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NFL Recap: Steelers hand Minnesota first loss
By The Associated Press
Monday, October 26, 2009 | No comments posted.
Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings gave one away — and are perfect no more.
The New Orleans Saints are still undefeated, proving that no deficit is too large for their explosive offense to overcome.
Three times Sunday, the Vikings were ready to take the lead and possibly put away the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even for Favre, three chances weren’t nearly enough to remain perfect against a defense that not only outplayed the Vikings but outscored them.
LaMarr Woodley returned Favre’s fumble 77 yards for a touchdown and Keyaron Fox ran back an interception 82 yards for another score during the closing minutes, and the Steelers (5-2) turned three major defensive stands into a 27-17 victory Sunday to hand the Vikings (6-1) their first loss.
“We had three chances,” Favre said. “It’s easy to look back now and say we should’ve done this or should’ve done that.”
At Miami, Brees and the Saints (6-0) fell behind for the first time all season, then overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Dolphins 46-34. The NFL’s highest-scoring team topped 40 points for the fourth time and outscored the Dolphins 22-0 in the fourth quarter.
“There was no doubt on our sideline we would come back and win,” said Brees, who threw for 298 yards. “They had given us their best shot, and we had played about as bad as we could play. All we had to do was string together a few drives and gain the momentum back. We knew it was going to happen, and it did.”
At Pittsburgh, the anticipated quarterback showdown between Favre and Ben Roethlisberger became a defensive duel. And the Super Bowl champion Steelers — No. 1 defensively the last two seasons — are tough to beat in any game that’s decided by defense.
The Vikings conceded as much in the third quarter when, after failing to score from a half-yard out on three plays in which Adrian Peterson got the ball only once, they settled for a field goal that kept Pittsburgh in the lead at 13-10.
“That’s the biggest point of the game,” safety Ryan Clark said. “You have the best running back in the world and you don’t give it to him. They’re saying they can’t beat us running, and that’s a major statement when you have the guy they have back there.”
Brees had his worst day of the season, with three interceptions, a lost fumble and five sacks. But he led touchdown drives of 82, 79 and 60 yards on successive possessions in the second half to put New Orleans ahead.
Tracy Porter’s 54-yard interception return then sealed the win for the Saints, who are off to their best start since 1991 and are the only unbeaten team in the NFC.
“It can be a season-defining win,” linebacker Scott Shanle said.
Fading at the finish, the Dolphins (2-4) fell 21⁄2 games behind AFC East leader New England.
“This was our game to win,” Miami’s Ricky Williams said. “We fought and we fought. They just fought harder at the end.”
Patriots 35, Buccaneers 7: At Wembley, England, Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as the Patriots (5-2) beat the winless Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in the NFL’s third regular-season game at the iconic London venue.
For the Bucs, who gave up a home game to play in London, the new surroundings didn’t help. They fell to 0-7 .
Cowboys 37, Falcons 21: At Arlington, Texas, Tony Romo and Miles Austin brought the Cowboys’ offense to life and the defense gave up little more than long drives at the start of each half as Dallas (4-2) roared out of its bye with its most impressive win of the season and first against a team with a winning record.
The Falcons (4-2) came in looking to keep pace with the best start in franchise history. Matt Ryan started great, but couldn’t keep it up. His streak of 142 passes without a sack ended with takedowns on consecutive plays in the first quarter.
He was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Bengals 45, Bears 10: At Cincinnati, Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes — four in a dominant first half — and Cedric Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that let him go.
The Bengals improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2005. Cincinnati scored on all five possessions in the first half and went up 31-0. It tied for the third-most points the Bears (3-3) have allowed in an opening half.
Texans 24, 49ers 21: At Houston, Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and the Texans (4-3) built a big lead and held on for the win.
The Texans led 21-0 at halftime then withstood a rally led by backup quarterback Alex Smith. Eugene Wilson’s interception on fourth down halted a last-gasp drive by the 49ers (3-3).
San Francisco benched Shaun Hill after a terrible first half, and Smith threw three touchdowns to Vernon Davis to close the gap. Michael Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards.
Jets 38, Raiders 0: At Oakland, Calif., Mark Sanchez shook off the worst start of his young career by running for one touchdown and throwing for another, fellow rookie Shonn Greene ran for 144 yards and two scores and the Jets snapped a three-game losing streak.
The win came after the Jets (4-3) lost running back Leon Washington to a broken right leg.
It was just the fifth home shutout ever for the Raiders (2-5), with four coming in the past four seasons.
Packers 31, Browns 3: At Cleveland, Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, Ryan Grant rushed for 148 yards in a laugher against the Browns, who got over the flu but can’t shake other problems.
It would have been understandable if the Packers (4-2) had overlooked an inferior opponent with their eyes on Favre’s hyped return to Wisconsin with the Vikings. But Rodgers and his teammates took care of business against the Browns (1-6), who have scored just four offensive touchdowns and 72 points all season.
Chargers 37, Chiefs 7: At Kansas City, Mo., Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns passes and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 71 yards.
Rivers was 18 for 30 for 268 yards and three TDs as the Chargers (3-3) won their third in a row in Kansas City for the first time since 1981.
The Chiefs (1-6) had hoped a sloppy win over Washington the week before might provide some much-needed momentum. But they played miserably in just about every phase of the game, falling behind 20-0 in the first half.
Bills 20, Panthers 9: At Charlotte, N.C., Jairus Byrd had two more interceptions, Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t make a big mistake in his first start at quarterback and the Bills took advantage of Carolina’s miscues.
Buffalo (3-3) won road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2004, despite being outgained by Carolina (2-4) 425-167.
Colts 42, Rams 6: At St. Louis, Peyton Manning was 23 for 34 for 235 yards — ending his run of 300-yard games at five — and three touchdown passes, and the Colts’ defense got its first score of the year on rookie Jacob Lacey’s 35-yard interception return.
Looking fresh coming off their bye, the Colts (6-0) won their 15th straight regular-season game and set a franchise record with their eighth straight road victory.
The Rams (0-7) lost their 17th straight regular-season game.
Cardinals 24, Giants 17: At East Rutherford, N.J., Arizona erased some bad memories in its last regular-season visit to Giants Stadium, forcing four turnovers and bewildering Eli Manning with its blitzes.
The Cardinals finished with a 3-15 record at the Meadowlands, but this win lifted the defending NFC champions into first place in the NFC West at 4-2 with their third straight win.
The Giants (5-2) lost their second straight.
The New Orleans Saints are still undefeated, proving that no deficit is too large for their explosive offense to overcome.
Three times Sunday, the Vikings were ready to take the lead and possibly put away the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even for Favre, three chances weren’t nearly enough to remain perfect against a defense that not only outplayed the Vikings but outscored them.
LaMarr Woodley returned Favre’s fumble 77 yards for a touchdown and Keyaron Fox ran back an interception 82 yards for another score during the closing minutes, and the Steelers (5-2) turned three major defensive stands into a 27-17 victory Sunday to hand the Vikings (6-1) their first loss.
“We had three chances,” Favre said. “It’s easy to look back now and say we should’ve done this or should’ve done that.”
At Miami, Brees and the Saints (6-0) fell behind for the first time all season, then overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Dolphins 46-34. The NFL’s highest-scoring team topped 40 points for the fourth time and outscored the Dolphins 22-0 in the fourth quarter.
“There was no doubt on our sideline we would come back and win,” said Brees, who threw for 298 yards. “They had given us their best shot, and we had played about as bad as we could play. All we had to do was string together a few drives and gain the momentum back. We knew it was going to happen, and it did.”
At Pittsburgh, the anticipated quarterback showdown between Favre and Ben Roethlisberger became a defensive duel. And the Super Bowl champion Steelers — No. 1 defensively the last two seasons — are tough to beat in any game that’s decided by defense.
The Vikings conceded as much in the third quarter when, after failing to score from a half-yard out on three plays in which Adrian Peterson got the ball only once, they settled for a field goal that kept Pittsburgh in the lead at 13-10.
“That’s the biggest point of the game,” safety Ryan Clark said. “You have the best running back in the world and you don’t give it to him. They’re saying they can’t beat us running, and that’s a major statement when you have the guy they have back there.”
Brees had his worst day of the season, with three interceptions, a lost fumble and five sacks. But he led touchdown drives of 82, 79 and 60 yards on successive possessions in the second half to put New Orleans ahead.
Tracy Porter’s 54-yard interception return then sealed the win for the Saints, who are off to their best start since 1991 and are the only unbeaten team in the NFC.
“It can be a season-defining win,” linebacker Scott Shanle said.
Fading at the finish, the Dolphins (2-4) fell 21⁄2 games behind AFC East leader New England.
“This was our game to win,” Miami’s Ricky Williams said. “We fought and we fought. They just fought harder at the end.”
Patriots 35, Buccaneers 7: At Wembley, England, Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as the Patriots (5-2) beat the winless Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium in the NFL’s third regular-season game at the iconic London venue.
For the Bucs, who gave up a home game to play in London, the new surroundings didn’t help. They fell to 0-7 .
Cowboys 37, Falcons 21: At Arlington, Texas, Tony Romo and Miles Austin brought the Cowboys’ offense to life and the defense gave up little more than long drives at the start of each half as Dallas (4-2) roared out of its bye with its most impressive win of the season and first against a team with a winning record.
The Falcons (4-2) came in looking to keep pace with the best start in franchise history. Matt Ryan started great, but couldn’t keep it up. His streak of 142 passes without a sack ended with takedowns on consecutive plays in the first quarter.
He was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
Bengals 45, Bears 10: At Cincinnati, Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes — four in a dominant first half — and Cedric Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that let him go.
The Bengals improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2005. Cincinnati scored on all five possessions in the first half and went up 31-0. It tied for the third-most points the Bears (3-3) have allowed in an opening half.
Texans 24, 49ers 21: At Houston, Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and the Texans (4-3) built a big lead and held on for the win.
The Texans led 21-0 at halftime then withstood a rally led by backup quarterback Alex Smith. Eugene Wilson’s interception on fourth down halted a last-gasp drive by the 49ers (3-3).
San Francisco benched Shaun Hill after a terrible first half, and Smith threw three touchdowns to Vernon Davis to close the gap. Michael Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards.
Jets 38, Raiders 0: At Oakland, Calif., Mark Sanchez shook off the worst start of his young career by running for one touchdown and throwing for another, fellow rookie Shonn Greene ran for 144 yards and two scores and the Jets snapped a three-game losing streak.
The win came after the Jets (4-3) lost running back Leon Washington to a broken right leg.
It was just the fifth home shutout ever for the Raiders (2-5), with four coming in the past four seasons.
Packers 31, Browns 3: At Cleveland, Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, Ryan Grant rushed for 148 yards in a laugher against the Browns, who got over the flu but can’t shake other problems.
It would have been understandable if the Packers (4-2) had overlooked an inferior opponent with their eyes on Favre’s hyped return to Wisconsin with the Vikings. But Rodgers and his teammates took care of business against the Browns (1-6), who have scored just four offensive touchdowns and 72 points all season.
Chargers 37, Chiefs 7: At Kansas City, Mo., Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns passes and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 71 yards.
Rivers was 18 for 30 for 268 yards and three TDs as the Chargers (3-3) won their third in a row in Kansas City for the first time since 1981.
The Chiefs (1-6) had hoped a sloppy win over Washington the week before might provide some much-needed momentum. But they played miserably in just about every phase of the game, falling behind 20-0 in the first half.
Bills 20, Panthers 9: At Charlotte, N.C., Jairus Byrd had two more interceptions, Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t make a big mistake in his first start at quarterback and the Bills took advantage of Carolina’s miscues.
Buffalo (3-3) won road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2004, despite being outgained by Carolina (2-4) 425-167.
Colts 42, Rams 6: At St. Louis, Peyton Manning was 23 for 34 for 235 yards — ending his run of 300-yard games at five — and three touchdown passes, and the Colts’ defense got its first score of the year on rookie Jacob Lacey’s 35-yard interception return.
Looking fresh coming off their bye, the Colts (6-0) won their 15th straight regular-season game and set a franchise record with their eighth straight road victory.
The Rams (0-7) lost their 17th straight regular-season game.
Cardinals 24, Giants 17: At East Rutherford, N.J., Arizona erased some bad memories in its last regular-season visit to Giants Stadium, forcing four turnovers and bewildering Eli Manning with its blitzes.
The Cardinals finished with a 3-15 record at the Meadowlands, but this win lifted the defending NFC champions into first place in the NFC West at 4-2 with their third straight win.
The Giants (5-2) lost their second straight.
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