From Seattle to New York, the National Football League stepped up security inside and outside of stadiums on Sunday as America’s most popular sports league responded to a series of coordinated attacks across Paris that left at least 129 dead.
Football fans, who were subject to vehicle searches and banned from bringing backpacks and purses into arenas, greeted new measures with a mixture of good humor, annoyance and resignation.
“We’ve had our 9/11. They had what happened to them. We’re all one, without question. We sympathize absolutely,” Craig Corcoran of the Bronx told Reuters, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on New York’s World Trade Center.
“It’s not going to stop us from having a good time. Over there, it’s the same way. They’re still going to go out and have their fun and they should,” Corcoran said while tailgating in the parking lot outside of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
While the U.S. Department of Homeland Security informed the National Football League there were no known specific threats, Commissioner Roger Goodell was taking no chances and ordered beefed-up security at all venues.
“The safety of our fans, stadium personnel, and teams at all NFL games is our priority, and security at our games is robust,” the league said in a statement.
The NFL and other North American professional sport leagues went on high alert after one of the attacks on Friday targeted a friendly soccer match between France and Germany where suicide bombers apparently attempted to enter the Stade de France, in a suburb just north of Paris.
Steelers 30, Browns 9
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania — That backup quarterback for the Steelers just might have a future in the NFL.
Ben Roethlisberger, who did not start because of a sprained left foot, entered the game early in the first quarter when starter Landry Jones was injured and led the Steelers (6-4) to a 30-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field.
Jones was injured five minutes into the game when right tackle Marcus Gilbert stepped on his left ankle after he threw an incomplete pass on third down at the Cleveland 6-yard line.
Roethlisberger was 22 for 33 for 379 yards and three touchdowns. He threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. Wide receiver Antonio Brown had 10 catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns and receiver Martavis Bryant had six catches for 178 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Johnny Manziel started a second consecutive game for the Browns (2-8) because starter Josh McCown was inactive with a rib injury. Manziel was 33 for 45 for 372 yards, but he did not lead the Browns to a touchdown until 12:28 remained in the game. He was intercepted once and lost a fumble.
Panthers 27, Titans 10
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — Cam Newton completed 21 of 26 passes for 217 yards and one touchdown as unbeaten Carolina extended its best start ever with a win over Tennessee.
Newton also ran for a touchdown, marking the 30th game he has scored through the air and the ground. Only Steve Young has more with 31.
The Panthers (9-0) won their team-record 13th straight regular-season game. Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart led the Panthers in rushing with 91 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries.
Lions 18, Packers 16
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin — A generation of Detroit fans witnessed something they had never seen before on Sunday: A Lions victory at Lambeau Field.
The Lions (2-7) shocked the reeling Packers (6-3) to snap a 24-game losing streak in Wisconsin, the longest in NFL history and one that dated to 1991 — before the Brett Favre-Aaron Rodgers era at quarterback. It was the first game for the Lions since general manager Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand were fired last week.
As is the Lions’ way, it wasn’t easy, as they survived a frantic Packers comeback but escaped when Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby appeared to mis-hit a 52-yard field-goal attempt on the final play.
Redskins 47, Saints 14
WASHINGTON — Kirk Cousins threw a career-high four touchdown passes and Washington rolled up 513 yards of offense to rout of New Orleans.
Cousins completed 20 of 25 passes and threw for 324 yards, compiling a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against the NFL’s 31st-ranked defense, while running back Alfred Morris rushed for 93 yards for the Redskins (4-5).
Quarterback Drew Brees completed 19 of 28 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for New Orleans (4-6), which has lost two straight entering its bye week.
Buccaneers 10, Cowboys 6
TAMPA, Florida — Tampa Bay only managed one trip into the red zone but made it count in a crazy ending that sent Dallas to its first seven-game losing streak since 1989.
The Buccaneers got a 1-yard bootleg touchdown run by quarterback Jameis Winston, making up for a day filled with missed opportunities by their offense.
The winning score came one play after Winston fumbled the ball leaping over a defender on a touchdown attempt, but a Dallas holding call in the end zone bailed out the Bucs (4-5). On the next play, Winston executed the fake perfectly and strolled into the end zone for the only touchdown in the game.
Dallas led at halftime on a pair of field goals but didn’t score in the second half to drop to 2-7. Quarterback Tony Romo is expected to play next week for the first time since the team’s last win in Week 2.
Bears 37, Rams 13
ST. LOUIS, Missouri — Tight end Zach Miller and running back Jeremy Langford turned Jay Cutler throws into 87 and 83-yard touchdowns, respectively, in the first half as Chicago dumped St. Louis.
Miller’s catch-and-run, the result of a failed tackle by linebacker Akeem Ayers, tied the game at 7 with 11:10 left in the first quarter. It answered a 6-yard scoring run on the game’s first possession by Todd Gurley of the Rams (4-5).
Taking advantage of two nice blocks down field, Langford turned a screen pass into his long touchdown to give the Bears (4-5) a 24-10 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half. On the strength of those two plays, Cutler hit 19 of 24 passes for 258 yards and three scores, finishing with a quarterback rating of 151.0.
Dolphins 20, Eagles 19
PHILADELPHIA — Miami scored the game-winning points on a deflected pass in the fourth quarter to overcame an early deficit and beat Philadelphia.
The Dolphins (4-5) took a 20-16 lead after a pass from quarterback Ryan Tannehill was batted high into the air at the line of scrimmage by Eagles linebacker Conner Barwin. The ball eventually landed in the arms of Miami receiver Jarvis Landry in the end zone with 14:55 left to play.
The Eagles (4-5) played the fourth quarter without starting quarterback Sam Bradford, who was knocked out of the game with a left shoulder injury late in the third quarter with the Eagles leading 16-13. He was hurt when he was sacked by Dolphins linebacker Chris McCain. X-rays on Bradford’s shoulder were negative, but he was also diagnosed with a concussion and sat out the rest of the game and was replaced by Mark Sanchez.
Jaguars 22, Ravens 20
BALTIMORE — A facemask penalty by Baltimore linebacker Elvis Dumervil as time expired set up a 53-yard goal by Jason Myers that provided Jacksonville with an improbable victory.
Dumervil was in the process of sacking Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles on what would have been the final play of the game. But Dumervil grabbed Bortles’ facemask and slung him to the ground. That penalty moved the line of scrimmage from the Ravens’ 49-yard line to the 35 and gave the Jaguars one additional untimed play. From there Myers booted the game-winning kick.
The Jaguars (3-6) snapped a 13-game losing streak on the road and improved to 3-6. The Ravens (2-7) lost for just the second time in eight games following a bye week under coach John Harbaugh.
Vikings 30, Raiders 14
OAKLAND, Calif. — Adrian Peterson rushed for 203 yards and a touchdown, cornerback Terence Newman intercepted two passes, and Minnesota topped Oakland Raiders for its fifth consecutive win.
The Vikings’ Cordarrelle Patterson had a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter. Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed 14 of 22 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Peterson, the NFL’s leading rusher with 961 yards, carried 26 times and scored on an 80-yard sprint to seal the victory.
Derek Carr completed 29 of 43 passes for3 02 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for the Raiders, who lost their second game in a row.