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Cards still perfect

By WJBD Staff Oct 18, 2021 | 7:04 AM

UNDATED (AP) — The Arizona Cardinals remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team and continue their best start since 1974.

Kyler Murray tied a career high with four touchdown passes and the Cardinals improved to 6-0 with a 37-14 dismantling of the Browns. Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins for two TDs and finished 20 of 30 for 229 yards.

The Cardinals built a 20-0 lead in the first half and kept their perfect record intact despite not having head coach Kliff Kingsbury or star linebacker Chandler Jones, who both tested positive for COVID-19.

Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield threw for two TDs and was 19 of 28 for 234 yards and an interception.

The Browns have dropped two straight for the first time under second-year head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Also around the NFL:

— Dak Prescott threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb in overtime to give the Cowboys a 35-29 win over the Patriots. The teams traded five scores in the period, three in the final 2 1/2 minutes before Dallas beat Bill Belichick for the first time in their last six meetings. Trevon Diggs gave the Cowboys a brief lead in the fourth quarter with his seventh interception of the season, taking it 42 yards for a score.

— Aaron Rodgers passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in the Packers’ fifth straight win, 24-14 at Chicago. Rodgers tossed a 1-yard touchdown to Allen Lazard in the second quarter and a 12-yarder to Aaron Jones in the third as Green Bay beat the Bears for the 20th time in 23 games counting the playoffs. Rodgers put the Bears away with a six-yard scoring run after Justin Fields threw a 5-yard touchdown to Darnell Mooney.

— Lamar Jackson threw for 167 yards and a touchdown while the Ravens frustrated Justin Herbert in a 34-6 stifling of the Chargers. Each of Baltimore’s three veteran running backs — Latavius Murray, Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman — scored a touchdown. Los Angeles was held under 16 points for only the second time since drafting Herbert before last season.

— Joe Burrow tied a career high with three scoring passes for the Bengals in a 34-11 rout of the Lions. Burrow finished 19 of 29 for 271 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Chris Evans on the game’s opening drive. The 4-2 Bengals already have matched last year’s victory total.

— The Rams coasted to a 38-11 rout of the Giants behind Matthew Stafford, who threw three of his four touchdown passes in a 28-point second quarter. Stafford connected with prime target Cooper Kupp on scoring passes of 3 and 13 yards. Daniel Jones was picked off three times and lost a fumble as New York fell to 1-5.

— Chris Boswell’s third field goal of the game was a 36-yarder in overtime that gave the Steelers a 23-20 triumph over the Seahawks. The winning kick came three plays after Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt forced Seattle quarterback Geno Smith to fumble deep in Seahawks territory. Watt collected two of his team’s five sacks and helped the defense right itself after Seattle erased a 14-0 deficit in the third quarter.

— Patrick Mahomes threw for 397 yards and three second-half touchdowns as the Chiefs beat Washington, 31-13. Mahomes found Tyreek Hill for a short TD late in the third quarter to put Kansas City ahead, then hit Demarcus Robinson for a 24-yard scoring with 3:14 left. The Chiefs’ defense was effective, limiting Washington to 276 yards and holding an opponent under 29 points for the first time this season.

— Derek Carr sliced up the Denver defense for 341 yards and two touchdowns in leading the Raiders to a 34-24 victory. Denver QB Teddy Bridgewater threw a season-high three interceptions and lost a fumble, negating his 334 yards passing and three TDs. The Raiders stopped a two-game skid just days after head coach Jon Gruden stepped down over racist, misogynist and homophobic comments in emails discovered during an investigation into the Washington Football Team.

— The Vikings pulled out a 34-28 win over the Panthers on Kirk Cousins’ 27-yard scoring strike to K.J. Osborn on the first possession of overtime. Cousins threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns against the league’s top-ranked pass defense. Adam Thielen finished with 11 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota, which reached the end zone three times after intermission after failing to score a second-half TD in its previous four games.

— The Jaguars’ 20-game losing streak is over following a 23-20 win over the Dolphins in London. Matthew Wright nailed a 53-yard field goal as time expired, giving head coach Urban Meyer and first overall pick Trevor Lawrence their first NFL victories. Lawrence threw for 319 yards and a touchdown as Jacksonville handed Miami its fifth straight loss since a season-opening win.

— Carson Wentz threw two touchdown passes and Jonathan Taylor ran for another score for the Colts in a 31-3 dismantling of the Texans. Wentz threw a 28-yard TD pass to Mo Alie-Cox for a advantage in 17-3 third-quarter. The Colts have followed an 1-3 start with consecutive wins, and Houston has dropped five in a row since a season-opening win.