Sunday NFL Capsules.
Sunday NFL Capsules.
NY GIANTS 44, SEATTLE 6
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey Eli Manning and the New York Giants turned in another dominant performance - even without Plaxico Burress.
Manning threw two touchdown passes and Brandon Jacobs scored on a pair of short runs Sunday as the Giants came off their bye week with a thorough 44-6 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks.
The defending Super Bowl champs improved to 4-0 despite not having Burress, New Yorks top wide receiver and Mannings favorite target for the past three-plus seasons.
The Giants are off to their best start since the 1990 season, when they won their first nine games en route to a 13-3 record and the franchises second Super Bowl championship.
Burress was serving a one-game suspension for skipping a practice last week and not informing the team.
But the absence of Burress was not a problem for Manning, who completed 19-of-25 attempts for 267 yards and hooked up with eight different receivers. In particular, Manning seemed to have a rhythm with Domenik Hixon, Burress replacement in the starting lineup.
New York took the lead for good on its fourth play from scrimmage when Manning found Hixon for a 32-yard scoring strike to open the scoring 3 1/2 minutes into the game.
Hixon, used primarily as a kick returner last year before earning a roster spot as a receiver in training camp, suffered a mild concussion near the end of the first half and did not play after the break.
But Hixon certainly made an impact, finishing with four catches for 102 yards. Each of his four receptions resulted in a first down for the Giants, who accumulated 523 yards of total offense. It was their highest single-game total since a 524-yard outing against Green Bay in 2002.
Manning also benefited from New Yorks devastating running game which racked up 254 yards on the ground.
Jacobs ran for a season-high 136 yards on just 15 carries and gave the Giants a comfortable 24-3 lead midway through the second quarter with his second TD of the game, a 1-yard score.
Even underachieving receiver Sinorice Moss got into the act, catching a pair of touchdown passes in the second half. They were the first two career TDs for Moss, a 2006 second-round draft pick who has struggled throughout his pro career.
While the Giants offense was in high gear, their defense completely bottled up the Seahawks (1-3), who also were coming off a bye week.
Seattle finished with 187 yards of total offense, managed just 13 first downs and converted only 1-of-11 third downs.
Matt Hasselbeck completed 11-of-21 passes for 105 yards and was intercepted once.
WASHINGTON 23, PHILADELPHIA 17
PHILADELPHIA Clinton Portis rushed for 145 yards on 29 carries and scored a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, leading the Washington Redskins to a 23-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Portis plowed his way into the end zone from 4 yards out to give the Redskins a 23-14 lead with 14:57 left in the game. That score proved to be the difference, as the Eagles got a 23-yard field goal from David Akers with 7:21 left to pull within six points.
Philadelphia jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a 6-yard rushing touchdown by Brian Westbrook and a 68-yard punt return by rookie DeSean Jackson.
Sean Suisham kicked three field goals to pull the Redskins within 14-9, then Chris Cooley caught an 18-yard TD pass from wide receiver Antwaan Randle El midway through the third quarter to give Washington its first lead.
MIAMI 17, SAN DIEGO 10
MIAMI Ronnie Brown had his second straight 100-yard game, leading the Miami Dolphins to their second consecutive stunning upset with a 17-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Brown rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown as Miami followed up its shocking win over New England two weeks ago by upending the Chargers. The Dolphins had a bye last week.
The Dolphins (2-2) have already doubled their win total of last season with back-to-back victories over the teams that appeared in last seasons AFC championship game.
Miamis defense also came up big, holding Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson to 35 yards on 12 carries, including a huge goal-line stop on fourth down at the 1-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter.
INDIANAPOLIS 31, HOUSTON 27
HOUSTON Peyton Mannings 5-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne with 1:54 remaining capped a stunning turnaround as the Indianapolis Colts rallied from a 17-point deficit in the final five minutes to stun the Houston Texans, 31-27.
After trailing, 10-0, after the first period, Houston (0-4) scored 27 straight points and seemed to be in control with a 27-10 lead. But the Texans unraveled as quarterback Sage Rosenfels, starting in place of an under-the-weather Matt Schaub, fumbled on consecutive possessions.
After Manning threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Tom Santi with just over four minutes left, Rosenfels ill-advisedly tried to dive for a first down. He lost the ball as he was jarred in mid-air and linebacker Gary Brackett returned the fumble 68 yards for a touchdown.
On Houstons next possession, defensive end Robert Mathis stripped Rosenfels and the Colts (2-2) recovered at the Texans 20, setting up Mannings go-ahead score.
TENNESSEE 13, BALTIMORE 10
BALTIMORE Kerry Collins tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler with 1:56 remaining as the Tennessee Titans rallied for a 13-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens to remain unbeaten.
Through 3 1/2 quarters, Tennessee (5-0) was held to a pair of field goals by Rob Bironas, but Collins overcame two early interceptions to drive the Titans 80 yards in 11 plays for the winning score.
After the teams traded field goals in a sluggish first half that ended 3-3, the Ravens (2-2) grabbed a 10-3 lead on LeRon McClains 1-yard touchdown run with 9:27 left in the third quarter.
Baltimore has dropped two straight after winning its first two games under rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.
CAROLINA 34, KANSAS CITY 0
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina DeAngelo Williams rushed for a career-high 123 yards and scored three touchdowns, leading the Carolina Panthers to a 34-0 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Williams scored all of his touchdowns in the first half, including a 25-yard TD reception, as Carolina bolted to a 21-0 lead. It was his fourth career 100-yard rushing game.
Jake Delhomme finished 14-of-22 for 236 yards and two touchdown passes and Steve Smith had six receptions for 96 yards for the Panthers (3-1), who limited the Chiefs (1-4) to one first down in the first half.
Larry Johnson, who rushed for 198 yards in Kansas Citys 33-19 victory over Denver last week, was held to seven yards on two carries as the Chiefs were shut out for the first time since a 24-0 loss to Oakland on December 28, 2002.
ATLANTA 27, GREEN BAY 24
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin The Atlanta Falcons used a late interception in the fourth quarter to pull off an upset of the Green Bay Packers, 27-24 .
With the Packers (2-3) down by a field goal with just under five minutes remaining, Aaron Rodgers escaped a heavy rush, rolled out and launched a misguided pass off his back foot and right into the arms of linebacker Michael Boley. Michael Turner did the rest, taking three straight carries and punching it in from 2 yards out to make it a 27-17 game.
Turner had his third 100-yard game of the season, finishing with 23 carries for 110 yards. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan finally did on the road what hes been able to do at home, completing 16-of-26 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns. In his first two road games - both losses - he was a combined 34-for-74 with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Rodgers, who was a game-time decision with a sprained right shoulder, tried to bring the Packers from behind for the second time this year, connecting with Donald Lee for a 4-yard score to cut the deficit to three with just under two minutes left. But the ensuing onside kick attempt wasnt close as the Falcons (3-2) escaped with their first road victory.
CHICAGO 34, DETROIT 7
DETROIT Kyle Orton threw for 334 yards and a pair of touchdowns and the Chicago Bears used another dominant defensive performance to rout the Detroit Lions, 34-7.
The Bears (3-2) held the winless Lions (0-4) to 223 yards of total offense and forced a pair of turnovers, including a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown by Charles Tillman en route to a 31-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Orton completed 24-of-34 passes and totaled over 300 yards for the first time in his career. He connected on scoring throws to Devin Hester and Matt Forte.
Kevin Smith scored on a 12-yard touchdown run, but combined with Rudi Johnson for just 54 yards on 13 carries. John Kitna completed 8-of-16 for 74 yards before being replaced in the third quarter by Dan Orlovsky, who connected on 13-of-23 throws for 97 yards and an interception.
NEW ENGLAND 30, SAN FRANCISCO 21
SAN FRANCISCO A pair of gambles by coach Bill Belichick led to two short touchdown runs by Kevin Faulk, lifting the New England Patriots to a 30-21 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Matt Cassel threw for 259 yards, including a 66-yard scoring pass to Randy Moss, as New England (3-1) won at San Francisco for the first time in franchise history.
Faulk scored on a 2-yard run with six seconds to play in the first half when Belichick bypassed a sure field goal. He added a 2-yard scoring run on fourth down in the third quarter to make it 24-14.
Stephen Gostkowski kicked three field goals, including a 49-yard boot that gave the Patriots a 30-21 lead with 4:42 to play.
J.T. OSullivan threw three touchdown passes - two to Isaac Bruce - and three interceptions for the 49ers (2-3).
DALLAS 31, CINCINNATI 22
IRVING, Texas Terrell Owens caught a 57-yard touchdown pass and helped the Dallas Cowboys survive a late surge by the Cincinnati Bengals in a 31-22 victory.
Tony Romo threw the scoring strike with 11:56 remaining in the game to give the Cowboys a 24-16 advantage. With the catch, Owens tied Marshall Faulk for fourth on the all-time list for total touchdowns with 134.
Bengals running back Chris Perry fumbled at the Cowboys 40-yard line and Anthony Spencer recovered the ball with 12:36 left to set up Owens score.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh recorded seven catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns - including a 10-yarder with 7:45 left to cut Cincinnatis deficit to 24-22.
ARIZONA 41, BUFFALO 17
GLENDALE, Arizona Kurt Warner threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a 41-17 triumph over the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills.
Warner completed 33-of-42 passes and connected with Larry Fitzgerald on a pair of 2-yard scores. Fitzgerald caught five balls for 52 yards and Steve Breaston added seven catches for 77 yards in place of Anquan Boldin, who missed the game after undergoing surgery on his fractured sinus Thursday.
Rookie Tim Hightower had two rushing touchdowns and Edgerrin James carried 21 times for 57 yards and a touchdown for Arizona (3-2).
Buffalo (4-1) suffered its first loss of the season in addition to losing its starting quarterback, Trent Edwards. He left the game early in the first quarter with a concussion after a hit by Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson. Edwards was replaced by J.P. Losman, who completed 15-of-21 for 220 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
DENVER 16, TAMPA BAY 13
DENVER Jay Cutler tossed a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley and Matt Prater kicked three goals, lifting the Denver Broncos to a 16-13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Broncos (4-1) finally got a strong performance from their beleaguered defense, holding the Buccaneers to a pair of field goals by Matt Bryant until Jeff Garcia threw a 7-yard TD pass to Ike Hilliard with 2:02 remaining . Denver came into the game ranked 29th in scoring, allowing 29.3 points per game, and 31st in passing.
Denver snapped a 6-6 tie on Cutlers scoring pass to Stokley with 5:51 remaining in the third quarter. It was Stokleys first touchdown of the season.
Tampa Bay quarterback Brian Griese suffered a shoulder injury and was knocked out of the game with 8:39 remaining in the third period when he was hit by cornerback Champ Bailey on a blitz. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Buccaneers (3-2).
PITTSBURGH 26, JACKSONVILLE 21
JACKSONVILLE, Florida Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for a go-ahead touchdown with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter to help the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 26-21 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Roethlisberger completed 26-of-41 passes for 309 yards with three touchdowns, helping the Steelers (4-1) snap a four-game losing streak to their former AFC Central Division rival.
Heath Miller and Nate Washington hauled in TD passes for Pittsburgh, which outgained Jacksonville, 415-213, but found itself trailing in the fourth quarter.
Rashean Mathis returned an interception 72 yards for a score, and Maurice Jones-Drew had a TD run for Jaguars (2-3), who took a 21-20 lead with 14:11 remaining in the fourth.
However, Roethlisberger converted a huge 3rd-and-8 with tacklers draped around him by hitting Ward for 18 yards to the Jacksonville 31. Roethlisberger aggravated his shoulder injury on the play but managed to stay in the game. Three plays later he hit Ward on a perfectly thrown fade for a 8-yard TD.
The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, but it did not matter because Jacksonville could not answer.
