Bryce Young on Sunday threw three touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers upset the in-form Los Angeles Rams 31-28 with the NFL playoff race tightening.
Panthers quarterback Young — coming off a poor performance in a dismal defeat to the San Francisco 49ers — tossed two daring second-half touchdowns on fourth down to give Carolina a precious win in what promises to be a hectic final sprint for post-season places.
The Rams, who boasted the best record in the National Football Conference heading into Sunday’s duel in Charlotte, were left ruing mistakes at key moments.
Photo: AP
Quarterback Matthew Stafford gave up a first-quarter interception that Panthers defender Mike Jackson returned for a touchdown before a costly fourth-quarter fumble effectively sealed the Rams’ defeat.
It left the Rams at 9-3 at the top of the National Football Conference West, while the Panthers improved to 7-6 to stay hard on the heels of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football Conference South.
The Bucs remain top of the division after a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams looked poised to extend their six-game winning streak early in the fourth quarter when Stafford led a superb 89-yard touchdown drive to help give the visitors a 28-24 lead.
That scoring drive included an astonishing one-handed catch from Rams receiver Puka Nacua that set up a close-range rushing touchdown for Kyren Williams on the next play.
However, Young responded with a gutsy 43-yard touchdown completion on fourth down to find Tetairoa McMillan, which gave the hosts what turned out to be a decisive 31-28 lead after Stafford’s late fumble.
Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft who has struggled to find consistent form in his first three seasons, said he never had any doubt about attempting to convert his two fourth-down touchdown passes.
“I just trust my guys. There’s no big conversation, no big hoo-rah,” Young said. “I know these guys are always ready... I know who they are. I know the competitors they are. No matter what, I’ll always have confidence in them, so that’ll never change.”
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills muscled their way to a 26-7 road win over Pittsburgh in a defeat that left Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers bloodied and bruised.
A miserable afternoon for Rodgers was summed up in a brutal sack by the Bills’ Joey Bosa, which saw the veteran slammed face first into the turf before fumbling to allow Buffalo’s Christian Benford to race in for a touchdown.
The win saw Buffalo improve to 8-4 in the American Football Conference (AFC) East, where they are chasing the New England Patriots (10-2), who were to host the New York Giants yesterday.
“We’ve got to find a way of winning these football games in this cold, winter type of night against a tough AFC North opponent — and we found a way,” Bills quarterback Allen said.
American Football Conference West leaders Denver improved to 10-2 with a nail-biting 27-26 overtime victory over the lowly Washington Commanders.
Broncos linebacker Nick Bonitto sealed Denver’s ninth straight win, swatting away Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota’s attempted two-point conversion pass on the final play.
Denver’s rookie running back R.J. Harvey ran for a five-yard touchdown on the opening possession of overtime. Mariota then drove Washington 65 yards on 11 plays on a scoring drive capped by a three-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin.
Washington coach Dan Quinn opted to go for two points and a win rather than an extra-point kick, but Bonitto batted down Mariota’s pass and the Broncos escaped, the Commanders suffering their seventh straight defeat.
The San Francisco 49ers eased past the struggling Cleveland Browns 26-8 to remain firmly in the playoff hunt, improving to 9-4 in a three-way battle for the National Football Conference West title.
The Rams lead the division just ahead of the Seattle Seahawks, who improved to 9-3 with a 26-0 shutout of the Minnesota Vikings.
The 49ers are third.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4) are also closing in on a playoff spot after a 25-3 win over the Tennessee Titans. The victory vaulted the Jaguars into top spot in the American Football Conference South after the Indianapolis Colts suffered a 20-16 reverse against the Houston Texans.
Elsewhere, the Jets downed the Falcons 27-24, the Dolphins sank the Saints 21-17 and the Chargers crushed the Raiders 31-14.
Additional reporting by staff writer
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
PINA BRACE: Claudia Pina scored in the 61st and 74th minutes, while Vicky Lopez added one as Spain notched their third victory in a final in the past four tournaments Claudia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled on Tuesday as Spain retained the UEFA Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 victory in the final’s second leg. Vicky Lopez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a 0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday. Spain were without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who broke her leg in training on Sunday. Lopez took Bonmati’s place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzalez swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save
There was another win for Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday, but more misery for Liverpool and their under-fire manager, Arne Slot. While Arsenal accelerated their title charge with a 2-0 victory over Brentford to regain a five-point lead, Liverpool needed a late own-goal just to salvage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland AFC at Anfield. Slot is back under pressure, with his team languishing in eighth place in a disappointing title defense and his decision to leave star forward Mohamed Salah out of the starting lineup for a second straight game likely to be heavily scrutinized. “It’s clear that teams that play
RSS