Field goals, blowouts and last-second throws: NFL Sunday delivers five winners
The Vikings beat the Bears 9-3 on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, to move to 2-0 without finding the end zone once.
Minnesota won on field goals and defense. Carson Wentz completed 11 of 20 passes for 143 yards in his 100th career start, and Aaron Jones Sr. carried the running game with 105 rushing yards, according to The Guardian.
The bigger story in Chicago was the quarterback. Caleb Williams went down on a non-contact play with first-and-goal from the Vikings’ six-yard line and less than eight minutes left. He suffered a hamstring injury to his right leg and was carted from the sideline to the locker room in the fourth quarter.
Carolina had no such trouble scoring. The Panthers routed the Atlanta Falcons 34-3 behind Bryce Young, who threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores went to Darren Waller.
The defense piled on, too. Linebacker Devin Lloyd intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown, the kind of takeaway that flips a game in one snap.
New England followed a similar formula in a 20-3 win over Pittsburgh. Drake Maye finished 14 of 22 for 208 yards and an interception, but rookie TreVeyon Henderson provided the spark with a 39-yard touchdown run in his season debut.
Philadelphia needed every second in a 24-20 win over Tennessee. Jalen Hurts hit Darius Cooper for a three-yard touchdown with nine seconds left to steal it. Nine seconds. No timeouts to waste.
New Orleans closed the day with late-game nerve. Rookie Tyler Shough scored on a fourth-down sneak — a short power run by the quarterback — with 1:28 remaining to put the Saints ahead 24-17 over Baltimore. The go-ahead touchdown was upheld after review.
Lamar Jackson still had a chance. Safety Julian Blackmon ended it, intercepting Jackson’s deep throw with 13 seconds left to seal the win for New Orleans.
What makes this stand out is how different the paths looked. Minnesota and New England won with defense and patience. Carolina overwhelmed early. Philadelphia and New Orleans had to survive the final minute.
