By James Westover / The Jambar
As the National Football League season heads into its quarter point, divisional rivals filled the stat sheets as the stakes intensify.
To open the fourth week, the Cleveland Browns earned a 27-24 victory over their rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 1 at Huntington Bank Field.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 268 yards along with a touchdown and an interception. For the third week straight, Watson led the Browns on a game-winning drive where a 56-yard field goal by Browns kicker Andre Szmytz sealed the victory over the Steelers.
In the Oct. 4 slate, the Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 22-17, as the Jaguars fended off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt from the Bengals, who lost both starting wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to injury during the game.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw for 428 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Despite his injury, Higgins led all receivers in the game with 157 yards on 11 receptions. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed 18 passes on 23 attempts for 227 yards and a touchdown, and tight end Brenton Strange reached a season high in receiving yards with 95.
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Tennessee Titans 24-18. The Ravens held a 24-7 lead before quarterback Lamar Jackson left the game with a left-ankle injury.
Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers hauled in eight catches for 118 yards and a touchdown on the day. On the opposite end, Titans rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate caught nine catches for 145 yards.
In an AFC East matchup, the New England Patriots captured an early season divisional win over the Buffalo Bills, where the Patriots came out on top 29-26.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw for 269 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for his best game of the season, with a season high in yards and touchdowns for a game. On the other end, Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman caught the ball six times for 116 yards and a touchdown.
The Kansas City Chiefs kept their undefeated record intact against the Las Vegas Raiders after capitalizing on key turnovers in a 30-27 win over their division rival.
The Chiefs newest offseason addition, running back Kenneth Walker had 22 carries for 177 yards and two touchdowns to help the Chiefs get past the Raiders, heading into a bye week.
Despite the loss for the Raiders, quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 365 yards and completed two touchdowns with an interception.
In a Texas showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, the Cowboys took the lead after a late touchdown pass by quarterback Dak Prescott to wide receiver Ceedee Lamb sealed the 34-30 victory for the Cowboys late in the fourth quarter.
Lamb caught the ball 17 times for 189 yards, along with the game-winning touchdown, to improve the Cowboys to a 2-2 season record. Meanwhile, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud’s 347 yards and two touchdown outing wouldn’t be enough to capture the Texans’ first win, as they will drop to 0-4 record on the season.
To finish the day on Sunday Night Football, the Carolina Panthers, on their first Sunday-night appearance in 11 years, defeated the Detroit Lions 32-26, despite a late comeback attempt from the Lions.
Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillian caught a career-high 192 yards on 14 receptions for two scores to help the Panthers win.
To close out the week Oct. 5, the Atlanta Falcons rushing attack led to a 45-24 win over division foe, the New Orleans Saints.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns in the evening, with backup running back Brian Robinson rushing for 62 yards and three touchdowns to help the Falcons score their new season high in points.
For the next week of the NFL season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to earn their first win of the season at 8:15 p.m., Oct. 8, as they travel to AT&T Stadium.