Monday, September 22, 2008
AFC
Dolphins 38, Patriots 13
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Ronnie Brown and the lowly Miami Dolphins ended the Patriots’ record regular season winning streak at 21 and made New England’s defense look as shaky as its Tom Brady-less offense. Brown scored a team record four touchdowns rushing and threw for another — with four of the scores coming on direct snaps to the running back — as Miami stunned New England. The loss ended the Patriots’ NFL mark that began after a 21-0 loss to the Dolphins on Dec. 10, 2006 in which Brady was sacked four times.
Bills 24, Raiders 23
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Bills overcame a sloppy start to produce a second straight fourth-quarter comeback victory. Rian Lindell hit a 38-yard field goal as the clock ran out. Trent Edwards engineered three scoring drives in the final quarter, helping the Bills twice overcome 9-point deficits in the last 8 minutes. Edwards finished 24-of-39 for 279 yards and a touchdown a week after he rallied the Bills to a 20-16 win at Jacksonville. That the victory came against the hard-luck and dysfunctional Raiders (1-2) didn’t matter for a Bills team off to its first 3-0 start since 1992.
Jaguars 23, Colts 21
INDIANAPOLIS — After wearing out the Indianapolis defense on the ground, Jose Scobee saved the game — and perhaps the season — by making a 51-yard field goal with 4 seconds left. It didn’t look like Jacksonville (1-2) would need Scobee’s boot after consuming more than 12 minutes on a marathon drive to open the fourth quarter capped by Scobee’s 21-yarder for a 20-14 lead with 2:33 left. But Peyton Manning nearly pulled off his second improbable comeback in two weeks.
Titans 31, Texans 12
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — LenDale White ran for two touchdowns, Kerry Collins threw for another and Tennessee rolled to improve to 3-0 for only the third time in franchise history. The Titans last won their first three games in 1999 — their first season in their current stadium — and in 1991 while still in Houston and playing as the Oilers.
INTERCONFERENCE
Giants 26, Bengals 23, OT
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Giants (3-0) are off to their best start since 2000. John Carney kicked a 22-yard field goal with 8:39 left in the extra session. The play that set up the winning kick was a 31-yard pass from Eli Manning to Amani Toomer down the left sideline on a third-and-10 from the Bengals 38. It was difficult to tell whether Toomer got both feet in bounds.
Broncos 34, Saints 32
DENVER — No gutsy 2-point call this week. Just a gut-wrenching close call. Martin Gramatica’s 43-yard field goal try with 1:55 remaining was wide right, and the Broncos escaped. They improved to 3-0 for the first time in five years despite allowing Drew Brees to complete 39 of 48 passes for 421 yards and a touchdown, and Reggie Bush to pile up 178 all-purpose yards and two TDs.
Falcons 38, Chiefs 14
ATLANTA — Michael Turner ran for three touchdowns and the Falcons scored the first 24 points, giving the Chiefs their 12th straight loss.
NFC
Buccaneers 27, Bears 24, OT
CHICAGO — Brian Griese set up Matt Bryant’s winning 21-yard field goal in overtime with a 38-yard pass to Antonio Bryant. After blowing a 14-point lead in a 20-17 loss at Carolina last week, the Bears (1-2) couldn’t protect a 24-14 advantage in the fourth quarter.
49ers 31, Lions 13
SAN FRANCISCO — Frank Gore rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown, and Mike Martz’s new offense methodically chewed up his former team’s defense. Isaac Bruce and Delanie Walker caught TD passes from J.T. O’Sullivan, and kick returner Allen Rossum scored a 1-yard TD rushing on fourth down near the goal line to all but clinch the win for San Francisco, which is 2-1 for the second straight season. O’Sullivan went 16-for-23 for 189 yards for the 49ers, who went 3-10 after their promising start to last season.
Seahawks 37, Rams 13
SEATTLE — Julius Jones ran for 140 yards on 22 carries and T.J. Duckett had his first two-touchdown rushing day in four years as the Seahawks sidestepped six injuries at wide receiver and rolled over the malfunctioning Rams.
Vikings 20, Panthers 10
MINNEAPOLIS — Antoine Winfield’s sack of Jake Delhomme and subsequent 19-yard fumble return for a touchdown right before halftime spurred the Vikings, handing the Panthers their first defeat. Replacing Tarvaris Jackson after a pair of woeful games by the offense, Gus Frerotte might have helped save the season for Minnesota (1-2) by completing 16 of 28 passes for 204 yards, with a touchdown to Visanthe Shiancoe. The 37-year-old wasn’t very sharp in the first half, but he made some crisp throws down the stretch to keep the Vikings in front.
Redskins 24, Cardinals 17
LANDOVER, Md. — Carlos Rogers returned a tipped interception to Arizona’s 15-yard line. Two plays later, Santana Moss took a receiver screen for a 17-yard touchdown that gave the Redskins victory.
Associated Press