Jared Goff leads Detroit against Chicago Bears; Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco also secure comfortable win
Jared Goff overcame a shaky start to lead the Detroit Lions to a dramatic victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Because the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers earned easy NFL wins. Lions quarterback Goff threw three interceptions to help the Bears take a 26-14 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at Ford Field in Detroit.
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But the NFC North-leading Lions fought back in the final minute, scoring 17 unanswered points to secure a 31-26 victory and improve to 8-2. “You have to do your best for the team when it counts,” Goff said. “I made some stupid mistakes in the beginning and had to find a way to overcome them. “Today was a success.” Lions coach Dan Campbell praised Goff’s mental toughness. Campbell said, “After the game he was two points down, which suggests a lot that he was at his best in a game where he wasn’t at his best.”
Goff sparked a rally with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams, cutting the deficit to 26-21 with 2:59 left. The Lions defense then forced a punt, and from there, Goff led Detroit down the field, allowing David Montgomery to rush in from 1 yard out to give the team a one-point lead.
A successful two-point conversion put the Lions ahead 29-26 with less than 30 seconds left for Chicago to score a tying field goal. But it was too much for them when Detroit cornerback Aidan Hutchinson sacked Bears quarterback Justin Fields, forcing a missed safety. Goff threw for 236 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Cowboys, 49ers roll on
The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers stayed in postseason contention with comfortable wins, while the Buffalo Bills snapped their second straight loss with a 32-6 win over the New York Jets. The Cowboys continued to trail the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, beating the Carolina Panthers 33-10 (1-9).
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott passed for two touchdowns and no picks with 189 yards as the Cowboys moved to 7-3 on the season. The Cowboys are tied for second place in the NFC East with Philadelphia at 8-1 going into Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brock Purdy was sacked four times but still managed to pass for three touchdowns and a total of 333 yards in the 49ers’ 27-14 victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday. The win puts San Francisco (7-3) one game ahead of second-place Seattle (5-6) in the NFC West after the Seahawks lost 17-16 to the visiting Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Seahawks placekicker Jason Myers’ 55-yard FG attempt with three seconds left in the fourth quarter cost the Seahawks a chance to take the lead as the Rams won for the first time since late October.
In Denver, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson hit Courtland Sutton for a 15-yard touchdown with 1:03 to play to lift the Broncos to a 21-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. In Buffalo, Josh Allen threw three touchdowns and finished with 275 yards to help the Bills to a blowout 32-6 win over the New York Jets, who used three different quarterbacks and saw starter Zach Wilson pulled after being sacked five times.
The Bills improved to 6-5 to remain in playoff contention from the AFC East. In Cleveland, the Browns shrugged off the absence of injured quarterback Deshaun Watson to claim a crucial 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to a Dustin Hopkins field goal from 34 yards with two seconds remaining.
The win allowed Cleveland to move one game clear of Pittsburgh. The Browns stand at 7-3, with the Steelers falling to 6-4. In Houston, rookie quarterback sensation C.J. Stroud had a mixed day but still did enough to help the Texans to a 21-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Stroud passed for two touchdowns and totaled 336 yards, but he was also picked off three times and was sacked three times in the win over the hapless Las Vegas Raiders.
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In Miami, the Dolphins squeaked out a 20-13 victory over the hapless Oakland Raiders, but they got a scare when star wide receiver Tyreek Hill exited the game in the second quarter with a hand injury. Hill, who just burned the defense for a scorching 38-yard score, later described the injury as “nothing serious.”
