NFL Recap: Pats shock Bengals, open Jerod Mayo era

The New England Patriots avoided mistakes and controlled the ball to claim a 16-10 victory over the host Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, securing a victory for Jerod Mayo in his coaching debut.

Players doused Mayo with several gallons of blue Gatorade as the final seconds approached in the first game the Patriots (1-0) played under a coach not named Bill Belichick in more than two decades.

New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts and Keion White had 2.5 sacks, leading a stout defense that stalled Cincinnati’s offense. Joey Slye converted three field goals, including two in the second half.

Joe Burrow was held to 164 yards on 21-of-29 passing for the Bengals (0-1). Ja’Marr Chase had six catches on six targets for 62 yards.

Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed 15 of 24 passes for 121 yards. Brissett was moved to tears — before and after the game — and credited Mayo with being a master motivator.

Chargers 22, Raiders 10

JK Dobbins ran for 135 yards and a touchdown, Cameron Dicker scored three field goals and Los Angeles opened the Jim Harbaugh era with a victory over Las Vegas in a defensive showdown in Inglewood, Calif.

Justin Herbert was 17 of 26 passing for 144 yards for the Chargers (1-0), throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey with 3:40 left in McConkey’s first NFL game. After winning a national championship at Michigan last season, Harbaugh returned to the NFL after going 44-19-1 in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2011-14).

New Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew was 25-of-33 passing for 257 yards and a touchdown. New leading rusher Zamir White had 44 yards on 13 attempts, while rookie quarterback Brock Bowers had six receptions for 58 yards for Las Vegas (0-1).

Bears 24, Titans 17

Chicago scored 24 unanswered points, scoring touchdowns in the second half on special plays and defense, to beat visiting Tennessee in Bears quarterback Caleb Williams’ NFL debut.

Tyrique Stevenson gave the Bears (1-0) their first lead of the game with a 43-yard pick-6 with 7:35 left. Chicago scored its first TD with 9:07 left in the third quarter when Daniel Hardy blocked a Ryan Stonehouse punt and Jonathan Owens recovered the ball and ran 21 yards for a touchdown.

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, was 14 of 29 passing for 93 yards. The Titans’ Will Levis was 19 of 32 for 127 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Tony Pollard had 16 carries for 82 yards and a score for Tennessee (0-1) and Calvin Ridley contributed three catches for 50 yards.

Dolphins 20, Jaguars 17

Jason Sanders scored from 52 yards out in the final seconds to give Miami a victory over Jacksonville in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Miami (1-0) trailed 17-7 at halftime. After the Jaguars’ Travis Etienne fumbled the ball, Tua Tagovailoa connected with Tyreek Hill for an 80-yard score that brought the Dolphins to within 17-14 in the third quarter. Sanders later missed a 42-yard field goal but redeemed himself with a 37-yard score with 4:22 left.

Tagovailoa finished with 338 yards and a touchdown on 23-of-37 passing. Hill — who was stopped by police about a block from the stadium before the game for a traffic violation and cited for a misdemeanor — had seven catches for 130 yards. Trevor Lawrence completed 12-of-21 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars (0-1), who were outscored 400-267.

Bills 34, Cardinals 28

Josh Allen passed for two touchdowns and scored two more to help Buffalo rally from a 14-point deficit to beat Arizona in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Allen completed 18 of 23 passes for 232 yards and touchdowns to Mack Hollins and Khalil Shakir. Allen added 39 yards rushing on nine attempts, while Greg Rousseau had three sacks and a forced fumble. Allen had his left hand heavily bandaged after the game, but said he expects an X-ray to confirm he will not miss any games.

The Cardinals (0-1) led 17-3 late in the first half before the Bills (1-0) overtook them. Kyler Murray was 21 of 31 passing for 162 yards and a touchdown and had 57 yards on five carries for Arizona. DeeJay Dallas returned the kickoff for a touchdown.

Steelers 18, Falcons 10

Chris Boswell converted all six of his field goal attempts, including three from 50-plus yards, to help Pittsburgh beat Atlanta.

In his team debut, Justin Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards for Pittsburgh (1-0), adding 57 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Najee Harris ran for a team-high 70 yards, while George Pickens caught six balls for 85 yards as the Steelers improved to 16-2-1 all-time against Atlanta.

Also starting his first game with his new team, Kirk Cousins ​​was 16-of-26 for 155 yards, throwing for one touchdown and being intercepted twice for the Falcons (0-1). Bijan Robinson ran for 68 yards. In the defensive tackles, Pittsburgh totaled 270 yards to Atlanta’s 226.

Texans 29, Colts 27

Notable additions Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon scored touchdowns, and Houston opened the season with a Week 1 victory over Indianapolis.

Mixon rushed 30 times for 159 yards and a score in his Texans debut, while Diggs caught six passes for 33 yards and two touchdowns, including a 2-yard scoring pass from C.J. Stroud with 4:42 left that made it 29-20 for Houston. Stroud completed 24 of 32 passes for 234 yards, while wide receiver Nico Collins had six catches for 117 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson made three big plays to power the Colts’ offense. He was 9 of 19 for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Richardson also ran six times for 56 yards, including a 3-yard score with 2:14 left in the game before the Texans put the game away.

Saints 47, Panthers 10

Derek Carr threw three touchdown passes, the New Orleans defense forced three turnovers, and the host Saints routed Carolina in the season opener for both teams.

Carr completed 19 of 23 passes for 200 yards to lead an attack implemented by new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. Alvin Kamara finished with a touchdown and 83 yards on 15 carries and added five catches for 27 yards. Rashid Shaheed had three catches for 73 yards, including a 59-yard TD on the opening drive.

Bryce Young, a 2023 first-round draft pick, completed 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards with two interceptions in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales’ head coaching debut with the Panthers, who had the worst record in the NFL (2-15) last season.

Vikings 28, Giants 6

Sam Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and Minnesota pulled away to beat New York in East Rutherford, N.J.

Aaron Jones had 14 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown in his Minnesota debut after a seven-year stint with the Green Bay Packers. Justin Jefferson added four receptions for 59 yards and a score for the Vikings (1-0).

Daniel Jones completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards and two interceptions for New York (0-1). Giants first-round draft pick Malik Nabers caught five passes for 66 yards in his NFL debut. Jones finished with a passer rating of 44.3 compared to Darnold’s 113.2.

Seahawks 26, Broncos 20

Kenneth Walker III ran for 103 yards and scored a touchdown to help Seattle defeat visiting Denver.

Geno Smith passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Seahawks (1-0) won in Mike Macdonald’s head coaching debut. Smith was 18 of 25 for 171 yards and an interception.

Broncos rookie Bo Nix, a first-round pick out of Oregon, completed 26 of 42 passes for 138 yards and two interceptions. Nix scored on a 4-yard run with 2:09 left to pull the Broncos (0-1) to within six, but the Seahawks were able to wait out the clock.

Cowboys 33, Browns 17

Hours after signing the richest contract in NFL history, Dak Prescott threw for 179 yards and a touchdown as the visiting Dallas tight end overwhelmed Cleveland’s impotent offense.

Prescott, who agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract extension, completed 19 of 32 passes but didn’t have to do much else. Dallas (1-0) limited Cleveland to one first down to take a 20-3 lead at halftime and kept the hosts in check from then on. The Browns (0-1) managed just 230 yards on 70 plays for the game.

Deshaun Watson was virtually ineffective until the Cowboys built a 24-point lead in the third quarter, finishing the day with 24 successful passes on 45 attempts for 169 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Pirates 37, Commanders 20

Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes and Tampa Bay went unbeaten against Washington in Tampa, Florida, spoiling the Commanders debut for coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards. Mike Evans had two touchdowns and Chris Godwin had a game-high 83 yards with a touchdown. Jalen McMillan also caught a scoring pass for the Buccaneers (1-0).

Daniels, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner at LSU, was 17 of 24 for 184 yards and was sacked twice. He ran for a game-high 88 yards, including a pair of 1-yard touchdowns for Washington (0-1).