NFL ROUNDUP: COWBOYS’ LAST-MINUTE TD CAPS BIG 2ND HALF, UPENDS TEXANS
Javonte Williams ran for three touchdowns in the second half and CeeDee Lamb scored on his 17th reception of the game with 40 seconds remaining as the Dallas Cowboys collected a high-voltage 34-30 comeback victory over the host Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon.
Lamb posted a career-best 17 receptions and totaled 189 yards to help the Cowboys overcome a 10-point halftime deficit. Jason Witten (18 in 2012) is the only Dallas player to have more receptions in a game. Dak Prescott completed 32 of 45 passes for 335 yards and Williams had 62 yards on 19 carries for the Cowboys (2-2).
C.J. Stroud was 21-of-31 passing for 347 yards and two touchdowns for the Texans (0-4), who have lost their first four games for the first time since 2020. Nico Collins caught seven passes for 118 yards and two scores after a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury. Woody Marks rushed for a score.
Stroud guided the Texans on a nine-play, 87-yard drive to take a 30-27 lead with 2:23 left. The pivotal play was on third-and-14 from the Dallas 27-yard line. Stroud threw a short pass to Dalton Schultz at the 25. His lateral to David Montgomery was good for 19 more yards to the Cowboys’ 6. Marks scored on the next play. Prescott then drove Dallas 74 yards on 11 plays, eventually connecting with Lamb for the winning points.
Patriots 29, Bills 26
Drake Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, including a late, go-ahead TD pass to Efton Chism III, to lead New England over Buffalo in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Chism’s leaping, one-handed 23-yard TD catch plus Maye’s pass to Rhamondre Stevenson for the two-point conversion put the Patriots in front with 1:50 to play. Craig Woodson intercepted a Josh Allen pass at the New England 19-yard line on the ensuing possession, and the Patriots (2-2) were able to run out the clock and hand the Bills (3-1) their first loss in their new stadium.
Allen was 23-of-33 passing for 253 yards and one touchdown. Buffalo’s Keon Coleman caught six passes for 116 yards and a TD. James Cook rushed for 75 yards and a score.
Ravens 24, Titans 18
Lamar Jackson threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-20 passing but exited early in Baltimore’s home victory over Tennessee.
Jackson was sacked on the Ravens’ final play of the second quarter by Jermaine Johnson II, who landed on Jackson’s left ankle. Jackson was later seen on the sideline with his ankle wrapped. Tyler Huntley played the second half and completed 8 of 9 passes for 63 yards, but the Ravens (3-1) were held scoreless after taking a 24-7 lead to the half.
Cam Ward’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Wan’Dale Robinson and two-point conversion pass to Gunnar Helm pulled the Titans (0-4) within six with 1:12 left. But Malaki Starks recovered Tennessee’s ensuing onside kick with 1:10 left and Baltimore ran out the clock.
Rams 24, Eagles 20
Kyren Williams rushed for two late touchdowns to rally Los Angeles over Philadelphia on a soggy afternoon in Philadelphia. Williams scored from 1 yard out with 3:59 left and from 7 yards out with 1:10 remaining to lift the Rams.
Matthew Stafford overcame two first-half interceptions and finished with 317 yards on 32-of-51 passing for the Rams (2-2). Puka Nacua had a touchdown run to go with 125 yards on nine catches and Williams gained 147 yards (80 rushing, 67 receiving) from scrimmage. Byron Young sealed the win with two sacks on Philadelphia’s final drive.
Jalen Hurts threw two touchdowns to Darius Cooper and Philadelphia (2-2) built a 20-10 lead by halftime, but the offense largely struggled after losing Saquon Barkley to an early hamstring injury and finished 0-for-12 on third-down conversions with only 172 yards of offense. Hurts completed 12 of 27 passes for 93 yards.
Jaguars 22, Bengals 17
Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown to lead visiting Jacksonville past Cincinnati.
It was the first time Lawrence defeated Joe Burrow in four career meetings. Bhayshul Tuten ran 17 times for 73 yards while Chris Rodriguez Jr. added a 25-yard touchdown run for the Jaguars (3-1).
Burrow was 39-of-54 passing for 428 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Tee Higgins caught 11 passes for 157 yards while Chase Brown caught 11 passes for 71 yards for the Bengals (2-2), who played the second half without Ja’Marr Chase due to concussion symptoms.
Bears 23, Jets 12
Kyle Monangai rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns and Tyson Bagent passed for 268 yards to boost host Chicago to a victory against New York.
Chicago (3-1) limited New York (1-3) to 157 total yards as the Jets lost their third game in a row. The Bears rolled up 492 yards of offense while collecting 34 first downs to the Jets’ seven. Bagent finished 25-of-34 passing, Rome Odunze had six catches for 94 yards and Monangai finished with 30 carries.
Geno Smith connected with Isaiah Williams for a 58-yard touchdown pass for New York, which enjoyed a rare bright spot when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked off Bagent in the second quarter. That stopped a record drought of 21 games without an interception for the Jets, who snagged their first pick since Jan. 5, 2025.
Giants 36, Cardinals 24
Jameis Winston threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns as New York outlasted Arizona in East Rutherford, N.J.
The Giants (3-1) shrugged off a 14-3 deficit as Winston fired second-quarter touchdown passes to Malachi Fields and Malik Nabers (six catches, 112 yards). Winston’s 11-yard strike to Theo Johnson with 1:44 left in the third erased Arizona’s last lead.
Jacoby Brissett hit 21 of 35 passes for 166 yards, two yards and three interceptions. He drove the Cardinals (1-3) to the Giants’ 2-yard line in the final minute trailing 30-24, but Deonte Banks picked off a fourth-down pass and returned it 98 yards for a score on the game’s final play.
Colts 30, Commanders 13
Jonathan Taylor ran for two touchdowns, and the Colts pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the undermanned Commanders in London.
Taylor finished with 95 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, as Indianapolis (2-2) made the most of their 257 yards. Quarterback Daniel Jones shrugged off a pair of early turnovers to complete 19 of 34 passes for 143 yards and an interception.
Washington (1-3) played most of the day with rookie Athan Kaliakmanis at quarterback after starter Marcus Mariota suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter and wasn’t able to return. Kaliakmanis completed 15 of 33 passes for 186 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Packers 17, Buccaneers 14
Jordan Love threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns as Green Bay held on against Tampa Bay in Tampa, Fla.
Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft caught 2-yard touchdown passes from Love as the Packers (2-2) never trailed. Evan Williams and Edgerrin Cooper picked off passes and Trey Smack booted a 58-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 10-7 halftime lead.
For Tampa Bay (0-4), rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels hit 19 of 27 passes for 148 yards and rushed for 55 yards in his first start playing for the injured Baker Mayfield (thumb). Sean Tucker rushed for a touchdown and Kenneth Gainwell caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut the Packers’ lead to 17-14 with 14:49 to play.
49ers 24, Broncos 14
Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey scored 1-yard touchdowns, George Kittle took a screen pass 56 yards for a clinching score and San Francisco remained unbeaten with a victory over Denver in Santa Clara, Calif.
Eddy Pineiro contributed a 24-yard field goal and linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who played last season for the Broncos, led a strong San Francisco defensive effort with 12 tackles, helping the 49ers open the season with four consecutive wins for the second time in the past four years.
Bo Nix went 25-for-42 for 214 yards, connecting 10 times with RJ Harvey for 68 yards for the Broncos (2-2). J.K. Dobbins had 40 of Denver’s 82 rushing yards.
Seahawks 30, Chargers 23
Emanuel Wilson scored two touchdowns and Seattle held off a late rally to defeat visiting Los Angeles.
Wilson rushed 21 times for a game-high 81 yards and a touchdown and made three receptions for 39 yards and another score for the Seahawks (3-1), who held a 27-6 lead early in the third quarter. Sam Darnold was 13-of-22 passing for 168 yards and two scores for Seattle and Jaxon Smith-Njigba had five catches for 76 yards.
Justin Herbert completed 19 of 31 passes for 189 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Chargers (0-4), who committed four turnovers. The teams combined for 30 penalties, the most in an NFL game this season.
Vikings 15, Dolphins 10
T.J. Hockenson had a career-high-tying 13 receptions and gained 119 yards and Minnesota improved to 4-0 for the 11th time in franchise history with the win over Miami in Minneapolis.
Will Reichard matched his career best of five field goals and Kyler Murray completed 27 of 37 passes for 247 yards for the Vikings. Aaron Jones Sr. finished with 128 all-purpose yards (94 rushing, 34 receiving).
Ollie Gordon II had nine carries for 100 yards and a touchdown to lead Miami (0-4). Malik Willis completed 9 of 17 passes for 85 yards and lost a fumble.
Chiefs 30, Raiders 27
Patrick Mahomes, Kenneth Walker III and Kansas City planted their flag atop the AFC West with a 30-27 victory over host Las Vegas.
Walker III had 22 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Mahomes won his 99th regular-season game and threw two TD passes to wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who exited with a leg injury. Wideout Rashee Rice also left the game with a first-quarter injury. The Chiefs (4-0) enter their bye week as the last undefeated team in the AFC.
After Kansas City scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 19-second span, Kirk Cousins (365 passing yards, two TDs) led a touchdown drive for the Raiders to cut the deficit to 30-27 with 1:46 left. Las Vegas’ (3-1) would-be game-winning drive ended on his lone interception in the closing seconds.
Panthers 32, Lions 26
Carolina’s Bryce Young threw two touchdown passes to Tetairoa McMillan and the injury-riddled Panthers defense limited Detroit to two touchdowns in a win in Charlotte.
Chuba Hubbard racked up 122 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 carries for the Panthers (2-2). Young completed 29 of 41 passes for 329 yards. McMillan’s 14 receptions accounted for 192 yards.
Jared Goff was 32-for-52 passing for 412 yards and one touchdown for the Lions (2-2). Jameson Williams made six receptions for 102 yards. Jake Bates kicked field goals from 54, 43, 41 and 26 yards.
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SEVEN FROM SUNDAY
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played during the 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. ET windows on Sunday, October 4, the fourth week of the 2026 season.
With two games remaining in Week 4, 13 games were within one score in the fourth quarter, while 10 games were decided by one score (eight points or fewer), including five teams – Cleveland, Dallas, Kansas City, the Los Angeles Rams, and New England – that recorded the game-winning score in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter.
There have been 18 games this season to feature a game-winning score in the final four minutes of regulation or in overtime, tied with 2025 (18 games), 2022 (18) and 2021 (18) for the second-most such games through the first four weeks of a season. Only 1983 (19 games) has more.
There have been 37 instances this season of a team scoring at least 30 points in a game, the second-most such times through Week 4 in NFL history, behind only 2020 (52 times).
Three teams – Kansas City, Minnesota and San Francisco – advanced to 4-0 this season. With the Chiefs and Vikings, it marks the first time since 2013 that two teams that missed the playoffs the year prior began the season 4-0.
There have been 15 field goals made from 50-or-more yards in Week 4, tied for the fourth-most such field goals made in a single week in NFL history, trailing only Week 1 in 2024 (21), Week 4 in 2024 (19) and Week 2 in 2025 (17).
Dallas wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a career-high 17 receptions for 189 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 34-30 win at Houston.
Lamb is the fourth player in NFL history with at least 17 receptions, 185 receiving yards and a touchdown reception in a single game, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Tom Fears (Dec. 3, 1950 with the Los Angeles Rams) and Terrell Owens (Dec. 17, 2000 with San Francisco) as well as Brandon Marshall (Dec. 13, 2009 with Denver).
Kansas City running back Kenneth Walker rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 30-27 win over Las Vegas.
Walker, who has at least 175 scrimmage yards in three games this season, joins Billy Sims (1980 with Detroit) as the only players in NFL history with at least 175 scrimmage yards in three of his first four games with a franchise.
Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the Colts’ 30-13 win over Washington in London.
Taylor, who is 27 years old and has 19 games with multiple rushing touchdowns, tied Clinton Portis (19 games) for the fourth-most games with multiple rushing touchdowns by a player under the age of 28 in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (28 games), LaDainian Tomlinson (26) and Jim Brown (21) have more.
Taylor has 75 career rushing touchdowns and became the fifth running back under the age of 28 with 75 career rushing touchdowns in NFL history, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (108 rushing touchdowns), LaDainian Tomlinson (100) and Jim Brown (82) as well as Adrian Peterson (76).
Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson passed for 222 yards and two touchdowns for a 144.2 passer rating, while tight end Mark Andrews had a touchdown reception in the Ravens’ 24-18 win over Tennessee.
Jackson, who is 29 years old and has 43 career games with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher, tied Russell Wilson (43 games) for the fourth-most such games all-time by a player under the age of 30. Only Patrick Mahomes (52 games), Josh Allen (50) and Aaron Rodgers (45) have more.
Andrews recorded his 57th career touchdown reception, tying Travis Kelce (57 touchdown receptions) for the fourth-most touchdown receptions by a tight end in their first nine seasons in NFL history. Only Rob Gronkowski (79 touchdown receptions), Pro Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates (76) and Jimmy Graham (71) have more.
Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City.
Bowers has 2,076 career receiving yards in 31 career games, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. (31 games) as the second-fastest tight end to reach 2,000 career receiving yards in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka (30 games).
Bowers, who is 23 years old, has 192 career receptions, surpassing Jason Witten (188 receptions) for the most receptions by a tight end under the age of 24 in NFL history.
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 428 yards and a touchdown and had a rushing touchdown against Jacksonville, while wide receiver Tee Higgins had 11 receptions for 157 yards and running back Chase Brown had 11 receptions for 71 yards.
Burrow has eight career games with at least 400 passing yards since entering the NFL in 2020, surpassing Matthew Stafford (seven games) for the fourth-most such games by a player in his first seven seasons in NFL history, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (10 games), Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (10) and Dak Prescott (nine).
With Higgins and Brown, it marks the fourth time in NFL history that wide receiver and running back teammates each had at least 11 catches in the same game, joining the Los Angeles Chargers’ Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler (Sept. 27, 2020), Minnesota’s Moe Williams and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss (Nov. 9, 2003) and Tampa Bay’s Warrick Dunn and Keyshawn Johnson (Nov. 18, 2001).
Additional notes from Sunday include:
Arizona tight end Trey McBride had seven receptions for 31 yards against the New York Giants.
McBride has 380 receptions since entering the NFL in 2022, the second-most receptions by a tight end through their first 70 career games in NFL history, behind only Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow (391 receptions).
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