short field goal

ARLINGTON, Texas — Brandon Aubrey and Brandon McManus traded short field goals in overtime, and Micah Parsons’ highly anticipated return to Dallas ended with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in a 40-40 tie Sunday night.

Dak Prescott and Jordan Love had three touchdown passes apiece in regulation, which included seven consecutive lead-changing TDs before McManus’ tying 53-yard field goal as time expired.

McManus kicked a 34-yarder as the clock hit 0:00 in overtime, after Love’s pass into the back of the end zone fell incomplete with just a second remaining.

What started as the hyped return of one of the game’s elite pass rushers exactly a month after the Cowboys (1-2-1) traded Parsons to the Packers (2-1-1) ended up as the second dramatic duel of quarterbacks in two home games for Dallas.

The Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime two weeks earlier when Russell Wilson was starting for New York.

The second-highest scoring tie in pro football history, behind the Raiders’ 43-43 draw with the Boston Patriots in the AFL in 1964, was the first for Dallas since 1969. The Packers last tied in 2018.

The Cowboys had a first down at the Green Bay five-yard line to start overtime after Prescott ran away from pressure from Parsons for a spectacular 34-yard completion to Jalen Tolbert, who came back for the throw and just barely got his feet inbounds.

The drive stalled with help from Parsons, who caught Prescott from behind for no gain and was credited with his first sack of the game. The Cowboys settled for Aubrey’s 22-yard field goal.

Love completed a 14-yard pass to Matthew Golden on fourth-and-6 and led the Packers to a first down at the Dallas 12 before that drive stalled as well. The Packers QB was fortunate he still had a second remaining after he waited for Golden to get open in the back of the end zone and threw incomplete.

Romeo Doubs caught all three of Love’s TD passes and finished with 58 yards on six catches. Josh Jacobs rushed for two touchdowns and finished with 157 total yards. Love threw for 337 yards.

Javonte Williams powered in from the 1 in the wildcat for Dallas after Prescott split wide. The Cowboys took a 30-27 lead on Williams’ plunge with 4:50 remaining. Three more TDs would follow.

Prescott threw for 319 yards and ran for a score, and George Pickens had eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns with No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb sidelined by a high ankle sprain.

Parsons’ OT sack was the only one given up by a Dallas offensive line missing two starters. The banged-up Green Bay front was equally effective.

The only sack of Love came on a fumble that led to the second Dallas touchdown in the final 41 seconds of the first half.

The Packers were up 13-0 after Love’s second TD toss Doubs when Juanyeh Thomas blocked Brandon McManus’ PAT kick and Markquese Bell returned it for a two-point conversion, the first such 2-point play in Dallas franchise history.

That three-point swing was still the difference when Dallas took a 23-20 lead into the fourth quarter moments after Prescott’s eight-yard scoring toss to Jake Ferguson.

NASHVILLE — Two nice tuneups.

Two opportunities that showed the Rams can indeed be Super Bowl contenders.

Now the real season — and test — begins.

The Rams’ 33-19 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Nissan Stadium improved their record to 2-0.

Puka Nacua scored on a long touchdown run, Matthew Stafford passed for two touchdowns — including his first to Davante Adams — and edge rusher Byron Young had two sacks and forced a fumble to lead the Rams.

Next up: The defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles.

That will be the real measuring stick for a Rams team and coach Sean McVay, who is aiming for a third Super Bowl appearance in eight years.

So next Sunday, the Rams will confidently return to Lincoln Financial Field, where they lost to the Eagles in the NFC divisional round.

The Texans and the Titans are a far cry from the Eagles.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, the reigning NFL offensive player of the year, torched the Rams in the 2024 regular season and the playoffs.

He rushed for 255 yards in a Week 12 victory over the Rams, scoring on runs of 70 and 72 yards. In January, he ran for 205 yards and scored on runs of 62 and 78 yards.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is a rising star and Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward appears on track to possibly become one. But neither is Jalen Hurts, who has played in two Super Bowls and won a title.

Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are a talented tandem, and the offensive line is perhaps the NFL’s best.

And a defense, led by coordinator Vic Fangio, features tackle Jalen Carter, who ended the Rams’ Super Bowl hopes last season when he sacked Stafford one play before Stafford’s final pass fell incomplete.

On Sunday, in a matchup between quarterbacks picked No. 1 in the NFL draft, the veteran came out on top.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looks to pass in the first half against the Titans on Sunday.

(Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)

Stafford, the top pick in 2009, completed 23 of 33 passes for 298 yards, with an interception.

Ward, the top pick in the 2025 draft, completed 19 of 33 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.

Along with his 45-yard touchdown run, Nacua caught eight passes for 91 yards. Adams caught six passes for 106 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown.

Tight end Davis Allen scored his second touchdown of the season, and running back Blake Corum rushed for his first career touchdown.

The Rams trailed 13-10 at halftime after they gave up 10 points in the final 38 seconds of the second quarter.

The Rams had built a 10-3 lead on Nacua’s long touchdown run and a short field goal by Joshua Karty. But Ward made a sensational play to complete a nine-yard touchdown pass, and then Titans linebacker Cody Barton intercepted a Stafford pass to set up a field goal that gave the Titans the lead.

The Rams got the ball to start the second half and they moved downfield to the three-yard line. But for the second time in the game, they could not convert the opportunity into a touchdown and had to settle for another field goal.

The Titans regained the lead with a long field goal, setting up the Rams most impressive drive.

Stafford completed passes of 24 and 22 yards to Nacua and Corum ran for 15 yards to give the Rams first-and-goal at the eight-yard line. After failing to convert two earlier goal-line opportunities into touchdowns, the Rams finally came through.

Stafford passed to Allen along the right sideline, and the third-year pro reached for the goal line. Officials initially ruled he was short of a touchdown, but upon review it was determined the ball crossed the goal line, giving the Rams a 20-16 lead.

After Young forced a fumble that linebacker Nate Landman recovered, Stafford connected with Adams for a 27-16 lead.

Corum’s short touchdown run completed the scoring for the Rams, who opted to run out the clock rather than score at the end of the game.