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October 10, 2017

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Rodgers comes up clutch to top Dallas, Chiefs remain unbeaten

Source: AFP | 00:01 UTC+8 October 10, 2017 | Print Edition

Aaron Rodgers threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Devante Adams with 11 seconds left to lift the Green Bay Packers to a 35-31 National Football League victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Rodgers carried the Packers on his back down the stretch as the clutch winning drive lasted 62 seconds and took nine plays, including an 18-yard run by Rodgers for a first down.

The scramble out of the pocket to the side of the field was just another example of the way Rodgers dissected the Cowboys defense late in the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“I just felt a gap to my left. I knew if I could get out there I would probably have a good lane to run,” he said.

In the late game, Alex Smith passed for 324 yards and three TDs and engineered a decisive TD drive midway through the fourth quarter in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 42-34 win over the Houston Texans.

On the winning TD, Rodgers placed a perfect pass over the helmet of Cowboys rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis and into the arms of Adams. Rodgers had tried to team up with Adams on the previous play but his toss was short.

“I was going to call a different play, but (Davante) came back and said, ‘Call it again.’ With his eyes, he just said, ‘Throw a better ball’,” Rodgers said. “I just put a better throw and he made a great catch.”

The winning drive came after Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott ran in a go-ahead TD for the Cowboys with under 2 minutes left.

Prescott completed 25 of 36 passes for 251 yards and three TDs and Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 116 yards, but in vain.

The Packers eliminated Dallas from the playoffs on the same field in January, when Rodgers converted a key third-and-20 play in the closing seconds and kicker Mason Crosby nailed a 51-yard field goal as time expired.

Green Bay returned on Sunday to do it twice in a year and improve to 4-1 on the season while Dallas dropped to 2-3.

In Houston, Tyreek Hill ensured that the Chiefs would improve to 5-0 and remain as the lone unbeaten team in the NFL when he returned a punt 82 yards for a TD with 7:22 left to give Kansas City a 19-point lead.

The Texans not only lost the game, but they lost three-time defensive player of the year JJ Watt to a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg in the first quarter.

Watt may have to undergo season-ending surgery. He played three games last year before undergoing back surgery that kept him out the rest of the season.

Quarterback Watson completed 16-of-31 attempts for 261 yards and five TDs for the Texans.

Elsewhere, the New York Giants lost again and Odell Beckham’s early-season woes continued as the receiver will need surgery after breaking his left ankle in a 22-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Beckham suffered his injury with about 4 minutes left in the fourth quarter when he fell awkwardly to the ground.

The injury comes nine days after Beckham was fined US$12,000 for his awkward TD celebration against Philadelphia where he tried to imitate a dog urinating in the endzone.

Quarterback Philip Rivers threw three TD passes for the Chargers who recorded their first win of the season.

Elsewhere, Ben Roethlisberger turned in his worst home performance in more than 11 years as the Jacksonville Jaguars intercepted five passes in a 30-9 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In Detroit, Cam Newton completed 26 of 33 passes for 355 yards and three TDs to help Carolina Panthers earn a 27-24 road win over the Lions.

Also, Carson Wentz threw a career-high four TD passes as the Philadelphia Eagles rolled to a third straight win, 34-7 over the Arizona Cardinals.

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