BRONCOS 30, PATRIOTS 24 (OT)
DENVER — Tom Brady lost yet another one of his trusted targets and this time he also lost a game.
C.J. Anderson scored on a 48-yard run with 12:32 left in overtime, powering the Denver Broncos past the New England Patriots 30-24 on a snowy Sunday night.
Watching from the cozy indoors at field level was Peyton Manning as Brock Osweiler and the Broncos (9-2) overcame an early 14-0 deficit and handed the Patriots (10-1) their first loss since 2014.
Now, the Carolina Panthers (11-0) are the NFL’s only remaining unbeaten team.
Osweiler threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Bubba Caldwell with 1:09 left in regulation to put the Broncos up 24-21. But Brady, playing without injured star tight end Rob Gronkowski, needed just five plays to drive the Patriots 51 yards and into range for Stephen Gostowski’s 47-yard field goal that tied it at the end of regulation.
New England won the coin toss and elected to receive, but thanks to a sack by Von Miller, Denver forced a three-and-out and, on third-and-1 from the New England 48, Anderson raced around the left sideline and into the north end zone.
Gronkowski injured his right knee with 2:49 left in regulation and was carted off.
CARDINALS 19, 49ERS 13
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Carson Palmer ran for a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown with 2:28 left and tumbled after spiking the ball, and Arizona squeaked by San Francisco.
It was the Cardinals’ fifth straight win and first road victory in the series since September 2008.
Moments earlier, Palmer fell backward as he released the ball and completed a 34-yard pass to J.J. Nelson to put Arizona on the 1.
Chandler Catanzaro missed the extra-point try, and Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers (3-8) had one more chance with 2:21 left. Anquan Boldin caught an 18-yard pass on fourth-and-20 to clinch the win for Arizona.
David Johnson ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the third for the Cardinals (9-2), who have nine wins in their first 11 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
TEXANS 24, SAINTS 6
HOUSTON — Brian Hoyer threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns and the Texans held Drew Breese and New Orleans without a touchdown for the first time in 10 years in a win.
The Texans (6-5) have won four games in a row for the first time since winning six straight in 2012.
New Orleans (4-7) dropped its third straight on a day when the team didn’t score a touchdown and Brees’ streak of games with a touchdown pass was snapped at 45.
Hoyer went 7 for 7 on the opening drive, capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Griffin, to make it 7-0 and give Houston a score on the opening possession for the first time this season.
The last time the Saints didn’t score a touchdown was Dec. 24, 2005 against Detroit and Brees’ last game without a touchdown pass came on Nov. 29, 2012 against Atlanta.
BENGALS 31, RAMS 7
CINCINNATI — Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes — two of them to A.J. Green — and the Bengals ended their brief slide.
After dropping a pair of prime-time games, the Bengals (9-2) were back in sync against a team that struggles to score. The Bengals’ 31 points equaled the second-most against St. Louis this season.
The Rams (4-7) have dropped four in a row. Nick Foles returned as the starter and threw three interceptions, including one that Leon Hall returned 19 yards for a touchdown.
Dalton was 20 of 27 for 233 yards with touchdowns of 9 and 18 yards to Green. Tyler Eifert also had his NFL-leading 12th touchdown catch.
VIKINGS 20, FALCONS 10
ATLANTA — Adrian Peterson ran for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Matt Ryan threw two more interceptions for the Vikings.
Bouncing back from a 30-13 loss to Green Bay, Minnesota (8-3) jumped ahead on Peterson’s 1-yard run in the opening quarter, and clinched it when he got loose on a 35-yard scamper down the sideline with 4:15 remaining in the game.
Atlanta (6-5) has lost five of its past six, including four straight, and is in danger of becoming one of the few teams in NFL history to start 5-0 and miss the playoffs.
COLTS 25, BUCCANEERS 12
INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns and Adam Vinatieri made four more field goals for the Colts.
The Colts (6-5) won their third straight to remain tied atop the AFC South with Houston.
Tampa Bay rookie Jameis Winston threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked five times — four coming during a second half in which the Bucs (5-6) were shut out.
Indy took the lead for good on Hasselbeck’s 9-yard TD pass to T.Y. Hilton midway through the third quarter. It extended the margin to 19-12 on Vinatieri’s fourth field goal.
JETS 38, DOLPHINS 20
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Ryan Fitzpatrick threw four touchdown passes, two to Brandon Marshall, and the Jets gained some traction in the AFC wild-card race.
Fitzpatrick also connected with rookie Devin Smith and Eric Decker in New York’s fourth win in the last five meetings with Miami. The Jets (6-5) had lost four of their past five overall.
Miami (4-7) has dropped four of five and is 3-4 under interim coach Dan Campbell, who took over after Joe Philbin was fired following the Dolphins’ lopsided loss to the Jets in London.
REDSKINS 20, GIANTS 14
LANDOVER, Md. — Kirk Cousins threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and scored on a quarterback sneak, Washington intercepted Eli Manning three times, and the Redskins pulled into a tie for the NFC East lead.
The Redskins and Giants are both 5-6. The Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) and Dallas Cowboys (3-8) are the other members of the mediocre division.
It was the 20th three-interception game of Manning’s career.
Trailing 20-0, the Giants made it close when Manning threw fourth-quarter TD passes of 40 yards to Rueben Randle and 21 yards to Odell Beckham Jr., who made a fantastic diving catch, corralling the ball with his left hand while parallel to the ground.
RAIDERS 24, TITANS 21
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Derek Carr threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:21 left, and Oakland ended a three-game losing streak.
The Raiders (5-6) handed the Titans (2-9) their ninth loss in 10 games. Tennessee had taken a 21-17 lead and thought they had a game-saving play when safety Michael Griffin broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down. But officials flagged B.W. Webb for holding on the other side of the field.
Two plays later, Carr hit Roberts for the winning touchdown. Carr finished with 330 yards and three TDs in his sixth 300-yard passing game this season.
CHIEFS 30, BILLS 22
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Alex Smith threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns, Spencer Ware ran for 114 yards and a score, and the Chiefs won their fifth straight.
Jeremy Maclin had nine receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown, and Cairo Santos hit three field goals for the Chiefs (6-5).
Tyrod Taylor had 291 yards passing and three touchdowns for Buffalo (5-6), but he was mostly held in check in the second half. So was Sammie Watkins, who had all six catches for 158 yards and his two touchdowns over the first 30 minutes.
CHARGERS 31, JAGUARS 25
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Philip Rivers threw four touchdown passes, two to Antonio Gates, and the Chargers ended a six-game losing streak.
Rivers passed Joe Montana (273) and tied Vinny Testaverde (275) for 11th on the NFL’s TD pass list.
Rivers completed 29 of 43 passes for 300 yards. He was sacked twice and had his left ankle checked in the locker room at halftime. But his TD passes were enough against the Jaguars (4-7), who failed to recover an onside kick in the closing minutes. The Chargers are 3-8.
