The Third Act.

[Soapy]

Prescott TD pass lifts Cowboys to 35-29 OT win over Pats
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- — Dak Prescott wasn't going to let anything prevent him from enjoying the moment.

While his team celebrated around him after he threw 35-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb in overtime to beat the New Patriots 35-29 Sunday, the Cowboys quarterback felt pain in his right calf.

It wasn't the perfect ending, but he was willing to accept it after he helped Dallas survive a wild finish and earn its first victory over Bill Belichick's Patriots.

"Just came down funny. Didn't like what I felt," said Prescott, who wore a walking boot to his postgame news conference. "Life keeps throwing punches and I'm gonna keep throwing them back. ... But I'll be fine. I'll promise you that."

Dallas hadn't won at New England since 1987 and was 0-5 against Belichick. The Cowboys (5-1) have won five straight, their longest winning streak since 2016.

The Cowboys led 17-14 entering the fourth quarter, and that's when the fun began. The teams traded five scores in the period, three in the final 2 1/2 minutes.

New England (2-4) was clinging to a 21-20 lead when sensational Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs intercepted rookie Mac Jones and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown — his seventh pick and second pick-six of the season — to put Dallas ahead 26-20. On the next play from scrimmage, Jones hit Kendrick Bourne for a 75-yard score. Jones then hooked up with Jakobi Meyers for the 2-point conversion.

But Prescott led the Cowboys on a 40-yard drive and Greg Zuerlein's 49-yard field goal sent the game to overtime. Dallas ended it after New England punted on its first possession in OT as the Patriots dropped to 0-4 at home for the first time in Belichick's 22 years as coach.

"We went toe-to-toe with them for 60 minutes," Belichick said. "They just made a few more plays than we did."

Prescott, whose calf injury will be evaluated further on Monday, finished 35 of 51 for 445 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Lamb had nine catches for 149 yards and two scores.

Jones finished 15 of 21 for 229 yards, two touchdowns and that critical interception, and Damien Harris rushed 18 times for 101 yards and a score.

The Patriots, who came in allowing 19.2 points per game, did a decent job keeping Dallas' second-ranked offense at bay until Prescott broke through in the second half. He hit Lamb for a 1-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone to make it 17-14 in the third quarter.

Dallas extended its lead on Zuerlein's 45-yard field goal early in the fourth.

But New England responded, getting into the red zone on a 21-yard run by Damien Harris. Five plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson ran it in from 1 yard out and the Patriots nudged back in front.

Dallas had a chance to retake the lead before Diggs' interception, but Zuerlein's 51-yard field goal attempt missed wide left with 2:47 remaining.

New England got the ball first in overtime and picked up one first down, but Jones' pass on third-and-3 was incomplete. The Patriots punted and they didn't get the ball back.

Prescott led the Cowboys 80 yards in seven plays, ending the game when he faked a handoff, rolled right and found a wide-open Lamb, who waltzed into the end zone.

"Just to be able to show the resiliency all night long in all those different moments and be able to have a chance at the end to win it and us to do it speaks volumes," Prescott said.

[Captain Canada]

Almost caught up

[Soapy]

Jones tosses 2 TDs, Patriots roll 54-13 as Jets lose Wilson
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- — The Patriots walked off the field Sunday with the type of win that had eluded them. The Jets left with two losses, one that could further complicate an already frustrating year.

Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes in his first 300-yard game, Damien Harris and J.J. Taylor ran for two TDs each and New England won for the first time at home this season, rolling past New York 54-13.

"We finally kind of saw a little bit of a result that was good, and we've just got to stick to the formula and stick to the process," Jones said.

The Patriots (3-4) earned their 12th straight victory and sixth consecutive season sweep over the Jets (1-5), who played most of the game without rookie quarterback Zach Wilson after the second overall draft pick left with 12:31 remaining in the second quarter with a right knee injury.

Wilson was hit by Patriots linebacker Matt Judon, who fell on the back of Wilson's legs after he released a pass that fell incomplete for Keelan Cole. Wilson initially was down for several minutes as he was examined by the training staff before eventually being able to walk off the field on his own power. He did not return and was replaced by Mike White — who hadn't previously taken an NFL regular-season snap.

Wilson said the initial diagnosis is an injured posterior cruciate ligament.

"At first, it wasn't necessarily like a painful thing," he said. "I felt a pop. I felt a twist. So you kind of know when it's different than just getting some sort of bruise or getting landed on. I knew something had happened."

Wilson will have an MRI and further evaluation Monday.

"Initially you feel good. But you never know," Jets coach Robert Saleh said.

Jones finished 24 of 36 for 307 yards, and Harris rushed 14 times for 106 yards to lead a Patriots offense that gained a season-high 551 yards. Safety Kyle Dugger and J.C. Jackson both added interceptions.

"We've got to do that every time. It can't be a one-time thing," Jones said.

The 54 points are the most allowed by the Jets since losing 55-21 at New England on Oct. 29, 1978. It is the fourth-most points ever allowed by New York.

"They punched us in the mouth and scored points," Saleh said. "Been part of some of those in my life. They don't feel good."

White eventually finished off the drive following Wilson's injury with a 3-yard TD pass to Corey Davis to pull New York within 17-7. White ended the day 20 of 32 for 202 yards and two interceptions.

The Patriots dominated the rest of the period, scoring twice more to take a 31-7 lead into halftime. The Jets have been outscored in the first half 106-20 this season.

New England went to their bag of trick plays on the game's opening drive to take a 7-0 lead just 2:17 into the game.

Jones threw a pass behind the line of scrimmage to receiver Kendrick Bourne, who faked the run before stopping and tossing a 25-yard touchdown pass over the top to a wide-open Nelson Agholor. It was the first career NFL pass for Bourne. The Patriots covered 65 yards in just four plays.

After a Jets punt, New England moved quickly again, getting into the red zone after just five plays courtesy of a 32-yard run by Harris.

Harris capped it two plays later with a 1-yard touchdown run.

"I think we're finding out who we are, play by play," Bourne said. "The rhythm was right."

[Soapy]

Phillips pick-six propels Patriots past Chargers 27-24
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- — Adrian Phillips has been gone from the Los Angeles Chargers for nearly two seasons. He got his greatest revenge against his former team on Sunday.

The New England safety intercepted two passes and returned one for the go-ahead touchdown as the Patriots rallied for a 27-24 victory over the Chargers.

"Everybody always wants to kind of stick it to their former team," said Phillips, who had the first multi-interception game of his eight-year career. "Just to be able to go out there and end up having the game that I had was sweet. I loved it."

On a day when Mac Jones and the offense struggled, the Patriots (4-4) needed all three phases to come through as they won their second straight and third in their last four.

Nick Folk kicked four field goals for third time this season and the defense frustrated Justin Herbert for the second straight season.

"All in all we made the plays that we needed to make in the fourth quarter, which is something we hadn't done as well early in the year," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "Obviously AP's two picks were the difference in the game. He does a good job of seeing the routes, the quarterback, and having vision on the ball."

Phillips, who played six seasons for the Chargers (2014-19) before signing with the Patriots last year, came up with the first pick-six of his career with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. Herbert was way off on a pass intended for tight end Jared Cook, who didn't look back as he was running his route. Phillips made a diving grab, got up and then went 26 yards up the left sideline to put the Patriots back in front.

Jones then connected with Jakobi Meyers on the 2-point conversion to give New England a seven-point advantage.

"We ended up getting pressure on Herbert, which was our big focus all day. He made a quick decision and Cook wasn't ready for it," Phillips said. "I was able to take advantage of that, get both hands on it and go to the end zone."

Chargers coach Brandon Staley, who saw his team fall to 4-3, said the play was a check to the flat, but that there was miscommunication between Cook and Herbert.

"I have to be smarter about that. I have to move on to the next read, but that's one of those plays that you need to just watch and get better from," Herbert said.

Jones, who had completed 70.4% of his passes in his first seven games, struggled with accuracy issues the first three quarters. But he was 4 of 4 for 43 yards on a 14-play drive in the fourth quarter that took up nearly seven minutes and resulted in Folk splitting the uprights from 30 yards with 2:21 remaining to put the Patriots up by double digits.

"It's not always going to be perfect, and for me sometimes that's really hard because I want it to be, you know, better than that," said Jones, who was 18 of 35 for 218 yards. "I think everyone around me had a great day, and that's what football is all about."

Damien Harris had 23 carries for 80 yards, including a 1-yard carry off left guard to tie the game at seven midway through the first quarter.

Herbert was on pace for a career-low game before going 6 of 9 for 70 yards late in the fourth quarter, including a 24-yard score to Joshua Palmer with 40 seconds remaining for his first NFL touchdown.

Former Chargers tight end Hunter Henry recovered the ensuing onside kick for the Patriots.

Herbert was 18 of 35 for 223 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Austin Ekeler had 124 scrimmage yards (64 rushing, 60 receiving). His 5-yard run to cap off the opening drive of the first quarter was his eighth TD of the season.

"I loved the way we started the football game, but I didn't think that we established any rhythm after that," Staley said. "That second quarter was tough for us. We did not establish anything in that quarter."

Los Angeles grabbed a 14-7 advantage early in the second quarter when Herbert connected with Keenan Allen for a 5-yard TD. New England would cut the margin to one at halftime on a pair of field goals by Folk.

"We shouldn't have lost. We beat ourselves in the foot. Penalties, turnovers, drops, you name it, we did it," Allen said.

[djp73]

[Captain Canada]

Make it happen, Soapicus.

[Soapy]

Make it happen, Soapicus.

[Soapy]

Pats shut down Darnold, Panthers, cruise to 24-6 victory
CHARLOTTE. N.C. -- — Bill Belichick has the blueprint for beating Sam Darnold, and it starts with disguising coverages.

His players just seem to do the rest.

New England's defense intercepted Darnold on three consecutive possessions in the second half — including one that J.C. Jackson returned 88 yards for a touchdown — and the New England Patriots cruised past the Carolina Panthers 24-6 on Sunday for their fourth win in the past five games.

Belichick is 4-0 against Darnold, and the quarterback has thrown nine interceptions and one touchdown pass in those outings.

"We disguise," said Jackson, who also intercepted Darnold in the end zone to prevent another scoring opportunity. "Our defense disguises pretty good. Every year he's had a hard time."

Darnold's three previous losses came with the New York Jets.

"They play man coverage and try to create picks and create confusion up front," Darnold said. "I think that's the biggest thing they do and they do a really good job of it. But I think it comes down to my decision-making. We had guys in places that we wanted and just couldn't get them the ball and I turned it over a few too many times."

Added Belichick: "We were able to create some pressure. Our defense came to play today."

Mac Jones overcame two early turnovers and threw for 139 yards and a touchdown, rookie running back Rhamondre Stevenson had 106 yards from scrimmage before leaving the game with a head injury and Damien Harris and Hunter Henry scored touchdowns as the Patriots (5-4) improved to 4-0 on the road.

"Getting a win on the road is a hard thing to do and we've done a good job of that this year," Jones said. "The defense was lights-out."

As has been the case for most of the year, Darnold spent most of the game under heavy duress and it didn't help the Panthers lost starting center Matt Paradis and left tackle Cameron Erving to injuries in the first half.

A person with knowledge of the situation said Paradis tore the ACL in his left knee on the second play of the game and will miss the remainder of the season. The person spoke to The Associated Press condition of anonymity because the Panthers have not announced the status of the injury.

Unlike two weeks ago, Panthers coach Matt Rhule decided against benching Darnold against the Patriots.

"I wanted to give him a chance to play his way out of it," Rhule said. "It just seemed like the right thing to do."

Even the return of Christian McCaffrey from a five-game absence couldn't help Carolina's offense. McCaffrey had 14 carries for 52 yards and caught four passes for 54 yards, but the Panthers have only scored one touchdown in the past three games.

McCaffrey said he came out of the game injury-free.

Carolina's only points came courtesy of its defense, which forced two Jones turnovers in New England territory in the first half — one off Brian Burns' sack-fumble and another when former Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore had an interception.

The Panthers trailed 14-6 at halftime after gaining just 65 yards in the first half.

The game changed for good in the third quarter when Darnold rolled out of the pocket on a second down play and overthrew tight end Ian Thomas. Jackson intercepted the ball and raced 88 yards down the middle of the field for his first NFL touchdown.

Jackson, who nearly didn't play at all after suffering from strep throat earlier in the week, said he just made a good read on the ball while playing zone coverage.

"I had my eyes on the quarterback and the ball," Jackson said. "That's what I do."

Things continued to unravel from there with Darnold picked off on his next two possessions as well, including another by Jackson in the end zone on a ball that was thrown up. After that interception, wide receiver Robby Anderson followed Darnold off the field, threw his helmet toward the bench and proceeded to give the quarterback an earful as he passed by him twice on the sideline.

[Soapy]

Week 10 Preview: vs. Cleveland Browns
Record: 5-4, T-3rd AFC North

Team Leaders
Passing: Baker Mayfield (66% completion, 1855 yards, 17 TD, 5 INT, 103.1 rating)
Rushing: Nick Chubb (798 yards, 5.0 ypc, 11 TD)
Receiving: Jarvis Landry (40 receptions, 489 yards, 8 TD)
Defense: Myles Garrett (29 tackles, 9 TFL, 14.5 sacks)

Team Rankings
Points Per Game: 9th
Total Offense: 16th
Total Defense: 22nd
Turnover Differential: T-6th

Injuries
C #64 JC Tretter | 84 ovr, 89 str, 83 pbk, 84 rbk

Cleveland Browns Projected Starters
QB #6 Baker Mayfield | 6'1", 215lbs | 83 ovr, 83 spd, 87 acc, 83 awr, 95 thp, 90 sac, 84 mac, 85 dac
HB #24 Nick Chubb | 5'11", 227lbs | 98 ovr, 92 spd, 92 acc, 99 car, 98 btk
WR #80 Jarvis Landry | 5'11", 196lbs | 84 ovr, 88 spd, 91 acc, 89 cth
WR #82 Rashard Higgins | 6'1", 198lbs | 76 ovr, 86 spd, 89 acc, 87 cth
WR #11 Donovan Peoples-Jones | 6'2", 212lbs | 72 ovr, 90 spd, 89 acc, 86 cth
TE #81 Austin Hooper | 6'4", 254lbs | 83 ovr, 81 spd, 87 acc, 85 cth, 66 rbk
LT #71 Jedrick Willis Jr | 6'4", 316lbs | 81 ovr, 92 str, 81 pbk, 80 rbk
LG #75 Joel Bitonio | 6'4", 320lbs | 89 ovr, 86 str, 89 pbk, 86 rbk
C #53 Nick Harris | 6'1", 302lbs | 68 ovr, 84 str, 67 pbk, 68 rbk
RG #77 Wyatt Teller | 6'4", 314lbs | 90 ovr, 93 str, 84 pbk, 89 rbk
RT #66 James Hudson III | 6'4", 302lbs | 64 ovr, 83 str, 63 pbk, 71 rbk
---------------------
DE #90 Jadeveon Clowney | 6'5", 255lbs | 85 ovr, 85 spd, 88 acc, 84 str, 83 pmv, 77 fmv, 86 bsh
DE #95 Myles Garrett | 6'4", 272lbs | 99 ovr, 86 spd, 90 acc, 96 str, 99 pmv, 93 fmv, 93 bsh
DT #97 Malik Jackson | 6'5", 285lbs | 78 ovr, 73 spd, 82 acc, 83 str, 79 pmv, 67 fmv, 75 bsh
DT #58 Malik McDowell | 6'6", 315lbs | 74 ovr, 77 spd, 85 acc, 85 str, 77 pmv, 72 fmv, 75 bsh
LB #44 Sione Takitaki | 6'1", 238lbs | 71 ovr, 85 spd, 89 acc, 66 awr, 78 tkl, 78 bsh
LB #4 Anthony Walker Jr. | 6'1", 235lbs | 77 ovr, 83 spd, 89 acc, 81 awr, 88 tkl, 74 bsh
LB #51 Mack Wilson Sr. | 6'1", 233lbs | 69 ovr, 84 spd, 87 acc, 69 awr, 78 tkl, 70 bsh
CB #21 Denzel Ward | 5'11", 190lbs | 91 ovr, 96 spd, 95 acc, 87 awr, 91 mcv, 87 zcv, 87 press
CB #20 Greg Newsome II | 6'0", 192lbs | 80 ovr, 93 spd, 92 acc, 80 awr, 76 mcv, 83 zcv, 78 press
NB #23 Troy Hill | 5'11", 180lbs | 75 ovr, 87 spd, 92 acc, 85 awr, 78 mcv, 80 zcv, 73 press
S #37 John Johnson III | 6'0", 209lbs | 87 ovr, 85 spd, 89 acc, 86 awr, 81 mcv, 90 zcv, 77 tkl
S #33 Ronnie Harrison Jr. | 6'3", 214lbs | 78 ovr, 86 spd, 91 acc, 78 awr, 76 mcv, 79 zcv, 74 tkl
K #1 Dan Bailey | 6'0", 190lbs | 73 ovr, 92 kpw, 75 kac
P #7 Jamie Gillan | 6'1", 207lbs | 76 ovr, 92 kpw, 83 kac

[Soapy]

Franchise Gameplay Restrictions
- No switching players on defense after the snap.
- Cannot move defensive players to unrealistic or unusual positions pre-snap.
- Must use coordinator's playbook.
- Audibling is limited to quick audibles (ie: run play, quick pass, man coverage). No hot route audibling.
- No Superstar Abilities
- Cannot run same play more than twice in a single offensive drive.
- Defense can only run base-plays when offense in no huddle.