Josh Jacobs #28 of Oakland Raiders and Marlon Mack #25 of the Indianapolis Colts /VCG Photo
Josh Jacobs scored his second touchdown of the game with a leap from the two-yard line with 1:57 to play, capping a 97-yard drive that helped the Oakland Raiders rally after blowing a 17-point lead to beat the Chicago Bears 24-21 on Sunday night.
All that pregame talk about Khalil Mack and the Monsters of the Midway defense only served as motivation for the Raiders.
A dominant performance from the offensive line, a breakthrough game from a rookie running back and the ability to bounce back from a third-quarter meltdown made Oakland's weeklong stay in London a success.
Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders rushes for his team's third touchdown in the game against the Chicago Bears at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, October 6, 2019. /VCG Photo
"We were up for the challenge," Jacobs said. "All week that's all we heard was how good their defense was and they are a great defense. But we wanted to prove we're a good offense."
They did that with an impressive drive that was part of a roller-coaster game that delighted the sellout crowd in London. The Raiders (3-2) broke out to a 17-0 halftime lead only to fall behind the Bears (3-2) in a mistake-filled third quarter.
Then Oakland fumbled at the goal line when going in for the go-ahead score, needed a replay review to overturn a fumble on a successful fake punt on the game-winning drive and then intercepted Chicago backup Chase Daniel with 1:14 to go to seal the victory.
Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders scrambles in the game against the Chicago Bears, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. October 6, 2019. /VCG Photo
"We know everyone counted us out," quarterback Derek Carr said. "We knew no one would pick us to win this football game. And we hadn't really proven anything for them to pick us, right? But it just shows you the grit and determination of our young guys."
It sure didn't come easy but the Raiders earned a satisfying victory in its first game against Chicago since dealing star edge rusher Khalil Mack to Chicago before last season.
That trade has come under heavy scrutiny as Mack led the Bears to the playoffs last year while the Raiders struggled. But Oakland came out ahead this day with Mack's only big play coming when he recovered a fumble after Jacobs went the wrong way on a pitch that sparked Chicago's third-quarter comeback.
Colts shut down Mahomes, hand Chiefs first loss
Marlon Mack #25 of the Indianapolis Colts powers his way up field in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Arrowhead Stadium, October 6, 2019. /VCG Photo
Marlon Mack rushed for 132 yards on 29 carries Sunday as the Indianapolis Colts controlled the clock with a potent run game and shocked the Kansas City Chiefs 19-13 at Kansas City, Mo.
Mack led a 180-yard ground attack that enabled the Colts (3-2) to control the football for 37-plus minutes on 45 rushes. They kept Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs (4-1) from finding any rhythm in handing them their first loss of the season.
Mahomes turned his ankle in the first half and aggravated the injury while playing on it in the second half. He passed for 321 yards but was sacked four times. The Chiefs committed 11 penalties for 125 yards and scored just three points over the final 44-plus minutes.
The outcome left the New England Patriots (5-0) and San Francisco 49ers (3-0) as the only unbeaten teams in the NFL.
Justin Houston #99 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates his tackle for a 1-yard loss on fourth down and 1 of Damien Williams #26 of the Kansas City Chiefs for a 1-yard loss and a turnover on downs in the game at the Arrowhead Stadium, October 6, 2019. /VCG Photo
Justin Houston, a former All-Pro linebacker for Kansas City, helped the Colts’ defensive effort, recording a fourth-down tackle to stop the Chiefs at their 33 with 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The young Colts defense played without two starting safeties and last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL, linebacker Darius Leonard.
Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brissett engineered the upset, completing 18 of 29 passes for 151 yards.
Adam Vinatieri booted four field goals, including a pair of 32-yarders in the first half — the second coming with 10 seconds left to give Indianapolis a 13-10 halftime lead.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs scrambles and completes a 27-yard touchdown throw in the game against the Indianapolis Colts at the Arrowhead Stadium, October 6, 2019. /VCG Photo
Mahomes started fast, going 8 of 9 on the first possession, but a penalty and failure to convert on third-and-long forced Kansas City to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Harrison Butker. The Chiefs’ only touchdown came when Mahomes scrambled and found Byron Pringle for a 27-yard touchdown on a third-and-18 call early in the second quarter.
Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland was flagged for three first-half penalties, including a 53-yard pass interference call that put Vinatieri in position for his first field goal.
The Colts also drove 70 yards for a first-quarter touchdown on a 1-yard keeper by Brissett after Mack got going with 40 yards rushing on that march.
Other games on Sunday included (away teams come first):
Jacksonville Jaguars 27-34 Carolina Panthers
New England Patriots 33-7 Washington Redskins
Buffalo Bills 14-7 Tennessee Titans
Baltimore Ravens 26-23 Pittsburgh Steelers
Arizona Cardinals 26-23 Cincinnati Bengals
Atlanta Falcons 32-53 Houston Texans
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-31 New Orleans Saints
Minnesota Vikings 28-10 New York Giants
New York Jets 6-31 Philadelphia Eagles
Denver Broncos 20-13 Los Angeles Chargers
Green Bay Packers 34-24 Dallas Cowboys
(Within inputs from Reuters and AP)