NFL roundup: Favre, Jets fly high
Published 12:00 am Monday, September 29, 2008
Associated Press
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ó Brett Favre threw a career-high and Jets-record six touchdown passes, three to Laveranues Coles, and New York took advantage of mistakes by Arizona in a big second quarter of a 56-35 victory Sunday.
Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin was carted off the field after a scary helmet-to-helmet collision with Eric Smith in the end zone with 27 seconds remaining. Boldin was moving all his extremities on the field and was talking to his teammates coming off the field and going into the locker room. He was being taken to a hospital for precautionary reasons.
New Yorkís defense forced three fumbles and two interceptions in the first half and the Jets (2-2) set a franchise record by scoring 34 points in the second quarter.
Favre, showing no signs of a left ankle injury that hobbled him during the week, finished 24-for-34 for 289 yards. Coles had eight catches for 105 yards and Jerricho Cotchery had two touchdown catches as the Jets scored the second-most points in franchise history.
Redskins 26, Cowboys 24
IRVING, Texas ó Jason Campbell threw two touchdown passes and Clinton Portis ran for 121 yards to knock the Cowboys from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Washington (3-1) won for only the second time in its last 13 visits to Texas Stadium. With Dallas moving to a different suburb next season, this was the Redskinsí last visit to a place that rarely treated them well. Thus, unless Washington returns for a playoff game, new coach Jim Zorn will have the unique distinction of being undefeated here.
More importantly, the Redskins proved the two-game winning streak they brought in wasnít just a byproduct of playing bad teams. Theyíre legit, and that means the NFC East ó already the best division in the NFL ó is now a four-way race.
Zorn had to sweat it out, though. After Washington went up 26-17 with 3:22 left, Tony Romo marched Dallas 82 yards in eight plays, capping it with an 11-yard touchdown to Miles Austin. The Cowboys went for an onside kick and the ball came up high and catchable for receiver Sam Hurd, but he wasnít able to hold it, losing the ball out of bounds.
Bills 31, Rams 14
ST. LOUIS ó For the first time in 16 years, the Bills are 4-0. Jabari Greerís 33-yard interception return on the first play of the fourth quarter was the go-ahead score in an 18-point fourth-quarter salvo.
The Billsí first defensive score of the year ó also Greerís first career touchdown ó came off an overthrown pass on second-and-12. It signaled an end to the Ramsí fun and games while handing St. Louis (0-4) its 17th loss in the last 20 games.
Buffalo is 4-0 for the first time since 1992, in the middle of its dominant AFC years. The Bills have gotten an early jump on the franchiseís second winning season since 1999. But the previous two wins were nailbiters by a total of five points.
Chargers 28, Raiders 18
OAKLAND, Calif.ó Another blown fourth-quarter lead for Oakland led to yet another San Diego win over the Raiders and the possible end of coach Lane Kiffinís tenure.
Darren Sprolesí long kickoff return set up Nate Kaedingís go-ahead 47-yard field goal with 1:51 to play and LaDainian Tomlinson sealed the Chargersí 10th straight win over their AFC West rivals with a 41-yard TD run.
The streak by San Diego (2-2) is the longest any team has held against Al Davisí once-proud franchise that has fallen on rough times in recent years.
Chiefs 33, Broncos 19
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ó Larry Johnson ran for 198 yards and two touchdowns and the Chiefs took advantage of four Denver turnovers. It was the first win for Kansas City since Oct. 21, 2007, a club-record 12 straight losses that had angry fans calling for the dismissal of everyone from the general manager to the quarterbacks coach.
Nick Novak kicked three field goals for the Chiefs (1-3), who did not seem to be out of danger until Tony Gonzalez snared a 10-yard touchdown pass with 12:40 to go.
Titans 30, Vikings 17
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Rookie Chris Johnson scored two touchdowns and the defense forced four turnovers that the Titans turned into 21 points. The Titans improved to 4-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Not even dating back to their AFL start in Houston as the Oilers had this team started a season so well. In their 10th season as the relocated Titans, they also have won an NFL-best seven straight regular-season games and had the crowd chanting i4-and-0î as the final seconds ticked off.
Buccaneers 30, Packers 21
TAMPA, Fla. ó Derrick Brooks had one of three interceptions of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and also forced a fumble that Jermaine Phillips returned 38 yards for a touchdown.
Rodgers threw two touchdowns to Greg Jennings, who had six receptions for 109 yards, but was sacked three times and left for one series with a shoulder injury midway through the fourth quarter.
Saints 31, 49ers 17
NEW ORLEANS ó San Franciscoís shaky run defense had trouble stopping Deuce McAllisterís power running. The Saintsí all-time rusher is now playing on two reconstructed knees. It hardly looked that way when he bowled over tacklers for first downs, moved the pile or dived over it for his first touchdown of the season.
He carried 20 times for 73 yards and had a 10-yard reception to convert a third down. McAllister gave the Saints (2-2) the credible power running threat they needed to open up deep throws for Drew Brees.
Brees was 23-of-35 for 363 yards and three scores, including touchdowns of 47 yards to Robert Meachem and 33 yards to Lance Moore. Brees also set up scores with a 52-yard pass to Meachem and an 81-yard connection with Devery Henderson.
Jaguars 30, Texans 27, OT
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. ó Josh Scobee won a second straight game for the Jaguars, with plenty of help from David Garrard again. Scobeeís 37-yard field goal in overtime won it. Scobee hit a 51-yarder with 4 seconds remaining last week to beat Indianapolis 23-21.
Garrard put Jacksonville in position for the winner against the Colts and did the same a week later. He completed a 24-yard pass to Matt Jones on third down to get to the Houston 41, then found Greg Jones in the flat for 22 more yards.
Scobee lined up two plays later and drilled it down the middle.
Browns 20, Bengals 12
CINCINNATI ó With reserve Brady Quinn ready to take over at any time, the embattled Derek Anderson did just enough ó and it wasnít much ó to rally Cleveland over a winless Cincinnati team missing its starting quarterback.
Anderson threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards that put the Browns (1-3) ahead to stay in the fourth quarter, his best play on an afternoon that had few of them. Even that moment came with an asterisk: A Bengals penalty wiped out a potential interception on the drive.
Bears 24, Eagles 20
CHICAGO ó Alex Brown stopped Correll Buckhalter at the goal line late in the game, and Chicago hung on to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 24-20 Sunday night after head-scratching losses that raised questions about their killer instinct.
The Eagles (2-2) threatened to take the lead after a 41-yard field goal by Robbie Gould made it a four-point game with 10:28 remaining, launching a 75-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes.
Problem was they needed 76.
In the first half, Chicagoís Kyle Orton picked apart a defense that sacked Ben Roethlisberger eight times while beating Pittsburgh last week, but he was shaky in the second.
He was 18-of-34 with 199 yards and a career-high three touchdowns ó all in the first half.