Eagles aim for greater heights in NFC title game vs. Vikings

TSX / STATS

PHILADELPHIA -- The top-seeded Eagles are in search of their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 2004 season when they host the second-seeded Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles (14-3) posted a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round last Saturday and will participate in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2008 season. They dropped a 32-25 decision to the Arizona Cardinals in that contest.

Philadelphia hasn't hosted an NFC Championship Game since recording a 27-10 win over the Falcons following the 2004 season.

The Vikings (14-3) advanced following a thrilling 29-24 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Stefon Diggs hauled in a 61-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Case Keenum on the final play of the game Sunday.

Like the Eagles, Minnesota has yet to win a Super Bowl. The Vikings have dropped five consecutive NFC Championship games.

Philadelphia will enter Sunday's game as an underdog, especially with quarterback Carson Wentz out with a torn ACL.

"It's about those players in that dressing room, whether we're three-point underdogs or three-point favorites. They really don't listen to that stuff," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "Of course, they have been sort of force-fed for about two weeks now, three weeks now, the information, and they just stick together. They just stick together and find a way and it's been that way all season."

Backup quarterback Nick Foles did an admirable job against the Falcons, completing 23 of 30 passes for 246 yards and a 100.1 passer rating. In two career playoff games with the Eagles -- the other coming in a 26-24 loss to the Saints in 2014 -- Foles is 46 of 63 for 441 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 102.7 passer rating.

"I am very humbled to win this game and to be a part of this team," Foles said. "That's what it's always been about. I know there was a lot of people against us this last week. Just answering questions, and just hearing about it.

"... The biggest thing in our locker room is we believe in one another. Everyone believes, and that was shown on display. The city of Philadelphia obviously believes because they were here and loud. So we are grateful for that. Honestly, it's unbelievable to win this game and we are not finished."

The Vikings are in search of their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 1976 season -- Super Bowl XI.

During the regular season, the Vikings' defense ranked first in points allowed per game (15.8) and yards given up per game (275.9). Defensive end Everson Griffen was tied for fourth in the league with a career-best 13 sacks this season.

While the Vikings likely have seen video of Diggs' amazing catch a million times, another game awaits in the NFC Championship.

"We should celebrate this and enjoy this," tight end Kyle Rudolph told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "It's hard to win playoff games. There's a lot of guys in this locker room, including myself, this is our first playoff win. But it's just the beginning. We've still got a lot of work to do.

"It'd be a shame to let something like that go to waste by us not showing up."

The incredible final play will be etched in viewers' minds forever.

"I don't think it's still really sunk in as far as like what something like that's going to be," guard Jeremiah Sirles told ESPN.com. "That's the stuff that in 20 years, you turn on NFL Films and it's going to be the 2018 NFL Classic. Something like that that you can't take away from any player that's in this room right now. We'll always be a part of something that happened that was super special like that."

A win over the Eagles would not only clinch a trip to the Super Bowl, but it would also be the Vikings' first playoff victory against Philadelphia in four tries. The last time the teams met was in the 2008 wild-card round.

The Vikings are 0-4 all-time in the Super Bowl. In order to get a fifth shot, they'll have to travel to a hostile environment and knock out the No. 1 seed.

"They're a pretty resilient bunch," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told ESPN.com. "They're pretty determined in what they're always trying to get done. They're always trying to get better. They're a good group of guys that work really hard."

Eagles use goal-line stand, Elliott FGs to beat Falcons

By BARRY WILNER
AP Pro Football Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Fly Eagles Fly.

With the wind and against it.

With Nick Foles engineering several long drives, Jake Elliott converting three field goals, and the defense getting stingy in the tightest spot, Philadelphia moved into the NFC championship game with a 15-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday.

Foles directed brilliant marches of 74 and 80 yards in the second half - one into the whipping wind, the other with it - and Elliott atoned for missing an extra point by converting from 53 yards at the end of the second quarter, 37 and 21 in the second half. Then the Eagles (14-3) held when Atlanta (11-7) got to the 9-yard line with a first down, and to the 2 on fourth down.

When Matt Ryan's final pass sailed over Julio Jones' head in the end zone , Philly could celebrate its first playoff victory since the 2008 season.

Next Sunday, the Eagles will host either Minnesota or New Orleans for the conference crown. The Eagles last made the Super Bowl in the 2004 season, losing to New England.

"I mean, we just kept believing in each other," said Foles, who became the starter when Carson Wentz, a leading MVP contender, injured his knee in December. "That was it. Our team never wavered, defense did an amazing job, special teams - that's just been the story this year is that we just all stuck together..."

The Falcons, of course, memorably blew a 28-3 second-half lead to the Patriots in last year's Super Bowl. They will not get the opportunity to atone for it, though Ryan got them close at the end.

Despite being underdogs as the No. 1 seed, the Eagles showed plenty of moxie.

"Just keep on disrespecting and we're going to keep proving people wrong," receiver Alshon Jeffery said.

A masterful 74-yard, 12-play drive on which Foles threw for 70 yards led to Elliott's 37-yard kick into the wind that made it 12-10. The Eagles then put together their best drive, an 80-yarder covering 14 plays, yet again faltered close to the end zone. Elliott added a 21-yarder with 6:02 remaining after coach Doug Pederson briefly considered going for it on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 3.

"It was tricky out there, really gusty," Elliott said.

Then, as the fans in the Linc held their breath, the Eagles held deep in their territory.

"Man, just stay calm," said defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who was a force all day. "We always talk about that. We've been in those situations during the regular season, so we kind of know how to handle those situations, not try to make a play but let the play come to us."

And the road to the Super Bowl remains through Philly.

WINDY DECISIONS

Falcons coach Dan Quinn could have opted to take the wind in the fourth quarter after deferring on the opening coin toss. Instead, he took the ball to start the second half, but it was the Eagles who got the only points of the third period.

And in the end, Atlanta had to deal with the currents on that final drive, which did include a 20-yard completion to Jones on fourth-and-6.

"It was a tough game for us tonight," Quinn said, "and as we go through, we will go back and assess everything we have done."

ERROR-FILLED HALF

Mistakes hurt the Eagles in the opening half. Jay Ajayi's fumble and a misplayed punt that bounced off Bryan Braman led to all 10 Atlanta points.

Things began nicely for Philadelphia when safety Brian Poole was tagged with pass interference on a deep pass by Foles that was held up by the wind. But Ajayi fumbled on the next play with Keanu Neal recovering.

Atlanta efficiently mixed runs and passes to drive to Matt Bryant's 33-yard field goal for an early lead.

Philadelphia got the run game going with Ajayi in the opening period. Then, with the wind in the next quarter, the Eagles kept the Falcons so off-balance Atlanta took two timeouts in three plays.

Receiver Nelson Agholor's 21-yard run got the ball to the 3, and Foles botched a handoff to Corey Clement. But the quarterback quickly dived on the loose ball and was ruled to have scored. Replay showed otherwise.

Pederson showed no hesitation going for it, and Blount surged in from the 1. Elliott's missed extra point left it 6-3.

Soon after came Matt Bosher's punt that took a wicked bounce and hit Braman while he was blocking. From the Philly 18, the Falcons benefited from two penalties before Ryan scrambled from pressure and found Devonta Freeman for a 6-yard TD and a 10-3 lead.

With 46 seconds left in the half, the hosts got lucky. Foles' errant pass ricocheted off Neal's hands to Torrey Smith for 20 yards. Jeffery made a long stretch to haul in another throw with 1 second remaining, and Elliott's 53-yard field goal just made it over the crossbar.

"It was great for momentum," Foles said. "Jake did an awesome job of kicking that for us."

QB NUMBERS

Foles finished a very efficient outing by going 23 of 30 for 246 yards.

Ryan was 22 of 36 for 210 yards on a difficult day to throw. Jones had nine receptions for 101 yards.

UP NEXT

Philadelphia will host either Minnesota or New Orleans next Sunday night for the NFC title.

Atlanta's season ends after a wild-card berth and a win at Los Angeles before Saturday's defeat.

Eagles clinch No. 1 seed with 19-10 win over Raiders

By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Philadelphia.

Jake Elliott kicked a 48-yard field goal with 22 seconds left, and the Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed for the NFC playoffs with a sloppy 19-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Monday night.

The Eagles (13-2) went to the Super Bowl and lost 24-21 to New England the last time they had home-field advantage following the 2004 season.

They'll need the edge after a second straight poor performance. The defense struggled in a 34-29 win at the Giants last week. The offense was awful against the Raiders.

"We played great team ball," cornerback Patrick Robinson said. "The offense didn't play as well as they have been, the defense had to step up."

Ronald Darby intercepted Derek Carr's pass and ran it back 52 yards with 54 seconds left, but was ruled down by contact at the spot of the pick. Nick Foles then completed four straight passes for 21 yards. After an incomplete pass, Elliott nailed his kick right down the middle.

"We have to pick up for each other," Darby said.

Derek Barnett returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown after picking up a lateral on Oakland's final play from scrimmage.

Coming off a 12-4 season, the Raiders (6-9) were a popular pick to challenge the Patriots for the AFC title. But they were eliminated from the playoff chase on Sunday.

Still, playing for pride, Oakland nearly spoiled Philadelphia's Christmas.

"Defensive battle, hard-fought game, certainly had our chances," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. "We ran it well, struggled throwing it. Defense played extremely well."

Making his second start since MVP candidate Carson Wentz tore his left ACL, Foles had a tough time on a windy night. He was 19 of 38 for 163 yards with one TD and one interception. He had four TD passes and no picks against New York.

"I didn't play good enough," Foles said. "I have to play cleaner, (need) pinpoint accuracy and good decisions on third downs."

Carr was even worse. He was 15 of 29 for 140 yards, one TD and two interceptions.

"Anytime you give the ball to the other team, it hurts," Carr said. "We got to help (the defense) out."

Carr threw a 63-yard TD pass to Amari Cooper to tie it at 7 early in the second quarter. Cooper was wide open after cornerback Jalen Mills tried to jump the route.

Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 25-yard field goal on the opening drive of the third quarter to give the Raiders a 10-7 lead.

The teams traded turnovers on three straight possessions, starting with Robinson intercepting Carr and returning it to Oakland's 44.

Eagles left guard Chance Warmack then caused Jay Ajayi to fumble when he tried to push the pile and hit his teammate. The Raiders recovered at their 30, but gave it back on the next play when Marshawn Lynch fumbled at the same spot.

Philadelphia couldn't do much with excellent field position and settled for Elliott's tying 35-yard field goal.

After Tavecchio missed a 48-yard field goal with 7:58 remaining, Foles threw a pass that bounced off Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz's hands and was intercepted by Reggie Nelson at the Eagles 37.

But Philadelphia quickly got the ball back when Malcolm Jenkins stripped Jalen Richard and recovered it at the Eagles 16. The offense went three-and-out.

Oakland's first drive ended with Carr throwing the ball away on fourth-and-2 from Philadelphia's 42.

The Eagles scored on the ensuing possession when Foles tossed a 17-yard TD pass to Ajayi for a 7-0 lead. Corey Clement ran 2 yards on fourth-and-1 to extend the drive.

STREAK SNAPPED

Foles had gone 170 passes without throwing a pick. It was the longest active streak in the NFL.

MISSED CHANCES

Raiders: Nelson dropped what should've been a pick-6 in the second quarter.

Eagles: Elliott was wide right on a 33-yard field goal at the end of the first half.

INJURIES

Raiders: OT Vadal Alexander sustained a concussion.

Eagles: DE Brandon Graham left with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Raiders: Host the Los Angeles Chargers (8-7), who are still in contention for an AFC wild card.

Eagles: Host the Dallas Cowboys (8-7) in a game that has no playoff implications.

Foles shines as Eagles wrap up playoff bye

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nick Foles made sure the Eagles will get some time off after the holidays.

The Philadelphia quarterback threw four touchdown passes Sunday as the Eagles held off the New York Giants 34-29 at MetLife Stadium to clinch a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Foles, who was 24 of 38 for 237, took over as the starting quarterback after the Eagles lost Carson Wentz last week to a season-ending knee injury.

Making his first start since Nov. 6, 2016, when he was a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, Foles said he had a little bit of rust at first but that as the game went on, things started to flow.

"There are definitely some things when I'll go back and watch, I can clean up, but I think the big thing was to keep playing and if something does go wrong -- maybe you miss a throw or the decision wasn't what I wanted it -- I can absolutely get better," he said.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning finished 37 of 57 for 434 yards with three touchdown passes and one interception.

Manning also tried to lead his team from behind on its second-to-last drive of the game by going for it on fourth-and-goal at the Philadelphia 6-yard line, but a false start called against right tackle Bobby Hart pushed the Giants back 5 yards.

On the subsequent play from 11 yards out, a pass attempt to Evan Engram fell incomplete as Eagles safety Corey Graham appeared to make contact with the tight end in the end zone.

"It's tough," Manning said. "I had (Engram) on a corner route. (Graham) was playing outside leverage, so I tried to back-shoulder it and give (Engram) a chance in the end zone. There was some contact, (but) I don't know if it was worth a call or not. I just tried to put it up high and have a chance to make a play, but obviously we didn't."

The Giants, who scored more than 20 points in a game for the first time since Nov. 12, produced touchdowns on their first three drives of the game. The scores came on a 1-yard run by Orleans Darkwa, a 13-yard pass from Manning to wide receiver Tavarres King and a 67-yard catch by wide receiver Sterling Shepard from Manning.

Aldrick Rosas' extra-point attempt on the Giants' opening-drive touchdown was blocked by Eagles rookie defensive end Derek Barnett, in what was the first of three major miscues by the New York special teams, the others including a blocked punt and blocked 48-yard field goal.

Those miscues resulted in a 12-point swing in favor of the NFC East champion Eagles (12-2).

"Special teams protection obviously got us in trouble," said Giants interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo when asked what happened.

"I didn't get to (special teams coordinator) Tom (Quinn), so I don't know exactly where it happened. I know that the one field goal was on our right side, but we gotta get it taken care of. When we see the film, we'll have a better idea if it was steps or we didn't punch here or punch there, but this time of year, we need to have that all sorted out."

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson wouldn't say if his team saw something in the Giants special teams protection on tape, but he did credit special teams coordinator Dave Fipp with doing his homework and coming up with a plan that in the end was a large part of the difference.

"Fipp studies the protections and had a couple different wrinkles in there," Pederson said. "Fipp does a good job of understanding protection and assigning some rushes."

The Eagles got on the board with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Foles to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in the first quarter.

Philadelphia went on a scoring tear with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter thanks to a pair of touchdown passes to their tight ends following two Giants miscues that led to the Eagles' scoring drives from the red zone.

The first, a 10-yard pass from Foles to Zach Ertz, was set up after Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby picked off Manning's pass intended for wide receiver Roger Lewis and returned it 37 yards to give his offense the ball on the New York 20-yard line.

The second, a 13-yard catch by Trey Burton from Foles, came after the Eagles' Kamu Grugier-Hill blocked Brad Wing's punt deep in Giants' territory. That touchdown put Philadelphia in front 21-20.

Rosas gave the Giants a 23-21 lead at the half on his 28-yard field goal, but the Eagles took it back with 10 unanswered third-quarter points, Jake Elliott's 28-yard field goal and wide receiver Nelson Agholor's 10-yard touchdown catch.

The Giants (2-12) took advantage of an Eagles neutral-zone infraction that gave them a fresh set of downs, which allowed Manning to eventually connect with King on a 57-yard touchdown reception. The two-point attempt failed.

The Giants also couldn't convert on a 48-yard Rosas field-goal attempt that was blocked by Malcolm Jenkins, which left the score 31-29 until Elliot's 20-yard field goal increased the Eagles' lead to 34-29.

NOTES: The Eagles have won four of their past five road games against the Giants and have swept the season series against their NFC East foes in three of the last four seasons. ... Giants QB Eli Manning set a career high for passing yards in the first half of a game (252). ... New York S Landon Collins was ruled out due to an ankle injury he sustained midway through the second quarter. ... Giants LB B.J. Goodson aggravated an ankle injury in the third quarter. ... Giants WR Tavarres King sustained a concussion on his 57-yard touchdown reception. ... Eagles CB Patrick Robinson sustained a head injury and was being evaluated for a concussion. He didn't return. ... Eagles TE Trey Burton had to come out of the game in the fourth quarter due to cramping. ... The Eagles will host the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 25. The Giants will visit the Arizona Cardinals next Sunday.

Eagles overcome Rams, injury to Wentz

LOS ANGELES -- Carson Wentz couldn't wait to congratulate his Philadelphia Eagles teammates after they prevailed over the Los Angeles Rams, 43-35, in a battle between NFC divisional leaders at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Wentz gave his high-fives in the locker room, where he sat out the fourth quarter with a knee injury.

Wentz passed for four touchdowns and Jake Elliott added three field goals to clinch the NFC East title for the Eagles.

But it might have come at a cost.

"We will find out more tomorrow," Philadelphia head coach Doug Pederson said, discounting a report that Wentz had suffered a torn knee ligament. "You're speculating he is going to be out, but I just don't know yet."

Wentz didn't play after hurting his knee in the third quarter. Nick Foles replaced Wentz and got the Eagles in position for Elliott's final field goal with 3:45 to play.

"That's what they brought me in here to do," Foles said. "It's your job and you have to do your job."

Chris Long stripped Rams quarterback Jared Goff of the ball to set up Elliott's go-ahead kick from 33 yards.

"I held onto it for too long and Chris Long came in and made a good play," Goff said. "That's my job to execute the play and I didn't."

Tight end Trey Burton had two scoring receptions for Philadelphia. Brent Celek, another tight end, also had a touchdown catch.

Wentz left after taking a big hit on a third-quarter touchdown run that was called back because of a penalty. But he stayed in the game to deliver his last touchdown pass before hobbling to the sideline. He would leave the stadium on a motorized cart to reach the team bus.

The Eagles (11-2) rebounded after their nine-game winning streak was snapped against the Seattle Seahawks last week. The victory clinched the NFC East title.

Los Angeles (9-4) had a two-game winning run halted as they lost for the third time at home.

"Sometimes you have to learn some lessons the hard way," Rams head coach Sean McVay said. "That was a tough football game against a very good team. They made more plays at the end than we did."

Before Wentz exited, he completed 23-of-41 attempts for 291 yards, with an interception.

In the first matchup of the 2016 draft's top two picks, Wentz got the better of Goff, the No. 1 overall selection that year. Goff was 16 of 26 for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Rams rookie Cooper Kupp paced all receivers with 118 yards on five catches, with a score.

Elliott's second field goal from 41 yards closed the gap to 35-34 with 10 minutes remaining.

Todd Gurley, the game's leading rusher with 96 yards, ran for his second score to open the fourth quarter and put Los Angeles in front 35-31.

The Eagles had regained the lead 31-28 on Alshon Jeffrey's scoring catch of 2 yards after the Rams committed two 15-yard penalties. For Wentz, it was his 33rd touchdown pass of the season, breaking Sonny Jurgensen's franchise mark set in 1961.

But he was also injured on the possession, which could be a significant blow to Philadelphia's future.

Los Angeles' Michael Thomas blocked Donnie Jones' punt and it was recovered by Blake Countess, who returned it 16 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Five minutes into the second half, L.A. was up 28-24.

Sammy Watkins corralled a 1-yard pass in traffic to start the third quarter, getting the Rams to within 24-21. Los Angeles stymied the Eagles in the red zone just before the half and they had to settle for Elliott's 32-yard field goal to seize a 24-14 cushion.

Kupp's 6-yard touchdown reception cut the Eagles' lead to 21-14. Kupp had a 64-yard catch on the possession as the Rams scored after allowing 21 straight points.

With his second catch, Burton put the Eagles ahead 21-7 early in the second quarter. An 18-yard reception by Nelson Agholor kept the drive alive.

Burton pushed the Eagles ahead 14-7 late in the first quarter on a 20-yard scoring reception. Wentz delivered a beautiful pass to Burton despite him being double-covered.

Philadelphia tied the score 7-7 on its second possession when Wentz clicked with Celek on a 5-yard scoring pass.

The Rams struck first when taking advantage of Wentz's seventh interception of the year. Cornerback Kayvon Webster picked Wentz and that led to Gurley's 2-yard run through the right side for a 7-0 lead.

NOTES: Eagles TE Zach Ertz (concussion) was out. ... Philadelphia was playing its third game on the West Coast this season and their second straight after facing the Seattle Seahawks. The Eagles didn't return to Philadelphia last week, practicing instead at Angel Stadium if Anaheim. ... Rams WR Robert Woods (shoulder) and OLB Connor Barwin (forearm) were unable to play. ... CB Kayvon Webster (ankle) exited in the first quarter. ... Rams CB Trumaine Johnson (concussion) didn't finish the game.

Carson Wentz tosses 3 touchdowns, Eagles beat Bears 31-3

By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Another strong performance by Carson Wentz. Another dominant effort by the defense. Another lopsided win for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wentz tossed three touchdown passes and the NFL-leading Eagles beat the Chicago Bears 31-3 Sunday for their ninth straight win.

The Eagles (10-1) reduced their magic number to clinch the NFC East to one with their fourth consecutive win by at least 23 points and third in a row by exactly 28. Philadelphia would secure its first division title since 2013 if the Cowboys (5-6) lose or tie Washington on Thursday night.

"We're playing with a lot of momentum, a lot of energy, a lot of swagger," Wentz said.

Wentz had 227 yards passing, LeGarrette Blount ran for 97 yards and Zach Ertz caught 10 passes for 103 yards and one TD.

The defense shut down rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and the inept Bears (3-8), holding them to zero first downs in the first half and 140 total yards in the game.

"That's the best defense I've ever played," Chicago offensive lineman Kyle Long said.

The Bears won the turnover battle (3-2), but couldn't do anything with excellent field position. They started consecutive drives at midfield and Philadelphia's 42 but Cairo Santos missed a 54-yard field goal.

"We didn't play well enough to compete," Bears coach John Fox said. "We needed to play really, really well in all three phases to beat that team."

Wentz threw a 17-yard TD pass to Ertz to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead on their second drive. Jay Ajayi ran 2 yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive going and Wentz connected with Alshon Jeffery for 14 yards on third-and-8 one play before the TD.

Wentz had a 15-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor, who flipped over defenders into the end zone to make it 14-0 in the second quarter. Wentz spun away from a blitzer and ran 16 yards on third-and-9 to extend the drive. Then a holding penalty on Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara negated an incomplete pass on third-and-12, and the Eagles scored on the next play.

Another holding penalty on Amukamara gave the Eagles a first down late in the second quarter. Wentz then lofted an 8-yard TD pass to Jeffery to extend the lead to 24-0.

Ajayi ran 30 yards and fumbled at the Bears 5, but Agholor recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and a 31-3 lead.

"We're very balanced," Ajayi said. "We can do a lot of different things, so it keeps them on their toes."

RUN STUFFERS

The Bears entered with the fifth-ranked rushing offense and finished with 6 yards on 14 attempts. They had negative yards before Trubisky scrambled for 12 yards late in the fourth.

"It's really a pride issue when it comes to the run game," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "Obviously, you have to be able to tackle as well. Our interior line is well-documented in what they can do. Our backers flow and hit, and when they do try to pack us all in and get to the edge, our corners show up with attitude. Knowing your scheme is a big deal, but a lot of the run game comes down to attitude."

STATS

Ertz is the first player to have 100 yards receiving for the Eagles this season. ... Jeffery had five receptions for 52 yards and one TD against his former team. ... Wentz is five TD passes away from setting a single-season team record. Sonny Jurgensen had 32 TD passes in 1961. ... Eagles are the only NFL team that hasn't allowed a TD in the first quarter this season. ... Bears were the first team not to get a first down in the first half of a game since the Chiefs against the Raiders in Week 15, 2012. ... Eagles have three receivers — Ertz, Jeffery and Agholor — with six or more TD receptions.

PERFECT STRIKE

After his TD catch, Jeffery went bowling and his teammates lined up as the pins. Jeffery did a fake roll and all the players went down in the end zone for a strike.

INJURIES

Bears: OL Josh Sitton entered concussion protocol. ... S Adrian Amos injured a hamstring.

Eagles: LB Joe Walker suffered a stinger in the second quarter.

UP NEXT

Bears: Host the San Francisco 49ers (1-9) next Sunday.

Eagles: Visit the Seattle Seahawks (6-4) next Sunday night.

Wentz, Eagles roll over Cowboys 37-9 after losing kicker

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — No kicker, no problem for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Carson Wentz threw for two touchdowns and three 2-point conversions after Philadelphia lost kicker Jake Elliott to a head injury, and the Eagles all but wrapped up the NFC East with a 37-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

The Eagles (9-1) outscored the Cowboys 30-0 in the second half while extending their winning streak to eight games, their longest since 2003-04 and tied with New Orleans for the best current run in the NFL.

Philadelphia leads the second-place and defending division champion Cowboys (5-5) by four games with six to play after handing Dallas its worst home loss at 8-year-old AT&T Stadium.

Dallas' Dak Prescott threw a career-high three interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown in his second straight loss without star running back Ezekiel Elliott, serving a six-game suspension for alleged domestic violence.

Jake Elliott's injury wasn't a factor for nearly a half because the NFL-leading Eagles couldn't get in scoring position. They failed to get a first down on five straight first-half drives, starting with one at the Dallas 15 when Elliott missed a 34-yard attempt and soon after left the field.

Trailing 9-7 at halftime, Wentz led the Eagles on scoring drives of 75, 90 and 85 yards, the middle one boosted by Jay Ajayi's 71-yard run against his hometown team in his second game since getting traded by Miami.

"The biggest thing was sticking with the game plan," said Wentz, who is up to 25 touchdown passes with just five interceptions. "The big boys up front kind of came out angry. We ran the ball the second half really effectively."

Ajayi had 91 yards on seven carries and LeGarrette Blount added 57 on 13 carries, including a 30-yarder leading to the last offensive touchdown.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson declared at halftime that he would go for every fourth down and try 2-point conversions after every touchdown.

It came into play right away when Corey Clement scored on an 11-yard run to open the second half and ran in a screen pass behind three blockers for the 2-pointer.

The first fourth-down try was Wentz's 17-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery for a 29-9 lead. That 2-point pass failed. Torrey Smith had the other TD catch, an 11-yarder.

After Derek Barnett hit Prescott's leg and arm as he was throwing, Nigel Bradham picked up the loose ball and ran it 37 yards for a touchdown. Wentz's 2-point pass to Trey Burton provided the final margin.

"We got some nice 2-point conversions," said Wentz, who was 14 of 27 for 168 yards. "Now we've got to go back to the drawing board with our 2-point plays."

The Cowboys appeared to have fixed the problems of missing injured left tackle Tyron Smith and 2016 All-Pro linebacker Sean Lee from a week earlier, when they allowed eight sacks of Prescott along with three Atlanta scoring drives following Lee's injury in a 27-7 loss to the Falcons.

But after protecting Prescott fairly well before halftime, Dallas allowed three sacks and 180 of Philadelphia's season-high 215 yards rushing in the second half. Lee's replacement at weakside linebacker, Anthony Hitchens, left with a groin injury after halftime.

Prescott was 18 of 31 for 145 yards for a career-worst 30.4 passer rating before backup Cooper Rush took mop-up duty.

"It's no excuses," said Prescott, who teamed with Elliott in a remarkable rookie season that is now a distant memory with already two more losses and three more interceptions than Prescott had a year ago. Elliott won't be back until the final two games of the regular season.

"We're not saying injuries or any of that's bothering us. We're not saying it's the reason we're not winning is because of those guys."

NO RUST THIS TIME

The Eagles had a focus on being better following the bye after losing nine of 11 last season after a 3-0 start going into the break. Now Philadelphia will take a shot at the best record in the NFL with history on its side when starting this strong. The Eagles have two NFL championships (1949, 1960) and two trips to the Super Bowl (1980, 2004, both losses) following 9-1 starts.

SECOND-HALF MELTDOWNS

The Cowboys have been outscored 47-0 in the second half the past two weeks following a three-game winning streak that seemed to have Dallas back on track following an NFC-best 13-3 record last season.

"It would be pretty tough not to panic, but I don't think we are panicking," said running back Alfred Morris, who had 91 yards filling in for Ezekiel Elliott. "It's been two tough losses, ugly losses on top of that. But at the same time, I know the character of this team and the fight we have."

EMERGENCY KICKER

Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill is the emergency kicker for the Eagles. But he completely missed the safety net on a practice try on the sidelines, sending the ball into the stands. He did reach the goal line with his first kickoff, though.

UP NEXT

Eagles: Home against Chicago next Sunday.

Cowboys: Los Angeles Chargers visiting for annual Thanksgiving game.

___

Corrects previous versions with Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott, not Luke Elliott.

Carson Wentz tosses 4 TD passes, Eagles beat Broncos 51-23

By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carson Wentz isn't paying attention to his impressive stats.

Wentz tossed four touchdown passes, Corey Clement had three scores, and the Philadelphia Eagles routed the Denver Broncos 51-23 on Sunday.

The second-year quarterback leads the NFL with 23 TD passes, including 17 in the last five games.

"Touchdowns are great, but being 8-1 is what it's all about," Wentz said.

The Eagles dismantled the league's top-ranked defense, racking up 419 yards, to win their seventh straight game and head into a bye week with the best record in the league. Yet, Wentz sees room for improvement.

"Absolutely, we're never going to settle," he said. "Always things to learn from. I think we can keep getting better."

Brock Osweiler couldn't get the Broncos (3-5) on track in his first start since rejoining the team in September. He threw two interceptions. Denver has lost four in a row and five of six.

"Every man has to do a self-check of himself," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said when asked if his team quit. "Only each man would know what his heart said to him in the fourth quarter. That's where I'll leave that."

Wentz was 15 of 27 for 199 yards before giving way to Nick Foles. He has three four-TD performances in the last five weeks.

"He improves every single week and the guys around him elevate their game," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "The great quarterbacks make the guys around them play at a higher level."

Clement had two TD runs and one TD catch, and newcomer Jay Ajayi ran for 77 yards and one score.

"Excited to be here," Ajayi said. "Great football town. Definitely believe we can do a lot of special things here."

Wentz flipped a 32-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead after a holding penalty on Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib extended the drive. Talib bit on a faked inside handoff to Ajayi and Jeffery ran past him to make the catch and score.

After Osweiler threw a pick right to Patrick Robinson later in the first quarter, Wentz threw a short catch-and-run TD pass to Clement on third-and-10 from the 15.

A roughing-the-passer call on Denver's Zach Kerr kept another drive alive for Philadelphia. Wentz connected with Trey Burton on a 27-yard TD pass on the next play, giving the Eagles a 24-6 lead.

Ajayi burst through for a 46-yard TD run to put Philadelphia ahead 31-9 in the second quarter. Ajayi, a 2016 Pro Bowl pick with Miami, was acquired in a trade Tuesday. The Broncos hadn't allowed 30 points in a game this season, nor any TD runs.

Clement, an undrafted rookie free agent, ran in from the 2 in the third quarter, and Wentz connected with Jeffery on a 6-yard pass to make it 44-9. Clement's 4-yard TD run capped the scoring.

The Eagles hadn't scored 50 points since a 54-11 victory over the Bears on Dec. 22, 2013.

The last time the Broncos allowed more points, they beat the Cowboys 51-48 on Oct. 6, 2013. But Peyton Manning isn't around anymore.

FLASHBACK

For one play, Denver's defense looked like its old self. Von Miller stripped Foles and Brandon Marshall scooped up the fumble and ran it back 19 yards for a TD.

GROUND AND POUND

Clement had 51 yards rushing, LeGarrette Blount added 38 to go with Ajayi's 77, and the Eagles got 197 on the ground.

DROUGHT OVER

Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas caught his first TD pass this season, a 1-yard grab in the fourth quarter. It was the first TD catch for the five-time Pro Bowl receiver since Nov. 13, 2016.

STRONG LEG

Denver's Brandon McManus kicked field goals of 52, 53 and 24 yards. He was only 10 for 15 coming in and 8 for 17 in his career beyond 50.

INJURIES

Broncos: WR Emmanuel Sanders started despite being listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

Eagles: TE Zach Ertz didn't play because of a hamstring injury sustained in practice.

UP NEXT

Broncos: Host the New England Patriots (6-2) next Sunday.

Eagles: Have a bye before visiting Dallas (4-3) on Nov. 19.

Eagles acquire Pro Bowl RB Ajayi from Dolphins

The Philadelphia Eagles acquired Pro Bowl running back Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft.

The swap came just hours before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Ajayi joins a backfield in Philadelphia that also includes offseason acquisition LeGarrette Blount. The Eagles own the NFL's fifth-ranked run offense, earning 129.2 yards per game on 30.8 rush attempts.

The 24-year-old Ajayi has rushed for 465 yards this season on 138 carries, but has been held out of the end zone. He has seen his rushing average drop from 4.9 yards per game in 2016 to 3.4 this season.

Ajayi rushed for just 23 yards on 14 carries in a 40-0 rout by the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday. The performance drew criticism from Dolphins coach Adam Gase, who did not mention Ajayi by name.

"We've got to stop trying to hit home runs all the time," Gase said. "It's on the running back. Do your job. It's not hard to do."

Ajayi has rushed for 1,924 yards and nine touchdowns in 31 career games for Miami since being selected in the fifth round of the 2015 draft out of Boise State.

He is signed through 2018 on a four-year, $2.5 million contract.

The Dolphins likely will turn to second-year running back Kenyan Drake as their starter. Drake has just 25 rushing yards this season on 10 carries.

Eagles appear happy with Vaitai at left tackle

PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m. But it doesn't appear the Eagles are going to make any kind of a deal.

Jason Peters, their nine-time Pro-Bowl left tackle, sustained a season-ending knee injury last week against Washington.

Second-year man Halapoulivaati Vaitai started in his place Sunday in the Eagles' 33-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He gave up a sack and looked a little shaky at other times.

But head coach Doug Pederson said he was pleased with Vaitai's overall performance.

"I think he held up extremely well," Pederson said. "He gave up the one sack, and it was a combination of him getting a little off-balance and (quarterback) Carson (Wentz) hanging on to the ball while just waiting for the routes to open up down the field.

"Things like that are going to happen, obviously. But you take away that play, and he played really well."

The Eagles also lost one of their starting linebackers, Jordan Hicks, for the season last week when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. And one of their top special teams players, Chris Maragos, is out for the year with an ACL tear in his knee.

Pederson has little input into player acquisition. That's the domain of football operations chief Howie Roseman and player personnel vice president Joe Douglas. But Pederson said he would be surprised if the Eagles made a move by 4 p.m. Tuesday.

He said, "Do I expect (us) to be active? Listen, I'm focused" on the players he has. "That might be a Howie question. But I like where we're at right now with our roster (with) the way guys are playing.

"We're always looking, obviously. I'm not going to say it's out of the question. But at the same time, the guys that we have in this locker room, we've got a lot of confidence in. And we go forward from there."

Without Peters, Wentz had his second-lowest passer rating of the season Sunday (84.2). He was just 2-for-7 for 9 yards and was sacked twice when the 49ers blitzed him.

One of the biggest problems the Eagles are having against the blitz, however, isn't their offensive linemen. It's their running backs. None of their backs -- LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement and Kenjon Barner -- are particularly good at blitz pickup.

"It comes down to studying film and just working at it in practice on Wednesdays and Thursdays," Pederson said. "The thing is, the guys are actually in the right spots. Sometimes it can be just technique, and we've just got to continue and keep stressing it and keep working on it."

--One of the keys for the Eagles' defense in the first half of the season has been their improvement on third down. They finished tied for 19th in third-down defense last season (40.0). After eight games this year, they are third (31.0). Opponents have a 47.1 passer rating against the Eagles on third down. Just 23 of 45 third-down completions (51.1 percent) against the Eagles have resulted in first downs. A league-high six of their eight interceptions have been on third down.

"It's been the calling card of this defense this year," safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "Getting off the field, getting drives stopped."

In Sunday's win, the 49ers converted just three of 15 third-down opportunities against the Eagles. Quarterback C.J. Beathard was just 3-for-8 for 31 yards with two first downs on third down.

--The league is reviewing a hit by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox on 49ers left tackle Joe Staley. Staley suffered a fractured orbital bone around his right eye late in the first half Sunday. A couple of Staley's teammates accused Cox of a cheap shot. When head coach Doug Pederson spoke with reporters Monday, he said he hadn't yet talked to Cox and added that the film wasn't very revealing.

"It's hard to even see on the coach's copy, exactly what had happened," he said. "There was contact, obviously. But it's so far away that it's hard to tell exactly. Without getting something a little bit closer, it's hard to tell exactly what happened at that point."

--Wide receiver Torrey Smith played his lowest percentage of snaps of the season against the 49ers (46 percent) as the Eagles gave more playing time to rookie Mack Hollins. Smith has no catches in the last two games. For the season, he's been targeted 28 times and has 14 receptions. Asked Monday about Smith, head coach Doug Pederson said: "He's doing fine. It's also good to see our young players step up. It just helps the whole football team. Bottom line, we're going to do everything we can to win the football game, regardless of who's in it."

Hollins has been very productive when he's been in the game. He's been targeted nine times and has eight catches. He's averaging 20.5 yards per catch.

NOTES: CB Ronald Darby has been a limited practice participant the last two weeks as he continues to come back from his Week 1 ankle dislocation. While there's a possibility he could play this week against Denver, the Eagles probably will keep him out until after next week's bye week. ... WR Torrey Smith played his lowest percentage of snaps of the season Sunday (46 percent). Smith doesn't have a catch in either of the last two games and has just 14 for the season. ... LT Halapoulivaati Vaitai "held up extremely well" in his first start at left tackle for Jason Peters, head coach Doug Pederson said Monday. The Eagles had considered sliding RT Lane Johnson over to left tackle and plugging Vaitai in at right tackle. But they felt Johnson's been playing very well at right tackle and they didn't want to move him. ... CB Patrick Robinson suffered a concussion in Sunday's win over the 49ers and is going through the concussion protocol. The slot corner's status for Sunday's game against the Broncos won't be known until later in the week. ... QB Carson Wentz had his second lowest passer rating of the season Sunday. Wentz had an 84.2 rating against the 49ers, including 6.6 yards per attempt and a 56.2 completion percentage. He was 2-for-7 and was sacked twice when the 49ers blitzed.

REPORT CARD VS. 49ERS

--PASSING OFFENSE: C - This wasn't one of Carson Wentz's better performances. Had some ugly overthrows, including one to a wide-open Alshon Jeffery down the middle. Completed only 3 of 8 third-down passes and had his second third-down interception of the season. Didn't get a lot of help from his Jason Peters-less offensive line.

--RUSHING OFFENSE: C-minus --The Eagles averaged just 3.6 yards per carry against the 49ers. LeGarrette Blount had just 48 yards on 16 carries, and 23 of those 48 yards came on a pair of runs in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had just 58 yards on 18 carries in the first three quarters. On the plus side, Blount did have his second rushing touchdown of the season.

--PASS DEFENSE: A - The Eagles intercepted rookie C.J. Beathard twice, sacked him four times and held him to 4.6 yards per attempt. Beathard was just 3-for-8 for 31 yards on third down. Jalen Mills' interception return for a TD came on third down. It was the Eagles' sixth third-down pick of the season.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B-plus - The Eagles gave up a couple of double-digit yard runs to Carlos Hyde and Kyle Juszczyk, but basically did another excellent job against the run, holding the 49ers to 3.9 yards per carry and four rushing first downs. Take QB C.J. Beathard's 40 scrambling yards out of the equation and the Eagles held the 49rs to 54 yards on 18 carries.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: B-plus - Jake Elliott booted his fifth 50-plus yard field goal of the season, but also missed a pair of extra points. Derek Barnett blocked a 27-yard field-goal attempt. All seven of Elliott's kickoffs went for touchbacks. The Eagles' punt coverage unit held Trent Taylor to 4.5 yards per return.

--COACHING: A-minus - Head coach Doug Pederson did a good job of making sure his team didn't underestimate the winless 49ers. Jim Schwartz's defense continues to shine on third down. The 49ers converted just three of 15 third-down opportunities.

NFL roundup: Eagles win sixth straight

PHILADELPHIA -- Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a sluggish start to defeat the winless San Francisco 49ers 33-10 Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Wentz was 18 of 32 for 211 yards and now has tossed a franchise-record 19 touchdown passes through the first eight games.

The Eagles improved to 7-1 following their sixth consecutive win while the 49ers fell to 0-8, joining the Cleveland Browns as the only two teams without a win.

San Francisco quarterback C.J. Beathard, making his second pro start, was under heavy pressure much of the game and finished 17 of 36 for 167 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

SEAHAWKS 41, TEXANS 38

SEATTLE -- Quarterback Russell Wilson passed for a career-best 452 yards and engineered another late comeback as Seattle spoiled Houston rookie phenom Deshaun Watson's big day.

Wilson hit tight end Jimmy Graham on an 18-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left, capping off an 80-yard drive over the final 1:39, for his fourth touchdown pass of the game. Graham and Seattle wide receiver Paul Richardson both scored twice on a day when Houston's Watson also passed for four touchdowns.

Watson was 19-for-30 for a season-best 402 yards and four touchdowns, but also threw three costly interceptions in the loss. Houston (3-4) had a chance to put the game away after cornerback Marcus Williams intercepted a Wilson pass deep in Texans territory with 2:49 left, but Watson and the offense couldn't get a game-clinching first down.

Wilson and the Seahawks took over at the Seattle 20-yard line with 1:39 left. Wilson then completed three consecutive passes, including a 48-yarder to Richardson, and hit a wide-open Graham over the middle to put Seattle (5-2) ahead for good.

STEELERS 20, LIONS 15

DETROIT -- Ben Roethlisberger connected with rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 97-yard touchdown, the longest pass play in Pittsburgh history, and the Steelers held off Detroit.

Roethlisberger completed 17 of 31 passes for 313 yards. Smith-Schuster hauled in seven of those passes for 193 yards. Le'Veon Bell rushed for 76 yards on 25 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown, for the Steelers (6-2).

Matthew Stafford completed 27 of 45 passes for 423 yards for the Lions (3-4), but they couldn't score a touchdown. Matt Prater accounted for all of Detroit's points with five field goals.

PATRIOTS 21, CHARGERS 13

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady threw for 333 yards with a touchdown and Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals, leading New England to its fourth straight win.

Brady, who threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski, recorded his 81st career 300-yard game, his fifth this season, which matches his total of last year.

The Patriots ended a three-game winning streak for the Chargers.

The worst of the many Los Angeles mistakes came when punt returner Travis Benjamin fielded a punt near the sideline at his own 8. He ran backward and wound up fumbling the ball at the goal line, recovering it inside the end zone for the first safety on a punt return in the NFL since 2003.

BENGALS 24, COLTS 23

CINCINNATI -- Defensive end Carlos Dunlap's interception return for a touchdown with seven minutes left lifted Cincinnati over Indianapolis.

With the Colts leading 23-17, Dunlap batted Jacoby Brissett's pass up in the air, then caught it and ran 16 yards for a touchdown, putting the Bengals ahead.

The Colts moved into Cincinnati territory with less than two minutes left, but Brissett's pass on fourth-and-4 at the 48 fell incomplete, denying them a shot at a game-winning field goal.

Colts receiver Jack Doyle had career highs with 12 catches and 121 yards with a touchdown, but the result was the third straight loss for Indianapolis.

FALCONS 25, JETS 20

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Staring at a fourth straight loss to an AFC East opponent, Matt Ryan hit Mohamed Sanu for the go-ahead touchdown with 12:22 left in the fourth quarter, and Atlanta hung on to beat New York in a steady rain.

The Jets were about to get the ball back down 22-20 inside nine minutes to play, but Jeremy Kerley muffed a punt and Atlanta's Kemal Ishmael recovered on the New York 13-yard line. Matt Bryant hit his fourth field goal three plays later for the final margin with 5:22 to play.

The Jets, who blew 14-point leads each of the last two weeks, had a 17-10 lead with 2:26 left in the first half when Josh McCown hit wide receiver Robby Anderson for a 24-yard touchdown.

SAINTS 20, BEARS 12

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees completed 23 of 28 passes for 299 yards and New Orleans overcame two fourth-quarter fumbles by Mark Ingram to hold off Chicago for its fifth consecutive victory.

After Ingram's first fumble with 7:32 left, the Bears cut the deficit to 17-12 on a 1-yard leap by running back Tarik Cohen with 3:58 left.

The Saints appeared to be moving for the clinching score, but Ingram was stripped again of the ball by safety Adrian Amos, setting up Chicago at the Bears 30. But the Saints' defense held on four downs, and Wil Lutz kicked a 49-yard field goal for a 20-12 lead with 1:35 left.

The Bears had one more chance, returning the ensuing kickoff to the Saints 43, but cornerback Marshon Lattimore picked off Trubisky with 1:11 remaining.

PANTHERS 17, BUCCANEERS 3

TAMPA, Fla. -- Carolina broke a two-game losing streak while sending Tampa Bay to its fourth straight loss.

The Panthers established a 10-0 first-half lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart and a 28-yard field goal by Graham Gano.

Following a fourth-quarter interception by James Bradberry, the Panthers got the put-away score with 8:48 remaining on Cam Newton's 25-yard pass to Kelvin Benjamin on third-and-16.

Overall, Newton was 18-of-32 passing for 154 yards. He rushed for 44 yards and was not sacked.

BILLS 34, RAIDERS 14

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo defense forced four turnovers and scored 13 points off a flurry of three takeaways in a span of five minutes to beat Oakland.

Buffalo entered the game leading the NFL in turnover margin and had its fourth straight game with at least three takeaways, extending the NFL's longest streak.

LeSean McCoy rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and Tyrod Taylor had 165 passing yards and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) for the Bills, who improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2011.

Oakland fumbled four times and lost two of them. David Carr was 31 of 49 passing for 313 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

COWBOYS 33, REDSKINS 19

LANDOVER, Md. -- Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns, Mike Nugent kicked four field goals and Dallas defeated Washington in the rain.

Dallas held a 26-13 lead when Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Doctson with 4:35 remaining, but Nick Rose's extra-point attempt sailed wide.

The Cowboys picked up two first downs before punting with 1:05 left. Taking over on his 12, Cousins' second pass was intercepted by Byron Jones at the 21 and returned for a touchdown.

Elliott carried 33 times and scored on runs of 13 and 1 yards and had a 27-yard score negated by a holding penalty. He notched his third career performance of at least 150 yards in what could be his last game for some time. He has a court date on Monday that will likely determine whether he begins serving a six-game suspension immediately.

VIKINGS 33, BROWNS 16

Minnesota overcame a slow start with 21 second-half points to overpower the Cleveland at Twickenham Stadium in London.

The Vikings have won four straight games -- three straight with backup Case Keenum at quarterback. The Browns are 0-8 this season and 1-23 under head coach Hue Jackson.

The lead changed five times after the Browns jumped ahead 6-0 before the Vikings took the lead for good late in the third quarter on a 1-yard scoring run by Jerick McKinnon.

Wentz tosses 4 TDs, Eagles beat Redskins 34-24

By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles keep losing key players and are still winning games thanks to No. 11.

Carson Wentz tossed four touchdown passes and ran for a career-best 63 yards, helping the Eagles overcome losing nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters in a 34-24 win over the Washington Redskins on Monday night. Linebacker Jordan Hicks also went down with an ankle injury.

Peters was carted off the field and Hicks left the stadium on crutches. Coach Doug Pederson didn’t have any updates on their status after the game.

“This is a resilient group and we’ve seen it over the first two months of the season,” Pederson said.

They’ll be fine as long as Wentz is under center.

The second-year quarterback made one highlight play after another in front of a national audience. Wentz has led the NFL-best Eagles (6-1) to five straight wins and is an early front-runner for MVP.

“He is amazing,” receiver Nelson Agholor said. “I talk about how great and how athletic he is and how he has a great arm, but the attention to detail, the film study, the professionalism he has is second to none.”

Kirk Cousins threw for 303 and three TDs for the Redskins (3-3).

“Carson made some unbelievable plays there in crunch-time situations,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “We lost and it wasn’t good enough by anybody, offensively. But Kirk competed and made some great throws, some great plays.”

The Eagles went three-and-out three times in their first four drives and had only 57 total yards before Wentz hit Mack Hollins in stride with a perfect 64-yard TD pass to tie it at 10.

That got the offense rolling.

Wentz connected with Zach Ertz for 46 yards on the next series and found him again for a 4-yard TD pass to make it 17-10.

After getting the second-half kickoff, the Eagles drove 86 yards for another touchdown. Peters was injured during the series, and fans chanted his name while teammates surrounded the cart.

Wentz finished the drive off with a play that Peters would appreciate.

While being hit by two defenders and falling forward, Wentz lofted a 9-yard TD pass to Corey Clement.

Wentz fired a 10-yard TD pass to Agholor to expand the lead to 31-17. Wentz kept that drive alive by escaping a sack and running 17 yards on third-and-8.

Cousins tossed a 7-yard touchdown to Chris Thompson to give the Redskins a 10-3 lead. He connected with Jordan Reed on a 5-yard TD to cut the deficit to 24-17 and threw a 12-yard pass to Reed to cap the scoring.

Here’s some things we learned from Philadelphia’s win over Washington:

LEGITIMATE CONTENDERS: The Eagles are the real deal and have a commanding lead in the NFC East. The Redskins and Cowboys (3-3) are tied for second place. Dallas still has a chance because they play Philadelphia twice but Washington was swept in the season series for the first time since 2013. “Every time we win, it’s harder,” Pederson said. “And the bulls-eye on our back becomes bigger.”

PLENTY OF OPTIONS: Wentz threw TD passes to four different players, excluding starting receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. “The depth we have and the ability to spread the ball around makes us tough to defend,” Wentz said.

TERRELLE THE CHEERLEADER: Josh Doctson started over Terrelle Pryor, who signed a one-year, $8 million contract to be the No. 1 guy in the offseason. Pryor had only two catches for 14 yards and has been a bust so far. Cousins didn’t even mention his name when rattling off all the options he has. “I was on the sideline really just cheering my teammates on,” Pryor said. “Just trying to be the best teammate I could be on the sideline and get guys pumped up. Whatever I could do on the sideline.”

Carson Wentz throws 3 TD passes, Eagles beat Panthers 28-23

By STEVE REED
Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carson Wentz said he saw some things from the Carolina Panthers he hadn't seen on film leading to three first-half sacks and plenty of pressure.

It didn't bother the Philadelphia Eagles' second-year quarterback.

Wentz came up big in a huge game, throwing for 222 yards and three touchdowns against one of the NFL's top defenses, and the Eagles beat the Panthers 28-23 on Thursday night to improve to an NFC-best 5-1.

"We kept backs in to handle their linebackers and we did a better job cleaning it up in the second half," said Wentz, who wasn't sacked in the second half.

The Eagles turned two interceptions deep in Carolina territory into 15 points. Wentz teamed with Zach Ertz on two touchdown passes, and LaGarrette Blount scored on a 2-point conversion run for an 18-10 lead in the third quarter. Wentz added a 24-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor in the fourth quarter.

"He's a great leader of this football team, even in his second year," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said about Wentz. "Guys really respect the way he plays. It's exciting to see that."

Cam Newton threw three interceptions for Carolina (4-2).

The first two interceptions came inside Carolina's 20, but weren't Newton's fault. He was hit by Fletcher Cox as he released one pass, and running back Jonathan Stewart bobbled another pass resulting in a pick.Newton's third interception — by Jalen Mills with 3:06 left — ended a chance for the go-ahead score.

Carolina had one last shot to win, but turned it over on downs at midfield.

"We gave them layups, giving them the ball inside our 20," Newton said. "Against a good team like that, well that's not good ingredients to win. We can't put our defense in that type of position."

Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly was placed into the concussion protocolafter his body crumpled following a collision with Eagles pulling guard Brandon Brooks. Kuechly missed nine games over the past two seasons with two concussions. All of the Eagles' touchdowns came after Kuechly left the game late in the second quarter.

Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said it won't be easy to replace Keuchly, adding "Luke is a big part of what we do."

Added defensive tackle Kawann Short: "You saw a quick prayer, but then the game has to go on."

Newton gave the Panthers a 10-3 lead on his 51st career touchdown rushing in the second quarter. He kept the ball on a read option and juked cornerback Rasul Douglas on the 16-yard run.

Douglas get revenge on Carolina's next possession, intercepting Newton's passafter Cox crashed into Newton as he was throwing, causing the ball to float high into the air.

EAGLES' COX RETURNS: After a two-game absence due to a calf injury, Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox returned and was a dominant force. Along with the tipped pass on Newton's interception, he also had a sack and two quarterback hurries. "There's no way I could sit him tonight," Pederson said. "It was too important to him."

NO RUNNING GAME: If it hadn't been for Newton , the Panthers would not have had any running game to speak of against the Eagles. Newton ran for 71 yards and the touchdown, but running backs Jonathan Stewart, Christian McCaffrey and Fozzy Whittaker were limited to 1 yard on 13 carries.

"We have a lot of things to look at. We really do," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said of the running game."

BLOUNT POUNDS AWAY: The bruising Blount didn't find the end zone for a touchdown, although he did score on a 2-point conversion after the Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei jumped early on an extra point attempt. That prompted coach Doug Pederson to go for two. Blount finished with 67 yards on 14 carries.

PEPPERS' MILESTONE: Julius Peppers needed one sack to become the fifth player to reach 150 since they became an official statistic in 1982. The 37-year-old Peppers didn't waste any time reaching it, sacking Wentz on the first drive of the game and forcing a fumble.

LINEUP CHANGE: Panthers cornerback Daryl Worley was benched in the first half for Kevin Seymour.

INJURIES:

Eagles: Linebacker Jordan Hicks left the game early with an ankle injury. Defensive end Brandon Graham briefly left with a shoulder injury.

Panthers: Aside from Kuechly's injury, Whittaker was carted to the locker room in the first quarter with a right ankle injury and did not return.

UP NEXT:

Eagles: Host the Washington Redskins on "Monday Night Football" on Oct. 23

Panthers: At the Chicago Bears on Oct. 22.

___

For more NFL coverage:http://www.pro32.ap.org andhttp://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Blount drives Eagles to 26-24 victory over winless Chargers

By GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — LeGarrette Blount burst through the line, escaped an ankle tackle and shoved into the secondary, where he stiff-armed a Chargers rookie twice to cap a rampaging 68-yard run .

"From my vantage point, it was one of the most impressive runs I've seen in my life," quarterback Carson Wentz said.

The Philadelphia Eagles are off to a tenacious start after another smash-mouth victory in a road stadium that felt like home.

Wentz passed for 242 yards, Blount rushed for 136 and the Eagles jumped to a big early lead before hanging on for a 26-24 victory over the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Rookie Jake Elliott kicked four field goals for the Eagles (3-1), who had thousands of vocal fans in the Chargers' temporary arena while they won on the road for the second time in 10 tries. Those fans roared their approval particularly after Philadelphia ran out the game with a bruising 13-play drive over the final 6:44, simply refusing to give a final chance to the Chargers' offense.

"Even though we're four games in, this team is really beginning to believe in themselves, believe in each other," coach Doug Pederson said.

Playing without Fletcher Cox and several injured defensive regulars, the Eagles matched last season's 3-1 start. They did it with an impressive running game: Blount combined with Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement to rush for 200 yards, with Blount picking up 88 yards in the fourth quarter, along with the clinching first down on that clock-chewing drive.

"I had a pretty good day," Blount said after his biggest day yet for his new team. "Running behind the O-line I run behind, it's pretty hard not to have a good day."

Rookie Austin Ekeler rushed for a 35-yard score on his first NFL carry and Hunter Henry made a one-handed TD catch during the Chargers' fourth-quarter surge.

Philadelphia ran out the clock after Henry's TD catch, making a time-consuming drive that ended in the Victory formation.

Philip Rivers passed for 347 yards and two TDs for the Chargers, who have lost nine consecutive games dating to last season in San Diego.

WINLESS BOLTS

Tyrell Williams caught a 75-yard touchdown pass , but the Chargers are off to their first 0-4 start since 2003 — three years before Rivers became their starting quarterback. New coach Anthony Lynn is still winless after Los Angeles' new team wrapped up a three-game homestand.

"Never in a million years (had) I thought we'd be here at 0-4, but we are," Lynn said. "I look at football in four quarters, just like the game, and we just stunk the first quarter of our season. We've got three quarters left to figure some things out and get this turned around."

FINISHING STRENGTH

Blount's 68-yard run eventually led to Smallwood's TD dive with 9:14 to play after a penalty on Los Angeles' Darius Philon kept the Eagles alive.

Henry made it 26-24, but the Eagles never gave up the ball.

"They wore down in the fourth quarter," Eagles left tackle Jason Peters said of the Chargers. "Matter of fact, they wore down in the third quarter going into the fourth, and we took advantage of it."

THE MAN

Blount had just 113 yards in his first three games with the Eagles, and he didn't get a carry in their loss to Kansas City two weeks ago. The NFL's 2016 leader in rushing touchdowns was at the center of Philadelphia's attack this time, and he showed the tenacity that his teammates already knew he possessed from his Super Bowl-winning tenure with New England.

"I know what I can do," Blount said. "I know I'm one of the better backs in this league. I'm always going to run with that passion and that confidence."

TOUGH MOMENT

Rivers grew frustrated in the second half, slinging his helmet into the bench and shouting at teammates and coaches when he wanted to go for it on fourth down.

"That's why you have a head coach and not go off your emotions there," Rivers said. "Without a doubt, the correct move was to punt."

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE

For the third straight week, the sellout crowd at the Chargers' temporary home stadium had a healthy contingent of fans supporting the visiting team. The Philly faithful roared for the Eagles and booed the Bolts, although both fan bases joined together pregame for a rude chant about the Dallas Cowboys.

UP NEXT

Eagles: Host the Arizona Cardinals to begin a stretch with four of five at home.

Chargers: Visit the winless New York Giants to begin a stretch with four of five on the road. "It's a barn-burner, two 0-4 teams," Rivers said.

___

More AP NFL: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Redskins, Eagles out to establish themselves as contenders

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- LANDOVER, Md. -- While the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants are waiting to play their prime-time Sunday night game, two teams that think they can also challenge for the NFC East title will resume their rivalry Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field.

The Washington Redskins, coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nearly two decades, have won five straight against the Philadelphia Eagles, but four of the five have been by a touchdown or less.

Last December, the visiting Eagles trailed 27-22 and drove to the Redskins' 14-yard line in the final minute, but Ryan Kerrigan sacked then-rookie Carson Wentz to force a fumble and seal the Washington win.

"We just have to learn to finish. We've got to execute," Eagles second-year coach Doug Pederson said. "All part of coming to Washington is how well do teams ... how well can we handle crowd noise, how well can we execute our offense and defense in the game plan. Just try to keep it simple, keep it small, focus on the details."

Wentz (43 of 68 for 493 yards, one touchdown and one interception in two games against Washington) returns to Landover with several new weapons.

In the backfield, LeGarrette Blount had a career-high 299 carries last season with New England and led the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns. He'll be part of a running back by committee approach that includes speedy Darren Sproles and Wendell Smallwood.

After catching 52 passes for the Chicago Bears a year ago, 6-foot-3 wide receiver Alshon Jeffery signed a one-year deal with the Eagles.

"He is a big target, still runs well. Just really excited, obviously excited back in OTAs and through camp and watching he and Carson (Wentz) work," Pederson said. "He is going to have a significant role."

Philadelphia also added wideout Torrey Smith, who had 20 receptions with the 49ers. They join tight end Zach Ertz, who had 70-plus catches each of the past two seasons.

Right tackle Lane Johnson is back after missing last year's games for a suspension and the Eagles, with a healthy offensive line, should be able to cut down on the nine sacks Wentz endured in two games against the Redskins in 2016.

Cousins, once again playing under the Franchise tag rather than a long-term contract, has some new targets as well.

Gone are veteran receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Replacing them will be free agent signee Terrelle Pryor Sr. and second-year player Josh Doctson, who missed all but two games last year with an Achilles injury. Jamison Crowder (67 catches last season) operates out of the slot.

Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Reed is healthy to begin the season and, when he plays, remains one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league.

The Redskins' offense sputtered in the preseason. They'll try to establish the run with Rob Kelly, but it will likely come down to Cousins. In five games against the Eagles, he has completed 124 of 195 passes for 1,579 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, good for a 102.9 passer rating.

"I've always respected their pass rush, not only their players they have -- which they have great pass rushers -- but also the scheme," Cousins said of the Eagles. "I've always respected Coach (Jim) Schwartz and their defense and the way they come after you. Just constantly put pressure on you, even sometimes with only three or four rushers, you still feel them."

Someone who might provide the Eagles some additional insight on the Redskins is quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who was among Washington's final cuts before being signed to the Eagles' practice squad.

Both teams feature newcomers on defense. For Washington, that includes new defensive coordinator Greg Manusky; defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, a first-round draft pick; and pass rusher Junior Galette, who signed in 2015 but missed consecutive seasons with torn Achilles tendons.

"The important thing is stopping LeGarrette Blount and the running game, and they have a good running game with him," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "When they bring in Sproles and Smallwood and all those guys, we have to somehow figure out how to get them third-and-long, try to make them one-dimensional."

One player missing Sunday will be Washington's Su'a Cravens, the expected starter at strong safety. Cravens, 22, was placed on the exempt/left squad list Sunday after initially shocking the organization by saying he wanted to retire.

Philadelphia endured a distraction of its own this week after former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi called second-year coach Doug Pederson (7-9 a year ago) the least qualified coach in the NFL.

Wentz, Cutler look sharp; Eagles beat Dolphins 38-31

By ROB MAADDI
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Carson Wentz and Jay Cutler are ready for the regular season. Most of their teammates still need more work.

Wentz threw touchdown passes to both of his new receivers, Mychal Kendricks returned an interception 31 yards for a score and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Miami Dolphins 38-31 on Thursday night.

Playing his second game since coming out of retirement to replace injured Dolphins starter Ryan Tannehill, Cutler was 5 of 8 for 105 yards and one TD . His surgically repaired right shoulder looked fine on a 72-yard pass to DeVante Parker.

Wentz connected with Torrey Smith on a 50-yard TD down the right side on a third-and-8 on Philadelphia's opening series for a 7-0 lead. Smith, who was signed along with Alshon Jeffery in free agency to bolster the receiving group, didn't have a catch in the first two games.

Wentz then hit Jeffery for a 20-yard gain and found him again for a 15-yard TD pass over the middle on his fourth and final series. Wentz finished 6 of 10 for 129 yards, two TDs and one interception. Coming in, there were concerns Jeffery wasn't on the same page with Wentz because he has missed a lot of practice time.

"I felt really confident in our chemistry going back to the spring, but it was nice to do it in a game here in front of the fans," Wentz said.

Jay Ajayi had a pair of 2-yard TD runs for the Dolphins and Cutler tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Julius Thomas.

"It seems like his pocket presence is coming back," Dolphins coach Adam Gase said of Cutler. "It was a step in the right direction."

Eagles reserves led by No. 3 quarterback Matt McGloin had a six-play, 53-yard TD drive against Miami's starters. Corey Clement capped it with a 3-yard TD run that tied it at 21.

"They got a good feel for us and they made a couple plays," Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell said.

Mychal Kendricks then intercepted Matt Moore's tipped pass and returned it for a score to put Philadelphia ahead 28-21.

The teams were quite familiar with each other after scrimmaging twice this week.

"That helped me a lot, really sped up my clock," Cutler said.

SHOOTOUT

The Dolphins hadn't scored this many points in a preseason game since 1999. The 69 combined points were the most in a preseason game in team history.

QB WATCH

Dolphins: Moore was 5 of 11 for 43 yards and two interceptions. ... No. 3 QB Brandon Doughty was 2 of 7 for 74 yards and one TD, a 69-yard TD pass to Jakeem Grant.

Eagles: Backup Nick Foles sat out again while resting an elbow injury. ... McGloin was 22 of 26 for 155 yards, one TD, one interception.

IMPRESSIVE RETURNS

Dolphins DT Jordan Phillips had a rumbling 18-yard return after he picked Wentz, setting up one of Ajayi's TD runs.

Eagles reserve LB Don Cherry had a nifty 42-yard return after intercepting Doughty's pass.

DEFENSIVE GOAT

CB Ronald Darby, who was acquired from Buffalo two weeks ago, struggled after an impressive debut with the Eagles. He allowed the long pass to Parker and had a 42-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone.

ANTHEM PROTEST

Philadelphia's Chris Long, who grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, put his arm around teammate Malcolm Jenkins as a show of unity during the national anthem for the second straight week. Jenkins stood with his right fist raised in the air as he's done since last season. He was surrounded by Long, who is white, and Rodney McLeod and Najee Goode. Ron Brooks took a knee behind them.

LEG STRENGTH

Miami's Andrew Franks made a 56-yard FG at the end of the first half.

INJURIES

Dolphins: TE Thomas Duarte suffered a concussion.

Eagles: Rookie LB Nate Gerry left with a hamstring injury.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL