Sunday's NFL Capsules

Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount loses his helmet while reaching for the goal line as the Falcons' Dunta Robinson (23) and William Moore, a former Missouri Tiger, stop him in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game in Atlanta.
Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount loses his helmet while reaching for the goal line as the Falcons' Dunta Robinson (23) and William Moore, a former Missouri Tiger, stop him in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game in Atlanta.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Aaron Rodgers threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, Brandon Jackson scored twice and the Green Bay Packers routed the free-falling Dallas Cowboys 45-7 on Sunday night.

It was a new nadir in a lost season for the Cowboys (1-7), who came into 2010 with Super Bowl aspirations. And it's sure to kick off a new round of speculation about the future of coach Wade Phillips, despite recent statements from team owner Jerry Jones that a midseason firing was unlikely.

James Jones caught eight passes for 123 yards and a touchdown for the Packers (6-3), who have won three straight.

Green Bay's Clay Matthews added a final dose of embarrassment in the fourth quarter, picking off a pass from Jon Kitna and running it back 62 yards for a touchdown.

Dallas fell behind 28-0 late in the second quarter, giving up three long touchdown drives before fumbling away a kickoff that was returned for a TD by Nick Collins.

Return man Bryan McCann appeared to be down before he gave the ball away - but the Cowboys didn't have any timeouts left, so they weren't able to challenge the call.

Browns 34, Patriots 14

CLEVELAND (AP) - Rookie quarterback Colt McCoy scrambled for a touchdown, Peyton Hillis ran for a career-high 184 yards and two scores and Cleveland pounded the New England Patriots.

Two weeks after stunning New Orleans, the Browns (3-5) pulled off another shocker. Well rested after their bye week, they ended New England's five-game winning streak and did it decisively, outplaying one of the NFL's top teams for all 60 minutes.

This was no fluke. The Patriots (6-2) were battered, baffled and beaten badly.

It had to be particularly satisfying for Browns coach Eric Mangini, who defeated Bill Belichick, his former friend and mentor. The pair's relationship was damaged years ago and they ignored each other during pregame warmups despite being just a few feet apart.

After the game ended, Mangini, his jacket drenched from a late-game Gatorade shower, shared a brief handshake with Belichick.

Vikings 27, Cardinals 24 OT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Brett Favre rallied the Vikings from 14 points down to tie it with 27 seconds to play, then drove them into position for Ryan Longwell's 35-yard game-winning field goal.

Favre threw for a career-high 446 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Vikings (3-5), who fought back cheers of "Fire Childress!" early in the game to pull out the win.

The Cardinals (3-5) led 24-10 with 4:39 to play thanks to a 96-yard kick return by LaRod Stephens-Howling and a 30-yard fumble return by Michael Adams on another kickoff.

But Favre directed scoring drives of 40 and 77 yards in regulation and Adrian Peterson's 30-yard run in overtime keyed the winning drive.

Raiders 23, Chiefs 20 OT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Jason Campbell threw a 47-yard pass to rookie Jacoby Ford in overtime to set up a 33-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski that gave the Raiders their biggest win in eight years.

Campbell and Ford hooked up on a 29-yard pass in the closing seconds of regulation to set up Janikowski's tying 41-yard field goal. The Raiders (5-4) then won it in overtime for their most significant victory since winning the 2002 AFC championship.

By winning their third straight game for the first time since that season, Oakland heads into its bye week just a half-game behind Kansas City (5-3) in the division.

Jets 23, Lions 20 OT

DETROIT (AP) - Mark Sanchez threw a 52-yard pass to Santonio Holmes to set up Nick Folk's game-winning 30-yard field goal 2:18 into overtime.

Sanchez scored on a quarterback sneak with 2:46 left in regulation and led a nine-play drive that set up Folk's 36-yard kick to send the game into OT.

Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to give Detroit a 10-point lead before re-injuring his right shoulder and leaving the game with 5:19 left.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz gave Sanchez extra time to work with on the game-tying drive when he called a pass on third down and Drew Stanton threw an incompletion, giving the Jets the ball with 1:40 left.

The Jets improved to 6-2; the Lions are 2-6.

Eagles 26, Colts 24

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Michael Vick threw for 218 yards and one touchdown, ran for 74 yards and a score, and the Eagles beat Peyton Manning and the Colts.

The Eagles (5-3) are 12-0 after a bye since Andy Reid became coach in 1999. They hadn't beaten Manning in three previous tries.

The Colts (5-3) had to make a quick turnaround after beating Houston on Monday night. It certainly seemed the Eagles were the fresher team, especially early.

The Colts lost wide receiver Austin Collie after a hard - illegal - hit by Kurt Coleman forced him to leave on a stretcher in the second quarter.

Collie lay on the ground for several minutes as the crowd fell silent. Soon afterward, the announcement came he had movement and was alert.

Saints 34, Panthers 3

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Drew Brees threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, Jabari Greer returned an interception for a touchdown and New Orleans became the latest team to shut down Carolina's NFL-worst offense.

The Saints (6-3) overcame the loss of tight end Jeremy Shockey to a rib injury after his touchdown catch to keep pace in the competitive NFC South. Rookie tight end Jimmy Graham caught his first NFL TD in Shockey's absence and the Saints held Carolina to 195 yards.

Things just keep getting worse for the Panthers (1-7). They lost quarterback Matt Moore and running back Jonathan Stewart to first-half injuries. Rookie QB Jimmy Clausen was later benched and the Panthers finished with 195 yards.

Giants 41, Seahawks 7

SEATTLE (AP) - Eli Manning threw for three first-half touchdowns, Ahmad Bradshaw added a pair of rushing touchdowns for the Giants.

Manning and the Giants (6-2) jumped to a 35-0 halftime lead, overwhelming the banged up Seahawks and staking claim as maybe the best team in the NFC halfway through the season.

Manning threw touchdowns of 46 yards to Hakeem Nicks, 6 yards to Steve Smith and 5 yards to Kevin Boss. Bradshaw scored on runs of 2 and 4 yards.

The Giants rolled up 487 yards of offense against the Seahawks, who gave up 545 total yards last week to Oakland.

Charlie Whitehurst made his first NFL start for Seattle (4-4) and struggled. He was 12 of 23 for 113 yards and two interceptions.

Bears 22, Bills 19

TORONTO (AP) - Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes, including one to Earl Bennett late in the fourth quarter to give Chicago a win and keep the Bills winless.

Chester Taylor also scored on a 1-yard plunge for the Bears (5-3), who came out of their off week to end a two-game skid. Tim Jennings' interception came early in the fourth quarter, and with Chicago trailing 19-14.

Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick went 31 of 51 for 299 yards with a touchdown to Roscoe Parrish and two interceptions. Fred Jackson also scored for the Bills (0-8), who are off to their worst start in 26 years.

The game was Buffalo's third regular-season game in Toronto as part of a five-year deal. The Bills are winless in Canada, too.

Falcons 27, Buccaneers 21

ATLANTA (AP) - Michael Turner scored two early touchdowns and Atlanta held off Tampa Bay with a gutty goal-line stand to take over sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

Turner rushed 24 times for 107 yards, including scoring plays of 2 and 10 yards that gave the Falcons (6-2) an early 14-0 lead. Atlanta was hanging on at the end against the Buccaneers (5-3), whose coach, Raheem Morris, had proclaimed his team the best in the NFC.

Not on this day. Tampa Bay had fourth-and-1 from the Atlanta 2 with less than 3 minutes remaining, but LeGarrette Blount was stuffed by Thomas DeCoud on a run over right tackle. Turner picked up the necessary first down to run out the clock on the Falcons' fourth straight win over the Bucs.

Chargers 29, Texans 23

HOUSTON (AP) - Philip Rivers threw four touchdown passes against the NFL's worst pass defense, and San Diego earned its first road win of the season.

Rivers completed 17 of 23 passes for 295 yards. He used eight different receivers in the absence of tight end Antonio Gates, who was out with a right foot injury.

Rookie Seyi Ajirotutu and backup tight end Randy McMichael caught two touchdown passes apiece. Ajirotutu was just moved up to the active roster Oct. 23, when linebacker Kion Wilson went on injured reserve.

The Chargers (4-5) have won two in a row for the first time this season.

Arian Foster rushed 27 times for 127 yards and two touchdown for the Texans (4-4), who have lost three of their last four home games.

Ravens 26, Dolphins 10

BALTIMORE (AP) - Billy Cundiff made four field goals, and Baltimore cranked up the defense after halftime to hand Miami its first road loss.

Baltimore (6-2) won its seventh straight at home behind Cundiff and a defense that blanked Miami (4-4) in the second half. Cundiff connected from 26, 39, 20, 24 yards, and the Ravens held the Dolphins to 24 yards rushing over the final 30 minutes.

Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne went 22 for 34 for 231 yards and three interceptions. Miami came in 4-0 on the road.

Joe Flacco completed 20 of 27 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens, who are 6-0 at home since 2001 after a bye.

Upcoming Events