Mayfield, Hurts Continue Winning Ways With Victories Over Saints, Commanders

Baker Mayfield threw three touchdown passes for Tampa Bay, completing 25 of 32 for 246 yards including TDs to Cade Otten, Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins as the Bucs (3-1) took over first place in the NFC South.

Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and Josh Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Philadelphia Eagles to a 34-31 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday for their second straight 4-0 start.

The wins give the former OU quarters a combined record of 7-1 just four games into the 2023 NFL season.

Elliott's 54-Yarder Lifts 4-0 Eagles Past Commanders 34-31 In OT

Josh Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Philadelphia Eagles to a 34-31 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday for their second straight 4-0 start.

Elliott also kicked field goals of 41, 47 and 36 yards before booming the winner that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

And kept the Eagles unbeaten.

Not before a little-late game drama put the Eagles on the brink of being upset at home by the Commanders (2-2) for the second straight season.

Image Provided By: Associated Press

Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 28-yard touchdown with 1:28 left in regulation for a 31-24 lead. Instead of killing the clock and trying for a winning field goal, the Eagles left enough time for Sam Howell to lead the Commanders down to Philadelphia’s 10-yard line.

Washington’s tying drive got a boost when Brown was flagged for taunting on the score. The Commanders started on the Eagles’ 36 and tied it when Howell hit Jahan Dotson as time expired.

Coach Ron Rivera went for the extra point and the tie on the road, a call that sent them knotted 31-all into OT.

The Commanders did nothing with the ball in OT. Hurts then converted a fourth-down sneak that pushed the Eagles to Washington’s 48-yard line and helped set up the winner.

Sparked by Brown’s nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns, the NFC champion Eagles are 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-1993. A year ago, the Eagles’ 8-0 start was spoiled by a home loss to Washington.

The Commanders tried it again and led 17-13 in the third and tied it 24-24 in the fourth.

Hurts came as close as he has all season to the type of dynamic games that punctuated last season’s run to the Super Bowl. He sure knew how to connect with Brown.

Hurts and Brown are well past a brief spat on the sidelines during the home opener and are instead hooking up for game-changing scores. Hurts hit Brown in stride and the speedy receiver cut across the field and scored a go-ahead 59-yard TD in the third. The Eagles converted the 2-point conversion for a 21-13 lead.

Brown wore bright green cleats a week ago for one series against Tampa Bay before he changed to the standard footware to avoid getting fined by the league. He bucked the fashion rules again and wore highlight pink cleats — Brown says the flashy colors make it easier for his young daughter to spot him on the field — and then had Philly’s biggest highlight of the game.

Image Provided By: Associated Press

After the Commanders rallied — Brian Robinson Jr.'s 15-yard score made it 24-all — the Eagles responded and Brown hauled in a score that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Howell was 29 of 41 for 290 yards.

A week after Howell threw four interceptions and was sacked nine times, he went 13 of 17 for 161 yards in the first half behind an offensive line that gave him plenty of time to throw and take a 17-10 lead into the break.

Yes, the Commanders used ball control — they had the ball for 17 minutes in the first half — to get a 1-yard TD run from Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin’s fumble recovery in the end zone for a 14-7 lead.

But the Eagles did their best to give away the game. They were penalized six times in the half and two were especially critical. On the game’s opening drive, linebacker Zach Cunningham was whistled for a holding penalty on third-and-11. Washington got new life and Samuel scored.

The Eagles also lined up in “ tush push ” formation at midfield on fourth down, only to have a likely first down thrown out on a holding penalty. The Eagles punted.

Swift, who entered second in the NFL in rushing, had a 5-yard score that made it 14-7. Washington’s Joey Slye and Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott each kicked field goals.

Elliott opened the second half with a 47-yarder that cut it to 17-13.

Mayfield's 3 TD Passes Lead Buccaneers Past Saints 26-9

Derek Carr’s surprise return from a shoulder injury did little to help New Orleans’ anemic offense as Mayfield threw three touchdown passes for Tampa Bay and the Buccaneers beat the Saints 26-9 on Sunday.

Starting one week after spraining his throwing shoulder at Green Bay, and after only limited work in practice the past week, Carr struggled to move New Orleans’ offense, which had accounted for just four touchdowns in the first three weeks and did not add that total in Week 4.

Carr finished 23 of 37 for 127 yards and was sacked three times in a second straight loss for the Saints (2-2), who were hoping for a boost from Alvin Kamara’s return from a three-game suspension.

Kamara touched the ball 24 times with 11 carries and 13 receptions, but finished with just 84 yards from scrimmage.

New Orleans took a 3-0 lead on its opening drive but didn’t score for the rest of half.

Mayfield, meanwhile, passed for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter.

Image Provided By: Associated Press

He bought time with his feet on third down before hitting Otten for a 4-yard score that made it 7-3.

Mayfield was intercepted just short of the goal line late in the half by Isaac Yiadom, but fullback Adam Prentice fumbled the ball right back to the Bucs. Mayfield then hit Palmer on a fade route to the right side to make it 14-3 at halftime.

Mayfield put the game away with his 5-yard pass to diving Thompkins with 3:44 left.



MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Early in the third quarter, Carr had top receiver Chris Olave open deep downfield twice on one drive. Carr underthrew him the first time. On the second, safety Antoine Winfield recovered in time to catch Olave from behind and make a diving break-up in the end zone.

Kamara helped carry the Saints inside the Tampa Bay 20 late in the third quarter — with four carries for 29 yards and two catches for 12 yards — but they settled for Grupe’s short field goal to make it 14-6.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL