The Latest on Week Six of the NFL season (all times EDT):
4:10 p.m.
The Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers looked like a mismatch coming in. And it was. Just not the way everyone thought.
Running back Jay Ajayi ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns as the Dolphins torched the Steelers 30-15. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left briefly with a left knee injury and was ineffective all afternoon, completing just 19 of 34 passes for 189 with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Pittsburgh fell to 4-2 with the loss, which took some of the shine off next week’s visit from New England. The Patriots improved to 5-1 with a 35-17 win over Cincinnati. Tom Brady finished with 376 yards passing and three touchdowns in his first home start since his return from his four-game ”Deflategate” suspension.
Matt Prater’s 34-yard field goal with 1:33 left gave the Lions a 31-28 win over the Rams. The Jaguars scored all of their points in the fourth quarter to rally for 17-16 win over the Bears.
Washington won its fourth straight with a 27-20 win over Philadelphia. Buffalo is finishing off a route of San Francisco.
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3:35 p.m.
The Dallas Cowboys will be without star wide receiver Dez Bryant once again. Bryant is inactive for Sunday’s game against Green Bay due to a knee injury. Bryant was limited in practice this week and was hopeful he would return.
The Seattle Seahawks will be missing a pair of key defensive contributors when they face Atlanta and the NFL’s best offense. Seattle strong safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Frank Clark were both inactive for Sunday’s game against the Falcons. Chancellor suffered a groin injury during practice on Thursday and was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report.
Clark, who is tied for the team lead with three sacks, injured his hamstring in practice on Monday.
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3:11 p.m.
Dont’a Hightower has delivered his second safety in as many weeks.
The New England Patriots linebacker threw Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton down in the end zone in the third quarter on Sunday. That cut Cincinnati’s lead to 14-12. The Patriots then moved quickly after getting the ball back at their own 32, needing five plays to punch it in on Tom Brady’s 4-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski.
It was the first time that Brady and Gronk have connected for a TD this season.
Hightower also forced a safety against Cleveland last week when he pressured Cleveland quarterback Cody Kessler into a backward pass that went out of the end zone.
–Jimmy Golen from Foxborough, Massachusetts.
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2:57 p.m.
Cleveland Browns defensive back Jordan Poyer has been taken to a Nashville hospital for evaluation after a being crushed on a block on punt return coverage against the Tennessee Titans.
Poyer was chasing down Titans returner Marc Mariani when Antonio Andrews hit him, knocking Poyer to the ground with 6:33 left in the second quarter. Andrews was flagged and penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct on the blindside hit.
The hit left Poyer bent over on the grass for a few minutes before he was able to walk to the Browns sideline. He was evaluated, then put on a cart and taken to the locker room.
As the third quarter resumed, a spokesman announced Poyer had been taken to a hospital to be further evaluated for both a concussion and his abdomen.
-Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville
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2:41 p.m.
The going has gotten a little bit tougher for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the quarterback’s second week back from his ”Deflategate” suspension.
The Cincinnati Bengals took a 14-10 early in the third quarter in Brady’s first game at home since the end of his suspension. He threw for over 400 yards in an easy win against Cleveland last week. He was 13 of 17 for 152 yards and a touchdown in the first half.
Cam Newton’s return to the lineup hasn’t exactly given the Carolina Panthers the boost they needed. The Panthers trailed New Orleans 24-10 at the half. Newton, who missed last week with a concussion, went 12 of 22 for 162 yards with a touchdown and a pick in the half.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in trouble in Miami. The Dolphins took a 16-8 lead into the half and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is in the locker room having his left knee evaluated.
Washington dominated Philadelphia in the first half but only lead 21-14 at the break as the Eagles returned a kickoff and an interception for touchdowns to stay within striking distance even though rookie quarterback Carson Wentz and the rest of the offense managed just 41 yards of total offense in the first two quarters.
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2:10 p.m.
A very shaky start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Miami has gotten worse. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left midway through the second quarter with a left knee injury.
Roethlisberger was rolling to his right when he escaped a potential sack but appeared to take an awkward step as the play continued. He ended up throwing an interception at the end of the play then walked under his own power to the locker room while backup Landry Jones began warming up.
The pick led to a Miami field goal and gave the Dolphins a 9-8 lead.
Jones hasn’t thrown a pass this season. He made two starts in place of an injured Roethlisberger in 2015.
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1:53 p.m.
Colin Kaepernick’s return to the San Francisco starting lineup only seemed to up the animosity the quarterback faced for his continued protest during the national anthem.
Amid loud chants of ”USA! USA! USA!,” Kaepernick knelt for the start of the national anthem in continuing his protest against racial oppression and police brutality at Orchard Park on Sunday. There was a palpable sense of anger outside New Era Field before the game.
One vendor was selling a T-shirt that read ”Wanted: Notorious Disgrace to America,” and featured a picture of Kaepernick throwing a pass and a bullseye aimed at his chest.
Another T-shirt featured a drawing of a kneeling Kaepernick with the words, ”Shut Up and Stand Up!” printed.
Kaepernick knelt on the 50 of the 49ers sideline, and joined linebacker Eli Harold and safety Eric Reid. To the left of the kneeling players, cornerback Rashard Robinson and safety Antoine Bethea stood for the anthem with their arms raised.
The entire Bills team stood on the sideline, as players and coaches have done all this season.
There were other similar protests around the league. In Miami, running back Arian Foster, wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive Michael Thomas all took a knee during the anthem.
In Tennessee, Titans linebacker Wesley Woodyard, defensive linemen Jurrell Casey and DaQuan Jones and cornerback Jason McCourty raised their fists as they’ve done since Week 3.
In Detroit, Los Angeles defensive lineman Robert Quinn, who was inactive, raised his right fist as did Philadelphia safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Ron Brooks in Washington.
-John Wawrow reporting from Buffalo.
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1:03 p.m.
The Saints hope to benefit from the return of three players who haven’t played since last month, while the Panthers welcome back quarterback Cam Newton and a ball carrier with a history of gouging New Orleans’ defense.
Josh Hill, a tight end who has regularly filled key blocking and receiving roles during his three-plus-year career in New Orleans, is in uniform for the first time since injuring his ankle in the regular season opener. Also back for the Saints are starting middle linebacker James Laurinaitis, who missed the Saints ` previous game at San Diego two weeks ago with quadriceps injury, and guard Senio Kelemete, a periodic starter who also missed New Orleans’ previous game.
Newton, who missed Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay last week with concussion symptoms, returns at a time when the defending NFC champions desperately need a victory to climb out of last place in the NFC South and avoid falling to 1-5. Also returning for the Panthers is running back Jonathan Stewart, who had one of the best games of his career in the Superdome in late 2014, rushing for 155 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown.
– Brett Martel reporting from New Orleans.
12:25 p.m.
Fantasy football owners may want to add Justin Forsett if they’re desperate for a running back.
Less than a week after signing, Forsett will likely get a chance to play a lot for the Lions Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Lions previously ruled Theo Riddick out with an ankle injury. Detroit also listed rookie Dwayne Washington among its inactives Sunday because of an ankle injury, leaving just Zach Zenner and Forsett at running back. Ameer Abdullah is on injured reserve with a foot injury.
Forsett signed with the Lions on Tuesday after asking for and getting his release from the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month. The 30-year-old Forsett had just 31 carries for 98 yards over three games as a starter this season with the Ravens before he plummeted on their depth chart. He ran for 1,266 yards in 2014 and 641 last year in 10 starts before breaking his arm.
– Larry Lage reporting from Detroit.
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