The Latest: NFL slate opens with 4 winless teams in action

The Latest on Week 4 in the NFL (all times EDT):

2:50 p.m.

Patrick Mahomes threw touchdown passes three different ways to give the Kansas City Chiefs a 21-13 lead at halftime in Philadelphia.

Mahomes tossed one underhand, one overhand and another with a shovel pass. The underhanded pass went to Clyde Edwards-Helaire from a yard out. He added a more traditional overhand throw to Tyreek Hill for a 6-yard score and then a shovel pass to Jody Fortson for a 2-yard TD.

Mahomes threw a touchdown on all three Kansas City's drives in the half.

— Dan Gelston reporting from Philadelphia

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2:45 p.m.

DeAndre Carter has pushed Washington back to the lead over the Atlanta Falcons with a 101-yard kickoff return to the start the second half.

Carter caught the kickoff 1 yard deep in the end zone, found a seam up the middle and was barely touched on his way to the Falcons end zone.

It was Washington’s first kickoff return for a TD since Steven Sims had a 91-yarder during the 2019 season.

Carter’s big play gave Washington a 19-17 lead, which stayed that way when Dustin Hopkins missed his second extra point of the game.

— Paul Newberry reporting from Atlanta

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2:40 p.m.

Houston Texans rookie Davis Mills has been limited to completing one of seven attempts for 3 yards and has thrown two interceptions in the first half against the Buffalo Bills.

The Texans have managed a combined 8 yards of net offense with one first down, while going 0 for 6 on third down and trailing 16-0. Mills is making his second start, and first on the road, in place of injured Tyrod Taylor (hamstring).

The Texans’ record for fewest yards generated in a game is 47, coming in a 24-6 loss at Pittsburgh on Dec. 8, 2002, in the franchise’s inaugural season.

— John Wawrow reporting from Buffalo

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2:30 p.m.

Sam Darnold is the first quarterback in NFL history with at least five rushing touchdowns in the first four games of any season.

Darnold’s second TD run came on an 11-yard draw and gave Carolina a 14-13 lead over Dallas in the second quarter.

After rushing for five touchdowns in 38 career games with the New York Jets, Darnold matched the number in less than 3½ games with the Panthers. The first score was on a 1-yard option keeper in the first quarter.

— Schuyler Dixon reporting from Dallas

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2:25 p.m.

Detroit Lions linebacker Romeo Okwara has been ruled out for the rest of the team’s game at Chicago.

Okwara left in the first half. It was originally called an ankle injury, but then it was changed to a foot injury when it was announced that he would miss the rest of the game.

The Lions trailed the Bears 14-0 at halftime.

— Jay Cohen reporting from Chicago

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2:10 p.m.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones connected with newly activated receiver John Ross for a strange touchdown. The deep connection was initially ruled a 52-yard score, but the NFL changed it to a 51-yard connection and said Ross fumbled at the 1 and then recovered in the end zone for a TD. It was an unlikely way to open scoring in what had been more of a defensive struggle well into the second quarter.

Ross was activated from injured reserve this week and is making his Giants debut. His timing couldn’t be better with New York missing receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton with hamstring injuries.

Before the Giants broke through, both teams had missed field goals. New York’s Graham Gano saw his streak of 37 straight made field goals dating to last season snapped when he missed a 35-yarder late in the first quarter.

The Saints’ Aldrick Rosas missed from 58 in the second quarter.

— Brett Martel reporting from New Orleans

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2 p.m.

The Atlanta Falcons have pulled off their longest play of the season.

Matt Ryan found Cordarelle Patterson breaking free behind the Washington secondary and connected with him on a 42-yard touchdown pass that gave the Falcons a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

Atlanta’s longest play coming into Week 4 was a 28-yard pass from Ryan to Patterson, a hybrid player who has emerged as a surprising weapon in the Falcons offense.

— Paul Newberry reporting from Atlanta

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1:55 p.m.

A couple of early injuries have cost both teams in the early going of the Washington-Falcons game in Atlanta.

Washington lost tight end Logan Thomas to a hamstring injury in the first quarter. He was initially listed as doubtful to return, then downgraded to out for the game.

A short time later, Falcons cornerback Isaiah Oliver had to be helped off the field with a knee injury. He was taken to the locker room on a cart and listed as doubtful to return.

— Paul Newberry reporting from Atlanta.

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1:50 p.m.

The Detroit Lions lost two starters to injuries in the early part of their game against the Chicago Bears.

Linebacker Romeo Okwara has an ankle injury, and center Frank Ragnow is dealing with a toe issue. Each player is questionable to return.

The winless Lions trailed the Bears 14-0 in the second quarter.

— Jay Cohen reporting from Chicago

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1:45 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs took a 7-3 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles when Patrick Mahomes flipped a 1-yard shovel pass underhanded to Clyde Edwards-Helaire after Tyreek Hill’s catch-and-run gained 36 yards to the 1.

Earlier in the drive, Mahomes lined up wide and took a flip on a reverse but threw incomplete.

— Rob Maaddi reporting from Philadelphia

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1:35 p.m.

Sam Darnold now has more rushing touchdowns than passing TDs for Carolina this season.

Darnold scored on a 1-yard option keeper to get the Panthers even with the Dallas Cowboys at 7-all. It was the quarterback’s fourth rushing score of the year to go with three TD passes.

Chuba Hubbard is having a solid first quarter is his first career start for injured star running back Christian McCaffrey. Hubbard played collegiately not too far away at Oklahoma State. Hubbard has four carries for 29 yards, the longest a 14-yarder on the 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Darnold’s TD. McCaffrey is out with a hamstring injury.

— Schuyler Dixon reporting from Dallas

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1:25 p.m.

Dallas star receiver Amari Cooper exited early against Carolina with a right hamstring injury. Cooper has been playing with cracked ribs since the opener.

The Cowboys’ leader in catches coming in was on the sideline without his helmet before the team’s second offensive possession started. The team said his return was questionable.

— Schuyler Dixon reporting from Dallas

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12:45 p.m.

The Superdome in New Orleans is filling up without restrictions on crowd size for the first time since Jan. 5, 2020, when the Saints played their final home game before the COVID-19 pandemic — a playoff loss to Minnesota.

New Orleans is hosting the New York Giants in its first game in New Orleans this season. The Saints were supposed to open the season at home on Sept. 12 against Green Bay, but widespread damage to southeast Louisiana caused by Hurricane Ida two weeks earlier led the NFL and the Saints to move that game to Jacksonville, Florida.

Now the Saints are finally back in the dome, which has also undergone some new renovations since last season, adding premium areas for fans to mix and socialize in the corners of the second and third decks, as well as field-level suites behind the north end zone.

Alvin Kamara promised this week to jump over the wall and into one of those suites if he scores a touchdown.

Injuries are a subplot to this matchup. Receivers Sterling Shepard (hamstring) and Darius Slayton (hamstring) are out for the winless Giants, while starting center Erik McCoy (calf) and starting left tackle Terron Armstead (elbow) are out for the Saints.

— Brett Martel reporting from New Orleans

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12:30 p.m.

Long before Tom Brady takes the field to face his former team, the New England Patriots, the NFL gets started with four winless teams in action.

The early Sunday schedule also includes Carolina (3-0) trying to stay unbeaten at high-scoring Dallas (2-1). The four winless teams — Detroit, Indianapolis, the New York Giants and the New York Jets — are trying to avoid joining Jacksonville at 0-4. The Jaguars lost 24-21 at Cincinnati on Thursday night.

The Lions play at Chicago. The Colts are at Miami. The Giants are at New Orleans. And the Jets host Tennessee. All of those winless teams are underdogs, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

The only game featuring two undefeated teams comes Sunday afternoon when the Los Angeles Rams host Kyler Murray and Arizona.

The Sunday night game, though, is the most anticipated and the one that's been circled since the NFL schedule was released in May. Brady and defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay visit New England, where Brady spent the first two decades of his storied NFL career and won six Super Bowl titles.

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