Cowboys 22, Aries 10: Dropped passes killed a number of Dallas drives, leaving the result more respectable for Los Angeles. The Cowboys defense started the game with a scoop-and-score strip sack from Matthew Stafford and never let up the pressure. The Rams’ offensive line regularly unleashed the Dallas pass rushers, and their skillful players did little with the ball in their hands save for a superstar play Cooper Kupp on a 75-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. That’s a fourth straight win for Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
Eagles 20, Cardinals 17: Arizona took away the middle of the field and forced Philadelphia to victory by fast passing to the outside. The Eagles’ superior yards after the catch Threats eventually led the team to their fifth win of the season, but it was an impressive performance from an otherwise faltering Cardinals defense.
Giants 27, Packers 22: The Giants offense is held together with only sticks and duct tape, but coach Brian Daboll turns out to be a real handyman. After losing a string of receivers, Daboll turned to running back Saquon Barkley as the offensive engine. In addition to his typical rushing duties, Barkley took some wild snaps, including one he jumped wide for a 41-yard gain. He was also seen regularly in the passing game. The Packers offense did a good job for most of the game, but faced with a 7-point deficit a minute from time, they fell in a goal-to-go situation as Aaron Rodgers notched both his third and fourth deficit Passes swatted at the line of scrimmage.
Bills 38, Steelers 3: Josh Allen and the Bills’ receivers cooked up the Steelers’ defense. Gabe Davis, who had been bugged with an ankle injury, burned Pittsburgh for a 98-yard score on the opening drive and found the end zone again on a 62-yard catch in the second quarter to put the Bills 17-3 ahead. The Bills were up 31-3 at halftime and coasted the rest of the way. In his much-anticipated debut as a starting quarterback for the Steelers, Kenny Pickett threw 34 of 52 passes for 327 yards and received three sacks.
Patriots 29, Lions 0: Leave it to Bill Belichick to end the Lions’ short run as the league’s highest-scoring team. Detroit’s run game and play-action passing were effective in the first month of the season, but the Patriots’ defense kept the Lions at 101 rushing yards while terrorizing Jared Goff with strobes and funky coverage rotations. Patriots third-string quarterback Bailey Zappe had 188 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Chargers 30, Browns 28: The Browns offensively stormed to a 14-0 lead, but no lead is guaranteed against Justin Herbert. Herbert ripped apart a Cleveland high school that was a mess all season. The Browns had a chance to win the game, but kicker Cade York pushed a 54-yarder to the right, his second miss on Sunday.