D4 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 , 2020
Seahawks 38,
Falcons 25
Russell Wilson was cooking
right from the start, throwing
four touchdown passes to lead
Seattle to a victory over Atlanta.
Wilson completed 31 of
35 passes for 322 yards, throw-
ing a pair of touchdown passes
in the first quarter as Seattle
built a 1 4-12 halftime lead and
adding two more in the third
quarter to put the Falcons away.
The biggest one of all came
after the Falcons made what
looked to be a crucial stop, leav-
ing the Seahawks with fourth
and five at the Atlanta 38. The
offense stayed on the field, but
instead of going for the first
down with a short throw, Wil-
son lofted one to DK Metcalf,
who was streaking toward the
end zone. Metcalf h auled in the
perfectly thrown ball t o push
Seattle to a 21-12 lead.
On the ensuing possession,
Atlanta attempted a fake punt
on fourth and two from its 33.
Sharrod Neasman took a direct
snap and fumbled.
Seattle................................... 140141 0—3 8
Atlanta..................................... 3901 3—2 5
FIRST QUARTER
Atlanta: FG Koo 49, 11:06.
Seattle: Carson 3 pass from Wilson (Myers kick), 4:43.
Seattle: Carson 19 pass from Wilson (Myers kick), :53.
SECOND QUARTER
Atlanta: Gurley 1 run (kick failed), 11:25.
Atlanta: FG Koo 49, :00.
THIRD QUARTER
Seattle: Metcalf 38 pass from Wilson (Myers kick),
9:41.
Seattle: Olsen 7 pass from Wilson (Myers kick), 5:05.
FOURTH QUARTER
Seattle: FG Myers 42, 11:19.
Atlanta: Ridley 18 pass from Ryan (pass failed), 9:35.
Seattle: Hyde 1 run (Myers kick), 3:45.
Atlanta: Ridley 7 pass from Ryan (Koo kick), :33.
A: 0.
SEAHAWKSFALCONS
First downs...........................................22 28
Total Net Yards.................................. 383 506
Rushes-yards ...................................20-84 21-72
Passing ............................................... 322 450
Punt Returns.....................................1-15 1-8
Kickoff Returns..................................2-430-0
Interceptions Ret.................................1-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int...............................31-35- 03 7-54-1
Sacked-Yards Lost.............................3-23 2-16
Punts...............................................4-47. 82 -50. 0
Fumbles-Lost.......................................1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards.................................6-46 6-72
Time of Possession......................... 30:31 29:29
RUSHING
Seattle: Wilson 3-29, Hyde 7-23, Carson 6-21,
Dav.Moore 1-12, Homer 3-(minus 1).
Atlanta: Gurley 14-56, Hill 3-12, I.Smith 1-4, Neasman
1-2, Ridley 1-(minus 1), Ryan 1-(minus 1).
PASSING
Seattle: Wilson 31-35-0-322.
Atlanta: Ryan 37-54-1-450.
RECEIVING
Seattle: Lockett 8-92, Carson 6-45, Metcalf 4-95, Ols-
en 4-24, Dav.Moore 3-28, Dissly 2-8, Homer 2-4,
Swain 1-17, Hollister 1-9.
Atlanta: J.Jones 9-157, Ridley 9-130, Gage 9-114,
Hurst 3-38, I.Smith 3-2, Hill 2-8, Gurley 2-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
None.
Bears 27, Lions 23
Mitchell Trubisky perfectly
lofted a 27-yard go-ahead touch-
down pass to Anthony Miller
with 1:54 remaining, and Chica-
go held on to beat Detroit.
The Lions drove to the Chica-
go 16 with a chance to win, and
rookie running back D’Andre
Swift dropped a pass in the end
zone. Matthew Stafford threw
another incomplete pass as time
expired to complete the collapse.
Trubisky threw three touch-
down passes in the fourth quar-
ter to help Chicago come back
from a 17-point deficit. It looked
familiar to Lions fans: Detroit
opened last season by blowing an
18-point lead at Arizona and set-
tling for a tie. That began a trend
that saw the team fail to stay
ahead during a season that end-
ed with just three wins.
Trubisky, who held off Nick
Foles to keep his job, shook off a
shaky start to complete 20 of 36
attempts for 242 yards with three
touchdowns, including short
passes for scores to Jimmy
Graham and Javon Wims.
Chicago..................................... 3302 1—2 7
Detroit...................................... 310100 —2 3
FIRST QUARTER
Detroit: FG Prater 27, 6:30.
Chicago: FG Santos 35, 1:30.
SECOND QUARTER
Detroit: FG Prater 32, 5:33.
Chicago: FG Santos 28, 2:02.
Detroit: Swift 1 run (Prater kick), :19.
THIRD QUARTER
Detroit: Hockenson 4 pass from Stafford (Prater kick),
10:37.
Detroit: FG Prater 44, 3:19.
FOURTH QUARTER
Chicago: Graham 2 pass from Trubisky (Santos kick),
13:39.
Chicago: Wims 1 pass from Trubisky (Santos kick), 2:58.
Chicago: Miller 27 pass from Trubisky (Santos kick), 1:54.
A: 0.
BEARS LIONS
First downs............................................ 26 25
Total Net Yards................................... 363 426
Rushes-yards..................................28-149 29-138
Passing................................................ 242 297
Punt Returns........................................1-0 1-16
Kickoff Returns................................3-110 2-66
Interceptions Ret.................................1-5 0-0
Comp-Att-Int.................................20-36-0 24-42-1
Sacked-Yards Lost..............................1-28 1-9
Punts................................................5-42.6 4-49.3
Fumbles-Lost........................................1-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards..................................6-48 8-77
Time of Possession..........................29:05 30:55
RUSHING
Chicago: Montgomery 13-64, Cohen 7-41, Trubisky
3-26, Patterson 4-19, Robinson 1-(minus 1).
Detroit: Peterson 14-93, Stafford 5-23, K.Johnson 7-14,
Swift 3-8.
PASSING
Chicago: Trubisky 20-36-0-242.
Detroit: Stafford 24-42-1-297.
RECEIVING
Chicago: Robinson 5-74, Miller 4-76, Mooney 3-38,
Graham 3-25, Cohen 2-6, Patterson 1-12, Montgomery
1-10, Wims 1-1.
Detroit: Amendola 5-81, Hockenson 5-56, M.Jones
4-55, Cephus 3-43, Peterson 3-21, Swift 3-15, Hall 1-26.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Detroit: Prater 55.Bills 27, Jets 17
Josh Allen led three consecu-
tive first-half touchdown drives,
and Buffalo overcame its own
sloppiness and injuries to two
starting linebackers in a win
over New York.
John Brown had six catches
for 70 yards and a touchdown,
and Stefon Diggs finished with
eight catches for a team-leading
86 yards in his Bills debut after
he was acquired in a trade with
Minnesota in March.
Allen finished 33 for 46 for 312
yards in becoming Buffalo’s first
quarterback to top 300 passing
yards since Tyrod Taylor had 329
in a 34-31 overtime loss to Miami
on Dec. 24, 2016.
Jets quarterback Sam Dar-
nold finished 21 for 35 for
215 yards with a touchdown and
an interception in a matchup of
two of the five quarterbacks se-
lected in the first round of the
2017 draft.
New York wide receiver Jami-
son Crowder, who scored on a
69-yard catch and run, h ad sev-
en receptions for 117 yards. Run-
ning back Josh Adams scored on
a two-yard plunge in the final
minute.
N.Y. Jets................................... 0377 —1 7
Buffalo.................................... 14706 —2 7
FIRST QUARTER
Buffalo: Allen 2 run (Bass kick), 5:38.
Buffalo: Moss 4 pass from Allen (Bass kick), 2:32.
SECOND QUARTER
Buffalo: J.Brown 17 pass from Allen (Bass kick), 6:48.
N.Y. Jets: FG Ficken 31, :00.
THIRD QUARTER
N.Y. Jets: Crowder 69 pass from Darnold (Ficken kick),
5:10.
FOURTH QUARTER
Buffalo: FG Bass 22, 10:38.
Buffalo: FG Bass 19, 3:15.
N.Y. Jets: Adams 2 run (Ficken kick), :54.
A: 0.
JETS BILLS
First downs........................................... 15 31
Total Net Yards................................... 254 404
Rushes-yards...................................15-52 32-98
Passing................................................ 215 312
Punt Returns........................................0-0 5-69
Kickoff Returns..................................2-32 1-31
Interceptions Ret.................................0-0 1-0
Comp-Att-Int............................... 21-35-1 33-46-0
Sacked-Yards Lost.............................3-13 3-6
Punts...............................................6-46.3 1-53. 0
Fumbles-Lost.......................................1-1 2-2
Penalties-Yards..................................9-95 7-80
Time of Possession..........................18:44 41:16
RUSHING
N.Y. Jets: Gore 6-24, Bell 6-14, Adams 2-8, Darnold
1-6.
Buffalo: Allen 14-57, Singletary 9-30, Moss 9-11.
PASSING
N.Y. Jets: Darnold 21-35-1-215.
Buffalo: Allen 33-46-0-312.
RECEIVING
N.Y. Jets: Crowder 7-115, Herndon 6-37, Perriman
3-17, Bell 2-32, Adams 2-14, Hogan 1-0.
Buffalo: Diggs 8-86, Brown 6-70, Singletary 5-23, Bea-
sley 4-58, McKenzie 3-17, Moss 3-16, Knox 2-26, Davis
2-16.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Buffalo: Bass 38, Bass 34.Jaguars 27, Colts 20
Gardner Minshew II threw
three touchdown passes, includ-
ing a 22-yarder to Keelan Cole in
the fourth quarter, and Jackson-
ville stunned Indianapolis and
Philip Rivers.
The Jaguars entered Week 1 as
the NFL’s biggest home under-
dogs, with talk of tanking being
the most prevalent preseason
topic surrounding the revamped
team. The tempered expecta-
tions may have contributed to
the team only being able to dis-
tribute about 14,000 tickets for
the league’s lone game played
with fans in the stands Sunday.
Minshew gave the sparse
crowd plenty to celebrate. The
second-year pro completed 19 of
20 passes for 173 yards and no
turnovers. He connected with
DJ Chark, rookie Laviska
Shenault and Cole for scores.
Jacksonville’s defense turned
in several big plays, none more
important than Andrew Wing-
ard’s interception with less than
five minutes remaining.
Indianapolis.............................. 7100 3— 20
Jacksonville.............................. 01431 0—2 7
FIRST QUARTER
Indianapolis: Hines 12 run (Blankenship kick), 11:42.
SECOND QUARTER
Jacksonville: Chark 6 pass from Minshew (Lambo
kick), 10:42.
Indianapolis: Hines 8 pass from Rivers (Blankenship
kick), 4:45.
Jacksonville: Shenault 15 pass from Minshew (Lambo
kick), 1:38.
Indianapolis: FG Blankenship 38, :05.
THIRD QUARTER
Jacksonville: FG Lambo 50, 3:30.
FOURTH QUARTER
Indianapolis: FG Blankenship 25, 9:39.
Jacksonville: Cole 22 pass from Minshew (Lambo kick),
5:56.
Jacksonville: FG Lambo 46, 2:50.
A: 1 4,100.
COLTSJAGUARS
First downs........................................... 27 17
Total Net Yards................................... 445 241
Rushes-yards...................................22-88 23-91
Passing ................................................ 363 173
Punt Returns........................................0-0 0-0
Kickoff Returns..................................3-90 2-50
Interceptions Ret.................................0-0 2-34
Comp-Att-Int............................... 36-46-2 19-20-0
Sacked-Yards Lost...............................1-6 4-23
Punts.................................................0-0.0 3-45. 3
Fumbles-Lost.......................................0-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards..................................5-80 6-61
Time of Possession..........................33:23 26:37
RUSHING
Indianapolis: Hines 7-28, Mack 4-26, Taylor 9-22,
Campbell 1-9, Rivers 1-3.
Jacksonville: J.Robinson 16-62, Minshew 5-19,
Shenault 2-10.
PASSING
Indianapolis: Rivers 36-46-2-363.
Jacksonville: Minshew 19-20-0-173.
RECEIVING
Indianapolis: Hines 8-45, Campbell 6-71, Taylor 6-67,
Hilton 4-53, Doyle 3-49, Mack 3-30, Alie-Cox 2-20, Pas-
cal 2-18, Pittman 2-10.
Jacksonville: Cole 5-47, Shenault 3-37, Chark 3-25,
Thompson 2-6, J.Robinson 1-28, Johnson 1-14, Eifert
1-8, Conley 1-6, Miller 1-2, O’Shaughnessy 1-0.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
Indianapolis: Blankenship 30.Chargers 16,
Bengals 13Heisman winner Joe Burrow
ran 23 yards untouched for a
touchdown — the best moment of
his NFL debut — but Los Angeles
roughed him up and rallied for a
win over Cincinnati.
Bengals wide receiver A .J.
Green was called for offensive in-
terference in the end zone in the
closing seconds, and Randy Bull-
ock missed a 31-yard field goal try
with two seconds left.
A Chargers defensive line an-
chored by Joey Bosa and Melvin
Ingram III held the quarterback
from national champion LSU to
23 of 36 passing for 192 yards,
with three sacks and a costly in-
terception. Twice, Burrow over-
threw open receivers for what
would have been touchdowns.
He moved the Bengals to the
Los Angeles 23-yard line in the
closing minutes and made a rook-
ie mistake, forcing a shovel pass
that Ingram picked off. Then, he
moved them into range again, but
Bullock missed.
Chargers quarterback Tyrod
Taylor finished 16 for 30 for
208 yards. Joshua Kelley scored a
five-yard touchdown in the
fourth quarter.
L.A. Chargers............................. 0601 0—1 6
Cincinnati.................................. 7060 —1 3
FIRST QUARTER
Cincinnati: Burrow 23 run (Bullock kick), 2:24.
SECOND QUARTER
L.A. Chargers: FG Badgley 24, 7:10.
L.A. Chargers: FG Badgley 43, :00.
THIRD QUARTER
Cincinnati: FG Bullock 50, 9:12.
Cincinnati: FG Bullock 43, 1:32.
FOURTH QUARTER
L.A. Chargers: Kelley 5 run (Badgley kick), 12:23.
L.A. Chargers: FG Badgley 22, 8:56.
A: 0.
CHARGERS BENGALS
First downs..............................................19 19
Total Net Yards .....................................362 295
Rushes-yards .................................. 39-155 28-122
Passing..................................................208 193
Punt Returns ......................................... 2-7 2-29
Kickoff Returns ...................................1-46 1-44
Interceptions Ret.................................. 1-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int.................................16-30- 02 3-36- 1
Sacked-Yards Lost................................ 2-1 3-20
Punts ................................................ 5-48.8 6-55.0
Fumbles-Lost........................................ 0-0 2-1
Penalties-Yards..................................6-35 7-44
Time of Possession............................30:10 29:50
RUSHING
L.A. Chargers: Ekeler 19-84, Kelley 12-60, Taylor 6-7,
Jackson 2-4.
Cincinnati: M ixon 19-69, Burrow 8-46, Bernard 1-7.
PASSING
L.A. Chargers: T aylor 16-30-0-208.
Cincinnati: B urrow 23-36-1-193.
RECEIVING
L.A. Chargers: H enry 5-73, Williams 4-69, Allen 4-37,
Guyton 1-16, Green 1-10, Ekeler 1-3.
Cincinnati: Green 5-51, Uzomah 4-45, Boyd 4-33, Bernard
4-21, Ross 2-17, Thomas 2-17, Sample 1-7, Mixon 1-2.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
L.A. Chargers: Badgley 50.
Cincinnati: Bullock 31.Raiders 34,
Panthers 30Josh Jacobs ran for 93 yards
and three touchdowns, Derek
Carr threw for 239 yards and a
score, and L as Vegas hung on to
beat Carolina to spoil Matt
Rhule’s coaching debut.
Jacobs’s six-yard run around
the right end with 4:14 left put the
Raiders ahead for good after they
had surrendered a 12-point fourth
quarter lead.
Carolina had a chance to take
the lead, but the Panthers handed
off to fullback Alex Armah — in-
stead of all-pro Christian McCaf-
frey — on fourth and inches at
midfield. He was stopped at the
line, turning the ball over on
downs with 1:11 left. McCaffrey
racked up 134 yards from scrim-
mage and scored two touchdowns
for Carolina.
After going three and out on
their first drive, the Raiders
scored on five straight posses-
sions to take a 27-15 lead.
Teddy Bridgewater finished
22 for 34 for 270 yards and one
touchdown in his Carolina debut.
Las Vegas................................... 710107 —3 4
Carolina...................................... 9601 5—3 0
FIRST QUARTER
Carolina: FG Slye 47, 10:02.
Las Vegas: Jacobs 1 run (Carlson kick), 5:47.
Carolina: McCaffrey 6 run (kick failed), :57.
SECOND QUARTER
Las Vegas: FG Carlson 20, 8:13.
Carolina: FG Slye 46, 5:03.
Las Vegas: Agholor 23 pass from Carr (Carlson kick),
1:54.
Carolina: FG Slye 31, :00.
THIRD QUARTER
Las Vegas: FG Carlson 54, 9:38.
Las Vegas: Jacobs 7 run (Carlson kick), 5:29.
FOURTH QUARTER
Carolina: McCaffrey 3 run (Slye kick), 12:32.
Carolina: Anderson 75 pass from Bridgewater (Anderson
pass from Bridgewater), 8:29.
Las Vegas: Jacobs 6 run (Carlson kick), 4:08.
A: 0.
RAIDERS PANTHERS
First downs..............................................232 2
Total Net Yards.....................................372 388
Rushes-yards................................... 31-13 33 0-128
Passing..................................................239 270
Punt Returns....................................... 2-37 2-29
Kickoff Returns ..................................... 0-0 4-109
Interceptions Ret.................................. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int.................................. 22-30-0 22-34-0
Sacked-Yards Lost................................. 0-0 1-10
Punts................................................. 3-42.3 2-60.0
Fumbles-Lost........................................ 1-0 0-0
Penalties-Yards................................... 3-40 5-65
Time of Possession............................31:12 28:4 8
RUSHING
Las Vegas: Jacobs 25-93, Booker 4-29, Ruggs 2-11.
Carolina: M cCaffrey 23-96, Bridgewater 4-26, Samuel
1-5, Armah 2-1.
PASSING
Las Vegas: Carr 22-30-0-239.
Carolina: Bridgewater 22-34-0-270.
RECEIVING
Las Vegas: Waller 6-45, Jacobs 4-46, Ruggs 3-55, Booker
3-23, Renfrow 2-21, Agholor 1-23, Richard 1-15, Edwards
1-9, Witten 1-2.
Carolina: A nderson 6-115, Samuel 5-38, Moore 4-54, Mc-
Caffrey 3-38, Thomas 2-16, Roberts 1-5, Manhertz 1-4.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
None.NFL WEEK 1
STANDINGSNFC
EAST WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Washington 10 01.000 27 17 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
N.Y. Giants 00 0.000 00 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Dallas 01 0.000 17 20 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
Philadelphia 01 0.000 17 27 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
SOUTH WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
New Orleans 10 01.000 34 23 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
Atlanta 01 0.000 25 38 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
Carolina 01 0.000 30 34 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Tampa Bay0 10 .000 23 34 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
NORTH WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Chicago 10 01.000 27 23 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
Green Bay1 00 1.000 43 34 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
Detroit 01 0.000 23 27 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
Minnesota 01 0.000 34 43 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
WEST WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Arizona 10 01.000 24 20 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
Seattle 10 01.000 38 25 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0
L.A. Rams 10 01.000 20 17 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0
San Francisco 01 0.000 20 24 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
AFC
EAST WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Buffalo 10 01.000 27 17 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
New England 10 01.000 21 11 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
Miami 01 0.000 11 21 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
N.Y. Jets 01 0.000 17 27 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
SOUTH WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Jacksonville 10 01.000 27 20 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
Tennessee 00 0.000 00 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Houston 01 0.000 20 34 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Indianapolis 01 0.000 20 27 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
NORTH WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Baltimore1 00 1.000 38 61 -0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
Pittsburgh 00 0.000 00 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Cincinnati 01 0.000 13 16 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Cleveland 01 0.000 63 80-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
WEST WLTPCT PF PA HOME AWAY AFCNFC DIV
Kansas City 10 01.000 34 20 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
L.A. Chargers1 00 1.000 16 13 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Las Vegas 10 01.000 34 30 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0
Denver 00 0.000 00 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Thursday’s result
at Kansas City 34, Houston 20
Sunday’s results
at Washington 27, Philadelphia 17
at Baltimore 38, Cleveland 6
Green Bay 43, at Minnesota 34
at Jacksonville 27, Indianapolis 20
Las Vegas 34, at Carolina 30
at Buffalo 27, N.Y. Jets 17
Seattle 38, at Atlanta 25
at New England 21, Miami 11
Chicago 27, at Detroit 23
L.A. Chargers 16, at Cincinnati 13
Arizona 24, at San Francisco 20
at New Orleans 34, Tampa Bay 23
at L.A. Rams 20, Dallas 17
Monday’s games
Pittsburgh at N.Y. Giants, 7:10 p.m.
Tennessee at Denver, 10:20 p.m.
Thursday’s game
Cincinnati at Cleveland, 8:20 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Washington at Arizona, 4:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Houston, 4:25 p.m.
Jacksonville at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
N.Y. Giants at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Detroit at Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Carolina at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Buffalo at Miami, 1 p.m.
San Francisco at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.
L.A. Rams at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
Atlanta at Dallas, 1 p.m.
Denver at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Minnesota at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at L.A. Chargers, 4:25 p.m.
New England at Seattle, 8:20 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 21
New Orleans at Las Vegas, 8:15 p.m.BY DAVID GINSBURGbaltimore — There were no
preseason games to draw from or
fans in the seats, and there was an
eerie, unfamiliar silence before
each snap.
Despite it all, two constants
prevailed in the matchup be-
tween the Cleveland Browns and
Baltimore Ravens: Reigning NFL
MVP Lamar Jackson was the focal
point of a high-powered Ravens
offense, and the Browns lost an-
other opener.
Jackson threw for 275 yards
and three touchdowns as Balti-
more rolled to a 38-6 victory
Sunday to spoil the debut of
Cleveland Coach Kevin Stefanski.
The novel coronavirus pan-
demic kept the seats empty, and
the play was sloppy after a sum-
mer without any games. That
hardly mattered to Jackson, who
looked every bit as good — maybe
even better — than he did in 2019
while helping Baltimore compile
an NFL-best 14-2 record.
“The guy was incredible last
year,” said tight end Mark An-
drews, who caught two touch-
down passes. “To me, he’s obvi-
ously the best player in the world,
and his arm reflects that.”
A year ago, the multifaceted
Jackson set an NFL single-season
record for yards rushing by a
quarterback and threw 36 touch-
down passes. On Sunday, facing a
Cleveland secondary depleted by
injuries, he completed 20 of
25 passes and racked up a team-
high 45 yards on the ground.
The Browns were incapable of
stopping him. As a result, Cleve-
land still hasn’t opened with a
victory since 2004.
“I think he’s a very talented
football player,” Stefanski said of
Jackson. “We’re not surprised
with the plays he made today.”
Neither was Baltimore.
“Lamar Jackson just played a
phenomenal game in every single
way,” Coach John Harbaugh said.
“He was probably the biggest dif-
ference in the game.”
Browns quarterback Baker
Mayfield threw an interception
on the opening series, the first of
three Cleveland turnovers. Thosemiscues, two missed kicks by Aus-
tin Seibert and an unsuccessful
fake punt call by Stefanski con-
tributed to the rout.
“Very disappointed, obviously,”
said Stefanski, the former offen-
sive coordinator of the Minnesota
Vikings. “But credit goes to the
Baltimore Ravens. They deserved
to win. They o ut-coached us. They
outplayed us. We did a lot of
things losing teams do.”
Mayfield went 21 for 39 for
189 yards and was sacked twice.
With no fans allowed — a deci-
sion rendered by the Ravens late
last month after meeting with
government officials and health
experts — traffic outside the sta-
dium was light, most parking lots
were barren and the smell of
grilled meat from tailgates was
noticeably absent.
Sections behind the end zones
were filled with cutouts of people.
Section 146 included 575 cutouts
of 14-year-old Mo Gaba, a popular
Ravens fan who died in July after
several bouts with cancer. In ad-
dition, the letters “M” and “O”
within the word Baltimore in one
end zone were stenciled in gold.
The Ravens raced out of thetunnel before the game with the
public address system announc-
ing their arrival, fireworks burst-
ing and smoke billowing out of a
makeshift castle. Missing, of
course, were cheerleaders and the
deafening roar of the crowd.
The game also was a bit surreal.
“It’s just different, being able to
hear calls and what the defense is
saying,” A ndrews said. “You’ve got
to bring your own energy and
play fast without these fans.
Missed them today.”
Baltimore could not have
scripted a better start to a season
it hopes ends at the Super Bowl.
Marlon Humphrey picked off a
throw by Mayfield, and Jackson
ended the first drive of the year
with a touchdown pass to An-
drews.
On the ensuing possession, Ste-
fanski gambled on a fake punt
and L.J. Fort diagnosed the play
and busted it up. That set up a
field goal for a 10-0 lead.
Cleveland responded with a
75-yard drive, but a touchdown
pass to David Njoku was followed
by a botched conversion. The
Browns then withstood a 47-yard
completion from Jackson to Mar-quise Brown by forcing a fumble
by Patrick Ricard inside the 10.
Late in the half, Jackson went
5 for 5 for 75 yards on a 99-yard
drive that ended with the first of
rookie J.K. Dobbins’s two touch-
downs.
“It’s a blessing to have two
touchdowns in my first NFL
game,” the former Ohio State star
said.
The Browns moved into posi-
tion to cut into the deficit, but
successive miscues — a third-
down drop by Odell Beckham Jr.
and a missed field goal attempt by
Seibert — gave the ball to Balti-
more with 46 seconds remaining.
Jackson directed a 69-yard
drive — passing for every one of
those yards — and made it 24-6
with a nine-yard toss to Andrews.
Baltimore’s opening drive of the
second half was more of the same,
ending with Jackson’s 19-yard
touchdown pass to Willie Snead
IV.
Ravens left t ackle Ronnie Stan-
ley left in the third quarter with
an ankle injury and did not re-
turn. Harbaugh said it was not a
serious injury.
— Associated PressMVP Jackson picks up where he left o≠
RAVENS 38,
BROWNS 6SCOTT TAETSCH/GETTY IMAGES
Lamar Jackson passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns and led the Ravens with 45 yards rushing.