LANDOVER, Md. -- Kirk Cousins threw for two touchdowns, Preston Smith had two sacks and a game-altering interception, and the Washington Redskins beat the Minnesota Vikings, 26-20, on Sunday for their first victory in almost a month.
Washington (5-3-1) got all of its second-half points off the foot of Dustin Hopkins, who hit four field goals, including a 50-yarder. The Redskins shut out Minnesota (5-4) in the second half, and Smith sacked Sam Bradford in the final seconds to hand the Vikings their fourth consecutive loss.
Cousins was 22 of 33 for 262 yards with touchdown passes to Vernon Davis and Jamison Crowder. Robert Kelley ran for 97 yards, helping Washington bounce back from a rough 6-minute stretch.
Bradford was 31 of 39 for 307 yards, two touchdowns and the interception that Smith tipped and caught with 5:44 left. Stefon Diggs had 13 catches for 164 yards (see full recap).
Blocked PAT return propels Broncos past Saints
NEW ORLEANS -- Denver's Justin Simmons used a perfectly timed leap over the offensive line to block an extra-point kick that would have given New Orleans a late lead, Will Parks ran it back 84 yards for a defensive 2-point conversion, and the Broncos pulled out a wild 25-23 victory over the Saints on Sunday.
The decisive play came while the Superdome crowd was still celebrating Brandin Cooks' twisting, 32-yard touchdown catch between two defenders. That put New Orleans in position to take the lead with 1:28 left. Simmons' block of Wil Lutz's kick was scooped up by Parks, who nearly stepped out of bounds as he raced down the left sideline.
It was the first such play to provide the winning points in an NFL game.
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The Broncos then recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.
Safety Darian Stewart intercepted Drew Brees twice and recovered a fumble for the Broncos (7-3), while Trevor Siemian overcame two interceptions by passing for touchdowns to Jordan Taylor and Demaryius Thomas. Siemian finished with 258 yards passing and completed other clutch throws as Denver converted 11 of 19 third downs.
The Broncos' league-leading pass defense got the best of its matchup with New Orleans' top-rated passing offense, thanks in large part to turnovers -- three of which came on passes intended for Saints rookie sensation Michael Thomas. Thomas fumbled twice after catches, and one of Stewart's interceptions came on a pass Bradley Roby deflected out of Thomas' grasp.
Still, Brees managed to complete 21 of 29 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns, with the first two scoring passes going to Willie Snead.
Brees final TD pass capped a six-play, 75-yard drive that began with 2:50 left and no timeouts. It put the Saints (4-5), who won four of their previous five games, in position to climb above .500 for the first time this season following an 0-3 start. It was not to be (see full recap).
Chiefs stun Panthers on FG as time expires
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Marcus Peters stripped Kelvin Benjamin with 20 seconds left, Cairo Santos kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 17-point deficit to top the Carolina Panthers 20-17 on Sunday.
The game was tied when Benjamin caught a pass from Cam Newton, and Peters ripped the ball from his arms . Santos' fourth field goal of the day split the uprights, lifting the Chiefs (7-2) to their fifth straight victory and 17th win in their last 19 games.
Eric Berry also returned a Newton interception 42 yards for a touchdown as Kansas City's defense came up with big plays when needed. Alex Smith threw for 178 yards and Spencer Ware ran for 61 yards for the Chiefs, who failed to score an offensive touchdown.
Newton threw for 261 yards and a touchdown and ran for 54 yards and a score for the Panthers (3-6).
The game turned late in the third quarter when Chris Jones sacked Newton for a 12-yard loss on third-and-18 at the Kansas City 28, taking the Panthers out of field goal range. Instead of making it a three-possession game, the Panthers were forced to punt.
The Chiefs kicked a field goal to make it 17-6 before Berry picked off a pass that Newton heaved into the air under pressure and returned it for the touchdown. Smith passed to Travis Kelce for the conversion, and Santos' third field goal tied it with 4:25 left (see full recap).
Mariota, Titans steamroll Packers
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns and the Tennessee Titans routed the Green Bay Packers 47-25 Sunday.
Five different Titans scored a touchdown in the first half as Tennessee put together its best scoring performance this season with 35 points.
With the win, the Titans (5-5) also matched the five victories over the past two seasons combined.
DeMarco Murray set the tone on the opening play from scrimmage, running 75 yards for a touchdown . He finished with 123 yards and also threw a TD pass, becoming the first non-quarterback to do that for this franchise in the same game since Earl Campbell on Sept. 7, 1980, for the then-Houston Oilers.
Brian Orakpo had two of Tennessee's five sacks, and the Titans also forced three turnovers.
The Packers (4-5) started a three-game road swing by losing their third straight. Green Bay has lost four of five in dropping below .500 for the first time since Aaron Rodgers' first year as a starter back in 2008.
Rodgers and Mariota came into this game tied for the most TD passes in the NFL over the previous five weeks with 13. Rodgers threw for 371 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran for another.
But Mariota completed his first 10 passes as Tennessee jumped on Green Bay at the start, and he completed TD passes of 9, 32, 6 and 33 -- each to a different receiver (see full recap).
