The Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens pressed their claims as two of the best teams in the NFL with impressive wins in week nine of the season.
Rookie Jayden Daniels continued his dream debut season with the Washington Commanders and the Buffalo Bills pulled off late divisional victories to join the Lions and unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs on seven wins.
Two of the worst teams in the league, the Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans, got only their second wins of the campaign, while the Dallas Cowboys’ season continued to crumble.
Another amazing one-handed touchdown and Saquon Barkley pulling off a stunning new move were two of the plays of the night on another entertaining Sunday.
Lions show they are the real deal
After falling a game short of last season’s Super Bowl, the Lions have come back even stronger, with a 24-14 victory at the Green Bay Packers giving them a 7-1 start for the first time since 1956.
Remarkably, it was Detroit’s first outdoor game of the season, but, in wet and windy conditions at Lambeau Field, they claimed their third straight win at the home of their divisional rivals.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff had only 145 yards and a touchdown, but his record-setting accuracy and efficiency is driving Detroit’s six-game winning streak.
Jordon Love threw a pick six in an error-strewn Packers performance as Detroit scored 24 unanswered points to take control of the game and the NFC North.
Jackson and Henry run riot for Ravens
After a stunning upset in Cleveland last week, Baltimore’s top-ranked offence put the record straight with a dominant 41-10 battering of a previously stout Denver Broncos defence.
Lamar Jackson furthered his case for back-to-back Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards with a fourth perfect passer rating game in his career, while Derrick Henry eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season and 100 career rushing touchdowns.
Henry has MVP claims of his own as the first player to lead the league in rushing attempts, yards, touchdowns and yards per run since the great Jim Brown in 1963.
Baltimore are 6-3 with a couple of head-scratching losses on their record, but, with speedy receiver Zay Flowers also adding another two touchdowns, the top scorers in the NFL look unstoppable when on their game.
Daniels and Allen lead seven-win teams
Two more MVP candidates drove their teams to a 7-2 record, with rookie superstar Jayden Daniels steering Washington to their best start since 1996 with a 27-22 win at the New York Giants.
After a stunning Hail Mary last week, this was a quieter Daniels display with 209 passing yards and two touchdowns, but the poise is spectacular for a rookie as he keeps his side marching towards the play-offs.
Jude McAtamney made history for the Giants as the first Irish-born kicker to play a regular season NFL game since Neil O’Donoghue appeared for the 1985 St Louis Cardinals.
Josh Allen threw three touchdowns to help Buffalo to a 13th win in the past 14 games against rivals Miami – but only just as Tyler Bass needed to boot a 61-yard field goal with five seconds left to finally sink the Dolphins.
Tua Tagovailoa’s return has certainly improved Miami, and he levelled the game with a touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle with 98 seconds left, but Allen got the Bills close enough for Bass to win it.
Highlight reel plays in overtime thrillers
Following Garrett Wilson’s incredible catch for the New York Jets on Thursday, Demarcus Robinson produced another stunning one-handed touchdown grab in overtime to clinch a dramatic walk-off win for the Los Angeles Rams at the Seattle Seahawks.
New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye also produced a magical final play of the game as he scrambled around for almost 12 seconds before finding Rhamondre Stevenson for a tying touchdown at Tennessee.
Maye could not reproduce his heroics in overtime, though, with an interception sealing a welcome second win of the season for the Titans.
Barkley’s stunning play of the season
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Jacksonville Jaguars to make it four wins in a row, with Saquon Barkley again the catalyst with 199 total yards, two touchdowns and what is likely the play of the season.
The one-man highlight reel produced a mesmerising backwards leap over a defender that almost defied the laws of physics.
“It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” said Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. “He’s the only one in the world that can do that. I’m speechless. It was unbelievable.”
Prescott blow for Dallas
Not only did the Cowboys lose at the Atlanta Falcons, but they lost quarterback Dak Prescott with injury and, at 3-5, have had as many defeats after eight games as they had in each of the past three full seasons.
After stunning the Ravens last week, the Cleveland Browns were brought back down to earth by the Los Angeles Chargers, while Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes to earn the Cincinnati Bengals their first home win of the season, against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Minnesota Vikings responded to successive defeats with a 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts, while Bryce Young helped Carolina to a first home win in 322 days, but it may not be enough to keep his job for the Panthers’ trip to Germany next week.
The Panthers became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a game despite gaining under 250 yards, allowing more than 425 and not getting a turnover as the New Orleans Saints somehow managed to lose despite their statistical dominance.
Saints starter Derek Carr also grabbed an unwanted record as the first quarterback to lose to 31 different teams.
The improving Arizona Cardinals are a team to watch out for as they won 29-9 against the Chicago Bears, who had not allowed more than 21 points in their previous 13 games.
NFL results – week nine
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Miami Dolphins 27-30 Buffalo Bills
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Denver Broncos 10-41 Baltimore Ravens
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Los Angeles Chargers 27-10 Cleveland Browns
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New Orleans Saints 22-23 Carolina Panthers
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Las Vegas Raiders 24-41 Cincinnati Bengals
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Washington Commanders 27-22 New York Giants
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Dallas Cowboys 21-27 Atlanta Falcons
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New England Patriots 17-20 Tennessee Titans (OT)
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Jacksonville Jaguars 23-28 Philadelphia Eagles
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Chicago Bears 9-29 Arizona Cardinals
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Detroit Lions 24-14 Green Bay Packers
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Los Angeles Rams 26-20 Seattle Seahawks (OT)
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Indianapolis Colts 13-21 Minnesota Vikings
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Kansas City Chiefs (01:15 GMT Tuesday)