Oct 20, 2013 4 min read

Andy Dalton and Matthew Stafford combined to throw a lot of highlight-worthy passes especially to A.J. Green and Calvin Johnson.

But the Cincinnati Bengals used superior special teams for a second straight hard-fought road win, 27-24 against the Detroit Lions Sunday.

Mike Nugent’s 54-yard field goal as time expired won it, but two punts and a blocked field goal also were crucial.

“We wrote a pretty good script there at the end,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.

The AFC North-leading Bengals (5-2) won a game for the second straight week by the same score thanks to Nugent’s right foot. He made an overtime kick to give Cincinnati a win after it blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead at Buffalo.

“I love how confident everyone always is,” Nugent said. “Nobody freaks out. I think it all begins with (Marvin Lewis) because he and his staff don’t get too high or too low.”

The Lions (4-3) rallied from an 11-point, third-quarter deficit and looked as if they did enough to send the game to OT, but rookie Sam Martin shanked a punt just 28 yards to midfield in the final minute.

Green Bay 31, Cleveland 13: Aaron Rodgers guided an undermanned offense with 260 yards and three touchdowns, and Eddie Lacy ran for another score as Green Bay dropped Cleveland 31-13.

Lacy finished with 82 yards, while tight end Jermichael Finley had a 10-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter before leaving with a neck injury. The team said he had movement in his extremities. Green Bay (4-2) won its third straight game.

Kansas City 17, Houston 16: Jamaal Charles ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, Alex Smith also ran for a score and the scrappy Chiefs held off the banged-up Houston Texans 17-16 to remain unbeaten.

Washington 45, Chicago 41: Roy Helu’s third touchdown, a 3-yard run with 45 seconds to play, lifted the Redskins to a 45-41 win. Robert Griffin III completed 18 of 29 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for the Redskins (2-4)

N.Y. Jets 30, New England 27, OT: Nick Folk kicked a 42-yard field goal with 5:07 left in overtime to give the Jets a 30-27 win over New England. Folk got a second chance after he missed a 56-yarder moments earlier. But Chris Jones was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for pushing a teammate forward to try to block the kick, a new NFL rule.

San Francisco 31, Tennessee 17: Colin Kaepernick threw for 199 yards and ran for 68 and a touchdown as San Francisco rolled by Tennessee 31-17.

Dallas 17, Philadelphia 3: Tony Romo threw for 317 yards and one touchdown and the Cowboys overcame a sluggish start to take sole possession of first place in the NFC East with a 17-3 win over Philadelphia.

Atlanta 31, Tampa Bay 23: Matt Ryan threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Jacquizz Rodgers, and the Falcons snapped their three-game losing streak with a 31-23 win over Tampa Bay.

Buffalo 23, Miami 21: Mario Williams forced a fumble when he sacked Ryan Tannehill with less than three minutes left, setting up the winning field goal in Buffalo’s 23-21 win over Miami.

Carolina 30, St. Louis 15: Cam Newton completed 15 of 17 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown in a heated game won by Carolina over St. Louis, 30-15.

San Diego 24, Jacksonville 6: Philip Rivers threw for 285 yards and a touchdown, Ryan Mathews ran for 110 yards and a score, and the surging Chargers rolled past Jacksonville, 24-6.