Jonathan Taylor rushes for 3 TDs as Colts improve to 3-0 in a 41-20 rout of Titans

By Canadian Press on September 21, 2025.

Jonathan Taylor ran for 102 yards and three touchdowns and the Indianapolis Colts continued their best start since 2009 by beating the hapless Tennessee Titans 41-20 Sunday.

The Colts are now 3-0 and off to their best start since 2009 when Peyton Manning led them to the AFC championship.

Kenny Moore put the Colts ahead to stay on the third offensive play of the game. He picked off rookie Cam Ward and went 32 yards for the pick-6.

Tyquan Lewis had two of the Colts’ four sacks in a game they outgained Tennessee 145-34 and led 17-3 after the first quarter in a game Indy controlled throughout.

Daniel Jones now has as many victories this season as he had in his last 16 starts over two seasons with the New York Giants. Jones also has yet to have a pass intercepted as he threw for 228 yards and a touchdown to Michael Pittman.

PANTHERS 30, FALCONS 0

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bryce Young ran for a touchdown, Chau Smith-Wade returned an interception 11 yards for a score and rookie Ryan Fitzgerald made three field goals and Carolina routed Atlanta for its first win of the season.

Young was 16 of 24 for 121 yards, but played mistake free after turning the ball over five times in the previous two games.

Smith-Wade’s third-quarter pick-6 highlighted a dominant performance for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit as the Panthers (1-2) intercepted Michael Penix Jr. twice, forced three turnovers and limited the Falcons to 5 of 16 conversions on third and fourth downs for their first shutout since Nov. 22, 2020.

Outside of Bijan Robinson, who combined for 111 yards from scrimmage — 72 on the ground and 39 through the air — the Falcons (1-2) got little production from their offense.

STEELERS 21, PATRIOTS 14

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers threw a go-ahead 17-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with 2:16 left, and Pittsburgh beat New England.

Rodgers passed for 139 yards and two touchdowns, Kenneth Gainwell ran for a 1-yard TD and the Steelers’ defense forced five turnovers to help Pittsburgh (2-1) win at New England for the first time since 2008. The Steelers had lost four since then in Foxborough, including the AFC championship game in the 2016 season.

The Patriots (1-2) were driving with a chance to tie it and had fourth-and-1 at the Pittsburgh 28, but DeMario Douglas caught a pass from Drake Maye and was stopped for a 1-yard loss.

It was New England’s first five-turnover game since losing 33-10 at home to Pittsburgh on Nov. 30, 2008, when Tom Brady was out for the season with a knee injury.

JAGUARS 17, TEXANS 10

JACKSONVILLE (AP) — Trevor Lawrence found Brian Thomas Jr. for a 46-yard gain, Travis Etienne scored on the next play and Jacksonville held on to beat Houston Texans.

It was Jacksonville’s first win over the Texans at home since 2017. Houston had won 12 of the previous 14 in the AFC South series.

This one was decided on the final two drives.

The Jaguars (2-1) got a huge play from Lawrence to Thomas, a connection that has been mostly missing all season, and then the Texans (0-3) seemingly let Etienne score from 10 yards out with 1:48 remaining.

C.J. Stroud drove Houston into striking distance in the waning seconds, but Josh Hines-Allen tipped his pass and Antonio Johnson intercepted the wobbler to seal the victory.

The Texans can point to Nico Collins’ fumble as the turning point. Tyson Campbell knocked the ball out and it bounced into Devin Lloyd’s hands. It got Jacksonville headed in the right direction after a sluggish performance.

COMMANDERS 41, RAIDERS 24

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — A reconfigured Commanders offense — nearly half the starters were different from a game ago, including quarterback Marcus Mariota filling in for an injured Jayden Daniels — produced 201 yards on the ground, 174 in the first half alone, and Washington beat Las Vegas.

In his first NFL start since 2022 with Atlanta, Mariota went 15 for 21 for 206 yards with a late touchdown through the air, and ran six times for 40 yards, including a 2-yard TD on the game’s opening possession. Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oregon, also lost a fumble on a run.

In addition to Mariota’s 43-yard scoring pass to Luke McCaffrey with a little more than two minutes left, Washington (2-1) got touchdowns via a 60-yard run by Jeremy McNichols, a 1-yard plunge by rookie seventh-round draft pick Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt that was set up by Mariota’s 56-yard throw to Terry McLaurin and a 90-yard punt return by rookie fourth-round selection Jaylin Lane.

McNichols never had a run or reception that gained more than 28 yards in his eight NFL seasons before Sunday; his play was the longest rushing TD for Washington since Adrian Peterson scored from 90 yards out against Philadelphia in 2018.

Lane’s return, meanwhile, tied for the longest punt score in franchise history and was the first for Washington since Jamison Crowder brought one back in 2016.

BROWNS 13, PACKERS 10

CLEVELAND (AP) — Andre Szmyt kicked a 55-yard field goal as time expired and Cleveland rallied from a 10-0 deficit with under four minutes left to beat Green Bay.

The Browns (1-2) snapped an eight-game losing streak dating to last season when it appeared for much of the game they might be shut out. But the defense kept them in it with four sacks and came up with the key turnover which resulted in it being tied.

Green Bay (2-1) appeared as if it might win with a last-minute field goal when it drove to the Browns 25, but Shelby Harris blocked a 43-yard field goal attempt by Brandon McManus and Greg Newsome II recovered at the 47.

Cleveland took over and went 16 yards in five plays. Joe Flacco had an 8-yard completion on third-and-2 to get the ball to the Packers 35. Flacco then spiked the ball, bringing Szmyt on with 2 seconds remaining.

It was redemption for the rookie kicker, who missed an extra point and field goal in a 17-16 loss to Cincinnati in Week 1.

VIKINGS 48, BENGALS 10

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Isaiah Rodgers helped make Carson Wentz’s debut at quarterback for Minnesota a rousing success, setting a Vikings record with two defensive touchdowns and forcing three of Cincinnati’s five turnovers in a romp for the worst loss in Bengals history.

Jordan Mason rushed for 116 yards and two scores on just 16 attempts, Will Reichard made a 62-yard field goal — the longest in Vikings history — as the first half ended and Wentz threw for two touchdowns over three quarters before yielding the mop-up work to rookie Max Brosmer.

Jake Browning was picked off twice in a rough start for the Bengals (2-1), who lost three of their five fumbles and missed Joe Burrow more than ever in their first game since their franchise quarterback had toe surgery that will sideline him for at least three months.

Wentz hit Josh Oliver and T.J. Hockenson for scores and went 14 for 20 for 173 yards without a turnover for the Vikings (2-1), who posted their most lopsided victory since 1998 and their highest score since 2015.

EAGLES 33, RAMS 26

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jordan Davis blocked a field-goal attempt by the Rams’ Joshua Karty on the final play of the game and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown — the Eagles’ second blocked kick of the fourth quarter — to give Philadelphia an exhilarating win over Los Angeles.

The Rams (2-1) led 26-21 midway through the fourth when Jalen Carter blocked Karty’s 36-yard try, and Jalen Hurts then led the Super Bowl champion Eagles (3-0) on a 17-play, 91-yard drive for the go-ahead score. That left 1:48 on the clock for Matthew Stafford, who led the Rams into position for Karty’s 44-yard attempt with 3 seconds left.

Davis instead wedged his way through, knocked the ball down, scooped it and rumbled to the end zone, where he was mobbed by his teammates as fans at the Linc erupted in celebration of the Eagles’ 12th straight home victory.

Philadelphia slogged through a listless first half and trailed 26-7 in the third quarter after Stafford’s second TD pass of the game. Karty had already kicked four field goals for the Rams, who lost a tight NFC divisional-round playoff game to the Eagles last season.

BUCCANEERS 29, JETS 27

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield led Tampa Bay to another thrilling finish, Chase McLaughlin kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired and the Buccaneers rallied for a victory over New York for their best start in 20 years.

The Buccaneers (3-0) overcame a late surge by the Jets (0-3), who erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to take the lead before Mayfield orchestrated a scoring drive in the closing minutes for the third straight week.

Mayfield, who was 19 of 29 for 233 yards and one touchdown, set up McLaughlin’s fifth field goal of the game with completions of 28 yards to Emeka Egbuka and 20 to Sterling Shepard.

McLaughlin’s winning kick came less than two minutes after Will McDonald blocked his 43-yard attempt and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown to put the Jets ahead 27-26 with 1:49 remaining.

McLaughlin also made field goals of 54, 33, 28 and 55 yards, and Mike Evans had a 5-yard TD catch before leaving with a hamstring injury. The defense did its part, too, with Jamel Dean returning an interception of Tyrod Taylor in the first half 55 yards for a TD. Antoine Winfield Jr. forced a fumble with one of the team’s four sacks.

49ERS 16, CARDINALS 15

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Recently signed kicker Eddy Pineiro made a 35-yard field goal on the final play to give San Francisco a 16-15 win over Arizona for their third straight win to open the season.

San Francisco (3-0) overcame an injury to Nick Bosa, the absence of starting quarterback Brock Purdy and a tiebreaking safety allowed with 3:15 to play to eke out the win.

Rookie Upton Stout broke up a pass to Zay Jones on third down after the safety to force a punt by Arizona (2-1) and Mac Jones then calmly led a game-winning drive.

He took over at his 20 with 1:46 to play and completed five passes for 59 yards to get the Niners in position for the game-winning kick. Pineiro, who was signed after Jake Moody missed two field goals in the opener, calmly delivered to set off a celebration.

The Cardinals had taken the lead when Calais Campbell forced a holding penalty in the end zone by Dominick Puni for the first tiebreaking safety in the fourth quarter in nearly 11 years but couldn’t close it out.

BEARS 31, COWBOYS 14

Caleb Williams tied a career high with four touchdown passes and Chicago gave Ben Johnson his first win as an NFL head coach by beating Dallas.

The Bears (1-2) got a win they sorely needed coming off a 52-21 blowout loss at Detroit. Johnson called out his team’s practice habits during the week, saying they weren’t “championship-caliber.” But he had to like what he saw against the Cowboys (1-2).

Johnson’s offense broke off several big plays while racking up 385 yards. It added up to a rough day for Dallas defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus in his first appearance at Soldier Field since the Bears fired him as head coach last November.

Williams looked more like the quarterback the Bears need him to become than the one who faded after strong starts the first two weeks. The No. 1 overall draft pick last year, he completed 19 of 28 passes for 298 yards and a 142.6 rating.

SEAHAWKS 44, SAINTS 13

SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie Tory Horton returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown — the longest punt return in Seahawks franchise history — and caught one of Sam Darnold’s two TD passes in Seattle’s 44-13 rout of the winless New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Kenneth Walker III ran for two TDs for the Seahawks (2-1), with the first set up by another big play on special teams. D’Anthony Bell blocked a punt by Kai Kroeger deep in New Orleans territory, and Walker’s 3-yard run gave Seattle a 21-0 first-quarter lead.

Horton, who had his first career TD catch a week earlier in a 31-17 win at Pittsburgh, gave the Seahawks a 14-0 lead with his punt return midway through the first quarter. Early in the second, Horton hauled in a 14-yard fade from Darnold to put Seattle ahead 28-3.

The Seahawks didn’t let up. Walker’s second short TD run capped a four-play, 76-yard drive that made it 35-3, and Jason Myers added a 56-yard field goal before halftime. Seattle led 38-6 at the break for the second-highest-scoring half in franchise history. For the Saints, it was the most points allowed in a half since they also gave up 38 in the second half of a 62-7 loss to Atlanta on Sept. 16, 1973.

CHARGERS 23, BRONCOS 20

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert found Keenan Allen for a tying touchdown with 2:44 remaining and then led Los Angeles into position for Cameron Dicker’s game-ending 43-yard field goal as the Chargers beat Denver for their first 3-0 start since 2002.

After Herbert eluded the Broncos’ pass rush and connected with Allen — who fought off Riley Morris in the end zone for the 20-yard score — Bo Nix and the Broncos (1-2) went three-and-out. That set up Herbert and the Chargers on their 32, and he went 4 of 4 on the final drive.

Herbert was 28 of 47 for 300 yards with the TD and one interception. At 27 years, 195 days, he became the youngest NFL player to reach 2,000 career completions, surpassing Drew Bledsoe. Herbert did so in his 82nd career game, making him the second-fastest player to reach the mark.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers beat their third straight division rival after opening with wins over AFC West opponents Kansas City and Las Vegas. Their stretch of not allowing a touchdown in the second half ended against Denver.

The Associated Press