Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes and ran for a score, and the Buffalo Bills brought Miami’s unbeaten start to an emphatic end, beating the division rival Dolphins 48-20 on Sunday.
A week after Miami had one of the most impressive offensive performances in NFL history in their 70-20 win over Denver, Buffalo (3-1) showed the Dolphins (3-1) a thing or two about efficient offense while taking over first place in the AFC East.
Stefon Diggs caught three touchdowns and finished with six receptions for 120 yards. Allen went 21 of 25 for 320 yards and had his 10th game with four passing TDs.
Miami moved the ball reasonably well, finishing with 393 yards of offense, but the Bills forced two turnovers and sacked quarterback Tua Tagovailoa four times.
The Bills suffered one major setback when cornerback Tre’Davious White was carted off in the third quarter with what the team said was an achilles tendon injury. White pulled up while covering Tyreek Hill and was unable to put any weight on his right leg.
Buffalo (3-1) never trailed and finished with 414 yards of offense, scoring on eight of their first nine possessions. The Bills have won three straight since a season-opening loss at the New York Jets. The Dolphins (3-1) squandered chances to open a season with four wins for the first time since 1995 and to take a two-game lead over Buffalo in the division.
Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 New York Jets
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City shook off a subpar performance during which they blew a 17-point lead, but held on to defeat the New York Jets.
Mahomes was intercepted twice and struggled to get much going after a quick start. After the Chiefs (3-1) regained the lead on Harrison Butker’s 26-yard field goal with 10:51 remaining, Zach Wilson made his first big mistake when he fumbled a snap. Tershawn Wharton recovered the loose ball and Mahomes and the Chiefs got it at the Jets 47. An interception of Mahomes on third-and-20 was negated by a holding call on Sauce Gardner. Replays showed it was a questionable call and an irate Jets coach Robert Saleh stormed down the sideline.
Mahomes, who had a 24-yard run on third-and-22 to extend the drive, ran for 11 yards on another third down to the Jets two-yard line, sealing the victory. Wilson had his best game since taking over for the injured Aaron Rodgers, going 28 of 39 for 245 yards and two touchdowns.
Cincinnati Bengals 3–27 Tennessee Titans
Ryan Tannehill threw for 240 yards and a touchdown and the Tennessee Titans (2-2) rebounded from the franchise’s worst offensive performance in 49 years by routing the Cincinnati Bengals. The Titans managed only 94 yards in last week’s loss in Cleveland. On Sunday, they scored 27 straight points and led 24-3 at halftime, giving coach Mike Vrabel his first win in four tries against Cincinnati. Derrick Henry ran 29 yards for a touchdown. He also also found rookie tight end Josh Whyle for a two-yard TD on a jump pass from the wildcat just before halftime. Joe Burrow, still hampered by a calf injury, was sacked three times and fumbled once as the Bengals fell to 1-3 this season.
New England Patriots 3–38 Dallas Cowboys
DaRon Bland returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown, Leighton Vander Esch scooped up a fumble for a score and the Dallas Cowboys blew out the New England Patriots. Mac Jones was responsible for all three turnovers and was pulled in the second half. It was the worst loss for the Patriots in 24 seasons under coach Bill Belichick. The Cowboys spoiled former star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s Dallas homecoming with their 10th consecutive home victory.
Denver Broncos 31–28 Chicago Bears
Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Wil Lutz kicked a tiebreaking field goal with just under two minutes remaining and the Denver Broncos bounced back from one of the most lopsided losses in franchise history by rallying to beat the Chicago Bears.
Denver (1-3) were coming off a 70-20 blowout by Miami but Lutz’s 51-yarder capped a comeback from a 28-7, third-quarter deficit. Kareem Jackson then intercepted Justin Fields with the Bears (0-4) near midfield. The Bears dropped their 14th in a row since a Week 7 win at New England last season.
The Bears had a chance to break a 28-28 tie late in the fourth quarter. Chicago opted to go for it on fourth-and-one at the 18 rather than kick a field goal, and Herbert got stopped. Fields threw for a career-high 335 yards and four touchdowns. He completed his first 16 passes and was 28 of 35.
Washington Commanders 31–34 Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and Josh Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Philadelphia Eagles to an overtime victory. Philadelphia are off to their second straight 4-0 start. Elliott also kicked field goals of 41, 47 and 36 yards before booming the winner that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The NFC champion Eagles are 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-1993. Eagles wideout AJ Brown had nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
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Arizona Cardinals 16–35 San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey scored a career-high four touchdowns and the San Francisco 49ers won their 14th straight regular season game. McCaffrey gained 177 yards from scrimmage, scoring on three runs and one catch to help the 49ers get off to their fifth 4-0 start in franchise history. He also broke Jerry Rice’s franchise record by scoring a TD in his 13th straight game, including the playoffs. Brock Purdy went 20 for 21 for 283 yards with a TD run and pass for San Francisco. Joshua Dobbs threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns for the Cardinals.
Baltimore Ravens 28–3 Cleveland Browns
Lamar Jackson ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more against Cleveland’s top-ranked defense, leading the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) past the Browns. Cleveland (2-2) played without injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson looked overmatched in his NFL debut. The Ravens intercepted him three times and sacked him four times. Jackson scored untouched on runs of 10 yards and two yards and threaded a seven-yard scoring pass to tight end Mark Andrews with 11 seconds left before halftime. Jackson connected with Andrews again from 18 yards out in the fourth quarter.
Las Vegas Raiders 17–24 Los Angeles Chargers
Khalil Mack set a franchise single-game record with six sacks, Justin Herbert accounted for three touchdowns and the Los Angeles Chargers held on to beat the Las Vegas Raiders. It was the sixth time since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 that a player had at least six in a game. The record is seven, by Kansas City’s Derrick Thomas in 1990. The Chargers scored on four of their first five drives to build a 24-7 lead at halftime before the Raiders rallied to make it close. Aidan O’Connell started at quarterback for Las Vegas in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo and threw a costly late interception.
Pittsburgh Steelers 6–30 Houston Texans
Rookie CJ Stroud had another big game, throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Houston Texans (2-2) over the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2). It’s the second straight win for the Texans and their first at home since beating the Chargers on 26 December 2021. Houston’s 24-point win marked their largest margin of victory since a 57-14 win over Tennessee on 1 October 2017. Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, continued his strong start and threw a TD pass to get things going in a first half where they built a 16-0 lead. Sunday was his second 300-yard passing game and he has thrown six touchdown passes with no interceptions in his first four games. Kenny Pickett threw for 114 yards with an interception and struggled to move the Steelers offense before leaving late in the third quarter with a knee injury.
Los Angeles Rams 29–23 Indianapolis Colts
Matthew Stafford overcame a hip injury to throw a 22-yard touchdown pass to record-breaking rookie Puka Nacua in overtime to give the Los Angeles Rams victory in Indianapolis. The Rams have won four straight in the series and the past three in Indy, this time after blowing a 23-point, third-quarter lead. Colts rookie Anthony Richardson rallied the Colts with two TD passes, one scoring run and two two-point conversion throws. But it wasn’t enough to win their second straight overtime game. The Colts have lost six consecutive home games.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-9 New Orleans Saints
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints. Derek Carr returned to start for New Orleans after suffering a shoulder injury last week, but he did little to help the Saints’ anemic offense. Mayfield completed 25 of 32 for 246 yards including TDs to Cade Otten, Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins. The Bucs improved to 3-1 and took over first place in the NFC South. The Saints lost their second straight after a 2-0 start. Alvin Kamara totaled just 84 yards from scrimmage in his first game back from a three-game suspension.
Minnesota Vikings 21–13 Carolina Panthers
Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes to Justin Jefferson and DJ Wonnum returned Bryce Young’s fumble 51 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown, and the Minnesota Vikings held on to beat the Carolina Panthers (0-4) for their first win of the season. Cousins overcame two interceptions, including one that was returned 99 yards for a touchdown by Sam Franklin, and finished with 139 yards passing. Jefferson beat a Carolina secondary playing without three starters for 85 yards on six catches. Alexander Mattison ran for 95 yards and Harrison Smith had three sacks for the Vikings, including the one that led to Wonnum’s score.
Atlanta Falcons 7-23 Jacksonville Jaguars
Calvin Ridley caught a touchdown pass against his old team and Darious Williams returned an interception for a 61-yard score and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons (2-2) at Wembley Stadium. The Jags (2-2) halted a two-game skid with a series of big plays as the team celebrated playing for the 10th time in London and held on as the Falcons tried to rally in the second half. Trevor Lawrence threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Ridley in the first half and Williams intercepted Desmond Ridder’s pass for a 61-yard touchdown to make the score 17-0. Ridder connected with receiver Drake London on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the second half.