|
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 STL (0-2) |
0 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
 WAS (1-1) |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
9 |
LANDOVER, Md. -- The Washington Redskins narrowly averted losing at home to the St. Louis Rams for the second straight year, eking out a 9-7 win Sunday.
Serenaded with boos as their long drives dissolved into field goals rather than touchdowns, the Redskins just couldn't put away the Rams Washington never did reach the end zone, but scoring points three at a time was enough.
Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 21, 28 and 23 yards as the Redskins had four drives of more than 60 yards that faltered inside the 10. They put the game away -- more or less -- with a 78-yard drive that ended with a failed fourth-and-1 attempt from the 2 with less than 2 minutes to play, leaving the Rams too far to go.
|
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 CAR (0-2) |
3 |
10 |
0 |
7 |
20 |
 ATL (2-0) |
7 |
14 |
0 |
7 |
28 |
ATLANTA -- Jake Delhomme nearly made it through an entire game without a turnover.
Then, with just 2 1/2 minutes to go, Chris Houston handed the Carolina quarterback a familiar setback.
Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in the first half and Houston stopped a Delhomme-led rally at the end, intercepting a pass at the Falcons 4 to preserve Atlanta's 28-20 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Delhomme had accounted for 11 turnovers in his two previous games, including a four-interception, one-fumble fiasco against Philadelphia to open the season. He was much better against the Falcons (2-0), completing 25 of 41 for 308 yards and a touchdown.
But the result was the same for the Panthers (0-2). Another loss.
Ryan had a big first half for the Falcons, including another touchdown pass to new favorite receiver Tony Gonzalez, who made a brilliant fingertip grab on a 24-yard score. Snelling and Roddy White also hauled in TD throws, giving Atlanta a 21-13 lead at the break.
Ryan completed 13 straight passes at one point and finished 21 of 27 for 220 yards, though he did have his first interception of the season.
The Falcons looked to be in good shape after Michael Turner powered over from the 1 with 12:27 remaining, stretching the lead to 28-13 lead.
Back came Delhomme and the Panthers. A 10-play, 80-yard drive made it 28-20, and Carolina was in position to force overtime with a touchdown and a two-point conversion after driving to a first down at the Falcons 17. But three straight incompletions left the Panthers in desperation mode.
On fourth-and-10, Delhomme tried to force in a pass to Steve Smith near the end zone. Houston stepped in front to pick it off before being slammed out bounds by Smith, who had a huge game with eight catches for 131 yards despite being hurt on the final play of the first half.
The Panthers had one last chance after forcing an Atlanta punt. Delhomme completed four straight passes to get the ball to the Atlanta 43 with eight seconds left.
One final pass was hurled toward the end zone, where the Falcons had stationed 6-foot-5 receiver Brian Finneran as an extra defensive back. Finneran and Brent Grimes went up together to bat the ball down -- but nearly knocked it to a Carolina receiver.
Dwayne Garrett dove for the ball and rolled over cradling it, but it clearly hit the turf before he got his hands extended. The replay officials upstairs ordered a review, just to make sure the clock had run out when the pass hit the turf.
Referee Don Carey went in the replay booth to take another look, and the game ended strangely with only the head coaches and a couple of players still on the field.
DeAngelo Williams scored on a 3-yard run to give Carolina a short-lived 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. John Kasay kicked a couple of field goals, including a 50-yarder.
|
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 NYG (2-0) |
10 |
10 |
0 |
13 |
33 |
 DAL (1-1) |
7 |
10 |
7 |
7 |
31 |
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Antonio Pierce laughed off all the hype for this September Super Bowl, or whatever the Dallas Cowboys considered the opener of their $1.15 billion stadium.
To the New York Giants, this was just another division game, one they had to win. And they did -- dramatically.
Lawrence Tynes kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Giants a 33-31 victory over turnover-
prone Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, sending home the largest regular-season crowd in NFL history muttering about what might've been.
Former President George W. Bush, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and LeBron James were among a packed house of 105,121 that saw eight lead changes, with neither team ever ahead by more than six. The lead switched three times in the final quarter and had a doubly exciting finish because after Tynes made the kick, he had to do it again; Dallas had called a timeout just before the snap.
His second try was even better than the first and all those fans got awfully quiet.
"People were talking about this like it was the Super Bowl in the second week of the season," said Pierce, a Giants linebacker. "We just came here to win a football game."
Eli Manning was 25 of 38 for 330 yards with 22-yard touchdowns to Mario Manningham and Steve Smith. Each caught 10 passes, with Manningham's covering 150 yards and Smith's going for 134. It was quite a way for the Giants to end a 13-game stretch without a single 100-yard receiver.
"The whole team did a good job of gutting it out," Manning said. "This is a good thing to build from."
relied on Manning's arm because Dallas limited Brandon Jacobs to 58 yards and Ahmad Bradshaw to 37. However the Giants did it, the reigning NFC East champions are now 2-0 with both wins against division foes.
"Everybody makes a big deal because we spoiled their little party," said defensive end Justin Tuck, who hurt a shoulder and missed the second half. "Every other game we play in the NFC East will be just as big."
The Cowboys (1-1) went ahead for the final time 31-30 on a 7-yard touchdown run by Felix Jones with 3:40 left.
It turned out to be plenty of time for Manning. He got out of a first-and-20 at his own 15 and kept it going with two third-down conversions, the second coming on a tipped pass caught by Manningham.
"Well, we just knew we had to go and get in field goal range," Manning said. "We had enough time, we had timeouts."
In one of the biggest settings of his career, Romo turned in one of his worst outings: 13 of 29 for 127 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions, all of which resulted in New York touchdowns.
Romo's first interception was returned for a TD, the second was a bit of a fluke (it bounced up off Jason Witten's shoe) and the third was a punt-like heave into double coverage.
"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to play up to the level the rest of the other guys did," Romo said. "I have to get better at the mistakes I made and I will."
Between Romo's pickoffs and a fumble by Felix Jones that turned into a field goal, Dallas helped New York score 24 points. The Giants' only other scores were field goals on their first drive and their last two.
"We lost by a short margin," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said. "If we cut [turnovers] down certainly and certainly make some more on defense, we can win those kind of games. We can see that."
Romo had never thrown for so few yards in a full game and his passer rating of 29.6 was the second-lowest of his career. It also was a dramatic reversal from the opener, when he showed the poise and patience he supposedly worked on all offseason and didn't have a turnover. Even worse was that it came against a New York defense that already was missing two injured starters in the secondary before Tuck got hurt.
The Cowboys stayed in it thanks to their running game. Marion Barber ran for 124 yards and the stadium's first touchdown, and Jones added 96. Barber had 51 of his yards on Dallas' final drive. Dallas' 251 yards rushing was its most since 1993.
Months of hype led up to quite a pregame scene: Fans streaming in four hours before kickoff, especially the 30,000 or so who were looking for places to stand; the roof and end-zone doors sliding open with about 90 minutes to go; an unveiling of midfield logo after a cartoon showed the blue star emblem being transferred from Texas Stadium via outer space. After video clips comparing this place to the Egyptian Pyramids and the Roman Colosseum, a flag was unfurled that covered the entire field.
Bush and his wife, Laura, handled the coin toss, then watched from a luxury suite that also included Goodell, John Madden and Pat Summerall. Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were among those taking part in a halftime ceremony to unveil the new Ring of Honor.
Game notes
Jacobs had 8 yards in the first half, then 9 yards on his first run of the second half. ... The largest crowd had been 103,467 for 49ers-Cardinals in Mexico City in 2005. ... Dallas had spoiled New York's opener at Giants Stadium, winning 24-14 in 1976. ... Had Tynes not made the winner, Giants' fans might've blamed him for the loss. He'd missed a 29-yarder early in the third quarter.
Cutler made a big pass to Devin Hester, and Robbie Gould booted a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left to lift the Chicago Bears to a 17-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cutler hit rookie Johnny Knox with the tying touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. After Jeff Reed missed his second field goal of the period, a 43-yarder, Cutler helped set up Gould's winning kick with a 5-yard pass to Hester on third-and-4 at the Steelers 39 that kept the winning drive going.
"I always hope to get a chance," Cutler said. "I always think we're going to get a chance if it's 3 minutes or if it's 30 seconds. All we want is a shot."
Both teams were missing their defensive stars, with Chicago's Brian Urlacher out for the rest of the season with a dislocated right wrist and the Steelers' Troy Polamalu out three to six weeks with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The Bears also saw defensive end Alex Brown get helped off the field with a sprained left ankle with just over four minutes remaining after collecting two sacks.
Cutler, however, came through like a star on a rainy afternoon in which he was pressured and had several passes dropped. Despite all that, his first home game with the Bears (1-1) was a big improvement over his debut with them.
He finished with 236 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions, after being picked off a career-high four times in a season-opening loss at Green Bay. Knox, a rookie, was impressive, too, with six catches for 70 yards.
That was enough to beat the defending champions and offset solid performances by Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes.
"In the face of pressure he made great decisions, put the ball in some good locations and guys converted third downs," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "They did enough to win, we didn't. We accept responsibility for that."
Roethlisberger threw for 221 yards and Holmes caught five passes for 83, yet Reed's problems in the fourth quarter gave the Bears the opening they needed.
"I'm just embarrassed, you know, because these guys fight their tails off to win the game," Reed said. "If there is one player that can single-handedly lose the game, I'll take credit for it."
The Steelers weren't about to do that.
"Not even a blink in our eyes that we're concerned about what Jeff did," Holmes said.
Roethlisberger gave the Steelers (1-1) a 14-7 lead midway through the third quarter when he ran it in from the 2, leaping over a lunging Danieal Manning, after Skokie native and Illinois product Rashard Mendenhall broke off a 39-yard run. After hitting the winner in overtime against Tennessee, Reed missed a 38-yard try that would have made it a 10-point game in the fourth.
The Bears quickly responded.
Cutler, whose arrival in a trade with Denver sent expectations in Chicago soaring, hit tight end Greg Olsen on a 29-yard pass to put the ball on the Pittsburgh 23, and finished the drive with a 7-yarder to Knox, who beat Polamalu's fill-in Tyrone Carter to tie it at 14 with 6:21 left, a neat sequence on an ugly afternoon.
There were large seams on the field after it was re-sodded following back-to-back U2 concerts the previous weekend, a short turnaround that left Bears players singing a familiar tune about the surface at the stadium owned by the Chicago Parks District.
There was a noticeable groan when Olsen slipped trying to make a catch in the end zone on a rain-slicked field late in the second quarter, but the crowd roared a few plays later when Kellen Davis caught a 6-yard pass from Cutler to tie it at 7 with 19 seconds left in the half. Of course, the biggest cheers came at the end.
"You don't really think about missing kicks," Gould said, "because when you do that you're going to miss kicks."
Game notes
Chicago's Nick Roach started at LB for Pisa Tinoisamoa, who was out with a sprained knee, while TE Desmond Clark also missed the game with a rib injury. ... The Bears also reshuffled their secondary, with Zack Bowman starting at CB for Nathan Vasher and Manning getting the nod at FS over Kevin Payne. ... Besides Polamalu, the Steelers were also without WR Limas Sweed because of a sprained foot. ... The Steelers had 119 yards to the Bears' 11 in the first quarter.
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 CLE (0-2) |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
 DEN (2-0) |
7 |
3 |
3 |
14 |
27 |
DENVER -- The Denver Broncos didn't need a miracle finish to beat the Cleveland Browns -- just a defense that's gone from deplorable to dominant.
|
|
Pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil tied a franchise record with four sacks -- all in the second half -- and linebacker Andra Davis had 10 tackles against his old team in leading Denver to a 27-6 win Sunday.
Dumervil also forced a fumble as the Broncos (2-0) caused three turnovers and bottled up Brady Quinn.
"Man, that was amazing. You don't see a guy get four sacks in one half," Davis marveled. "He really turned it on."
The entire defense did, limiting the Browns, who have scored just one touchdown in their last 33 quarters, to 200 yards of offense, just 56 of that on the ground.
The Broncos, who beat Cincinnati last week on Brandon Stokley's 87-yard touchdown catch with 11 seconds left, are unbeaten under new coach Josh McDaniels, who worked with Browns coach Eric Mangini in New England. Mangini's new team is 0-2.
Despite appearances, Dumervil said he's still a work in progress in the Broncos' new 3-4 scheme.
"Yeah, I guess I'm a linebacker now," he said. "It's fun, though. I get to play linebacker and I still get to do what I love -- rush the passer. I've found my niche. ... It makes me a complete player."
Dumervil said he has a long way to go to feel comfortable in the 3-4, but it's proving the perfect fit for this unorthodox player who has long arms for a man who stands just 5-11, as Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas saw over and over Sunday.
"You are reaching for him but he can get his hands on you first and he's got leverage and he can get underneath you and just push you back to the quarterback," McDaniels said. "His skills set is pretty much alone in this league."
So, Dumervil often finds himself standing over a crumpled quarterback with a big lineman sprawled out behind him.
"I've been going through it all my life," Dumervil said. "It's easy for me. I have instant leverage, I guess."
Quinn finished 18 of 31 for 161 yards and an interception on his final toss.
"They're tough," Quinn said. "Across the board they have a lot of talent. Schematically, they do a good job game-planning."
Denver quarterback Kyle Orton, who completed 19 of 37 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, was having another ordinary day until he hit Jabar Gaffney with a 49-yard pass that led to Peyton Hillis' 2-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter.
That broke open a 13-6 game and atoned for Hillis' lost fumble on the opening kickoff.
Running back Correll Buckhalter then broke free for a 45-yard touchdown rumble that made it 27-6.
Asked if he was tempted to bench Quinn, who's been sacked nine times already, in favor of Derek Anderson, Mangini said: "What I'm looking to do is play better across the board."
"The offense had nothing to do with the two long defensive plays," Mangini said of Gaffney's big catch and Buckhalter's big run. "That's a risk you take when you blitz."
Before the Broncos' offense picked up steam, the crowd booed Orton for some badly thrown passes on a windy day at Invesco Field and jeered kicker Matt Prater, who missed from 37 and 39 yards but was good from 23 and 38.
The defense was the only unit that wasn't erratic. In two games, the Broncos have allowed just one touchdown.
Providing the early spark Sunday was Davis, who had eagerly awaited facing the team that let him go after seven seasons without so much as a goodbye from its new coach.
When the Browns didn't make him an offer, Davis signed a two-year deal with the Broncos, who spent the offseason revamping a deplorable defense that ranked at or near the bottom in every major category last season and surrendered 448 points.
Davis recorded seven solo tackles and two assists in the first half.
"Andra showed up a bunch today," McDaniels said.
"Ah, man. That's one guy I thought had a great game," Dumervil said. "I think the four sacks kind of overshadowed it a little bit, but my MVP is 'Dre Davis. He's been our emotional leader since he came on board."
Game notes
The Broncos led 10-6 at halftime, when former TE Shannon Sharpe, who skydived into the stadium as part of a tandem parachute jump, was tearfully inducted into the team's Ring of Honor. ... Broncos WR Brandon Marshall had three catches for 34 yards and a holding penalty. ... Buckhalter had 76 yards on nine carries. ... Dumervil's four sacks tied the mark held by several others, most recently Simon Fletcher in 1990.
A game that seemingly was going to be decided by Philip Rivers instead was sealed by Lewis, whose big play saved a 31-26 win for the Baltimore Ravens over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
"That was probably one of the greatest plays of my career because of my team, because of what we did as a team," said Lewis, a former Super Bowl MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The Chargers needed a touchdown to win and had the ball on Baltimore's 15 with 33 seconds left. Lewis came in unblocked and slammed the little running back to the ground for a 5-yard loss, and the Ravens (2-0) ran out the clock.
The Chargers ran the play earlier but Lewis missed making the tackle. Knowing the consequences of letting the Chargers convert, Lewis said he needed to shoot the gap -- and find the ball carrier.
"When the game was on the line, as soon as Philip dropped down, I shot and he was there. He was there, man," Lewis said.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said the Chargers know how to win games at the end. "I guess Ray Lewis knows a little more, he knows a little better," Harbaugh said. "He made the greatest football play I've ever seen."
Rivers almost single-handedly kept the short-handed Chargers (1-1) in the game, throwing for a career-high 436 yards and two touchdowns. But he also had two interceptions, and San Diego had to settle for field goals four times when it had the ball at the Ravens 10 or closer.
Rivers said the Chargers ran the play they felt gave them the best chance for a first down.
"You can't keep throwing it, throwing it and throwing it -- well, you can," Rivers said. "It was a play that we didn't execute. It's tough to end that way."
Rivers tied Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for third-most passing yards in a game.
A week after amassing a franchise-record 501 yards in a win against Kansas City, the Ravens couldn't quite put away the Chargers. San Diego was missing running back LaDainian Tomlinson, center Nick Hardwick and right guard Louis Vasquez due to injuries, and on Saturday put defensive tackle Jamal Williams on injured reserve, meaning his season is over.
Baltimore's Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Willis McGahee ran for two more.
The killers for the Chargers were their inability to score touchdowns and a bad decision by Rivers.
The Chargers got to the Ravens 5, 2 and 1 in the first half, and had to settle for field goals by Kaeding each time.
Trailing 21-13, the Chargers got to the 1-yard line on a 24-yard pass from Rivers to Vincent Jackson. The play was upheld by replay, and the Chargers were called for delay of game. Rivers threw two incompletions, and coach Norv Turner's decision to kick on third down with 10 seconds left drew plenty of boos.
Kaeding made the 23-yarder to pull to 21-16. He also had kicks of 29 and 22 yards.
It happened again midway through the fourth quarter, after Flacco was hit by Shawne Merriman and intercepted by Antoine Cason. The Chargers moved to the Ravens 10, bogged down -- including another delay penalty -- and got a 25-yard field goal from Kaeding to make it 28-26.
"They pressure down there so you're trying to sort things out of how to block," Rivers said. They brought as many as they could bring on some of them. I think it was more a lack of execution than anything and those delays that killed us."
Baltimore's Steve Hauschka kicked a 33-yarder with 2:54 left.
In the third quarter, Rivers was under pressure from Lewis at the Chargers 34, was turned sideways and blindly tried to throw the ball away. Safety Dawan Landry intercepted and pitched it to Ed Reed for a short return to the 22. Four plays later, Flacco threw a 9-yard TD pass to tight end Todd Heap for a 28-16 lead.
Rivers came back and found Jackson behind double coverage for a 35-yard touchdown pass on third-and-18 to pull the Chargers to 28-22 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
The Ravens forgot to cover Sproles on San Diego's second possession of the game and he turned a swing pass from Rivers into an 81-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead. Sproles raced down the right sideline before cutting inside and beating Reed to the end zone. Sproles had 278 all-purpose yards.
A week after throwing for a career-high 307 yards, Flacco was 17 of 26 for 190 yards.
Game notes
Sproles caught seven passes for a career-high 124 yards and Jackson had six catches for 141. ... Merriman and fellow OLB Shaun Phillips both had groin injuries. ... Ravens CB Fabian Washington sustained a concussion.
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 SEA (1-1) |
0 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
 SFO (2-0) |
10 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
23 |
SAN FRANCISCO -- Frank Gore kept an eye on the scoreboard as he ran like mad, making sure nobody caught him on the way to the end zone.
And it wasn't even close.
|
|
"Yeah, I was looking up there," Gore said with a grin of his regular practice. "I ran all day."
Gore's spectacular afternoon single-handedly re-established the run game for San Francisco.
Gore had touchdown runs of 79 and a career-best 80 yards and finished with 207 yards on 16 carries, and the 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 23-10 to take an early hold atop the NFC West standings.
"I told myself, 'I'm not looking back,'" Gore said. "I told myself: 'Hey, if they're going to catch me, they're going to catch me. I'm just going to look straight ahead.'"
Gore, who surpassed San Francisco's Week 1 rushing total of 21 yards in the first series, nearly reached his franchise mark of 212 yards set in 2006 before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a sprained right ankle that wasn't considered serious. He became only the second player in NFL history to have two TD runs of 79 or more yards in the same game, joining Barry Sanders. Sanders had runs of 80 and 82 yards at Tampa Bay on Oct. 12, 1997.
"Hey, I'm happy. I didn't know that," Gore said. "We're 2-0 in our division. We proved to a lot of people we're getting better and better."
Seattle (1-1), coming off a 28-0 season-opening win at St. Louis, took a big blow losing quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a rib injury just before halftime following a hard hit near the goal line by Patrick Willis. Hasselbeck didn't return after completing 10 of 18 passes for 97 yards and no touchdowns.
He was taken to a hospital for X-rays and a CT scan. X-rays were negative while the CT scan was inconclusive and Hasselbeck rejoined his teammates for the 2-hour flight home.
"It is a rib bruise at this point," coach Jim Mora said. "He's doing much better ... he's feeling much more comfortable. We believe at this point, and it's very preliminary, that he's going to be OK."
Gore also posted just the third 200-yard rushing game in team history. Charlie Garner ran for 201 yards at Dallas on Sept. 24, 2000. Gore had his 212-yard day Nov. 19, 2006, also at Candlestick Park against Seattle. His 246 total yards from scrimmage Sunday were a career high, topping the 238 he had in that '06 game with the Seahawks.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like that," quarterback Shaun Hill said. "He was moving."
Joe Nedney kicked field goals of 37, 42 and 39 yards for the 49ers. Coach Mike Singletary's team is off to a 2-0 start after he demanded that his players perform better this week and find their identity as a running team. San Francisco won at defending NFC champion Arizona in Week 1.
The 49ers' defense was dominant again this week, handing former 49ers defensive coordinator Mora his first loss since taking over this season for Mike Holmgren.
"For us it's too early to tell anything," Singletary said. "Last week was ugly, but I loved it. This week was ugly, but I loved it."
What a difference from Singletary's debut at Candlestick Park last October, when he took over for the fired Mike Nolan. San Francisco lost to the Seahawks in a game in which he benched quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan in favor of Hill, pulled his pants down at halftime to make a point and sent volatile tight end Vernon Davis to the showers early after a personal foul penalty.
This time, Hill was 19 for 26 for 144 yards with no TDs or interceptions and was sacked four times. He improved to 6-0 as a starter at Candlestick and 9-3 overall as an NFL starter. His job was easy: give the ball to Gore.
Gore, who had just 30 yards on 22 carries in the win over the Cardinals, had averaged 76 yards against Seattle in the previous four meetings since his Pro Bowl 2006 season. He ran for 144 yards in the other '06 game versus Seattle.
"It was just a matter of Frank Gore being Frank Gore," Seahawks rookie linebacker Aaron Curry said. "It's just as simple as that. They gave the right man the ball. He's one of those guys, he's going to have your attention. It's not hard to find him. He runs hard. You can sometimes hear him grunt as he runs."
Hasselbeck went down for several minutes after getting hurt trying to dive for the end zone 26 seconds before halftime. He was stopped at the 1-yard line.
Backup QB Seneca Wallace came in on the next play and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Julius Jones to pull Seattle within 13-10. Wallace wound up 15 for 27 for 127 yards and a TD.
Ray McDonald had his second sack in as many games, dropping Hasselbeck for a 7-yard loss as the Seahawks went three-and-out in their opening series.
Game notes
Gore averaged 12.9 yards a carry and the 49ers 8.8. ... Seattle LF Sean Locklear, playing in place of the inactive Walter Jones, injured an ankle in the second quarter and didn't return. ... San Francisco S Dashon Goldson had his first career interception late in the third quarter.
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 TAM (0-2) |
0 |
14 |
0 |
6 |
20 |
 BUF (1-1) |
17 |
3 |
0 |
13 |
33 |
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- One moment it appeared as if Terrell Owens would be a non-factor in his second game with the Buffalo Bills. The next, fans were celebrating by spilling popcorn all over Ralph Wilson Stadium.
|
|
With the Bills offense needing a spark, Owens provided it by scoring on a 43-yard touchdown catch five minutes into the fourth quarter, helping cap a 33-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
With the help of an opportunistic defensive effort led by safety Donte Whitner, the Bills put aside the lingering frustrations that followed last week's season-opening 25-24 loss to New England in which Buffalo squandered an 11-point lead in the final 2:06. Running back Fred Jackson, filling in for suspended starter Marshawn Lynch, added a career-best 163 yards rushing on 28 carries.
Owens didn't stick around after the game to talk about it. He's apparently unhappy with how he was questioned by some members of the media when he refused to talk following the loss to the Patriots.
T.O.'s teammates were certainly excited after seeing Owens' deep-threat presence finally pay off -- the touchdown coming after he'd been limited to two catches for 9 yards and after the Bills had nearly blown a 17-0 lead of their own against Tampa Bay.
"I was excited and he was excited," quarterback Trent Edwards said. "I don't really recall what was said, but I'm honestly hoping that that continues to happen. I think that's why we have him."
Edwards showed faith in Owens by hitting him in stride at the goal line, a step ahead of cornerback Aqib Talib.
For Edwards, it was a sign that he is beginning to shed the label of "Captain Checkdown" he earned this preseason. Showing he wasn't afraid to go deep, Edwards also hit Lee Evans on a 32-yard touchdown to open the scoring and finished 21 of 31 for 230 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
"It comes down to opportunities. I think Trent wasn't afraid to take any chances," Evans said. "You always have to have that threat of the deep play. I think we put it on the table today that we would."
The win ended Buffalo's five-game home losing streak, and came in Owens' first game at home since signing a one-year deal with the team in March.
It helped that the Bills capitalized against a once-respected Buccaneers defense that continues to give up deep passes following a 34-21 season-opening loss to Dallas last week.
In two games under rookie head coach Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay has now allowed 900 yards of offense, including 438 against Buffalo.
"They dialed up some things on us that we should have stopped but we didn't," veteran cornerback Ronde Barber said, refusing to speculate about what's going wrong. "Ask the coaches that. I'm not willing to make a statement on that."
Aside from the two long touchdown passes, Barber was also unhappy with missed tackles.
"It's really unacceptable," Barber said. "Good defenses are good tackling defenses."
Morris attempted to maintain an even keel, though he was unhappy with his defense and the Bucs' lack of discipline after being penalized 13 times for 112 yards.
"I'm not worried about their confidence," he said, "but these guys got to play better."
On the bright side, the Bucs offense continues to produce. Byron Leftwich went 26 of 50 for 296 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions -- one of which bounced off the hands of receiver Sammie Stroughter.
Kellen Winslow had 90 yards receiving and a touchdown, while Cadillac Williams and Jerramy Stevens also scored.
The Bills appeared ready to run away with the game by building a 17-0 lead before the first quarter was over. Aside from Evans' touchdown, Whitner was in a perfect spot to intercept Leftwich's pass that sailed over the head of Williams.
The Bucs regained their momentum late in the first half when Jackson fumbled inside the Tampa Bay 14, and safety Sabby Piscitelli returned it 72 yards. A play later, Leftwich hit Williams for an 8-yard touchdown to cut Buffalo's lead to 20-14.
Whitner, however, helped shut the door early in the third quarter when he burst into the backfield to tackle Derrick Ward for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1.
It was an emotional turnaround for Whitner, who was in tears following last week's loss.
"We learned our lesson from last week and it's a valuable lesson we're going to need throughout the season," Edwards said. "We have to finish games and that's what we did today."
Game notes
The 17 points Buffalo scored in the first quarter were the most by the Bills in the opening 15 minutes since generating 24 in a 38-17 win over Miami on Dec. 9, 2007, according to STATS. ... The Bucs have allowed 210 points and 23 touchdowns in their past seven games. ... Bills PK Rian Lindell hit all four field goal attempts, including a 43-yarder. ... Bills coach Dick Jauron had no updates on the injuries sustained by RT Brad Butler (right knee), CB Leodis McKelvin (ankle) and TEs Derek Schouman (right knee) and Shawn Nelson (strained shoulder).
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 MIN (2-0) |
0 |
7 |
10 |
10 |
27 |
 DET (0-2) |
3 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
13 |
DETROIT -- Brett Favre is thankful to still be playing and winning in the NFL.
Adding a league record to his overflowing collection is merely a bonus. |
|
Favre set another mark with his 271st straight start in the regular season, then threw two touchdown passes to help the Minnesota Vikings beat the Detroit Lions 27-13 on Sunday.
"Every game I play in at this point, I'm pretty grateful," he said. "I know how difficult it is."
The Lions, meanwhile, know how tough it is to simply win a game. They haven't done it in almost 21 months.
Detroit looked like it might finally earn a victory with a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but mental and physical miscues led to their 19th straight loss to match the second-longest skid in league history. The Chicago Cardinals, in the 1940s, and the Oakland Raiders, in the 1960s, also lost 19 straight.
"We can't keep making mistakes, and we can't keep taking penalties," center Dominic Raiola said. "We were fine in the first half, and then we stunk in the second half. I'm not pointing fingers at any one guy. This is on all of us.
"We didn't do our jobs in the second half, and that's very frustrating," he added. "We're better than that."
If the Lions don't prove it on the field, they may march toward another infamous milestone.
Detroit, which became the NFL's first 0-16 team last season, desperately hopes it doesn't approach Tampa Bay's record of 26 losses in a row set during the 1976-77 seasons.
Kevin Smith blamed himself for letting the latest game slip away, setting up Adrian Peterson's go-ahead, 27-yard TD midway through the third quarter.
"It starts with my fumble," Smith said. "I think that's what hurt. It was 10-10 and I can't fumble the ball. I give it up and AP comes back and scores."
After rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson to put Detroit ahead 10-0, the Vikings responded with Favre's toss to Visanthe Shiancoe in the end zone.
"That was probably the most important drive of the game," Favre said.
Favre, though, continues to play a young man's game less than a month away from his 40th birthday.
"Can you please stop calling him Brett Favre? It's the Silver Fox," teammate Jared Allen joked.
Favre was 23 of 27 for 155 yards with TD passes to rookie Percy Harvin and Shiancoe. He appeared to hurt his right hand when he got hit just before connecting with Harvin midway through the fourth quarter.
"It's all right," Favre insisted.
Minnesota coach Brad Childress said he didn't see Favre look at his hand and shake it after getting banged up.
"He's probably shaking everything he's got," Childress said.
On his first snap, the three-time MVP set another NFL mark. Defensive end Jim Marshall had the previous mark for consecutive starts, 270 games in a row for Minnesota from 1961-1979.
Favre's streak started 17 years ago.
"Think about what you were doing in 1992," Childress said. "It's a long time."
Minnesota shut down Stafford after he and the Lions had some success early, taking control in the second half on Peterson's TD, Favre's second pass for a score and Ryan Longwell's field goals. Chad Greenway had two interceptions and recovered a fumble for the Vikings (2-0).
Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the draft, was 18 of 30 for 152 yards with a TD and two interceptions.
"Matt Stafford is our starting quarterback," Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said, when asked about a possible quarterback change.
Game notes
The Vikings invited Marshall to attend the game, but he politely declined to spend time with his wife on their first anniversary. ... Ernie Harwell, an honorary captain wearing a No. 1 Lions jersey, was given a rousing ovation before the game. The 91-year-old Baseball Hall of Fame honoree and longtime broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers has inoperable cancer.
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 CIN (1-1) |
7 |
14 |
7 |
3 |
31 |
 GNB (1-1) |
14 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
24 |
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Watching the clock about to tick down to 0:02, Aaron Rodgers took the snap, faked a spike and looked to the end zone.
|
|
For a split second, it looked like the Cincinnati Bengals were about to blow their second last-minute lead in as many weeks -- and Rodgers was about to pull off his second late comeback of the season.
But the Bengals (1-1) were bailed out by a false-start penalty and barely salvaged a 31-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday.
"We didn't do enough to win the game last week and you get what you deserve," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "Today, we were able to make one or two more plays and win the football game and that's what counts. I think our football team understands that."
One week after a gut-wrenching last-minute loss to Denver on a deflected pass that went for a touchdown in their opener, the Bengals nearly outdid themselves by blowing a 10-point lead in the final minute Sunday.
The Packers (1-1) kicked a late field goal to cut the lead to a touchdown, then recovered an onside kick.
"The crowd cheered and I was like, 'Come on, now,'" linebacker Rey Maualuga said. "It was kind of deja vu all over again. But with the defense out there, everyone holding their ground, we did a great job."
Rodgers then marched the Packers to the Cincinnati 10-yard line with the clock running down, but Green Bay was called for the false start to end the game. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said officials told him the call was on wide receiver Greg Jennings.
"I was surprised by that, to say the least," McCarthy said.
The Bengals were cruising to a win until then, breaking a 21-all tie when Chad Ochocinco caught a 13-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer in the third quarter and delivered on his promise to perform a "Lambeau leap."
Ochocinco ran toward the stands and spotted a small group of fans in Bengals orange in the front row near the end zone, then leaped into them -- just like players from the home team do after they score.
"It was fun," Ochocinco said. "I had a little indecision on where to jump at first. I didn't want to disrespect their tradition, so I was asking as I went along the line. I saw some Bengals fans that said it was OK."
Defensive end Antwan Odom tied a single-game team mark with five sacks, four of which came after Packers left tackle Chad Clifton injured his ankle and was carted off early in the third quarter.
Pass protection also was an issue in the Packers' Week 1 victory over Chicago.
"He's a good player," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "But we've got to protect better, myself included."
Rodgers couldn't pull off another comeback after beating the Bears on a late touchdown pass to Jennings last Sunday. Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 261 yards and a touchdown and Jennings was held without a catch.
Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards for the Bengals, and wondered afterward if the Packers came into Sunday's game overconfident.
"Maybe a little, but you can't blame them," Benson said. "They beat a very stout Bears team last week at home and I think they were feeling pretty good. But we're men on this side of the football as well."
Palmer was 15 of 23 for 185 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, both by Green Bay's Charles Woodson. Woodson returned one 37 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.
But that was about the only highlight of a disappointing day for the Packers' defense.
"For whatever reason, it wasn't there," Woodson said. "We just couldn't get stops."
Palmer blamed himself for the interceptions, and said he had confidence in the defense in the final minute.
"I kind of felt like it couldn't happen again," Palmer said. "It wasn't a feeling of 'here we go again' at all. I know our defense is too good. They have too much pride and weren't going to let that happen again."
Game notes
Clifton hurt his ankle and was carted off the field on the Packers' first possession of the second half. McCarthy classified the injury as a sprain after the game. ... Already without injured starting safety Atari Bigby, the Packers lost Nick Collins to a shoulder injury in the second quarter after a collision with teammate Johnny Jolly.
|
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 IND (2-0) |
7 |
6 |
0 |
14 |
27 |
 MIA (0-2) |
7 |
6 |
0 |
10 |
23 |
MIAMI -- While the Miami Dolphins' celebrities were making a Hollywood-style grand entrance, Peyton Manning slipped in a side door.
Manning threw two touchdown passes to take some sheen off the Dolphins' glitzy makeover under new owner Stephen Ross, and the Indianapolis Colts came from behind four times to win 27-23 Monday night.
The Dolphins rolled out an orange carpet for the pregame arrival of Ross' celebrity partners. The crowd included Serena and Venus Williams, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Buffett and Colts rooter Tiger Woods.
But Manning stole the show with touchdown passes of 80 yards to Dallas Clark and 48 yards to Pierre Garcon. The first came score on the first play from scrimmage, the latter with 3:18 left for the game's final points.
Manning finished 14 for 23 for 303 yards, and the Colts improved to 2-0. The Dolphins fell to 0-2 even though they had 239 yards rushing, including 107 with the wildcat.
Indianapolis had the ball for only 14:53, the lowest time of possession for a winning team in the NFL since 1977.
Indy trailed 10-7, 13-10 and 20-13, but each time pulled even. Down 23-20 after Miami scored with 3:50 left, the Colts rallied one more time.
Manning threw completions of 15 and 17 yards, then hit Garcon with a short pass on the right side. Garcon cut to the middle, then broke back toward to the corner of the end zone to score.
Miami reached the Colts' 30-yard line with 6 seconds left, but Chad Pennington's desperation pass was intercepted in the end zone by Antoine Bethea.
The Dolphins were 15 for 21 on third-down conversions, punted once, didn't commit a turnover until the final play and controlled the ball for a team-record 45 minutes. They had to wonder how they lost.
The answer: Manning. He earned his 119th victory with the Colts, breaking the team record for a quarterback he shared with Johnny Unitas.
Miami's Ronnie Brown rushed for 136 yards, including 62 in the wildcat, taking a direct snap each time. Teammate Ricky Williams added 69 yards rushing.
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 HOU (1-1) |
7 |
17 |
7 |
3 |
34 |
 TEN (0-2) |
14 |
10 |
7 |
0 |
31 |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Don't call the Houston Texans a finesse team. Not after standing toe to toe with the Tennessee Titans and pulling a victory out of a slugfest.
|
|
Matt Schaub trumped Chris Johnson's career day by throwing for four touchdowns to go with 357 yards. Kris Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal in the closing minutes, and the Texans ruined the Titans' home opener with a 34-31 victory Sunday.
Johnson scored three touchdowns and ran for 197 yards.
The Texans spent the past week answering questions about their toughness after being embarrassed by the New York Jets 24-7 in their home opener. Coach Gary Kubiak said the win didn't answer any questions about Houston's toughness, though what he liked best Sunday was how Houston battled back after trailing 21-7 early in the second quarter.
"It says a lot about what your guys stand for," Kubiak said.
The celebration inside the Texans' locker room easily could be heard outside before the doors opened. Schaub said there will always be questions from outsiders.
"This shows what kind of team we are and what we're becoming and what our mentality is. We had to go out and play four quarters against a very good football team," Schaub said.
The Texans (1-1) won their first game in the month of September since Sept. 16, 2007, and just their second ever in Nashville.
"It started off ugly, but we talked last night as a team and we said all we have was each other," Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson said. "No one was giving us a chance to win this game."
They also sent the Titans (0-2) skidding a different direction after starting 10-0 last season.
"We've got some work to do," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
After Brown kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2:55 left, the defending AFC South champs had one last chance -- until Kerry Collins dropped the ball with 1:32 left and Jeff Zgonina recovered for Houston.
That ruined Chris Johnson's career day. He also had 87 yards receiving.
The game was a shootout with the score tied four different times -- and a slugfest with Titans defensive tackle Jason Jones ejected for throwing a punch in a sideline scrum in the fourth quarter. He left to cheers from fans upset with the officiating.
"I was told he went into the bench swinging, and if he does he should be kicked out and should be fined substantially if he did it," Fisher said. "I have to find out. I didn't see it."
Houston sacked Collins once and intercepted him once. But Collins bobbled the ball all by himself trying to help the Titans answer back. The Texans earned their second straight victory -- and just fourth overall -- over the team they replaced in Houston.
"You hate to let these get away," Collins said. "We all had a part in this one, including myself. ... There at the end I needed to make a play, and I didn't do it."
Tennessee kept Steve Slaton from reaching 100 yards on its defense for a third straight game, holding him to 34 yards on 17 carries. But the Titans couldn't get to Schaub enough, and he repeatedly found open receivers downfield. Schaub threw two TDs to Andre Johnson and was 25-of-39 as Houston looked like the offense that was the NFL's third-best in 2008.
The Titans outgained Houston 449-420 but couldn't move the ball when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.
They thought they had come up with a big turnover when Jacoby Jones bobbled a punt off his chest and rookie Jason McCourty recovered in the air inside the Texans 10 at the end of the third quarter. But Jones had signaled for a fair catch, and with the ball bouncing off his chest, officials ruled interference and gave the ball to Houston.
That brought fans to their feet, furious. Almost unnoticed was punter Craig Hentrich hurting his left calf on the play.
Tennessee forced Houston to go three-and-out. With Hentrich the holder on field goals, that might be why the Titans went for it on fourth-and-6. Collins' pass to Justin Gage was caught out of bounds.
The Titans had to punt midway through the fourth deep in their own end, and kicker Rob Bironas came through with a 40-yard punt.
Schaub responded with a nine-play drive over 63 yards in which he converted a fourth-and-inches by running himself. Then Brown's field goal gave Houston a lead it wouldn't lose again.
The Titans threatened to blow Houston out of the stadium early, jumping ahead 21-7 after Chris Johnson scored 57 yards up the left sideline untouched on third-and-19. Then Collins tossed a short pass to Johnson, who lined up out left and was waving for the ball he was so open. No one came close as he went 69 yards, and he added a 91-yard TD in the third.
But Houston bounced back with 17 straight points.
Game notes
LG Chester Pitts sprained his right knee and will be evaluated in Houston. ... This was Houston's second-largest come-from-behind victory. Both have come against Tennessee and in Nashville. ... The Texans improved to 3-9 in September under Kubiak. Their last September win had been at Carolina. ... Andre Johnson had needed only 10 catches to reach 500 for his career. He finished with 10 for 149 yards. ... Johnson's 91-yard TD run matched the franchise record set by Sid Blanks on Dec. 13, 1964, against the Jets.
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
T |
 ARI (1-1) |
10 |
14 |
7 |
0 |
31 |
 JAC (0-2) |
3 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
17 |
Warner completed his first 15 passes and broke the NFL's single-game record for completion percentage, and the Arizona Cardinals dominated the Jaguars in a 31-17 victory Sunday.
|
|
"Kurt's found the fountain of youth somewhere," teammate Larry Fitzgerald said. "I don't know where it is, but we're blessed to have his services. He played error-free football to put our offense in a great position. When he's back there in that kind of rhythm, it's hard to deal with him."
Jacksonville trailed 24-3 after two quarters -- the largest halftime deficit at home in team history -- and was down 28 points before mounting a mild comeback.
The only good news for the Jaguars (0-2)? Hardly anyone in Jacksonville saw it. The game was blacked out on local television, and the stands were half full.
They missed Warner put on quite a show for Arizona (1-1). He was 24 of 26 passing for 243 yards, with two touchdowns, no turnovers and no sacks. He was much sharper than he was last week, when he threw two interceptions and was sacked three times.
"It was nice the way I played last week to come back and have this kind of game," Warner said.
Warner tied Jake Plummer's franchise record by opening the game with 15 consecutive completions. By completing 92.3 percent of his passes, he broke the previous NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde in 1993. Testaverde, playing for Cleveland, completed 21 of 23 passes against the Los Angeles Rams.
"We didn't let nothing go over the top," Jaguars cornerback Rashean Mathis said. "If he would hit 20 balls deep, then that's something we don't want to be a part of. But we wanted him to check the ball down. We just have to tackle better."
Warner hooked up with Jason Wright for a 5-yard score late in first half, then found Larry Fitzgerald for a 22-yarder to make it 31-3 late in the third.
Not wanting to risk injury, coach Ken Whisenhunt replaced Warner with former first-round draft pick Matt Leinart. But Leinart struggled, and Jacksonville rallied.
David Garrard found Marcedes Lewis for a touchdown on third-and-long, then hooked up with Mike Sims-Walker for a score on a fourth-down play that made it 31-17.
With the Jaguars driving, Warner started getting ready. But Garrard's fourth-down pass into the end zone bounced off Nate Hughes' shoulder pads.
"I just missed it," Hughes said, holding back tears. "I saw it. I just missed it. I can't even explain it. Very disappointed. I was pretty much hoping to get another chance the next drive, just get another shot."
The Cards finally celebrated after Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted Garrard's pass with 2:25 to play.
"Obviously, we weren't making the plays necessary to continue drives," Garrard said. "We can't keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We were the ones pretty much stopping ourselves."
Jacksonville's biggest problem might have been a questionable non-call. Officials didn't whistle pass interference on Adrian Wilson in the second quarter. Wilson hit Torry Holt just before Garrard's third-down pass got there, but no flags were thrown.
So instead of Jacksonville getting a first down, Josh Scobee lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt that would have cut the deficit to 10-6. Calais Campbell blocked the kick, and Antrel Rolle scooped up the loose ball and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown and a 17-3 lead.
"Once I had the ball in my hands, I knew I could take it the distance," Rolle said.
It wasn't all good for Rolle. He had one of nine fumbles in a sloppy game. Arizona had five of them -- all in the first half.
Maybe it was the heat and humidity or just East Coast jitters. After all, the Cards went 0-5 on the East Coast in the 2008 regular season.
"This was a good win for us, especially a 1 o'clock game on the East Coast, which is something that hasn't been done in a long time," Whisenhunt said. "I know there were a lot of crazy plays, but I like the way our team responded on both sides of the ball."
Warner barely got touched, and the one time he did, the play was negated because of an offsides penalty.
The Jaguars were even more inept on offense -- at least until they hit desperation mode. Rookie tackles Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton struggled again. Sims-Walker caught six passes for 106 yards. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 66 yards. Garrard was 23 of 43 for 282 yards.
But he was sacked four times and fumbled three times, and the Jags had three turnovers and eight penalties.
"As an offense, you can't sputter like that," Jones-Drew said. "That's what we did. We have to find a way. It comes down to us manning up and assuming the blame and looking in the mirror and see what you have to do better as a man to change."
Game notes
Jaguars CB Derek Cox (concussion) and WR Troy Williamson (shoulder) left the game and did not return. Cards RT Levi Brown left with a sprained left ankle, but returned. ... Cards rookie RB Beanie Wells had two of the nine fumbles. ... Jacksonville's worst halftime deficit came on Dec. 17, 1995, at Detroit. The Jags trailed 27-0.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- With a huge lead, an NFL record and a sore right shoulder, Kurt Warner headed to the bench late in the third quarter against Jacksonville. He never expected he might have to re-enter the game.