Lions hold Packers in check
Brett Favre’s 15th season got off to a dreadful start.
Two of Favre’s three turnovers led to 10 points in a game in which scoring was scarce, helping the Detroit Lions beat the Green Bay Packers 17-3 Sunday in Detroit.
Detroit won its opener for a third straight year.
Joey Harrington threw two touchdown passes, including one to rookie Mike Williams with 4:13 left, to give Detroit the early lead in the NFC North.
Favre finished 27 of 44 for 201 yards with two interceptions and one fumble.
The Packers had their worst day offensively since Sept. 13, 1992, when Tampa Bay beat them 31-3, two weeks before Favre started his record streak of playing 227 straight games.
Harrington was 15 of 28 for 167 yards with two TDs.
Green Bay’s offense took a hit when Javon Walker, Favre’s favorite target, went down early in the third quarter with an injured right knee.
Steelers 34, Titans 7
Willie Parker had a dazzling first career start with 161 yards rushing and a long reception, and a mistake-free Ben Roethlisberger threw for two scores as Pittsburgh routed visiting Tennessee.
The Steelers scored on their first six possessions – four TDs and two field goals.
Chiefs 27, Jets 7
Larry Johnson rushed for 110 yards and two TDs on nine carries and Priest Holmes added 85 yards and a TD for a fast-starting Kansas City offense that scored 17 points on its first three possessions in a victory over visiting New York.
The Chiefs’ defense then made sure that was more than enough, forcing seven fumbles and recovering two. Chad Pennington was sacked three times. Backup Jay Fiedler enabled the Jets to avoid their first shutout since Dec. 24, 1995, when he hit Chris Baker on a 23-yard TD pass with 29 seconds to go.
Bengals 27, Browns 13
Carson Palmer threw two touchdown passes and Cincinnati opened with an easy road win over Cleveland, spoiling Romeo Crennel’s coaching debut with the Browns.
Palmer picked apart Cleveland’s secondary, finishing 26 of 34 for 280 yards with two touchdowns.
Saints 23, Panthers 20
Deuce McAllister ran for two touchdowns and John Carney kicked a 47-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to lift the Saints to an emotional season-opening road win over Carolina.
The Saints rushed out on the field to celebrate the kick, their first joy since Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans on Aug. 29.
Bills 22, Texans 7
Making his NFL debut as a starter, J.P. Losman engineered scoring drives on each of Buffalo’s first five possessions, leading the Bills to a win over Houston in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Losman finished 17 of 28 for 170 yards and a touchdown. Rian Lindell hit a career-high five field goals.
Giants 42, Cardinals 19
Eli Manning led New York to its highest point total in more than two seasons in a victory over Arizona in East Rutherford, N.J.
Manning threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns as New York rallied to defeat Arizona.
Kurt Warner finished 27 for 46 for 264 yards and one touchdown in his first start for Arizona.
Buccaneers 24, Vikings 13
Brian Kelly had two interceptions, the last one at his own 6-yard line with 1:45 left that sealed a season-opening victory for Tampa Bay over Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Rookie tight end Alex Smith caught two touchdown passes for the Bucs.
Dolphins 34, Broncos 10
Gus Frerotte led a creative offense by throwing for 275 yards, Jason Taylor returned a fumble 85 yards for a score and Miami successfully kicked off the Nick Saban era by routing Denver in Miami.
Redskins 9, Bears 7
Washington allowed only 166 yards and John Hall kicked three field goals to make a winner of Mark Brunell in relief in a victory over Chicago in Landover, Md.
The Redskins overcame the loss of starting QB Patrick Ramsey, who had his neck wrung by blitzing linebacker Lance Briggs in the second quarter.
Colts 24, Ravens 7
The Colts barely missed their first shutout since 1997, Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes, and visiting Indianapolis cruised past Baltimore.
The Ravens lost QB Kyle Boller, who hyperextended a right toe while being sacked by Larry Triplett in the third quarter with Baltimore trailing 17-0.