Patriots inflict first Bills defeat as Rams surge late / Photo: Timothy T Ludwig - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Patriots inflict first Bills defeat as Rams surge late
The New England Patriots inflicted Buffalo's first defeat of the season as quarterback Drake Maye bounced back with three touchdowns in a 29-26 win, while the Los Angeles Rams surged late to win at Philadelphia.
On a packed day of drama, the Dallas Cowboys also edged a thrilling Texas showdown in Houston, while the Indianapolis Colts ran out as winners in the NFL's latest foray to London.
New England's Maye -- who reached the Super Bowl last season, but endured a nightmare start to this campaign -- grabbed victory against the AFC East rival Bills, with a late go-ahead touchdown pass to Efton Chism III for a superb one-handed take.
That came after Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen appeared to have orchestrated a fourth-quarter comeback with a 34-yard hurl to Keon Coleman that made it 26-21.
Maye ended the game with 269 passing yards and another 54 rushing. Romeo Doubs grabbed a pair of touchdown receptions, before Chism's game-winner, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion.
Even in defeat, Allen's 88th career touchdown made him the leading touchdown scorer in Bills history.
Philadelphia looked set to pile more misery on the Rams, who entered the season as Super Bowl favorites but were 1-2 after their opening three games.
Trailing 10-20 deep in the fourth quarter, Los Angeles' underwhelming start looked likely to worsen.
But a pair of late Kyren Williams touchdowns sealed a 24-20 victory, made all the more painful for the Eagles by a hamstring injury to star running back Saquon Barkley early in the game.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts twice found Darius Cooper in the end zone.
At Houston, CeeDee Lamb capped a superb personal performance by snaffling his 17th reception of the day for a touchdown to put the Cowboys ahead 34-30 with 40 seconds remaining.
CJ Stroud attempted a 50-yard hail mary pass with nine seconds remaining, but could not salvage a game that the Texans had largely led.
Javonte Williams led the Cowboys comeback with three rushing touchdowns in the second half.
In the NFL's latest London game, Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor ran for two touchdowns as the Colts defeated the injury-hit Washington Commanders 30-13.
Taylor had ample opportunity to unveil his London-themed celebration, miming sipping tea after finding the end zone late in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and again early in the third quarter to give the Colts a 17-6 lead.
"The crowd was electric, the energy was amazing and I can't wait to come back to London," said Taylor, at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
The Commanders, already missing star quarterback Jayden Daniels with a dislocated left elbow, saw veteran backup Marcus Mariota depart with a right knee injury in the opening minutes.
Mariota -- who led Washington to an upset win over the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks last week -- was replaced by rookie seventh-round draft pick Athan Kaliakmanis.
Elsewhere, Baltimore defeated the hapless Tennessee Titans 24-18, though the victory was tarnished by an ankle injury for quarterback Lamar Jackson, who did not return after halftime.
The New York Giants sealed a 36-24 win over Arizona with a walk-off pick-six. With Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett seeking a late go-ahead touchdown, cornerback Deonte Banks intercepted and raced 98 yards to the opposite endzone.
The Jacksonville Jaguars improved to 3-1 with victory over Cincinnati, the Chicago Bears eased past the New York Jets 23-12 thanks to two Kyle Monangai rushing touchdowns, and Green Bay edged Tampa Bay 17-14.
Later Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in a battle of unbeaten AFC West division rivals.
The Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers also put their perfect 3-0 records on the line, against Miami and Denver respectively.
R.Zaccone--PV
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