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NFL: Week Six Round-Up

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CLEVELAND – (Wire Service Report) – Browns PK Dustin Hopkins kicked a go-ahead, 29-yard field goal with 1:40 left in the game and the host Cleveland spoiled the San Francisco 49ers’ chance at a perfect season with a 19-17 victory on Sunday afternoon.

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Jake Moody had a golden opportunity to provide San Francisco (5-1) with the win, but he missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt wide right.

Jordan Mason had put the 49ers ahead 17-13 when he rushed for an 8-yard touchdown with 10:58 remaining. Hopkins made a 50-yard field goal just over seven minutes later to pull Cleveland (3-2) within one, and the Browns’ defense followed by forcing a three-and-out to set up the game-winning drive.

The 49ers lost star running back Christian McCaffrey (oblique) and wide receiver Deebo Samuel (shoulder) to injuries. Without those weapons, Brock Purdy struggled, completing just 12 of 27 passes for 125 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He took his first regular-season loss as a starter, falling to 10-1.

Cleveland quarterback P.J. Walker had 192 yards and two interceptions on 18-for-34 passing while starting in place of Deshaun Watson (shoulder).

Jets 20, Eagles 14

EAST RUTHERFORD – Tony Adams picked off Jalen Hurts on the first play after the two-minute warning and Breece Hall scored from 8 yards out on the next play for New York, which overcame an 11-point deficit to stun previously unbeaten Philadelphia in New Jersey.

The win was the Jets’ first-ever against the Eagles, who won the first 12 meetings between the franchises. Zach Wilson completed a two-point conversion pass to Randall Cobb following Hall’s TD. Wilson threw for 186 yards on 19-for-33 passing.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had 280 yards passing — including 131 to A.J. Brown — and one touchdown while getting picked off three times. Philadelphia (5-1) led 14-3 in the second quarter before three field goals from Greg Zuerlein pulled the Jets (3-3) within 14-12 late in the third.

Dolphins 42, Panthers 21

MIAMI – Tua Tagovailoa threw for three touchdowns after Miami fell behind by 14 points in a victory over Carolina in Florida.

The Dolphins (5-1) didn’t score in the first quarter, but the NFL’s highest-scoring team got rolling after that. Raheem Mostert, who ran for 115 yards on 17 carries, scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and NFL receiving leader Tyreek Hill racked up 163 receiving yards with one touchdown on six receptions.

The Panthers (0-6) remain the only winless team in the NFL despite going to the second quarter with a 14-0 lead. Rookie Bryce Young threw for 217 yards and one touchdown on 23-for-38 passing. Chuba Hubbard rushed for 88 yards on 19 carries and Adam Thielen had 11 catches for 115 yards.

Ravens 24, Titans 16

LONDON – Justin Tucker kicked six field goals and Baltimore held off a Tennessee rally in the second half to earn a win as the NFL continued its International Series of regular season games overseas.

After making four field goals in the first half to help Baltimore (4-2) open up a 15-point lead at the break, Tucker converted from 20 and 36 yards out in the fourth quarter to restore a two-score advantage. That became vital when the Titans (2-4) got a 38-yard field goal from Nick Folk with 38 seconds remaining.

Lamar Jackson completed 21 of 30 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He also led the Ravens in rushing with 62 yards on 13 carries. Tennessee quarterback Ryan Tannehill completed 8 of 16 passes for 76 yards with an interception before leaving the game with an ankle injury.

Commanders 24, Falcons 16

ATLANTA – Behind Sam Howell’s three touchdown passes and key interceptions by Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste, visiting Washington earned a win over Atlanta.

Howell completed 14 of 23 passes for 151 yards, while Fuller added nine tackles in addition to his third-quarter pick. Terry McLaurin led the Commanders (3-3) in receptions (six) and yards (81). Running backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson added scoring receptions.

Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder passed for 307 yards and two touchdowns but threw three costly interceptions, including one in the end zone grabbed by St-Juste with 5:17 to play in the fourth quarter. Atlanta (3-3) has lost three of its past four games.

Vikings 19, Bears 13

CHICAGO – Jordan Hicks recovered a fumble and took it 42 yards for a touchdown in addition to grabbing an interception as Minnesota held on to beat the Chicago Bears.

Kirk Cousins completed 21 of 31 passes for 181 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota (2-4). Jordan Addison caught the Vikings’ lone touchdown pass as Minnesota emerged on the positive end of its sixth consecutive game decided by eight points or fewer.

Justin Fields completed 6 of 10 passes for 58 yards and one interception for Chicago (1-5) before leaving in the third quarter because of a right hand injury. It was later reported that he dislocated his right thumb. Fields was replaced by undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent, who completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards but threw a costly interception in the final two minutes.

Bengals 17, Seahawks 13

CINCINNATI – Joe Burrow tossed a pair of first-half touchdown passes and the Cincinnati defense had two interceptions in a victory over visiting Seattle.

The Bengals (3-3) sacked Geno Smith four times and stopped the Seahawks (3-2) twice inside the 10-yard line in the final three minutes to seal the win. Burrow finished 24-of-35 passing for 185 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while Smith finished 27-of-41 passing for 323 yards and the two picks.

Kenneth Walker III ran for 62 yards and a touchdown for the Seahawks. Bengals rookie Andrei Iosivas scored his first career touchdown on his 24th birthday.

Texans 20, Saints 13

HOUSTON – C.J. Stroud threw two touchdown passes and the Houston defense held New Orleans without a touchdown after the first quarter in the host Texans’ victory.

Stroud threw the first interception of his rookie season, but he and the Texans (3-3) overcame that as he threw for 199 yards and hit Dalton Schultz and Robert Woods for first-half TDs.

Derek Carr passed for 353 yards and a touchdown, but New Orleans (3-3) was scoreless in three trips deep into Houston territory in the fourth quarter.

Jaguars 37, Colts 20

JACKSONVILLE – Trevor Lawrence passed for two touchdowns and Travis Etienne Jr. added two scores on the ground to lead Jacksonville over visiting Indianapolis.

Lawrence, who sustained a left knee injury, was 20-of-30 passing for 181 yards and one interception as Jacksonville finished off a two-game, regular-season sweep of the Colts. Christian Kirk and Brenton Strange caught touchdown passes as Jacksonville (4-2) moved into first place in the AFC South.

Gardner Minshew completed 33 of 55 passes for 329 yards, one touchdown and a career-worst three interceptions for Indianapolis (3-3). The former Jacksonville quarterback was starting in place of Anthony Richardson, who was placed on injured reserve with a potentially season-ending shoulder injury. Zack Moss rushed for a touchdown for the Colts.

Raiders 21, Patriots 17

LAS VEGAS – QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw a touchdown pass before leaving with a back injury and Daniel Carlson kicked four field goals as host Las Vegas defeated New England.

Garoppolo completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards and was intercepted once before Brian Hoyer replaced him to start the second half. Several reports said Garoppolo was taken to a local hospital for further testing. The Raiders (3-3) have now won back-to-back games following a three-game losing streak.

The Patriots (1-5) continued to struggle offensively, though they did end a 12-quarter touchdown drought. Mac Jones threw for 200 yards and an interception on 24-for-33 passing. New England coach Bill Belichick failed for the third consecutive week to join Don Shula and George Halas as the only NFL head coaches to win 300 regular-season games.

Lions 20, Buccaneers 6

TAMPA-ST. PETE – QB Jared Goff passed for 353 yards and two touchdowns as visiting Detroit defeated Tampa Bay.

Goff completed 30 of 44 passes as Detroit (5-1) extended its lead in the NFC North to 2 1/2 games over idle Green Bay. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 12 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, while Jameson Williams added a 45-yard scoring grab. The Lions’ top rusher, David Montgomery, suffered a rib injury in the second quarter and did not return.

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 19 of 37 passes for 206 yards and an interception. Chris Godwin made six receptions for 77 yards for Tampa Bay (3-2). The Buccaneers were limited to 46 rushing yards.

Rams 26, Cardinals 9

INGLEWOOD – WR Cooper Kupp had seven receptions for 148 yards and a touchdown and Los Angeles outscored Arizona 20-0 in the second half on the way to a victory in California

The Rams (3-3) rolled up 259 of their 382 total yards in the second half. Christian Rozeboom intercepted Cardinals quarterback Josh Dobbs on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Kyren Williams scored a 5-yard touchdown at the end of the ensuing 88-yard drive.

Williams finished with 158 rushing yards on 20 carries for Los Angeles. Dobbs went 21-for-41 passing for 235 yards and led the Cardinals (1-5) in rushing with 47 yards on seven carries.

–Field Level Media

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NFL: Patriots Sign Cunningham

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots signed quarterback Malik Cunningham to a three-year deal, NFL Network reported Saturday. The team announced he had been elevated to the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game but did not announce the signing.

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Cunningham, a dual-threat quarterback, signed with the Patriots as a rookie free agent in May, then was released on Aug. 9 and signed to the practice squad the following day.

“He’s a smart kid, works hard and, the opportunities he’s had, he’s shown a lot of improvement,” head coach Bill Belichick said this week.

In parts of five seasons at Louisville, the undrafted Cunningham, 25, threw for 9,664 yards and 70 touchdowns and

Defensive lineman Jeremiah Pharms Jr. and wide receiver Jalen Reagor were elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.

–Field Level Media

Problem-laden Patriots Head to Vegas

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Familiar faces with similar problems look to lead their respective teams to victory Sunday when the New England Patriots visit the Raiders.

Let’s start with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who has seen his struggling team average an NFL-worst 11.0 points per game this season. New England (1-4) has been outscored a staggering 72-3 over its last two games and gone 34 consecutive drives without scoring an offensive touchdown.

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Belichick, however, confirmed Wednesday that Mac Jones will remain the team’s starter despite pulling the quarterback in consecutive contests. Jones is just 24-for-43 for 260 yards and four interceptions in that stretch.

“Right now, it’s not looking too good,” Jones said of his team’s troubles. “But we have to flip the switch and start over and figure out ways to go out there and have fun and sling the ball around — guys go make plays and then celebrate with each other, too.

“One of the best things I do is my ability to communicate. Somebody told me that in the locker room and I took it to heart; I need to do a better job of that.”

Jones’ job this weekend could be a bit tougher given his injured wide receiver corps. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Demario Douglas did not participate in Wednesday’s practice while in the NFL’s concussion protocol, leaving DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne as the top options for Jones.

While the Patriots have the NFL’s 26th-ranked total offense (287.4 yards per game) and 26th-ranked rushing offense (83.8), don’t expect Raiders coach Josh McDaniels to take his opponent lightly. After all, he knows Belichick quite well after joining New England in 2001 as a personnel assistant before shuffling over to defensive assistant, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.

“I have great respect for their team and their coaching staff and obviously for Bill,” said McDaniels, who is 2-0 in his coaching career against Belichick.

“They’ll be ready to play. They’ve got a lot of things that they do that create issues for you. We’re going to have to, on a short week, get ready for a lot of different things. We have not seen a team that plays like this. There’s a lot of challenges inherently in getting ready for them. I’m sure he’ll have them ready to go.”

Like New England, Las Vegas (2-3) will need to find a way to ignite its sluggish offense. After all, the Raiders are listed as 29th in total offense (281.2) and 32nd — yes, dead last — in rushing (71.4).

Las Vegas mustered 279 total yards and 96 rushing in its 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers Monday. The decision snapped a three-game losing skid for the Raiders.

Former Patriots wideout Jakobi Meyers had seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown versus the Packers. He has recorded at least seven receptions in three of the four games he has played this season since signing a three-year, $33 million contract in the offseason.

Speaking of former Patriots, Jimmy Garoppolo completed 22 of 31 passes for 208 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his return to the lineup from a concussion.

Maxx Crosby was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording five tackles — including a career-high-tying four for a loss — and a sack versus Green Bay.

Meyers (wrist) was listed as limited in the team’s estimated practice on Wednesday. Fellow wideout Davante Adams (shoulder) and cornerback Nate Hobbs were estimated as failing to participate.

–Field Level Media

Jones and Lineman Out at Buffalo

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BUFFALO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and three offensive linemen have been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the host Buffalo Bills, said Giants coach Brian Daboll.

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Jones, who is nursing a neck injury, joined left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring), rookie center John Michael Schmitz (shoulder) and backup Matt Peart (shoulder) in being ruled out for Sunday’s contest. Outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (ankle) also was ruled out for the game.

Tyrod Taylor, who played in Buffalo from 2015-17, will be under center when the Giants (1-4) face the Bills (3-2). The start will be Taylor’s first since the 2021 season.

Taylor, 34, has completed 11 of 15 passes for 92 yards in four games this season. He owns a 26-25-1 record during his NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens (2011-14), Bills, Cleveland Browns (2018), Los Angeles Chargers (2019-20), Houston Texans (2021) and Giants.

Jones, 26, has missed the first two practices this week after exiting Sunday’s 31-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the fourth quarter following a sack by Andrew Van Ginkel. The hit took Jones by surprise from his blind side, and his head cocked backward before he was driven to the turf.

Jones completed 14 of 20 passes for 119 yards and was sacked six times against Miami. He has completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 884 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions through five starts this season.

NFL: Chiefs “D” Beats Broncos

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 306 yards and one touchdown and his Chiefs used a strong defensive performance on Thursday night to post a 19-8 victory over the visiting Denver Broncos.

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KC TE Travis Kelce caught nine passes for 124 yards as Kansas City (5-1) defeated the AFC West-rival Broncos for the 16th consecutive time. Kadarius Toney caught a touchdown pass and Isiah Pacheco accumulated 98 scrimmage yards (62 rushing, 36 receiving) as the Chiefs improved their overall winning streak to five games.

Harrison Butker kicked four field goals — including a 60-yarder — and Nick Bolton and Justin Reid intercepted passes for Kansas City.

Russell Wilson completed 13 of 22 passes for 95 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Denver (1-5). Courtland Sutton had a scoring reception and Justin Simmons intercepted a pass for the Broncos.

Mahomes was 30-of-40 passing while improving to 12-0 in his starts against the Broncos. The Chiefs outgained Denver 389 to 197.

Kansas City led 13-0 at the break as Butker easily cleared the crossbar on his half-ending 60-yard boot. His career long of 62 occurred last season against the Buffalo Bills.

Butker added a 25-yard field goal with 9:16 left in the third quarter.

Denver finally got on the board with 6:07 remaining in the game when Wilson connected with Sutton on an 11-yard scoring pass and Javonte Williams added a two-point run to pull the Broncos within 16-8.

A roughing the passer penalty on Mike Edwards on third-and-five — when Wilson threw an incompletion — pushed the ball to the Chiefs’ 11-yard line one play before the touchdown.

Kansas City took over after the touchdown and worked 4:12 off the clock before Butker connected on a 52-yard field goal to make it an 11-point margin with 1:55 left.

Just 13 seconds later, Trent McDuffie forced Denver’s Samaje Perine to fumble, and Willie Gay recovered for the Chiefs to put the game away.

Earlier, Butker started the scoring with a 35-yard field goal with 5:40 remaining in the first quarter. The Chiefs scored their lone touchdown when Mahomes hit Toney on a 3-yard scoring pass with 3:06 left in the half.

–Field Level Media

NFL, KC, Broncos: Moment of Silence

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Before the Thursday night NFL game in Kansas City between the Denver Broncos and the Chiefs, a moment of silence was held in recognition of civilians killed in Israel-Gaza violence that began Saturday.

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Multiple media outlets reported that teams across the NFL would follow suit before games this weekend. More than a dozen teams released statements condemning the killings, which were carried out by Hamas militants and drew retaliation from Israel.

Teams in numerous sports have also planned pregame moments of silence.

According to the Athletic, the Premier League confirmed it will hold a moment of silence before matches, and that players, coaches and officials will be wearing armbands “as a mark of respect for all those affected” by the Israel-Gaza violence.

Before their playoff game Thursday night, the host Philadelphia Phillies lit Citizens Bank Park in blue and white, the colors of Israel’s flag.

–Field Level Media

NFL Thursday: KC Streaking vs. Denver

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DENVER – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The last time the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Denver Broncos, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes was a sophomore at Texas Tech. Kansas City began its dominance prior to Mahomes’ arrival and now looks to post its 16th straight victory over the visiting Broncos when the teams meet on Thursday night.

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Mahomes, a two-time MVP, is 11-0 as a starter against AFC West rival Denver. However, he said the streak doesn’t matter on game night.

“When you play a team like the Broncos, same with any division opponent, there’s just another level of intensity,” Mahomes said Tuesday. “I’m not worried about necessarily a streak or anything like that. I’m worried about winning against a division opponent. … It doesn’t matter what the records are. It’s gonna be a close game.”

The Chiefs (4-1) enter Thursday with a four-game winning streak while the Broncos (1-4) have been one of the worst teams in the NFL in Sean Payton’s first season as coach. Still, Denver quarterback Russell Wilson points to last season’s two meetings as evidence of his team being able to stick with Kansas City. The Chiefs won 34-28 at Denver and 27-24 at home in 2022.

“We had good battles against them last year, both of them came down to the wire,” Wilson said Tuesday. “It’s a great football team on their side and we have to play great football, we have to play clean. We’re going into a tough environment.”

The Broncos have been abysmal on defense this season and rank last in scoring defense (36.2 points per game), total defense (450.6 yards allowed per game) and rushing defense (187.6 yards allowed per game). Denver is the lone team to allow over 2,000 yards so far this season (2,253).

The Broncos have allowed a staggering 877 yards on the ground over the past four games. The New York Jets rushed for 234 yards — 177 by Breece Hall — in a 31-21 road win over Denver on Sunday.

“It’s going to be tough to win games if we can’t stop the run defensively, and we have to get it cleaned up,” Payton said.

Perhaps Kansas City’s hard-running Isiah Pacheco (325 rushing yards, three touchdowns) is in line for a big game.

Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is aiming to play on Thursday. He sprained his right ankle on Sunday in Kansas City’s 27-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Minneapolis. He missed practice Monday and was limited Tuesday.

Kelce caught 10 passes against the Vikings — five before he hurt the ankle late in the first half and five during a single third-quarter drive after returning to action. He caught a touchdown pass to end that excursion.

Mahomes expects Kelce to answer the bell on Thursday night.

“That’s a legendary type game,” Mahomes said of Kelce’s performance at Minnesota. “I mean, to be able to battle through that. I didn’t see the injury live, so I didn’t know how bad it was, but looking back at it now and seeing how the ankle rolled and then being able to come back out there and play at a high level and score a touchdown that we needed to win the game — it speaks to not only the talent that he has, but the toughness that he has.”

The Broncos began the 21-day window to activate tight end Greg Dulcich from injured reserve on Tuesday. Payton said Dulcich, who injured his hamstring in the season opener, is “close” to being ready for activation. Dulcich was limited during Tuesday’s practice.

Denver defensive tackle D.J. Jones (knee) and outside linebacker Frank Clark (illness) missed practice on Tuesday. Among the five Broncos who joined Dulcich as limited were safety Justin Simmons (hip) and center Lloyd Cushenberry III (quadriceps).

Joining Kelce as limited during the Chiefs’ Tuesday practice were linebacker Nick Bolton (ankle) and defensive end George Karlaftis (hamstring).

–Field Level Media

Patriots Beaten Down (Again)

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Saints veteran QB Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes and the New Orleans’ defense forced three turnovers in a 34-0 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

Carr passed for 183 yards, Alvin Kamara rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and Tyrann Mathieu got the rout started by returning an interception of Mac Jones for the game’s first score.

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The Saints (3-2) ended their NFL-worst streak of 10 consecutive games scoring 21 or fewer points.

For the second straight week, Jones had two interceptions and a lost fumble before being replaced by Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots (1-4) nearly matched the futility of their 38-3 loss at Dallas a week earlier, the most lopsided defeat in Bill Belichick’s 29 seasons as a head coach. Sunday’s margin was the largest in a home shutout loss in franchise history.

Belichick failed for a second consecutive week to join Don Shula and George Halas as the only NFL head coaches to win 300 games.

New England, which finished with 156 yards and eight first downs, went 1-of-14 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth downs.

Jones lost a fumble on the first possession of the third quarter, leading to Blake Grupe’s 54-yard field goal and a 24-0 New Orleans lead at the end of the third quarter.

Pete Werner intercepted Jones at the New England 31, and Carr’s ensuing 6-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau made it a 31-0 lead. Grupe’s 53-yard field goal completed the scoring with 5:43 left.

Jones, who had an interception and a fumble returned for touchdowns last week, was intercepted on New England’s second possession Sunday by Mathieu, who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown that gave New Orleans a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

On the second play of the second quarter, Kamara ran 2 yards for the Saints’ first offensive touchdown in 20 possessions, increasing the lead to 14-0.

They made it two touchdown drives in a row when Carr threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave for a 21-0 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

NFL on SNF: San Fran vs Dallas Preview

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Sunday Night Football Preview

49ers (4-0) vs. Cowboys (3-1): Everything is going right for San Francisco, which is one of two undefeated teams still standing along with Philadelphia. Running back Christian McCaffery is coming off a four-touchdown performance (three rushing, one receiving) and leads the NFL with 459 yards on the ground. QB Brock Purdy is still undefeated in the regular season, carrying a 9-0 record into the meeting with Dallas. But if any defense is equipped to contain the 49ers, it’s the Cowboys’. Dallas leads the league with three defensive TDs, holds the best turnover differential (plus-9) and is tied for the fifth-most sacks (14). The Cowboys haven’t been slouches on offense, either, averaging 360 total yards of offense per game and winning by at least 20 points in all three of their victories. While the Niners have eliminated Dallas from the postseason in each of the past two seasons, the Cowboys have taken seven of the last nine regular-season meetings between the teams.

–Field Level Media

Big Game for Patriots and Saints

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are coming off the most lopsided loss in Bill Belichick‘s 29 seasons as a head coach while the New Orleans Saints are in the midst of one of the worst stretches of offense in the NFL.

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Both teams are seeking significant improvement when they meet Sunday afternoon in Massachusetts.

New England (1-3) lost 38-3 at Dallas last Sunday as quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over three times, including a pick six and a scoop and score.

“The biggest thing is moving on from it and learning from it,” Jones said. “(I need to) take care of the football, go through my reads. That’s all I can do as the quarterback, and I feel like the guys are doing a good job. So, I just have to get the ball out to them and let them make plays.”

Belichick, who’s in his 24th season as Patriots head coach after five seasons as Cleveland’s head coach, has a chance to achieve a far more positive milestone this week. If New England beats New Orleans, Belichick will join George Halas and Don Shula as the only coaches with 300 career regular-season victories.

“That wasn’t our best game,” Belichick said of last week’s loss. “We’re capable of more than that. We just have to play collectively better complementary team football, and that includes everything – offense, defense, special teams.”

The Patriots rank 30th in scoring and 17th in yards. The Saints are tied for 25th in scoring and are 23rd in yards.

New Orleans has scored 21 or fewer points in 10 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the NFL.

The Saints (2-2) have lost two games in a row and failed to reach the end zone in a 26-9 home loss to Tampa Bay last week.

Derek Carr passed for just 127 yards while playing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder that forced him to miss two days of practice last week.

“I feel much better this week than I did at this time last week,” Carr said after practice Wednesday. “I’ve been through tougher times than this. We’re going to be all right. We’ve got the right kind of people in our room.”

New Orleans ranks 25th in rushing offense even after leading rusher Alvin Kamara returned last week from a three-game suspension. He had 51 yards on 11 carries against the Bucs.

“The sense of urgency is extremely high,” guard James Hurst said. “We’re not playing up to the level that we hoped to at this point in the season.

“It’s extremely frustrating because we know we have the potential to move the ball and score points, but at the same time we’re hopeful because you look around the offense and see players who have proven they can make plays.”

Two Patriots injured against the Cowboys missed practice Wednesday – rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and pass rusher Matthew Judon (elbow). New England addressed Gonzalez’s absence when it re-acquired former All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson in a trade with the Chargers on Wednesday.

Two Saints starters besides Carr were limited Wednesday: cornerback Paulson Adebo, who has missed the past two games because of a hamstring injury, and center Erik McCoy (knee).

– Field Level Media