Titanic victory for Colts

Chalk up the first game between the NFL’s defending co-MVP quarterbacks to Peyton Manning.

Manning threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns, and Nick Harper intercepted Steve McNair’s pass in the end zone in helping Indianapolis rally for a 31-17 victory over Tennessee on Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

Edgerrin James also ran for two touchdowns and 124 yards as the Colts avoided losing consecutive games in the regular season for the first time since the middle of the 2002 season — now a span of 26 games.

The Colts forced two turnovers and sacked McNair three times.

Bears 21, Packers 10

Mike Brown’s 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown sparked Chicago’s victory over the Packers at Lambeau Field, only their third win over their rivals in the last 21 meetings.

Brett Favre threw two interceptions Sunday, but the killer was Ahman Green’s fumble just before halftime.

On first down from the 2 just after the 2-minute warning, linebacker Brian Urlacher stormed into the backfield and stripped Green. Brown scooped it up and scored.

Lions 28, Texans 16

Joey Harrington beat David Carr in the first matchup of the top two quarterbacks from the 2002 NFL draft.

Harrington threw three touchdown passes, two thanks to rookie Roy Williams’ spectacular catches, to lead Detroit past Houston for its first 2-0 start since 2000.

Harrington was 18 of 25 for 176 yards with one interception, while Carr completed 23 of 34 passes for 313 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Panthers 28, Chiefs 17

DeShaun Foster did not just sub for the injured Stephen Davis, he came within 4 yards of erasing Davis’ team record for yards rushing in a game.

Running around and through Kansas City’s soft defense, Foster carried 32 times for 174 yards, including a team-record 71-yard burst, in leading the defending NFC champion Panthers to a victory in Kansas City, Mo.

Giants 20, Redskins 14

Washington gift-wrapped Tom Coughlin’s first win as New York Giants coach.

Linebacker Barrett Green scored on a 16-yard fumble return and New York forced seven turnovers in a win in East Rutherford, N.J., that handed Joe Gibbs his first loss in his second stint with Washington.

Kurt Warner threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Tim Carter and Steve Christie kicked two field goals in a game the Giants had to sweat out despite having a plus-6 edge in turnovers.

Jaguars 7, Broncos 6

Running back Quentin Griffin fumbled on the 23-yard line with about a minute to play, allowing Jacksonville to escape with a victory over Denver.

Jake Plummer drove Denver into field goal range with less than a minute to play, but the Broncos wanted to take time off the clock and get Jason Elam a shorter attempt. Griffin then bobbled the handoff, Akin Ayodele recovered and the Jags ran out the remaining 31 seconds.

Jets 34, Chargers 28

Curtis Martin scored on the Jets’ first two possessions and became the team’s all-time rushing leader, helping New York to a win over the Chargers in San Diego.

Martin scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards and finished with 119 yards on 32 carries. With 8,185 yards in seven seasons with the Jets, he broke Freeman McNeil’s old team record of 8,074.

Ravens 30, Steelers 13

Jamal Lewis rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns and Chester Taylor added a career-high 76 yards on the ground to lead Baltimore to a victory over visiting Pittsburgh.

Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox went 4 for 13 for 67 yards before being forced out in the third quarter with an elbow injury. He was replaced by first-round draft pick Ben Roethlisberger, who threw fourth-quarter TD passes to Antwaan Randle El and Hines Ward.

Raiders 13, Bills 10

Ronald Curry caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown as Oakland held off Buffalo in Oakland, Calif.

Drew Bledsoe’s first career game in Oakland wasn’t much fun, either.

Playing before the Raider Nation for the first time in his 12th season, Bledsoe was sacked seven times and struggled for the second straight week.

Cowboys 19, Browns 12

Vinny Testaverde threw for 322 yards and Eddie George ran for 61 yards and a TD as Dallas held off Cleveland in Irving, Texas.

Dallas reached at least the Cleveland 43-yard line on 10 of its 11 drives, but turned them into only two touchdowns and a field goal.

Bengals 16, Dolphins 13

Chad Johnson wriggled open for a 20-yard catch that put Cincinnati in range for Shayne Graham’s 39-yard field goal with two seconds left to give the Bengals their first victory over visiting Miami in 27 years.