Consult the reports of the games played on Sunday in the NFL.
Trevor Lawrence had 292 air yards and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-10 on Sunday for their fifth straight victory.
The Jaguars (6-2) solidified their lead atop the AFC South with strong defense and enough offense to overcome some second-half miscues.
Lawrence threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Travis Etienne with 5:14 left in the third quarter, helping the Jaguars build a 14-point lead.
Etienne had 79 yards rushing and 70 on three receptions. On his touchdown, he distanced himself from rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Evan Engram caught 10 balls for 88 yards, as the Jaguars enter their bye week as South Division favorites.
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was forced to leave the game late in the first half after being tackled by defensive end Adam Gotsis near center field. Pickett was replaced by Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky gained 139 air yards, including 22 on a touchdown pass to George Pickens that cut the lead to 17-10.
Trubisky, however, threw two interceptions, including one on triple coverage early in the fourth quarter.
Lawrence guided the Jaguars’ offense on a long offensive series that ended with a Brandon McManus field goal. The Jacksonville squad won a seventh straight road game of the season.
The Jaguars overcame a 1-2 start to the season thanks to the play of Lawrence and the defense, which seems to be improving week by week.
The Steelers (4-3) are still in the race for the top spot in the North American Division, despite an offense and defense that rank among the worst in the NFL in every major statistic.
Associated Press
Vikings beat Packers, quarterback Kirk Cousins injured
PHOTO MATT LUDTKE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kirk Cousins (8)
Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes before leaving the game with an ankle injury, but the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers 24-10 on Sunday.
Cousins limped to the sidelines after being sacked twice in a row in the fourth quarter. Rookie Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick, took over for the remainder of the game.
It was the first Vikings-Packers matchup since 2006 in which both clubs had a losing record. The Minnesota team, however, returned to tie with the .500 mark by virtue of a third victory in a row.
The Vikings (4-4) must now wonder if they will have to continue this success without Cousins, who completed 23 of his 31 passes for aerial gains of 274 yards. Cousins has never missed a game due to injury in his 12-year career, although he did miss a game in 2021 due to COVID-19.
TJ Hockenson and Jordan Addison scored a touchdown less than two minutes apart in the third quarter. Cam Akers put the Vikings ahead for good in the first quarter when he scored the team’s first rushing touchdown this season.
The Packers (2-5) suffered a fourth consecutive loss. They’ve been outscored 73-9 in the first half in their last five outings and haven’t scored a touchdown before halftime in each of them.
The Vikings dominated the first two quarters, but they only led 10-3 at halftime due to missed opportunities. However, they scored a touchdown early in the third quarter.
Cousins connected with Hockenson for a two-yard touchdown that capped a 13-play, 75-yard offensive sequence. Packers quarterback Jordan Love then attempted a long pass to Jayden Reed, but Josh Metellus made a spectacular interception.
On the next play, Cousins spotted Jordan Addison in the end zone to extend the Vikings’ lead to 24-3 with 7:48 left in the third quarter.
Love finished the game with 24 completions in 41 attempts for 229 yards. He threw a touchdown pass and an interception.
Steve Megargee, Associated Press