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CARDS DOWN BROWNS TO REMAIN PERFECT

NFL’S LONE UNBEATEN TEAM IMPROVES TO 6-0 WITHOUT SIDELINED COACH

The Arizona Cardinals remained the lone unbeaten team in the NFL by rolling past the host Cleveland Browns 37-14 on Sunday.

Kyler Murray completed 20 of 30 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns and Deandre Hopkins hauled in a pair of scores as the Cardinals (6-0) cruised despite the absence of head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who missed the game because of COVID-19 protocol. It was the Cardinals’ fifth straight win against the Browns (33).

Cleveland, which dropped its second straight, entered the game reeling from injuries and got more bad news throughout.

The Browns played without lead running back Nick Chubb and starting tackles Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. During the game, quarterback Baker Mayfield (shoulder), wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (shoulder) and running back Kareem Hunt (calf) all sustained injuries. Hunt did not return after his injury early in the fourth quarter.

Mayfield finished 19 of 28 for 234 yards and two touchdowns, but had three turnovers — two fumbles and an interception — and sat out the final five minutes. Donovan Peoples-jones had four catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

The Browns had rushed for 150 or more yards in each of their first five games, but were held to 73 rushing yards on 19 carries. Cleveland finished with nine penalties for 88 yards and gave up five sacks.

Mayfield lost his second fumble of the day and J.J. Watt picked up his first sack of the year on the same play in the third quarter. The Cardinals cashed in the turnover with Murray’s 9-yard touchdown to Hopkins for a 30-14 lead.

Cleveland tried to answer, but a fourth-down pass from the Arizona 7-yard line was dropped by Beckham with 12:06 remaining.

Murray threw his fourth TD with 4:48 left on a 14-yard strike to A.J. Green.

The Cardinals dominated the first half and scored on each of their five possessions, but settled for a modest 23-14 lead at the break. Murray found Christian Kirk with a 21-yard touchdown pass to cap the first series, then dropped in a 13-yard score to Hopkins for a 140 lead with 14:49 left in the half.

Mayfield’s first sack-fumble and his interception to Arizona’s Robert Alford resulted in Matt Prater field goals of 36 and 51 yards for a 20-0 Cardinal lead with 9:29 left.

Mayfield got Cleveland on the board with an 11-yard touchdown to Peoples-jones, while Arizona added a third Prater field goal, from 33 yards out with 46 seconds left.

But Cleveland ended the half with Mayfield’s 57-yard Hail Mary that People-jones hauled in to cut the margin to 23-14 at the break. The Baltimore Ravens played stingy defence in shutting down Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers’ dynamic offence en route to a 34-6 home win.

RAVENS SHUT DOWN HERBERT, ZAP CHARGERS

Baltimore moved to 5-1 with the victory, while the Chargers moved to 4-2.

Entering Sunday’s contest, Los Angeles was averaging 28.4 points per game, but the Ravens held Los Angeles to just the six points and 208 total yards.

Herbert struggled to move L.A.’S offence against Baltimore’s suffocating defence, finishing 22 of 39 for 195 passing yards, with a touchdown and an interception. The Ravens held the Chargers to just 26 rushing yards.

Lamar Jackson didn’t fare much better statistically for the Ravens, completing 19 of 27 passes for 167 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. However, unlike the Chargers, Baltimore established the running game, finishing with 187 rushing yards against one of the worst run defences in the NFL.

SPORTS

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2021-10-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

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