived their first road trip out west, they also survived a scare when Allen was taken to the locker room late in the first half with the shoulder injury. Allen fell awkwardly and appeared to injure himself after sprawling in the air and shoveling an 8-yard left-handed pass to Diggs. He was back on the bench moments later, knelt on the final play of the half, and returned in the second half — to pick up where he left off.

After seeing Las Vegas cut the lead to 17-16 midway through the third quarter, Buffalo’s defense came to life, stopping the Raiders on four consecutive possessions. Las Vegas gave the ball back to the Bills by way of punt, fumble, downs and another fumble before scoring on its final possession.

Colts 19, Bears 11

CHICAGO — Philip Rivers threw a touchdown pass on Indianapolis’ first possession, and the Colts shut down Nick Foles and the Chicago Bears in a 19-11 victory Sunday.

After Rivers connected with Mo Alie-Cox on a 13-yard score, the NFL’s top-ranked defense took over from there.

The Colts (3-1) kept the Bears (3-1) out of the end zone until Allen Robinson caught a 16-yard pass with 1:35 remaining. Indianapolis recovered the onside kick and came away with its third straight win, the Colts’ best streak since beating Kansas City, Houston and Denver last October.

As for the Bears, their offense didn’t look much better with Foles starting instead of Mitchell Trubisky. There was no big comeback this time by the team that became the first, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, with two wins in the same season after trailing by 16 or more in the fourth quarter.

The Bears managed just 269 yards — only 28 on the ground.

Foles, who led Chicago back from 16 down at Atlanta last week after Trubisky got pulled, never found a rhythm. The Super Bowl 52 MVP was 26 of 42 for 249 yards with an interception to go with the late TD in his first start since the Bears acquired him in the offseason from Jacksonville.

The Colts’ offense didn’t exactly light up Chicago, either.

Rivers was 16 of 29 for 190 yards and a TD. He needs four completions to join Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning with 5,000.

Julian Blackmon intercepted Foles at the Indianapolis 7 early in the fourth quarter with the Colts leading by 13. And Rodrigo Blankenship kicked four field goals.

The opening kickoff got pushed back a few hours in order to fill the slot left open when the Kansas City-New England game got postponed because of positive covid-19 tests on both teams. Once it started, the Colts wasted little time grabbing the lead.

Jordan Glasgow blocked a punt by Pat O’Donnell on the opening drive, and Rivers capitalized with his TD toss to Alie-Cox.