Sunday 19 October 2014 23:12, UK
The Seattle Seahawks suffered a second straight loss as the St Louis Rams clinched a shock 28-26 win over the Super Bowl champions at the Edward Jones Dome.
Rookie running back Tre Mason rushed for 85 yards and Johnny Hekker converted an audacious fake punt late in the fourth quarter to blunt the Seahawks’ dramatic comeback.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson enjoyed a monster day which included 313 yards and two touchdowns through the air and an additional 106 yards and a score on the ground, but he could not lead his team to victory.
The Seahawks (3-3) now face a battle to take the NFC West title while the Rams (2-4) have reignited an ailing season with the win over their divisional rivals.
The Rams raced into a 21-3 lead in the first half as Mason and Benny Cunningham scored touchdowns before Stedman Bailey took a punt return to the house after some clever misdirection.
The Seahawks fought back to within two points as Wilson caught fire, before the two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make it 28-26.
The Rams were backed up on their own 18-yard line when punter Hekker found Cunningham for a fourth-down conversion pass, with a subsequent Mason fumble fortunately being recovered by St Louis, who were able to run out the clock.
Elsewhere in the early slate of Week Seven games on Sunday, the Detroit Lions scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes to defeat New Orleans Saints 24-23 at Ford Field.
The Saints (2-4) moved ahead as Drew Brees found Austin Johnson and Kenny Stills for touchdowns while Shayne Graham kicked three field goals.
But Detroit (5-2) hit back when Golden Tate caught a 73-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to narrow the gap before a Brees interception allowed Stafford to find Fuller for the winning score.
Kai Forbath hit a field goal as time expired to give the Washington Redskins a 19-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans at FedEx Field.
The Titans led 10-6 when Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins was bench in favour of Colt McCoy, whose first completion was a 70-yard touchdown to Pierre Garcon.
Tennessee (2-5) eventually retook the lead but a long pass interference penalty set up Washington (2-5) for the winning kick.
The Buffalo Bills edged out the Minnesota Vikings 17-16 after a dramatic late fightback which ended with Kyle Orton throwing the winning touchdown pass to Sammy Watkins with one second left.
Rookie wide receiver Watkins finished with 122 yards on nine receptions and also found the end zone twice. The Bills’ (4-3) winning drive included a successful conversion on fourth and 20. The Vikings dropped to 2-5.
The Baltimore Ravens (5-2) extended their lead at the top of the AFC North after cruising to a 29-7 win over the Atlanta Falcons (2-5) at M&T Bank Stadium.
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan was sacked five times including once by Terrell Suggs in the end zone for a safety.
The Green Bay Packers (5-2) won for the fourth time in a row as they breezed to a 38-17 victory against the Carolina Panthers (3-3-1) at Lambeau Field.
Aaron Rodgers was off target on just three of his 22 pass attempts, throwing for 255 yards and three touchdowns as the hosts built a 38-3 lead by the end of the third quarter before easing off the gas.
The Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) recorded their first win of the season as running back Denard Robinson led them to a 24-6 victory against the Cleveland Browns (3-3) at EverBank Field.
Rookie quarterback Blake Bortles threw for just 159 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, but Robinson took on the offensive load with 127 rushing yards and a score.
The Chicago Bears (3-4) fell further behind in the NFC North after being beaten 27-14 by the Miami Dolphins (3-3) at Soldier Field. Ryan Tannehill threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
