If the third time is the charm, 13 is the number no one wants (except bakers, apparently) and seven is supposed to be lucky, then what’s eight?
It was a pretty sweet number for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
The Eagles’ defense, playing in front of a rowdy Baltimore crowd, held Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to 79 rushing yards and 237 passing yards with a pair of touchdown passes, and Philadelphia got a bit of a break in that the bad luck continued for Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, who missed an extra point and pair of field goals to allow the Eagles to escape on Sunday afternoon, 24-19.
The Eagles moved to 10-2 on the season overall, lead the NFC East, and dropped Baltimore to 8-5, and a game and a half out of the AFC North lead (behind Pittsburgh).
It didn’t look like it would turn out that way, early-on. Jackson hit tight end Mark Andrews for a score, a 14-yard throw, to give Baltimore a 9-0 first-quarter lead. That was Andrews’ 47th career score.
But that’s when Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts kicked the door in. He found Dallas Goedert for a 17-yard score, then pushed it in on a 1-yard run. The Eagles led 14-12.
Tucker did hit a 50-yard field goal in the first half, but missed from 47 and 53.
Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia’s running back who looks to be a serious candidate for the league’s most valuable player award, gave the Eagles a 21-12 lead with just under eight minutes left in the game on a 25-yard touchdown. Barkley finished with 107 rushing yards and the score.
The final score of the game was a 3-yard pass from Jackson to Isaiah Likely, with just three seconds left.
Up next for both: The Ravens take this coming week off, and then visit the New York Giants on Dec. 15. The Eagles host Carolina on Sunday, a noon Central-time kickoff on FOX.
Buffalo 35, San Francisco 10: In a snowy “Sunday Night Football” game on NBC, and the 49ers looking like a M*A*S*H unit with multiple starters out, Bills quarterback Josh Allen pulled off something only four players in NFL history have ever done: he scored on a play where he threw the ball initially.
Allen threw the ball to Amari Cooper, who made a one-handed grab. Cooper was about to be tackled when he threw the ball back to Allen, who got free and past 49ers defenders, and dove into the end zone.
The 49ers were without left tackle Trent Williams and defensive end Nick Bosa, were already without receiver Brandon Aiyuk, lost with a knee injury weeks ago, and lost Christian McCaffrey about mid-way through the first half to a knee injury that’s likely to sideline McCaffrey for the rest of the regular season. In addition, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, lost in the Super Bowl to a knee injury, has also still not returned.
The 49ers opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal by Jake Moody (also recently returned from injury), but after that, it was all Buffalo.
The snow appeared to give both teams problems, but still, Allen finished 13-of-17 for 148 yards, two passing touchdowns and the touchdown he scored from Cooper. The Bills moved to 10-2 on the season and are very much in the lead in the AFC East Division all by themselves.
San Francisco dropped to 5-7 on the year. They’ll host Chicago on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. Central on FOX; Buffalo visits the L.A. Rams, also at 3:25 Sunday on FOX.
Seattle 26, New York Jets 21: The NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks visited MetLife Stadium and left with a big win, getting an 8-yard touchdown run by Zach Charbonnet with 5 ½ minutes left that turned out to be the game-winner.
Seattle’s win, combined with a loss by Arizona in Minnesota on Sunday, allows the Seahawks (7-5) the West lead all by themselves.
Leonard Williams tormented Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on and off throughout the day one day prior to Rodgers’ 41st birthday on Monday. Williams, a defensive lineman, also had a 92-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Jets (3-9) visit Miami next Sunday, a noon Central CBS kickoff, and Seattle plays at Arizona, 3:05 p.m. and also on CBS.
Minnesota 23, Arizona 22: Speaking of the Cardinals, they did everything but win in Minneapolis on Sunday, sacking Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold five times and playing shut-out football – for a half and a quarter. Darnold found Johnny Mundt with 1:17 left in the third for the Vikings’ first touchdown of the game.
Darnold’s second TD pass was to Aaron Jones, with 1:13 left in the game, and Darnold finished 21-of-31 for 235 yards and the two scores.
The Vikings (10-2) stay within a game of NFC North-leading Detroit (11-1) with the win and will host Atlanta on Sunday at noon on FOX. Arizona, as just mentioned, hosts Seattle.
L.A. Chargers 17, Atlanta 13: Justin Herbert was sacked five times, as well, by the Atlanta defense, but the Chargers were able to get a win, thanks in part to Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins’ four interceptions – one of them, by rookie Tarheeb Still, went back 61 yards for a Chargers’ touchdown.
Atlanta still leads the NFC South, but the Falcons have lost three straight. They’re 6-6 headed to Minnesota next week. The Chargers (8-4) are second to Kansas City in the AFC West, and they’re at Kansas City on Sunday night, 7:20 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.
Houston 23, Jacksonville 20: In Jacksonville, quarterback Trevor Lawrence was cheap-shotted by linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair while scrambling – Lawrence slid, but was clotheslined on his way down by Al-Shaair, who was ejected, and bickered with Jaguars’ fans as he was being taken out.
That aside, the Texans (8-5), leaders in the AFC South, got 101 yards and a touchdown run by Joe Mixon and an eight-catch day from Nico Collins, for 119 yards in the win.
Jacksonville (2-10) plays at Tennessee on Sunday at noon on CBS; Houston has an open date.
Washington 42, Tennessee 19: Speaking of Tennessee, the Titans didn’t put up much of a fight against rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Commanders.
Daniels threw three touchdown passes, two of them to Terry McLaurin, and also ran for a touchdown in a big, big win for the Commanders, who had lost three straight.
The Titans fall to 3-9 overall ahead of their next game, against Jacksonville, and the Commanders are now 8-5, a couple of games behind the Eagles in the NFC East. Washington is off this week.
Indianapolis 25, New England 24: The Colts’ franchise has been waiting for second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson to live up to his potential since drafting him out of Florida in 2023.
Richardson, oft-injured, was on Sunday, a 3-yard touchdown to Alec Pierce with 12 seconds left, then ran for the two-point conversion. The Patriots still almost got in front at the end: Joey Slye’s 68-yard field goal attempt was wide as time ran out.
Richardson went 12-of-24 for 109 yards, the two scores, and also threw two interceptions.
Indianapolis, now 6-7, and New England, 3-10, are both off this week.
L.A. Rams 21, New Orleans 14: The Rams are trying to keep pace in a jumbled NFC West, and remained in it with a win at the Superdome in New Orleans.
L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford, a No. 1 pick in the draft and longtime Detroit Lion, threw for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Rams (6-6) also got 104 yards and a touchdown from Kyren Williams.
The Saints had a chance to at least tie it up late, but Jared Verse batted down a pass by Saints’ quarterback Derek Carr on a fourth-and-3 at the Rams’ 10.
As mentioned, the Rams host Buffalo on Sunday; the Saints (4-8) will visit the New York Giants at noon on FOX.
Tampa Bay 26, Carolina 23, OT: The Buccaneers edged Carolina on a 30-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin in overtime, and tied the Atlanta Falcons atop the NFC South.
Tampa scored four times in the fourth quarter, and got a big day from Bucky Irving, who ran for 152 yards and a score. Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield went 21-of-33 for 235 yards, a touchdown pass and two interceptions.
Atlanta losing to the Chargers helped Tampa, of course.
The Bucs (6-6) host the Las Vegas Raiders at noon Sunday on CBS; Carolina visits Philadelphia at noon on FOX.
