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Bengals benefit from crazy play

6 min read

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Associated Press

Carlos Dunlap knew he couldn’t get to the quarterback, so he threw up his hands.

Moments later, the ball settled into them, and the defensive lineman was off for the end zone.

A freaky play? Absolutely. It was exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals needed to carry hope forward for another week.

Dunlap’s 16-yard interception return in the fourth quarter sent Cincinnati to a 24-23 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday that gave the Bengals (3-4) a temporary reprieve and left the Colts (2-6) wondering what’s next in a season that’s run aground at the halfway point.

“We have to use this as momentum to keep it going and find ways to win,” said Andy Dalton, who was under heavy pressure most of the game. “If we do that, we’ll put ourselves right back in this thing.”

By contrast, the Colts came away with more questions about how low they will go. They’ve lost three in a row for the first time since 2015. Coach Chuck Pagano’s future in Indianapolis has become a topic of conversation.

“If you don’t give up, it will turn,” Pagano said. “When that is, I don’t have a crystal ball. But if you go the other way, I know what the outcome will be. That’s not this team. They will never do that.”

The Colts have no idea when Andrew Luck might be back from shoulder surgery. He had to stop throwing earlier this month after a setback in his rehabilitation program.

Backup Jacoby Brissett played much better on Sunday, throwing a pair of touchdown passes and getting the Colts in position for a rejuvenating road win. His sideline throw in the fourth quarter was batted by Dunlap, who then plucked the ball from the air and returned Brissett’s only interception in the past three games.

The 6-foot-6 defensive end led NFL linemen in batting passes away last season, when he made the Pro Bowl for the second straight season.

“Carlos is a freak of a talent with how big he is and how fast he is,” receiver A.J. Green said. “We needed that.”

The Colts had a chance at the end, reaching midfield before Brissett was hit on a fourth-down pass that fell incomplete.

“At some point, good luck will come our way,” receiver T.Y. Hilton said. “It just didn’t go our way today.”

Minnesota 33, Cleveland 16: Case Keenum threw for two touchdowns and Kai Forbath made four field goals as the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-16 at Twickenham Stadium in the last of four games held this season in Britain.

Adam Thielen had five catches for 98 yards and a touchdown for the NFC North-leading Vikings (6-2), who trailed 13-12 at halftime — the first time the Browns, 0-8 for the second consecutive year, claimed a mid-game lead this season.

Buffalo 34, Oakland 14: Rookie linebacker Matt Milano scored on a 40-yard fumble return on a rain-slick field, and the Buffalo Bills forced four turnovers in beating the Oakland Raiders 34-14 on Sunday.

Tyrod Taylor threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Andre Holmes and also scored on a 1-yard run for Buffalo. LeSean McCoy had a season-best 151 yards rushing and also scored on a 48-yard run.

Philadelphia 33, San Francisco 10: Carson Wentz tossed two touchdown passes and Jalen Mills had a pick-6 as the NFL-leading Philadelphia Eagles beat the winless San Francisco 49ers 33-10.

The Eagles (7-1) overcame a slow start on their way to a sixth straight win. The 49ers are 0-8 for the first time in franchise history.

Seattle 41, Houston 38: Russell Wilson hit Jimmy Graham for an 18-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left, his second TD catch of the fourth quarter.

Down 38-34 with 1:39 left and out of timeouts, Wilson took Seattle 80 yards in barely a minute. He hit Paul Richardson for 48 yards on a jump ball to start the drive, found Tyler Lockett for 19 yards, and drilled a strike to Graham for the winner.

Dallas 33, Washington 19: Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns and the Cowboys took advantage of a blocked field goal return and three turnovers.

Playing in a driving rainstorm that made it difficult to hold onto the ball, let alone throw it, Dak Prescott completed 14 of his 22 passes for 143 yards as Dallas (4-3) heeded the message on Elliott’s cleats to “Feed Zeke.” With another hearing on his NFL suspension coming Monday, Elliott carried the ball 33 times, scored twice for the second consecutive game, and surpassed 100 yards for the third week in a row.

New England 21, L.A. Chargers 19: Tom Brady passed for 333 yards and a touchdown, Stephen Gostkowski added four field goals. It was the fourth straight victory for the Patriots (6-2). The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Chargers.

Los Angeles (3-5) got on the board first when Melvin Gordon found a seam on the outside and rumbled down the sideline for an 87-yard touchdown run. But the rest of the game was marked by Los Angeles’ mistakes and inability to move the ball offensively.

Atlanta 25, N.Y. Jets 20: Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes and the Falcons slipped and slid to victory on a soggy field.

Fumbled snaps, dropped passes and a big-time drenching at MetLife Stadium had both squads trying to find their footing, but the Falcons (4-3) steadied themselves just enough to snap a three-game skid — all to other AFC East teams.

New Orleans 20, Chicago 12: Drew Brees completed 23 of 28 for 299 yards against a Bears defense that ranked sixth in pass defense for the Saints’ fifth straight win.

Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara each ran for touchdowns for New Orleans (5-2). Ingram finished with 99 yards from scrimmage, including 75 on the ground, but his two late fumbles kept the Bears in the game into the final minutes. Kamara had 76 yards from scrimmage, 48 receiving.

Carolina 17, Tampa Bay 3: Carolina’s defense didn’t allow a TD for the second straight week, helping the Panthers snap a two-game losing streak.

Cam Newton rebounded from a subpar performance in a 14-point road loss to the Bears, leading a 17-play, 82-yard TD drive that consumed more eight minutes of the opening quarter. He then completed three passes to Christian McCaffrey to set up a field goal for a 10-0 halftime lead.

The Bucs (2-5) have lost four straight.

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