The Latest on the NFL’s Week 7 (all times EDT):
4:30 p.m.
After converting three fourth-down plays on the opening series, the New Orleans Saints misfired on their fourth attempt during the opening drive against the Baltimore Ravens.
New Orleans held the ball for more than 10 minutes but came away empty when backup quarterback Taysom Hill fumbled on fourth down from the Baltimore 4.
That ended the 20-play drive that covered 69 yards. Among those plays was a fake punt that produced the game’s initial first down.
Coming into the game, Baltimore’s opponents were 0 for 4 on fourth down.
– David Ginsburg reporting from Baltimore.
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4:20 p.m.
The Cleveland Browns are headed to overtime for the fourth time in seven games.
The Browns trailed Tampa Bay 23-9 going into the fourth quarter before Baker Mayfield threw a pair of touchdown passes to tie it at 23. Chandler Catanzaro had a chance to win it for the Buccaneers on the last play of the game, but was wide right from 40 yards.
The last time a team played four overtime games in a season was Arizona in 2011. The Cardinals won all four.
The Browns are 1-1-1 in overtime this season.
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4:05 p.m.
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen has become the fifth player in NFL history to get at least 100 yards receiving in seven consecutive games.
He reached the mark with a 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets on Sunday.
Thielen joins Detroit’s Calvin Johnson (eight, 2012), Denver’s Demaryius Thomas (seven, 2014), Dallas’ Michael Irvin (seven, 1995) and Houston’s Charley Hennigan (seven, 1961) to accomplish the feat. He and Hennigan are the only players to do so in his team’s first seven games to open the season.
– Dennis Waszak Jr. reporting from East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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3:55 p.m.
Dolphins receiver Kenny Stills limped to the locker room with a minute left in his team’s game against the Lions.
Miami earlier lost receiver Albert Wilson, who left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury after his foot appeared to buckle when he was tackled on a 25-yard reception.
Stills blindsided a security guard during the first half after he caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. A dazed Stills checked on her and gave her the ball as a souvenir, and then went into the Dolphins medical tent for evaluation.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami.
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3:35 p.m.
The New England Patriots are providing some help for Tom Brady against the Bears with their special teams.
Cordarrelle Patterson atoned for a fumble by taking a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears, and Kyle Van Noy scooped up a block and returned it 29 yards for a tiebreaking touchdown in the second half.
It was Patterson’s sixth kick return TD since his debut with Minnesota in 2013, tops in the NFL in that span.
Dont’a Hightower had the block on Van Noy’s TD. It was the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown by New England since Tedy Bruschi accomplished the feat at Baltimore in 1996.
Brady also tossed two touchdown passes to help New England to a 31-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter at Soldier Field.
– Jay Cohen reporting from Chicago.
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3 p.m.
New England Patriots running back Sony Michel has left the game against the Chicago Bears because of a knee injury.
The rookie had to be helped off the field after he got twisted around by Bilal Nichols as he was tackled on the first play of the second quarter. He lost a fumble on the play and had to be helped to the sideline. He spent several minutes in the medical tent before being carted off to the locker room.
In the previous three games, Michel rushed for 316 yards and four touchdowns.
The Patriots are already without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is inactive due to back and ankle injuries.
– Andrew Seligman reporting from Chicago.
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2:45 p.m.
The Jaguars benched quarterback Blake Bortles following his second fumble against Houston.
Bortles fumbled on the team’s third play of each half, and the Texans turned them into 10 points. They led 20-0 when former Cleveland quarterback Cody Kessler entered the game. Fans cheered Kessler’s entrance.
Bortles completed 6 of 12 passes for 61 yards in the first half. He also scrambled six times for 30 yards.
The Jaguars have been shut out in the first half for the third consecutive game, the first time that has happened in franchise history.
– Mark Long reporting from Jacksonville.
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2:40 p.m.
New York Jets running back Bilal Powell has been ruled out for the rest of the team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings with a neck injury.
After a 2-yard run in the second quarter, Powell remained down for a few moments as trainers checked on him. Powell got up and was able to walk to the sideline and then to the locker room. He had 20 yards on four carries in the game.
Isaiah Crowell and rookie Trenton Cannon are handling the carries out of the backfield the rest of the game.
Jets safety Doug Middleton, starting in place of the injured Marcus Maye, also left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. It was uncertain how Middleton was injured. He was in on punt coverage and then took the field on defense, but took a knee to signal he was hurt and headed straight to the locker room with Jets medical staff.
Minnesota left guard Tom Compton left in the first quarter with a knee injury and was questionable to return. He was replaced by Danny Isidora.
– Dennis Waszak Jr. reporting from East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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2:30 p.m.
A security guard at the Dolphins-Lions game at Hard Rock Stadium was taken to the hospital with an apparent arm injury after Miami receiver Kenny Stills blindsided her.
Stills’ momentum carried him into the guard after he caught a 5-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone. A dazed Stills checked on her and gave her the ball as a souvenir, and then went into the Dolphins medical tent for evaluation.
The Dolphins earlier lost receiver Albert Wilson with a right leg injury.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami.
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2:20 p.m.
The Jaguars have been shut out in the first half for the third consecutive game, the first time that has happened in franchise history.
Jacksonville trails Houston 13-0. That follows two more scoreless first halves against Kansas City (24-0) and Dallas (20-0). So the Jaguars have been outscored 57-0 in the first half of their past three games.
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1:50 p.m.
Miami Dolphins receiver Albert Wilson has left his team’s game against Detroit with a right leg injury. His right foot appeared to buckle when he was tackled after a 25-yard reception, and he limped to the locker room.
The fifth-year receiver leads the Dolphins in receptions (23) and receiving yards (359) along with four touchdowns.
– Steven Wine reporting from Miami.
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1:20 p.m.
Bills running back LeSean McCoy is out after getting injured on Buffalo’s opening series at Indianapolis.
McCoy was injured on the Bills’ second offensive play – a 1-yard run and walked slowly across the field and into the injury tent where he was checked by team doctors.
After a few minutes, McCoy came out of the tent and walked across the field with one arm around a trainer or team doctor. The team announced he was being evaluated for a head injury. McCoy was replaced in the lineup by veteran Chris Ivory.
Derek Anderson also started in place of injured quarterback Josh Allen.
– Michael Marot reporting from Indianapolis.
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1:10 p.m.
Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid again took a knee during The Star-Spangled Banner before the game against Philadelphia.
None of Reid’s Carolina teammates joined him or stood near him at midfield. Reid is trying to call attention to social and racial injustice.
The 26-year-old Reid made his return to the NFL after signing with the Panthers on Sept. 27, four months after filing a grievance against the NFL alleging teams colluded against signing him during free agency after he knelt during the national anthem alongside former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Reid had to be restrained by teammates as he jawed at Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins before the coin flip.
Reid left The Players Coalition last year because Jenkins, the coalition founder, had excluded Kaepernick from meetings, and asked players if they would stop protesting the anthem if the NFL made a charitable donation to causes they support.
In Miami, Dolphins receivers Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson kneeled during the anthem, as they have done in the past, and defensive end Robert Quinn raised his right fist
– Dan Gelston reporting from Philadelphia and Steven Wine reporting from Miami.
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1:05 p.m.
Houston Texans safety Andre Hal, who returned to practice this week following treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was in the starting lineup at Jacksonville.
Hal was diagnosed with the disease in May and immediately began treatment. He received the news of his remission last month.
The 26-year-old Hal is in his fifth year with the Texans. He was drafted by Houston in 2014 out of Vanderbilt. He started all 16 games last season and had three interceptions.
– Mark Long reporting from Jacksonville, Florida.
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1 p.m.
The NFL’s Week 7 slate continues after the Los Angeles Chargers held off The Tennessee Titans in London 20-19.
The biggest matchup of the seven early afternoon games involves Tom Brady and the New England Patriots (4-2) traveling to Chicago to face the Bears (3-2) and young quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
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