NFL roundup: Rams zip past 49ers in final seconds
Sun Sep 22 10:21pm ET
Field Level Media
Joshua Karty hit a 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining and the Los Angeles Rams pulled off an improbable 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday by scoring 13 points in the final 6:15.
Matthew Stafford was 16-of-25 passing for 221 yards and a touchdown, while Kyren Williams ran for 89 yards and two scores on the ground, with one more receiving, as the Rams (1-2) ended a five-game home losing streak against the 49ers.
Niners quarterback Brock Purdy was 22-of-30 passing for 292 yards and connected on three touchdown passes with Jauan Jennings, who had 11 receptions for 175 yards. Jordan Mason rushed for 77 yards for San Francisco (1-2).
After getting a 33-yard field goal from Karty with just over six minutes left to pull within 24-17, the Rams then went on a three-play, 55-yard drive to score on a 3-yard run from Williams with 1:51 to play, tying the score at 24.
Los Angeles forced a San Francisco punt with under a minute to go, and rookie Xavier Smith returned the kick 38 yards to the 50-yard line. A 49ers pass interference penalty moved the ball to the San Francisco 19-yard line before Karty made the game-winner in his third NFL game.
Panthers 36, Raiders 22
Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes and sparked what had been a dismal Carolina offense for a victory against host Las Vegas.
Dalton, a 36-year-old veteran who became a journeyman after beginning his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, replaced 2023 No. 1 overall draft choice Bryce Young as the starting quarterback just three games into the season. Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards without an interception.
Chuba Hubbard ran for 114 yards on 21 carries and caught five passes for 55 yards and a score for the Panthers (1-2). Gardner Minshew completed 18 of 28 passes with an interception and a 13-yard TD pass to Jakobi Meyers in the fourth quarter for the Raiders (1-2).
Ravens 28, Cowboys 25
Derrick Henry rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries and Baltimore survived a late rally by Dallas to earn its first win of the season in Arlington, Texas.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin to pull Dallas within 28-25 with 2:53 remaining. However, the Cowboys were out of timeouts, and a 10-yard run by Lamar Jackson after the two-minute warning sealed the win for Baltimore (1-2).
Jackson threw for 182 yards with a touchdown and ran for 87 yards and a score. Prescott completed 28 of 51 passes for 379 yards with two touchdowns. Tight end Jake Ferguson hauled in six catches for 95 yards for the Cowboys (1-2).
Giants 21, Browns 15
Daniel Jones threw two touchdown passes to Malik Nabers as New York notched a solid victory over host Cleveland.
Jones was 24-of-34 passing for 236 yards and the two touchdowns to Nabers, who finished with eight receptions for 78 yards. Devin Singletary rushed for a touchdown and Dexter Lawrence had two of the Giants' eight sacks as New York (1-2) held Cleveland to 217 total yards.
Deshaun Watson completed 21 of 37 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns for the Browns (1-2). Amari Cooper caught seven passes for 86 yards and two TDs.
Colts 21, Bears 16
Jonathan Taylor ran for 110 yards and two touchdowns, Trey Sermon added a rushing TD and Jaylon Jones snagged two interceptions to boost host Indianapolis to a victory against Chicago.
Indianapolis (1-2) overcame a pair of Anthony Richardson interceptions, succeeding with its ground game while shoring up what had been a suspect run defense. The Colts had 150 rushing yards compared to 63 for the Bears (1-2).
Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, was 33-of-52 passing for a career-high 363 yards and his first two career TD passes to go along with two interceptions. Williams also lost a fumble on a strip-sack that set up Taylor's 1-yard scoring run with 5:22 left that put the Colts ahead 21-9.
Vikings 34, Texans 7
Sam Darnold threw four touchdown passes, Aaron Jones accounted for 148 scrimmage yards and a score and Minnesota rolled over Houston in Minneapolis.
Darnold completed 17 of 28 passes for 181 yards for Minnesota (3-0). Jones finished with 19 carries for 102 yards to go along with five catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.
C.J. Stroud hit on 20 of 31 passes for 215 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Houston (2-1). Cam Akers was limited to nine carries for 21 yards as the Texans struggled on the ground without injured starter Joe Mixon.
Eagles 15, Saints 12
Saquon Barkley rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner from 4 yards out with 1:01 remaining, as Philadelphia edged host New Orleans.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts passed for 311 yards and Dallas Goedert had 10 catches for 170 yards, including a 61-yard reception that set up the winning score. Barkley put Philadelphia ahead 7-3 with a 65-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles (2-1) stymied the Saints' high-scoring offense, which had averaged 45.5 points in its first two games. Derek Carr, who entered the game leading the NFL in passer rating (142.4), completed just 14 of 25 passes for 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception for New Orleans (2-1).
Steelers 20, Chargers 10
Justin Fields threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III to highlight a dominant second-half performance that lifted host Pittsburgh to a win over Los Angeles.
The Fields-Austin connection closed the scoring with 7:02 left in the game and added insult to injury for Los Angeles (2-1), which lost quarterback Justin Herbert to an apparent ankle issue and star linebacker Joey Bosa to an ailing hip.
Fields finished with 245 yards, the touchdown and an interception on 25-for-32 passing. He also rushed for a score. Austin had four catches for 95 yards for the Steelers (3-0). Herbert completed 12 of 18 passes for 125 yards and a TD before hobbling off the field with just under seven minutes left in the third quarter.
Broncos 26, Buccaneers 7
Quarterback Bo Nix completed 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards and rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown in his first NFL win, leading visiting Denver past Tampa Bay.
Tyler Badie ran for 70 yards and Courtland Sutton caught seven passes for 68 yards as the Broncos (1-2) held Tampa Bay scoreless in the second half. Wil Lutz made all four of his field-goal attempts for Denver, hitting from 43, 38, 33 and 43 yards out.
The Bucs' Baker Mayfield completed 25 of 33 passes for 163 yards and threw one touchdown and one interception. Bucky Irving led Tampa Bay (2-1) with 70 rushing yards, while Chris Godwin hauled in six passes for 53 yards and a score.
Packers 30, Titans 14
Malik Willis threw for a touchdown and ran for another as Green Bay never trailed in a win over Tennessee in Nashville.
Playing against the team that traded him last month for a seventh-round draft choice, Willis completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards and added 73 yards on the ground in the best game of his three-year NFL career. Green Bay (2-1) also got three field goals from kicker Brayden Narveson, who was in training camp with Tennessee.
Tennessee quarterback Will Levis completed 26 of 34 passes for 260 yards with two touchdowns. The second-year signal-caller absorbed eight sacks and tossed two interceptions as the Titans -- who rushed for only 33 yards -- fell to 0-3. The Packers dominated in total yardage, outgaining the Titans 378-237.
Seahawks 24, Dolphins 3
Zach Charbonnet rushed for a career-high 91 yards and two touchdowns and the defense did the rest as Seattle defeated visiting Miami.
DK Metcalf hauled in a 71-yard touchdown reception and Jason Myers kicked a 56-yard field goal for the Seahawks (3-0).
Seattle's defense limited the Dolphins (1-2) to 205 yards of total offense. Skylar Thompson, who started at quarterback for Miami after Tua Tagovailoa was placed on injured reserve because of a concussion, completed 13 of 19 passes for 107 yards and was sacked five times. Thompson left the game with 9:35 remaining in the third quarter with a chest injury.
Lions 20, Cardinals 13
Jared Goff passed for 199 yards and two touchdowns and Detroit topped Arizona in Glendale, Ariz.
Goff, who also threw one interception, completed 18 of 23 passes. David Montgomery rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for the Lions (2-1).
Kyler Murray passed for 207 yards and a touchdown with an interception for the Cardinals (1-2). Marvin Harrison Jr. caught five passes for 64 yards and a score.
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- YOUTUBE VIDEO: Bender's Starts/Sits: Week 3
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- NFL roundup: Rams zip past 49ers in final seconds
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- 49ers star TE George Kittle (hamstring) ruled out vs. Rams
- Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) out vs. Vikings
- Jets RT Morgan Moses out 2-4 weeks
- Jaguars coach: TE Evan Engram 'probably' out vs. Bills
- Raiders DE Malcolm Koonce (knee) out for season
- Steelers RT Troy Fautanu (knee) out Sunday, likely longer
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- 49ers star TE George Kittle (hamstring) could sit out vs. Rams
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The Paur Report
Bender's Starts/Sits: Week 3
Dynasty | Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet had 91 rushing yards, three catches, 16 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Seattle's win against Miami. Dynasty Analysis: The Seahawks have been blessed with the league's easiest schedule (Denver, Miami, Tua-less Miami), but that shouldn't take away from the progress we've seen with Charbonnet. If Kenneth Walker continues to miss time, he's an easy "set it and forget it" lineup option. At this point, it also wouldn't be shocking to see Seattle move to a bit of a committee moving forward with as well as he's played. Charbonnet remains a high-upside handcuff and maybe more as the season rolls on.
Dynasty | Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton completed 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Carolina's win over the RaIders. Dynasty Analysis: Oh boy. In just one start, Dalton had more yards, three more touchdowns and three fewer interceptions than Bryce Young had in his first two starts of the year combined. While Carolina may be excited to win this game, it also could have solidified the worst - the problem clearly was Young at the helm. With Dalton making this team more than competitive for at least one week, it's clear we won't see Young next week and may not for a while. Young's dynasty arrow is going to go down even further after this.
Dynasty | Raiders tight end Brock Bowers had three catches for 41 yards in the Raiders loss to Carolina. Dynasty Analysis: The Raiders offense was a bit of a mess today against the Panthers and Bowers couldn't shake himself through the ineptitude. It was a disappointing day for him but also what amounts to a blip on the radar in terms of his season. Bowers is a clear lineup lock at this point and while he may post some clunkers here and there, his upside seems real.
Dynasty | Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson had eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in Carolina's win against the Raiders. Dynasty Analysis: Andy Dalton ignited the Panthers offense and nobody benefited more than Johnson, who posted a whopping 14 targets on the day. It was a much-needed breakout for Johnson, who was nearly invisible the first two weeks of the season. While we need to see more from Dalton moving forward, Johnson will clearly be in the mix for lineups moving forward.
Dynasty | Raiders running back Zamir White had 34 rushing yards in the Raiders loss to the Panthers. Dynasty Analysis: At this point, White just simply doesn't look like an NFL or fantasy viable option at running back, despite a golden opportunity to start the year. His dynasty value is starting to sink as it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Raiders either bring in another veteran or start playing Alexander Mattison a little more. While the game script today didn't help White, we just haven't seen anything in three weeks to recommend White in fantasy lineups moving forward.
Dynasty | 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings had 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns in San Francisco's loss to the Rams. Dynasty Analysis: The 49ers can point a lot of fingers as to who to blame for this one, but Jennings clearly did his part. After a couple of solid outings to start the season (he had seven catches for 101 yards in the first two games), Jennings just went nuclear in this one. It's going to be tough to recommend him in lineups with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk still entrenched as the top two options. However, Jennings has real promise and has now solidified his spot on dynasty rosters permanently.
Dynasty | Rams running back Kyren Williams had 89 rushing yards, twol catches, 27 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a surprising win against the 49ers. Dynasty Analysis: Williams looked like the 2023 version of himself in this one, consistently churning out tough yards and finding his way into the end zone every chance he had. It's clear the Rams are going to use him as their workhorse with the likes of Ronnie Rivers and Blake Corum simply serving as emergency options moving forward. It's a big development in dynasty leagues as Williams again looks like a solid RB1.
Dynasty | Cardinals rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr had five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Lions. Dynasty Analysis: After a quiet week one, we've seen Harrison establish himself as one of the league's brightest young stars. In fact, Harrison and Malik Nabers look like the best pair of rookie wide receivers we've seen in a long, long time. With Kyler Murray looking his way early and often (Harrison has 19 targets in the past two games), he looks like a lineup staple from here on out.
Dynasty | Ravens running back Derrick Henry had 151 rushing yards, one catch, 23 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a win at Dallas. Dynasty Analysis: After some questionable usage over the first two weeks, Henry doubled his season yardage in this one, punishing the Cowboys in the process. While it's clear he's not going to be used much as a receiver, Henry still has weekly RB1 upside moving forward as the Ravens are starting to build their offense around his unique skill - punching people in the mouth. Henry will be a high-upside next week and remains a solid target for dynasty managers who are in "win now" mode.
Dynasty | Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott had six rushing yards, one catch and six receiving yards in a loss to the Ravens. Dynasty Analysis: Rico Dowdle had 11 touches, while Elliott had just four. The game script was flipped quickly on the Cowboys as the Ravens jumped out quickly in this one. Still, Elliott has been ineffective this year and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Dallas elevate Dalvin Cook from the practice squad to see if they can't give their running game a spark. Elliott doesn't belong in lineups at the moment and may not belong on rosters much longer, either.
Dynasty | Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell was held catchless in a win against the Bears. Dynasty Analysis: Mitchell has just two catches for 32 yards on the season as Anthony Richardson continues to struggle. This is a big-time buzzkill for a rookie many were hoping would break out early. While all hope is not lost (not even close), Mitchell is currently going to need to stay on dynasty benches for the foreseeable future. If you believe in Richardson, he could also be a decent buy-low at the moment.
Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb had a below-par day in the 28-25 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Lamb was targeted seven times, securing four catches for 67 yards. The 25-year-old lost a fumble deep into Baltimore territory in the first quarter, which ended up leading to a big Baltimore lead early on in the game. Lamb will look to put together a stronger fantasy performance on Thursday with a quick turnaround against the New York Giants.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys receiver KaVontae Turpin saw involvement in the passing game in Sunday's loss to Baltimore. Primarily a return man, the speedy TCU product caught all three of his targets for 51 yards and a touchdown. In an offense looking for a consistent third option in the passing game behind CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson, Turpin's performance was encouraging for Dallas. That being said, he remains firmly off of the fantasy radar until he sees more consistent usage.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was seldom used in the Week 3 loss. Given that his role is more of an early-down grinder type of back at this stage in his career, the game script was not favorable for Elliott today as Dallas was playing from behind all game. He rushed three times for six yards and caught a pass for six yards. Elliott and the Cowboys have a tight turnaround, as they will suit up on Thursday against the Giants.
From RotoBaller
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason returned to earth in a 27-24 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles on Sunday. He took 19 carries for 77 yards and caught both of his two targets for 11 yards receiving. As the stat line suggests, Mason wasn't bad in this one but failed to find the end zone for the first time this year, limiting his fantasy day. In the first two games of 2024, Mason completely dominated the running back touches but rookie Isaac Guerendo cut into his workload with five carries of his own for 19 yards against LA. It wasn't the RB1 performance that fantasy managers were looking for in Week 3 but Mason didn't look bad. There could come a time while Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) is out that Guerendo becomes even more involved, but it doesn't appear to be a worry just yet. Mason will resume his bell-cow role when the 49ers host the New England Patriots next Sunday.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson returned to the lineup on Sunday after a one-week absence. His impact was instantly felt, as he led the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in the loss to Baltimore. Ferguson was targeted 11 times, securing six catches for 95 yards. With how poor tight end play has been this season, Ferguson's outing was encouraging for fantasy managers. He should remain a top option at the position going into Thursday night's game with the New York Giants.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott strung together an impressive Week 3 fantasy performance in the 28-25 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Prescott struggled in the first half, but came alive in the second half. The veteran quarterback completed 28-of-51 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for seven yards and a touchdown on two carries. The outing was Prescott's best fantasy performance of the season through the first three weeks. Prescott and the Cowboys have a quick turnaround, as they will take on the New York Giants on Thursday night.
From RotoBaller
Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle saw the bulk of the backfield work in Week 3's loss to Baltimore. Dowdle rushed eight times for 32 yards, accounting for 62% of the team's rushing yards. He was targeted five times in the heavy-volume passing attack, catching three passes for 24 yards. Dowdle outplayed Ezekiel Elliott in the loss, although both backs will likely see similar usage moving forward. The Cowboys have a short week, as they take on the New York Giants on Thursday.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers went from one of the team's top fantasy finishers in Week 2 to one of their worst in the first win of the season. The game script went away from Flowers as he hauled in three of his four targets for 20 yards and took one carry for only three yards. The speedy wideout still hasn't seen many downfield targets, but his high target volume as well as the rushing attempts in each game keep him involved in the offense most of the time. Lamar Jackson and company didn't do much damage through the air with just 182 total passing yards compared to 274 yards on the ground. Flowers will look to bounce back against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, which will likely need a bigger offensive output to get the win.
From RotoBaller
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews continues to disappoint to start the season, but he has brought a new low to fantasy managers that stuck with him in Week 3. During the 28-25 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Andrews only received one target and put up goose eggs across the board. His counterpart, Isaiah Likely, only recorded one target as well which turned into one catch for four yards, so it wasn't much of a tight end game in this one. Andrews' best finish through three weeks was TE10 in half-PPR formats, and he now has six receptions for 65 yards on eight targets. At this rate, neither one of the Andrews nor Likely are every-week starters in shallower fantasy leagues until they show some consistency. Andrews will look to bounce back at home against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.
From RotoBaller
