Sep 11, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) is congratulated after scoring the winning touchdown in overtime against the San Diego Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 33-27. John Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
NEW ORLEANS — Derek Carr threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts and a two-point conversion pass to Michael Crabtree with 47 seconds left as the Oakland Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints 35-34 in the season opener on Sunday.
The Saints had a chance to win on the final play, but Wil Lutz’s 61-yard field-goal attempt was wide left.
Carr led the Raiders to 22 fourth-quarter points, upstaging Drew Brees’ 14th 400-yard passing game, which tied Peyton Manning for the NFL record. Carr completed 24 of 38 passes for 319 yards and a touchdown and Brees completed 28 of 42 for 423 and four touchdowns.
The Saints extended their 17-10 halftime lead when Brees and Brandin Cooks connected on a franchise-record 98-yard touchdown pass with 7:52 left in the third quarter.
Chiefs 33, Chargers 27 (OT)
KANSAS CITY, Mo — Quarterback Alex Smith scored on 2-yard run five minutes into overtime to give Kansas City a remarkable come-from-behind victory over San Diego.
The Chiefs trailed 21-3 at halftime, but scored three touchdowns and a field goal in the second half. The Chiefs won the overtime coin toss and drove 70 yards on 10 plays before Smith ran right, dropped his head and blasted into the end zone.
A fourth-quarter decision by Chargers coach Mike McCoy helped spark the Kansas City comeback. With 11 minutes, 25 seconds to play, the Chargers had the ball at the Chiefs 36-yard line. They faced a fourth-and-2 while holding a 27-10 lead. Deciding against a punt that would have pinned the Chiefs deep in their own territory, McCoy tried a 54-yard field goal. Josh Lambo’s kick sailed wide right and Kansas City took over at their own 44-yard line.
Ravens 13, Bills 7
BALTIMORE — Quarterback Joe Flacco appeared fully recovered from last year’s season-ending knee injury and helped Baltimore escape with a victory over Buffalo.
Flacco was playing in his first regular-season game since Nov. 22 when he tore both his ACL and MCL against the then-St. Louis Rams. That surgically repaired left knee was tested often as Flacco dealt with pressure all afternoon and was sacked four times.
Flacco completed 23 of 34 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown. Newly signed wide receiver Mike Wallace caught three passes for 91 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown that provided a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.
Packers 27, Jaguars 23
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke out of an early rut to throw two touchdowns and run for another as Green Bay staved off a late Jacksonville rally.
The Jaguars had a shot to pull off the upset when they forced Green Bay to go three-and-out and regained possession with 3:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Blake Bortles led his offense to Green Bay’s 14-yard line with 23 seconds remaining before a short pass to receiver Allen Hurns on fourth-and-1 went for a loss and ended the team’s last gasp.
Bengals 23, Jets 22
NEW YORK — Mike Nugent kicked a 47-yard field goal with 54 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as Cincinnati edged New York.
The Bengals, who are 23-26 in openers, have made the playoffs five straight years but are searching for their first postseason win since 1991. The Jets, who went 10-6 last year and are looking to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2010, fell to 26-30 all-time in openers.
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green had 12 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown. Despite being sacked seven times, quarterback Andy Dalton was 23 of 30 for 366 yards.
Buccaneers 31, Falcons 24
ATLANTA — Jameis Winston threw four touchdowns passes to prevail in a passing duel with Matt Ryan and Tampa Bay defeated its NFC South rival.
Winston, getting his second season off in memorable fashion, completed 23 of 33 passes for 281, leading the Bucs to four long drives after a sluggish start that included a first-quarter interception.
Ryan was 27 of 39 passing for 334 yards and two touchdowns but couldn’t bring the Falcons all the way back after they fell behind by 18 points in the third quarter.
Eagles 29, Browns 10
PHILADELPHIA — The Carson Wentz era got off to a rousing start as the rookie quarterback led Philadelphia over Cleveland.
Wentz, the second overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 22 of 37 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions — a passer rating of 100.9 — as he outplayed Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Cleveland has won only one opener since returning to the NFL in 1999.
The Browns had that No. 2 overall selection before they traded it to the Eagles, as they apparently didn’t think Wentz was worth that high a pick. And Wentz’s statistics would have been even more impressive, but at least five of his passes were dropped. Griffin completed 12 of 26 passes for 190 yards and one interception, with no TDs, for a passer rating of 54.9.
Texans 23, Bears 14
HOUSTON — Brock Osweiler and Will Fuller produced memorable debuts as Houston claimed a win over Chicago.
Osweiler, a free agent signee previously with the Broncos, completed 22 of 35 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. His 18-yard scoring pass to Fuller with 12:44 remaining in the fourth quarter provided the Texans the lead for good.
Fuller, a rookie out of Notre Dame, discovered a measure of redemption with his touchdown and another 35-yard reception that set up a 38-yard Nick Novak field goal with 6:10 remaining. Fuller dropped what potentially would have resulted in an 83-yard touchdown late in the first half yet finished with five catches for 107 yards.
Vikings 25, Titans 16
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Minnesota offense failed to score a touchdown and star running back Adrian Peterson was stifled all day. But the Vikings turned to their defense and kicking game to win their first game without quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, rallying from a 10-0 halftime deficit to stop Tennessee.
Linebacker Eric Kendricks put the Vikings ahead for good with 1:24 left in the third quarter, picking off an ill-advised pass from Marcus Mariota and lugging it 77 yards down the right sideline for a 12-10 lead.
Minnesota’s clinching score also came from the defense. After Mariota and DeMarco Murray botched a handoff, tackle Danielle Hunter picked it up and rumbled 24 yards at the 11:03 mark to set the final margin. Kicker Blair Walsh, who missed two field goals in the first half, fanned an extra point in the second half but was able to convert field goals of 50, 34, 45 and 30 yards.
