Miami (AFP) – The Baltimore Ravens handed the Buffalo Bills their first loss of the season with dominant running back Derrick Henry putting up 199 yards and scoring two touchdowns in a 35-10 victory on Sunday. Sam Darnold and the undefeated Minnesota Vikings continued their impressive start to the season with a 31-29 victory over NFC North rivals Green Bay Packers. Super Bowl champions Kansas City ground out their fourth straight win, a 17-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers. But the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first defeat of the season with a 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and their 39-year-old stand-in quarterback Joe Flacco.
The Bills headed to Baltimore with a 3-0 record and quarterback Josh Allen in top form but they were steamrollered by the Ravens’ powerful running game. Baltimore had lost their first two games of the campaign but they set the tone on their first snap when Henry raced away for a blistering 87-yard touchdown. Henry added his second touchdown at the start of the second on a short pass from Lamar Jackson for a five-yard score. Jackson then connected with Justice Hill on a 19-yard touchdown pass. The Bills opened the second half with a three-yard Ty Johnson rushing score but then Jackson ran in a nine-yard touchdown to make it 28-10. The Bills struggled on both sides of the ball and Henry set up a fourth-quarter touchdown, bursting into the end zone but losing the ball only for his teammate Patrick Ricard to recover the fumble for the score.
**- Darnold delivers -** Darnold, the revelation of the season so far, threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns at Lambeau Field as Minnesota moved to 4-0, their best start in eight years. The Vikings broke out to an early 14-0 lead thanks to Darnold finding Jordan Addison with a 29-yard touchdown pass and then Josh Oliver on a two-yard pass. Minnesota continued to dominate in the second quarter. Addison rushed in from seven yards, and Darnold found his favorite target, Justin Jefferson, with a 14-yard pass to make it 28-0. The Packers gave themselves a lifeline at the end of the half when Jayden Reed collected a 15-yard touchdown pass from Love.
The Packers came roaring back in the fourth quarter with Love throwing touchdowns to Dontayvion Wicks and Tucker Kraft to cut the lead to six points. A 33-yard Will Reichard field goal for the Vikings made it a two-score lead, and although Love found Wicks for another touchdown, the Vikings held on for the victory. “We believe in each other more than anyone else believes in us, we have a really good formula but we need to learn and grow,” said Darnold, reflecting on how Green Bay were let back into the game. Packers quarterback Jordan Love threw four touchdowns and put up 389 yards, but he was also intercepted three times as the Packers fell to 2-2.
**- Mahomes monster -** The Chiefs made a slow start in Los Angeles and trailed 10-0 until Patrick Mahomes threw a monster 54-yard pass to Xavier Worthy in the end zone just before half-time. A 37-yard Harrison Butker field goal tied the game in the third, and the Chiefs secured the win when Samaje Perine finished off a five-play, 60-yard drive with a two-yard rush up the middle. Flacco made yet another return to the NFL, coming on for injured Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson in the first quarter and throwing two touchdowns as the Colts handed divisional rivals the Steelers their first loss.
Comeback Player of the Year last season with Cleveland, Flacco made an impact when his four-yard pass to Josh Downs put the Colts 14-0 up. His 15-yard pass to Drew Ogletree at the start of the fourth gave the Colts a 24-10 lead before a two-yard rushing touchdown from Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. The Colts are Flacco’s third team in the AFC North after spells with Baltimore and Cleveland. Younghoe Koo’s 58-yard field goal with two seconds remaining earned the Atlanta Falcons a 26-24 win over NFC South rivals the New Orleans Saints.
© 2024 AFP
