A Week of NFL Surprises: Panthers Beat Injury-Hit Eagles, Williams Shines on His Return
Upsets and comeback stories were the main attraction in this week's games in the US professional football league, the NFL. The Carolina Panthers beat the injury-ravaged Philadelphia Eagles, Caleb Williams returned from injury to lead the Chicago Bears to victory, and the Cleveland Browns surprised the Baltimore Ravens, who took the field without Lamar Jackson.
The hero of the Panthers' win was Bryce Young. He threw for 281 yards and two touchdown passes to Tommy Tremble. Chuba Hubbard ran for 120 yards and a score. The Panthers' current record is 3 wins and 2 losses. In the second half, the Eagles' defence was left nearly helpless in front of them.
The main reason for the Eagles' misery was the absence of key players. They had to play without quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley. Hurts is on injured reserve with a blood clot problem in his leg muscle; he will be out of the field for at least four games. Tanner McKee, who started in his place, completed 26 of 45 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles' record is now 2 wins and 4 losses.
In Chicago there was a comeback story. Caleb Williams, returning from a hamstring injury, successfully completed his first 12 passes of the game. With D'Andre Swift's two rushing touchdowns, the Bears (4-2) beat the Atlanta Falcons (2-4). The Bears, who at one stage led 31-7, held off the Falcons' comeback attempt in the final quarter.
There was brilliance on return in the Bears' defence too. Cornerback Kyler Gordon, back from a leg muscle injury, made three sacks and two forced fumbles. With 2 minutes 54 seconds left in the game and the Bears leading 31-23, sacking Michael Penix Jr. and forcing a fumble was the best moment of his day.
Another big upset came in Cleveland. The Browns beat the Ravens with Andre Szmyt's 37-yard field goal in the final moments. That field goal opportunity was created by Deshaun Watson's 33-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy. This win is special for the Browns' first-year coach Todd Monken — for the previous three seasons he was the Ravens' offensive coordinator.
The Ravens suffered from the absence of star quarterback Lamar Jackson. As he could not play due to an ankle injury, Tyler Huntley handled the responsibility for the second straight week. Baltimore scored on its first two drives but could do little after that. Both teams' records are now 4 wins and 2 losses.
The New England Patriots extended their winning streak to three straight games. Drake Maye threw three touchdown passes; completing 18 of 32 passes, he collected 235 yards. Romeo Doubs, Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry caught touchdowns; Douglas alone caught seven passes for 86 yards.
For the New York Jets (2-4), Geno Smith completed 20 of 30 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted for the first time this season. Jason Sanders' four field goals kept the Jets in the fight; with 32 seconds left, his 36-yard field goal made the margin 26-19. But the Patriots (4-2) recovered the onside kick, ending the Jets' last hope. The Jets' Jamien Sherwood made a game-high 11 tackles.
A thrilling comeback was seen in Pittsburgh. The Steelers (4-2), trailing 16-3 in the fourth quarter, scored 16 straight points to take the game into overtime. Aaron Rodgers threw touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Chris Boswell made four field goals. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) had tied it 19-19 with Chase McLaughlin's 53-yard field goal with just three seconds left; but in overtime, Rodgers' 12-play, 70-yard drive ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Bernard, with 3 minutes 15 seconds left in the game.
On the slippery grass of London's Wembley Stadium, the Houston Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ka'imi Fairbairn's 49-yard field goal at the moment time expired brought the win; C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes. Before that, with less than two minutes left, Cam Little's 60-yard field goal had tied it 31-31 for the Jaguars. Travis Hunter, with both a touchdown catch and an interception in the same game, became only the fifth player in the Super Bowl era to achieve this feat. With this win, the Texans (2-4), now with two straight wins, narrowed the gap with the AFC South-leading Jaguars (4-2); Marvin Harrison Jr. made his debut for the Texans in this very game.
The New Orleans Saints (2-4) scored 34 straight points to beat the New York Giants (3-2-1) and end a three-game losing streak. Tyler Shough threw three touchdown passes and also scored one himself by running. On the other hand, the Tennessee Titans got their first win of the season — beating the Indianapolis Colts. For the Titans (1-5), who trailed by 13 points at halftime, Joey Slye made a 49-yard game-winning field goal with 2 minutes 3 seconds left in the game; coach Robert Saleh got his first win with the team. All in all, this week gave NFL fans upsets, comebacks and last-minute drama — everything.
