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• Chiefs edge Bengals on Butker's 51-yard field goal as time expires

  Giving Patrick Mahomes another chance rarely works out well for the opposition.

  A pass interference call on the Cincinnati Bengals on a fourth-and-16 with 38 seconds left allowed the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to keep the ball, setting up Mahomes and company to steal a win.

  Harrison Butker delivered the winner, kicking a 51-yard field goal as time expired to send the Chiefs to a 26-25 victory over the Bengals on Sunday.

  Butker's game-winning kick came four plays after it appeared Kansas City turned the ball over on downs at their own 35-yard line, but Cincinnati safety Daijahn Anthony was called for pass interference, giving the Chiefs a fresh set of downs on the 29-yard penalty.

   

  The game featured five lead changes in the second half, with the Chiefs taking their first lead on Mahomes' one-yard TD pass to offensive tackle Wanya Morris at 8:21 in the third quarter to make the score 17-16.

  The Bengals then went back in front 22-17 on a three-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow to Andrei Iosivas with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter.

  The game's final touchdown came when Chamarri Conner returned a Burrow fumble 37 yards for a touchdown to put Kansas City ahead 23-22 just 20 seconds into the final period.

  Evan McPherson's fourth field goal of the game gave the Bengals a 25-23 lead with 5:12 to play, but Cincinnati couldn't hold on and dropped to 0-2 while Kansas City improved to 2-0.

  Burrow finished with 258 yards passing, two touchdowns without an interception, while Mahomes completed 18-of-25 passes, but only threw for 151 yards - the second fewest of his career - with two TDs and two picks.

  Mahomes had a 44-yard touchdown pass to Rashee Rice, who finished with 75 yards on five receptions.

  Isiah Pacheco also had five catches for 21 yards, and rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries.

   

  Kamara has 4 TDs as Saints make statement by demolishing Dallas

  Beating a woeful team by 37 points at home in Week 1 was one thing.

  Winning by 25 on the road against a reigning division champ in Week 2 is another.

  The New Orleans Saints put the rest of the NFL on notice with an impressive 44-19 trouncing of the Dallas Cowboys, with Alvin Kamara scoring four touchdowns.

  A week after setting a franchise record by starting the season with points on nine consecutive possessions in last Sunday's 47-10 dismantling of the lowly Carolina Panthers, the Saints scored touchdowns on their first six drives against the Cowboys and were in control all the way as they led 35-16 at half-time.

   

  Derek Carr threw for 243 yards on just 11 completions with two touchdowns - including a 57-yard screen pass to Kamara and a 70-yarder to Rashid Shaheed.

  Kamara finished with 115 rushing yards and another 65 yards receiving, while Shaheed led New Orleans with 96 receiving yards on four receptions.

  The Saints racked up 432 total yards of offence against Dallas (1-1) and became the first NFL team to score 44 or more points in each of their first two games since the 2009 Saints did it on the way to winning the franchise's only Super Bowl.

  Paulson Adebo and Tyrann Mathieu each intercepted Dak Prescott once and the New Orleans defence sacked him three times en route to snapping the Cowboys' home winning streak in the regular season at 16 games.

   

  Buccaneers win at Detroit to avenge play-off loss

  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a measure of revenge, beating the Detroit Lions 20-16 in a play-off rematch.

  Baker Mayfield put the Buccaneers (2-0) ahead with a dazzling 11-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the third quarter for the game's final score and Tampa Bay's defence stepped up late.

   

  Christian Izien intercepted Jared Goff at the Tampa Bay nine-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, and the Lions (1-1) turned the ball over on downs at the Bucs' six-yard line with 53 seconds remaining and again at their 26 with two seconds to play.

  Detroit also had an opportunity late in the first half to score points but couldn't get a play off after Goff completed an eight-yard pass to Amon-ra St. Brown in the middle of the field without a timeout remaining.

  The Lions, who ended Tampa Bay's 2023 season with a 31-23 win in the divisional round of the play-offs, outgained the Buccaneers 463-216 in total yards but only scored one touchdown on a David Montgomery one-yard run.

  Goff completed 34-of-55 passes for 307 yards but threw a pair of costly interceptions.

  Mayfield was 12 of 19 for 185 yards with a 41-yard touchdown to Chris Godwin, who finished with seven catches for 117 yards.

   

  Rodgers gets first win with Jets

  Aaron Rodgers threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns as the New York Jets beat the Tennessee Titans 24-17.

  The four-time league MVP earned his first win with the Jets after his 2023 season ended when he tore his left Achilles tendon on his fourth snap of the year and this year began with a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.

  The 40-year-old quarterback threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to a 20-year-old Braelon Allen, making it a score between the NFL's oldest and youngest players. At 20 years and 239 days, Allen is the youngest NFL player to score a scrimmage touchdown since Arnie Herber was the exact same age in 1930.

  Allen also scored on a 20-yard run, while Breece Hall rushed for 62 yards and had 52 yards receiving with a 26-yard touchdown reception.

   

  New York took advantage of some sloppy play by the Titans, including another head-scratching decision by Will Levis.

  A week after throwing a pick-6 while being sacked in a season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears, Levis tried to shovel a backward pass to Tyjae Spears and Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams ended up recovering the loose ball at the New York 12-yard line.

   

  Fairbairn's big leg, Texans' defence leads way in win over Bears

  In a matchup between two of NFL's most highly regarded young quarterbacks, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans got the better of Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears, holding on for a 19-13 win.

  Stroud threw for 260 yards with Nico Collins on the receiving end of eight of those passes for 135 yards as the Texans improved to 2-0.

  The two hooked up for a 28-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter, and Houston got the rest of its scoring from kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn.

  The kicker with the big leg connected from 47, 53, 56 and 59 yards after drilling field goals from 50, 51 and 51 yards in Houston's 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.

  Fairbairn is the first player in NFL history to have two games with three field goals of at least 50 yards in his entire career, and he's done it in the first two games of this season.

   

  The Texans' defence harassed Williams all night in his second career start. Houston intercepted this year's No. 1 overall draft pick twice and sacked him seven times.

  Williams completed 23-of-37 passes for 174 yards and ran for 44 yards, while running back D'Andre Swift was limited to 18 rushing yards on 14 carries.

  The Bears (1-1) finished with just 205 total yards of offence after being held to a mere 148 total yards in their comeback win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

   

  Darnold leads surprising Vikings over 49ers

  The Minnesota Vikings took out the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, winning 23-17.

  Taking over the offence after rookie J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury last month, Sam Darnold helped the Vikings improve to 2-0.

  Darnold was 17 of 26 for 268 yards with a pair of touchdowns, including a 97-yarder to Justin Jefferson.

  Jefferson finished with 133 yards receiving on four catches, and Ty Chandler rushed for 82 yards on just 10 carries for a Minnesota team that compiled 146 yards on the ground.

   

  Jordan Mason led the 49ers (1-1) with 100 yards rushing and scored on a 10-yard run in his second start in place of All-Pro Christian McCaffrey, who has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least two more games with lower leg injuries.

  Brock Purdy completed 28-of-36 passes for 319 yards, but only one throw went for a touchdown - a seven-yarder to tight end Geroge Kittle in the second quarter.

• 49ers place Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve

  The San Francisco 49ers placed star running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve Saturday, ensuring that he will miss at least the next four games with calf and Achilles injuries.

  The move is a shocking departure from the optimism of less than two weeks ago, when McCaffrey was a last-minute scratch for the 49ers’ season-opening win over the New York Jets.

  McCaffrey missed the entire pre-season with what was reported as calf soreness. In the regular season, teams are required to submit official injury reports, and McCaffrey’s designation included Achilles tendonitis.

  Last year’s rushing champion will miss a minimum of four more games, with the earliest possible return date coming on Oct. 10.

  The 49ers face the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals over their next four, but there is no guarantee that McCaffrey will return when first eligible.

  San Francisco ruled McCaffrey out for Sunday’s game in Minnesota on Friday, with head coach Kyle Shanahan publicly acknowledging for the first time that the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year could end up on IR.

  “Yesterday was his worst day,” Shanahan told reporters. “It's on and off, but with yesterday having the most pain. It's something we're going to be discussing together in the next 24 hours.”

  The loss is a massive one for the reigning NFC champions, who went 12-5 in McCaffrey’s first full season with the team last year.

  With Elijah Mitchell already placed on IR before the start of the season, the only trusted running back on San Francisco’s roster is Jordan Mason, who ran the ball 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown.

  McCaffrey’s extended absence could also result in Deebo Samuel getting more snaps at running back, a look that was more common before the 49ers traded for McCaffrey during the 2022 season.

  This is McCaffrey’s first IR stint since joining the 49ers. The Stanford product played a combined 10 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons due to ankle and hamstring injuries.

  McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage last season and tied with Raheem Mostert for the league lead at 21 touchdowns.

• Jamaica's Sports Minister congratulates Sheldon Clarke on history-making NFL advance

  The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, has said that Sheldon Clarke former student of Munro College, deserves hearty congratulations and best wishes for his history making advance to the National Football League's International Player Pathway (NFL-IPP) Combine in the United Kingdom.

  The NFL International Player Pathway programme offers the opportunity for athletes to bridge the gap between their current skills and the demands of professional American football.

  The Combine is scheduled for October 10-12, 2024.

  If successful at the Combine, Clarke who is 21, could earn a place in a training programme designed to prepare international athletes for the rigours of the NFL.

  Minister Grange said, “This selection is not just a personal triumph for Sheldon, but an inspiration for every young athlete in Jamaica who aspires to play American football."

  At the Combine, he will undergo rigorous physical tests, skill evaluations, and interviews with NFL personnel.