The Patriots (4-5) beat the Ravens (6-3) 23-17 in a rainy, run-heavy Sunday night battle. Jakobi Meyers put New England up with a 24-yard touchdown pass (!) to Rex Burkhead in the second quarter, and a 4-yard touchdown run from Cam Newton and a Nick Folk field goal extended the Patriots lead to 23-10 in the third. Baltimore drew within one score with Lamar Jackson s second touchdown pass to Willie Snead late in the third quarter, but that s as close as the Ravens got. Damien Harris ran for 121 yards on 22 carries for New England.

In the game of the day, Josh Allen and the Bills (7-3) drove down the field to take the lead with 34 seconds left, but the Cardinals (6-3) responded with an unbelievable last-second DeAndre Hopkins touchdown catch from Kyler Murray for the 32-30 win.

Meanwhile, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks (6-3) were the league s No. 1 scoring team heading into their game against the Rams (6-3), but Los Angeles held them to just one touchdown in Seattle s 23-16 loss. The Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals are now all tied atop the NFC West with the Cards in first place due to their 2-0 division record.

Jameis Winston started the second half for the Saints (7-2) against the 49ers (4-6) after Drew Brees suffered a rib injury in New Orleans 27-13 win over San Francisco. And the Dolphins have won their fifth straight, moving to 6-3 and very much in contention in the AFC East with their 29-21 win over the Chargers.

Earlier, Jacksonville gave Green Bay everything it had Sunday, but it wasn t enough to pull off the upset. The Packers held on for a 24-20 win at home to improve to 7-2, dropping the Jaguars to 1-8.

In Charlotte, Tampa Bay rolled to a 46-23 win against the Panthers (3-7). The game was tied, 17-17, at the half, but the Buccaneers (7-3) dominated the second half.

As the NFL moves into the second half of the season, The Athletic s NFL staff handed out its midseason awards. We also put the vote out to our readers and here are the predictions you made.

Ravens hurting on both lines with tough matchups looming

Kyler Murray connects with DeAndre Hopkins for game-winning TD

Somehow, Kyler Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a miracle touchdown in the final seconds of the game to give the Cardinals a 32-30 win over the Bills. The Bills had defenders in the area, but Hopkins didn t give up on the play and came down with a circus catch. This is a heartbreaking loss for the Bills. Matthew Fairburn

After two second-half interceptions, Josh Allen came through when it mattered most. Allen led a 12-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to give the Bills a 30-26 lead with under a minute to go. The touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs was a perfect throw, and Diggs dove to make the catch. Allen once again showed his knack for late-game heroics. Matthew Fairburn

After dropping two interceptions earlier in this game, Cardinals veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson picked off Josh Allen. Kyler Murray marched Arizona s offense right down the field on Buffalo s defense and finished the drive with his second rushing touchdown. The Bills are trailing 26-23 entering the fourth quarter. Matthew Fairburn

The Bills will be without rookie defensive end A.J. Epenesa for the rest of their game against the Cardinals. He sustained a concussion in the first half and won t return, the team announced. Matthew Fairburn

Tyler Bass just set another career long with a 58-yard field goal at the end of the half. The Bills rookie kicker has now set a career long on three straight kicks in this game, hitting from 54, 55 and then 58 yards. That kick, which was the second longest in franchise history, gave the Bills a 16-9 lead heading into halftime. Matthew Fairburn

Tyler Bass just crushed a 55-yard field goal to give the Bills a 13-6 lead over the Cardinals. Bass has been good from 55 and 54 yards out in this game. He came into the game with a season-long field goal of 53 yards. Matthew Fairburn

It appears Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier is prepared to bring extra pressure for the second straight week. The Bills defense has blitzed Kyler Murray a bunch early in this game, and it s paying off so far. The Bills just held the Cardinals to a field goal again. Buffalo has a 10-6 lead. And Murray hasn t yet gotten loose as a runner. He has five yards on four attempts. Matthew Fairburn

The Bills first offensive possession of the game in Arizona ends with a Josh Allen touchdown catch. Allen handed off to Isaiah McKenzie, who flipped a pass into the flat back to Allen. Allen did the rest to get into the end zone and give the Bills a 7-3 lead. That was smooth sailing for Buffalo s offense to start the game after the Cardinals got an early 3-0 lead. Matthew Fairburn

Rams stifle Seahawks in NFC West showdown

The Seahawks fall to 6-3, their second straight loss. With Arizona s win over the Bills, Seattle is now third place in the NFC West. Michael-Shawn Dugar

At the end of the third quarter, Seattle trails 23-13 with the ball. Russell Wilson hasn t thrown a touchdown. Michael-Shawn Dugar

The Seahawks are down 23-13 and it cannot be overstated how essential touchdowns are on every drive. The Rams continue to march up and down the field on this defense. That last drive was 88 yards, 14 plays. LA is 8 of 10 on third down. Michael-Shawn Dugar

The Rams are up 17-13 against Seattle, but the real news of the first half is a knee injury sustained by veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth in the second quarter. Whitworth has not missed a game due to injury since 2013. His knee got hit at a bad angle accidentally by Seahawks linebacker KJ Wright, and he had to be carted off the field. Whitworth won t return today. Jourdan Rodrigue

That last sequence is why I d argue whenever this team passes the 50 yard line on offense, punts should be out of the question. I know it was fourth and a million, but LAR just went 93 yards for a TD. There s no such thing as flipping the field right now. Just try and score. Michael-Shawn Dugar

Rams have scored on all 3 drives today. Two touchdowns on the ground. Goff has 180 yards passing. Seattle in big, big trouble already. Michael-Shawn Dugar

Jared Goff 7/8 for 124 yards in the first quarter. Pass defense still an issue for the Seahawks. Michael-Shawn Dugar

Seattle is no Miami, but so far the Rams are beating pressure nicely with quick outlets and catch-and-run plays and a gorgeous sling to TE Tyler Higbee on third down to ultimately set up a score. 10-7, Rams, 2:24 left in the first. Jourdan Rodrigue

Jamal Adams just jogged out of the locker room and grabbed his helmet. Michael-Shawn Dugar

Mike Iupati starting at left guard for Seattle in his first game back. Not seeing Jamal Adams on the sideline. Ryan Neal looks ready to hit the field with the defense. Adams is questionable to return with a shoulder injury. Michael-Shawn Dugar

I liked how Sean McVay used running backs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson on the opening drive, and WR Cooper Kupp found tons of space in the passing game. I also liked the goal line decision to go tempo; execution was not there and the Rams settled for three points. Jourdan Rodrigue

At 5-foot-9, 193 pounds, DJ Reed would probably be the shortest left cornerback Seattle has played in the Pete Carroll era. The coach prefers bigger outside corners so they can be physical at the line of scrimmage. That s out the window with how short-handed Seattle is right now. Michael-Shawn Dugar

Jameis Winston goes in for injured Drew Brees in Saints win

Through all the insanity, the Saints will walk out the Superdome with a 27-13 win over the Niners. They re riding a six-game winning streak at 7-2. Larry Holder

All the chatter about MVP, I think Alvin Kamara should earn a few votes today. Kamara added his third TD of the game on a 1-yard rushing score. This should give the Saints a sigh of relief now up 27-10 with 7:29 left in the fourth quarter. Larry Holder

Some of it was pretty, some of it wasn t. Regardless, Jameis Winston helped heavily in guiding the Saints to a fourth quarter scoring drive. He completed five of his seven passes on the drive, but took two sacks. It led to a Wil Lutz field goal to push the Saints up 20-10. Larry Holder

Drew Brees is questionable to return with a rib injury. Larry Holder

The first Saints possession with Jameis Winston went really nowhere. After the drive, Winston sat with Taysom Hill consulting with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. Drew Brees sat next to Hill wearing a Saints cap. Larry Holder

Drew Brees took a hard hit and was favoring his shoulder earlier and now it s apparently more serious than we thought. He s standing on the sideline watching as Jameis Winston takes over at QB. Katherine Terrell

Uh, Jameis Winston opened the second half as the Saints quarterback. Larry Holder

It was a weird first half, but I think it only showcased the idea that Brandon Aiyuk is going to be somebody special next season when the 49ers offense can surround him with Kittle, Samuel, Mostert and others. It looks like Aiyuk can take it all the way every time he touches the ball and Shanahan will love to figure out how to get it to him 10-12 times a game. Tim Kawakami

QB ratings at 2:56 left in the first half: Nick Mullens 123.1 Drew Brees 50.3. Larry Holder

The Saints have run six offensive plays in the first 16:12 of their game with the 49ers. They ve amassed two yards of offense. Still, they ve cut the Niners lead to 10-3 early in the second quarter. Larry Holder

Two personal foul penalties, one muffed punt and an offensive three-and-out for the Saints. No wonder they re down to the 49ers leaving the first quarter. Larry Holder

Something to watch Andrus Peat headed to the injury tent in the first quarter of the game after limping off. He returned to the sidelines but it ll be notable to see how he plays the rest of the game. Same with Drew Brees, who has been on the injury report with a shoulder issue and just flat out missed Michael Thomas on a throw. Larry Holder

This is the type of game that could end up as a letdown after such a big win last week. A near miss on a pick on this drive, a flag on CJGJ for leading with his helmet, some failure to wrap up on tackles, a wide open Brandon Aiyuk for a TD 49ers lead early. Katherine Terrell

Tua Tagovailoa is 3-0 as Dolphins starter

Anthony Lynn said during the week that the Chargers needed to deal with the Dolphins blitzing and pressure to have a chance in this game. Despite a conservative run-heavy game plan, they did not handle this well enough in a 29-21 loss. Justin Herbert, who finished 20 of 32 passing for 187 yards, two TDS and and INT, was never comfortable in the pocket. That led to his underwhelming performance. Daniel Popper

Jason Sanders has made 21 straight field goals, including all 18 of his attempts this season. He is the most accurate kicker in Dolphins history. Josh Tolentino

HALF: Dolphins 17, Chargers 7 Chargers are extremely lucky to even be in this game. They got a gift on that botched exchange from Miami in the red zone. The offensive play calling has been uninspired. The special teams have been abysmal. They are going to have to unleash Justin Herbert in the second half to have a chance. Need to get their playmakers Allen, Williams, Henry more involved. Daniel Popper

Halftime: Miami 17, Los Angeles 7. Tua Tagovailoa: 8-of-15, 105 yards, 1 TD Justin Herbert: 7-of-12, 59 yards. Josh Tolentino

The Dolphins take a 14-0 lead over the Chargers after Tua Tagovailoa finds Jakeem Grant in the end zone on an empty set. Tagovailoa completed 4-of-7 passes for 54 yards that drive. Since taking over as starter, Tagovailoa has found a nice chemistry with Grant, one of Miami s quickest playmakers. Josh Tolentino

Miami couldn t have asked for a better start. The Dolphins force a three and out on Los Angeles first drive. Moments later, Andrew Van Ginkel blocks Ty Long s punt and the Dolphins recover at the 1-yard line. It took just one play for the Dolphins to score with Salvon Ahmed capitalizing with his first career rushing touchdown. Josh Tolentino

Steelers remain undefeated after handling Joe Burrow, Bengals

The Steelers have just about iced this one with a 12-play, 67-yard drive that ends with Ben hitting Chase Claypool for an 11-yard TD that ups the lead to 29-7. Danger time for Joe Burrow against a Steelers D pinning its ears back. The Bengals have repeatedly run the ball on first down, but they re going to have get more aggressive to have a chance. Only 4:22 left in the 3Q. Jay Morrison

The Steelers offense is clicking now, with their first third down conversion of the game resulting in a 7-yard TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger to JuJu Smith-Schuster. The score comes on the heels of back-to-back 15-yard penalties on the Bengals roughing the passer on Sam Hubbard and PI on Will Jackson. Pittsburgh leads 19-7 with 723 left before halftime. Jay Morrison

Earlier this week I wrote about the amazing run of fourth down success the Bengals are, converting 16 of their last 17. It s now 17 of 18 as Burrow hits Higgins for a 2-yard TD on fourth and goal. Bengals cut Steelers lead to 12-7 with 10:37 left in the second quarter. Jay Morrison

After shutting down the Steelers on three straight three and outs, the Steelers go three and in. 3 plays, 74 yards, 12-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson, whose 46-yard catch started the drive. The two-point conversion fails, and Pittsburgh WR Chase Claypool is shaken up on the incompletion. Steelers 12-0 still in 1Q. Jay Morrison

It would seem MIke Tomlin s faith in his FG unit has returned. Unlike last week, he went to them on 4th-1 at the Bengals 23 rather than going for it. 3-0 after Boswell makes his 23rd straight, from 41. Mark Kaboly

A good start by the Bengals D is wiped out when punt returner Alex Erickson loses a fumble. The D holds the Steelers to a three and out after the turnover, but Chris Boswell hits from 41 to give the Steelers an early 3-0 lead. Jay Morrison

Three really poor throws by Roethlisberger to start this game. Mark Kaboly

Green Bay survives scare

Final: Packers 24, Jaguars 20 That was way closer than it should ve been, but Packers move to 7-2 with the Colts up next in Indianapolis. Big pressures from the Smiths and Rashan Gary late helped seal this one on a day when the offense was far from its best. The big news of the day, though, is David Bakhtiari becoming the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Matt Schneidman

End of the third quarter: Aaron Rodgers just got picked off on arguably his worst throw of the season. Davante Adams was already hurt and missed the drive. He s questionable to return with an ankle injury. Jaguars are driving with a chance to take the lead. What an upset this would be. Matt Schneidman

Aaron Jones and Davante Adams weren t on the field for that failed fourth-down attempt. Adams seemed to be getting checked by a trainer on the sideline. Jaguars take over at their own 33 in a 17-17 game with 7:09 left in the third quarter. This has the potential to be disastrous for the Packers. Matt Schneidman

Davante Adams, who has been arguably the NFL s best WR this season, just lost a fumble deep in Packers territory with Green Bay leading 17-10 early in the third quarter. Adams has caught a slant and advanced it 26 yards before turning it over. Rookie CB C.J. Henderson forced the fumble and Myles Jack returned it 18 yards to GB s 16. Later in the drive, a Keelan Cole TD catch helped tie the game. Matt Schneidman

At halftime, the Packers lead the Jaguars 17-10 in Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers is 16/20 for 200 yards and a TD pass. He also ran one in. Adrian Amos first INT of the season set up the Packers for a late field goal by Mason Crosby, who is now 12/12 on FGs this season. Green Bay D has only allowed three points. Other seven came on a punt return TD. Matt Schneidman

The Packers have played 37 quarters this season. That first quarter against the Jaguars was only their fifth scoreless one. Others were Q2, Q3 and Q4 vs. Tampa in Week 6 loss and Q3 vs. Minnesota in Week 8 loss. But then on the first play of the second quarter, Aaron Rodgers hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 78-yard TD pass to give the Packers a 7-3 lead. Matt Schneidman

Raiders easily take care of Broncos

The Broncos appeared to have taken the lead with just seconds left in the second quarter after a Drew Lock touchdown run. Instead, the play was called back because of a hold and Lock threw an interception on the next play, killing the scoring chance. Since then, the Raiders hogged the ball in the third quarter for 14 minutes and scored 10 points. Denver ran four offensive plays in the quarter. Nick Kosmider

The Broncos make a big defensive stand at the end of the second quarter. Raiders had a first-and-goal from the Denver 8-yard line and were unable to punch it into the end zone. A field goal gives Las Vegas a 10-6 lead with 1:44 left in the second quarter for Drew Lock and Denver s offense. Nick Kosmider

It was a better overall first quarter for Denver s offense, which was 2 of 5 on third down. But a couple bad special teams plays created negative field position. And Drew Lock s seventh interception of the season has set Las Vegas up with another scoring chance as it faces a fourth-and-1 from the Denver 30 to start the second quarter. Nick Kosmider

The Broncos, on their second drive, finally found success on first down. Denver gained 40 yards on three first-down plays a 9-yard pass to Noah Fant; 14-yard pass to Tim Patrick; 17-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy to quickly move into FG range. Denver stalled after the quick start, but McManus 50-yard kick trims the Las Vegas lead to 7-3 midway through the first quarter. Nick Kosmider

Denver entered Sunday s game having allowed touchdowns on only 48.3% percent of opposing red zone possessions. The Raiders looked unimpressed by that stat there. Excellent start for Raiders in all three phases (minus the punt return penalty). Jimmy Durkin

Not much resistance from the Broncos on Las Vegas first drive. Defining play was a third-and-5 completion from Derek Carr to Hunter Renfrow that went for 25 yards. A special teams blunder, a three-and-out and then the lackluster defensive series. Another poor start from Denver as it trails 7-0. Nick Kosmider

Browns win after Nick Chubb s big run

The Texans needed to make a stop on 3rd and 3. Instead, Nick Chubb runs for 59 yards to ice the game. Browns win 10-7. The Texans fall to 2-7. Aaron Reiss

Deshaun Watson was 6/7 for 75 yards on the Texans first TD drive of the game. Browns now up 10-7 with just under 5 minutes left. Aaron Reiss

The Browns took the week off and they re playing the same game. They lead the Texans at halftime, 3-0, thanks to a goal line stand. The wind is a major factor but the Browns offense just can t get any traction. Zac Jackson

Romeo Crennel has been consistently aggressive on 4th down as Texans head coach, but it didn t pay off on 4th and goal early in the second quarter. Houston spread the defense out in an empty formation and called a QB draw that Myles Garrett snuffed out. Browns still up 3-0. Aaron Reiss

Myles Garrett and Laremy Tunsil have never played each other before. Garrett just got a sack while rushing against Tunsil on the Texans 1st third down of the game. Aaron Reiss

Brady to Gronk caps off Buccaneers win

A dominating second half helped the Bucs to an easy 46-23 win over the Panthers, bouncing back nicely from last week s loss to the Saints. Tampa Bay (7-3) trailed 17-10 just before halftime and took over the game from there, taking over on both sides of the ball. Ronald Jones rushed for 192 yards (including a 98-yard TD) and Tom Brady threw for 341 yards and three scores, rushing for a fourth. Greg Auman

Gronk spike. Bucs up 46-23 with 4:24 left. Joe Person

Tom Brady s 1-yard keeper extended the Bucs lead to 39-23 on Carolina with 6:23 to play, and the Bucs are closing in on being 7-3 and getting their first divisional sweep since 2016. Ronald Jones has rushed for 167 yards, tied for the seventh-best total in team history, including a 98-yard touchdown. Greg Auman

Trenton Cannon 98-yard KOR sets up Teddy Bridgewater s 3-yard TD scramble. 2-pt pass fails. Panthers pull to within 32-23. Joe Person

Bad third quarter for Panthers: Allowed longest play from scrimmage in their history. Threw a bad INT. Called a dumb fake punt. Were outscored 12-0. They trail the Bucs 29-17. Joe Person

That s two plays the Panthers are going to want back. Ronald Jones breaks off a 98-yard TD run (longest rush ever allowed by Panthers. Then Teddy Bridgewater picked off by Jason Pierre-Paul on next play. Bucs lead 26-17. Joe Person

Panthers with nice coverage on third-and-goal. Burns stops Brady scramble. Bucs go up 20-17 on 24-yd FG by Ryan Succop. Joe Person

The Panthers take three timeouts on that 10-play, 47-yard drive. Joey Slye caps it with a 46-yard FG. Panthers up 17-10. Joe Person

Where has the Bucs defense gone? Carolina leads 14-10 early in the second quarter, but the Bucs have given up 14 in the first quarter for the second week in a row. The Bucs looked poised to answer and tie but Tom Brady missed on third and goal and they settled for a Ryan Succop 23-yard field goal to pull back within four points. Greg Auman

Tom Brady s streak of eight consecutive completions ends on third-and-goal throw to Mike Evans in end zone. Bucs settle for 23-yard FG by Ryan Succop and trail 14-10. Joe Person

Joe Brady brings Curtis Samuel across the formation for what looks like a flip pass. Throwback screen to DJ Moore, who gets a wipeout block by Trent Scott and goes in for a 24-yard TD. Great call, great execution. 14-7 Panthers. Joe Person

Tom Brady was 5-of-7 on that drive for 64 and threaded three third-down throws into pretty good coverage, including his 5-yard TD to Cameron Brate. 7-7. Joe Person

Another week, another early deficit for the Bucs. Ronald Jones lost a fumble in Tampa Bay s second play, and Carolina converted a fourth down on the way to a 7-yard touchdown pass from Teddy Bridgewater to tight end Colin Thompson. The Bucs trail 7-0 and have been outscored 45-10 in the first quarter of the last five games. Greg Auman

Tight ends so dangerous in the red zone, and something that s been missing for Panthers all year. Not there. Blocking TE Colin Thompson pulls down 7-yard, play-action pass from Teddy Bridgewater for a TD on his first career reception. 7-0. Joe Person

Prater s 59-yarder wins it for Lions

Matt Prater was good from 59 yards on the final play of the game and Detroit, which led 24-3 in the third quarter, picked up the win against the Washington Football Team. Washington tied the game at 27 with 16 seconds to play in the game. But Matt Stafford completed two passes and a Chase Young roughing the passer penalty advanced the ball far enough to attempt the kick.

For the first time in his career, Alex Smith has thrown for 300 yards in his career. Washington is currently tied in Detroit, 24 all, in the 4th quarter after being down, 24-3, in the 3rd quarter. Rhiannon Walker

Alex Smith has been surgical in the second half, he s currently 14-of-15 for 142 yards. Smith is currently, 30-of-36 for 271 yards total on the game. Rhiannon Walker

It is happening again. The Lions had a 24-3 lead, which now is down to 24-17. And Washington takes over possession with still nine minutes left. Chris Burke

Washington answers a Detroit TD drive with one of its own, converting on a 4th-and-13 from the Lions 15 to keep it alive. (Old friend alert: Logan Thomas had the catch.) Tough turn for the Lions, who would ve been able to coast him with a stop there. Instead, it s a two-possession game again with more than 17 minutes left. Chris Burke

In the first half, Washington had the ball for more time and ran more plays, and yet found itself down, 17-3. Much of that having to do with giving up its league-tying sixth play of 50 yards or more. The offense had four drives on or inside the Lions 30 and came out of it with 3 points. Rhiannon Walker

Would really like to see the Lions dedicate themselves to keeping D Andre Swift and Marvin Hall on the field as much as possible in the second half today and beyond. Combined 10 touches for 105 yards so far. They re space-creators. The Lions need as much of that as possible. Nick Baumgardner

D Andre Swift finished the first quarter with six carries for 44 yards. No other Lions back saw a handoff, and the snap count definitely trended very heavily in Swift s favor. Are we finally witnessing the changing of the guard that Lions fans have been waiting for? Chris Burke