A 14-point fourth quarter flurry helped the Jacksonville Jaguars spoil the debut of Colts rookie Anthony Richardson and escape Indianapolis with a 31-21 victory on Sunday.

Jacksonville owned the fourth quarter, flipping momentum for good with Tyson Campbell’s interception of Richardson to set up Travis Etienne’s 26-yard touchdown run, completing a swing from a 21-17 deficit to a 31-21 lead thanks to 14 points in a span of 66 seconds.

Trevor Lawrence passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns and Etienne had 77 rushing yards and five receptions for 27 yards. Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen had a career-best three sacks.

With 5:14 left in the game, Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby plowed 1 yard for a TD and Jacksonville reclaimed the lead 24-21. Jacksonville capped the 10-play drive with three consecutive rushing attempts.

Richardson was sacked four times. He had 40 rushing yards and a touchdown along with a TD pass. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 223 yards.

Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner gave the Colts a 21-17 lead in the third quarter with a bizarre sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown with 2:41 on the clock. Buckner hit Lawrence as he released a pass from the pocket inside his own 30-yard line. The ball bounced to Bigsby, but he dropped the ball on a hit by Zaire Franklin. Players reacted as if the pass was incomplete, but Buckner scooped it up and stomped down the left sideline for the score.

Richardson’s first NFL TD pass was a short throw behind the line to Michael Pittman Jr., who caught the ball on a bubble screen at the “40” painted on the turf and raced to the end zone to tie the game at 14 with 11:25 left in the third.

Lawrence threw a pair of TDs to stake the Jaguars to a 14-7 halftime lead, including a dime down the right side to a diving Zay Jones for an 18-yarder in the second quarter. The first score of the game was Lawrence to Calvin Ridley, which Richardson answered with a 2-yard run on a designed draw behind a convoy of blockers on the first play of the second quarter.

Jones made a highlight reel grab seven yards deep in the end zone, nudging for position while laying out for a well-placed toss from Lawrence.

Playing in his first game in 686 days and regular-season debut with Jacksonville, Ridley caught seven passes for 92 yards in the first half and finished with eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Without injured starter Jonathan Taylor for the first four games and top backup Zack Moss (inactive, forearm), Indianapolis employed a committee RB approach with poor results, including two lost fumbles from Deon Jackson, who had 13 carries for 14 yards.

Colts rookie running back Evan Hull left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter.

Richardson received medical attention but was able to walk to the sideline under his own power with 59 seconds left in the game trying to run for a touchdown and was replaced by Gardner Minshew.

–Field Level Media

Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes to Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey scored on a long run and the San Francisco 49ers rolled to a 30-7 victory over the host Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.

Purdy completed 19 of 29 passes for 220 yards and McCaffrey rushed for 152 on 22 carries as the 49ers controlled the contest. Aiyuk caught eight passes for 129 yards, Drake Jackson had three sacks and Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga had interceptions for San Francisco.

Kenny Pickett was 31-of-46 passing for 232 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Steelers, who were outgained 391 to 239. The 49ers sacked Pickett five times.

T.J. Watt recorded three sacks and forced two fumbles (recovering one) during a standout performance for the Steelers. Watt tied the franchise record for career sacks (80.5), set by James Harrison in 177 games with Pittsburgh. Watt played in his 88th on Sunday.

San Francisco star Nick Bosa had two tackles in his first action since ending his holdout Wednesday and signing a five-year, $170 million extension to become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. Bosa is the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The Steelers lost six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (groin) in the second quarter.

The 49ers possessed the ball for 37:23.

San Francisco dominated the first 28 1/2 minutes of the game while scoring 20 consecutive points.

Purdy threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Aiyuk with 9:29 left in the first quarter and rookie Jake Moody added a 41-yard field goal with 4:38 remaining.

Just 90 seconds into the second quarter, Purdy and Aiyuk teamed up on a 19-yard score to make it 17-0. Moody tacked on a 32-yard field goal with 8:22 left in the half.

The Steelers had zero first downs and one yard of total offense when they took over with 1:35 left in the half. Helped by two penalties on San Francisco’s Deommodore Lenoir, Pittsburgh moved 95 yards on 12 plays with Pickett tossing a 3-yard scoring pass to Pat Freiermuth with 10 seconds remaining.

San Francisco re-established its superiority in the opening minute of the third quarter when McCaffrey ran 65 yards down the left side for a touchdown. Aiyuk’s block on Pittsburgh’s Damontae Kazee at midfield opened up the sideline for McCaffrey as he finished off a score that made it 27-7.

Moody finished off a 3-for-3 NFL debut with a 40-yard field goal with 5:30 remaining.

–Field Level Media

Lamar Jackson passed for 169 yards in his first game with a new five-year contract, Justice Hill ran for two touchdowns and the Baltimore Ravens opened the season with a 25-9 victory Sunday over the visiting Houston Texans.

Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes with one interception and ran for 38 more yards with a lost fumble. J.K. Dobbins had 22 yards and a touchdown on eight carries before departing early in the second half with a possible Achilles injury.

Baltimore’s Zay Flowers had nine catches for 78 yards in his first NFL game, while Odell Beckham Jr. had two catches for 37 yards in his Ravens debut.

In his first NFL game, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 242 yards and was sacked five times. The No. 2 overall draft pick out of Ohio State this past April was 28-of-44 passing and lost a fumble.

Dameon Pierce had 38 yards rushing on 11 carries for the Texans, while Nico Collins and Robert Woods each had six catches for a combined 137 yards.

Jackson was intercepted by Houston’s Steven Nelson on Baltimore’s second drive, but used the third drive to move the Ravens 58 yards in nine plays with Dobbins scoring on a 4-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.

Stroud’s first taste of NFL play was rocky. He completed his first NFL pass to himself for no gain when his throw was batted out of the air and rebounded into his arms. Houston gained just 4 yards of total offense on its first three drives.

Stroud settled in to guide drives of 67 and 68 yards that ended in Ka’imi Fairbairn field goals of 35 and 38 yards in the final four minutes of the first half to trail 7-6.

On their first possession of the second half, the Ravens went 71 yards on eight plays with Hill scoring on a 4-yard run and Gus Edwards adding the 2-point conversion run for a 15-6 lead.

The Texans followed by turning the ball over on downs for the second time, and the Ravens worked a five-play, 42-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard score from Hill and a 22-6 lead with 5:21 remaining in the third quarter.

After the Texans’ M.J. Stewart recovered Jackson’s fumble at the Ravens’ 32-yard line, Houston could only muster a 36-yard field goal to pull within 22-9 with 13:47 remaining. The Ravens added Justin Tucker’s 39-yard field goal with 4:10 remaining.

Baltimore offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum departed in the fourth quarter with leg injuries.

–Field Level Media

Cleveland Browns starting right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a right knee injury midway though the second quarter of Sunday’s season and home opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Conklin was pass blocking and Cincinnati edge rusher Trey Hendrickson was in pursuit of quarterback Deshaun Watson when Hendrickson fell and rolled up on Conklin. He was carted off and ruled out moments later.

Conklin was replaced by 2023 fourth-round draft pick Dawand Jones out of Ohio State.

Conklin, 29, was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the eighth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played for Tennessee until joining the Browns in 2020. Conklin was an All-Pro first-team selection with the Titans in 2016 and the Browns in 2020.

–Field Level Media

Versatile Cordarrelle Patterson has been ruled inactive for the Atlanta Falcons’ season opener against the visiting Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Patterson, a hybrid running back/wide receiver, was listed as questionable on Friday due to a thigh injury. First-round rookie Bijan Robinson is expected to receive the bulk of the work, with fellow running backs Tyler Allgeier and Godwin Igwebuike in line to contribute as well.

Patterson, 32, recorded 695 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 144 carries last season. In 2021, in his first season in Atlanta, Patterson had 1,166 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.

A four-time All-Pro as a kick returner, Patterson is with his fifth team. In 156 career games (60 starts), he has 5,087 yards from scrimmage and 37 scores. He also has gained 7,836 yards as a kick returner with nine touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings (2013-16), then-Oakland Raiders (2017), New England Patriots (2018), Chicago Bears (2019-20) and Falcons.

Logan Woodside is listed as Atlanta’s third quarterback. Cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and Mike Hughes, offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn, wide receiver Josh Ali and tight end John FitzPatrick have been listed as inactive.

Carolina wide receiver Adam Thielen is active after being listed as questionable with an ankle injury. Fellow wideout DJ Chark, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, linebacker Claudin Cherelus and guard Nash Jensen have been ruled inactive.

–Field Level Media

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is expected to pass his physical as soon as Sunday, according to multiple media reports.

Taylor, who is nursing an ankle injury, is not eligible to return to the team until Week 5 after he was placed on the physically unable to perform list.

Taylor, 24, had requested a trade on July 30 over the lack of contract extension talks. The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 31.

Colts owner Jim Irsay had said publicly the team does not plan to offer him a long-term contract nor trade him in the preseason. Later in August, the Colts reportedly gave Taylor permission to seek a trade.

Multiple media reports had the Colts in trade discussions for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson and other options, and for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Taylor, who will make $4.3 million this season in the final year of his rookie contract, can remain with the team this season. Indianapolis could then use the franchise tag on him or try to trade him next offseason.

Last season, Taylor was limited by injuries to 11 games and rushed for 861 yards and four touchdowns. He had surgery on the ankle in the offseason.

He led the league in 2021 with 332 rushing attempts, 1,118 yards, a 106.5 per-game average, 18 TDs, 2,171 total yards and 20 total touchdowns rushing and receiving.

Taylor has rushed for 3,841 yards and 33 touchdowns and added 104 catches for 802 yards and three scores in 43 games (41 starts) since the Colts drafted him in the second round in 2020 out of Wisconsin.

–Field Level Media