ST. LOUIS -- Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes and ran for another, and the Green Bay Packers sent the St. Louis Rams to their 13th straight loss -- now the longest streak in the NFL -- with a 36-17 victory Sunday.

Rodgers was 13 for 23 for 269 yards in the first road game of the season for Green Bay (2-1). After being sacked a league-high 10 times in the first two games and playing behind a patchwork offensive line, Rodgers was sacked just twice, both times in the first quarter by Leonard Little.

The Rams (0-3) have lost 30 of 35 since the start of the 2007 season. With Detroit's 19-14 win over Washington ending the Lions' 19-game skid, St. Louis' losing streak is now the longest.

Rodgers and Greg Jennings hooked up on passes of 50 and 53 yards that set up touchdowns for Green Bay. Rodgers had a 46-yard pass to Donald Driver that set up another score, and he scored on a 4-yard run.

"It's the big plays on defense that kill you and the turnovers -- we didn't get any takeaways," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said after his first home game since taking over as coach.

Jennings' two catches were all he had, but they combined for a 103 yards. Driver had four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown. Ryan Grant carried 26 times for 99 yards.

"Big plays equal points in this league," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "We say it every week. It was evident today.

"We have the ability to play that way."

Kyle Boller, who played three quarters after Marc Bulger bruised his shoulder, was 16 for 31 for 164 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for St. Louis. Steven Jackson carried 27 times for 117 yards and had five catches for 46 yards.

Bulger was 3 for 4 for 23 yards before he was hurt on a sack late in the first quarter.

Sloppy play put the Rams in an early hole, with Green Bay's Mason Crosby kicking first-quarter field goals of 48, 38 and 25 yards. The first was set up by a blocked field goal, the second by Aaron Kampman's sack of Bulger at the St. Louis 15 -- apparently the play on which Bulger was hurt -- and the third on Jackson's fumble at the St. Louis 11 on the first play of the next possession.

The Packers made it 16-0 in the second quarter, the key play Rodgers' long pass to Driver to the St. Louis 30. Fullback John Kuhn scored three plays later on a 1-yard run.

Boller replaced Bulger and gave life to the Rams, who had scored just seven points in the previous two games. He threw second-quarter touchdown passes of 16 and 19 yards to backup tight end Daniel Fells.

Sandwiched between those scores was another Green Bay touchdown on a 21-yard pass from Rodgers to Driver, set up by a 50-yard pass to Jennings.

The Rams got within six on Josh Brown's 53-yard third quarter field goal, but Rodgers and Jennings combined for a 53-yard pass play early in the fourth quarter, and Rodgers ran untouched from the 4 four plays later to make it 29-17.

After an interception, Green Bay scored on Rodgers' 10-yard pass to Kuhn late in the fourth quarter.

Game notes
The sellout crowd appeared to be made up largely of Rams fans, unlike the last time the teams met here in 2007, when the mix was closer to 50-50. ... Spagnuolo said further evaluation will be needed before he knows if Bulger, WR Laurent Robinson (ankle) and S James Butler (knee) will miss any time. ... The Rams retired the No. 75 of Los Angeles Rams great Deacon Jones in a ceremony prior to the game.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brett Favre still has quite the winning touch.

Greg Lewis leaped for a 32-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone to lift Minnesota to a 27-24 victory over the stunned San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, keeping the Vikings unbeaten.

An official review upheld Lewis's unbelievable catch with 2 seconds left, sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy. Some of the fans had already left after two unsuccessful possessions prior to that against a stingy 49ers defense. More of them booed a few times during the second half as the offense struggled to move the ball, and many Favre's passes were badly off target.

But they were sure on at the end, during an 80-yard drive that ate up 87 of the 89 seconds that remained when the Vikings (3-0) got the ball back. Favre completed six passes during the drive and finished 24 for 47 for 301 yards, two scores and his first interception, though he could've had a few more of the latter.

The 45 attempts were the most by Favre since Nov. 11, 2007, when he beat the Vikings while with the Green Bay Packers by going 33 for 46 for 351 yards and three touchdowns.

Save for a handful of clutch completions on this afternoon, including a perfectly placed 30-yard touchdown pass to Sidney Rice on a skinny post route in the first quarter, Favre did not look sharp.

He took two delay-of-game penalties. He took some body blows, too, including a late hit by Justin Smith in the second quarter from which Favre got up gingerly and showed discomfort in his left leg.

He was healthy enough later to throw a third-down pass from his own end zone to Bernard Berrian for a 36-yard gain and sprint upfield past a zig-zagging Berrian to put his body into linebacker Patrick Willis for a block at the end of that run.

But until the end, Favre was being beaten by Shaun Hill, a former Minnesota third-stringer who threw two touchdown passes to tight end Vernon Davis. The second one was a 20-yard toss over three defenders that lifted San Francisco (2-1) to a 24-20 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

One subplot to this game, a matchup of the NFC's top two runners, disappeared quickly.

Frank Gore sprained his right ankle on San Francisco's second series and, after X-rays revealed no broken bones, didn't return. Adrian Peterson was more productive than his career-worst 3-yard performance of two years ago against the 49ers, but he again found holes in San Francisco's 3-4 defense difficult to find with Willis chasing him from side to side.

Peterson finished with 85 yards on 19 carries.

The Vikings trailed at the half for the third straight week, the result of a stunning end to the second quarter after Ryan Longwell lined up for a 44-yard field goal attempt that would've put them up by nine points. Ray McDonald pushed through the line for the block, and Nate Clements picked up the ball for a 59-yard touchdown to put the Niners up 14-13.

After allowing an NFL-record seven special teams scores last year, the Vikings have given up two more this season.

They can answer them at least, though. Rookie Percy Harvin produced a 101-yard kickoff return in the third quarter, putting Minnesota back in front 20-17.

Somehow, Harbaugh convinced his players that the winless Browns could actually pull off an upset. He stressed the importance of treating this game as if it was a tossup, and insisted that a complete performance was necessary for Baltimore to remain unbeaten.

Taking that notion to heart, the Ravens gained control from the outset Sunday and cruised to a 34-3 victory.

"They understood this game for what it was and they took care of business," Harbaugh said. "And they did it right out of the gate."

Baltimore (3-0) ended Cleveland's first drive with an interception, then converted the turnover into a touchdown with less than five minutes elapsed. It turned out to be all the points Baltimore needed to beat the punchless Browns (0-3).

"Coach Harbaugh put in our heads that we've got to out and start fast and finish strong," said Ravens running back Willis McGahee, who scored on touchdown runs of 7 and 15 yards. "Right there, we sent a message to the Browns."

Joe Flacco threw for a career-high 342 yards to help the Ravens more than justify their role as a two-touchdown favorite.

"That's what you have to do as an NFL team. You can't take anybody more light than the other guy," Flacco said. "Cleveland had two losses and had a lot to play for. We knew that, so we had to make sure we came out ready to go from the beginning."

After Baltimore held the Browns to 78 yards while building a 20-0 halftime lead, Cleveland coach Eric Mangini pulled quarterback Brady Quinn in favor of Derek Anderson. The switch did nothing to turn around the fortune of a team that has been outscored 95-29 this season.

"I thought that at that point D.A. might be able to give us a spark. That's what I was hoping to accomplish coming out of halftime," Mangini said.

Quinn went 6 for 8 for 34 yards and an interception. Anderson, who lost his starting job to Quinn last year, was 11 for 19 for 92 yards and three interceptions.

"I was a little rusty. It's been a while since I've been out there," Anderson said.

Mangini wasn't ready to decide who will start next week against Cincinnati.

"We're going to look at it," he said. "I'll make the decision early [this] week."

The Browns have scored one offensive touchdown in their last nine games dating back to last year.

Not only is Mangini winless in his first season as Cleveland's head coach, but he received unwanted headlines by fining one of his players $1,701 for not paying the hotel bill for a $3 bottle of water.

ESPN.com reported Sunday that the NFL Players Association was going to contest the fines.

"I've dealt with a lot of football players over time and I feel very comfortable with my ability to deal with people," Mangini said. "I think it's an important thing to be able to teach and coach and to demand high expectations from the people that play for you, and that's something that I fundamentally believe in."

Harbaugh also expects plenty from his players, and usually gets the desired results.

"We came out really smoking, right out of the tunnel," he said

Flacco went 25 for 35 with a touchdown, and McGahee's two TDs gave him six in three games. Baltimore is 3-0 for only the second time in franchise history, thanks heavily to an offense that is averaging 34.3 points per game.

Derrick Mason caught five passes for 118 yards, including a 72-yard TD that made it 34-3 with 8:05 remaining. His third reception made him the 23rd player in NFL history with 800 career catches.

Cleveland played without running back Jamal Lewis (hamstring) and kicker Phil Dawson (leg). The Browns' lone score was a 29-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff with 14:55 left.

Baltimore set the tone when Domonique Foxworth intercepted a Quinn pass and McGahee followed with a touchdown run to make it 7-0. The 31-yard drive was extended when Flacco ran for 2 yards on a fourth-and-1.

The Ravens added two field goals, then covered 80 yards in eight plays -- seven of them passes by Flacco -- before McGahee ran in from the 15 for a 20-0 lead.

Anderson completed his first two passes, then threw an interception to set up Ray Rice's first career touchdown, a 9-yard run that made it 27-0.

Game notes
Jerome Harrison, who started in place of Lewis, finished with 52 yards, including a 17-yarder that was the longest against the Ravens this season. ... Brendon Ayanbadejo's third-quarter interception was his second in seven years in the NFL.

With rookie Matthew Stafford leading the way, Detroit ended a 19-game losing streak with a 19-14 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

The Lions (1-2) had not won since Dec. 23, 2007 and their skid matched the second longest in NFL history. They no longer will have to hear about closing in on Tampa Bay's record 26-game losing streak set during the 1976-77 seasons.

Stafford threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Johnson in the first quarter and Detroit added a fourth-quarter score after a pass interference penalty. Then the Lions had to hold off the Redskins' final drive.

When the game ended, the Lions earned a chance to celebrate nine months after becoming the first NFL team to finish 0-16 in the regular season.

Stafford didn't watch the final play, holding his head down on the bench.

After time expired, center Dominic Raiola blew kisses to the crowd of 40,896 that was the smallest at Ford Field and the fewest to watch a Lions home game in 20 years.

Washington (1-2) pulled within five points on Jason Campbell's second touchdown pass with 2:36 left in the game, but couldn't prevent the Lions from picking up a first down that ran time off the clock and cost it three timeouts.

The Redskins had their last of many chances to win from their 22 with 1:05 left and got to the Detroit 24 when time expired.

Washington wasted opportunities throughout to avoid the embarrassment of losing to the lowly Lions and embattled coach Jim Zorn will likely be pressed for answers as he was a week ago after an unimpressive 9-7 win over St. Louis.

The Lions built a 13-0 lead at halftime with Stafford's TD pass to Johnson, Jason Hanson's two field goals -- including one to end the first half -- and Washington's zero yards rushing.

A week after struggling inside the 10 and barely beating the Rams, Washington was held scoreless on its opening drive despite a first-and-goal from the 9. Clinton Portis was denied on fourth down from the 1 by rookie linebacker DeAndre Levy, who started in Ernie Sims' place.

Detroit then drove 99 yards on 12 plays over nearly 6 minutes, capping the impressive drive with Johnson's fantastic catch on a high throw in the end zone from Stafford.

The Lions went ahead 10-0 -- as they did last week before losing to Minnesota -- on Hanson's 39-yard field goal midway through the second quarter. Hanson's 26-yard kick at the end of the first half gave the Lions a 13-0 lead.

Washington suddenly showed signs of life on offense in the second half, going 73 yards to pull within six points on Campbell's 57-yard pass to Santana Moss, but it was too late.

Zorn chose to punt on a fourth-and-3 from the Detroit 44 early in the fourth quarter and the Lions scored a TD on the ensuing possession to go ahead 19-7 with 5:26 left in the game.

The key moment of the pivotal drive came when Chris Horton was called for pass interference against Johnson, giving Detroit a 47-yard gain and the ball at the 1 to set up Maurice Morris' TD run.

Washington responded with a TD drive, but it allowed Stafford to connect with tight end Will Heller to convert a third down on the ensuing possession and hurt its chances of a comeback.

Jones-Drew had his first 100-yard game of the season and scored three touchdowns to lead the Jaguars over the mistake-prone Texans, 31-24 on Sunday.

Jones-Drew scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard run early in the fourth quarter and finished with 119 yards rushing.

"Each play we got better," Jones-Drew said. "Each time we got to the sideline we got better. We just kept believing in each other and that was the best thing about it ... they jumped out on us real quick. We just kept fighting back, fighting back. No one blinked."

Jacksonville became the third straight team to run over Houston's NFL-worst run defense. The Texans allowed 190 yards to the Jets, 240 to the Titans and 184 on Sunday.

"A loss is devastating regardless [but] especially so after what we did last week," Houston's Mario Williams said, referring to a 34-31 road win over the Tennessee Titans.

Houston (1-2) had several chances to tie the game. The last came when Chris Brown's goal line fumble was recovered by the Jaguars (1-2) in the end zone. The Texans challenged but Jacksonville kept the ball.

"When you let down all your teammates, you can't put it into words," a distraught Brown said.

The Texans had a touchdown nullified two plays earlier when Kevin Walter was called for offensive pass interference.

The Jaguars were driving with a seven-point lead and 4 1/2 minutes left when Houston's Dunta Robinson forced a fumble by Mike Sims-Walker. Zac Diles recovered and the play was challenged, but the ruling on the field stood and the Texans got the ball.

The Jaguars forced Houston into a three and out after Clint Ingram tripped Matt Schaub for the sack with about six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Ingram jumped around after the hit while the normally stoic Jack Del Rio broke into a huge smile.

Houston had a first down at the 17 but had to settle for a field goal that tied it at 24 in the third after Schaub's run on third down came up one yard short.

Jacksonville took the first drive of the second half 83 yards, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Jones-Drew to regain the lead, 24-21.

Del Rio was impressed with his team's halftime adjustments.

"They had kind of gone into the end of the first half there and taken some momentum," he said. "Our team responded well, getting the ball coming out of the half, going down and getting a score there and letting them know that we were here, on a mission and that we had the resolve to be in a dogfight and win this thing."

Schaub threw for 300 yards in the game and had three touchdowns in the first half, but couldn't get anything going after halftime.

He found Owen Daniels on an 2-yard reception for his third touchdown pass to put Houston ahead 21-17 at halftime.

Houston kept that drive going with an 11-yard end around by Walter on fourth-and-1 from inside the 20.

A week after Chris Johnson blew by Houston's defense for three touchdowns of more than 50 yards, Jones-Drew scored his first touchdown on a 61-yard run. The score put Jacksonville ahead 17-14 in the second quarter.

"We're giving up some big, big plays and struggling to stop somebody," Houston coach Gary Kubiak said.

Walter put Houston on top 14-10 with a 9-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. It was his first action of the season after sitting out the first two games with a hamstring injury.

Houston's Jacoby Jones scored for the second straight week on an 18-yard pass from Schaub that put the Texans up 7-3 in the first quarter. Jones lost his shoe on the catch before bounding over to his mother's front row seat behind the end zone for a hug.

Houston rookie Brian Cushing tipped one pass and broke up another, but a late hit penalty late in the third quarter helped propel the drive that put the Jaguars up 31-24.

Ernest Wilford looked to have scored on a 15-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter. Kubiak challenged the call and after review, officials ruled that Wilford stepped out of bounds at the 2-yard line.

Jacksonville didn't take long to put that score back on the board when David Garrard ran in for the touchdown on the next play to make it 10-7. Garrard finished 214 yards passing.

An interception by Rashean Mathis on Houston's first drive led to a 52-yard field goal by Josh Scobee in the first quarter.

Game notes
Jacksonville SS Sean Considine suffered a groin injury, but Del Rio wasn't sure of the extent of the injury after the game. ... Houston WR Andre Johnson finished with 86 yards receiving.

1 2 3 4 T ATL (2-1) 3 7 0 0 10 NWE (2-1) 3 10 3 10 26 FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady found a running mate and the Patriots finally got some balance in their inconsistent offense.

Fred Taylor ran for 105 yards and one touchdown and Brady was content to hand off rather than throw the ball 50 times, his average for his first two games.

"You want to be balanced going into games, but some situations don't allow for it," Taylor said after New England beat the Atlanta Falcons 26-10 on Sunday. "You want to establish that momentum and look over across the ball and see the frustration in the defensive guys' eyes."

New England (2-1) hadn't seen that much in a 25-24 comeback win over the Buffalo Bills and a 16-9 loss to the New York Jets.

On Sunday, they ran 39 times and threw 43 passes but settled for field goals on four trips into the red zone against Atlanta (2-1), although Brady threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Chris Baker midway through the fourth quarter.

The Patriots defense held Tony Gonzalez to one catch that came early in the fourth quarter.

"They did the same thing they always do to me, 'bracket coverage,' " Gonzalez said. "If I get single coverage I am going to make them pay for it eventually."

New England wanted to shut out one of the top tight ends in NFL history.

"The plan was for him to not have any catches and he had one," safety Brandon McGowan joked, "so obviously the plan failed."

Not quite.

"The way they were trying to defend us, the reads took it in a different direction," Falcons coach Mike Smith said, "but we have enough weapons on the offense [to adjust] if they defend us one way."

Those weapons also lacked pop.

Michael Turner managed just 56 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and Matt Ryan completed 17 of 28 passes for 199 yards and no touchdowns on his return to the area where he starred at Boston College. But he had never been to Gillette Stadium.

"When you go somewhere, you have to produce," Ryan said. "So it doesn't make a difference."

The Falcons totaled just 257 yards. That lowered the Patriots average yield to 262.3 yards per game. Not bad for a defense that lost six of last year's starters through trades or retirements and played without nose tackle Vince Wilfork after he hurt his left ankle in the first half.

"They still have a lot of good football players," Atlanta wide receiver Brian Finneran said.

The Patriots offense had plenty of trouble in the red zone where they settled for four field goals by Stephen Gostkowski. Brady completed just 3 of 10 passes inside the Atlanta 20, but Gostkowski connected from 21, 33, 22 and 33 yards.

"We can't keep kicking field goals, I know that," Brady said.

The last field goal made it 19-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter before Brady hit Baker on the right side of the end zone.

Atlanta scored on two of its first three possessions with a 26-yard field goal by Jason Elam and a 2-yard run by Turner, who averaged 106 yards rushing last year and 85 in two games this year.

Brady completed 25 of 42 passes for 277 yards and no interceptions and faced much less pressure than he did in his first two games.

The Patriots took advantage of a shanked 29-yard punt by Michael Koenen that gave them the ball at their 49 and led to a 10-3 lead. The drive ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by Taylor, who carried the ball for 41 yards on the last four plays.

The Falcons tied it 10-10 on Turner's 2-yard run on the next series midway through the second quarter. Atlanta kept the ball after an on-field ruling that the Patriots had recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown was overturned. Replays showed clearly that Ryan's arm was going forward and the play was ruled an incomplete pass.

The Falcons did lose a fumble on their next possession. James Sanders picked up the loose ball after a 4-yard run by Turner, giving New England the ball at the Atlanta 27. But after Brady threw three straight incompletions, the Patriots managed just a go-ahead 33-yard field goal by Gostkowski 20 seconds before halftime.

"There are a lot of new faces in the locker room," Baker said. "We're still developing and we still have a pretty explosive offense."

Each team gained 179 yards in the first half, but the Patriots held a 266-78 advantage after that.

"We were making plays in the second half we weren't making in the previous weeks," New England running back Sammy Morris said. "It was directly related to making the third-and-shorts and fourth-and-shorts. The offense is able to stay on the field and you're able to get more things accomplished."

Game notes
Randy Moss caught 10 passes for 116 yards. His 61 games with at least 100 yards receiving are second most in NFL history to Jerry Rice's 76. ... The Falcons converted just 2 of 9 third-down plays. The Patriots went 8-for-18 on third downs and 3-for-3 on fourth downs. ... Michael Jenkins led Atlanta with 8 catches for 78 yards.

 Reviving a dominant rushing attack offensively and stopping the run defensively were major priorities Sunday, and the New York Giants did both during a 24-0 rout of the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A week after giving up 251 yards on the ground and needing a field goal as time expired to beat Dallas, the defending NFC East champions (3-0) pushed the sputtering Bucs (0-3) around from start to finish.

"We had a couple of objectives coming in here," coach Tom Coughlin said after Manning threw for two touchdowns and Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw led a resurgence of a powerful ground attack that was absent the previous two weeks.

"We had a game in which we didn't play very well against the run, so we knew that we would be tested and we would have to rise up and do a better job there," Coughlin said. "We also knew we needed to rush the ball better than we had, so we did a pretty good job with that."

Tampa Bay, which has lost seven straight dating to an 0-4 December that cost it a playoff berth last season, was outgained 397 yards to 86 and did not have a first down until late in the third quarter.

It was the Giants' first shutout since a 36-0 home victory over Washington in October 2005. They hadn't blanked an opponent on the road since beating Philadelphia 23-0 in November 1983.

"They beat us down," said Tampa Bay's first-year coach Raheem Morris, who's still looking for his first win.

"We were beat by a grown-man team, a team we want to be like one day," the NFL's youngest head coach added. "They came in here and took it to us. Out-manned us, out-gunned us. ... It wasn't even close."

Manning completed 14 of 24 passes for 161 yards, following up on an impressive performance in a dramatic 33-31 victory at Dallas the previous week. He led a game-winning drive in the closing minutes, producing Lawrence Tynes' 37-yard field goal as time expired.

The New York star left this one after his 18-yard TD pass to Sinorice Moss put the Giants up 24-0 early in the fourth quarter. Backup David Carr and an injury-depleted defense finished up, with New York perserving a shutout by stopping the Bucs on downs at the Giants' 5 with five minutes to go.

"Our defense was very, very, very impressive," Jacobs said. "I knew they would come out with a chip on their shoulder."

Manning also threw a 4-yard TD pass to Steve Smith in the second quarter, and Jacobs scored on a 6-yard run to complete an 80-yard drive on New York opening possession of the game. New York also had scoring marches of 72, 66 and 64 yards, and wound up dominating time of possession 43 minutes, 38 seconds to 16:22.

The Giants ran for 226 yards after gaining an even 200 in their first two games against the Cowboys and Washington Redskins. Bradshaw gained 104 on 14 carries, and Jacobs finished with 92 yards on 26 attempts.

New York, meanwhile, limited the Bucs to to 28 yards rushing on 10 carries. Derrick Ward, who ran for 1,025 yards for the Giants last season, started against former team and was held to 2 yards on five attempts.

"It was disappointing, a little bit embarrassing," Bucs receiver Michael Clayton said. "We have to play better."

For the third straight week, the Bucs fell behind and were taken out of their game plan, which is to run the ball in hopes of controlling the ball and wearing down opponents, particularly on hot, humid days at home.

The Giants flipped the script by running 40 plays to Tampa Bay's 14 in the opening half, outgaining the Bucs 215 yards to 19 and amassing a 14-0 edge in first downs while averaging just under 6 yards per carry on the ground.

New York's Justin Tuck played, despite a left shoulder injury suffered the previous week when tripped by the Cowboys' Flozell Adams, although the argument could be made that it was a day the Giants defense didn't really need him.

Tuck replacement Mathias Kiwanuka hit Byron Leftwich as he released a pass that was intercepted by Terrell Thomas -- starting in place of injured cornerback Aaron Ross -- in the first quarter.

Leftwich was replaced in the fourth quarter and going just 7-of-16 for 22 yards and one interception. Backup Josh Johnson led a promising drive, but the Bucs couldn't avoid being shutout for the first time since losing the 2006 season opener 27-0 to Baltimore.

Tampa Bay had five first downs, matching the fewest in franchise history.

"We have no choice but to get better than this performance," Morris said. "You get five first downs and you're 0-for-9 on third down. You have 86 yards total offense. It was completely disastrous."

Game notes
Smith led the Giants with seven receptions for 63 yards. ... The Bucs also were held to five first downs by Green Bay on Dec. 1, 1985 and San Diego on Sept. 19, 1976. ... Tampa Bay receiver Antonio Bryant played after not practicing much of the week because of a sore knee. He had one catch for 6 yards.

Then came the fourth quarter, and David Harris and his stingy teammates were back to being dominant.

Harris had an interception and a big sack on Tennessee's last two drives, and Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes and bulldozed his way in for another as the Jets stayed undefeated by holding on for a 24-17 victory over the Titans on Sunday.

"They kind of got the momentum on their side and we hit a little bit of a slump," nose tackle Kris Jenkins said. "It was just one of those things where at that point, we understood we had to rally and I think we showed everybody that we were going to still get it together."

They sure did, shutting down the Titans with the game on the line -- twice.

Sanchez became the first rookie quarterback to start a season and win in his first three games, helping the Jets to the fourth 3-0 start in franchise history. Rex Ryan also joined Al Groh (2000) as the only Jets coaches to win their first three games.

"I'd like to say that this is exactly what I predicted, but we played three outstanding football teams," Ryan said. "We're 3-0 right here. Maybe that says something about us."

New York's defense, which came in ranked No. 1, allowed its first touchdowns of the season. But the Jets turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter and stopped Kerry Collins, who was 0 for his last 13 as the Titans fell to 0-3.

"No panic stage, nothing," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "We're going to keep working."

After Chris Hope picked off Sanchez, the Titans got the ball back with a chance to tie. Five plays later, Harris stepped in front of a pass intended for Alge Crumpler to squash the drive.

The Jets couldn't put it away, though, going four-and-out after a holding penalty. But, the defense -- and another loud Meadowlands crowd -- was there again to bail out New York.

"For anybody out there who thinks that this is a gimmick defense and can't play smashmouth," linebacker Bart Scott said, "how dare you."

After a 12-yard run by Chris Johnson and an incompletion, the Titans had a false start. Harris then sacked Collins for an 8-yard loss to push Tennessee back to its 33. Collins then misfired on his last two pass attempts to seal it for the Jets.

"He made two great plays," cornerback Darrelle Revis said of Harris. "He needs to get more credit for his play."

Sanchez finished 17 of 30 for 171 yards and TD tosses to Jerricho Cotchery and Ben Hartsock. Collins was 15 of 37 for 170 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions.

"It's frustrating," Collins said. "By no means can we start pointing fingers and start pushing panic buttons. We've just got to stay together and keep believing in what we are doing and we'll get it turned around."

Johnson had 97 yards on 22 carries a week after he set a career high with 197 yards rushing.

New York took a 21-17 lead after Ryan Mouton muffed a punt and the ball was recovered by Larry Izzo. Four plays later, Sanchez found Cotchery in the front of the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.

Jay Feely added a 30-yard field goal to make it 24-17 with 11:36 remaining.

The Jets took a quick lead, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions, including an impressive run by Sanchez.

Facing third-and-10 from the 14, Sanchez took off and took a hard shot from Michael Griffin, but pushed through into the end zone.

"That felt pretty good," Sanchez said with a grin. "That was a big-time hit on the goal line."

The ball came out, but after it crossed the goal line.

"I hadn't had a rushing touchdown probably since high school," Sanchez said, "at least a long rushing touchdown, and 14 is long for me."

Scott ripped Griffin for failing to make the play.

"I think that guy should be embarrassed," Scott said. "Maybe Sanchez's post-rookie player card should have that runover on the end of it. He should be embarrassed. They should make it a Fathead."

Collins gave the Titans a 17-14 lead 3:26 into the second half when he hit Nate Washington for 9-yard touchdown.

With New York leading 7-0, Mouton returned a kickoff 14 yards before he was hit by Jason Trusnik, who forced the ball out and recovered it at the Jets 19. New York capitalized from the 2 when Sanchez faked a handoff to Thomas Jones and threw to a wide-open Hartsock, who scored his first career touchdown.

Game notes
The Jets were wearing their 1960 Titans of New York mustard yellow and navy uniforms, while the Titans wore their Houston Oilers' powder blue and white duds in honor of the 50th anniversary of the AFL's inaugural season. ... Fisher said safety Vincent Fuller broke his right arm late in the first quarter. ... Sanchez's TD run was the longest by a Jets quarterback since Richard Todd had a 16-yard scramble in 1980.

Getting significant contributions from their youngsters and backups, the Philadelphia Eagles routed the Kansas City Chiefs 34-14 in Vick's return to the NFL on Sunday.

The Eagles didn't need much from Vick and they got nothing from Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, who both sat out with injuries.

Kevin Kolb threw for 327 yards and two touchdowns, LeSean McCoy had 84 yards rushing and one TD, and DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek each had 100-plus yards receiving and one score for Philadelphia (2-1).

Kolb became the first quarterback to throw for 300 yards in his first two career starts. While he did most of the work, Vick got all the attention.

Playing his first regular-season game since Dec. 31, 2006 -- 1,001 days ago -- Vick ran once for 7 yards and threw two incomplete passes.

"It's a different role, but it is what it is," Vick said. "It was a small look. We have so much in store for the future."

Vick will have more chances to display the skills that earned him the Superman nickname back when he was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons. For now, he's content doing whatever it takes to help the Eagles win.

"It's a different scenario. It's hard. I haven't been in this before," he said. "I tell myself to stay loose and be ready for whenever they call my number and play within the framework of the offense."

McNabb missed his second straight game with a broken rib. Westbrook sat out with a sore ankle. It was no problem against the Chiefs (0-3). Kolb, a third-year pro, and McCoy, a rookie second-round pick, filled in nicely.

"We recognized that Donovan and Westbrook were out," Kolb said. "It was an opportunity for us to prove why they drafted us. We focused on dominating them."

Vick, who served 18 months in prison on a federal dogfighting charge, didn't have to wait long to get on the field. He entered to a semi-standing ovation for the second play from scrimmage, was split wide as receiver and came around for a fake reverse.

Overall, Vick got in for 11 plays. He lined up at receiver once, took the snap in shotgun formation nine times and was directly under center once. Kolb was on the sideline for the 10 plays Vick was in at QB.

Vick was expected to run Philadelphia's version of the wildcat offense, but McCoy took most of those snaps.

With Vick on the field, the Eagles gained a net total of 30 yards. They got 390 without him. Or McNabb. Or Westbrook.

"We wanted to gradually get him in and get him back to game speed and knock some rust off," Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Vick.

Matt Cassel threw for 90 yards and two TDs for Kansas City. The Chiefs remained winless under new coach Todd Haley.

"We have the talent to compete with anyone," Cassel said. "We just have to eliminate the bad football and the penalties."

Jackson finished with a career-high 149 yards receiving, including a 64-yard TD. Celek had 104 yards on eight catches.

The normally pass-happy Eagles were more balanced during their first two scoring drives. After Kolb connected with Jason Avant for a 10-yard gain on third-and-6, three straight running plays moved the ball to the Chiefs 5.

Then Vick, who had a 7-yard run on his second snap, fired a pass out of bounds under heavy pressure and took a hard hit. McCoy took the next snap in the wildcat and ran in for his first career TD to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

Kolb hit Jackson for 43 yards on the next possession to move the Eagles into Kansas City territory. Vick handed off to McCoy for an 11-yard run on his only play during the series. Kolb sneaked in from the 1 to put Philadelphia ahead 14-0.

The Chiefs took advantage of good field position after the Eagles failed to convert a fourth-and-1 at Kansas City's 44. With Vick watching from the sideline, Kolb rolled out and his pass was knocked down by Mike Vrabel.

Cassel's 13-yard TD pass to Mark Bradley cut it to 14-7.

But the Eagles answered on their first play after the kickoff. Jackson turned Kolb's short pass over the middle into a 64-yard TD to make it 21-7. Jackson dove into the end zone and appeared to land awkwardly on his gimpy groin as he did a half split, but he stayed in.

Kolb zipped a 35-yard TD pass to Celek midway through the fourth quarter to put the game way out of reach.

Kolb threw for 391 yards, two TDs and three interceptions in a 48-22 loss to New Orleans last week. Kolb completed 24 of 34 passes and had a QB rating of 120.6 against the Chiefs.

Game notes
The Eagles inducted former QB Randall Cunningham and OL Al Wistert into the team's honor roll at halftime. ... Philadelphia improved to 5-6 the week before a bye under Reid. ... Jackson has four career 100-yard receiving games -- two last September and two this September. He's the first Eagles player to have TD receptions of 60-plus yards in consecutive games since Mike Quick in 1985. ... Celek is the first Eagles tight end to have consecutive 100-yard games since Pete Retzlaff in 1965.

The New Orleans Saints' overlooked defense proved pretty stout.

Will Smith had a sack and an interception to lead a Saints defense that held Terrell Owens without a catch for the first time since his rookie season in 1996 on the way to New Orleans' 27-7 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Running back Pierre Thomas sealed the win by scoring two touchdowns in the final 10 minutes and finished with a career-high 126 yards rushing -- all in the second half.

Brees finished 16-of-20 for 172 yards, ending an NFL-leading 22-game streak of throwing for 200 yards or more.

"Our defense played outstanding," Brees said. "Every time they stepped on the field, they just felt like the were going to shut them down."

New Orleans generated four sacks and prevented Buffalo (1-2) from registering a first down in its final five possessions.

The cherry on top was shutting out T.O., who failed to make a catch despite five passes thrown his way, ending a 185-game streak that was the longest of any active player. It was also the third-longest streak in NFL history, behind Marvin Harrison (stuck at 190) and Jerry Rice (274).

Owens' day got even worse after the game. On his way up the tunnel, T.O. was struck in the face and chest by a large bucket of popcorn thrown from the stands.

"I'm good. Just got to get ready for next week," Owens said.

As for the offense, his role in it and whether he's happy about the play-calling, Owens would only say: "I'm going with the plays that are called."

Owens was thrown to only once in the first half, when he bobbled a pass out of bounds at the right sideline. He had four passes go his way in the second half, including one up the right sideline that he failed to make a play on, even though he was partially open and the pass fell within 2 yards of him.

"We have to get him the football, obviously," coach Dick Jauron said of Owens. "Clearly he's a big part of the offense."

Trent Edwards finished 20-of-35 for 156 yards. The Bills marched into Saints territory only once on seven possessions in the second half, and that ended in a turnover.

Edwards attempted to force a pass to Owens in the right flat only to have cornerback Jabari Greer get a hand on it. The ball popped up into the air and directly into Smith's hands.

The only points the Bills scored came on a fake field goal early in the second quarter, when punter Brian Moorman rolled left and hit a wide-open defensive end Ryan Denney for a 25-yard touchdown.

The Saints went ahead for good late in the second quarter after New Orleans' Malcolm Jenkins stripped the ball from Roscoe Parrish on a punt return. The play led to John Carney's 27-yard field goal that put the Saints up 10-7. He also added one from 35 yards out.

New Orleans was only the fourth NFL team -- and first since the 1968 Raiders -- to score 45 points in each of their first two games. Brees, meanwhile, had matched an NFL record for throwing nine touchdowns. Two more against the Saints would have been a record for three games.

The Saints finally wore down the Bills by scoring 17 points on their final three possessions.

Thomas put the game away a little over five minutes into the fourth quarter by scoring on a 34-yard run to put the Saints up 17-7. Taking the ball on a sweep left, Thomas burst up the sideline, where he vaulted rookie safety Jairus Byrd, and then dragged cornerback Terrence McGee the final 5 yards into the end zone.

"This is a game that in the past would not have gone our way," Brees said. "It's the attitude. Once we got in the fourth quarter, offensively our attitude was every time we touch the ball we're getting points."

Game notes
Thomas also scored on a 19-yard run, Lynell Hamilton scored on a 1-yard plunge on the Saints' opening drive. ... Bills DE Aaron Schobel got his 70th career sack.

Cutler listened quietly. Then, with less than 2 minutes left and Chicago down by two, he obliged.

Cutler's miserable Bears debut two weeks ago became further forgotten when he completed all three of his passes on the decisive drive. The third was for 36 yards to Hester with 1:52 remaining, on the slant the receiver had requested, rallying the Bears to a 25-19 victory over the depleted Seattle Seahawks.

Cutler pumped his fists, hugged his linemen, and raised both arms triumphantly after the go-ahead score.

Exactly the scene the Bears envisioned when they traded a king's ransom to Denver to get him.

"I pride myself in that. I want the ball in those situations and I think this offense is starting to get a feel for it," Cutler said.

"Any time you can get Devin Hester one-on-one, it works."

Cutler overcame a malfunctioning helmet headset and a raucous Seattle crowd that made play calls hard to hear to complete 21 of 27 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception.

He also completed more than 70 percent of his throws last week against the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers -- a doubly strong response to the career-high four interceptions he threw in a loss on opening night at Green Bay.

"To me, you judge good quarterbacks based on what they can do late in the game, and Jay wants the ball in his hands," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "He had a good look about him knowing that we had to go down and score. We all had confidence that he would lead us."

Hester said he had "chitchatted" Cutler throughout the game, telling him "Hey, the slant's there."

Almost everything else was, too, for Cutler and Chicago (2-1) late against a defense that was missing two starting linebackers and two starting cornerbacks -- then lost a third when Ken Lucas missed the winning drive because he aggravated a groin injury.

When asked what Cutler's shown him since that messy debut in Green Bay two weeks ago, Hester said: "A lot of poise. There are situations when the game's not going to go our way, and he continues to be confident and telling us 'Stay in the game!'

"That's what this team is counting on."

The Seahawks (1-2) can no longer count on health, or home-field advantage. They missed quarterback Matt Hasselbeck because of a broken rib, plus six other starters, and lost for the seventh time in 10 home games.

Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, who set career highs with 26 completions, 44 attempts and 261 yards, converted a fourth-down pass and led Seattle drove to the Bears 29 with 30 seconds left. But Wallace then threw high and incomplete to Julius Jones on fourth-and-2.

Chicago was up 17-16 with 8 minutes left when Seahawks rookie linebacker Aaron Curry sped into Cutler's passing arm and knocked the ball loose. Cory Redding recovered the fumble at the Bears 39.

Olindo Mare, who was just 4 of 6 on field goals, converted the turnover into a 46-yard field goal. The Seahawks led 19-17 with 5:17 remaining.

The Bears answered by driving to the Seattle 36 by the 2-minute warning. Then Hester ran a slant route inside third-string cornerback Travis Fisher. Safety Deon Grant tried to level Hester but nailed Fisher instead. With both Seahawks on the turf, Hester trotted in for the go-ahead score.

The Seahawks debuted blinding, nuclear green jerseys. They should have been wearing ones with a red cross on them.

Nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones and three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lofa Tatupu were among the other starters missing. Six others played while banged up.

Yet Seattle jumped out to a 13-0 lead after 18 minutes. They blew it largely because of two turnovers in the second half.

A fumble by T.J. Houshmandzadeh after a catch set up Cutler's 7-yard touchdown pass to rookie Johnny Knox, who juked Curry to give Chicago its first lead at 14-13 early in the third quarter. Then an ill-advised interception by Wallace out of his own end zone to Lance Briggs at the Seahawks 14 led to a 37-yard field goal by Robbie Gould and a 17-13 lead for Chicago.

The two missed field goals by Mare inside 43 yards left the 36-year-old former Pro Bowler an endangered Seahawk.

"You've got to make those kicks, especially in a game like this when you're in a game like this kicking and fighting and scratching and playing your tail off and you miss those kicks," coach Jim Mora said, anger growing in his voice. "Not acceptable. Not acceptable. Absolutely not acceptable.

"We'll look at making a change everywhere. We're not going to play our [rears] off and have a field goal kicker go out there and miss two field goals and lose a game."

Game notes
Chicago lost Hunter Hillenmeyer, who was replacing Brian Urlacher, to a rib injury. Nick Roach got rave reviews as the latest replacement middle linebacker. ... LB David Hawthorne, who made his first career start for Tatupu, had 16 tackles -- tied for second-most in a Seahawks game.

 In five frenetic minutes, the Bengals earned some legitimacy and won back their town.

Carson Palmer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds left provided a 23-20 win Sunday that ended the Pittsburgh Steelers' nearly decade-long domination in Cincinnati, one that appeared set to go on indefinitely until the final drive.

"Priceless," offensive lineman Bobbie Williams said. "The past is the past. This is a new team and a new day."

For once, it was their day.

Pittsburgh (1-2) had won its last eight games on Cincinnati's home field. The last time the Bengals beat them at Paul Brown Stadium was 2001, when Chad Ochocinco was a rookie who rarely started and still went by the name of Johnson.

Ochocinco doesn't remember much from that long-ago game. The Bengals (2-1) won't soon forget this one.

The defending Super Bowl champs dominated most of the game but wasted chances to put the Bengals away. Jeff Reed missed another field goal, and Limas Sweed dropped a pass in the end zone, keeping it close to the end.

"If we score touchdowns in the first half, it's not even a game," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. "It's 24-0 or 24-3. It's not very good. You've got to put up seven points instead of 3s. That's how you finish a team off."

Instead, the Bengals finished them off.

Palmer led the Bengals on a 16-play, 71-yard drive against one of the league's best defenses, repeatedly converting there-or-else throws. His 11-yarder to running back Brian Leonard on fourth-and-10 moved the ball to the 4. After a spike to stop the clock, Palmer found Caldwell open in the middle of the end zone.

"We've got a quarterback who's comfortable at those points in the game," coach Marvin Lewis said. "He's got a calm about him."

It was reminiscent of Palmer's long touchdown drive at the end of the season opener against Denver, which the Broncos then salvaged with a tipped, 87-yard touchdown catch. This time, there would be no weirdness.

Ben Roethlisberger's final, frantic heave was knocked down, giving the Bengals a game they viewed as a chance to prove that they can contend in the AFC North.

"It's huge," defensive lineman Tank Johnson said. "This team is a very good football team. If we eliminate the immature mistakes, the sky is the limit."

Beating the Steelers at home was no small thing. Thousands of Steelers fans were sprinkled throughout the crowd of 64,538, waving their yellow towels almost nonstop as Pittsburgh dominated but repeatedly failed to take advantage of scoring chances.

And, in the end, the defense failed to make a play to finish off the Bengals, reminiscent of the way Pittsburgh missed two second-half field goals in Chicago, then let the Bears pull out a 17-14 win on a field goal with 15 seconds left.

"We strive to be a great defense and make those plays," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "If we don't start making them, it's going to be a long year."

When Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes had a miscommunication on the third play of the second half -- the quarterback made a quick throw, the receiver kept going -- cornerback Johnathan Joseph intercepted and ran 30 yards for a touchdown that made it a game.

Roethlisberger was 22-of-31 for 276 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown pass to Willie Parker and a 1-yard scoring sneak. He was sacked near midfield on a third-down play as Pittsburgh tried to protect a 20-15 lead, giving the Bengals one last chance with 5:14 to play.

All they needed.

"Indescribable," said Palmer, who was 20-of-37 for 183 yards. "The fans wanted it as much as we did, and it felt great to see those hands go up signaling a touchdown and hear them roar."

The Steelers hadn't started 1-2 since 2006, the last time they were coming off a Super Bowl win. They opened 1/3 that season and finished 8-8, missing out on the playoffs. With two straight last-minute losses, the Steelers are again finding out how tough it is to be a defending champ.

"We feel like we beat ourselves," Roethlisberger said.

Game notes
It was Roethlisberger's first loss as a Steelers QB in his native state of Ohio. He had been 11-0 in Cleveland and Cincinnati. ... Ward became the first Steeler to have 10,000 yards in catches during his career. ... Steelers rookie WR Mike Wallace had seven catches for a career-high 102 yards. ... Bengals rookie LB Rey Maualuga was carted off the field with a left knee injury in the second half, but returned to the field a series later.

Orton threw a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, the defense kept a second straight opponent out of the end zone and the Broncos overwhelmed the Oakland Raiders 23-3 Sunday.

"We're happy with where we're at, 3-0," Orton said. "We've been improving every single week."

The performance to start the season is a far cry from the offseason. McDaniels caused an immediate stir when he was hired to replace the fired Mike Shanahan as coach in Denver last offseason. He alienated Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler before trading him to Chicago for Orton, then suspended Marshall in the preseason.

But once the season started, things couldn't have gone much better for the Broncos. They capitalized on a lucky bounce to win the opener at Cincinnati and followed that with convincing wins over Cleveland and Oakland (1-2).

"There's no vindication because there's nothing to be vindicated about," McDaniels said.

The schedule gets considerably tougher starting next week against Dallas, but the Broncos have to be pleased with where they stand now.

Rookie Knowshon Moreno ran for 90 yards and a score and Correll Buckhalter added 108 yards on 14 carries for the Broncos. Matt Prater added three field goals as Denver won its AFC West opener for a 10th straight year.

Orton again played mistake-free football, going 13 for 23 for 157 yards. He has not thrown an interception in three games, quite a change from the flashier Cutler, who made more big plays last season but also more mistakes with 18 interceptions.

"I thought it was a clean game," Orton said. "We got off to a good start, no turnovers again and we made plays in the passing game when we needed to. That's kind of the formula we wanted to take into this week and we executed it."

The Broncos have committed just one offensive turnover all season, and even that didn't end up hurting them. Two plays after Buckhalter fumbled deep in Denver territory, Darren McFadden gave it right back to Denver with a fumble of his own.

That recovery by Brian Dawkins was just one of many big plays from coordinator Mike Nolan's defense. The Broncos have allowed just 16 points all season, getting six sacks from Elvis Dumervil the past two weeks.

The Raiders offense looked inept for a second straight week and this time the defense couldn't keep Oakland in the game long enough for JaMarcus Russell to steal one at the end, as he did last week in Kansas City.

The Raiders were held to 137 yards, their second straight week with less than 200 yards of offense. This is just the third time since the start of the 1993 season that Oakland has put together back-to-back games like that, with the other two coming in 2006.

"There's some glaring problems that need to be fixed, in all phases of the game," Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "So I don't think we have quite a read on who we are. And that's concerning, because at this point you want to know what type of team you are."

Russell threw two first-quarter interceptions and was the target of boos all afternoon from the frustrated Raiders fans who bothered to show up. The attendance was 45,602 and the game was blacked out locally.

Russell, who entered the game completing 35.2 percent of his passes, finished 12 for 21 for 61 yards, with only 1 passing yard in the second half.

"I know that the guys in my locker room are behind me," Russell said. "When the fans get to that, it's kind of where they seem like they're fed up. But again, until you come out and play like I know we should and get back on track it will be a different story."

The Broncos dominated the first half but only had a 13-3 lead to show for it. LaMont Jordan was stopped on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 to thwart their first drive and Denver had to settle for a field goal after driving inside the 5 late in the half.

The other 10 points were set up by interceptions thrown by Russell. He was picked off by Renaldo Hill following the goal-line stand when Darrius Heyward-Bey fell as his feet got caught up with a defender. That set up the 2-yard TD pass to Marshall. The second interception by Andre Goodwin set up a 48-yard field goal by Prater.

Game notes
Rich Gannon broadcast the game for CBS after the Raiders tried to ban their former QB from pregame production meetings. ... This was the 100th all-time meeting between AFL rivals, including two playoff games. The Raiders hold a 56-42-2 edge.

Picking up on something he'd seen while watching film during the week, Rivers scored on a 5-yard scramble late in the third quarter Sunday to highlight a 23-13 victory over the winless Miami Dolphins, who lost quarterback Chad Pennington to a shoulder injury early in the second half.

It was just the second rushing touchdown in Rivers' career.

"I'm not used to scoring on the run," said Rivers, who threw for 303 yards a week after setting his career high with 436 yards in a loss against the Baltimore Ravens. He didn't throw a touchdown pass or an interception.

In the shotgun on third-and-goal, Rivers couldn't find a receiver and the pocket collapsed, but a hole opened up the middle so he sprinted into the end zone for a 10-6 lead.

Rivers said the team video staff put together clips of the Dolphins' defense inside the 20-yard line.

"There were two or three that were called quarterback draws and a couple of others that happened just like that. I had that in the back of my mind all week."

Rivers said something to coach Norv Turner about it during the week.

"He said, 'If that thing opens up, I'm going to take off and run,'" Turner said. "I said, 'I hope it's on the 3 more than the 8.'"

Rivers' TD run capped a 75-yard, five-play drive that also included his 47-yard pass to Malcom Floyd and a razzle-dazzle play where Darren Sproles took a handoff and ran right before throwing a backward pass to Rivers, who hit tight end Antonio Gates for 19 yards.

Safety Eric Weddle intercepted Miami backup quarterback Chad Henne and returned it 31 yards for a score with just less than six minutes to play.

The Chargers (2-1) are above .500 in the regular season for the first time since the end of 2007. The Dolphins are 0-3 for the third time in six seasons.

"As I told them in the locker room, you can't put your lip out too long," Miami coach Tony Sparano said.

The often-lackluster game was tied at 3 at halftime. San Diego had to settle for field goals by Nate Kaeding three times after getting inside the Dolphins' 10-yard line.

"We are having significant red zone problems and most of them are self-inflicted," Turner said.

Miami's only touchdown was a 14-yard run by San Diego native Ricky Williams with 2:51 left.

A week after throwing for a career-high 436 yards in a loss to Baltimore, Rivers was 18-of-33 for 303 yards.

Pennington was hit by linebacker Kevin Burnett after throwing an incomplete pass on third-and-7 from the Dolphins 40 on the first possession of the second half. Slow to get up, he took off his helmet and shoulder pads once he got to the sideline and had a bag of ice on his shoulder.

The Dolphins didn't know the extent of the injury.

Pennington, who has a history of shoulder surgeries, said he was in a "state of shock."

"I'm truly disappointed because I know what type of work I've put in and what type of work our team has put in," he said.

The Dolphins ran the wildcat seven times for 42 yards, including three times on their impressive first drive -- which nonetheless resulted in no points.

Miami moved 94 yards in 17 plays and consumed 9:29 on that drive. On second-and-goal from the 1, Ronnie Brown never got a handle on the handoff from Pennington and fumbled the ball into the end zone. Guard Justin Smiley came up with it, but he was touching the end line and it was ruled a touchback.

"It was there," Brown said. "I may have closed down a little bit early. That's just an area we've got to focus on, be better on. That's nothing but fundamentals."

Brown said it was tough watching the ball bounce away.

"To be in a situation where you've been effective and drove the ball down the field 94 yards and to be in a situation where you've got an opportunity to score and you don't take advantage of the opportunity, it's hard," he said.

Rivers then moved the Chargers to the Dolphins' 8, the drive stalled and Kaeding kicked a 25-yard field goal.

Rivers fumbled when he was sacked by Joey Porter midway through the second quarter, with Phillip Merling recovering at the Chargers' 17. Miami had a first-and-goal on the 5, but the Chargers stuffed Brown twice and Dan Carpenter kicked a 24-yard field goal for a 3-all tie.

The Chargers had a first down at the Dolphins' 15 just before halftime, but a personal foul against guard Kris Dielman moved the ball back to the 30. The Chargers gained 8 yards in three plays and Kaeding was wide right on a 41-yard field goal attempt.

Game notes
Porter left in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and didn't return. ... Chargers OLB Shawne Merriman was forced out early in the third quarter with a groin injury sustained a week earlier in a loss to Baltimore. ... The Chargers have a winning record after three games for just the second time in seven seasons.

On the field where little brother Eli led the New York Giants to a Super Bowl triumph two seasons ago, Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes in his first game there, three in the second quarter, to power the Indianapolis Colts past Kurt Warner and the turnover-plagued Arizona Cardinals 31-10.

The Colts' quarterback completed 24 of 35 for 379 yards with one interception.

"He knew what plays to call at the right time," Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said, "and we couldn't stop them."

The game featured two of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history in Manning and Warner. But while Manning's line gave him time to carve up the Cardinals' defense, the 38-year-old Warner was under a fierce rush all night long.

"I think that was the key to the game, personally," said Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney, who was in Warner's face throughout before leaving with a quadriceps injury late in the third quarter. "Our offensive line did a great job protecting Peyton, giving him time to find his receivers. And then I think collectively as a defense we put pressure on Warner and had him uncomfortable all game."

It didn't help that Arizona turned the ball over twice deep in Indianapolis territory, either.

"Against good football teams, ones that play as well as they did tonight offensively, you can't make those mistakes," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said, "and that's what we did."

Warner was 30 of 52 for 332 yards and one score but was picked off twice.

Despite being on the field for 84 plays in the Colts' victory at Miami on Monday night, the Indianapolis defense was tough. After allowing 239 yards on the ground against the Dolphins, the Colts allowed 24 yards in 12 attempts against Arizona.

Of course, the Cardinals all but abandoned the ground game when they fell far behind, a situation that the Colts' defensive line relished.

"We kind of lick our chops," Freeney said. "This is what we want."

Indianapolis safety Antoine Bethea recovered a fumble at the 5 to stop one Arizona drive and intercepted a deflected pass in the end zone to thwart another.

Manning had four TD passes in a game for the 18th time, moving him ahead of Johnny Unitas into third on the NFL career list, behind Dan Marino's 21 and Brett Favre's 20.

Manning topped 300 yards passing for the third time in three this season, giving him 50 for his career.

"The thing is that we constantly have to make certain that we don't take it for granted," coach Jim Caldwell said of Manning's performances. "He's had some just unbelievable games. ... I think he amazes us every time he does it, but he does it so often if you don't watch yourself you can think that it's commonplace, but it certainly is not."

Manning started slow but sliced and diced the Cardinals with a show of precision in the second quarter.

"We were kind of figuring things out as we went along," he said. "Once we got into a comfort zone, we really executed from there."

He threw 20 yards to Reggie Wayne for the first score, 10 yards to Dallas Clark for the second and a nifty 53 yards to Pierre Garcon as Indianapolis took a 21-3 halftime lead.

Manning added a 3-yard TD toss to Joseph Addai in the third quarter to make it 28-10.

The Cardinals, up 3-0 early, drove deep into Indianapolis territory but Tim Hightower fumbled at the 5.

The Colts (3-0) then went 95 yards in 11 plays for the touchdown that put them ahead for good.

"That just kind of took the wind out of us," Whisenhunt said.

Wayne made a one-handed grab of Manning's pass at the pylon on a 20-yard play that put the Colts up 7-3 with 9:04 left in the half.

"Can't draw that up," Manning said. "You know he's capable of making those plays. ... Those are the plays we expect him to make."

After Indianapolis stuffed Arizona's offense, the Colts went 57 yards in six plays, Manning throwing 10 yards to Clark to make it 14-3 with 5:49 to go in the half.

The prettiest score came when Manning lofted a pass down the sideline into the outstretched arms of Garcon on a 53-yard scoring play that made it 21-3 with 1:52 to go in the half.

Warner drove the Cardinals (1-2) to the Indianapolis 1-yard line in the final seconds of the half. He threw to Steve Breaston at the goal line but Melvin Bullitt didn't allow the receiver into the end zone.

On the next play, Warner threw under pressure toward Larry Fitzgerald in the end zone. Tim Jennings deflected the ball in the air and Bethea intercepted.

Arizona took the second half kickoff and went 73 yards in eight plays, with Warner throwing 10 yards to Anquan Boldin for the touchdown to cut it to 21-10 with 10:50 to play in the third.

But a 72-yard pass play from Manning to rookie Donald Brown set up the 3-yard TD toss to Addai to boost the lead to 28-10 with 2:26 left in the quarter.

Freeney limped off the field at the end of the third quarter with a right leg injury and did not return. He said he "felt something pop" in his right quadriceps and planned to undergo an MRI Monday or Tuesday.

Arizona, 8-2 at home last season, fell to 0-2 there this season, with echoes of boos through what was left of the crowd as Warner was sacked for a 28-yard loss on fourth down with about 6½ minutes to play.

Game notes
Dockett left with an ankle injury in the first quarter but returned and played despite the injury. ... The Cardinals have a bye next week. ... The Colts rolled up 505 yards. ... Two injured Indianapolis defensive starters -- MLB Gary Brackett (left knee) and CB Kelvin Hayden (sore hamstring) -- were inactive.

Jake Delhomme helped them make several.

Terence Newman returned an interception 27 yards for a lead-stretching touchdown with 5:07 left, then rookie linebacker Victor Butler got two sacks and forced a fumble on the next series, sending Dallas to a 21-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Monday night.

Considering the Cowboys were coming off a last-second loss in the opener of their $1.15 billion stadium, a crowd of 90,588 was especially tense until the defense put the game away. The biggest sigh of relief likely came from team owner Jerry Jones.

"It certainly does feel good," Jones said. "The way it went so early, it just felt like maybe we ought to check this thing out for Grim Reapers living in the back someplace."

Dallas (2-1) trailed 7-0 at halftime and was booed by fans. Although the defense was playing well and running backs Felix Jones and Tashard Choice were easing the load on Romo, the quarterback was being so careful to avoid the mistakes that doomed the Cowboys the previous week that the offense struggled to turn long drives into points.

When Romo threw a pair of incompletions from the 1-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, Dallas was up by only six points. Then Newman stepped in front of a pass to Steve Smith, darted toward the right corner of the end zone and dived in. Butler capped the night with his pair of sacks and the turnover, giving the Cowboys three of each after not having any of either over the first two weeks.

"Everybody on the outside was pressing the panic button, but not us," linebacker Bradie James said. "We knew we had a bunch of ball left to play. There was still a lot of time to improve."

The Panthers sure hope so.

After going 12-4 and winning their division, they're 0-3 and headed into a bye week. This is their worst start since 0-7 in 1998 and Delhomme has seven interceptions, seven sacks and two fumbles.

"We have lots of football left," coach John Fox said. "We're not even a quarter through the season. We've had three-loss skids before. We have to stick together."

Smith insisted Delhomme wasn't to blame for the game-breaking mistake. Fox said a slant was called and Smith said he changed the route.

"I put Jake in a bad situation," Smith said. "The bottom line is that I [hurt] Jake."

Delhomme was 22 of 33 for 220 yards, but here are the only numbers that mattered: Carolina's six second-half drives ended with four punts, an interception and a fumble.

The effort showed what Cowboys coach-defensive coordinator Wade Phillips thought his unit was capable of doing. They showed they could stop the pass in the opener, then showed they could stop the run in the second game. This time, they put it all together, with Mike Jenkins coming up with a first-half interception and Jay Ratliff getting the season's first sack.

Their only blemish was a 90-yard drive just before halftime that put the Panthers up 7-0. Even with that, Carolina had only 271 yards and 15 first downs. The Panthers were 1 of 8 on third downs.

"Before the game we talked about how our defensive line and linebackers did their job last week and how we didn't do our job," Newman said. "So I told them 'Hey it's on us. We've got to shut these guys down.' We let this team down last week and we have to make up for it this week."

Dallas was without running back Marion Barber because of a bruised thigh, but hardly missed him as fill-in starter Felix Jones broke off plays of 16, 18 and 20 yards on the first two drives. Yet Romo failed to turn them into any points and the Cowboys went into halftime without any points and hearing a lot of boos from a crowd that was louder than last week, even though there were 15,000 fewer people, because the retractable roof and end-zone doors were closed.

Romo was 22 of 33 for 255 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. He didn't throw many deep balls, rarely threw into traffic and often looked for his security blanket, tight end Jason Witten (nine catches for 77 yards) as he regained his footing following the second-worst passer rating of his career.

"It's all about improving and doing it on the field," Romo said. "That was my sole focus this week, to understand why I did certain things and not make those mistakes again, and come out and be a better quarterback and help this team win."

Jones finished with 94 yards on only eight carries, and another 20 yards on a pass before leaving with a strained left knee in the third quarter.

Choice had 82 yards on 18 carries, including a touchdown. He also caught four passes for 36 yards.

Dallas' Nick Folk ended a streak of 16 straight field goals by missing a 40-yarder on the opening drive, but made kicks of 24 and 19 in the second half.

Game notes
Carolina's Dante Rosario came in with three catches for 31 yards, but had three catches for 58 yards on the scoring drive, including a 25-yard touchdown catch. ... Dallas has won eight straight regular-season games against the Panthers since 1998, although Carolina won a playoff meeting in 2003. ... Carolina's DeAngelo Williams had 63 yards on 11 carries, but Jonathan Stewart ran three times for minus-1 yard.