Six teams in the early slate of games were forced to start or play backup quarterbacks (Packers, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Cardinals, Texans, and Vikings). Some, like Minnesota's Case Keenum, have proven to be serviceable, while others, like Green Bay's Brett Hundley, have been downright awful.

Saints (8-2) defeat Redskins (4-6) 34-31 OT

The Saints won their eighth game in a row in dramatic fashion. Washington shot out-the-gate to a 17-13 lead in the first half. Following a successful fake punt in the third quarter, the Redskins extended their lead to 11 on a Kirk Cousins’ 40-yard throw to Ryan Grant.

New Orleans blitzed on the play, but Cousins hung in the pocket to make the pass before taking a vicious hit by several Saints’ defenders.

The Redskins went up 31-16 with 5:58 left in the game after Cousins hit Jeremy Sprinkle for a seven-yard touchdown pass. But Drew Brees answered, leading an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped with a three-yard touchdown pass to Josh Hill. Following a Washington three-and-out, the Saints tied the score 31-31 on a fantastic Alvin Kamara juggling catch with 1:05 remaining. Kamara also ran in the two-point conversion.

The Redskins punted on the opening possession of overtime. It took two carries for 51 yards by Saints’ running back, Mark Ingram, to put New Orleans into field goal range.

A 28-yard kick by Will Lutz finished off the comeback. Brees passed for 385 yards and two touchdowns.

Giants (2-8) defeat Chiefs (6-4) 12-9 OT

Because the NFL is so unpredictable week-to-week, of course, the Giants came out and beat Kansas City. Yards and points were scarce for both teams in the first half as New York led just 6-3 at halftime.

But neither team seemed capable of summoning any offensive firepower. A field goal by the Chiefs tied the score at the start of the fourth quarter. Kansas City became so desperate for offense that they attempted a trick play with tight end Travis Kelce, but even that resulted in an interception.

With just over two minutes left in the game, Chiefs’ quarterback Alex Smith badly overthrew a receiver and got picked off by Janoris Jenkins in Kansas City territory.

A Giants’ field goal with 1:43 left gave New York a 9-6 lead. But Kansas City fought back. Alex Smith hit Kelce for a 32-yard gain, giving them the chance to kick their third field goal of the game to tie the score.

The Chiefs punted on their opening possession in overtime. Rather than give the ball back, the Giants, with nothing to lose, went for it on fourth and five. Eli Manning dropped back and sailed a pass down-the-sideline that was miraculously caught by Roger Lewis, putting the Giants in field goal range. Aldrick Rosas knocked in a 23-yard kick for the win.

Ravens (5-5) defeat Packers (5-5) 16-0

Considering the way Green Bay performs when Aaron Rodgers is behind center, this game against the Ravens could be considered a fireable offense for the Packers’ coaches and front office.

Green Bay turned the ball over three times in the first half but was down just six at halftime. Baltimore extended that margin to 13-0 after quarterback Joe Flacco found Mike Wallace for a 21-yard touchdown. Trying to generate some offense, the Packers twice turned the ball over-on-downs in the second half. Flacco finished 22-of-28 for 183 yards, along with a touchdown and interception.

Vikings (8-2) defeat Rams (7-3) 24-7

The Case Keenum bowl! The dead weight of a Jeff Fisher-led offense has been lifted from both the Rams’ starting quarterback this season (Jared Goff) and last (Keenum). Both Goff and Keenum (in relief of Vikings' starter Sam Bradford since Week 1) have led their teams to atop their division.

The Rams had the number one ranked scoring offense heading into the game, but both quarterbacks had a hard time finding their footing in the first half.

With the score tied 7-7 in the third quarter, Keenum led the Vikings on an 11-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a Latavius Murray two-yard touchdown run. Minnesota extended their lead to 21-7 when receiver Adam Thielen took a pass from Keenum 65 yards to the house for a score. Keenum passed for 280 yards and a touchdown, while Murray carried the ball 15 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns.

Lions (6-4) defeat Bears (3-7) 27-24

It’s too bad for the Lions that wins aren’t judged on degree of difficulty. Detroit put themselves in an early hole 17-7 before quarterback Matthew Stafford hit Marvin Jones Jr.

for a score with 5:17 left in the second quarter. After a Chicago three-and-out, Stafford led Detroit on an eight-play, 72-yard touchdown drive just before halftime to give the Lions a four-point edge.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Detroit tacked on three more points with a field goal at the start of the fourth. But Chicago answered when rookie running back, Tarik Cohen, tied the score on a 15-yard scamper into the end zone. A field goal with 1:35 helped Detroit reclaim the lead, but it also gave Chicago enough time to score. Bears quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, drove Chicago into field goal range, but Connor Barth shanked a 46-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. Stafford threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Buccaneers (4-6) defeat Dolphins (4-6) 30-20

This is two weeks in a row that backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has led Tampa Bay to a victory. Fitzpatrick passed for two touchdowns in the first half, while his counterpart, Jay Cutler, threw three interceptions. Tampa Bay held a comfortable 20-7 lead heading into the third quarter, but the Buccaneers made a mistake by knocking Cutler out of the game.

Backup Matt Moore replaced Cutler and led Miami to 14 unanswered points to tie the score, including a 61-yard touchdown bomb to Kenny Stills with three minutes left. But Fitzpatrick answered with a nine-play, 58-yard drive to set up the game-winning field goal. A Tampa Bay special teams touchdown on the Dolphins’ kick return with no time left pushed the margin to 10.

Fitzpatrick threw for 274 yards and two scores, while Moore passed for 282 yards in the second half and a touchdown.

Texans (4-6) defeat Cardinals (4-6) 31-21

On paper, this matchup looked promising until all the quarterbacks got hurt. Both Cardinals’ starter (Carson Palmer) and backup (Drew Stanton) are out with injuries. Texans’ rookie phenom (DeShaun Watson) is also out for the season. A Tom Savage vs. Blaine Gabbert matchup was why the Red Zone channel was invented.

The best cures for sub-par quarterback play are elite receivers and a rushing attack. Following a Tom Savage fumble, Cardinals’ third-string quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, found the future Hall-of-Fame receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, for a 20-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven.

Arizona went up 14-7 after turning another Savage turnover into a touchdown. A Houston field goal before halftime cut the deficit to four and a touchdown to open the third put the Texans ahead.

The Cardinals drove 51-yards in six plays to reclaim the lead, but that’s when Houston found their rushing game. D’Onta Foreman rushed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help the Texans secure the 10-point victory. Along with the two scores, Foreman ran for 65 yards but was carted off-the-field with an injury after his second TD.

Jaguars (7-3) defeat Browns (0-10) 19-7

The intrigue in this game was just how the Browns would find a way to lose. An interception thrown by Cleveland quarterback, DeShone Kizer, helped Jacksonville to their first touchdown.

The Jaguars needed to go just 33 yards as Blake Bortles hit Marcedes Lewis for a 10-yard touchdown. A field goal put Jacksonville up 10-0, but Cleveland answered with a five-play, 66-yard touchdown drive. The score remained 10-7 until Jacksonville picked off another Kizer pass and knocked in a field goal to push the lead to six. Kizer fumbled twice on the Browns next two possessions; the second was returned by the Jaguars’ defense for a touchdown.
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