Wil Lutz kicked a short field goal late in the third quarter and the Denver defense protected the lead as the Broncos squeezed out a 10-7 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night to extend their winning streak to seven consecutive games.

JL Skinner’s blocked punt set up the tiebreaking field goal and Denver (8-2) racked up six sacks while beating their AFC West rivals. Bo Nix tossed a touchdown pass to Troy Franklin as the Broncos became the NFL’s first eight-win team this season.

Nik Bonitto had 1.5 sacks and Dondrea Tillman had an interception for the Broncos, who outgained the Raiders 220-188. Nix completed 16 of 28 passes for 150 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and JK Dobbins rushed for 77 yards on 18 carries.

Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith completed 16 of 26 passes for 143 yards and one interception and was hindered in the fourth quarter by a quadriceps injury.

Ashton Jeanty rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and Kyu Blu Kelly had his first two career interceptions for the Raiders (2-7). Las Vegas has dropped seven of its past eight games.

Skinner’s block came without his hands even touching the ball. AJ Cole’s punt hit Skinner in the facemask and the ball rolled toward the sideline and was recovered by teammate Tyler Badie at the Raiders’ 12-yard line with 1:29 left in the third quarter.

Denver was unable to take full advantage of the short field and Lutz kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 10-7 advantage with five seconds left in the quarter.

Kelly nabbed his second pick of the game when Nix’s throw bounced off Franklin’s hands and directly to him at the Denver 45 with 7:10 to play.

Smith was heavily limping during the drive and the first four plays were Jeanty runs. Then the Broncos forced Smith out of the pocket for a third-down throwaway. But Daniel Carlson’s ensuing 48-yard field goal attempt with 4:26 to play was wide right to keep the Raiders behind by three.

The score was tied at 7 at halftime as both teams struggled to move the ball. The Broncos had 116 yards and the Raiders gained 112.

Las Vegas got on the board on Jeanty’s 4-yard run with 3:02 left in the first quarter.

Denver went three-and-out on each of its first four possessions before finally putting together a five-play, 53-yard touchdown drive. Nix teamed with Pat Bryant on a 43-yard play to the Raiders’ 5, and two plays later, Nix tossed a 7-yard scoring pass to Franklin.

–Field Level Media

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Philadelphia Eagles will unveil their newly upgraded defense when they travel to Green Bay to face the Packers on Monday night.

The Eagles (6-2) are coming off a bye. The previous week, they defeated the New York Giants 38-20, avenging an earlier 34-17 loss. After a 4-0 start, Philadelphia took consecutive defeats but now has won two straight.

Green Bay (5-2-1) is coming off a lackluster 16-13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers that snapped a three-game winning streak.

The Eagles bolstered their defense at the trade deadline, acquiring outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips from the Miami Dolphins, cornerback Michael Carter II from the New York Jets, and cornerback Jaire Alexander from the Baltimore Ravens.

“Talented guys that have played a bunch of good football in the NFL,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Thursday. “Each one of them bringing a different thing and bringing depth to our positions.”

Philadelphia has won four of its last five games against Green Bay, including a 22-10 victory last season in an NFC wild-card game, when the Eagles intercepted Jordan Love three times. The Eagles also beat the Packers in the opener last season, 34-29, in the first NFL game played in Brazil.

Jalen Hurts threw four touchdown passes in Philadelphia’s victory over the Giants, and Saquon Barkley ran for 150 yards, including a 65-yard TD, before leaving with a groin injury. Barkley practiced in full on Thursday.

Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown, who missed the last game with a hamstring injury, was a full participant at practice on Thursday and is expected to play on Monday. The only Eagle listed as not practicing on Thursday was center Cam Jurgens (knee).

Green Bay has been inconsistent since opening with dominant home victories over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. The Packers let a 10-point lead slip away late in a 13-10 loss at Cleveland in Week 3, then salvaged a 40-40 tie at Dallas with a field goal on the final play of overtime the next weekend.

The Packers subsequently won three straight after a bye, but twice they had to rally in the second half.

Green Bay moved the ball against the Panthers but turned the ball over twice, missed a field-goal attempt and converted just 1 of 5 red-zone opportunities into a touchdown.

The Packers endured a crucial loss when tight end Tucker Kraft, who has a team-high six touchdowns among his 32 catches, sustained a season-ending knee injury against Carolina.

“Everybody has to pull a little bit more and do a little bit more,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday. “I would say that’s just not going to go on one position group. I mean, we need it from everybody from the guys up front to our runners, receivers, and our quarterbacks. So it’ll have to be a collective effort.”

Kicker Brandon McManus has struggled since missing two games with a quad injury. McManus, who made 20 of 21 field-goal attempts last season, is just 11 of 16 this season and 4 of 7 since returning, including 1 of 4 beyond 40 yards.

When McManus was out, free agent signee Lucas Havrisik hit all four field-goal attempts in two games, including a franchise-record 61-yarder. Havrisik is still on the roster, creating some uncertainty.

“We’ll kind of see where Brandon’s at in terms of his health and whatnot and go with who we feel like gives us the best opportunity to go out there and compete and win,” LaFleur said Thursday.

Key Green Bay players limited at practice on Thursday were linebackers Edgerrin Cooper (foot) and Quay Walker (calf) and receivers Matthew Golden (shoulder), Christian Watson (knee) and Dontayvion Wicks (calf). Receiver Savion Williams (foot) did not practice.

–Jim Hoehn, Field Level Media

Former NFL star Antonio Brown is back in the United States to face a second-degree attempted murder charge tied to a May 16 shooting outside a celebrity boxing event in Miami.

Miami police said Brown, 37, was taken into custody in Dubai by U.S. Marshals and flown to Essex County, N.J., where he’s being held while authorities arrange his return to Florida. It wasn’t immediately clear why he was routed through New Jersey or how long he’d been abroad, though Brown has posted to social media from Dubai in recent months.

An arrest warrant, issued in June, alleges Brown grabbed a handgun from a security staffer after a post-fight melee and fired twice at a man he’d brawled with earlier, identified in records as Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu. Investigators said the victim reported a bullet grazed his neck and sought treatment. Court records do not list an attorney for Brown.

Police initially detained Brown at the scene as videos of the fracas and audible gunshots circulated online. He was released that night and addressed the incident the next day on social media.

“I was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me,” Brown wrote on X. “Contrary to some video circulating, Police temporarily detained me until they received my side of the story and then released me. I WENT HOME THAT NIGHT AND WAS NOT ARRESTED. I will be talking to my legal council (sp) and attorneys on pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me.”

Second-degree attempted murder in Florida carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine upon conviction.

Brown’s playing career ended after a turbulent 12-year run that featured four first-team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was marred by off-field incidents.

He last appeared in an NFL game in 2021 and finished with 928 receptions for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns, with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2010-2018), New England Patriots (2019) and Tampa Bay (2020-21). Brown also had a short, tumultuous tenure with the then-Oakland Raiders during the 2019 offseason but never played a regular-season game for the team.

Thursday’s arrest adds the most serious count to a long list of legal issues that have followed Brown since his playing days, including prior civil and criminal matters. The case now shifts to Miami, where prosecutors will decide how to proceed once he’s in local custody.

–Field Level Media

Former Atlanta Falcons star running back Jamal Anderson was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence in Los Angeles on Wednesday, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

Anderson reportedly was involved in a verbal exchange that turned physical at his home in the San Fernando Valley around 11 a.m. local time, Los Angeles police told KNBC-TV. Anderson allegedly strangled the victim, police told the station.

The victim reportedly declined treatment after paramedics arrived on the scene.

Anderson, 53, was released from custody on Thursday on $50,000 bond, according to Los Angeles County jail records.

He has a court date set for Dec. 3.

Anderson played eight NFL seasons (1994-2001) for the Falcons and was known for his “Dirty Bird” touchdown celebration, which became a national sensation during the 1998 season when he led Atlanta to the Super Bowl. The Falcons lost 34-19 to the John Elway-led Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII.

Anderson rushed for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 319 yards and two scores in his memorable season. He finished third in NFL MVP voting and earned his lone Pro Bowl nod.

Overall, Anderson rushed for 5,336 yards and 34 touchdowns and had 156 receptions for 1,645 yards and seven scores in 88 games (64 starts) with the Falcons. Anderson stands fifth on Atlanta’s career rushing-yardage list and third in career touchdowns.

Anderson played college football at Utah and was a seventh-round pick by the Falcons in the 1994 draft.

Wednesday wasn’t the first time Anderson has been arrested in his post-football days.

He was arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession at a nightclub in 2009, on a drunk-driving charge in 2012 and for refusing to pay a limo driver in 2018. He also was banned from a store in Georgia in 2016 after allegedly exposing himself while appearing intoxicated.

–Field Level Media