Rodgers Delivers Late as Steelers, Commanders and Lions Survive Week 3 Sunday
Aaron Rodgers got the one play he needed Sunday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers made it stand up in a 30-27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rodgers finished 19 of 34 for 292 yards and three touchdowns. The decider was a 47-yard catch-and-run to Darnell Washington that set up Chris Boswell for a go-ahead 33-yard field goal with 2:18 left. Cincinnati had life after that, but Joe Burrow was sacked by Derrick Harmon and fumbled, and Sebastian Joseph-Day recovered to seal it. The Guardian
Washington pulled the surprise of the day in a 33-31 win over Seattle. Marcus Mariota started in place of injured Jayden Daniels and threw three touchdown passes for a team that entered 1-2 against a 2-1 opponent. The defense helped too, with Kain Medrano returning an interception 50 yards for a score. Seattle, last season's Super Bowl winner, got 10 catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns from Jaxon Smith-Njigba but came up a point short.
Detroit needed every bit of Jahmyr Gibbs to get past the New York Jets 31-24. Gibbs piled up 20 carries for 99 yards plus seven catches for 65 yards and scored three times. The winner came with 2:25 left on an 11-yard reception. The Lions moved to 2-1. The Jets fell to 1-2.
Buffalo won ugly and stayed perfect. The Bills turned it over five times and still beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 to move to 3-0 while the Chargers dropped to 0-3. Josh Allen scored twice on the ground, including a one-yard run with 7:35 left that gave Buffalo its first lead. James Cook closed it with a three-yard touchdown run. The Guardian
Jacksonville had no such stress in a 35-6 rout of New England. The Jaguars improved to 2-1 and won their sixth straight regular-season home game. Trevor Lawrence completed 19 of 29 passes for 182 yards with an interception and threw touchdown passes to Josh Cameron, Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington. Meyers had seven catches for 64 yards, and rookie Bhayshul Tuten added 73 rushing yards and a score.
It was a long day for Drake Maye. He went 14 of 25 for 199 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble against Jacksonville, leaving him with seven turnovers in three games to start the season. Mack Hollins led New England with six catches for 87 yards as the Patriots fell to 1-2.
Kansas City stayed unbeaten with a 24-10 win over Miami. Patrick Mahomes was sharp, completing 20 of 24 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He hit Kenneth Walker III from five yards out and Travis Kelce from 11 yards. Walker also ran for a score. Miami fell to 0-3 and lost De'Von Achane to a knee injury on the opening drive. The Guardian
What makes this stand out is how many different paths led to the same place. Pittsburgh won with a late bomb. Washington won with a backup. Buffalo won in spite of itself. For fans, this means the early standings already have some separation, with the Bills and Chiefs at 3-0 and the Chargers and Dolphins still looking for answers.
