Unbeaten Vikings keep Dolphins winless
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Minnesota Vikings stayed undefeated with more dominance by their defense and five field goals from Will Reichard, sidestepping their early passing game problems to secure a 15-10 victory over the winless Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
T.J. Hockenson had a career-high-tying 13 receptions for 119 yards on 13 targets from Kyler Murray, including the game-sealing 8-yard catch on third-and-5 from the 10. Hockenson was wide open and could’ve coasted into the end zone, but he wisely slid in front of the goal line to drain the clock down to the two-minute warning.
With the Dolphins out of timeouts, the Vikings had Murray take three straight kneel-downs to move to 4-0 for the second time in three years.
The Dolphins, who are 0-4 for the first time since 2019 in their first season under coach Brian Flores, were crushed by a combination of unforced mistakes and a bit of bad luck.
New Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis went just 9 for 17 for 85 yards, losing a fumble during one of the two sacks by Dallas Turner. Willis thought he had escaped the relentless Vikings pass rush to float a 68-yard touchdown pass to Chris Bell early in the second quarter, but Bell was flagged for illegal touching after stepping out of bounds as he moved to get open while Willis scrambled toward the sideline.
The Vikings had 11 penalties for 85 yards, but they dodged a costly flag when Ivan Pace Jr. had a call for roughing the kicker waved off when the video replay assist system determined he tipped Bradley Pinion’s punt and therefore didn’t commit a penalty.
After netting just 76 yards on 21 plays in the first half and failing to finish any possession across midfield, the Dolphins finally found a couple of creases in Minnesota’s otherwise-suffocating defense directed by Flores, who’s in his fourth year as coordinator.
Ollie Gordon, in an elevated role following the season-ending knee injury to star running back De’Vone Achane, ripped off a career-long 53-yard run on third-and-5 to set up Riley Patterson’s 27-yard field goal. Gordon had a 12-yard touchdown run on the next drive to pull the Dolphins within 12-10 late in the third quarter.
Reichard, who stretched the NFL ‘s longest active streak to 31 consecutive made field goals, drew a loud roar from the otherwise restless crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium when he was shown on the videoboard during the two-minute warning.
Murray finished 27 for 37 for 247 yards without a turnover, but he took four sacks for 34 yards against a Dolphins defense that had none in the first three games and was often tentative and unsteady in the pocket until Hockenson helped him open up the field with a handful of clutch and difficult catches.
Aaron Jones also carried another heavy load with 20 carries for 94 yards and four receptions for 34 yards, with the Vikings missing star wide receiver Justin Jefferson (ankle) for the first time since Week 12 of the 2023 season and running back Jordan Mason (thumb) for the third game in a row.
Kansas City 30,
Las Vegas 27
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Patrick Mahomes remained undefeated at Allegiant Stadium, passing for 225 yards and two touchdowns, and Kenneth Walker III rushed for 177 yards and two TDs to lead the Chiefs to a 30-27 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Walker’s 2-yard touchdown run with 3:21 left put the Chiefs ahead for good at 23-19. It was set up by Tyquan Thornton’s 55-yard reception on the previous play. Thornton suffered a serious injury on the catch and was carted off the field. Kirk Cousins passed for 365 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders, who fell to 3-1. The Chiefs are 4-0.
Baltimore 24
Tennessee 18
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has a sprained left ankle. The two-time MVP was hurt when he was sacked at the end of the first half of Sunday’s 24-18 win over the Tennessee Titans.
Immediately after Jackson was hurt, Ravens kicked a field goal on the final play of the first half to go ahead 24-7. Baltimore didn’t score in the second half with Tyler Huntley at quarterback. Jackson did not speak to reporters after the game.
Coach Jesse Minter says it’s too early to tell whether Jackson will be healthy enough to play next Sunday night at Atlanta.
New England 29,
Buffalo 26
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- In hindsight, Josh Allen knows he and the Buffalo Bills would have been better off if he threw the ball away. Instead, the quarterback was lamenting getting too greedy in forcing a pass into double coverage that was intercepted by New England’s Craig Woodson to seal Buffalo’s 29-26 loss.
The interception came with a little more than a minute left and Buffalo already within 20 yards of being in field-goal range. The interception was one of two turnovers committed by the Bills, which included Khalil Shakir losing a fumble.
Buffalo dropped to 3-1 in losing its first game at its new Highmark Stadium, and first loss under rookie coach Joe Brady.
San Francisco 24,
Denver 14
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and Christian McCaffrey ran for a score to lead the undefeated San Francisco 49ers to a 24-14 victory over the Denver Broncos. Both offenses struggled to generate offense on a hot day in the Bay Area but the 49ers took advantage of a fumbled punt return by Marvin Mims Jr. to set up a short touchdown drive in the third quarter that gave them the lead for good.
Dallas 34,
Houston 30
HOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Texans entered the season with Super Bowl hopes.
Four games in, they're still hoping to get their first win.
CeeDee Lamb had a career-high 17 catches for 189 yards and his 12-yard TD reception with 40 seconds left lifted the Dallas Cowboys to a 34-30 win over Houston on Sunday that dropped the Texans to 0-4.