Patrick Mahomes threw two touchdown passes, including one to returning star Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame three early turnovers to beat Jacksonville 17-9 on Sunday, securing their third win over the Jaguars in 10 months.
The Chiefs (1-1) won their eighth straight series and fell short of becoming the first Super Bowl champions since Denver in 1999, which started 0-2.
The Jaguars (1-1), who insisted all week that they owed the Chiefs because of a loss in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs in January, were virtually absent from their home opener. Coach Doug Pederson’s team got off to another slow start, failing to capitalize on two of three turnovers and struggling to protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Lawrence threw an incomplete four-and-12 play with 4:16 left in an eight-point game, and Kansas City didn’t let the Jaguars get the ball back.
Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, making his season debut after ending his time out and signing a one-year contract, dominated his one-on-one duels.
Baltimore Ravens 27-24 Cincinnati Bengals
Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes, Gus Edwards ran for another score and the Ravens held off the slow-starting Bengals. The AFC North champion Bengals lost 2-0 for the second straight season. The Ravens, their division rival, certainly appeared to be the better team. Jackson was 24 for 33 for 237 yards. He ran for 54 more. Edwards rushed for 62 yards on 10 carries. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow looked like he was still suffering from the effects of a calf injury suffered in training camp. He finished the game 27 for 41 for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
Las Vegas Raiders 10-38 Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen rebounded from a four-turnover debacle in the season opener by throwing three touchdown passes and leading the Bills to a victory over the Raiders.
Linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard each intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Bills tempered lingering frustration after a 22-16 overtime loss at the New York Jets on Monday and a week of off-field distractions.
Coach Sean McDermott had to address his leadership group after team owner Terry Pegula was accused of making racist comments. Pegula denied the allegations. And then on Wednesday, a Bills media reporter was overheard on an open mic questioning the character of receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs took to social media a day later and called the comments “hurtful” and “insulting.”
Seattle Seahawks 37-31 Detroit Lions
Geno Smith threw a second touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett on the first drive of overtime, helping the Seahawks win over the Lions. The Seahawks earned the victory after the Lions erased a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter and extended the game with Riley Patterson’s 38-yard field goal at the end of regulation. Smith threw a touchdown pass to Lockett early in the fourth, and Tre Brown returned a Jared Goff interception to give Seattle a 31-21 lead.
Los Angeles Chargers 24-27 Tennessee Titans
Nick Folk hit a 41-yard field goal in a sudden downpour in overtime and the Titans erased an eight-game deficit by beating the Chargers 27-24. The Titans won for the first time since November 17th of last season. They had to recover from a deficit equal to the yards they had at any given time. Ryan Tannehill bounced back from the worst game of his career in the season opener by throwing for 246 yards. He gave Tennessee a 24-21 lead with a four-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He also ran for a touchdown. Justin Herbert threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He could only set up a game-winning field goal to force overtime.
Indianapolis Colts – Houston Texans 31-20
Anthony Richardson rushed for two touchdowns before leaving with a concussion, and Gardner Minshew threw for 171 yards and a TD as the Colts held off the Texans. It was the first win for coach Shane Steichen, who was hired in February after spending the last two seasons as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator. The Colts led by 18 points at halftime and only managed one field goal in the second half. But their dominant start was enough to close out eight games last season.
Chicago Bears 17-27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield passed for 317 yards and a touchdown and backed up his strong Buccaneers debut with a win over the struggling Bears. With Mayfield playing turnover-free for the second straight week and Mike Evans catching six balls for 171 yards and a touchdown, the Bucs improved to 2-0 while giving the Bears a franchise-record 12 yards. defeat in a row. Mayfield completed 26 of 34 passes without an interception. He set up Rachaad White’s one-yard TD run with a 70-yard completion to Evans in the first quarter. He capped an 89-yard drive with a 32-yard scoring pass to Evans early in the second half.
Green Bay Packers 24-25 Atlanta Falcons
Younghoe Koo hit a 25-yard field goal with 57 seconds left and rookie Bijan Robinson had another dynamic performance to lead the Falcons to victory over Jordan Love and the Packers. Robinson rushed for 124 yards on 19 carries and hauled in four catches for an additional 48 yards. The Falcons improved to 2-0 for just the 11th time in franchise history. The Packers fell to 1-1 after blowing a 24-12 lead and three more touchdown passes from Love. Atlanta’s young quarterback,