NFL roundup \ Sunday’s other games

AFC

Bengals 17, Ravens 14

BALTIMORE — Carson Palmer threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 22 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive fueled by Baltimore penalties. All five of Cincinnati’s games this season have been decided by seven points for fewer. It appeared the Bengals (4-1) were destined to come out on the short end of this one until Palmer masterfully directed the final drive — with the help of three yellow flags. An illegal contact penalty against Chris Carr and an unnecessary roughness call against Ray Lewis preceded the topper, a pass interference penalty against Frank Walker on third-and-16 from the Baltimore 30 — although the infraction was called by the officials against Ed Reed. On the next play, Palmer found Caldwell over the middle for the winning score. Baltimore (3-2) has lost two straight. The Ravens were limited to one offensive touchdown after averaging 32.5 points in their first four games. A 52-yard interception return for a touchdown by Reed gave the Ravens a 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

Broncos 20, Patriots 17, OT

DENVER — Kyle Orton moved Denver from its 2 to the end zone to tie it, then Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime that made rookie Broncos coach Josh McDaniels a winner over his old boss, Bill Belichick. On a day when they wore mustard-yellow jerseys and vertically striped socks to celebrate their 50th anniversary, the Broncos improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1998 — the last time they went to the Super Bowl. Orton threw for 330 yards and two scores and did his best John Elway impression. McDaniels pumped his fist over and over as he ran toward the stands after a postgame hug with Belichick at midfield. And the defense held New England (3-2) scoreless in the second half and looked a lot like the Orange Crush of yore.

Colts 31, Titans 9

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Peyton Manning’s near-perfect start to the season continued as he had 309 yards and three touchdown passes, and the Colts never trailed in beating their AFC South rivals for their NFL-best 14th straight regular-season win. Manning joined Kurt Warner and Steve Young as the only NFL quarterbacks to open a season by throwing for at least 300 yards in the first five games. Indianapolis (5-0) has not lost since its last visit to Nashville and leaves now with a firm grip on the AFC South that the Colts have controlled all but the two seasons Tennessee has won the division. The Titans (0-5) have matched their 0-5 start in 2006.

NFC

Vikings 38, Rams 10

ST. LOUIS — Brett Favre threw for 232 yards and a touchdown a day after his 40th birthday. Spry and efficient, Favre showed no signs of a letdown after beating the Packers, his former team, last week, dodging defenders and winging passes in every direction to give Minnesota its first 5-0 start in six years. Jared Allen returned one of his two fumble recoveries 52 yards for a touchdown and Adrian Peterson rumbled in for a pair of touchdowns, helping the Vikings to their 400th win (400-322-9).

Eagles 33, Buccaneers 14

PHILADELPHIA — Donovan McNabb showed he was fine after missing two games with a broken rib, throwing for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie Jeremy Maclin had two TD catches and the lopsided score allowed Michael Vick to take extra snaps at quarterback in the fourth quarter. He completed his first pass in 33 months and had an 11-yard run. The Eagles (3-1) improved to 11-0 after a bye week under coach Andy Reid. The Buccaneers (0-5) remain winless under new coach Raheem Morris and extended their losing to streak to nine games, dating to an 0-4 December that cost them a playoff spot.

Panthers 20, Redskins 17

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Aided by a disputed call and Jake Delhomme’s bold third-down run, the Panthers (1-3) jump-started a sagging season at the expense of embattled Washington coach Jim Zorn. The Panthers scored the game’s final 18 points, with Jonathan Stewart’s 8-yard run with 9:21 left the go-ahead touchdown.

INTERCONFERENCE

Cowboys 26, Chiefs 20 OT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Miles Austin scored the winning touchdown in overtime on a 60-yard catch-and-run to cap a huge game in place of the injured Roy Williams. Austin had 10 catches for 250 yards as the Cowboys survived numerous mistakes against the winless Chiefs. Austin also had a tackle-breaking 59-yard touchdown catch to give the Cowboys (3-2) a 20-13 lead with 2:16 left in the fourth quarter. On both plays, he slipped the grasp of cornerback Maurice Leggett and then made safety Mike Brown miss. The loss dropped the Chiefs (0-5) to 2-28 in their last 30 games. Kansas City, winless for 315 days, tied it 20-20 on Matt Cassel’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe with 24 seconds left. But Austin was unstoppable, rescuing Dallas, which was penalized 13 times for 90 yards. He erased the team record of 246 yards that Hall of Famer Bob Hayes set on Nov. 13, 1966 against Washington.

Cardinals 28, Texans 21

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown with 2:20 to go and the Arizona defense stopped the Texans three times at the 1-yard line in the final minute. Matt Schaub brought the Texans back from a 21-0 halftime deficit to tie the game and had completed 11 straight when Rodgers-Cromartie, playing with a fractured right index finger, stepped in front of intended receiver Kevin Walter. The young cornerback raced down the sideline, then high-stepped the final 20 yards for the score for the Cardinals (2-2).

Seahawks 41, Jaguars 0

SEATTLE — Matt Hasselbeck returned from being sidelined two games with broken ribs to throw four touchdown passes, and the Seahawks rolled to their biggest home shutout in 25 years.

Giants 44, Raiders 7

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — After a week of concern over whether Eli Manning would make his 83rd straight start, he threw two scoring passes and led the Giants on touchdown drives on their first four series. Then Manning rested his sore heel. Manning tossed touchdown passes of 30 yards to Mario Manningham (Warren Harding) and 9 yards to first-round draft pick Hakeem Nicks. He finished 8 of 10 for 173 yards on a day the Giants gained 483 yards.

Associated Press