4C z MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 z USA TODAY E3 SPORTS
DETROIT – With Dalvin Cook rou-
tinely running with authority, the Vik-
ings are more than content to be a run-
first team in the pass-happy NFL.
But the results of the past three
weeks suggest the Vikings will find
more team success when quarterback
Kirk Cousins’ arm is the star of the show.
Cousins threw for 300 or more yards for
the third consecutive week and the Vik-
ings (5-2) downed the Lions 42-30 Sun-
day for their third consecutive win.
“He’s playing very free right now,”
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. “He’s
letting the ball loose. Even on some in-
completions, he’s putting the ball in the
right places.”
Cousins was 24-for-34 for 337 yards
and four touchdowns against the Lions
(2-3-1). He did that with key wide receiv-
er Adam Thielen leaving the game in the
first quarter after injuring his hamstring
on a touchdown catch.
Cousins’ surge comes at an oppor-
tune time because the Vikings have to
play again Thursday, against the Red-
skins, his former team.
“It’s like the (offense) couldn’t be
stopped,” Vikings linebacker Eric Ken-
dricks said about the win. “They were
spreading the ball around. I saw multi-
ple players get the ball; everybody got
the ball – fullbacks, tight ends, receiv-
ers, deep balls, intermediate.”
Over the past three weeks, Cousins
had thrown for 976 yards with 10 touch-
downs and no turnovers. He has eight
touchdown passes in the past two
weeks.
“He’s playing the best I’ve seen
since he’s been here,” Zimmer said.
Coming into this game, the Vikings
had run 52.96% of the time. San Fran-
cisco and Baltimore are the only other
teams running more than they pass.
The Vikings say they are simply
taking what defenses give them, and
that has led to a balanced attack. With
Cook averaging 103 yards, the Vikings
are still going to rely heavily on the run
even if Cousins continues to be on fire.
No NFL team has broken off more runs
of 20 or more yards this season than
the Vikings’ 10.
“We were running the ball profi-
ciently,” Cousins said. “And when you
do that it helps the play calling and
helps a quarterback feel like the wind
is at his back.”
Asked why he is so hot, Cousins
said, “It’s not that simple. ... The game
plans have put me in position to be
successful.”Vikings’ Cousins
picks apart Lions
Kevin Allen
USA TODAY
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
topped 300 yards passing again
Sunday. TIM FULLER/USA TODAY SPORTSJacoby Brissett threw a career-high
four touchdown passes Sunday and the
Colts sealed a 30-23 victory over the
Texans with Darius Leonard’s late inter-
ception.
Indy (4-2) has won three straight in
the series and took over the early season
lead in the AFC South. The loss snapped
Houston’s two-game winning streak.
Brissett was masterful most of the
day. He was 26 of 39 with 326 yards in a
game the Colts produced only 62 yards
rushing.
“It just says he’s legit, he’s the man,”
Indianapolis coach Frank Reich said of
Brissett. “We believed that from Day 1
and we’ve never wavered in our convic-
tion in our faith in Jacoby. But he knows
he’s still got to prove it. He’s still got to
make plays to win this game and he did
that today.”
zPackers 43, Raiders 24: Aaron
Rodgers had his best game by far under
new Packers coach Matt LaFleur, throw-
ing for 429 yards and five touchdowns
and running for another as Green Bay
beat Oakland.
Rodgers completed 25 of 31 passes to
eight different targets and finished with
the first perfect passer rating of his ca-
reer, leading LaFleur’s offense to a sea-
son high in points.
Even with top target Davante Adams
sidelined for the third straight game
with turf toe, Rodgers threw for his most
touchdowns in a game since Sept. 28,
2015, against the Chiefs.
Derek Carr finished 22-for-28 for 293
yards, two touchdowns and two costly
turnovers for the Raiders (3-3), who lost
their eighth straight against Green Bay,
dating to 1990. The Packers (6-1) have
scored 30-plus points in each of their
last five games against the Raiders.
z49ers 9, Redskins 0:Robbie Gould
made field goals from 28, 22 and 29
yards to provide the only points in an
ugly win by San Francisco over Wash-
ington in steady rain and driving wind
to remain undefeated.
It wasn’t pretty, but San Francisco is
6-0 for the third time in franchise histo-
ry and first since 1990. That 49ers team
finished 14-2.
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s bunch didn’t
look like an unbeaten powerhouse in
horrific conditions that made life diffi-
cult on quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo
and the entire offense. He bounced back
from a dreadful first half to finish a pass-
able 12 of 21 for 151 yards passing.
San Francisco’s defense continued
its dominant run after holding the Rams
to seven points last week and the
Browns to three before that. It’s the Nin-
ers’ first shutout since Week 1 of the 2016
season.
zSaints 36, Bears 25:Teddy Bridge-
water threw for 281 yards and two
touchdowns, and New Orleans im-
proved to 5-0 without injured starter
Drew Brees.
The Saints (6-1) again showed why
they still see themselves as Super Bowl
contenders even though their star quar-
terback is out indefinitely because of a
torn ligament in his right thumb.
Bridgewater completed 23 of 38
passes, Michael Thomas had nine re-
ceptions for 131 yards, and Latavius
Murray ran for 119 yards and two touch-
downs.
The Bears (3-3) lost their second
straight, with Mitchell Trubisky strug-
gling after missing a game because of a
shoulder injury. Trubisky finished 34 of
54 with 251 yards and two late touch-
downs in his first appearance since he
was hurt early against Minnesota on
Sept. 29.
zCardinals 27, Giants 21:Chase Ed-
monds rushed for career highs of 126
yards and three TDs, overshadowing the
return of New York’s star running back,
Saquon Barkley, in Arizona’s victory.
The game was billed as a matchup ofrookie quarterbacks Kyler Murray of the
Cardinals (3-3-1) and Daniel Jones of the
Giants (2-5), and both gave glimpses
why they were the first and sixth overall
choices in the draft, respectively.
But Edmonds stole the show, scoring
on runs of 20, 20 and 22 yards. The Car-
dinals’ defense also got four sacks and a
forced fumble from Chandler Jones,
Jordan Hicks had an interception and
Patrick Peterson had a sack and forced
fumble to seal the Cardinals’ third
straight win. It’s the first time Arizona
has won three consecutive games since
2015.
Barkley, who rushed for 72 yards on
18 carries, scored on a 7-yard run to get
the Giants within 24-21 with 8:13 to go.
zBills 31, Dolphins 21:Tre’Davious
White forced two second-half turn-
overs, Micah Hyde returned an onside
kick for a touchdown, and Buffalo rallied
from a five-point deficit.
The Bills, who began the day favored
by 17 points, avoided what would have
been a major upset against a patchwork
Miami opponent in a major rebuilding
mode.
Josh Allen led fourth-quarter touch-
down drives following each of the Dol-
phins turnovers, and the Bills improved
to 5-1 in matching their best start to a
season in 11 years.
zTitans 23, Chargers 20:Jurrell Ca-
sey recovered a fumble by Melvin Gor-don at the goal line with 15 seconds left,
and Tennessee pulled out a 23-20 vic-
tory over Los Angeles after a frantic fin-
ish.
Gordon initially was ruled down shy
of the goal line at the 1. Casey came out
of the pile with the ball, and the Titans
started celebrating. The play was re-
viewed and overturned the on-field rul-
ing that Gordon was short of the goal
line.
The call was a fumble forced by Ti-
tans linebacker Wesley Woodyard that
was recovered by Casey for a touchback.
Ryan Tannehill knelt down to run out
the clock as the Titans (3-4) snapped a
two-game skid.
The Chargers thought they had
scored the go-ahead touchdown not
once but twice in the final 44 seconds
only to lose both on review by the replay
official. That official also overturned
Gordon being stopped on the Chargers’
final play.
First, Philip Rivers’ pass that Austin
Ekeler took 16 yards was ruled a touch-
down only to be reversed by the replay
official for not breaking the plane as he
was tackled by Kenny Vaccaro and Lo-
gan Ryan.
After a false start, Malcolm Butler
then was flagged for defensive pass in-
terference on Mike Williams in the end
zone.
Then Gordon went over right tackle
with 34 seconds left for what officials
ruled a 1-yard TD, and the replay official
then reversed the call for the second
time. Gordon ran again, stopped by Jef-
fery Simmons and Rashaan Evans for no
gain. That set up Gordon’s final run with
19 seconds left.
The Chargers (2-5) have lost three
straight and five of their past six.
zJaguars 27, Bengals 17: Gardner
Minshew led a fourth-quarter touch-
down drive that put Jacksonville ahead
to stay, and Yannick Ngakoue returned
an interception 23 yards to clinch the
victory.
The Jaguars (3-4) managed only field
goals by still-perfect Josh Lambo until
their rookie quarterback and their de-
pleted defense made game-turning
plays at the end. The win capped a week
in which the Jaguars traded disgruntled
cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Rams
for three draft picks. Their defense
picked off Andy Dalton three times in
the fourth quarter to put it away.
The wait goes on for first-year Ben-
gals coach Zac Taylor, whose team fell to
0-7 for the first time in 11 years.ROUNDUP
Brissett leads hot Colts into 1st place in AFC South
The Associated Press
Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett throws a pass against the Texans during the
third quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. BRIAN SPURLOCK/USA TODAY SPORTSNFL
SEATTLE – The Ravens used two
defensive TDs and more of Lamar
Jackson’s dual -hreat heroics to pull off
a 30-16 victory over the Seahawks on
Sunday.
In so doing, the Ravens improved to
5-2 to strengthen their standing atop
the AFC North standings.
Meanwhile, Seattle had its three-
game winning streak snapped, and the
Seahawks dropped to 5-2.
Jackson rushed for 116 yards and
passed for 143 to carry the offense. It
marked Jackson’s second straight 100-
yard rushing game and his third of the
season.
Here are three takeaways from the
Ravens’ victory.
z1. Win one for Earl:Earl Thomas
made his highly anticipated return to
CenturyLink Field, the place where he
called home for the first nine seasons
of his career, earning a Super Bowl ring
and six Pro Bowl appearances. The last
time Seattle fans saw the free safety,
he was in their uniform, riding on the
back of the medical cart with a broken
leg and giving coach Pete Carroll the
finger. On Sunday, he returned as a
member of the Ravens. He had a hand
in the first tackle of the game, a pass
breakup and narrowly missed recover-
ing a fourth-quarter fumble. But
Thomas provided no game-defining
heroics to exact vengeance on his for-
mer team. Still, he was content to serve
as the cheerleader for Jackson and his
teammates. On defense, Thomas
would rush up and clap enthusiasti-
cally and commended any player that
made a key stop. While on the sidelinewhen Baltimore’s offense was on the
field, Thomas could be seen cheering
with urgency and celebrating any posi-
tive play. So Thomas didn’t have to be
the X factor. But that was just fine with
him. Winning against his former team in
whatever fashion necessary was all that
mattered.
z2. Wilson wasn’t at his best:
Whether it’s a ball fake or head bob to
get a defender going one way so he can
go the opposite, or his ability to locate
open receivers on the run and deliver
the ball with accuracy, quarterback Rus-
sell Wilson always gives the Seahawks
the chance. His receivers also have a
good understanding of how to react
when things break down. The plays turn
to school-yard football, and Wilson
manages that organized chaos so well,
more often than not, allowing his unit to
live to see another play. This isn’t to say
he’s perfect. He’s not immune to dis-
jointed days. Against Baltimore, he
completed just 20 of 41 passes for 241
yards, a TD, an interception and a 65.
passer rating.
z3. Seahawks in need: Their 5-
start entering the game ranked among
the best in the league, and the Sea-
hawks have a chance to compete with
just about any team, but they do have
shortcomings that will hinder them
against this year’s elite squads. Wilson,
as mentioned, is special. But he can’t do
it alone, and this Seahawks offense very
much could use another play-maker.
They lack a player who’s going to keep
defensive coordinators up at night – one
who can consistently win one-on-one
matchups with game-changing talent.
Because of that, team officials would do
well to look for a trade at the deadline to
give Wilson a proven No. 1 target.Ravens run pastSeahawks in SeattleMike Jones
USA TODAY