Two seconds remained in regulation in Denver.
asserted
seconds → remain → Denver
Could one of the wildest Sundays in NFL history have ended any other way?
uncertain
one → end → history
When Denver safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford in the end zone as time expired to seal a 30-26 comeback win on “Sunday Night Football,” it also capped a day that will be remembered for producing one thriller after another.
asserted
that → intercept → another
Of the day’s 14-game slate in Week 3, 12 finished as one-score games, the most in any Sunday in NFL history.
asserted
12 → finish → history
Six teams won after go-ahead scores within the final three minutes.
asserted
teams → win → minutes
“It’s tough,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
asserted
McVay → ’ → ?
After watching two weeks of offensive struggles under Denver’s new playcaller, Broncos fans booed their team as they ran off the field after trailing the Rams, 16-0, at halftime.
asserted
they → watch → halftime
Then Denver scored 16 unanswered points, setting up a fourth quarter where the teams traded momentum swings.
asserted
teams → score → swings
Hufanga intercepted Stafford and ran it back for a touchdown to lead, 23-19.
asserted
Hufanga → intercept → touchdown
When a Broncos defensive back fell down on the next possession, Stafford found an open receiver for an easy, go-ahead touchdown to lead, 26-23.
asserted
Stafford → fall → touchdown
Denver came back and moved the ball down the field after a succession of penalties, eventually taking a 30-26 lead and leaving the preseason Super Bowl favorite Rams only 47 seconds with which to try their own rally.
asserted
Denver → come → rally
It fell short by only a few yards, with no time left to spare — and it might not have even been Sunday’s wildest finish, either.
uncertain
it → fall → time
In Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Baltimore got the ball back with 7 seconds to play in regulation after Dallas had tied the score.
asserted
Dallas → get → score
Somehow, that was enough time for the Ravens to launch perhaps the latest comeback drive ever — at least since one database began tracking such figures — ending in Baltimore’s walk-off field goal from 56 yards.
asserted
database → launch → yards
It was the first game since the 1970 merger to feature two teams that each made a field goal in the final 10 seconds.
asserted
that → feature → seconds
It wasn’t the only game that fit the description.
asserted
that → fit → description
Previously winless, Washington couldn’t run the ball or convert third downs against Seattle yet knocked off the defending Super Bowl champion anyway, behind backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s three touchdowns and three Seahawks turnovers.
asserted
Washington → run → touchdowns
It ended the Seahawks’ 12-game winning streak and temporarily halted their historic run as the NFL’s best road team.
asserted
It → end → team
In New Orleans, the Las Vegas Raiders improved to 3-0 after a 35-27 victory that saw the franchise match last season’s entire win total.
asserted
franchise → improve → total
They are now only the seventh team since the 1970 merger to open 3-0 after finishing the previous season with the league’s worst record, according to NBC Sports research.
uncertain
They → open → research
The Raiders pulled it off after trailing by 11 points in the second half.
asserted
Raiders → pull → half
A controversial fumble call on Saints quarterback Tyler Shough helped the Raiders set up their go-ahead touchdown, but it was just one of four consecutive Saints turnovers forced by the Raiders in the second half.
asserted
it → help → half
“In those big moments, there’s no panic,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said.
asserted
Crosby → ’ → moments
“We went down 11 and got together on the sideline and talked about not panicking.”
asserted
We → go → sideline
Neither did Buffalo (3-0).
asserted
Buffalo → do → ?
Like Baltimore and Las Vegas, the Bills overcame a deficit of at least 10 points, eventually beating the Chargers, 24-16.
asserted
Bills → overcome → Chargers
It was the first time the Bills won a game despite committing at least five turnovers since 1997.
asserted
Bills → win → 1997
Bills quarterback Josh Allen hadn’t committed a single turnover through two weeks, only to be intercepted twice and lose a fumble against Los Angeles (0-3).
asserted
Allen → commit → Angeles
If Allen’s poor play was unexpected considering how good he had looked in MVP-level performances to begin the season, then what happened in Cleveland was the opposite.
asserted
happened → consider → Cleveland
After ranking among the least-efficient quarterbacks in the league for much of his tenure in Cleveland, Deshaun Watson has suddenly looked competent — and the Browns are now 2-1, after a 21-18 win.
asserted
Browns → rank → win
Watson threw two touchdowns, including a go-ahead score with 1:48 left in the fourth quarter.
asserted
1:48 → throw → quarter
An interception of Carolina’s Bryce Young with seconds remaining clinched Watson’s 10th fourth-quarter comeback.
asserted
interception → remain → comeback
Indianapolis (1-2) earned its first win since last November after Spencer Shrader kicked a 43-yard field goal with 16 seconds left for a 19-17 victory that dumps Houston, a preseason Super Bowl candidate, to 0-3.
asserted
that → earn → 0
The Texans made the playoffs last year after starting 0-3, too, becoming only the seventh team in NFL history to do so.
asserted
Texans → make → history
Another hard road to the playoffs awaits.
asserted
road → await → playoffs
In whipping rain and wind in New Jersey, the Giants held on for a 12-7 win in their first game since quarterback Jaxson Dart suffered a season-ending knee injury.
asserted
Dart → whip → injury
Sack artist Brian Burns injured his knee in the fourth quarter, and with 24 seconds left in regulation, Tennessee moved within seven yards of a go-ahead touchdown.
asserted
Tennessee → injure → touchdown
Instead, the Giants (2-1) survived after Jevon Holland intercepted Titans quarterback Cam Ward.
asserted
Holland → survive → Ward
In Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers played in their franchise-record ninth consecutive one-score game, but Minnesota (3-0) held on, 23-16, after batting down a desperate Hail Mary heave as time expired.
asserted
time → play → heave
For Tampa, what was even more dispiriting than falling to 0-3 was that quarterback Baker Mayfield left with a dislocated thumb that puts his active league-high streak of 54 consecutive starts in jeopardy.
asserted
that → fall → jeopardy
…and 17 more, not listed.
The Aporia
