Colts win shootout
Peyton Manning and Brett Favre lived up to their superstar reputations, throwing nine touchdown passes between them.
Still, it took a defensive play for the Indianapolis Colts to finally clinch their 45-31 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday in Indianapolis.
Manning threw for 393 yards and five first-half touchdowns. Favre threw for 358 yards and four TDs and the Packers rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to within a touchdown.
But the play of the game was made by two defensive backs, former Washington State Cougar Jason David and Nick Harper. They ended what could have been a game-tying drive by the Packers with 6:21 left. David stripped Javon Walker after he caught Favre’s pass just across midfield and Harper returned it to the Green Bay 36.
That set up Edgerrin James’ 1-yard touchdown run with 1:49 left.
The wild start saw five touchdown passes in the first 11 minutes, three by Manning and two by Favre, a pace that would have added up to 175 points between them. Indianapolis did not have a running play in the first quarter as Manning and Favre aired it out.
Jaguars 15, Titans 12
Fred Taylor ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 9 seconds left and Jacksonville beat Tennessee in Nashville for the first time.
The Jaguars are 3-0 despite scoring just 35 points this season.
The Jaguars sacked Titans quarterback Steve McNair three times and knocked him out in the fourth quarter with a bruised sternum.
Saints 28, Rams 25 (OT)
Fill-in running back Aaron Stecker had his first career 100-yard day, including a 42-yard TD run, Aaron Brooks calmly directed the winning drive and John Carney kicked five field goals as New Orleans ended St. Louis’ 15-game regular-season winning streak at home.
New Orleans forced overtime after the Rams took the lead on Marc Bulger’s 19-yard scramble with 28 seconds to go. Then they stuffed the Rams’ once high-powered offense in overtime and drove deep into St. Louis territory to set up Carney’s clinching 31-yarder with 7:59 left in overtime.
Texans 24, Chiefs 21
Kris Brown kicked a 50-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to lift visiting Houston over Kansas City, keeping the defending AFC West champions winless. The Chiefs are the fourth team since 1990 to start 0-3 after making the playoffs the previous season.
The Texans put together three plays of 20 or more yards against the Chiefs in the fourth quarter. On the winning drive, Houston marched 42 yards in 2:16 to set up the field goal.
Priest Holmes played despite a sprained ankle, running for 134 yards and becoming the Chiefs’ leading career rusher. Holmes broke Christian Okoye’s record of 4,897 yards midway through the third quarter, on a 7-yard run up the middle.
Vikings 27, Bears 22
Daunte Culpepper threw two touchdown passes to Randy Moss and ran for another score, helping Minnesota hold off Chicago in Minneapolis.
Onterrio Smith had 94 yards rushing and 104 yards receiving for Minnesota.
Culpepper completed 19 of 30 passes for 360 yards, 119 of them to Moss. Thomas Jones rushed for 110 yards and added 71 yards receiving for Chicago.
Morten Andersen, who made field goals of 42 and 24 yards, broke George Blanda’s NFL record for career games played with his 341st appearance.
Giants 27, Browns 10
Kurt Warner set up a TD run by Tiki Barber with a long pass, and the veteran quarterback capped another drive with his second career regular-season TD run as New York beat Cleveland in East Rutherford, N.J.
Michael Strahan had two sacks and two fumble recoveries as the Giants defense made life miserable for Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia.
Eagles 30, Lions 13
Donovan McNabb threw for 356 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score to lead visiting Philadelphia to a win over Detroit in the lone game between unbeatens.
Terrell Owens caught six passes for 107 yards and a TD for the Eagles, 3-0 for the first time since they won their first four in 1993.
Rookie receiver Roy Williams had nine receptions for 135 yards and two TDs — for the second straight week — for the Lions, who had a chance to go 3-0 for the first time since 1980.
Falcons 6, Cardinals 3
Atlanta forced Arizona quarterback Josh McCown into three fumbles and managed to win with a pair of field goals by Jay Feely, beating the winless Cardinals in Atlanta in a downright ugly game.
How ugly? There were nine fumbles (seven resulting in turnovers), five calls that had to be reviewed by the referee (two were overturned) and not one touchdown despite countless opportunities by both teams. The Cardinals lost three fumbles inside the Falcons 20. Atlanta is 3-0 for the first time since 1986.
Ravens 23, Bengals 9
Jamal Lewis ran for 186 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown sprint that clinched visiting Baltimore’s victory over Cincinnati.
Kyle Boller ran for a TD and threw for another, but had two costly fumbles that prevented the Ravens (2-1) from pulling away until Lewis’ fourth-quarter run.
Broncos 23, Chargers 13
Ashley Lelie made a fourth-down gamble pay off for Denver, catching a momentum-shifting touchdown in a victory over visiting San Diego.
In a one-on-one showdown between 2002 first-round draft picks, the 6-foot-3 Lelie jumped over 6-0 cornerback Quentin Jammer to catch a 33-yard lob from Jake Plummer on fourth-and-9.
It gave the Broncos a 10-point lead late in the third quarter. Just as importantly, it stifled the momentum San Diego gained moments earlier when the Chargers recovered Quentin Griffin’s third lost fumble of the season and converted it into a touchdown to cut Denver’s lead to 13-10.
Raiders 30, Buccaneers 20
Kerry Collins replaced injured starting quarterback Rich Gannon and calmly directed Oakland to an emotional victory over Tampa Bay in Oakland, Calif.
Collins entered late in the first quarter and led four scoring drives, completing 16 of 27 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. Oakland spoiled the return of former coach Jon Gruden, longtime Raiders receiver Tim Brown and running back Charlie Garner.
Steelers 13, Dolphins 3
Pittsburgh forced four turnovers, made a key fourth-down stop and beat the hapless Dolphins in Miami.
The Dolphins, who have scored 23 points in three games, fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1969, the year before Don Shula became coach.
Steelers rookie Ben Roethlisberger, making his first NFL start, had his first pass intercepted but otherwise avoided costly mistakes despite the slippery ball and footing. He finished 12 of 22 for 163 yards and one score.