UNDATED (AP) — The New England Patriots have turned their 2-4 start into a very distant memory.
The Pats lead the AFC East at 8-4 following their sixth consecutive win, a 36-13 rout of the Titans. Rookie Mac Jones had two touchdown passes and New England’s defense forced four turnovers. Jones completed 23 of 32 passes for 310 yards.
Kendrick Bourne had both of the Patriots’ TD receptions, finishing with five catches for 61 yards.
Tennessee stayed close early but couldn’t survive a bevy of errors that included three fumbles by their running backs and an interception by quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
The Titans are 8-4.
Elsewhere around the NFL:
— A toe injury didn’t seem to bother Aaron Rodgers as he threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third in the Packers’ 36-28 victory over the visiting Rams. Rodgers went 28 of 45 for 307 yards as the 9-3 Packers bounced back from a 34-31 loss at Minnesota. Matthew Stafford went 21 of 38 for 302 yards with three touchdown passes, but the 7-4 Rams dropped their third in a row.
— Leonard Fournette’s fourth touchdown of the afternoon was a 28-yard burst with 20 seconds left to send the Bucs past the Colts, 38-31. Tom Brady led the 8-3 Bucs on the eight-play, 75-yard tiebreaking drive after getting the ball back with 3:29 to go. Fournette rushed 17 times for 100 yards and three scores while also catching Brady’s only touchdown pass.
— The Bengals have swept their season series with the Steelers for the first time since 2009, winning 41-10 behind Joe Mixon, Joe Burrow and strong defense. Mixon rushed for a career-high 165 yards and two touchdowns, while Burrow threw for a touchdown and scrambled for another for the 7-4 Bengals. Cincinnati scored on its first four drives, and former Steeler Mike Hilton returned a Ben Roethlisberger pass for a 24-yard touchdown late in the first half to make it 31-3.
— Lamar Jackson’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Mark Andrews in the third quarter was enough to lift the Ravens to a 16-10 victory over the Browns. Jackson scrambled all the way back to about the 35-yard line before lofting a pass over the middle to a remarkably open Andrews in the end zone. Jackson’s four interceptions didn’t stop Baltimore from improving to 8-3.
— Deebo Samuel ran for two touchdowns before leaving with an injury in the 49ers’ 34-26 verdict over the Vikings. Elijah Mitchell ran for 133 yards and a score as San Francisco moved to 6-5 with its third straight win. Kirk Cousins threw for 238 yards and two TDs to Adam Thielen for the 5-6 Vikings.
— Rookie Patrick Surtain II picked off Justin Herbert twice, returning the second 70 yards for a touchdown that sparked the Broncos’ 28-7 win over the Chargers. Teddy Bridgewater suffered a leg injury but returned after halftime, helping Denver close out the win by running the ball behind a makeshift line. The Broncos finished with 147 yards rushing against the league’s leakiest run defense.
— The Dolphins cruised to a 33-10 win over the Panthers as Jaylen Waddle had nine catches for a season-best 137 yards and a touchdown. Myles Gaskin had two short rushing scores for Miami, which became the sixth team in NFL history to immediately follow a 1-7 start with four consecutive wins. Cam Newton was pulled in the fourth quarter after completing just five of 21 passes for the Panthers, who lost seven of nine since a 3-0 start.
— The Jets’ three-game skid is over after rookie Zach Wilson threw for 145 yards and ran for a touchdown to guide a 21-14 victory at Houston. Wilson missed the last four games with a sprained right knee. He threw an interception early but put the Jets on top with a 4-yard scamper in the third quarter to help the Jets move to 3-8.
— The Giants intercepted Jalen Hurts three times in a 13-7 victory against the Eagles. Daniel Jones hit Philadelphia native Chris Myarick with a 1-yard score and Graham Gano kicked field goals of 35 and 39 yards, helping New York move to 4-7 and dropping the Eagles to 5-7. Philadelphia had four turnovers, with running back Boston Scott losing a fumble that Julian Love recovered at the New York 40 with 1:34 to play.
— Cordarrelle Patterson scored twice in his return from an ankle injury, guiding the Falcons to a 21-14 victory against the Jaguars. He finished with 108 yards rushing and 27 more receiving. The Falcons found the end zone and the win column for the first time in three weeks keeping them on the fringe of the NFC playoff picture.
