Jonathan Taylor ran for a first-quarter touchdown and Mac Jones threw a crucial interception in the fourth quarter and the Indianapolis Colts held on for a 10-6 win over New England Patriots in Germany on Sunday.
The NFL’s 50th regular-season game outside the United States, and last of this season, was dominated by defense and Taylor’s first-quarter touchdown was the only one of the game.
Jones was sacked five times in the first half and was benched for backup Bailey Zappe late in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 10-6 late in the fourth quarter, Jones drove the Patriots inside the red zone but was intercepted by Julian Blackmon on a pass intended for tight end Mike Gesicki at the one-yard line.
Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew threw a 28-yard pass to Josh Downs for a first down that forced the Patriots to start using their timeouts. Minshew was 18 for 28 for 194 yards and Taylor had 69 yards on 23 carries. Michael Pittman had eight receptions for 84 yards.
After the Colts punted, Zappe replaced Jones with 1:52 remaining in the game. After converting on a fourth down, Zappe attempted a fake spike, but threw into triple coverage and was picked off by Rodney Thomas to seal the game.
Jones was 15 for 20 for 170 yards and his league-leading 10th interception. Zappe, who replaced Jones for the third time this season, was 3 for 7 for 25 yards on the final drive. Rhamondre Stevenson had 20 carries for 88 yards and Ezekiel Elliott added 13 carries for 54 yards.
The Patriots dropped to 2-8 on the season, matching the worst record since Bill Belichick’s first year as coach in 2000 and the Colts improved to 5-5. The Patriots have not won a game outside of the AFC East this season.
Houston Texans 30-27 Cincinnati Bengals
CJ Stroud directed a last-minute, game-winning drive for the second straight week, finishing with 356 yards passing and leading the Houston Texans to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. With the game tied at 27-all and 1:33 remaining, Stroud moved the Texans 55 yards in six plays to set up a 38-yard field goal by Matt Ammendola as time expired. Noah Brown had 172 yards receiving for the Texans and Devin Singletary ran for 150 yards and a score. Joe Burrow threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns for the Bengals but was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland Browns 33–31 Baltimore Ravens
Dustin Hopkins kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired to cap a furious Cleveland rally in the fourth quarter, and the Browns edged the Baltimore Ravens 33-31. Cleveland trailed 31-17 before Deshaun Watson delivered the type of victory the Browns have been waiting for from their high-priced quarterback. Watson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Moore with 8:57 remaining. Then one of Lamar Jackson’s passes caromed high into the air and was picked off by Greg Newsome II, and he returned the interception 34 yards for a TD just 41 seconds later. Still down one because of a missed extra point, Cleveland drove 58 yards for the winning kick.
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San Francisco 49ers 34–3 Jacksonville Jaguars
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes, including a 66-yarder to George Kittle, and the San Francisco 49ers seemingly fixed their recent woes with a cross-country trip and a drubbing of Jacksonville that ended a three-game skid. Deebo Samuel returned from a three-game absence and added a 23-yard scoring run for the 49ers, who stopped Jacksonville’s five-game winning streak and reestablished themselves as a Super Bowl contender following a bye week. San Francisco dominated both lines of scrimmage and controlled the game from the opening drive. The Niners ran for 147 yards against one of the league’s top run defenses and sacked Trevor Lawrence five times.
New Orleans Saints 19–27 Minnesota Vikings
Joshua Dobbs threw for a career-high 268 yards and contributed two touchdowns in his first start for Minnesota as the Vikings held on to beat the New Orleans Saints for their fifth straight victory. The Vikings built a 24-point halftime lead and improved to 6-4. TJ Hockenson outgained the Saints by himself in the first half with 10 catches for 128 yards and a score. Mekhi Blackmon and Byron Murphy had fourth-quarter interceptions of downfield heaves by Jameis Winston that ended consecutive Saints possessions. Winston replaced the injured Derek Carr in the third quarter. The Saints are 5-5.
Green Bay Packers 19–23 Pittsburgh Steelers
Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris combined for 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers improved to 6-3 with the win heading into a pivotal stretch that includes road games at AFC North rivals Cleveland and Cincinnati. Jordan Love threw for 289 yards and two scores for the Packers but also had two passes picked off in the final four minutes. Green Bay dropped to 3-6 with the loss.
Tennessee Titans 6-20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stop a four-game losing streak with a victory over the Tennessee Titans. Rachaad White turned a first-quarter screen pass into a 43-yard TD. Mike Evans redeemed himself from dropping a pass in the end zone with a 22-yard scoring catch. Evans finished with six receptions for 143 yards for the Bucs. Rookie Titans quarterback Will Levis was sacked four times and intercepted once while failing to get the Titans into the end zone.