Manning throws 2 TDs as Giants beat Texans 27-22 for 1st win
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
HOUSTON (AP) _ Eli Manning threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and rookie Saquon Barkley added a score as the New York Giants got their first win with a 27-22 victory over the struggling Houston Texans on Sunday.
The Giants (1-2) were up by 14 at halftime but had trouble moving the ball in the second half and the Texans (0-3) had cut the lead to five before Manning threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard with about two minutes left.
Deshaun Watson threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Lamar Miller with 1 second left to cut the lead to 27-22, but New York recovered the onside kick.
Watson threw for 385 yards and two scores, but his interception was one of two second-half turnovers by the Texans, off to their worst start since dropping their first four games of 2008.
Odell Beckham Jr., had nine receptions for 109 yards and Barkley finished with 82 yards rushing as the Giants came one point shy of matching their points total from their first two games combined.
A 54-yard field goal got Houston within 20-9 in the third quarter. The Texans forced a punt and were driving again when Miller caught a short pass and fumbled after a hit by Donte Deayon. The Giants recovered but couldn’t move the ball and had to punt after a drive that featured a sack by J.J. Watt. The defensive end, who played just eight games in the 2016-17 seasons because of injuries, finished with three sacks, three tackles for losses, four quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
But the Texans turned over the ball again, this time when Watson was intercepted in the end zone by Alec Ogletree.
Houston cut the lead to 20-15 when Will Fuller grabbed a 6-yard pass from Watson with about 7 1/2 minutes remaining, but the 2-point conversion failed.
After leading the NFL in yards rushing through the first three games, the Texans couldn’t get anything going on the ground. They finished with 59 yards rushing, and Miller managed just 10 yards on as many carries.
The Texans led 3-0 after a 23-yard field goal by Ka’imi Fairbairn on their first drive. The Giants took their first lead this season when Barkley shed multiple tackles on a 15-yard run that made it 7-3.
New York added two field goals before Manning connected with Rhett Ellison on a 16-yard touchdown to push the advantage to 20-3 late in the second quarter.
Watt had a strip sack on third down to make the Giants settle for the second field goal. Watt hadn’t had a sack since Sept. 18, 2016 before taking Manning down on that play.
Houston cut the lead to 20-6 at halftime after a 28-yard field goal.
INJURY UPDATE
New York tight end Evan Engram (knee) left in the second quarter. … Giants CB Antonio Hamilton injured his groin in the first quarter and didn’t return. … Houston WR Bruce Ellington injured his hamstring in the first quarter and didn’t return. … Texans G Senio Kelemete (knee) left in the second quarter.
UP NEXT
Giants: Host New Orleans next Sunday.
Texans: Visit the Colts next Sunday.
Wilson 3 TDs, Thomas 2 picks, Seahawks beat Cowboys 24-13
By TIM BOOTH
SEATTLE (AP) _ Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns in the first half, Chris Carson added a 5-yard TD run in early in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Seahawks avoided a 0-3 start with a 24-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Wilson hit Jaron Brown on an 18-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, and later hit Tyler Lockett streaking up the sideline on a 52-yard scoring pass as Seattle (1-2) built a 17-3 halftime lead and cruised past the Cowboys.
The duo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott didn’t have the answers against a Seattle defense that had safety Earl Thomas on the field and welcomed back Bobby Wagner after the Seahawks’ defensive leader missed Week 2 with a groin injury. Prescott was intercepted twice by Thomas , including with 3:09 remaining at the Seattle 15 on a deflected pass, with Thomas bowing to the Dallas sideline at the end of the play.
Prescott was sacked five times and Dallas (1-2) had just 58 net yards passing entering the fourth quarter. Elliott had momentary flashes, busting off a few long runs, but they were too infrequent for Dallas’ stagnant offense.
Thomas’ second interception was one of two turnovers forced by Seattle in the fourth quarter. Elliott broke free for a 26-yard run to the Seattle 19 earlier in the quarter, but had the ball punched free from behind by Bradley McDougald and recovered by the Seahawks.
Prescott finished 19 of 34 for 168 yards and a 3-yard shovel pass TD to Tavon Austin with 7:11 remaining. Dallas failed to pass for 200 yards for the ninth time in the past 11 games dating back to last season. Elliott had 127 yards on 16 carries.
Meanwhile, Wilson had the kind of protection that’s been absent most of the season. After being sacked 12 times in the first two games, Wilson was 16 of 26 for 192 yards and sacked twice by Dallas’ defense that was second in the league in sacks. Despite missing starting center Justin Britt, the offensive line gave Wilson enough time for a few big plays in the passing game.
Wilson’s 16-yard strike to Brown gave Seattle a 7-0 lead and he took advantage of the absence of safety Jeff Heath when he found Lockett on a 52-yard TD late in the second quarter. Heath departed with a left ankle injury earlier in the drive and Wilson found Lockett streaking up the sideline. Heath’s replacement, Kavon Frazier, was late to rotate over and Lockett went untouched, high-stepping the final few yards for a 14-3 lead.
Carson’s TD run was the first by a Seahawks running back since J.D. McKissic found the end zone on a 31-yard run in Week 4 of the 2017 season. Seattle went 14 games without a running back finding the end zone until Carson bulled his way in with 12:54 remaining.
Carson finished with 102 yards, the first Seattle running back to top 100 yards since late in the 2016 season.
THOMAS DRAMA
Following a week of drama surrounding Thomas, the former All-Pro safety started and almost immediately made his presence known. Thomas missed two days of practice for personal reasons which coach Pete Carroll provided only vague answers as to why, and left open the possibility Thomas wouldn’t play.
He was on the field as usual, and it took less than a quarter before Thomas was making a remarkable interception, pinning a deflected pass against his shin.
FREE POINTS
Seattle was gifted three points at the end of the half when Randy Gregory was baited into a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, smacking Seattle’s Joey Hunt in the facemask. The penalty put Seattle in range for Sebastian Janikowski’s 47-yard field goal and a 17-3 lead at the half.
INJURIES
Dallas also played a large portion of the second half without linebacker Sean Lee due to a hamstring injury. Lee had been listed as questionable for that problem.
UP NEXT
Cowboys: Dallas returns home to host Detroit next Sunday.
Seahawks: Seattle is at division rival Arizona next Sunday.