Late penalty, missed kicks help Falcons beat Panthers in OT

ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta’s Younghoe Koo booted a 41-yard field goal in overtime after the Carolina Panthers missed a pair of kicks that could’ve won it, giving the Falcons an improbable 37-34 victory Sunday that maintained their hold on first place in the NFC South. The teams combined for three touchdowns in the final 3:06 of regulation before a silly penalty by the Panthers’ D.J. Moore opened the door for the Falcons (4-4) to pull it out. With the Falcons up 34-28, Carolina (2-6) appeared to have won the game in stunning fashion when Moore hauled in a 62-yard touchdown heave from P.J. Walker with 12 seconds remaining. But Moore ripped off his helmet during a raucous celebration in the end zone, resulting in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That pushed back the extra point to a 48-yard attempt, and Eddy Piñeiro pulled it left of the upright. Carolina had another chance to win in OT after C.J. Henderson returned an interception 54 yards to the Falcons 20. But Piñeiro botched another kick, yanking a wobbler left again from 32 yards out – shorter than a regular extra point. The Panthers wouldn’t get another shot. Marcus Mariota, who threw three touchdown passes, ripped off a 30-yard run for the Falcons that set up Koo’s game-winner with 1:55 left in the extra period. Mariota was 20 of 28 for 253 yards with a pair of interceptions. But he was awfully good between those two picks, completing 12 straight passes at one point. COWBOYS 49, BEARS 29 ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, Micah Parsons returned a fumble for his first NFL score and Dallas beat Chicago. Tony Pollard ran for 131 yards and three TDs with Ezekiel Elliott sidelined by a right knee injury as the Cowboys (6-2) made it 2-for-2 in a four-game stretch against the NFC North. Justin Fields rallied the Bears (3-5) within five after trailing 28-7. But he made a big gaffe by jumping over Parsons after the star linebacker’s fumble recovery instead of touching him down. Parsons got up, stumbled and rolled over the goal line for a 36-yard touchdown that made it 42-23. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first four possessions for the first time since 2014. Prescott opened the scoring with a 7-yard run. Prescott’s two TD passes, including one to CeeDee Lamb, came on either side of Pollard’s first score. Pollard had a 54-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Prescott was 21 of 27 for 250 yards with an interception in his second game back after missing five with a fractured right thumb. Pollard tied his career highs in yards and carries (14). EAGLES 35, STEELERS 13 PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes to A.J Brown in the first half and finished with 285 yards and four TDs overall as unbeaten Philadelphia raced past Pittsburgh. Brown had six receptions for 156 yards. The Eagles are 7-0 for the second time in franchise history and first since 2004, when Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens led them to the Super Bowl. Rookie Kenny Pickett showed more short-term growing pains for the Steelers (2-6) and was 25 of 38 for 191 yards and an interception. Wide receiver Chase Claypool threw a 1-yard pass to fullback Derek Watt on a trick play in the first quarter for Pittsburgh’s only touchdown. Brown became the first receiver since Tennessee’s Drew Bennett in 2004 with three receiving touchdowns of 25-plus yards in the first half. Hurts hit Brown from 39 yards, 27 and 29 yards for a 21-10 halftime lead. Brown had his best game in his short Eagles tenure, topping the 155 yards he had in the season opener against Detroit. He had only two touchdowns entering the game. Hurts threw a 39-yard TD pass to Zach Pascal in the third for a 28-10 lead. VIKINGS 34, CARDINALS 26