Sports Al Dente

Too fragile. Lack of focus. No urgency. The Jacksonville Jaguars were searching for answers after losing 35-16 to the Chicago Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, dropping their record to 1-5.

A dropped pass by Gabe Davis in the end zone during their first drive was a bad sign. They had to settle for a field goal.

“You would love to score, but it’s a long game. I think as a team we can’t be so fragile,” said quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

After the first quarter, the Jaguars’ defense struggled against Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and his group of receivers. Penalties also hurt them.

Safety Andre Cisco mentioned to Jacksonville TV station WJAX that he noticed “a lot of quit” in the team.

Lawrence, who signed a big contract extension this offseason, said the team still supports coach Doug Pederson.

“Yeah, that’s our head coach, and we’re a team,” he stated. “This is tough. Losing is hard. It’s hard. So it has nothing to do with that relationship, how we feel about Coach. We’re a group. We’re staying together. We know brighter days are ahead.

We just have to keep working, and we have to keep putting our best foot forward. You know, we just have to stick together as a team. We have to play more complementary. We’re not playing good team football right now. So whatever the answer to that is we have to find it quick.”

Pederson received a vote of confidence from team owner Shad Khan on Saturday. In his postgame comments, he expressed confidence in Khan’s support.

“I do. I was just with him, and I do,” Pederson said.

Starting the second half down 14-3, Lawrence connected with Evan Engram for a 24-yard gain into Bears territory, but Engram fumbled, and Elijah Hicks recovered the ball. Seven plays later, Keenan Allen caught a 9-yard touchdown pass, making it 21-3.

“It felt like when we got some big plays, we would have some penalties or we would turn it over,” Lawrence explained. “Then we didn’t play complementary. When the defense got a stop, we didn’t score. When we got a big kick return, we didn’t score. When we turned it over, they went and scored. That’s the quickest way to lose in this league is to not take advantage of your opportunities when you get that momentum.”

Lawrence threw two touchdown passes to Davis in the second half, but the Jaguars never posed a serious threat to come back.

Engram, who had been out since the season opener with a hamstring injury, led the team with 10 catches for 102 yards. Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen was asked if the team lacks focus.

“I think there’s a lack in general, but focus can be one of those,” he said. “We know we have to trust in everybody here, but the urgency needs to pick up, the passion, the love. The reason why we do the things that we do need to pick up a little bit more.”

The Jaguars arrived in London later than usual on Friday, while the Bears got there on Tuesday. The team will stay in London to play the New England Patriots next Sunday at Wembley Stadium.

“We got 11 more games, so there’s definitely a way back,” said Lawrence, who completed 23 of 35 passes for 234 yards, two touchdown passes, and one interception.

“We’ve got to — pumping us up isn’t going to do anything up here, so we have to take care of business on our end. But, yeah, it’s a long season, and we have a lot of football left.”

Jim Harbaugh paid attention to his body when he started to feel unwell during pregame warmups.

The Los Angeles Chargers coach went into the medical tent and then to the locker room in the first quarter on Sunday to be checked for an irregular heartbeat. An EKG showed his heart was back to normal, so he returned to the sideline with his team already leading 3-0.

His team didn’t lose their rhythm in a 23-16 victory over the Denver Broncos. In fact, his quarterback, Justin Herbert, didn’t even notice his absence. However, Harbaugh’s brother, Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, ended his postgame news conference early after a win over Washington to check on him.

“Everything ended up turning out to be OK,” said Jim Harbaugh, who received IV fluids. “The doctors checked me out, and it got back into normal rhythm. So I came back. “It’s the heart so you take it seriously.”

Harbaugh mentioned he has been dealing with atrial flutter, which can cause the heart to beat too fast. He had a procedure to treat this condition in 1999 and another one in 2012 while coaching the San Francisco 49ers.

He remembers that procedure well because it followed a Monday night game where Colin Kaepernick led the 49ers to a 32-7 win over the Chicago Bears. Harbaugh said he hadn’t experienced another episode until this weekend.

“I started feeling it last night but wasn’t really sure,” Harbaugh said. “Just like in 2012, it was during the pregame warmups — I kind of started feeling it.” He joked, “2-0 in arrhythmias.”

Herbert was surprised to learn that his coach had left the sideline and that anything was wrong. He mentioned that Harbaugh had talked about his health the night before.

“He said he was really excited for the game. He said his blood was flowing and he was excited,” Herbert said, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown.

“I thought everything was good to go. That’s definitely something he should get checked out. He’s a tough guy, though.”

While in the locker room, Harbaugh said the medical staff checked his pulse and did an EKG.

“Trust the doctors. If you’re not going to trust your doctors, who are you going to trust?” he said. “Came back into the locker room, and the paramedics came, got an EKG and said it was back to the sinus (normal) rhythm, and I said, ‘I feel good.’

I went back out there on the field.” Harbaugh plans to see his cardiologist on Monday.

When he left the sideline at the start of the game, the Chargers described his absence as an illness. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter took over until Harbaugh returned midway through the first quarter with the Chargers ahead 3-0 and pushing toward another score. The Chargers built a 23-0 lead in the second half before the Broncos made a late comeback.

Baker Mayfield believes the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handled a wild second quarter, where they lost a 17-point lead, shows their strong mindset.

Mayfield threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Buccaneers beat the New Orleans Saints 51-27 on Sunday. This win aimed to lift the spirits of fans who faced damage from Hurricane Milton earlier in the week.

“The last few weeks have been tough for the Tampa area and all of South Florida,” Mayfield said. “Today was a team embracing everything that everybody was going through, ups and downs and handling it the best way you can, fighting through it and trying to make it work. That’s life. Obviously a natural disaster is not easy to deal with, but you find a way to overcome.”

For the Saints, this game marked a rough start for rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler and extended their losing streak to four after beginning the season with two easy wins.

With starting quarterback Derek Carr uncertain to return from an oblique injury, Saints coach Dennis Allen said he plans to start Rattler again on Thursday when they face Denver.

“There were some encouraging things, some things that he’s going to learn from,” Allen said, pointing out that the team’s struggles running the ball and defensive mistakes in the second half made things harder for Rattler. “I don’t think we did enough around him to help him.”

After trailing 27-24 at halftime, the Buccaneers (4-2) took the lead for good with Chris Godwin’s second touchdown, a 55-yard play where three Saints players missed tackles.

“Our tackling was atrocious,” Allen said. “When you don’t tackle, you give up explosive plays … and it just kind of snowballed on us.”

Safety Zyon McCollum’s diving interception of Rattler’s pass started a fourth-quarter drive that ended with Mayfield’s 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cade Otton, allowing Tampa Bay to extend their lead.

The Buccaneers showcased impressive stats and highlights in the Superdome, which had mostly emptied by the game’s end. A few happy fans in Buccaneers colors remained as Sean Tucker scored again to seal the win.

The Bucs “were playing with heavy hearts, just seeing what was happening in Tampa Bay,” coach Todd Bowles said, confirming that the team planned to return to their normal headquarters in Tampa after the game.

“Our hearts pour out to the city. It’s a tough city,” Bowles said. “We don’t know what we’re going back to, but in our small part, we wanted to win one for the city.

We are going to try to help any way we can when we get back, so after going through a week like this and coming out on top, it made the guys feel special.”

The Buccaneers rushed for 277 yards as a team, with Tucker leading the way with 136 yards and one rushing touchdown. Bucky Irving contributed 81 yards and a short touchdown. Tucker also caught a short pass and turned it into a 36-yard touchdown.

Tampa Bay became only the fifth team in NFL history to have at least 300 passing yards and 275 rushing yards in a game. The Bucs’ 594 total offensive yards were the second-most ever allowed by the Saints.

Rattler, who was intercepted twice, completed 22 of 40 passes for 243 yards and had a touchdown pass to fellow rookie Bub Means. Alvin Kamara scored his seventh touchdown of the season with a 4-yard run, and Rashid Shaheed returned a punt for a 54-yard touchdown.

Mayfield started the game with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Godwin.

Rattler’s first series ended when receiver Chris Olave was stripped by Tykee Smith just after making a catch. Olave also took a hard hit from McCollum, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. picked up the loose ball and ran it back 58 yards to make it 14-0.

Chase McLaughlin’s 26-yard field goal extended the lead to 17-0 late in the first quarter.

The Saints then scored 20 straight points in just over five minutes, aided by interceptions in Buccaneers territory by Saints defensive backs Paulson Adebo and Johnathan Abram, which set up a field goal and Rattler’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Means.

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan’s interception of Mayfield’s tipped pass helped maintain the Saints’ lead through halftime, but this was only a brief pause for the struggling New Orleans team.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell addressed a controversial tackle-eligible play from nine months ago, when officials penalized his team and took away a possible winning 2-point conversion.

On the Lions’ first offensive play back at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium on Sunday, Dan Skipper was reported as eligible for a simple 5-yard run by David Montgomery.

Skipper was the tackle involved in the earlier incident when Taylor Decker caught a 2-point pass from Jared Goff after the Lions had narrowed the score to 20-19 with 23 seconds left on December 30.

Because Decker caught the pass, the Lions were penalized for having an ineligible receiver.

Goff’s next throw resulted in an interception, but the Cowboys were offsides. A third attempt ended in an incomplete pass, leading to a one-point loss for Detroit.

Goff was confident that Decker, the Lions’ starting left tackle, had declared himself eligible. A frustrated Campbell mentioned that he informed officials before the game about his plans if a similar situation came up.

That earlier loss cost Detroit a chance at the top seed in the NFC, and they later lost in the conference championship game against San Francisco.

The Arizona Cardinals believed they needed to avoid mistakes to win their second straight road game and achieve their first two-game winning streak since 2021. Unfortunately, they didn’t come close to that goal.

Arizona had 13 penalties and fumbled the ball on three straight drives, leading to a 34-13 defeat against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. They were unable to build on their recent win over San Francisco.

“We play like that, we won’t beat anybody,” said Arizona’s Kyler Murray, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 214 yards with one touchdown and one fumble. “We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot against a good team.”

The number of penalties was surprising since Arizona had been disciplined early in the season.

Before Sunday, they had the fewest penalties in the league, averaging just 3.8 per game. In their previous victory against the 49ers, they were penalized only once for 5 yards.

Against the Packers, they had 100 penalty yards, and many of the penalties came at crucial moments.

Green Bay was leading 7-0 and faced a third-and-10 from Arizona’s 15 when a neutral-zone infraction by Zaven Collins gave the Packers 5 extra yards. On the next play, Jordan Love threw a touchdown pass to Romeo Doubs, starting the second quarter off strong for Green Bay.

Collins’ mistake was one of three neutral-zone penalties by the Cardinals in the first quarter.

“Those are non-negotiables for us,” said Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon about the pre-snap penalties. “So uncharacteristic of us, so that’s why we have to look at why those things happen and do a better job there. You don’t want to go backwards before the ball is snapped.”

One major penalty occurred later in the second quarter.

Down 17-0, Arizona seemed to gain momentum when Zach Pascal forced a fumble on a punt return, which Owen Pappoe recovered, putting Arizona at Green Bay’s 23-yard line.

However, offsetting penalties, including a horse-collar tackle by DeeJay Dallas, canceled the play. When Arizona had to punt again, Keisean Nixon returned it 39 yards, putting Green Bay in a good position.

On the next play, Love threw a 44-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 24-0.

Arizona managed to cut the lead to 24-13 early in the third quarter, helped by a Sean Murphy-Bunting interception that led to a 38-yard field goal. They had successfully come back from a halftime deficit before, so they thought they could do it again.

But they kept making the same mistakes.

After Ryland’s 40-yard field goal made the score 24-13, Murphy-Bunting committed two holding penalties during Green Bay’s next drive, which led to a 20-yard touchdown pass from Love to Doubs. One of those penalties canceled a third-down stop that would have forced Green Bay into a fourth-and-3 situation from the Arizona 33-yard line.

Arizona then fumbled the ball on its next three possessions. The first fumble was by James Conner, the second by Greg Dortch, and the third by Murray.

“You can’t let bad plays continue to happen against a good team,” Murray said. “It’s too hard.” Arizona faced many bad breaks on Sunday.

Rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game in the second quarter with a concussion after his head collided with the thigh of Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie during an incomplete pass.

The Cardinals also lost linebacker Kyzir White, defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, safety Joey Blount, left guard Evan Brown, and Murphy-Bunting to different injuries.

The Cardinals were playing their second game without kicker Matt Prater, who is out with a knee injury.

However, they really had nobody to blame but themselves for their performance as they continued to struggle with inconsistency. The Cardinals haven’t won two games in a row since 2021, when they won at Seattle on Nov. 21 and then had a week off before winning at Chicago on Dec. 5.

“We’ve got everything we need in the building,” Cardinals defensive tackle LJ Collier said. “We just have to play better.”

Deshaun Watson’s $230 million contract is guaranteed, which seems to secure his position as the team’s starting quarterback.

Despite not leading Cleveland to an offensive touchdown or even their first 20-point game this season, coach Kevin Stefanski remains committed to Watson.

After the Browns lost 20-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Stefanski firmly stated that Watson will continue as QB1 for the upcoming game against Cincinnati. “Yes,” Stefanski confirmed when asked.

Watson completed 16 of 23 passes for 168 yards but missed a chance for a tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter, getting pushed out of bounds at the 2-yard line during a scramble. He threw an incomplete pass on third down, leading the team to settle for a field goal without getting the ball back.

“I thought there were some good moments,” Stefanski said. “We need to protect him better. That’s a tough defensive front. The guys fought hard and had some chances, but we need to be more explosive.”

Given Watson’s poor statistics, including a 76.6 quarterback rating, it’s hard to believe he is still the starter.

Many wonder if Stefanski is being stubborn or if team owner Jimmy Haslam is pressuring him to stick with Watson because of his expensive contract.

The Browns seem unlikely to repeat last year’s playoff run, which was led by then-backup Joe Flacco. Is former first-round pick and current backup Jameis Winston really the solution?

“Where are we? We’re 1-5,” Stefanski said. “We own it and I’m not going to hide from it. I’m 1-5, the whole locker room is. But I know we have a tough group, and we’ll be back ready to fight next week.”

The Browns’ issues extend beyond their record. Watson’s contract, with two years left and a $72.9 million salary cap hit each year, could go down as one of the worst in NFL history, tying them to a quarterback struggling both on and off the field.

The quarterback was suspended for the first 11 games of 2022 for breaking the league’s personal conduct rules after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior during massage therapy sessions.

Watson was fined $5 million and had to go through mandatory counseling before the league allowed him to return. This week, he settled another civil lawsuit from a woman claiming sexual assault and battery.

On Sunday, he completed 11 of 12 passes for 122 yards in the second half, but he hasn’t yet thrown for 200 yards in a game this season.

“It’s right there in our hands, and we’re not taking it,” Watson said. “Yeah, the chances are there.” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni acknowledged Watson’s past talent, saying he could still reach the level he once had.

“I’ve seen Deshaun Watson be Superman before,” Sirianni said. It seems the Eagles were a tough challenge for him.

The Browns are the first team since Jacksonville in 2014 to score fewer than 20 points in each of their first six games. Those Jaguars ended up with a 3-13 record.

Cleveland’s only touchdown came from a blocked field goal. Watson was sacked three times and only threw for 49 yards in the first half.

“I don’t know what we have to do, but we need to do something,” Watson said. “Lock in so we don’t cost ourselves any more games because we’ve got to really turn this around.”

The Washington Commanders and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels wanted to test their skills against the Baltimore Ravens, a strong team with many talented players.

After a tough 30-23 loss on Sunday, the Commanders realized they have a lot to improve on before they can think of themselves as a top team in the league.

“Although we were in it at the end,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said, “it felt lopsided.”

With a four-game winning streak that put them at the top of the NFC East, the Commanders faced a seasoned team featuring a tough defense and an offense led by two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and veteran running back Derrick Henry.

Even though they only lost by a touchdown on the road against a team that played in the AFC title game last season, Washington (4-2) couldn’t ignore how Jackson tore apart their defense and how Baltimore’s defense limited the league’s highest-scoring team.

The Commanders’ only lead was 3-0, and they were down 27-13 going into the fourth quarter. In their last two games, they easily beat Arizona and Cleveland, allowing Quinn to rest his starters. This time, they had to fight hard until the end.

Even though their winning streak ended, the game wasn’t a total loss.

“I told the team, these are real important games for us to be in, to know what it’s like to go and fight,” Quinn said. “We fought all the way to the end. That’s what I was looking for.”

Daniels completed 25 of 34 passes for 269 yards and threw two touchdowns, both to Terry McLaurin. However, Jackson outperformed him, completing 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown.

Jackson was supported by Henry, who rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns. In contrast, Daniels had a running game that only gained 52 yards, missing injured starter Brian Robinson Jr. Even with Robinson, it’s doubtful he would have made much difference against the league’s top-run defense known for its toughness.

“To this point, for sure,” he said. “Obviously, what they do, how they operate, how they try to punch you in the mouth.”

Daniels didn’t win the game, but he gained the respect of Jackson, who watched from the Baltimore sideline.

“I believe he deserves all the hype he’s getting. He played a tremendous game out there,” Jackson said. “They just came up short. For six games, he’s been playing amazing.”

Daniels spent a lot of the game trying to avoid pressure while looking for receivers who were well-covered. It wasn’t easy, but he and the Commanders likely learned from the experience.

“These are the type of games you want to be in. It’s the type of game that we’re probably going to be in moving forward,” Daniels said. “You’ve got to be able to pull those out.”

Not this time. But maybe next time.

Commanders running back Austin Ekeler, who gained 21 yards on nine carries, said: “It’s a situation where we came out, we battled, they made a few more plays than we did. But guess what? We’re going to come back, bounce back and be ready to go again.”

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was taken off the field on a cart due to a serious injury to his left tibia while tackling Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.

After the Lions’ big win over the Cowboys, coach Dan Campbell mentioned that Hutchinson would stay in the Dallas area for surgery.

The injury occurred in the third quarter when Hutchinson’s leg seemed to break above the ankle after hitting the leg of his teammate, Alim McNeill, while bringing down Prescott.

“I haven’t seen it myself so I couldn’t really tell,” McNeill said. “I didn’t know if it was him or not, but I did feel somebody like leg-whip me, and then I see Hutch down. That’s wild to see. I hate that for him.”

At the time of Hutchinson’s injury, the Lions were leading 34-6. Hutchinson had entered the game as the NFL leader in sacks with 6 1/2.

There was a delay of about 10 minutes as medical staff attended to Hutchinson while players from both teams formed a circle around him.

After he was put onto the cart with a cast on his leg, both his teammates and Dallas players reached over to comfort the 24-year-old. Hutchinson had recorded the Lions’ third sack of the game, while McNeill had the first two.

“That’s hard for everybody when you’re standing there and that’s one of yours and something like that happens,” Campbell said. “If you dwell on that too much and you start playing a little timid, that’s when you get hurt. So guys snapped right back in and they lived in the moment where we’re on.”

Prescott, who fell on top of Hutchinson’s left leg during the injury, had a similar injury to his right leg on the same field in 2020, which ended his season.

Dallas’ star quarterback tried to offer Hutchinson some words of encouragement as he was being taken off the field.

“It’s just something that I felt in the moment,” Prescott said. “I’ll probably get his number from one of the Michigan guys in the locker room and reach out again. … When you’re in that, it’s blurry. So I don’t even know if he heard them. Don’t care if he heard them. I understand where he was.”

The Tennessee Titans signed wide receiver Calvin Ridley as one of their key free agents this offseason, giving him a four-year contract worth $92 million.

Ridley, who was a first-round draft pick in 2018 from Alabama, had his toughest game yet with the Titans on Sunday.

Quarterback Will Levis targeted Ridley eight times, more than any other player on the team. However, Ridley finished the game without making a single catch in a 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, which dropped the Titans’ record to 1-4 and left him frustrated.

“I had targets in what part of the game?” Ridley said, expressing his disappointment. “It is what it is, but I sucked today and have to be better.”

He mentioned that he needs the ball thrown to him earlier to get into the game.

Levis attempted to throw to Ridley twice in the second quarter and focused on him again in the fourth quarter with five passes. One of those passes was intercepted by Julian Blackmon with 4:52 remaining, on a play where fans wanted a penalty for defensive interference that was not called.

Ridley said he was trying to beat his defender while watching the ball and didn’t see the safety approaching.

Colts coach Shane Steichen noted that they were aware of Ridley’s talent and that his defenders closely covered him.

“They were playing aggressive with tight man coverage on a lot of those situations and made big-time plays,” Steichen said about his defense against Ridley.

Coach Brian Callahan emphasized that the Titans need Ridley to make catches in order to win. Ridley did have one rush for 9 yards.

“I’m sure he’ll be the first one to tell you that that was disappointing,” Callahan said. “But he’s one of our best players and … we look to him to try to make a play or two and we didn’t get it done at the end of the game. We got to be better all the way around, offensively.”

Ridley, who will turn 30 in December, has been targeted 27 times this season. He has made only nine catches for 141 yards and one touchdown, which was a 40-yard play that initially appeared to be intercepted.

That remains his highlight play this season.

Five-time Pro Bowl receiver DeAndre Hopkins led the team with four catches for 54 yards and is second to running back Tony Pollard (16) with 14 receptions this season. He also leads the team with 175 receiving yards.

“It’s not just Calvin,” Hopkins said. “It’s everybody. You know Calvin isn’t the only person playing.”

Najee Harris broke away down the left sideline, reached the 5-yard line, and dove toward the pylon, barely getting the ball over the goal line for a touchdown for the Steelers.

After a slow start to the season, Harris pushed through challenges, even battling through a crowd of defenders for a big gain.

He rushed for 106 yards and a 36-yard touchdown, helping Pittsburgh secure a 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

“I don’t know what he ate last night, I don’t know what he did, but he sure did ball out today,” Steelers quarterback Justin Fields said.

This was Harris’s first time going over 100 yards since finishing last season with two consecutive such games. He had rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons but had been averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this year.

Harris had a notable 15-yard run early in the second quarter, where he nearly got stopped at the line but managed to push through several tacklers.

“When drives aren’t going well, you need a play that will spark it,” Harris said. “I always try to be that person to spark the play.”

Fields added 59 rushing yards and two touchdowns, although he only passed for 145 yards. His role as the starting quarterback had come under scrutiny due to recent poor performances, especially with Russell Wilson returning after a calf injury.

Pittsburgh (4-2) ended a two-game losing streak with its highest-scoring game since defeating Cincinnati 34-11 last December 23. The Steelers had been ranked 26th in scoring offense, averaging 18.4 points.

Their defense, which had allowed 803 yards in losses over the past two weeks, returned to form like they had earlier in the season when their first three opponents combined for just 687 yards.

Pittsburgh limited the Raiders (2-4) to 275 yards, and T.J. Watt, a four-time All-Pro, forced two fumbles and recorded two tackles for loss.

Watt, who had no sacks before this game but entered with 4 1/2, said he knew he had to find other ways to make an impact since the Raiders were focused on keeping him away from their quarterback.

“I’ve been doing punchouts back to (college at) Wisconsin,” Watt said. “I carry that with me, and it’s something I continue to try to do. When you have a defense that flies around like this, you’re able to take more chances. I don’t always get the football, but when you do, it’s big.”

Second-year Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell, starting in place of the benched Gardner Minshew, began the game completing 4 out of 4 passes for 55 yards, leading to a touchdown drive.

However, O’Connell couldn’t maintain that momentum, finishing 27 of 40 for 227 yards. His interception in the middle of the fourth quarter set up a Pittsburgh touchdown and a 29-7 lead, much to the joy of many Terrible Towel-waving fans who made the game feel like a Steelers home game.

“It was a great first drive for us to go down and get points and a touchdown,” O’Connell said. “It was huge for momentum, but it takes 60 minutes.”

The Raiders were missing their top two receivers — Davante Adams (hamstring) and Jakobi Meyers (ankle) — along with running back Zamir White (groin). Adams could be traded this season, but coach Antonio Pierce said Wednesday that he still viewed Adams as a Raider.

Pittsburgh let a win slip away last week when the Dallas Cowboys scored with 20 seconds left. This time, there was no such drama, mainly due to the Raiders’ mistakes.

“Winning is our business,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “We hadn’t been handling business, so it’s good to get back to taking care of business. This is a normal state for us. It needs to be.”

A fumble gave the Steelers the ball deep in Raiders territory late in the second half. A third-down stop by Las Vegas was nullified by a roughing-the-passer penalty, which led to Fields’ 3-yard touchdown run that put the Steelers ahead 12-7.

In the third quarter, a blocked punt set up a Steelers field goal, and another roughing penalty resulted in Harris’ touchdown, extending the lead to 22-7.

O’Connell’s fourth-quarter interception led to Fields’ second touchdown run, sealing the game.

Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers only had to think about Patrick Surtain II for one play on Sunday.

Surtain left the game with a concussion on the first defensive play for Denver, and Herbert led a steady offense that took advantage of Surtain’s absence, securing a 23-16 victory over the Broncos.

“We’ve got a lot of respect for him as a defender, but it’s always the next play,” Herbert said. “We’re not worried about who’s out there. … It’s about us. As long as we’re executing and doing everything we can as an offensive unit, I think we’re going to like the result.”

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who had to receive treatment for an irregular heartbeat at the start of the game, described it as a “great and glorious win.”

Harbaugh returned to the sidelines in the first quarter after receiving an IV and magnesium and coached the rest of the game. He mentioned he would see his cardiologist on Monday.

“He’s tough,” Herbert said. “He did a really good job of hiding because I was unaware of it.”

With Surtain out, Denver didn’t blitz as much, and the Chargers (3-2) took a 23-0 lead after three quarters. For much of the game, it looked like they would give the Broncos (3-3) their first home shutout in 65 years.

After two turnovers and five punts, the Broncos’ offense started to find its rhythm. Bo Nix led the team on a 95-yard scoring drive, finishing with a 2-yard touchdown pass to fellow Oregon alum Troy Franklin.

He also connected with Courtland Sutton for a diving 15-yard touchdown with 5:22 left in the game. However, a failed 2-point conversion kept them down by more than a touchdown.

The Broncos forced a punt and reached the Chargers’ 32-yard line on their next drive. Wil Lutz kicked a 40-yard field goal to bring the score to 23-16 with 59 seconds remaining, but he struggled with onside kicks.

His first attempt at an onside kick, and a redo due to offsetting penalties, both failed, allowing the Chargers to secure their first win over Denver in two years and their first against Sean Payton in seven attempts.

“Just didn’t perform how we want, but we feel like the fight was there,” Nix said.

The game featured two of the league’s top defenses. With Chargers star Joey Bosa missing his second straight game due to a hip issue, it seemed the matchup would favor the Broncos, who had not lost since Week 2.

Surtain’s concussion completely changed the dynamics, ending the Broncos’ three-game winning streak.

“It was very unfortunate because he’s not just a huge part of the defense, but the team,” Sutton said.

Herbert achieved season highs with 21 completions and 237 yards, playing a game focused on keeping control of the ball and running down the clock.

“I thought he was as precise as he could be, or a quarterback could be,” Harbaugh said. “There were some great throws, some great moves to avoid the pressure. He was just putting the ball in the appropriate spot throughout the entire game. I was super impressed.

“Hopefully this reminds everybody that Justin Herbert is really good at playing quarterback. He was putting it on the money.”

It was easier for him without Surtain on the field.

Surtain got injured while breaking up Herbert’s first pass to Ladd McConkey. He will probably miss the next game as well since it’s on Thursday night against New Orleans.

Without Surtain, the Broncos struggled to stop the Chargers, who scored two field goals and two touchdowns before kneeling to end the first half, during which they had the ball for more than 21 minutes.

The Broncos only had one play in Chargers territory in the first half, which ended in a fumble by running back Javonte Williams.

“We did all the things you can’t do in a game like that,” Payton said after the Broncos lost the turnover battle and converted only three of 11 third downs, compared to the Chargers’ 11 of 18. “We didn’t do a number of things well today.”

Rookie running back Kimami Vidal’s first NFL play was a 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown that made the score 10-0. J.K. Dobbins, who ran for 96 yards, scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, and Cameron Dicker made field goals from 20 and 33 yards.

The last field goal capped a 20-play, 76-yard drive that took 10:29 and happened right after Herbert recovered a fumble caused by Jonathon Cooper on a strip-sack.

“Man, I thought we had some time over there to chill,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “That was different. That was a huge deal, especially playing in this altitude, to let the defense rest. And that’s another reason we were able to have success.”

Surtain’s absence on Sunday showed how valuable he is to the Broncos, just like his impressive two-interception game against Las Vegas the week before, which earned him AFC defensive player of the week honors.

Surtain got hurt one play after Chargers safety Elijah Molden intercepted Nix’s first pass and returned it 25 yards to the Denver 31.

Drake Maye received encouragement from another top draft pick on Sunday after the New England Patriots lost to the Texans in his first career start.

Last year, Houston’s C.J. Stroud faced a similar situation as a rookie quarterback expected to lead his team after being picked early in the draft. Stroud was selected second overall, while Maye was the third pick.

Stroud lost his first two games before guiding the Texans to the playoffs. Given the struggles of Maye’s team, the Patriots (1-5) are unlikely to have a similar outcome.

Despite the loss, Maye’s performance in the Patriots’ 41-21 defeat to the Texans brought some energy. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 243 yards and had an 88.3 passer rating. With three touchdown passes, Maye outperformed Jacoby Brissett, who had been ineffective and led Coach Jerod Mayo to make the switch to the rookie.

“I was a little amped at the start for sure. The guys around me were great trying to settle me down, and Jacoby was a big part of that,” Maye said.

Maye took his first snap as an NFL starter at 9:08 in the first quarter. When his image appeared on the video board at Gillette Stadium, the crowd gave him a big cheer.

“It gave me goosebumps going out there for the first time,” Maye said. “I’m in a great spot with the Patriots here and playing quarterback in the NFL.”

His debut had both positive moments and things to learn from. He threw an interception early in the game when he overthrew DeMario Douglas, but later connected with Douglas for a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“I love how he gained confidence throughout the game, and I thought it was a good first game for him,” Douglas said.

Fans of the Patriots hope Maye can become the answer they’ve been looking for since the Tom Brady era. They found some hope late in the first half when Maye made a perfect throw downfield to Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard touchdown, narrowing the score to 14-7.

“His competitiveness was great,” said tight end Hunter Henry, who caught a touchdown pass from Maye in the third quarter.

Maye also rushed for a team-high 38 yards, adding an extra element to a New England offense that struggled after winning its first game and taking Seattle to overtime in Week 2.

He learned the importance of protecting the ball—one of Houston’s four sacks led to a fumble, giving the Texans possession at the Patriots’ 10-yard line.

“I think I took a couple sacks where I could have thrown it away or thrown check-downs instead of getting a sack,” Maye said. “Just kept hurting ourselves, and in this league, these teams are too good to do that. But some great stuff to watch on film.”