NFL week 2 roundup \ Sunday’s other games
AFC
Ravens 31, Chargers 26
SAN DIEGO — Ray Lewis met Darren Sproles head-on on fourth-and-2 in the closing seconds, spoiling a monster afternoon by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers threw for a career-high 436 yards and two touchdowns, completing 25 of 45 passes, but San Diego still needed a touchdown to win with 33 seconds left. With the ball at the Baltimore 15, Lewis came in unblocked and slammed Sproles to the ground to preserve the win. “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. 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.” Joe Flacco threw two TD passes for the Ravens (2-0), and Willis McGahee ran for two more. San Diego (1-1), missing four starters due to injuries, had the ball at or inside the Ravens 10-yard line four times and had to settle for field goals by Nate Kaeding each time.
Jets 16, Patriots 9
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mark Sanchez came out throwing in the second half after a quiet first two quarters, connecting with Dustin Keller on a go-ahead touchdown as the New York Jets beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. “We believe that we are the better team today,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. Brady had a chance to tie it, getting the ball at the Patriots 10 with 1:48 left, but the Jets’ defense stopped him as Dwight Lowery knocked away a pass to Joey Galloway on fourth down. Brady was unable to engineer his 30th comeback victory as Sanchez took a knee twice to seal the first win for the Jets (2-0) over the Patriots (1-1) at home in nine games. Brady had beaten the Jets in 12 of the previous 14 games he had faced them overall. Sanchez finished 14 of 22 for 163 yards and the touchdown to Keller, while Brady was 23 of 47 for 216 yards and an interception. “We’re not really firing on all cylinders right now,” Brady said. “To not get the ball in the end zone is unacceptable.”
Texans 34, Titans 31
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matt Schaub threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns, and Kris Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal in the closing minutes to ruin the Titans’ home opener. The Texans (1-1) won their first game in the month of September since 2007, while the Titans (0-2) are skidding a different direction after starting 10-0 last season. “We’ve got some work to do,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. Brown kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2:55 left, leaving the defending AFC South champs with a chance— until Kerry Collins fumbled the ball away with 1:32 left. It ruined a career day from the Titans’ Chris Johnson, who scored three touchdowns and ran for 197 yards.
Raiders 13, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Darren McFadden answered Kansas City’s go-ahead touchdown with a little more than a minute left, lifting the Raiders to the lackluster win. Matt Cassel, making his Chiefs debut, hit Dwayne Bowe with a 29-yard scoring strike for a 10-6 lead with 2:38 left. But the Raiders (1-1), with barely 100 yards of offense to that point, drove 69 yards to hand KC its second straight loss under first-year head coach Todd Haley. Russell hit Louis Murphy for 19 yards and connected with Todd Watkins for 28 on the nine-play drive. McFadden took a pitch and sped untouched for the touchdown with 1:07 left.
NFC
Saints 48, Eagles 22
PHILADELPHIA — Drew Brees tossed three more touchdown passes, and the Saints rolled past an Eagles team missing Donovan McNabb because of a cracked rib. Making his first NFL start, Kevin Kolb threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns, including a 71-yard scoring pass to DeSean Jackson. Kolb also threw three interceptions, though, including one returned 97 yards for a TD by Darren Sharper in the final minute. Brees had six TD passes last week as the Saints (2-0) routed Detroit 45-27. He picked up where he left off, completing 25 of 34 passes for 311 yards and one interception. The Eagles should get a lift on offense next week when Michael Vick is expected to play his first regular-season game since Dec. 31, 2006.
Vikings 27, Lions 13
DETROIT — Brett Favre set an NFL record with his 271st straight start in the regular season, then threw two touchdown passes to help beat the Lions. Adrian Peterson’s 27-yard TD run midway through the third quarter gave Minnesota (2-0) its first lead. He finished with 92 yards rushing, handing Detroit (0-2) its 19th straight loss to tie the second-longest skid in NFL history. The Chicago Cardinals and Oakland Raiders also lost 19 straight.
Minnesota shut down rookie Matthew Stafford after some success early, taking control in the second half on Peterson’s TD, Favre’s second scoring pass and Ryan Longwell’s field goals.
Falcons 28, Panthers 20
ATLANTA — Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in the first half and Chris Houston stopped a Jake Delhomme-led rally at the end, intercepting a pass at the Falcons 4 to preserve the win. 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, including another touchdown pass to new favorite receiver Tony Gonzalez. Jason Snelling and Roddy White also hauled in early TD throws.
Redskins 9, Rams 7
LANDOVER, Md. — 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. Washington (1-1) put the game away with a 78-yard drive that ended with a failed fourth-and-1 from the 2 with less than 2 minutes to play, leaving the Rams (0-2) with too far to go. The Rams won only two games last season, one of them at Washington, and were the only team in the NFL not to score last week. Steven Jackson had 104 yards rushing on 17 carries for the Rams, while Marc Bulger threw for 123 yards. Clinton Portis ran for 79 yards, and Jason Campbell threw for 242 for Washington.
INTERCONFERENCE
Bengals 31, Packers 24
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Bengals nearly blew another lead in the final minute, before the Packers ran out of time at the Cincinnati 10 yard line. The Packers (1-1) kicked a late field goal and recovered an onside kick, and Aaron Rodgers marched them to the Bengals 10 before a false start call with two seconds left ended the game. Chad Ochocinco delivered on his promise to perform a Lambeau Leap when he caught a 13-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer in the third quarter. Defensive end Antwan Odom tied a team high with five sacks and Cedric Benson rushed for 141 yards for the Bengals (1-1), who rebounded from a last-minute loss to Denver in Week 1.
Bills 33, Buccaneers 20
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Donte Whitner returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown, and Terrell Owens scored on a 43-yard catch in his home debut for the Bills. Whitner also made a key stop on fourth down less than a week after he was left crying in frustration when the Bills squandered an 11-point lead in a 25-24 loss at New England. Buffalo (1-1) ended a five-game home losing streak. The Buccaneers (0-2) have lost six straight and continue to struggle on defense after allowing 438 yards. Tampa Bay’s once-respected defense has now allowed 332 yards or more in each of its past seven games, and 400-plus yards in each of its two games to open this season.
Cardinals 31, Jaguars 17
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kurt Warner completed his first 15 passes and broke the NFL’s single-game record for completion percentage to lead the Cardinals. “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.” With a big lead and the NFL record in hand, Warner headed to the bench late in the third quarter for the Cardinals (1-1). He finished 24 of 26 for 243 yards with two touchdowns. 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 game was blacked out on local television, and the stands were about half full.
Associated Press