Monday, September 18, 2017

Ultimate Sporting News September 18


Ultimate NFL News September 18


Stafford throws for 2 TDs as Lions beat Beckham, Giants

So far, so good for Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions. Eli Manning and the New York Giants are heading in the opposite direction.
Stafford threw for two touchdowns, rookie Jamal Agnew broke the game open with an 88-yard punt return and the Lions beat the Giants 24-10 on Monday night.
The Lions (2-0) sacked Eli Manning five times and Stafford put together another big game while sending the Giants (0-2) to a second straight disappointing performance. Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returned from a sprained left ankle, but New York still struggled offensively.
"We did a nice job of getting in the end zone early and our defense did what they do," Stafford said.
Stafford found Marvin Jones for a 27-yard touchdown in the first quarter and passed to Eric Ebron for a go-ahead 7-yarder in the second. Matt Prater added a 56-yard field goal just before halftime that bounced off the upright, helping the Lions to a 17-7 lead at the break.
Ezekiel Ansah had three sacks as Detroit joined Atlanta and Carolina as the only unbeaten teams in the NFC through Week 2. The Lions made the playoffs last season, but finished the year with four straight losses.
Beckham, a three-time Pro Bowler who missed the season opener, had four catches for 36 yards in limited action.
Manning threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram on the first play of the second quarter, but the rookie tight end was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for a seemingly obscene gesture. It allowed the Lions to get the ball at the Giants 45 after the kickoff went out of bounds and Stafford drove them for a second score.
New York closed to 17-10 on Aldrick Rosas' 25-yard field goal early in the second half, but it wasted a chance for a TD. The Giants had first-and-goal at the 1 and then got pushed back to the 11 on a holding penalty on a first-down run.
"We talked about playing complete, complimentary football. By no stretch of the imagination did we do that tonight," said Ben McAdoo, who led the Giants to their first playoff berth since 2011 last season in his first year as head coach. "We've got to do better. We've dug ourselves in a hole. No one feels sorry for us. We've got to find a way to get better and get better in a hurry."
Agnew then helped clinch the game for Detroit with his big return with 12:56 left, faking out New York punter Brad Wing on his way to the end zone. It was the fifth-longest punt return in team history.
Manning was 22 for 32 for 239 yards for New York, while Stafford was 15 for 21 for 122 yards. The NFL's highest-paid player threw for four touchdowns in Detroit's season-opening victory against Arizona.
INJURIES
Lions SS Tavon Wilson (shoulder) left in the second half. ... The Giants lost starting RT Bobby Hart on the opening series. LG Justin Pugh moved to tackle and Brett Jones replaced him. Giants also played without starters MLB B.J. Goodson (lower leg) and CB Janoris Jenkins (ankle-hand). Backup LB J.T. Thomas (groin) was ruled out early in the second half.
MEMORY LANE
The Giants held a halftime ceremony to honor the 10th anniversary of their 2007 Super Bowl championship team. Coach Tom Coughlin and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan brought the Lombardi Trophy onto the field. New York beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots in the title game.
UP NEXT
Lions: host the undefeated Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
Giants: at Philadelphia for Sunday afternoon game.

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Ultimate Sporting News September 17



Falcons with a repeat performance in 34-23 win over Packers

New season. New stadium. Same ol' result.
Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons picked up where they left off against the Green Bay Packers, building a big halftime lead on the way to a dominating 34-23 victory Sunday night. The rematch of last season's NFC championship game was essentially a repeat: Ryan threw for 252 yards and a touchdown, Devonta Freeman had a couple of scoring runs, and Desmond Trufant darted to the end zone off an attempted pass by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that was ruled a fumble.
"We came out aggressive," said Julio Jones, who had five catches for 108 yards. "We did a great job and got after them."
Back in January at the Georgia Dome, Atlanta earned a trip to the Super Bowl by racing to a 31-0 edge early in the third quarter on the way to a 44-21 blowout of the Packers.
In the first regular-season NFL game at $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium - and the first sporting event in which the facility's camera lens-like roof was open - the Falcons put on quite a show to mark the occasion.
They were ahead 24-7 at halftime and 31-7 less than a minute into the third period.
Unlike the Super Bowl , Atlanta (2-0) made sure this lead stood up.
Ryan threw for 201 yards in the first half, getting Jones involved in the offense. Freeman rushed for 84 yards, and Tevin Coleman chipped in with 42 on the ground plus a touchdown catch. Trufant not only scored a defensive touchdown, he came up with a crucial interception near the end of the first half.
"That's when we really come to light," coach Dan Quinn said. "Different weapons. You never know who's going to be the one."
After struggling a bit offensively in a season-opening victory at Chicago that was preserved with a goal-line stand in the closing seconds, the Falcons dominated right from the start in an early showdown for conference supremacy.
"If we get down to a tie-breaker, this game could be a big one," Rodgers said, already looking far down the road.
On the opening possession, Ryan guided a nine-play, 86-yard drive that was reminiscent of the league's highest-scoring team a year ago. Jones hauled in two passes for 53 yards and the Falcons didn't get to third down until they were at the Green Bay 1. Freeman powered in from there to make it 7-0.
The Packers (1-1) responded with a 75-yard drive of their own, capped by Ty Montgomery's 1-yard TD run. But it was downhill from there for Rodgers and his offense, which was missing both of its starting tackles and lost receiver Jordy Nelson early on with a quadriceps injury.
Atlanta led 17-7 after Freeman's second TD run from 2 yards out and Matt Bryant's 51-yard field goal. Then, the game totally got away from Rodgers and the Packers near the end of the first half. Three penalties in four plays - one a disputed offensive pass interference that wiped out a 36-yard gain - pushed Green Bay back to its own 3 before Rodgers lofted a terrible pass down the right sideline that was picked off easily by Trufant at the 36.
Ryan hit Mohamed Sanu with a 21-yard pass, setting up a 3-yard scoring pass to Coleman with 24 seconds remaining .
On the second play of the second half, Trufant turned it into a rout .
Rodgers was plastered by 2016 sack leader Vic Beasley Jr. attempting to throw, the ball wobbling out of his hand for what appeared an incomplete pass. But Trufant wisely scooped it up and scooted into the end zone for what was ruled a 15-yard touchdown. The call stood when the replay didn't show conclusively that the pass went forward.
"A big play by him with the interception at the end of the half," Quinn said, "then a smart play to start the second half on the forced fumble."
The Packers finally showed a bit of life with a couple of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including Rodgers' 300th career scoring pass .
It wasn't nearly enough.
INJURIES
Green Bay: Already short-handed up front, the Packers lost several more players during the game. Nelson was the most prominent injury, but also going down were defensive tackle Mike Daniel (hamstring), receiver Randall Cobb (shoulder) and cornerback Davon House (quad). In addition, backup safety Kentrell Brice was forced out by a groin injury.
Atlanta: On the first touchdown of the night, right tackle Ryan Schraeder was knocked out of the game with a concussion. The Falcons also lost Beasley (hamstring) and defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw (ankle).
MILESTONES
Rodgers' first touchdown pass came on a 33-yard, fourth-down pass to Davante Adams, who made a brilliant play to keep his feet inbounds while kicking the pylon. No. 300 for Rodgers was as short as you can get, a little left-handed shovel pass to Montgomery from the 1.
"They all count," Rodgers quipped.
Bryant's first field goal was his 200th since joining the Falcons in 2009, making him the first Atlanta kicker to reach that figure. He also connected in the third quarter from 53 yards.
UP NEXT
Green Bay: Return to Lambeau Field to face the Cincinnati Bengals (0-2) next Sunday.
Atlanta: Travel to Detroit to take on the Lions (1-0), who face the New York Giants on Monday night.

Wilson's escape act helps Seahawks top 49ers 12-9

 After 7 1/2 quarters of offensive inefficiency, the Seattle Seahawks finally broke the seal on the goal line.
It took some more magic from quarterback Russell Wilson to make it happen and avoid an 0-2 start.
Wilson avoided two potential sacks and found Paul Richardson in the front corner of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown with 7:06 left and the Seahawks held on for an unsightly 12-9 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
It was an offensive nightmare as both teams had combined for 14 total quarters without a touchdown this season before the Seahawks finally broke through. Wilson avoided Arik Armstead in the pocket and got his pass away before DeForest Buckner could pull him down. Seattle (1-1) snapped a streak of more than 112 minutes without a touchdown, despite missing on opportunities twice inside the 49ers' 10-yard line earlier in the game.
"We had to find a way to get into the end zone and capitalize," Wilson said. "We had been down there a few times earlier in the game and missed our opportunities there, so this was all we got. We've got to go make it happen right now."
Wilson was erratic at times and magical at the end. He was 23 of 39 passing for 198 yards. He rushed for another 34 yards, 27 coming on the decisive scoring drive. Wilson was 4 of 5 on the drive and aided by a 20-yard pass interference penalty against Dontae Johnson.
Richardson suffered a dislocated right ring finger in the first quarter that popped through the skin. The finger was put back in place and the skin stitched up so he could return and eventually made the winning catch.
"That was the goal once I got it sewed up, still go win," Richardson said. "I wasn't just trying to get out there, `Oh he's tough, he's finishing out the game.' I wanted to go make a difference."
Blair Walsh added field goals of 25 and 27 yards, but missed the extra point after Richardson's TD that could have given the Seahawks a four-point lead. The 49ers (0-2) only needed a field goal to tie but never got into position to have an opportunity.
San Francisco went three-and-out after the touchdown, punted and never got the ball back.
"I'm not happy at all. I'm extremely disappointed," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Anytime you as a team think you put yourself in a position to win the game, you expect to win it. I felt like we had that opportunity and we didn't get it done which is extremely disappointing."
Robbie Gould kicked three field goals to amount for San Francisco's output. Carlos Hyde rushed for 124 yards, including a 61-yard run in the first half, but Brian Hoyer was 15 of 27 for 99 yards passing and an interception.
San Francisco took the lead on Gould's 34-yard field goal with 11:36 to play, but was unable to hold off Seattle's final drive.
Seattle should have found the end zone earlier, but had dropped passes on two drives inside the 49ers' 10 in the first half. C.J. Prosise dropped a potential touchdown near the goal line on Seattle's first drive. Tanner McEvoy was unable to corral a high pass from Wilson in the end zone on the second drive.
NO TDs
For the first time in franchise history, the 49ers have gone the first two weeks of the season without scoring a touchdown. In the two games, the 49ers have had one offensive drive inside the opponents' 10-yard line.
"It's only two games. We have a whole lot of games left," Hyde said.
RESOUNDING ROOKIE
Rookie Chris Carson rushed for 93 yards, including 58 yards in the fourth quarter. Carson was Seattle's primary option as Thomas Rawls had his amount of carries limited in his first game after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the preseason. Carson had 20 carries, while Rawls had just five.
INJURIES
San Francisco lost safety Eric Reid to a knee injury in the third quarter. Reid appeared to hurt his left knee in the first half and sat the rest of the half before returning in the third quarter. He lasted about five minutes before walking off the field with trainers again.
SITTING SURPRISE
Seattle running back Eddie Lacy was a healthy scratch for Sunday's game. It was a surprise absence as Lacy had not appeared on any injury reports. Like much of Seattle's offense, Lacy struggled to get going in the opener against Green Bay and was limited to 3 yards on five carries.
UP NEXT
49ers: San Francisco has a quick turnaround and will host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.
Seahawks: Seattle will make its second long road trip of the season, traveling to Tennessee next Sunday.

Cousins, Thompson lead Redskins to 27-20 win vs Rams

Kirk Cousins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Grant with 1:49 to play to give the Washington Redskins a 27-20 victory Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams and rookie head coach Sean McVay.
Cousins capped the winning 70-yard drive by finding Grant in the front left corner of the end zone.
The Rams had tied the game at 20 on Greg Zuerlein's 40-yard field goal with 7:16 to play. It was set up on a trick play, when punter Johnny Hekker completed a 28-yard pass to Josh Reynolds to the Washington 17. But two penalties stalled the drive and the Rams had to settle for the field goal.
Chris Thompson scored on runs of 61 and 7 yards for the Redskins (1-1).
Mason Foster sealed it with 1:37 to go by intercepting Jared Goff.
Cousins had a much better day than in a season-opening loss to Philadelphia, when he had three turnovers. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 179 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions.
McVay, 31, worked for the Redskins for seven seasons, including the last three as offensive coordinator under Jay Gruden, before being hired by the Rams as the youngest head coach in modern league history.
Despite McVay's familiarity with the Redskins, it didn't translate into a win for the Rams (1-1).
Washington was in control most of the afternoon, including jumping ahead 13-0 early in the second quarter after Thompson took a toss and ran in from 7 yards, getting the ball just inside the pylon.
Late in the second half, on second-and-6 from the Washington 39, Thompson took a delayed handoff from Cousins out of the shotgun and burst through the defense for his long TD run and a 20-10 lead.
The Rams, who didn't look near as sharp as they did in routing Indianapolis a week earlier, made a game of it thanks to a spectacular play by Todd Gurley.
Midway through the third quarter, Gurley caught a swing pass from Goff, hurdled cornerback Bashaud Breelandand then reached for the pylon to complete the 18-yard play and pull the Rams to 20-17.
Gurley also scored on a 1-yard run midway through the third quarter. His fumble helped set up a 22-yard field goal by Washington's Dustin Hopkins in the second quarter.
With the Redskins trying to add to a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter, Hopkins' 51-yard attempt bounced off the right upright.
Goff didn't have nearly the day he did a week earlier, when he threw for a career-high 306 yards to get his first win as an NFL starter. He was 15 of 25 for 224 yards, with one TD and one interception.
INJURIES
Washington: Starting RB Rob Kelley suffered a rib injury midway through the second quarter and didn't return. ... Foster hurt his right shoulder late in the second quarter. ... TE Jordan Reed suffered a chest injury in the third quarter. ... S Montae Nicholson hurt a shoulder in the fourth quarter.
Los Angeles: TE Gerald Everett suffered a thigh injury in the third quarter.
UP NEXT
Washington: The Redskins host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night.
Los Angeles: The Rams play their NFC West opener at San Francisco on Thursday night.

Siemian, Broncos crush Elliott, Cowboys 42-17

 Aqib Talib's 103-yard interception return for a touchdown with 53 seconds left was the final indignity for the Cowboys in the Denver Broncos' 42-17 blowout of Dallas and its vaunted offense on Sunday.
It was Talib's 10th pick-6, just two shy of Darren Woodson's NFL record.
"No. 10," relished Talib. "It's just mind-boggling."
Sort of like Denver's defensive dominance of Dallas and its vaunted offense.
Ezekiel Elliott had the worst game of his career with nine carries for 8 yards, Dallas managed just 40 yards rushing and one first down on the ground. The Cowboys (1-1) went 3-for-14 on third downs and failed three times on fourth down, looking nothing like the team that dominated the Giants in their opener.
"I want to emphasize today, this is not what we're about in my view," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I feel strongly about that. On the other hand, this is what Denver is about."
The only big blemish in Denver's fifth straight 2-0 start was the apparently serious injury to their top draft pick, left tackle Garett Bolles, who left the stadium on crutches and with a boot on his left foot after getting hurt in the third quarter.
With the stadium still rocking in the final minute, Talib stepped in front of Dez Bryant, who had earlier beaten him for a TD, snared Dak Prescott's fourth-down pass and raced up the Dallas' dejected sideline.
He slipped Cole Beasley's tackle and followed linebacker Brandon Marshall's beautiful block of Prescott into the south end zone, where he jumped into the stands, exhausted by enjoying every last bit of what he called "an all-around complete ballgame from the Broncos."
Trevor Siemian tied a career high with four touchdown passes in a game that included an hour-long lightning delay that did nothing to slow Denver's rolling offense.
"We knew they were sound in the secondary," Jones said. "We were a little taken aback by how well they did offensively. "They seemed to really have our number. There's no excuses here. Their quarterback played outstanding."
Elliott, who's playing while his appeal of a six-game suspension for domestic violence works its way through the courts, came into the game averaging 108 yards rushing per game and more than 5 yards a carry in his career.
"We just were getting dominated up front," said Elliott, whose previous worst game was a 51-yarder in his NFL debut against the Giants last year. "We couldn't get any movement off the ball."
The star in the backfield on this day was C.J. Anderson, who rushed for 118 yards and a score and also caught a TD pass.
Thanks in part to Von Miller, who had two sacks, the Cowboys lost for the sixth straight time to the Broncos.
Siemian threw scoring strikes of 10 and 6 yards to Emmanuel Sanders as the Broncos built a 21-10 halftime lead. The Cowboys were lucky to be that close after a first half in which they managed just five first downs, converted one third down and were outgained 246 yards to 97.
The only touchdown for Dallas came on a 3-yard drive after DeMarcus Lawrence's strip sack of Siemian after beating right tackle Menelik Watson. Bryant beat Talib for the score two plays after Maliek Collins scooped up the loose ball at the Denver 3.
SUSPECT SECONDARY: The Cowboys began the day without their top cornerback, Orlando Scandrick, who broke his left hand last week, and they lost rookie Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) and Nolan Carroll (concussion) in the first half.
Denver scored on its first drive when Siemian found Sanders for a 10-yard strike , and the Broncos were driving for another score but Brandon McManus pushed a 49-yarder wide right, his second miss in three attempts since signing his contract extension Monday.
LIGHTNING DELAY : The game was delayed by lightning for 62 minutes in the first quarter. The Cowboys were at midfield with 33 seconds left in the first quarter when the teams were told to head to their locker rooms and fans retreated to the concourses.
Broncos coach Vance Joseph said they turned off the air conditioning and turned on the TVs to watch some football during the delay.
Miller joked that they spent it dancing and playing games.
"Connect Four, we had some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," Miller said. "We had a couple of rock-paper-scissors in there, turned on the music for a dance contest. ... Just came in, danced around."
Actually, Miller didn't even do any of his usual dances after his sacks, but he did raise his arms after ending his career-high five-game sackless streak, which came after he'd been flagged twice for jumping offside.
"You think he was getting antsy?" Joseph said.
SPLIT ALLEGIANCES : DeMarcus Ware was the honorary alumni captain for the coin toss between the game pitting his former teams. He said he was thrilled to have played for both teams, but would always root for Miller.
Ware retired in January after nine years in Dallas and three seasons in Denver because of chronic back problems. He acknowledged he considered coming out of retirement when Broncos linebacker Shane Rayinjured a wrist early in training camp but decided to stick with his new gig working for the NFL Network.
"I've played enough football," he said.

Marshawn Lynch runs for TD in Raiders' 45-20 win over Jets

 Marshawn Lynch's Oakland homecoming turned into a dance party .
Lynch celebrated his first home game for his hometown team by running for a touchdown and delighting the fans with a lengthy sideline dance in the fourth quarter of the Raiders 45-20 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.
"That's Marshawn being Marshawn, playing for his hometown team," left tackle Donald Penn said. "If you grow up as a kid and grow up rooting for a team and then you get to play for them, wouldn't that be a dream? I'm just happy for him. He's living a childhood dream."
Lynch ran for 45 yards on 12 carries, scoring on a 2-yard run late in the first half. He kept the ball and said after the game he plans to give it to his mother. He then generated perhaps even bigger cheers during a sideline dance that was shown on the videoboard during a stoppage in the fourth quarter, prompting cheers of "Beast Mode! Beast Mode!"
"It got me fired up," coach Jack Del Rio said. "You can see the pure passion that he has. These are his people. These are my people. He played well. I know he was really happy to have his first game go like that."
Moments like these were why Lynch decided to come out of retirement this offseason. He made his decision after the Raiders announced plans to move to Las Vegas in 2020. Lynch said he wanted to give something back to his hometown fans and he delivered in a big way.
He was greeted with loud cheers in pregame introductions and that continued throughout the game.
His teammates provided many more things to cheer. Derek Carr threw three touchdown passes to Michael Crabtree, and Cordarrelle Patterson and Jalen Richard each added long touchdown runs to help give the Raiders (2-0) wins in the opening two games of the season for the first time since their AFC championship season in 2002.
Josh McCown threw a pair of TD passes to Jermaine Kearse , but the Jets (0-2) proved to be no match for the more powerful and talented Raiders.
The Raiders vaunted offensive line won the matchup against New York's front four , allowing no sacks and helping clear holes for a 180-yard rushing performance.
"As a defense, our job is to stop the run," defensive tackle Kony Ealy said. "It's very frustrating to do that. Nobody to blame but ourselves. We've got to look in the mirror and stop that problem ourselves."
Oakland wore down the Jets and got a 43-yard touchdown run by Patterson late in the third quarter and a 52-yarder by Richard early in the fourth that made it 35-13.
CARR TO CRAB: Carr and Crabtree were in sync all game. With the Jets looking for a run from Lynch from the 2 in the first quarter, Carr found Crabtree on a fade for a TD . The two connected again on a 26-yard score in the second quarter and then a 1-yarder in the fourth quarter that made it 42-13.
MOMENTUM SHIFT: After falling behind 14-0, the Jets got back into the game and were set to take possession late in the first half trailing by only four. But Kalif Raymond dropped a punt that Johnny Holton recovered for Oakland at the 4. Three plays later, Lynch ran it in from the 2 to make it 21-10 at the half.
"You've got a job to do, then you've got to go back there and do it," Raymond said. "I think it was a big change in the game. It's definitely one I wish I could have back."
FLAG DAY: The Raiders were a little overaggressive. They committed three unnecessary roughness penalties and one unsportsmanlike conduct foul in the first half, helping extend the drives that led to 10 points for the Jets. The culprits were Lee SmithJon FelicianoBruce Irvin and Marquel Lee.
INJURIES: With their top two tight ends Eric Tomlinson and Jordan Leggett out with injuries, the Jets often used six or even seven lineman to make up for their absence. ... New York G Brian Winters (abdomen) and LB Freddie Bishop (ankle) were hurt during the game. ... Raiders CB Sean Smith was out with a neck injury, giving rookie Gareon Conley lots of playing time in his debut.
UP NEXT
Jets: host Miami on Sunday in their home opener.
Raiders: travel to Washington for a Sunday night game.

Dolphins hold on to spoil Chargers' LA debut, 19-17

 The Miami Dolphins felt they had won one for hurricane-ravaged South Florida in their belated season opener.
Cody Parkey hit his fourth field goal from 54 yards with 1:05 to play, and the Dolphins rallied in the fourth quarter to spoil the Los Angeles Chargers' home opener with a 19-17 victory Sunday.
Younghoe Koo missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 5 seconds left after Philip Rivers maneuvered the Chargers (0-2) into scoring range in the final minute before a crowd of 25,381 in their first home game since relocating to the Los Angeles area after 56 seasons in San Diego.
Jay Cutler passed for 230 yards and Jay Ajayi rushed for 122 for the Dolphins, who spent the past nine days in California after leaving Miami early to avoid Hurricane Irma.
With "ONE FLORIDA" decals on their helmets and their hometown in their hearts, the Dolphins grinded through a tight game and then celebrated wildly when Koo pushed his kick barely right.
"I think adversity shows character, and here we are," Miami defensive end Cameron Wake said. "It definitely has been a crazy past few days. Every so often, something happens that puts things in perspective. Football takes a back seat for a while, but once we weathered the storm and got out ... we were just trying to get back to normal."
The Dolphins were well-rested after their home opener against Tampa Bay was postponed, leaving them to play their latest season opener since 1977. Parkey still did most of the Dolphins' scoring, connecting from 30, 28 and 35 yards before burying his longest kick in the waning moments.
Kenny Stills caught a 29-yard TD pass in the third quarter from Cutler, who went 24 of 33 without an interception in his Dolphins debut.
"There's definitely an edge to this team," said Cutler, who came out of retirement to take over for injured Ryan Tannehill. "This team doesn't get down. It just bounces right back."
Rivers passed for 331 yards, and Antonio Gates set an NFL record with his 112th touchdown reception as a tight end, breaking his tie with Tony Gonzalez.
The dynamic duo couldn't prevent the Chargers from taking yet another agonizing loss: They've dropped 11 games by eight points or fewer since the start of last season, three more than any other NFL team.
"I believe we will figure out how to win these close games," said Anthony Lynn, whose first head coaching victory will have to wait at least another week.
Melvin Gordon scored the Chargers' first touchdown in their new home from 1 yard in the second quarter.
THE FINISH
Parkey's 35-yard field goal trimmed Los Angeles' lead to one point with 6:28 to play, and Miami's defense held. The Dolphins got the ball back near midfield with 3:02 left and set up another big kick from Parkey, the Jupiter, Florida, native claimed off waivers two weeks ago.
Rivers and the Chargers moved 54 yards in 52 seconds to set up Koo, whose potential game-tying field goal was blocked in Denver last week.
The undrafted rookie kicker beat out maligned Josh Lambo for this job in the preseason, but he missed two more field goals against the Dolphins.
"Losing two tough ones down at the buzzer, we can be sick about it for a little while," Rivers said. "But we've got a division opponent (Kansas City) coming in here that isn't going to feel any sympathy. We've got to be ready to go."
NEW CITY
The Chargers' latest last-minute loss dampened the festivities around a fresh start for the franchise, which brought five members of its inaugural 1960 Los Angeles Chargers to its temporary home at 27,000-seat StubHub Center, which was packed with a lively mix of both opponents' fans - just like at most games in San Diego in recent years.
ABSENCES
Dolphins: LB Lawrence Timmons was inactive after unexpectedly leaving the team during the weekend. He was expected to start this season for the Dolphins, who signed him to a $12 million deal after he spent the past 10 years with Pittsburgh.
Chargers: Starting CB Jason Verrett was unable to play because of pain in his surgically repaired knee.
UP NEXT
Dolphins: After traveling home for a week of practice at their undamaged training complex in Davie, they'll travel to New York to face the Jets.
Chargers: A three-game homestand continues with that visit from the Chiefs, who have beaten their AFC West rivals six straight times.

Winston, Buccaneers' defense shine in 29-7 rout of Bears

So much for the notion that a Hurricane Irma-imposed layoff might hinder the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Chicago Bears.
Jameis Winston and Co. played like a team with heightened expectations in winning their season opener 29-7 on Sunday. They also looked confident, fully capable of ending a long playoff drought.
"Complementary football at its finest," the third-year quarterback said. "Defense played phenomenal. Offense had great drives, eliminated the three-and-outs, and eliminated turnovers."
Winston threw for 204 yards and one touchdown, the Bucs' defense stymied former teammate Mike Glennon with four turnovers, and the sloppy Bears (0-2) didn't get into the zone until Deonte Thompson scored on a 14-yard reception with 1:43 remaining.
"Basically, not a good day at the office," Bears coach John Fox said. "I think any time you go out and have four giveaways in the first half, it's not good news."
The Bucs (1-0) dominated despite having a short week of practice following the massive storm that forced postponement of the team's scheduled season opener at Miami.
The team joined the Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars in wearing "ONE FLORIDA" decals on their helmets Sunday. First responders who've worked tirelessly in the aftermath of Irma were among special guests in the announced crowd of 56,640 at Raymond James Stadium.
"We had a chip on our shoulder. ... We wanted to be a pick-me-up for our fans, definitely the cities around the Tampa Bay area," Winston said. "It was fun out there. The crowd was electric, and we tried our best."
Winston completed 18 of 30 passes without an interception. He threw a 13-yard TD pass to Mike Evans, who had seven catches for 93 yards.
Glennon, who signed with Chicago as a free agent last winter, was 31 of 45 for 301 yards and two interceptions in his return to the city where he played for the first four years of his career . The Bears finished with 310 yards total offense, 1 yard less than a Bucs offense that hasn't had much work in the past month.
By the time he lined up to face the Bears, Winston hadn't taken a snap in a game in three weeks. Eight regulars, including Evans, receiver DeSean Jackson, linebacker Kwon Alexander and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, hadn't seen game action in a month.
The Bucs insisted, though, that they would not use rustiness as an excuse if they had a less-than-sharp debut. The way the Bears played, the layoff never had a chance to become an issue.
After opening the season with a solid performance in a 23-17 loss to defending NFC champion Atlanta , the Bears turned over the ball four times in the opening half, helping Winston build a 26-0 halftime lead.
If Chicago had an advantage entering the game, it figured to be Glennon's knowledge of the Tampa Bay defense. The fifth-year pro faced it in practice every day the past four seasons, the last two as Winston's backup.
And while the Bears did have some success moving the ball, the barrage of turnovers was too much to overcome.
Glennon's first-half miscues led to two touchdowns. Rookie Tarik Cohen's ill-advised decision to scoop a punt off the ground and run with it deep in Bears territory set up Tampa Bay's first TD, Winston's 13-yard pass to Evans.
Noah Spence sacked Glennon, forcing a second-quarter fumble that led to Jacquizz Rodgers' 1-yard TD run. Robert McClain's interception and 46-yard return up the sideline on Chicago's next possession hiked the lead to 23-0.
"Obviously not what I had envisioned or hoped. Ultimately it shows how precious taking care of the football is," Glennon said.
"Four turnovers in the first half, you're not going to win many football games," the Bears quarterback added. "Three of those fall on me, and ultimately I have to do a better job taking care of the football and giving us a chance to win."
NOWHERE TO RUN
The Bucs limited the Bears to 20 yards rushing. While part of that could be attributed to Chicago falling behind early, it's fair to note that Cohen and Jordan Howard didn't have much room to run when they did get the ball. Cohen gained 13 yards on seven attempts, with 9 coming on one carry. Howard, who topped 100 yards during a lopsided loss to Tampa Bay last season, finished with 7 yards on nine attempts. As a tandem, Cohen and Howard averaged 1.3 yards per carry.
EFFECTIVE, THOUGH NOT FLASHY
Jackson was Tampa Bay's big offseason acquisition. The speedy receiver, who had a 21-yard reception and finished with three catches for 39 yards, was signed in free agency in hopes of making the offense more explosive.
INJURIES
Bears: OL Tom Compton (hip) and LB Nick Kwiatkoski (pectoral) did not play in the second half.
Buccaneers: Alexander, who had Tampa Bay's first interception, left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.
UP NEXT
Bears: Return home to face Pittsburgh.
Buccaneers: Play road opener at Minnesota, which played Sunday without QB Sam Bradford