Tennessee Titans @ Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans 20-10 to snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 2-4 on the season.
Once again, self-inflicted wounds were the Titans’ undoing. They allowed six sacks and turned the ball over three times.
Vegas scored first after forcing a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive. They picked up 53 yards in 8:44 to kick a field goal and go up 3-0 late in the first quarter. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty accounted for 31 of the Raiders’ yards on that possession.
After that, there was a huge break in the scoring action when these two teams combined for four straight punts. The kicking competition ended when Titans quarterback Cam Ward was stripped of the ball on a sack. That fumble was picked up by Las Vegas at Tennessee’s two yard line.
Though the Raiders lost two yards on their next play, it wouldn’t matter. Quarterback Geno Smith hit tight end Michael Mayer, who fell into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown pass to put Vegas ahead 10-0.
Despite getting down to the Raiders’ 30, the Titans failed to capitalize on a promising drive. While avoiding defenders, Cam Ward threw a pop-up pass right to a Las Vegas defender to send this game to halftime.
The Raiders managed to advance the ball to Tennessee’s seven yard line on the opening possession of the second half, where they were stopped on a 3rd and goal. Unfortunately for the Titans, they were flagged for a facemask penalty to give Vegas a fresh set of downs at the four. On the very next play, Ashton Jeanty reached the end zone untouched for a 17-0 advantage.
At this point, the Titans got on the board. Following a 13-yard run, Cam Ward hooked up wth wide receiver Van Jefferson for a 23-yard gain. Despite reaching Vegas’ 18 yard line, penalties and sacks moved them out of the red zone, so they kicked a field goal for a 17-3 deficit.
Geno Smith threw an interception, as he so often does, just outside of the red zone in the third quarter. That was Smith’s league-leading tenth INT of the campaign.
In the final frame, Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker had a 37-yard catch-and-run to get the football into the red zone. Then, Vegas kicked another field goal to go up 20-3 with 7:14 left in the game.
The Titans refused to lie down and die. They had a perfect response in the form of a 16-play, 62-yard drive that ended in a one-yard touchdown pass by Cam Ward to narrow the gap and make the score 20-10 with 3:03 to go in the fourth quarter.
The scoring stopped after that. Even though the Titans got the Vegas’ 46, a Cam Ward fumble ended their comeback attempt and allowed the Raiders to run out the clock.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers were able to outlast the Cincinnati Bengals for a 27-18 win in Joe Flacco’s first start with Cincy, improving their record to 3-1-1.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love was able to shake off an early interception and throw for 259 yards and a touchdown while adding another 26 yards on the ground.
A good-looking opening drive for the Packers did not end the way they had hoped. After making it down to Cincy’s 19 yard line, a pass by quarterback Jordan Love was deflected by a defender before being picked off by Bengals safety Geno Stone. That was Love’s first INT since Week Three.
Following a Cincinnati three-and-out, the Packers finally got on the board. They put together a 12-play, 71-yard drive that ended with a field goal by Lucas Havrisik, who was filling in for Green Bay’s injured placekicker, Brandon McManus. That was Havrisik’s first successful field goal since December 31st, 2023.
After three straight punts, the Packers scored again. Jordan Love completed an absolutely outstanding pass to rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden for a 35-yard pick up on a 3rd and 10. On the very next play, Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs recorded a 29-yard catch-and-run to get to Cincy’s six yard line. That eventually led to a three-yard touchdown run by Jacobs for a 10-0 lead.
Cincinnati forced a punt late in the second quarter, giving its offense the ball back with 1:06 left in the half. The Bengals got the ball to Green Bay’s 49 and stopped the clock with one second left in the half to attempt a 67-yard field goal. Though kicker Evan McPherson made the field goal on his first try, the Packers called a timeout just before the kick was attempted, so it didn’t count. On the second try, McPherson’s attempt fell short, allowing the Packers to go into halftime ahead 10-0.
The Bengals finally established some offensive rhythm on their first drive of the third quarter. They methodically moved the ball to the Packers’ one yard line, thanks in part to a 13-yard reception by wide receiver Tee Higgins. On a 4th and goal, Joe Flacco hit tight end Tanner Hudson for a TD to cut the lead to 10-7 late in the third quarter. Before that possession, Cincy had four first downs. On that drive alone, they picked up seven first downs.
Green Bay had no issues responding. They gained 52 yards on eight plays to set up shop at Cincy’s 14 yard line to close out the third quarter. On their first play of the final frame, Josh Jacobs reached the end zone on the ground from 14 yards out to increase the Packers’ lead to 17-7. This was Jacobs’ second straight start with two rushing TDs.
The Bengals answered right back. Wideout Ja’Marr Chase made an unreal catch for 18 yards even though he was perfectly covered. A little while later, Joe Flacco hooked up with wide receiver Tee Higgins for another 19 yards to get to Green Bay’s 29. They only gained three more yards from there, but they were close enough to hit a field goal for a 17-10 deficit with less than 11 minutes remaining in the game.
The Pack had the right response. Following a 15-yard catch by wide receiver Romeo Doubs, Josh Jacobs picked up 28 yards on the ground and through the air to get Green Bay into the red zone. Jordan Love then hit tight end Tucker Kraft, who had a 19-yard catch-and-run into the end zone for a 24-10 lead with 7:33 to go in the fourth.
Cincinnati was not going to hand the victory to Green Bay. Tasked with a 3rd and 5 at the Packers’ 30, the Bengals found Ja’Marr Chase for a six-yard gain and a fresh set of downs. This eventually led to a 4th and 5 at the 19 with 4:17 to go in the final quarter. The pressure didn’t seem to affect Ja’Marr Chase, who made a one-handed TD reception to cut the lead to 24-18 after a successful two-point conversion. Chase finished the game with ten catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Green Bay’s offense took the field with 4:04 left in the game. On a 3rd and 9, Jordan Love hit a wide-open Matthew Golden while taking a hit for 31 yards to get to Cincinnati’s 29. Soon, the Packers were facing a 3rd and 2 with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Though they failed to convert that third down, new kicker Lucas Havrisik hit a 39-yard field goal to give Green Bay a 27-18 advantage with 1:52 to go in the game.
On Cincy’s next drive, Joe Flacco completed three passes for 27 yards to get the ball to Green Bay’s 38, where they were able to attempt a 56-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter. However, the field goal attempt was missed, allowing Green Bay to take over on offense and run out the clock for a win.
With that loss, the Bengals have dropped their last four games in a row despite starting the season 2-0.
San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers handled the San Francisco 49ers 30-19 to improve on their record and move to 5-1 on the season. The Niners had no way to combat Tampa’s defense, which recorded six sacks and two takeaways.
Despite forcing a punt on the game’s opening possession, 49ers quarterback Mac Jones threw an interception on his first pass attempt of the afternoon, which was returned to San Francisco’s 12 yard line. Two downs later, Buccaneers running back Rachaad White muscled his way over the goal line for a 7-0 lead.
Mac Jones and the 49ers bounced right back with a 41-yard completion to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne on the first play of their next drive. While they managed to get to Tampa’s 24 yard line, Mac Jones took a ten-yard sack on a 3rd and 5, which forced them to settle for a field goal and a 7-3 deficit.
After that, there was a break in the action until the second quarter, when Mac Jones hooked up with Kendrick Bourne on a 56-yard pass. From there, the Niners clawed their way down to the Buccaneers’ one yard line, where running back Christian McCaffrey rumbled into the end zone for a TD and a 10-7 lead. That was Christian McCaffrey’s first rushing touchdown since January 28th, 2024.
The Buccaneers wouldn’t be down for long, though. Baker Mayfield completed three straight passes for a 45-yard pickup. Once they got into the red zone, running back Sean Tucker scored his first rushing TD of the season from nine yards out to put Tampa back on top 14-10 in the second quarter.
A good kick return set up San Fran’s offense with the football at its own 38 yard line. Soon after that, Mac Jones connected with wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 19-yard gain. Though Tampa’s defense stopped the Niners on their next third down, San Francisco still hit a 55-yard field goal for a 14-13 deficit just before the two-minute warning.
The Buccaneers’ offense took the field with 1:58 left in the quarter, which would be more than enough time for them to strike again. Rachaad White and tight end Cade Otton recorded catch-and-runs of 11 and 18 yards, respectively. With less than a minute in the half, Baker Mayfield hit rookie wide receiver Kameron Johnson for a 34-yard TD pass. That was the first career catch for the second-year receiver out of Barton College.
As one would expect, the Niner scored with 44 seconds left in the first half. Mac Jones completed three straight passes for 47 yards to get to Tampa’s 24. They missed a pass to the end zone with two seconds remaining on the clock, so they kicked a field goal to go into the break down 20-16.
San Francisco picked up right where it left off in the third quarter. They had a 14-play, 80-yard drive that tapered out at Tampa’s 11 after Mac Jones missed a pass on a 3rd and 6, so they kicked a field goal to cut the lead to 20-19 midway through the third.
Tampa clapped back with a touchdown. Baker Mayfield threw a deep bomb that was caught by wide receiver Tez Johnson for a 45-yard TD, his first of the season, to go up 27-19 late in the third quarter.
The streak of seven straight possessions ending with a score came to an end in the fourth quarter. Once the 49ers got to Tampa’s 39 yard line, Mac Jones took a ten-yard sack to knock San Francisco out of field goal range, resulting in the first punt since the first quarter.
Facing an eight-point deficit with under six minutes to go in the game, Mac Jones threw his second interception of the game on a 4th and 6, allowing the Buccaneers to take possession of the football at their own 35 after an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Niners.
The Bucs took advantage of the turnover. They drove down the field to San Francisco’s 27 yard line, where they hit a 45-yard field goal to put this game out of reach.
Despite the loss, the 49ers are still the first-place team in the NFC West because they have head-to-head tiebreakers over the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams.
*Author’s note: all information and statistics are tracked in real time and are provided by the game’s broadcaster, NFL.com, and ESPN.com*
