NFL ROUNDUP: AARON RODGERS’ 4 TDS LEAD STEELERS PAST JETS
Chris Boswell kicked a career-long 60-yard field goal with 1:03 remaining for the seventh and final lead change as the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the New York Jets 34-32 in Sunday’s opener in East Rutherford, N.J.
The franchise-record boot made for a winning Steelers debut for Aaron Rodgers, who passed for 244 yards and four touchdowns while playing against his former teammates. Calvin Austin, Ben Skowronek, Jonnu Smith and Jaylen Warren caught the touchdown passes that pushed Rodgers’ career total to 507 — one behind Brett Favre for fourth on the NFL’s all-time list.
Justin Fields rushed for two touchdowns and passed for one in his Jets debut. Fields, who played for the Steelers last year, completed 16 of 22 passes for 218 yards and added 48 on the ground. His 1-yard bootleg gave the Jets a 32-31 edge with 7:01 to play.
Garrett Wilson caught seven passes for 95 yards and a touchdown, Braelon Allen rushed for a score and Breece Hall had 145 scrimmage yards (107 rushing, 38 receiving).
Buccaneers 23, Falcons 20
Baker Mayfield found rookie Emeka Egbuka for a go-ahead 25-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left to propel visiting Tampa Bay over Atlanta.
Mayfield completed 17 of 32 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns while Egbuka had four catches for 67 yards and two scores to lead the Buccaneers to a season-opening win.
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 298 yards and a touchdown and Bijan Robinson had 100 receiving yards and a score in the loss. The Falcons had a chance to force overtime, but Younghoe Koo’s 44-yard field-goal attempt drifted right with two seconds to go.
Bengals 17, Browns 16
Joe Burrow was held to 113 yards passing, but two key Joe Flacco interceptions helped Cincinnati hold on for its first season-opening win in four years, over host Cleveland.
Burrow was just 14 of 23 for 113 yards and a touchdown while Flacco finished 31-of-45 for 290 yards with one touchdown and the pair of interceptions in an AFC North clash that the Browns had chances to win.
Evan McPherson had what would be the game-winning points with a 35-yard field goal with 2:48 to play in the third quarter. The kick was set up by a Jordan Battle interception that the safety returned to the Cleveland 29. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
Raiders 20, Patriots 13
New quarterback Geno Smith threw for 362 yards, rookie running back Ashton Jeanty scored the go-ahead touchdown, and visiting Las Vegas gave new coach Pete Carroll a win in his first game, stopping New England.
Smith completed 24 of 34 passes with a touchdown and an interception. Jeanty had just 38 yards on 19 carries, but one of them was a 3-yard run with 9:39 left in the third quarter that put the Raiders ahead for good.
Drake Maye hit 30 of 46 attempts for 287 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but it wasn’t enough to give Mike Vrabel a win in his first game as New England’s coach. Wasted in the loss were 2 1/2 sacks from Harold Landry and 103 receiving yards from Kayshon Boutte.
Colts 33, Dolphins 8
Daniel Jones threw one touchdown pass and ran for two more in his team debut to lead host Indianapolis to a comfortable victory over Miami.
Jones completed 22 of 29 passes for 272 yards. Receiver Michael Pittman led all Colts receivers with six catches for 80 yards and rookie tight end Tyler Warren had a stellar debut with seven catches for 76 yards. Jonathan Taylor ran for 71 yards on 18 carries for a Colts team which ran 70 plays on offense as opposed to Miami’s 46.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was responsible for three giveaways, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble on a strip sack. Tagovailoa completed 14 of 23 passes for 114 yards and finished with a 51.7 passer rating.
Cardinals 20, Saints 13
Kyler Murray threw two touchdown passes and visiting Arizona beat New Orleans, spoiling Kellen Moore’s debut as an NFL head coach.
Murray threw for just 163 yards while completing 21 of 29, but his scoring passes to Marvin Harrison Jr. (1 yard) and James Conner (4 yards) made the difference for the Cardinals.
Spencer Rattler finished 27 of 46 for 214 yards with no touchdowns for the Saints. Alvin Kamara rushed for 45 yards and a score.
Commanders 21, Giants 6
Jayden Daniels passed for 233 yards, rushed for 68 more and threw for one touchdown as Washington opened its season with a win over visiting New York.
Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel caught seven passes for 77 yards and ran for a 19-yard touchdown in his Washington debut. Daniels completed 19 of 30 passes, and rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt had 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries as Washington ran for 220 yards.
In his first game for the Giants, Russell Wilson was 17 of 37 passing for 168 yards and led the Giants with 44 rushing yards. Malik Nabers had five catches for 71 yards.
Jaguars 26, Panthers 10
Jacksonville scored on four of its five first-half possessions to win head coach Liam Coen’s debut versus visiting Carolina.
Linebacker Foye Oluokun racked up 10 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble as the Jaguars kept the Panthers out of the end zone until 4:47 remained. Trevor Lawrence hit 19 of 31 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception while Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 143 yards.
The Panthers’ Bryce Young completed 18 of 35 for 154 yards and one score, but he tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble. Chuba Hubbard rushed for 57 yards and caught three passes for 32 yards and one score. First-round pick Tetairoa McMillan had five receptions for 68 yards.
49ers 17, Seahawks 13
Backup tight end Jake Tonges caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Brock Purdy with 1:34 remaining to help San Francisco rally to defeat host Seattle.
The Seahawks drove to San Francisco’s 9-yard line in the final minute before defensive end Nick Bosa pushed tackle Abraham Lucas into quarterback Sam Darnold, forcing a fumble. Bosa recovered the ball to clinch the victory. Darnold, making his first start for the Seahawks after being signed as a free agent in the offseason, was 16 of 23 for 150 yards.
Tonges, filling in for the injured George Kittle, made his first three career receptions on the deciding drive. On the last, Purdy scrambled and threw a jump ball into the back-right corner of the end zone, where Tonges took the ball away from cornerback Riq Woolen. Purdy, who signed a $265 million extension in the offseason, completed 26 of 35 passes for 277 yards with two TDs and two interceptions.
Packers 27, Lions 13
Jordan Love threw two touchdown passes and host Green Bay kept Detroit’s potent offense out of the end zone until the final minute Sunday in a season opener between teams expected to challenge for the NFC North title.
Love completed 16 of 22 passes for 188 yards, spreading the ball to 10 different receivers. His two first-half touchdowns paced the Packers to a 17-3 halftime lead. Green Bay star edge rusher Micah Parsons recorded his first sack late in the fourth quarter after being acquired in a blockbuster trade with Dallas in late August.
Lions QB Jared Goff completed 31 of 39 passes for 225 yards with one interception and a 13-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Isaac TeSlaa with 55 seconds left.
Rams 14, Texans 9
Matthew Stafford passed for 245 yards and a touchdown, and a stifling defensive performance propelled Los Angeles to a victory over visiting Houston.
Puka Nacua led the Rams offensively with 10 catches for 130 yards. Kyren Williams had 18 carries for 66 yards and a score on the ground. The Rams sacked Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud three times and forced two turnovers, one to seal the win with less than two minutes to play.
Stroud passed for 188 yards and was intercepted once as the Rams collectively kept top receiver Nico Collins (three receptions, 25 yards) in check. Running back Nick Chubb led the Texans with 13 carries for 60 yards.
Broncos 20, Titans 12
Bo Nix threw for a touchdown, J.K. Dobbins ran for a score and the Denver defense made life miserable for rookie quarterback Cam Ward in a season-opening win over visiting Tennessee.
The Broncos overcame four turnovers, including two picks and a fumble by Nix, thanks to 133 rushing yards from rookie RJ Harvey (70) and Dobbins (63), whose fourth-quarter score provided some insurance.
Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed only 12 of 28 passes for 112 yards while absorbing six sacks. All of the Titans’ scoring came on a quartet of field goals from Joey Slye.
SEVEN FROM SUNDAY – KICKOFF WEEKEND
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, September 7, the first week of the 2025 season.
- Three teams – Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Tampa Bay – recorded game-winning scores in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, the most on Kickoff Weekend since 2022 (five).
With two games remaining in Week 1, 10 games have been decided by one score or less (eight points) and 11 games were within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter.
Six teams that missed the postseason in 2024 won in Week 1: Arizona, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
- The Indianapolis Colts defeated Miami, 33-8, marking their first season-opening win since 2013. They scored on all seven of their offensive possessions, becoming the first team in at least 47 years (1978 season) to score on every offensive possession of a game.
Quarterback Daniel Jones totaled 298 yards (272 passing, 26 rushing) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) with no interceptions in the victory, while rookie tight end Tyler Warren recorded seven receptions for 76 yards in his NFL debut.
Jones is the first quarterback to record at least two rushing touchdowns, one touchdown pass and no interceptions in his first start with a team since Jones accomplished the feat in his first start with the Giants on Sept. 22, 2019.
Warren is the third tight end in NFL history with at least seven receptions in his first career game, joining Keith McKeller (nine receptions with Buffalo on Oct. 18, 1987) and Monty Stickles (eight with San Francisco on Sept. 25, 1960).
- In his Pittsburgh debut, quarterback Aaron Rodgers recorded four touchdown passes with no interceptions and a 136.7 passer rating, while kicker Chris Boswell kicked the game-winning 60-yard field with just over a minute remaining in the Steelers’ 34-32 victory over the Jets.
Rodgers has 28 career games with at least four touchdown passes and no interceptions, tied with Tom Brady for the most in NFL history.
Rodgers also has 35 games with at least four touchdown passes, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the third-most in NFL history. Only Tom Brady (39 games) and Drew Brees (37) have more.
Per Next Gen Stats, Rodgers completed eight of 10 play action passes for 71 yards and three touchdowns, tied for his most touchdowns on play action passes in a game since at least 2016. For more information on Next Gen Stats, check out NFL Pro, available within NFL+ Premium. With NFL+ Premium, get access to NFL Pro and track advanced analytics powered by Next Gen Stats and watch All-22 film. Available on desktop and mobile web, visit pro.nfl.com for more information.
Boswell is the tenth kicker all-time, and first since Tyler Bass on Nov. 3, 2024, with a game-winning field goal of 60-or-more yards in the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime.
- In his NFL debut, Tampa Bay rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka recorded four receptions for 67 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers’ 23-20 victory over Atlanta, including the game-winning 25-yard touchdown reception with 59 seconds remaining.
Egbuka is the second player since the 1970 merger to record a game-winning touchdown reception in the final minute of regulation or overtime in his first career game, joining Ernest Wilford (with Jacksonville on Sept. 12, 2004).
- Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Packers’ 27-13 victory over Detroit. Since Week 11 of the 2024 season, Jacobs has scored a rushing touchdown in 10 consecutive games, including the postseason.
He becomes the fourth player since 2000 to record a rushing touchdown in 10 consecutive games, including the postseason, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (12 straight games in 2004), Jonathan Taylor (11 in 2021) and Priest Holmes (11 in 2002).
- Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers recorded five receptions for 103 yards in the Raiders’ 20-13 victory over New England.
Bowers has 1,297 receiving yards in 18 career games and surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. (1,275 receiving yards) for the second-most by a tight end in his first 20 career games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (1,411 receiving yards) has more.
- Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford passed for 245 yards and a touchdown while wide receiver Puka Nacua had 10 receptions for 130 yards in the Rams’ 14-9 victory against Houston.
Stafford has 60,054 passing yards in 223 career games, tying Matt Ryan (223 games) as the second-fastest player to reach 60,000 career passing yards all-time. Only Drew Brees (215 games) reached the mark in fewer games. Stafford is the 10th player in NFL history to pass for 60,000 yards.
Nacua, playing in his 29th career game, recorded his fifth game with at least 10 receptions and 100 receiving yards, tied with Lionel Taylor (five games) for the most-ever by a player in his first 30 career games.
Nacua has 194 receptions, surpassing Michael Thomas (190) for the second-most ever by a player in his first 30 games, trailing only Odell Beckham Jr. (206).
Nacua has 2,606 receiving yards, surpassing Ja’Marr Chase (2,540) for the third-most by a player in his first 30 games in the Super Bowl era, trailing only Odell Beckham Jr. (3,035) and Justin Jefferson (2,735).
RAVENS QB LAMAR JACKSON RETALIATES AGAINST FAN FOR HELMET SLAP
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shoved a fan who had slapped him and teammate DeAndre Hopkins on their helmets while they celebrated the wide receiver’s third-quarter touchdown during the Buffalo Bills’ 41-40 victory on Sunday night in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Hopkins, Jackson and teammates were in the end zone and near the front row of Highmark Stadium when the fan, wearing a red Bills jersey, hit Hopkins and then Jackson on the top of their helmets.
Jackson used both hands to push the fan, who fell backward. The fan was ejected from the game, which was the season opener for both teams.
“I seen him slap D-Hop …. and then he slapped me,” Jackson, 28, said at the post-game press conference. “He’s talking, so I just forgot where I was for a little bit. You got to think in those situations, we got security out there, let security handle it. I let my emotion get the best of me. Hopefully, it won’t happen again. I’ll learn from that.”
Hopkins’ TD put the Ravens ahead 34-19 with 1:09 left in the third quarter, but they wasted a 40-25 fourth-quarter advantage and Buffalo kicker Matt Prater made a 32-yard field goal as time expired.
“I’ve never seen our fans do that,” Jackson said of the helmet slapping. “So, I’ll probably do it again when we score a touchdown. It’s not nothing against the fans. I’m just celebrating when my teammates get a touchdown.”
Jackson was 14-for-19 passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns, including the 20-yarder to Hopkins. Jackson had six carries for 70 yards, including a 10-yard TD.
A three-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl honoree, Jackson was the NFL MVP in 2019 and 2023.
