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Congressional Report on Snyder

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WASH DC – Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder suppressed evidence that he and team executives sexually harassed women who worked at the team for over two decades, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform said Thursday in its final report after a nearly 14-month investigation.

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In a 79-page report released Thursday, the Committee detailed the decades-long toxic workplace culture of the Washington franchise, the NFL’s response to the conduct and the league’s burial of a 2020-21 probe of the Commanders’ workplace led by attorney Beth Wilkinson.

The Committee’s report also notes the NFL was complicit in Snyder’s efforts against cooperating with the inquiry and was aware of the interference with the Wilkinson Investigation but failed to take action. It said the league’s mishandling of the investigation reflected “a broader pattern of failing to take workplace misconduct seriously.”

The report also detailed that Snyder “permitted and participated” in the franchise’s toxic work culture and went to great lengths to obstruct the Committee’s inquiry.

“Mr. Snyder was invited to testify at a public hearing but refused to appear and then sought to avoid service of a subpoena while abroad with his yacht,” per the report. “Mr. Snyder ultimately sat for a private deposition but failed to provide full and complete testimony. Over the course of the deposition, he claimed more than 100 times that he could not recall the answers to the Committee’s questions, including basic inquiries about his role as Team owner and multiple allegations of misconduct. Mr. Snyder also gave misleading testimony about his efforts to interfere with the Wilkinson Investigation.”

The report also chastised the NFL for failing to prevent Snyder from interfering with its investigation and for failing to address his conduct.

“The NFL chose to bury Ms. Wilkinson’s findings and whitewash the misconduct it uncovered,” the committee’s report said. “Rather than seek real accountability, the NFL aligned its legal interests with Mr. Snyder’s, failed to curtail his abusive tactics, and buried the investigation’s findings.”

An NFL spokesman told ESPN that the league had not seen the report and would not comment.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Unlucky Week 13

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CINCINNATI – (Staff and Field Level Media Report) – Bengals QB Joe Burrow passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a score to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a 27-24 victory over the visiting Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Chris Evans caught the go-ahead 8-yard touchdown pass with 8:54 remaining as Burrow outdueled Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the third time in 11-plus months. Cincinnati beat Kansas City 34-31 in the regular season last January and notched a 27-24 overtime victory in the AFC Championship Game four weeks later.

Samaje Perine rushed for 106 yards while Tee Higgins also caught a touchdown pass for the Bengals (8-4), who won their fourth straight game and eighth in their past 10. Ja’Marr Chase had seven receptions for 97 yards after missing the previous four games due to a hip injury. Running back Joe Mixon (concussion) missed his second straight game.

Mahomes was 16-of-27 passing for 223 yards and one touchdown for the Chiefs (9-3), who had a five-game winning streak halted. Travis Kelce had just four receptions for 56 yards and lost a fumble prior to the Bengals’ decisive score.

49ers 33, Dolphins 17

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy came to the rescue in his first extended NFL action, passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns to push San Francisco’s winning streak to five games with a victory over Miami at Santa Clara, Calif.

Purdy, who was 25 of 37 with an interception, took over in the first quarter for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and delivered a touchdown on his first drive. The 49ers’ defense added three interceptions and a fumble return for a score by Dre Greenlaw, all in the second half. Christian McCaffrey caught eight passes for 80 yards and a touchdown for the 49ers (8-4), while also rushing for 66 yards on 17 carries. Garoppolo will miss the remainder of the season with a broken foot.

Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa was 18-of-33 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but his two third-quarter interceptions were his first in a span of six games. Tyreek Hill had nine receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown for the Dolphins (8-4), who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

Ravens 10, Broncos 9

Tyler Huntley relieved an injured Lamar Jackson and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining as host Baltimore rallied for a victory over Denver.

The Ravens (8-4) escaped with a dramatic win after Jackson was injured while being sacked for a 6-yard loss by Denver’s Jonathon Cooper on the final play of the first quarter. The Ravens initially said Jackson was questionable to return and then ruled him out before the second half started.

Denver (3-9) lost its fourth straight and was held to 16 points or fewer for the 10th time this season. Russell Wilson completed 17 of 22 passes for 189 yards.

Cowboys 54, Colts 19

Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns and Dallas scored five fourth-quarter touchdowns to rout Indianapolis in Arlington, Texas.

Ahead 21-19 as the fourth started, Dallas (9-3) exploded. Prescott (20-for-30, 170 yards) found Michael Gallup for a 3-yard score, followed by Malik Hooker’s 38-yard fumble return. Tony Pollard peeled off a 30-yard TD run, Ezekiel Elliott tacked on a 4-yard scoring jaunt and Malik Davis finished the outburst with a 23-yard TD run.

Matt Ryan hit on 21 of 37 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns, but tossed three interceptions and lost a fumble, giving him 13 picks and five lost fumbles for the year. The Colts (4-8-1) fell to 1-3 under interim coach Jeff Saturday.

Steelers 19, Falcons 16

Matthew Wright kicked four field goals, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett threw a touchdown pass and Pittsburgh held off host Atlanta.

Pickett was 16 of 28 for 197 yards and didn’t commit a turnover for the fourth straight game after tossing eight interceptions in his first five games. Pittsburgh (5-7) sealed the game with Minkah Fitzpatrick’s interception of Marcus Mariota with 35 seconds left.

Mariota completed 13 of 24 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown, finding MyCole Pruitt with a 7-yard strike with 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter to cut Pittsburgh’s advantage to 19-13. Atlanta (5-8) never got closer.

Packers 28, Bears 19

Mason Crosby kicked a go-ahead 32-yard field goal with 4:49 remaining and Christian Watson had rushing and receiving touchdowns to boost visiting Green Bay past Chicago.

The Packers (5-8) defeated the Bears for the eighth straight time, while Chicago (3-10) lost its sixth straight overall. Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander intercepted Justin Fields at the Packers 28-yard line with 2:52 remaining to thwart a comeback attempt after Crosby’s field goal put the team ahead 20-19.

Chicago’s Justin Fields was 20-of-25 passing for 254 yards and two interceptions while rushing six times for 71 yards and a score. A.J. Dillon had 119 yards of total offense for Green Bay, including 93 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Lions 40, Jaguars 14

Jared Goff passed for 340 yards, including two touchdown strikes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, as host Detroit won for the fourth time in five games by romping Jacksonville.

Goff completed 31 of 41 pass attempts. St. Brown caught 11 passes for 114 yards, while D’Andre Swift had 62 rushing yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Jamaal Williams scored his league-leading 14th touchdown and DJ Chark made five receptions for 98 yards for the Lions (5-7).

Trevor Lawrence completed 17 of 31 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown for the Jaguars (4-8). Travis Etienne Jr. rushed for 54 yards on 13 carries. Christian Kirk led the receiving corps with six catches for 104 yards.

Browns 27, Texans 14

Propelled by three non-offensive touchdowns, Cleveland overcame a rusty effort from Deshaun Watson in his anticipated return to defeat Houston.

Following his offseason trade from Houston to Cleveland (5-7), Watson delivered an erratic showing, completing 12 of 22 attempts for 131 yards plus a red-zone interception.

Houston (1-10-1) suffered its seventh consecutive loss as a byproduct of critical errors and offensive ineptitude. The Texans accrued 162 yards in the first half, with 73 coming on one drive.

Vikings 27, Jets 22

Kirk Cousins went 21-of-35 passing for 173 yards and a touchdown to lead Minnesota to a win over the New York Jets in Minneapolis.

Minnesota (10-2) took a 27-15 lead with 8:33 remaining on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Justin Jefferson. New York (7-5) cut its deficit to 27-22 with 6:48 remaining on a 1-yard touchdown run by Mike White that finished off a five-play, 75-yard drive.

White went 31-of-57 passing for 369 yards and two interceptions in defeat for the Jets. The Jets outgained the Vikings in yards, 486-287, but settled for five Greg Zuerlein field goals and scored one touchdown on six trips to the red zone.

Commanders 20, Giants 20 (OT)

Taylor Heinicke threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson with 1:45 left in regulation and neither squad scored in overtime as Washington played to a tie with New York in East Rutherford, N.J.

In the 10-minute overtime session, both teams punted twice. The Giants had a chance to win on the final play but Graham Gano’s 58-yard field goal attempt came up short. Washington (7-5-1) kept pace with New York (7-4-1) in their battle to reach the playoffs.

The Giants were up 20-13 in the closing minutes of regulation before Heinicke directed a 90-yard scoring drive. Heinicke completed 27 of 41 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and Terry McLaurin caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. For the Giants, Daniel Jones completed 25 of 31 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 12 times for 71 yards.

Eagles 35, Titans 10

Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another, and host Philadelphia defeated Tennessee.

Hurts was 29 of 39 for 380 yards and tossed two touchdowns to A.J. Brown, a former member of the Titans (7-5). Brown had eight receptions for 119 yards and DeVonta Smith added five catches for 102 yards and a score for the Eagles (11-1).

Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was 14 of 22 for 141 yards and one touchdown and looked to be limping with soreness in both ankles. Stellar running back Derrick Henry was held in check with 11 carries for 30 yards.

Seahawks 27, Rams 23

Geno Smith threw three touchdown passes, including an 8-yarder to DK Metcalf with 36 seconds remaining, as Seattle defeated Los Angeles in Inglewood, Calif.

Smith completed 28 of 39 passes for 367 yards as the Seahawks (7-5) snapped a two-game losing streak. Tyler Lockett made nine receptions for 128 yards and a TD and Metcalf had eight catches for 127 yards.

Cam Akers rushed for two touchdowns for the injury-plagued Rams (3-9), who suffered their sixth consecutive defeat. Akers’ second TD, from 6 yards, gave the Rams a 23-20 lead with 2:56 left.

Raiders 27, Chargers 20

Derek Carr and Davante Adams connected on two long scoring passes in the third quarter to help Las Vegas rally for a win against visiting Los Angeles.

Adams caught eight passes for 177 yards and the two third-quarter touchdowns. Carr completed 16 of 30 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Raiders (5-7).

Justin Herbert completed 28 of 47 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown for the Chargers (6-6). Herbert found Keenan Allen on fourth-and-12 for a 35-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 27-20 with 8:34 left in the game.

–Field Level Media

 

49ers’ Garoppolo Out for Season

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was carted to the locker room after the team’s opening drive Sunday with a foot injury.

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Garoppolo was initially listed as questionable to return, but the Niners downgraded him to out during the second quarter.

The injury adds to the quarterback concerns for the 49ers, who lost Trey Lance for the season during San Francisco’s second game. Lance subsequently underwent surgery for an ankle injury.

Garoppolo was 2-of-4 passing for 56 yards on San Francisco’s opening drive when he was sacked by a pair of Miami defensive players. The knee of Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips appeared to land on the side of Garoppolo’s left foot.

On the following play, the 49ers’ Robbie Gould kicked a 47-yard field goal as San Francisco answered an opening-drive touchdown by the Dolphins.

 

The 49ers turned to rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback and the seventh-round pick out of Iowa State in April’s NFL draft led San Francisco to a TD on his first drive. Purdy hit Kyle Juszczyk on a 3-yard TD pass to cap the 54-yard drive, for his first career scoring pass.

 

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: 49ers Defeat Cards, 38-10

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MEXICO CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former New England reserve QB Jimmy Garoppolo tied a career high with four touchdown passes as the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 Monday night in the NFL’s fourth regular season game in Mexico.

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The 49ers (6-4) won their third consecutive game to move into a tie with idle Seattle for first place in the NFC West.

Garoppolo completed 20 of 29 passes for 228 yards and threw two TD passes apiece to Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle. San Francisco’s other touchdown came on a 39-yard run by wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

The Cardinals (4-7) played without starting quarterback Kyler Murray for the second straight game because of a hamstring injury.

Veteran Colt McCoy, who guided Arizona to a victory against the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams last week, had no such luck at Estadio Azteca. McCoy was 24-of-34 passing for 218 yards with one interception. The Cardinals held a 3-0 lead after one quarter on a 40-yard field goal by Matt Prater before the 49ers got acclimated to the elevation change and the slippery turf from a downpour that began just before the opening kickoff. San Francisco outscored the Cardinals 31-7 over the next two quarters to pull away.

Garoppolo threw TD passes of 7 yards to Aiyuk and 39 yards to Kittle before Arizona scored its lone touchdown on a 2-yard run by James Conner. The 49ers’ Robbie Gould converted a 39-yard field goal with 43 seconds left in the half to make it 17-10. Samuel scored on an end-around on San Francisco’s opening drive of the second half, then Garoppolo threw two more scoring strikes, hitting Aiyuk from 13 yards and Kittle from 32, the latter early in the fourth quarter.

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Elijah Mitchell led the 49ers with 59 yards rushing on nine attempts. Christian McCaffrey added 39 yards on seven carries and made seven receptions for 67 yards, matching Samuel for the team lead in receptions.

Conner carried 14 times for 42 yards for the Cardinals. DeAndre Hopkins and Greg Dortch each had nine catches, racking up 91 and 103 yards, respectively.

It was a rematch of a 2005 contest at the same stadium that was the NFL’s first regular-season game played outside the United States.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Patriots Edge J-E-T-S, 10-3

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service/Field Level Media Report) – New England’s Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with five seconds remaining as the Patriots picked up their 14th consecutive win over the New York Jets, escaping with a 10-3 victory on Sunday afternoon in chilly and gusty Massachusetts.

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In a game that featured 17 punts, Jones provided the only touchdown to lead the Patriots (6-4) to their third straight win. New England’s defense was suffocating, holding New York (6-4) to just 2 yards of total offense in the second half and 103 for the entire game.

Patriots quarterback Mac Jones completed 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards, while Damien Harris finished with 65 yards on eight carries. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for just 26 yards but added another 56 on six catches.

Zach Wilson threw for just 77 yards on 9-for-22 passing. He also ran for a team-high 26 yards, while Michael Carter went for 19 yards on eight carries. New York’s defense stood strong as well, sacking Jones six times.

New England appeared to score the game’s first touchdown with 10:27 remaining in the fourth when Kyle Dugger sacked Wilson, Wilson fumbled and Davon Godchaux scooped up the loose ball at the Jets 10 and walked into the end zone.

However, Wilson ended up being ruled down, keeping things knotted at 3-all.

Both teams punted on their first two drives, but Nick Folk broke the scoreless tie at the beginning of the second quarter with a 24-yard field goal to punctuate a 14-play, 74-yard drive. New York quickly evened the score, though, thanks to Greg Zuerlein’s 45-yarder on the ensuing possession.

Folk had a chance to give the Patriots a lead before the break, but his kick clanked off the crossbar from 44 yards out with 2:49 left in the first half.

New England totaled seven first downs through the first 30 minutes of action, while the Jets managed just four as the teams combined for 252 total yards of offense.

Folk also missed from 43 yards out with 9:08 left in the third.

–Field Level Media

Buffalo Gets the Job Done in Detroit

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Bills Defeat Browns, 31-23,  in Neutral Site Game

DETROIT – (Staff and Wire Service/Field Level Media Report) – Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen passed for 197 yards and one touchdown and Tyler Bass matched his career best with six field goals to help the host Bills record a 31-23 victory over the Cleveland Browns in a game played in Detroit due to the historic snowfall in the Buffalo area.

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James Cook rushed for a career-high 86 yards and Devin Singletary also rushed for 86 yards and tacked on a score for the Bills (7-3), who halted a two-game losing streak. Stefon Diggs caught a touchdown pass for Buffalo.

Jacoby Brissett passed for 324 yards and three touchdowns for Cleveland (3-7), which lost for the sixth time in the past seven games. Amari Cooper caught eight receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns, but Nick Chubb was held to 19 yards on 14 carries for the Browns.

The game was moved to Detroit due to the epic snowstorm that hit the Buffalo area. On Saturday upon leaving their complex for the airport, the Bills said there were 77 inches of snow on the ground at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Bass matched the franchise record of six field goals for the second time in his career. The original mark was set in 1996 by Steve Christie.

Diggs had four receptions for 48 yards to top 1,000 yards for the fifth straight season. He has 1,033 this year.

The Bills led by three at halftime before Bass expanded the lead to 16-10 with a season-long 56-yard field goal with 9:42 left in the third quarter.

The Browns went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Buffalo 27 on their next drive but Brissett’s quarterback sneak was stopped for no gain. Buffalo took over and went 73 yards on four plays with Singletary scoring from the 5. A two-point conversion run failed.

Bass kicked fourth-quarter field goals of 49 and 28 yards to make it 28-10. Brissett pulled Cleveland within 12 by hitting Cooper on a 7-yard aerial with 4:11 left in the game before Bass tacked on a 39-yarder with 1:56 remaining.

Brissett tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones with 19 seconds left.

Buffalo took its first lead of the game at 13-10 on Allen’s 5-yard scoring pass to Diggs with 14 seconds left in the half.

The Browns struck on the opening drive of the game on Brissett’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Cooper. Bass got the Bills on the board with a 42-yard field goal with 3:32 left in the first quarter before Cleveland’s Cade York restored the seven-point margin with a 32-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

Buffalo started slow and recorded its initial first down nearly 22 minutes into the game. That drive culminated in Bass’ 36-yard field goal with 4:54 left in the half.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Patriots Have Jets on Hold

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service/Field Level Media Report) – When the New York Jets clashed with the New England Patriots in Week 8, it looked as if the Jets were in prime position to shake a 12-game losing streak against their AFC East rivals.

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New York was riding a four-game winning streak, quarterback Zach Wilson was playing with confidence, and the Jets were playing at home — which happens to be the only place they’ve been able to win a regular-season game against New England over the past 13 years.

However, the New York Jets will have another chance to snap the skid when they travels to Massachusetts on Sunday for a meeting with the Patriots. Both teams are coming off their bye week. The Jets (6-3) bounced back from their loss against New England (5-4) with an impressive 20-17 home victory over the Buffalo Bills on Nov. 6.

James Robinson scored his first touchdown as a Jet late in the third quarter against Buffalo. After Tyler Bass’ field goal leveled the game at 17-all, the Jets’ Greg Zuerlein made good on a 28-yarder with just under two minutes remaining for the winning points.

With the Jets coming off the win and a week of rest, coach Robert Saleh said his team is better than it was the last time out against the Patriots.

“I feel like we’ve gotten better every week,” Saleh said. “It still comes down to being able to execute and do our job and do right longer. You’d like to think with every passing day, you get a little bit better.”

Getting better as the season progresses has been something New England has been able to accomplish, as the Patriots have won four of their past five games after a 1-3 start.

The Patriots went into their bye week on a high note following a 26-3 romp over the visiting Indianapolis Colts.

Matthew Judon and Josh Uche headlined a masterclass defensive performance, as they each recorded three sacks. Jonathan Jones blocked a punt and returned an interception 17 yards for a TD as New England prevented the Colts from converting any of their 14 third-down opportunities.

It might be harder for the Patriots to apply pressure against New York, though, as New England coach Bill Belichick noted that the Jets have tuned up their offensive line since the teams last met.

“They played Buffalo — that’s the only game we’ve seen — (and they) did a good job defensively against a very explosive Buffalo offense,” Belichick said. “Did a good job in the kicking game, protecting the ball, especially their quarterback.”

The Sunday game will open a busy stretch for the Patriots, who will play three games in a 12-day span. Following the meeting with New York, New England will visit the Vikings on Thanksgiving before returning home to play the Bills on Dec. 1.

“We’re focused on the Jets right now,” Belichick said. “Worry about next week next week.”

Defensive lineman DaMarcus Mitchell could miss the beginning of that stretch, as he did not practice on Wednesday due to an illness. Fellow defensive lineman Christian Barmore (knee), safety Kyle Dugger (ankle) and Uche (hamstring) were all limited.

Wide receiver Corey Davis didn’t participate in the Jets’ practice on Wednesday because of a knee injury. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (elbow) and guard Nate Herbig (shin) also sat out.

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Pack Hopes Offense a Go

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GREEN BAY – (Staff and Wire Service/Field Level Media Report) – Stopping a five-game losing streak by any means possible beats the alternative.

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Still, the Green Bay Packers felt they might also have relocated their groove, to boot, after snapping a lengthy midseason skid with a 31-28 overtime victory against Dallas last week.

Will rookie wide receiver Christian Watson remain the revelation he was in catching three touchdown passes against the Cowboys? The Packers are eager to find out whether or not their offense can keep rolling when they host the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night.

Green Bay has won two of the past three meetings in the series, including a 40-14 home romp over Tennessee during Week 16 of the 2020 season.

The winning team has scored 40 points or more in four of the past five meetings, a run that dates back to 2004.

Maintaining the trend Thursday might take some doing. Tennessee (6-3) has scored no more than 24 points in a game this season, while 31 points is the high-water mark for Green Bay (4-6).

The Packers, though, are confident they found a spark last week. Trailing 28-14 in the fourth quarter, Green Bay responded with two scoring passes from quarterback Aaron Rodgers to Watson before Rodgers steered the game-winning drive in overtime that culminated with Mason Crosby’s 28-yard field goal.

With Aaron Jones (24 carries, 138 yards, one touchdown) leading the way, the Packers topped 200 yards rushing for the third time in 2022. Green Bay started the same offensive line in consecutive games for the first time this season.

“That’s going to be an important part of our success moving forward if we can keep those guys healthy,” Rodgers said. “We’ve protected well. We’ve communicated really well, and we gave just little gaps for those backs, and man they had a big day.”

Tennessee is averaging 18.4 points per game. The Titans, who lead the AFC South by two games, are aiming to be unconventional, as only two teams of the 140 since 2002 to average 18.4 points or fewer have made the playoffs.

The Titans rebounded from an overtime loss at Kansas City in Week 9 with a 17-10 victory against Denver last week. With the Broncos geared toward stopping running back Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill connected with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a pair of scores after missing the previous two games with a sprained ankle.

Henry rushed for 53 yards on 19 carries to end a streak of five straight games with 100 yards or more on the ground. But that was against a Broncos ‘D’ that has allowed the ninth-fewest rushing yards (1,044) in the NFL.

As the second-leading rusher in the league, Henry hopes to come untracked against the Packers, who allow 4.8 yards per carry, tied for 28th in the league.

“I think the more carries you get him in a drive, the stronger he gets, and so that’s why it’s even more important that we pick up those third downs (when) we have the opportunity to, and get him (more) opportunities within the drive,” Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. “Obviously that’s the mission, that’s the goal. We just didn’t do that well enough in the last game.”

–Field Level Media

NFL Desk: Freeman Leads Carolina

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CHARLOTTE – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – D’Onta Foreman ran for 130 yards and a touchdown and the Carolina Panthers avenged a loss sustained 11 days earlier by defeating the Atlanta Falcons 25-15 on a rainy Thursday night in Carolina.

Panthers quarterback PJ Walker threw for 108 yards on 10-for-16 passing in a game that was close but didn’t quite have the drama of Atlanta’s overtime victory in the first matchup between the NFC South teams on Oct. 30.

Eddy Pineiro, who missed two potential winning kicks in the game at Atlanta, booted four field goals for the Panthers (3-7). Foreman had 31 carries to spearhead a Carolina ground game that produced 232 yards on a whopping 47 carries.

Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a team-best 43 yards for the Falcons (4-6), who’ve lost two games in a row. He was 19-for-30 for 186 yards in the air with an interception.

Trailing 22-15, Atlanta got the ball back with 2:33 to play, but two sacks on the ensuing possession doomed the Falcons. The Panthers recorded five sacks.

The Panthers built a 13-0 lead over the game’s first 28-plus minutes with Pineiro making field goals of 46 and 49 yards on either side of a Laviska Shenault Jr. 41-yard scoring run.

Atlanta didn’t score until Younghoe Koo’s 33-yard field goal on the last play of the first half.

Still, it was a big contrast from the last game for Carolina, which trailed 35-0 at the break Sunday at Cincinnati in an eventual 42-21 loss.

The Falcons perked up in the third quarter, with Mariota’s 7-yard pass to Drake London giving them their first touchdown and drawing them within four. Koo missed the extra-point kick.

Foreman’s 12-yard touchdown run with 1:51 left in the third quarter also was followed by a missed extra-point kick.

Pineiro made amends with a 40-yard field goal for a 22-9 lead with 9:22 left in the game.

Mariota threw 25 yards to KhaDarel Hodge for a touchdown with 2:56 to play, but Koo’s extra-point try was blocked.

The only scoring from that point was Pineiro’s insurance 37-yard field goal for the game’s final margin with 10 seconds to play.

–Field Level Media

Seahawks Prep for Munich Trip

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MUNICH – (Wire Service Report by Field Level Media) – Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was asked about this week’s trip to Germany to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday as part of the NFL’s International Series.

“To me, it’s like a (college) bowl game,” said Carroll, who guided USC to several, including a Bowl Championship Series title, before returning to the pros over a decade ago. “Everything around it, there is somewhat of a celebration everywhere you go as you travel and at the airport. It just seems like there is an added level of attention to it that makes it fun.”

It will be the first NFL game played at Allianz Arena, the home of the FC Bayern Munich soccer team, and will feature a pair of division leaders.

The surprising Seahawks (6-3) have won four consecutive games to move atop the NFC West, while Tom Brady and the Buccaneers (4-5) are tied for first with Atlanta in the NFC South.

Carroll said his players are excited about the trip.

“They are really pumped up about it,” Carroll said. “We are going to try and put on a show, make them see our football, and experience it in a way they never have before. It’s an honor to do that, and we will respect the heck out of every aspect of this.”

This will be the Seahawks’ second European trip in four years — they defeated the then-Oakland Raiders 27-3 in London in 2018 — so they have a feel for what’s ahead.

“Really, we are going to get on the bus, get on the plane, we will sleep a little bit longer, and we will be in a different country,” Carroll said. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”

The Seahawks won 31-21 at Arizona last week as Geno Smith shook off a pick-six to throw for 275 yards and two touchdowns while rookie Kenneth Walker III rushed for 109 and two more scores.

The Buccaneers, meanwhile, had to rally to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams 16-13 at home to end a three-game skid. Brady completed 5 of 6 passes for 60 yards on the winning drive, the record 55th of his career, and hit rookie tight end Cade Otton with a 1-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.

“We have not played the way we’re capable. Just some things have kind of not really fallen our way at all,” said Brady, who became the first NFL quarterback to throw for more than 100,000 career yards, including regular season and playoffs. “Hopefully we can get a win (Sunday), get to 5-5 and then the whole season is ahead of us.”

Added Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles: “It’s a lot easier to fly overseas after you win a game than when you lose a game. We’ve just got to start putting (victories) together.”

Brady’s options might be diminished Sunday as several of his receivers were listed on the injury report this week. Wideouts Julio Jones (knee) and Russell Gage (hamstring) have missed practice, while Mike Evans (ribs/ankle) has been a limited participant. Guards Shaq Mason (ankle) and Luke Goedeke (foot) have also sat out, as has linebacker J.J. Russell (hamstring).

The Seahawks are relatively healthy, with nose tackle Al Woods and defensive end Poona Ford both missing practice because of illnesses and linebacker Cullen Gillaspia sidelined with a knee injury.

–Field Level Media