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The Raiders lay down a Super Bowl marker as the Cowboys keep rolling

It was a mixed night for some of the Super Bowl favourites.

EZEKIEL ELLIOTT HAD one of his quieter nights on Sunday, rushing for just 92 yards, but still managed to score two touchdowns as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns 35-10.

Fellow rookie Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes as America’s Team won a seventh straight game to sit at 7-1 atop the NFC East.

It’s a 12th loss in a row dating back to last season for the hapless Browns (0-9) who look all but certain to have the number one overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Cowboys Browns Football Ezekiel Elliott scored two touchdowns despite a quiet game. David Richard David Richard

The Cowboys are now one of just three teams in the NFL with seven wins through nine weeks and, while it will surprise nobody that the Patriots are one of the others, few would have predicted the Oakland Raiders would be among that elite group at the start of the season.

The Silver & Black (7-2) took control of the AFC West by running all over the defending Super Bowl champions in a 30-20 win on Sunday Night Football.

Their much-vaunted offensive line dominated from the start as the Raiders rushed for 223 yards, the most the Denver Broncos have given up on the ground in over four years.

Oakland running back Latavius Murray was the main beneficiary, scoring three touchdowns on his way to accumulating 114 yards.

Lions Vikings Football Golden Tate scores a touchdown with an exclamation mark. Jim Mone Jim Mone

In Minneapolis, a tackle-breaking leaping touchdown by Golden Tate lifted the Detroit Lions to a 22-16 overtime triumph against the Minnesota Vikings.

Tate caught a pass from Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and spun away from Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who dived at Tate and missed. Tate pulled away from a tackle attempt from safety Harrison Smith along the sideline and then leaped into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown.

It was just the latest instance of the Lions coming to life late. They sent the game into overtime with a 58-yard field goal with two seconds left in regulation and won for the third time in four games.

In the race for the NFC wildcard spot, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw four touchdowns in a 28-23 victory over NFC East rivals Philadelphia while New Orleans’s Drew Brees threw three TD passes to lead the surging Saints to a 41-23 victory over the reeling San Francisco 49ers, who lost their seventh straight.

Week 9 results

Pittsburgh Steelers 14 @ Baltimore Ravens 21
Atlanta Falcons 43
@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
New York Jets 23 @ Miami Dolphins 27
Dallas Cowboys 35 @ Cleveland Browns 10
Jacksonville Jaguars 14 @ Kansas City Chiefs 19
Detroit Lions 22 @ Minnesota Vikings 16
Philadelphia Eagles 23 @ New York Giants 28
New Orleans Saints 41 @ San Francisco 49ers 23
Tennessee Titans 35 @ San Diego Chargers 43
Carolina Panthers 13 @ LA Rams 10
Denver Broncos 20 @ Oakland Raiders 30
Indianapolis Colts 31 @ Green Bay Packers 26

Additional reporting from AFP

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