Delhomme outduels Warner
On the day the NFL played in Europe, two former Amsterdam Admirals teammates put on a quarterbacking clinic stateside in Charlotte, N.C.
Kurt Warner put up the better numbers, but Jake Delhomme engineered the comeback that kept the Carolina Panthers unbeaten at home and atop the NFC South. Delhomme threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 65-yard strike to Steve Smith, and the Panthers held off the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 on Sunday.
The Panthers (6-2) rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit despite Warner throwing for 381 yards.
Dolphins 25, Bills 16: Ted Ginn had a breakout game with seven catches for a career-high 175 yards, and the Dolphins overcame a nine-point third-quarter deficit to beat AFC East leader Buffalo at Miami. Chad Pennington went 22-for-30 for 314 yards with no interceptions.
Redskins 25, Lions 17: Santana Moss had a go-ahead touchdown reception in the third quarter and returned a punt for another score in the fourth, lifting Washington to a victory over the winless Lions at Detroit. Clinton Portis joined O.J. Simpson in the NFL record book with his fifth straight game with at least 120 yards rushing.
Cowboys 13, Buccaneers 9: Brad Johnson made up for several missed chances at touchdowns by throwing one to newcomer Roy Williams at the end of a drive sustained by four defensive penalties, and the much-maligned Dallas defense made it hold up for a victory over the Tampa Bay at Irving, Texas.
Ravens 29, Raiders 10: On an afternoon in Baltimore that belonged to the tenacious Ravens defense, the highlight was a 43-yard pass from one Ravens quarterback, Troy Smith, to another, Joe Flacco. Baltimore limited Oakland to 35 yards while building a 19-point halftime lead, and the Ravens got a safety and four sacks in a victory.
Jets 28, Chiefs 24: After struggling all game, Brett Favre connected with Laveranues Coles for a 15-yard touchdown pass with one minute left as the New York Jets escaped with a victory over Kansas City in East Rutherford, N.J. The heavily favored Jets overcame three interceptions by Favre and an upset-minded Chiefs team using its third-string quarterback.
Patriots 23, Rams 16: New England got by St. Louis on a fingertip touchdown catch by Kevin Faulk from Matt Cassel with 3:19 remaining as the Patriots rallied for a win in Foxborough, Mass. Another timely grab — a juggling interception by Deltha O’Neal with 1:08 left — ended the Rams’ last threat.
Eagles 27, Falcons 14: Brian Westbrook returned to his All-Pro form and rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as part of a dynamic all-around effort, and the Eagles beat Atlanta at Philadelphia. Westbrook missed two of the past three games with broken ribs and had been bothered by an ankle injury. Westbrook rushed for nearly as many yards as he had all season (194).
Texans 35, Bengals 6: Kevin Walter scored two touchdowns to lead the Texans to a victory over winless Cincinnati at Houston. The Texans’ Matt Schaub threw three touchdown passes and Andre Johnson had his fourth straight 100-yard game.
Browns 23, Jaguars 17: Jamal Lewis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown, Derek Anderson completed three huge passes and Cleveland beat the Jaguars at Jacksonville, Fla. It was Cleveland’s second victory in as many games .