VIKINGS 41, FALCONS 28
Teddy Bridgewater got hurt before he could finish a fine first NFL start.
He was good enough to put the Minnesota Vikings in the lead when he left.
The rookie passed for 317 yards and a key two-point conversion before hurting his ankle in the fourth quarter, and the Vikings beat the Atlanta Falcons 41-28 on Sunday.
Bridgewater was 19 for 30 with no turnovers and ran 5 times for 27 yards and a score in his first career start, but his last carry was costly. His left foot rolled underneath him as he was sandwiched by two tacklers at the 1-yard line. Matt Asiata powered his way in on the next play for his third touchdown, and Bridgewater stayed in to zip a crisp pass to Rhett Ellison to push the lead to 35-28.
As Bridgewater was taken away on a cart for X-rays, Christian Ponder took over at quarterback after the Falcons were forced to punt for a second consecutive time. Blair Walsh drilled a 55-yard field goal to put the Vikings (2-2) ahead by 10, and Harrison Smith intercepted Matt Ryan on the next drive to seal the victory.
Bridgewater was back on the sideline before the end of the game, with Ponder the only healthy quarterback left on the active roster.
The Falcons weren't feeling sorry for Minnesota. They lost three starting offensive linemen to injuries and wound up sticking tight end Levine Toilolo at right tackle in the fourth quarter. Ryan was 25 for 41 for 298 yards and three touchdowns.
Bridgewater replaced Matt Cassel in last week's loss at New Orleans when the veteran broke his left foot. The "Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!" chants started as the Falcons lined up to punt after their first possession, the anticipation of Bridgewater's debut palpable inside the sun-soaked stadium.
Fellow Minnesota rookie Jerick McKinnon had a big day, too, running 18 times for 135 yards. But his touchdown run on the next drive was called back on replay review because he was down short of the goal line, and the Vikings had to settle for a field goal.
The Vikings totaled only 16 points over the last two games. But on Sunday, they put up big numbers without the help of big-name players at the skill positions.
Jarius Wright (Warren, Arkansas Razorbacks) had eight catches for 132 yards for the Vikings, who lost their starting right guard and tight end to injuries last week on top of Peterson's glaring absence.
RAVENS 38, PANTHERS 10 Steve Smith punished his former team with seven catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns. Smith spent 13 seasons with Carolina before he was released in a cost-cutting move during the offseason. The 35-year-old receiver showed the Panthers he can still make the big play, scoring twice in the second quarter to help put host Baltimore (3-1) in front 21-7 at halftime. The first touchdown came when Smith grabbed a pass that deflected off the right hand of teammate Owen Daniels. He caught the ball in stride and took it into the end zone to complete a 61-yard play. Smith also scored from 21 yards with a diving reception. Joe Flacco went 22 of 31 for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns, the other a 24-yarder to Torrey Smith. Carolina (2-2) has lost two consecutive, both in lopsided fashion against AFC North foes.
PACKERS 38, BEARS 17 Aaron Rodgers threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns, and the visiting Packers shook off one of their worst offensive performances in years. The Packers (2-2) scored on their first six possessions to build a 38-17 lead. They racked up 358 yards after being held to 223, their lowest total since 2008, a week earlier in a 19-7 loss at Detroit. They intercepted Jay Cutler twice in the third quarter to pull away from the Bears (2-2).
CHARGERS 33, JAGUARS 14 Philip Rivers threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, two to Eddie Royal for the host Chargers. Royal had scoring catches of 47 and 43 yards, his second consecutive two-touchdown game. The Chargers (3-1) extended their winning streak to three. Passing because the Chargers' running game is nonexistent due to injuries to Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, Rivers had his second three-touchdown game of the season. He went 29 of 39. Rookie Blake Bortles made his first start for the Jaguars (0-4), threw one touchdown pass, was intercepted twice and twice had Jacksonville in the lead in the first half.
TEXANS 23, BILLS 17 J.J. Watt had another highlight-reel play to help the host Texans overcome a tough day offensively. Houston (3-1) was down by three in the third quarter and Ryan Fitzpatrick had just thrown a second interception when the 6-foot-5, 289-pound Watt returned an interception 80 yards to put the Texans up 14-10. The defensive end caught a touchdown pass in Week 2, giving him more TDs this year than Arian Foster and Andre Johnson combined. Under heavy pressure all afternoon, EJ Manuel finished with 225 yards passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for the Bills (2-2). Buffalo was driving late when Darryl Morris picked him off at the Houston 15 to secure the victory.
LIONS 24, JETS 17 Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the visiting Lions overcame Calvin Johnson being limited by an ankle injury. Jeremy Ross and Eric Ebron caught scoring passes for the Lions, who are 3-1 for the second consecutive season. Stafford finished 24 of 34 for 293 yards. Johnson, who was in and out of the game, was clearly impeded by his injured ankle. He had just two catches for 12 yards. Golden Tate had a big game, catching eight passes for 116 yards. A struggling Geno Smith had two more turnovers as chants of "We Want Vick!" echoed throughout MetLife Stadium at times. The Jets, who made it close on Chris Johnson's 35-yard run with 6:58 left, fell to 1-3 for the first time in Rex Ryan's six seasons as coach.
DOLPHINS 38, RAIDERS 14 Ryan Tannehill threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns in the latest international game in London. Tannehill, in the middle of a storm all week because his coach declined to confirm him as the starter, took advantage of a depleted Oakland defense to snap a two-game losing streak for the Dolphins (2-2). The Raiders (0-4) scored on their opening drive but struggled after that. And starting quarterback Derek Carr was injured in the third quarter, replaced by third-stringer Matt McGloin. Tannehill threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace and an 18-yarder to Dion Sims. Lamar Miller rushed for two more TDs, and cornerback Cortland Finnegan ran back a fumble 50 yards for another.
COLTS 41, TITANS 17 Andrew Luck threw four touchdown passes and Reggie Wayne scored for the first time this season. Host Indy (2-2) extended its league-leading streak of consecutive victories over division foes to nine. Luck was 29 of 41 for a season-best 393 yards. Wayne had seven catches for a season-best 119 yards and scored on a spectacular spinning 28-yard catch. Tennessee (1-3) has lost three consecutive since an impressive season-opening victory over Kansas City, and this one wasn't even close. Indy led 14-0 after one and made it 20-3 with two Adam Vinatieri field goals. Tennessee closed to 20-10 at halftime, but Luck's two third-quarter TD passes made it 34-10 and the Titans never challenged again.
Sports on 09/29/2014