game1sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918010 game1team1name=Tennessee game1team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_ten.gif game1team1score=25 game1team2name=Baltimore game1team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_bal.gif game1team2score=10 game1gamedate=2005-09-18 game1gamestatus=Final game1gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918010.jpg game1gamecaption=Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap, top, flips as he's hit by Tennessee Titans cornerback Andre Woolfolk, bottom, in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Nashville, Tenn. The Titans defeated the Ravens, 25-10. game1gamerecap=Tennessee Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck was so elated over teammate Brad Kassell's interception return for a touchdown that he grabbed the first football he saw and punted it into the stands.

Oops. That was the ball Kassell wanted for his trophy cabinet.

If he has to buy it, I'll buy it for him,'' Bulluck said of the ball, which now belongs to a fan.

Bulluck and the Titans were in a giving mood Sunday after proving they really can tackle in beating the Baltimore Ravens 25-10 in their home opener.

Steve McNair threw a touchdown, Rob Bironas kicked field goals of 39, 29 and 47 yards and Rob Reynolds blocked a punt in the end zone for a safety as the NFL's youngest team easily dismantled a supposedly improved Ravens offense.

The rebuilding Titans (1-1) had replaced five starters on defense this offseason, but they easily outplayed Baltimore's Pro Bowl-stocked unit with six sacks and two turnovers, including Kassell's 21-yard interception return in the fourth quarter.

Kyle Vanden Bosch just missed a safety on his third sack of the game, but Reynolds got it when he blocked Dave Zastudil's punt and tackled Will Demps in the end zone in the final minutes.

The defense played great,'' Titans running back Travis Henry said.

The Ravens (0-2) struggled for a second straight week on offense, and not even a change in quarterback seemed to help.

Anthony Wright started for Kyle Boller, who was booed when he left with a hyperextended right big toe in last week's 24-7 loss to Indianapolis. Wright had helped lead the Ravens to the AFC North title in 2003 before losing to the Titans in a wild-card game on Jan. 3, 2004, his last start.

Now they head into their bye week before hosting the New York Jets on Oct. 2, and coach Brian Billick said he can't even begin to break down all the mistakes.

We've got a lot of work to do, plain and simple. This bye didn't look to be in a particularly good spot when it first came out. But obviously right now, it's what we need because we have a great deal of work these next two weeks,'' Billick said.

The Titans' defense gave up 206 yards last week in an embarrassing 34-7 loss at Pittsburgh.

AP - Sep 18, 5:16 pm EDT

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They fed off the emotions of a sold-out crowd and more than atoned by holding Baltimore to 182 yards offense and a Ravens-franchise low of only 14 yards rushing. The Ravens went three-and-out on six of their first seven possessions and didn't get a first down until the third quarter.

What a difference a week makes,'' Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.

We now have to maintain this level of play, and that is the challenge week to week.''

The Titans had no such problems as they held the ball for more than 19 minutes in the first half and rolled up 228 yards with a 13-0 lead. They finished with 290 yards.

After a fumble by Jamal Lewis, McNair tossed a 2-yard pass to fullback Troy Fleming for a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Lewis finished with nine yards on 10 carries, and he only had compliments for Tennessee.

Watching on film from last week, they looked like a totally different defense. They played well. They played great as a whole team,'' Lewis said.

Bironas, who missed his only field goal attempt at Pittsburgh, capped a 13-play drive in the second quarter with his first field goal and added a 29-yarder just before halftime. He tightened his hold on his first NFL job with the 47-yarder in the third.

McNair finished 19-of-36 for 195 yards.

Wright had trouble getting comfortable and was 25-of-40 for 212 yards. He fell when he stepped on center Mike Flynn's foot after the snap, and bobbled a snap three times out of the shotgun.

Billick's only other options were rookie Derek Anderson and veteran Kordell Stewart, who was signed earlier this week. Baltimore finally got on the board by abandoning the run on their first drive in the third quarter.

Wright hit seven straight passes in moving the Ravens to the Titans 12. But he missed Wilcox under pressure and overthrew Clarence Moore in the end zone, so they settled for a 30-yard field goal from Matt Stover.

The Ravens finally scored on a 12-yard TD toss to ex-Titan Derrick Mason in the fourth when it was too late.Notes Vanden Bosch came into the game with only five sacks in his first four seasons with Arizona. ... Kassell's interception and TD return was a career-first for the linebacker. ... The 14 yards rushing allowed was the fewest by Tennessee since holding Buffalo to 4 yards rushing net on Nov. 23, 1997. ... The six sacks by the Titans were the most since Sept. 8, 2002, when they had six against Philadelphia.

game2sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918003 game2team1name=Chicago game2team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_chi.gif game2team1score=38 game2team2name=Detroit game2team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_det.gif game2team2score=6 game2gamedate=2005-09-18 game2gamestatus=Final game2gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918003.jpg game2gamecaption=Detroit Lions receiver Marcus Pollard, foreground, is hit by Chicago Bears' Mike Brown, as he attempts to catch a pass during the fourth quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Chicago. Brown was called for a personal foul for helmet-to-helmet contact on the play but the Bears went on to win the game 38-6. game2gamerecap=The points came from all areas -- offense, defense and special teams -- in rapid procession as the Chicago Bears trampled Joey Harrington and the Detroit Lions.

Chicago's 38-6 victory Sunday in the home opener was emphatic.

The Bears intercepted Harrington a career-high five times and battered the Lions along the way.

We were resilient this week,'' Bears wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad said.

After a 9-7 loss at Washington in the season opener, the Bears looked more like the playoff contender they have claimed to be since the start of training camp. The 38 points were their most since a 47-17 victory over Tampa Bay in September 1993.

Nate Vasher intercepted Harrington twice and Mike Brown returned one 41 yards for a touchdown. Brian Urlacher added two sacks.

Thomas Jones rushed for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, and quarterback Kyle Orton was 14-of-21 for 150 yards with no interceptions.

Bobby Wade returned a punt 73 yards for a score in the second quarter and Brown added that interception return in the final minute of the half as Chicago took a 31-6 lead to the locker room.

We did what we said we were going to do,'' Urlacher said. We got in his (Harrington's) face, and we got some pressure on him and got him to throw the ball sometimes when he didn't want to. And we got some takeaways -- what we got to do every week.''

And what the Lions weren't able to do Sunday.

Detroit's defense, which sacked Brett Favre four times and held Green Bay to its lowest point total in 13 years in last week's 17-3 victory, had trouble breaking through the Bears' line, and Chicago's offense sprang to life after being held to 166 yards against Washington.

Harrington, meanwhile, looked lost. He struggled against the pressure, completing 19 of 37 passes for 196 yards. Detroit managed just 12 yards rushing in the first half -- and 29 in all on 18 carries.

We made a lot of mistakes, and I compounded it,'' Harrington said.

AP - Sep 18, 5:05 pm EDT

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Harrington's troubles started on the opening possession, with an interception by right tackle Ian Scott. The Bears drove 43 yards for a touchdown, with Jones running it in from the 3.

The Lions immediately responded.

After a 41-yard kickoff return by Eddie Drummond, Harrington found an open Roy Williams, who beat Charles Tillman on the right for a 51-yard touchdown that made it 7-6.

The Bears blocked the extra-point attempt by Remy Hamilton, signed Friday to the practice squad and activated before the game with Jason Hanson nursing a hamstring injury. That ended Hanson's streak of 209 games, the third longest among active NFL players.

The rout was on from there.

Chicago's Doug Brien kicked a 48-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to increase Chicago's lead to 10-6. It grew to 17-6 early in the second quarter when Wade, inactive last week, returned a punt 73 yards up the left side.

Harrington, who had thrown four interceptions in a game twice, continued to struggle.

Vasher intercepted a fade in the left corner of the end zone intended for Williams, and that led to an 80-yard scoring drive. Orton zipped a 28-yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad, who held on despite being sandwiched by cornerback Fernando Bryant and safety Kenoy Kennedy, to make it 24-6 with 1:14 left in the half.

Muhammad was fine, but Bryant left with a shoulder injury.

On the next play from scrimmage, Brown intercepted Harrington as he was hit and ran it in from 41 yards.

Besides Bryant, the Lions lost defensive end James Hall (groin), backup free safety Vernon Fox (left elbow) and tight end Marcus Pollard (concussion), who took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Brown in the fourth quarter.

Brown said he's prepared'' for a fine by the NFL, but wanted to make it clear the collision of helmets was accidental.

I saw the ball in his hands,'' Brown said. I was going for the ball first. It happened so quick out there.''

Harrington hopes he never has another game like this. He has extra time to think about it, with the Lions off next week before visiting Tampa Bay.

It's going to eat at me, but it could be a good thing to kind of clear your head,'' he said.Notes Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye and backup linebacker Joe Odom left with ankle injuries in the first half. ... Vasher, in his second season, has eight interceptions in his career after picking off two on Sunday. ... With the temperature at 76 degrees, the Bears wore their road white jerseys. ... Kevin Jones led the Lions with 22 yards rushing on eight attempts.

game3sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918004 game3team1name=Cincinnati game3team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_cin.gif game3team1score=37 game3team2name=Minnesota game3team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_min.gif game3team2score=8 game3gamedate=2005-09-18 game3gamestatus=Final game3gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918004.jpg game3gamecaption=Cincinnati Bengals' Deltha O'Neal celebrates after intercepting a pass by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Duante Culpepper in the second half, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Cincinnati. O'Neal intercepted three passes in the Bengals 37-8 win. game3gamerecap=Chad Johnson went directly from talking to trashing the Vikings.

Johnson caught a 70-yard touchdown pass on the game's second play Sunday, and the Cincinnati Bengals had their way during a 37-8 victory over Minnesota that made a statement and raised a question.

Yes, the 2-0 Bengals think they're for real.

It's right there in front of us,'' said Johnson, who had seven catches for 139 yards. This year we can do something special.''

And the 0-2 Vikings? Are they really this bad? So far, yes.

We have a veteran group with a lot of pride, and we're embarrassed with the way we're playing,'' said Daunte Culpepper, who threw a career-high five interceptions. I'm determined to fix it. One thing we've got to do is stay together.''

And ignore the talk.

Johnson got his mouth going during pregame introductions, talking a little friendly trash to Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot. The receiver had challenged him during the week to show what he's got.

The Bengals had it all over the Vikings, rolling up 337 yards and a 27-0 lead in the first half. Johnson topped 100 yards receiving before halftime, setting the tone for Cincinnati's most lopsided win in three years.

It was so convincing that coach Marvin Lewis warned his players not to get carried away.

I've already warned our guys: Don't let them make you over-exuberant,'' Lewis said.

By contrast, Culpepper had a miserable time, throwing those five interceptions -- three to Deltha O'Neal. The Vikings turned the ball over seven times in all and didn't get closer than the Bengals' 49-yard line in the first half.

By that point, Johnson didn't need to say anything else. The numbers said it all.

AP - Sep 18, 4:43 pm EDT

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Carson Palmer completed his first nine passes against a dazed defense. Palmer went 27-of-40 for 337 yards overall with touchdown passes to three different receivers. The one to Johnson set the tone.

He was yapping before the coin toss, sauntering toward the Vikings bench to yell at Smoot. The cornerback yelled back and made a bring-it-on'' arm wave.

Fifty-two seconds into the game, Johnson was in the end zone.

The Vikings were slow getting defensive substitutions onto the field for the second play, and looked confused as the coverage was called. Smoot lined up in the slot against T.J. Houshmandzadeh, leaving Johnson covered along the sideline by Antoine Winfield.

Big mistake.

It was a breakdown,'' Smoot said. You can't start a game off like that. There's no excuse. We've got to stop sugarcoating things. Everybody's got to get better.''

Johnson flew past Winfield and took Palmer's long pass in stride over the shoulder for a 70-yard touchdown play that left the Vikings on their heels.

It opens up the passing game,'' Palmer said. When a guy gets open that early, it definitely puts fear into their hearts.''

The Vikings sank a lot of money into their defense in the offseason, bringing in Smoot, safety Darren Sharper and lineman Pat Williams. They were helpless in the decisive first half -- the Bengals didn't even have to punt.

Sharper and Winfield were on the bench with injuries while the Bengals closed it out in the fourth quarter.

For the second consecutive game, the Vikings' offense couldn't get out of its own way. Culpepper had three interceptions and two fumbles in an opening 24-13 loss to Tampa Bay, and repeatedly forced passes against the Bengals -- one of O'Neal's interceptions was in the end zone.

The Vikings' offense set numerous franchise records last season with Randy Moss, and hasn't been the same without him, scoring only one touchdown in two games. The Vikings couldn't even take advantage of franchise-record 17 penalties by the Bengals.

When it ended, Johnson sought out Smoot and gave him a warm embrace.

Talking in his ear the whole time, of course.

It's love, man,'' Johnson said. It's the love of playing the game with the same passion as you. We had fun out there.''

Well, one of them did.

Yeah, I'm embarrassed,'' Smoot said.Notes The Vikings had no immediate assessment of several injured players. WR Nate Burleson (knee), Sharper (knee) and Winfield (foot) left the game. ... It was Palmer's second-best passing day in two seasons and his third 300-yard passing game. ... The last time Cincinnati had seven takeaways was Nov. 6, 1983, at Houston. ... Lewis angrily shoved safety Reggie Myles aside after he got a penalty for a head-butt on a punt coverage. ... First-round pick David Pollack lined up offsides twice, negating two other Vikings fumbles.

game4sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918021 game4team1name=Philadelphia game4team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_phi.gif game4team1score=42 game4team2name=San Francisco game4team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_sfo.gif game4team2score=3 game4gamedate=2005-09-18 game4gamestatus=Final game4gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918021.jpg game4gamecaption=Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb passes during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Philadelphia. McNabb threw five touchdown passes in the Eagles' 42-3 win. game4gamerecap=Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens are back to picking apart defenses instead of each other.

McNabb threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first 19 minutes, including a pair to Owens, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 42-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Whatever happened in the past, hopefully it's over,'' McNabb said of his well-publicized feud with Owens this summer.

Wearing extra padding to protect his injured chest, McNabb finished 23-of-29 for 342 yards and tied his career-best for TD passes while playing three quarters. Owens had five catches for 143 yards -- all in the opening 19 minutes -- in his first game against his former team.

L.J. Smith caught a career-best nine passes for 119 yards and one TD for Philadelphia (1-1).

Don was looking for all his receivers,'' Smith said. He wasn't keying on one person. Sometimes, I was the third read and still got the ball. The tight end is vital in this offense.''

Alex Smith, the top pick in the NFL draft, made his debut for San Francisco, playing the last series and throwing one incomplete pass.

We don't have any excuses. We didn't play very well,'' 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. We'll correct our mistakes. We'll learn from them.''

Six days after losing to Atlanta 14-10 in a rematch of last season's NFC championship game, the Eagles dominated the 49ers (1-1) from the start.

McNabb and Owens connected for a 68-yard TD on the third play from scrimmage, electrifying a sellout crowd at Lincoln Financial Field that hadn't seen a meaningful game since the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl.

McNabb, who missed practice Wednesday because of a bruised chest, eluded a strong rush, scrambled to his left, and threw on the run, hitting Owens in stride at San Francisco's 41. Owens outran cornerback Mike Adams to the end zone, turned around and raced straight toward McNabb. The two stars, who weren't on speaking terms in the preseason, low-fived each other and went to the sideline smiling.

When we're in the field and everything is clicking, everyone is smiling,'' McNabb said.

After Dhani Jones intercepted Tim Rattay's underthrown pass to a wide-open Frank Gore streaking down the sideline, McNabb tossed a 6-yard TD pass to Smith to make it 14-0.

AP - Sep 18, 4:59 pm EDT

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McNabb's 42-yard TD pass to Owens early in the second quarter made it 21-0. This time, Owens stood in the end zone, stared into the stands and nodded his head before giving the ball to McNabb. The catch put Owens over 10,000 yards receiving, making him the 22nd player in NFL history to reach that mark.

Lito Sheppard intercepted Rattay's pass on San Francisco's next play and ran it back 34 yards to the 2. Brian Westbrook caught a 2-yard TD pass from McNabb on the following play.

With kicker David Akers sitting out after injuring his hamstring on the previous kickoff, linebacker Mark Simoneau made the extra point to put the Eagles ahead 28-0.

Third-string tight end Mike Bartrum kicked off, but Akers returned to make the rest of the kicks.

A week after beating St. Louis, the 49ers were completely overmatched against the Eagles. They had just 62 total yards in the first half and 142 overall, while Philadelphia racked up a team-record 583 yards.

The extra motivation of playing against Owens couldn't help San Francisco. Linebacker Derek Smith, who had harsh words for Owens earlier in the week, wasn't a factor. Safety Mike Rumph delivered a crushing hit on Owens after a 20-yard catch in the first quarter, but Owens got right up.

He didn't let all of that bother him,'' Eagles coach Andy Reid said of Owens. I'm sure everybody has their opinion on him on that team. Some guys like him and some don't, but he goes through that every week. Guys taunt him, but he doesn't get into that.''

Smith stood by his criticism of Owens.

I said he was a premier player, but I wouldn't take him on our team, even after his performance today,'' Smith said. ^Notes: McNabb's other five-TD game was in a 47-17 victory over Green Bay last Dec. 5. ... The Eagles had 582 yards against Cleveland on Nov. 7, 1965. ... Backup QB Koy Detmer completed all nine of his passes for 94 yards. ... Rattay was 13-for-26 for 107 yards and three interceptions. ... RB Lamar Gordon scored his first TD for the Eagles on a 6-yard run in the fourth.

game5sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918027 game5team1name=Tampa Bay game5team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_tam.gif game5team1score=19 game5team2name=Buffalo game5team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_buf.gif game5team2score=3 game5gamedate=2005-09-18 game5gamestatus=Final game5gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918027.jpg game5gamecaption=Buffalo Bills player struggle in the heat on Sunday, Sept. 18th, 2005 when they lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs 19-3 with temperatures in the mid 90's in Tampa, Fla. game5gamerecap=Carnell Cadillac'' Williams shrugged off a sprained foot and insisted on finishing the game.

Several broken tackles and dozens of yards later, any questions about the rookie's toughness or ability to handle a heavy workload for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had been answered.

Williams topped 100 yards rushing for the second straight week Sunday, helping the Bucs dominate J.P. Losman and the Buffalo Bills 19-3 for the team's first 2-0 start in five years.

Coming out of halftime, it felt like I couldn't go. Then once I told coach (Jon) Gruden I wanted to go, they still wouldn't let me go,'' Williams said. I had to kind of stress the point, I'm going.'''

Williams carried 24 times for 128 yards and one touchdown. The performance followed a 148-yard, 27-carry debut that raised questions about whether Gruden called on Williams too much in a season-opening victory at Minnesota.

I should be fine,'' Williams said of his sore left foot, adding that the rest of his body is holding up to the physical pounding, too.

I'm definitely in pain, but you never feel good,'' he added. I'm always going to hurt.''

Tampa Bay's defense scored on a safety and was every bit as tough on Losman as they've been on a list of young quarterbacks that includes Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper in recent years.

Losman completed 12 of 29 passes for 113 yards in his first NFL road start. The second-year quarterback didn't have any turnovers for the second week in a row, but never came close to getting Buffalo's offense in synch.

It's a humbling experience. We came in high as a kite, and everyone was telling us how good we are. We met a team that matched us in intensity and physicalness,'' Losman said.

Willis McGahee was held to 34 yards rushing on 13 carries after gaining 117 in the Bills' 22-7 season-opening victory over Houston. Star receiver Eric Moulds had one catch for 8 yards as Tampa Bay's defense held the opposition without an offensive touchdown for the second game in a row.

The closest Buffalo (1-1) came to getting into the end zone was in the closing minutes, when Losman led a drive to the Tampa Bay 4. A penalty for an illegal forward pass knocked the Bills back to the 9, and the march stalled when Derrick Brooks batted down a pass intended for Moulds on fourth down.

They had a good scheme. They knew where we would be and they watched my eyes the whole game,'' said Losman, who was benched for one series in the fourth quarter before returning after backup Kelly Holcomb completed 2 of 3 passes for minus-1 yard.

AP - Sep 18, 4:41 pm EDT

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I put Kelly in to see if we would get a spark,'' Buffalo coach Mike Mularkey said. We had to try to get something going before it was too late.''

Williams had runs of 31, 23 and 19 yards, the latter on his first carry after sitting two series with a sprained left foot. He finished that drive with a 3-yard TD run, then broke two tackles on the 31-yard burst that set up Matt Bryant's 40-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.

He gets stronger as the game goes on, and if his foot arch isn't a problem he'll continue to prove what I believe,'' Gruden said. He has intense stamina. This guy is a workaholic and he is at best when a game is on the line.''

Losman threw for 170 yards and a touchdown without any turnovers in Buffalo's win over Houston, but his inexperience showed against a defense that used as many as six backs to frustrate him in obvious passing situations.

The Bucs set the tone by nearly intercepting Losman three times in the first quarter, then positioned themselves to snap a scoreless tie when Juran Bolden downed Josh Bidwell's punt at the Buffalo 1 early in the second quarter.

Losman was flushed out of the pocket on third-and-7, but couldn't get a pass away before stepping out of the back of the end zone with linebacker Shelton Quarles and safety Jermaine Phillips in close pursuit.

The Bills, who lost for only the third time in their last 12 games, averted a shutout with Rian Lindell's 40-yard field goal in the second quarter. They finished with 145 yards, with much of it coming on their last drive.

It was a good lesson. ... A wake-up call,'' Bills coach Mike Mularkey said. Teams will be prepared when we step on the field.''Notes Bills WR Josh Reed had six receptions for 71 yards. ... Buffalo had 77 yards total offense before gaining 68 on its last possession. ... Quarles was credited with a sack on the safety. DE Simeon Rice had Tampa Bay's other sack. ... The Bills didn't report any injuries during the game.

game6sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918011 game6team1name=Indianapolis game6team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_ind.gif game6team1score=10 game6team2name=Jacksonville game6team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_jac.gif game6team2score=3 game6gamedate=2005-09-18 game6gamestatus=Final game6gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918011.jpg game6gamecaption=Indianapolis Colts running back Ran Carthon, left, runs for a fourth-quarter 6-yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Indianapolis. The Colts won 10-3. game6gamerecap=The Indianapolis Colts have a new winning combination: patience and defense.

With Peyton Manning's wide-open passing game mostly grounded Sunday, the Colts pounded away at Jacksonville, breaking through in the final nine minutes with a 6-yard TD run from Ran Carthon and letting their suddenly stifling defense preserve a 10-3 victory over the Jaguars.

We need to be able to win games like this,'' coach Tony Dungy said. To win a championship, Dungy said, you have to win games that go any kind of way.''

It wasn't pretty for the Colts (2-0), but it was effective.

Manning, the two-time MVP, was off the mark, overthrowing receivers much of the day and looking out of sync as the Jaguars pressured him. He finished 13-of-28 for 122 yards with one interception and a quarterback rating of 44.0 --
his worst regular-season rating since December 2001.

The NFL records some expected to fall this week for most yards passing and touchdowns by a quarterback-receiver tandem never materialized. Manning connected with Marvin Harrison three times for 36 yards, leaving the duo 24 yards and three touchdowns short of their claim to the league's best tandem ever.

Instead, the Colts relied on a persistent running game. Edgerrin James ran 27 times for 128 yards, and Indianapolis used a 17-play drive that consumed nearly nine minutes before Carthon's late TD run finally gave the Colts the lead with 8:27 left.

Still, Indianapolis took the early edge in the AFC South title chase --
protecting its home field against the only team to beat it at home last year --
and got more help when Carolina beat two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England. That result brought a roar from the stragglers still left inside the dome.

Every week it seems it's a different test,'' James said. We show the fans what we can do.''

The Jaguars (1-1) may have lost more than a game.

Byron Leftwich hobbled up the field during the final two minutes, rekindling images from his senior year at Marshall, as he nearly rallied Jacksonville. He got the Jaguars to the Colts 22 before a pass to Jimmy Smith in the end zone was broken up by Bob Sanders on the final play.

Leftwich was injured on the second-to-last series when Raheem Brock sacked him from behind and he was bent him over awkwardly. Leftwich lay on the ground reaching for his knee before limping off the field. He was X-rayed after the game.

I don't want to say what it is right now, but it wasn't the knee,'' said Leftwich, who was in obvious pain on the final drive. I'm happy the knee is OK.''

AP - Sep 18, 5:14 pm EDT

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Leftwich finished 16-of-29 for 198 yards, was sacked six times -- three times by Montae Reagor -- and continually took big hits. Smith caught three passes for 49 yards to become the 12th member of the 800-reception club midway through the second quarter. He now has 802 career receptions. Fred Taylor carried 16 times for 81 yards.

The Jaguars also lost safety Donovin Darius with a sprained left knee in the second quarter. He did not return.

But the game was dictated by two defenses that hardly budged. Indianapolis had 268 yards in offense, while the Jaguars managed 303.

They held us to three and Baltimore to seven,'' Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. I think he (Dungy) is getting his guys to play pretty good.''

The Colts took control by grinding it out.

With Manning struggling, Dungy relied on the run and Carthon scooted up the middle and barely sneaked the ball over the goal line to make it 7-3 with 8:27 to go.

The Colts then burned 3:51 on their next series when Mike Vanderjagt's 41-yard field goal made it 10-3 with 1:50 left.

Indianapolis' defense took care of the rest.

As Leftwich tried valiantly to rally the Jaguars, he was constantly under pressure. His throwing arm was once hit just as he released the ball and he limped badly from play to play.

He did get the Jags in position to force overtime, taking them to the Indianapolis 22, and throwing to the front corner of the end zone, where Sanders batted down the ball to end the game.

We were fortunate today, the defense could carry the offense for a while,'' Colts cornerback Nick Harper said. We showed everyone we're for real.''Notes The fourth-quarter comeback was the 23rd of Manning's career. ... The Jaguars don't play another division game until Nov. 6. ... Sunday's game marked the first time in James' career that he rushed for 100 yards against the Jaguars. ... Harrison's three catches gave him 854 in his career, breaking a tie for sixth all-time with Irving Fryar, who had 851.

game7sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918029 game7team1name=Carolina game7team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_car.gif game7team1score=27 game7team2name=New England game7team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_nwe.gif game7team2score=17 game7gamedate=2005-09-18 game7gamestatus=Final game7gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918029.jpg game7gamecaption=Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme (17) throws a pass under pressure during the second quarter of the Panthers' 27-17 win over the New England Patriots in Charlotte, N.C. Sunday Sept. 18, 2005. Delhomme was 11-26 for 154 yards and one interception. game7gamerecap=The Carolina Panthers know a Week 2 victory over New England doesn't come close to rectifying their Super Bowl loss to the Patriots two years ago.

Even so, their 27-17 victory over the Patriots on Sunday sure did feel good.

It wasn't a revenge game or a get-back game, because that was a long time ago,'' said Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme. This was just a big win for us.''

It certainly was no Super Bowl reprise because neither team played that well.

But the Panthers (1-1) did just enough to win, getting three touchdowns from Stephen Davis in the first regular-season meeting between the teams since the Patriots' thrilling 32-29 Super Bowl win two seasons ago.

But if it was any indication, neither team is ready to play for a championship and the Patriots (1-1) look nothing like a winner of three of the last four Super Bowls.

Do you think we're going to win any more games playing like this?'' Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. We can't play like this. We have to play better. We have to coach better. This won't be good enough ... against anyone we play.''

Carolina won in spite of Delhomme, who was off all day and had an interception by Mike Vrabel returned 24 yards for a touchdown. Delhomme finished 11-of-26 for 154 yards and no touchdowns.

It meant the Panthers had to rely on Davis, who ran for 77 yards and scored on three 1-yard plunges in his second game back from microfracture surgery on his right knee. Davis became the first running back to score three TDs against the Patriots since Curtis Martin did it in 2000.

I'm fine,'' Davis said. I'm feeling great. I'm having no setbacks.''

Neither did Carolina's defense, despite the loss of tackle Kris Jenkins to a season-ending knee injury. Even without their run stopper, the Panthers shut down Corey Dillon and limited the Patriots to 39 yards rushing.

One person isn't going to cause a tremendous drop-off, contrary to popular belief,'' said end Julius Peppers. We aren't just going to fall off without Kris. We still play hard and we still have great players.''

The Patriots lost because of Tom Brady, who had two of New England's three turnovers and couldn't carry the offensive load when the running game stalled.

AP - Sep 18, 5:33 pm EDT

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Brady finished 23-of-44 for 270 yards, one interception and one fumble. He did throw a 1-yard TD pass to Daniel Graham early in the first quarter, the 100th passing touchdown of his career, but struggled from there.

New England was also sloppy, committing 12 penalties for 86 yards.

We came in here and said, 'We sucked today,' Brady said. Losing sucks. Any way you cut it, it's no fun.''

Carolina had control of the game early in the second half when John Kasay kicked his second field goal, a 52-yarder, to give the Panthers a 20-7 lead.

But the Patriots seized the momentum by scoring 10 points in a span of 27 seconds.

First, Adam Vinatieri connected on a 45-yarder to cut Carolina's lead to 20-10.

Then Delhomme made his biggest blunder of the game. Under pressure, he frantically searched the sideline for someone to dump the ball off to. Davis was briefly there, but Delhomme took too long to throw in his direction.

When he finally did, Vrabel was the only player in the vicinity. He went untouched into the end zone for a 24-yard score. That cut it to 20-17 and the Panthers seemed to be unraveling.

Delhomme exchanged words with Carolina safety Mike Minter as the two passed on the field, then had an exchange with Panthers coach John Fox.

Minter claimed later he only offered words of encouragement to Delhomme, and it must have been misinterpreted.

But Delhomme was still fuming when he got back on the field, and the Panthers called three straight running plays before he attempted another pass.

But Carolina's defense stopped the Patriots from capitalizing with their first big play of the season. Mike Rucker swiped the ball out of Brady's hands and Peppers scooped it out. It set Davis' third touchdown of the game and put the Panthers up 27-17.

Notes: New England cornerbacks Tyrone Poole and Chad Scott did not play because of injury, and backup Randall Gay was hurt in the second quarter. ... Panthers rookie safety Thomas Davis, who struggled last week against New Orleans, was replaced in the starting lineup by Marlon McCree. Davis finished with two tackles and a sack. ... Carolina cornerback Ken Lucas, a free-agent acquisition, had a game-high 10 tackles. ... Deion Branch had eight catches for 60 yards. ... Troy Brown helped set up Graham's touchdown with a 71-yard catch.

game8sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918034 game8team1name=Pittsburgh game8team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_pit.gif game8team1score=27 game8team2name=Houston game8team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_hou.gif game8team2score=7 game8gamedate=2005-09-18 game8gamestatus=Final game8gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918034.jpg game8gamecaption=Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a 40-yard pass to teammate Cedrick Wilson as Houston Texans' Travis Johnson (75) pressures him during the third quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005 in Houston. The Steelers beat the Texans 27-7. game8gamerecap=Big Ben's left knee is doing fine. So are all the winning streaks tied to him and the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into their AFC championship game rematch with New England.

Shaking off a bruise that had him listed as questionable to even play, Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a pair of touchdowns and two field goals on their first four drives en route to a 27-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Pittsburgh (2-0) won its 16th straight regular-season game, matching the Miami teams of 1971-73 and 1983-84 for the second-best run in league history. The record is 18, set by the Patriots and ended by the Steelers when they met last October in Pittsburgh.

New England got revenge by winning at Heinz Field in January to get to the Super Bowl. Now the Steelers are the ones talking about payback with the two-time Super Bowl champs returning to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

I think that will be on a lot of people's minds this week,'' said running back Willie Parker, who cemented his hold on the starting job with 111 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

We try to take it one game at a time, but the New England game is not really the same,'' added safety Troy Polamalu, who had three of Pittsburgh's eight sacks.

While the Patriots took some of the luster off the rematch by losing at Carolina, the Steelers kept up their end with Roethlisberger improving to 15-0 as a starter and Pittsburgh winning an eighth straight road game, one shy of the team record set in 1974-75.

We've got to keep doing what we're doing -- not turning the ball over, not getting penalties and playing smart,'' coach Bill Cowher said.

The Texans (0-2) knew how tough it would be to stop the Steelers, so they resorted to a 12th man of sorts: Mother Nature. They slid open their roof, hoping on-field temperatures that started above 110 and kept rising would wear down their black-jersey-wearing foes.

But Houston couldn't slow Pittsburgh long enough for the heat and humidity to matter.

Roethlisberger showed his knee was fine by scrambling back, then forward, left and back again before hitting a 9-yard pass on his second throw of the game.

I feel I'm better on the field than on the sidelines,'' said Roethlisberger, who went 14-of-21 for 254 yards.

Roethlisberger came through every time Pittsburgh needed him.

AP - Sep 18, 5:35 pm EDT

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Up 3-0, he beat a nine-man secondary on third-and-12 by hitting Hines Ward for 14 yards. They hooked up for a 16-yard touchdown a few plays later, then a 14-yard TD on the next drive.

Roethlisberger opened the following series with a 54-yarder to Antwaan Randle El, leading to Jeff Reed's second field goal. It was his team-record 21st in a row and put Pittsburgh up 20-0.

Just before halftime, Houston's Antwan Peek hit Roethlisberger so hard he said it left him woozy and numb on his left side. It didn't show. On his first drive of the third quarter, Roethlisberger scrambled, then heaved a 40-yard pass across the field to Cedrick Wilson. Parker ran 10 yards for a touchdown three plays later.

Houston's problem was an offense so lousy that fans were booing before quarterback David Carr lost a fumble -- and that was on his third snap.

He finished 16-of-26 for 167 yards and a touchdown, but he gave back 59 yards on his most sacks since the team's expansion season in 2002. He went down five times in the first half, including an 11-yarder that took Houston out of field-goal range, and on consecutive plays shortly before halftime. The game even ended with a sack.

While Carr said his linemen fought their tails off,'' Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter heard Carr saying otherwise.

He was arguing with his offensive line,'' Porter said. Whenever you get a quarterback arguing with his team that's a good sign.''

Houston's only scoring drive came after coach Dom Capers challenged his team to put the first half behind us and come out and fight.'' They went 78 yards in 14 plays, with Domanick Davis scoring on a 3-yard catch.

After that, the Texans went for it on fourth-and-4 from the Pittsburgh 28 only to get called for delay of game. They tried anyway and Carr overthrew Corey Bradford in the end zone.

It's frustrating,'' Carr said. We just, for some reason, can't get it done.''Notes Cowher insisted Parker will remain the starter when Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley return from injuries. Willie Parker is going nowhere,'' Cowher said. ... Texans DE Gary Walker separated his left shoulder and is out indefinitely. ... Roethlisberger followed last week's perfect QB rating of 153.8 with a 139.8.

game9sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918022 game9team1name=St. Louis game9team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_stl.gif game9team1score=17 game9team2name=Arizona game9team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_ari.gif game9team2score=12 game9gamedate=2005-09-18 game9gamestatus=Final game9gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918022.jpg game9gamecaption=St. Louis Rams' DeJuan Groce, rear, intercepts a pass intended for Arizona Cardinals Bryant Johnson, left, during the second quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. The Rams won 17-12. game9gamerecap=Any last minute drive to win a game would be great. For Kurt Warner, to do it against the St. Louis Rams would have been perfect.

Warner and his Arizona Cardinals fell a few yards shy, though, doomed by Adam Archuleta's sack and a false start penalty as time ran out in the Rams' 17-12 victory Sunday.

A perfect scenario, a perfect place to be in,'' Warner said. But then a lot of times it's more disappointing when you don't get it done in a situation like that.''

Warner, 29-for-42 for 327 yards in his first game against the St. Louis franchise he directed to two Super Bowls and one NFL crown, drove the Arizona Cardinals to the St. Louis 5 in the final seconds.

But Archuleta, playing on the field where he was a college star for Arizona State, burst through for a sack.

They did a good job coming down the field,'' Archuleta said, and we needed that play.''

The Cardinals scrambled into formation for another play, but a flag was thrown against tackle Leonard Davis, and under NFL rules the clock kept running to end the game. Davis was getting an intravenous injection of fluids after the game and wasn't available.

There's no finger pointing or anything like that,'' wide receiver Bryant Johnson said. We just have to execute on offense.''

Marc Bulger directed touchdown drives on St. Louis' first possession of each half and the Cardinals advanced inside the Rams 12 four times without a touchdown. Sacks spoiled three of the threats.

We're trying to establish our character and identity,'' Archuleta said, and this was a great game for us, especially for the defense.''

Coach Mike Martz, offensive-minded to say the least, praised his defense.

We have come a long way defensively,'' he said. We've got a ways to go, but our front seven is terrific.''

Bulger completed 18 of 29 passes for 216 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt in the first quarter. He was intercepted once.

AP - Sep 18, 8:04 pm EDT

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We got the numbers last week and we lost,'' Bulger said. This week we didn't really get the numbers but we won. I'm not going to sit here and pick apart stats. ... If we win, that's all I care about.''

Steven Jackson rushed for 93 yards on 18 carries, including a seven-yard TD that was the difference in the game.

Arizona got the ball on its 14 with 1:53 to play and no timeouts. Warner threw passes to Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin to get the ball to the 5. But Archeleta burst through to grab Warner for a 5-yard loss, then Davis had a false start as the clock ran out.

Boldin caught eight passes for 119 yards. With rookie J.J. Arrington out with illness, Marcel Shipp started at running back for Arizona and gained 54 yards in 12 carries. He also caught five passes for 39 yards.

Arizona had eight penalties for 72 yards, all on its final four possessions.

They always say that holding can be called on every play,'' Warner said, and we had a stretch there when I think it was.''

Neil Rackers kicked field goals of 29, 26, 48 and 35 yards for the Cardinals. In two games, Arizona's offense has one touchdown and six field goals.

It's frustrating for the whole team,'' coach Dennis Green said of the red-zone problems, because everything is affected by it.''

Down 17-9, Arizona drove to the Rams' 8 in the final quarter. But on second-and-9, Ryan Pickett sacked Warner and forced Rackers' 35-yarder that cut the lead to 17-12.

The Rams took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards in seven plays. Jackson started the drive with runs of 24 and 15 yards. Bulger threw over the middle to Kevin Curtis for 29 yards to the Arizona 19, then 19 yards to Holt and it was 7-0.Notes The teams exchanged penalties on consecutive plays in the first quarter. Leonard Little recovered Warner's fumble, then Darnell Dockett intercepted Bulger's pass. ... With C Alex Stepanovich playing his first game after coming back from a broken right hand, RG Reggie Wells snapped on Arizona's shotgun formations. ... DeJuan Groce made a brilliant interception of Warner's long pass in the second quarter.

game10sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918026 game10team1name=Seattle game10team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_sea.gif game10team1score=21 game10team2name=Atlanta game10team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_atl.gif game10team2score=18 game10gamedate=2005-09-18 game10gamestatus=Final game10gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918026.jpg game10gamecaption=Atlanta Falcons head coach Jim Mora appears on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005. The Seahawks won, 21-18. game10gamerecap=After losing four fourth-quarter leads last season, then melting down in the Florida heat last week, this would have been the worst loss of all for the Seattle Seahawks.

The team's defense saved the day.

I was thinking, 'Oh my goodness, here we go again,' coach Mike Holmgren said after the Seahawks nearly blew a 21-0 halftime lead Sunday, holding on to beat Atlanta 21-18.

Shaun Alexander ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and Matt Hasselbeck threw for 281 yards and two more TDs. Still, it was the defense that won it for the Seahawks, shutting down the Falcons after Atlanta got the ball back with 2:39 left at its 27.

Bryce Fisher sacked Michael Vick on third down, then Andre Dyson knocked down a pass intended for Michael Jenkins from Matt Schaub, who twice replaced Vick late in the game when the Atlanta QB felt his left leg cramping after a 32-yard run. Fisher fell on Vick as he fell a yard behind the line of scrimmage.

At the end of the year, I'm telling everybody that's the greatest rush ever made,'' said Fisher, who signed as a free agent from St. Louis and is one of seven new starters on the Seattle defense. It was a sack anyway, it just helped me that he laid down.''

The game left both teams at 1-1.

Seattle lost in the heat of Jacksonville as Hasselbeck had three turnovers in the fourth quarter, and Atlanta had an emotional Monday night win over Philadelphia. The Falcons played the first half like that game had taken everything from them with a short week and a cross-country trip added in.

Vick twice missed Jenkins wide open for an apparent TD, once in the first half and again in the second. He finished just 11-of-19 for 123 yards and had 11 yards in seven carries aside from that long scramble.

Overall, Seattle outgained Atlanta 428-223. In the second quarter alone, the Seahawks had 13 first downs to none for the Falcons and outgained them 219-13.

They played a great defensive scheme,'' Vick said. They did some things that threw us off-balance.''

Most important, they scored three times on drives that covered 75, 68 and 80 yards. The scores came on a 6-yard pass from Hasselbeck to Joe Jurevicius, a 14-yard run by Alexander and a 35-yard pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens with 28 seconds left in the half.

In fact, the best Atlanta player in the first half was rookie punter Michael Koenen, who played last year at Western Washington in Bellingham, about 75 miles north of Seattle. He kept pinning the Seahawks deep.

AP - Sep 18, 8:18 pm EDT

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They played the way we like to play,'' Falcons coach Jim Mora said, with great tempo and they were moving the ball and they were playing inspired defense. No excuses on our side. We've got to play better, we've got to start faster.''

Instead, they started after intermission, cutting it to 21-10 with two scores early in the third quarter: a 5-yard pass from Vick to Brian Finneran and a 30-yard field goal by Todd Peterson. Meanwhile, Hasselbeck threw five straight incomplete passes to start the quarter.

For a while the game stabilized.

The Seahawks ate up more than seven minutes of the fourth quarter with a drive that took them from 9 to the Atlanta 18 before they were set back by three penalties and Bobby Engram finally lost a fumble on a third-down play.

They were bringing four or five and it confused us a little,'' Stevens said. We made our adjustments and we were able to start moving the ball again.''

Still, that turnover gave Atlanta another shot.

Vick, who had 11 yards on seven carries to that point, scrambled for 32 yards and found Finneran for 11 more. He then left with the ball at the Seattle 5-yard-line, holding his left leg. As trainers worked on Vick on the sideline, Schaub's third-down pass for Jenkins was incomplete, but Dyson was called for interference.

T.J. Duckett then scored from the 1 and Schaub found Alge Crumpler for the 2-point conversion to make it 21-18 with 3:58 to go.

^Notes: Atlanta WR Dez White injured his knee in the second quarter and lay on the field for several minutes. He later returned to the game. ... Seattle WR Alex Bannister left after injuring his right collarbone -- the same bone he's broken twice in the last year. Holmgren said X-rays were inconclusive and Bannister said it was not as bad as his previous injuries. ... The Seahawks beat the Falcons 28-26 in the final regular-season game here last year, with Vick resting in the second half.

game11sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918020 game11team1name=NY Jets game11team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_nyj.gif game11team1score=17 game11team2name=Miami game11team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_mia.gif game11team2score=7 game11gamedate=2005-09-18 game11gamestatus=Final game11gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918020.jpg game11gamecaption=Miami Dolphins quarterback Gus Frerotte (11) attempts a pass as he is tackled by New York Jets linebacker John Abraham during the first quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets won 17-7. game11gamerecap=Early in the fourth quarter Sunday, with the game on the line, Jets coach Herman Edwards walked up to his franchise quarterback on the sideline.

Edwards told Chad Pennington, We have to score.''

The Miami Dolphins had just closed the gap to 10-7 and the defense needed a breather. Pennington promptly went out and led a beautiful drive, making up for his struggles early on, and helped seal a 17-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins with a 1-yard score to Jerald Sowell.

On the drive, Pennington went 7-of-7 for 74 yards. He finished 19-of-30 for 190 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

We talk about our football team complementing each other,'' Pennington said. The Dolphins put a good drive together, and on offense we needed to step up and put some points on the board. That's what we did.''

It was far from pretty, but the Jets (1-1) will take any victory after an embarrassing loss in Kansas City last week. Following the defeat, in which the Jets had three turnovers and Pennington fumbled six times, Edwards preached to his team all week about getting back to a blue-collar mentality.

He gave them their keys to victory: protecting the football, establishing the run, stopping the run, and limiting penalties. The Jets did all of those with success against Miami (1-1), which returned to form following a surprising win over Denver last week.

New York had no turnovers, ran for 98 yards, held Miami to 66 on the ground, and committed five penalties for 40 yards.

I didn't think blue collar necessarily meant ugly,'' Jets guard Pete Kendall said.

Edwards hardly cared.

They realized what type of football team we are,'' Edwards said. We have to do the little things well. It doesn't look pretty all the time -- pretty doesn't win.''

Pennington struggled for most of the day. After losing two of his fumbles last week, Pennington vowed not to drop another one. It didn't take him long to break that promise: On the first play of the game, he bobbled the exchange from Kevin Mawae.

Ah, but Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor was offside, so instead of a disastrous start, Pennington had gotten the one little gaffe out of his system.

AP - Sep 18, 8:34 pm EDT

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His passes were another matter. Many wobbled in the air; some were too short, others too long. But he connected on just enough, and was at his best after Gus Frerotte threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Randy McMichael to close the gap.

He got hot and he made some good throws,'' Dolphins safety Lance Schulters said of Pennington. He looked fine to me.''

Curtis Martin, who won the NFL rushing title last season, was held to 72 yards on 31 carries as the Dolphins defense kept them in the game.

But Frerotte was off, finishing 20-of-43 for 177 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Dolphins also failed to muster much of a running attack. Rookie Ronnie Brown, who came into the game with a slight shoulder injury, had 35 yards on 12 carries.

Another reason for its inability to get much going: Miami had 10 penalties for 88 yards. The Dolphins also converted 4-of-14 third-down opportunities.

There were too many penalties in the game,'' Dolphins coach Nick Saban said. We talk about playing hard and competing, but you also have to play smart. That's something we need to do a better job of. We did a lot of good things out there, but they were negated by our errors.''

Things even went wrong with normally terrific Olindo Mare, who missed a 21-yard field goal in the first quarter wide left after a high snap caused him to stutter-step before planting to make his kick.

The Jets led 10-0 at halftime but it could have been more following a bizarre sequence late in the second quarter.

On third-and-goal from the 8, Pennington threw complete down the middle to Wayne Chrebet, who appeared to stretch the ball over the plane of the goal line.

Officials ruled Chrebet down, but the Jets challenged the call. After the review, the call was upheld because the referee ruled Chrebet's knee was down, and he was touched down, before getting the ball into the end zone. Then on fourth down from the goal line, Martin tried to get himself in but fumbled and the Dolphins got the ball on downs.Notes The Jets honored former linebackers Marvin Jones and Mo Lewis at a halftime ceremony. Both stopped playing after the 2003 season, and signed with the Jets this past offseason to officially retire as Jets. ... Neither team had injuries to report, though Jets safety Erik Coleman had his right thumb wrapped.

game12sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918009 game12team1name=Cleveland game12team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_cle.gif game12team1score=26 game12team2name=Green Bay game12team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_gnb.gif game12team2score=24 game12gamedate=2005-09-18 game12gamestatus=Final game12gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918009.jpg game12gamecaption=Cleveland Browns quarterback Trent Dilfer passes the ball past Green Bay Packers Joey Thomas during the second quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Green Bay, Wis. Dilfer was 21-for-32 for 336 yards as the Browns won 26-24. game12gamerecap=They lived up to Reggie White's legacy on the day his number was retired, playing with a menacing mix of passion, poise and precision.

Not the Green Bay Packers, the Cleveland Browns.

Trent Dilfer won for the first time in nine trips to Lambeau Field, guiding Cleveland over the mistake-prone Packers 26-24 for new coach Romeo Crennel's first win. Dilfer threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Edwards and a game-icing 62-yarder to Steve Heiden with 1:50 remaining.

Dilfer, who lost six times as a starter at Green Bay, completed 21 of 32 passes for 336 yards -- the second-highest total of his career -- and three touchdowns. His 62-yarder to Heiden, who slipped a tackle by safety Mark Roman, made it 26-17, too much for the Packers to overcome even behind Brett Favre.

The Packers wanted desperately to honor White with a win. So did Dilfer, who like so many others, counted himself a friend of the Minister of Defense,'' who died unexpectedly last year at age 43.

I guarantee you,he and my son were watching the game together today,'' said Dilfer, who lost his 5-year-old son, Trevin, to a rare infection in 2003.

Dilfer recalled White's kind words after football games when they beat us up. That meant the world to me.''

I think I'm third all-time on his sack list. Reggie and I got to know each other pretty intimately on the football field,'' Dilfer added. What a special day for his family to honor him that way. In my 12 years, by far the classiest person I've ever met in this league. He had a huge influence on me personally, spiritually.''

Favre broke John Elway's single-stadium NFL touchdown record of 180 with a 4-yard toss to Tony Fisher with 4 seconds left, but Brodney Pool recovered the onside kick for Cleveland (1-1).

I've been 'Favre'd' twice up here,'' Dilfer said. So, I was a wreck on the sidelines. It was big to erase some of those demons.''

The Browns were backed up and facing a crucial third down after Favre, who also joined Dan Marino and Elway in the 50,000-yard passing club Sunday, pulled the Packers to 19-17 with a 19-yard TD to Robert Ferguson with 3:40 remaining.

With the crowd chanting Reg-gie! Reg-gie!'' in honor of the late White, whose number was retired at halftime, Dilfer calmly hit running back Reuben Droughns for a 12-yard gain on third-and-5. Then, following the 2-minute warning, he found Heiden over the middle to put the game out of reach.

We blew the coverage,'' Roman said. But I still have to get the guy down.''

AP - Sep 18, 8:22 pm EDT

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The Packers (0-2) looked at first like they wouldn't miss Javon Walker, their star receiver who went down with a season-ending knee injury last week. They went ahead 7-0 on their first possession when Donald Driver caught a short pass over the middle and raced past Ray Mickens and Chris Crocker for a 42-yard score.

The Browns (1-1) responded with an 80-yard drive capped by Dilfer's 1-yard throw to Heiden.

Phil Dawson added field goals of 21 and 39 yards to give the Browns a 13-7 halftime lead. His first field goal followed the first of Favre's two interceptions.

The Packers came out of the locker room early to watch White's No. 92 unveiled beneath the north end zone alongside those of Don Hutson, Tony Canadeo, Bart Starr and Ray Nitschke. White's widow, Sara, spoke to the crowd, and highlights were shown of White sacking quarterback after quarterback and holding the Lombardi Trophy aloft after the Packers' Super Bowl win following the 1996 season.

Then, it was back to 2005, and the Packers continued their sloppy play in losing their home opener for the third straight season.

A loss is a loss, I don't care what day it is,'' Packers linebacker Nick Barnett said. It hurts regardless of if it's Reggie White's day or Brett Favre's day or Bart Starr's day.''

Two plays after Gary Baxter intercepted a Favre pass in the end zone, Dilfer hit Edwards, who split split defensive backs Joey Thomas and Nick Collins and raced 80 yards for the score.

It's very disappointing that we lost in front of Reggie's family,'' cornerback Al Harris said. We didn't give him much of a tribute today.'' ^Notes: Jecolia White, White's 17-year-old daughter, sang the national anthem. ... Favre finished 32-of-44 for 342 yards. His 20-yard run was his longest since 1999. ... TE Bubba Franks hurt his left hip.

game13sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918007 game13team1name=Denver game13team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_den.gif game13team1score=20 game13team2name=San Diego game13team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_sdg.gif game13team2score=17 game13gamedate=2005-09-18 game13gamestatus=Final game13gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918007.jpg game13gamecaption=Denver Broncos running back Ron Dayne breaks a tackle to pick up 10 yards around the left end against the San Diego Chargers in the fourth quarter in Denver on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005. Chargers Terrence Kiel, left, sets up for the tackle. Dayne came off the bench and ran six times for 39 yards on the winning drive as the Broncos beat the Chargers 20-17. game13gamerecap=The debate around Denver will be sweet, mainly because the Broncos won.

Was Ron Dayne the biggest star of Denver's come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday?

Or does Champ Bailey deserve the credit for salvaging Denver from a debacle of a first half that had Broncos fans booing?

Dayne came off the bench and ran six times for 38 yards in the drive that set up Jason Elam's game-winning 41-yard field goal with 5 seconds left.

Bailey, meanwhile, opened the third quarter with a 25-yard interception return for a score that started the rally, cutting Denver's 11-point halftime deficit to 14-10.

Champ Bailey won the game. Let's call it like it is,'' defensive end Trevor Pryce said. It shows how one play can make such a big difference.''

Sparked by that play, the Broncos allowed San Diego's offense only 41 yards in the second half, thus avoiding an 0-2 start that would have put them, as Pryce put it, so far behind the 8-ball, we would've been behind the pool table.''

Dayne, meanwhile, was a surprise star -- coming off the bench after spending the first game on the inactive list and most of this one watching Mike Anderson run.

On the winning drive, Dayne ran for 13, 8, 3, 3 and 1 yards. Then, on fourth-and-1 from the San Diego 33, he took a pitch around left end for 10 to set up Elam's kick.

It was a no-brainer to me, and our confidence level was there,'' coach Mike Shanahan said of the fourth-down gamble. There was no doubt in my mind that we were going to go for it.''

Asked how many times he was given the chance to come through big in his five disappointing seasons with the Giants, the 1999 Heisman Trophy winner paused for a moment.

Probably never,'' Dayne said.

While the Broncos celebrated a win, the Chargers fell to 0-2 and lost for the 10th time in their last 11 games in Denver. This one came on the heels of a tough 28-24 loss last week to the Cowboys.

AP - Sep 18, 7:50 pm EDT

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We have to finish games better,'' coach Marty Schottenheimer said.

The loss spoiled a record-setting day for LaDainian Tomlinson, who ran for both San Diego scores in the second quarter.

The first gave Tomlinson the NFL record with a rushing touchdown in 14 straight games. The second gave the Chargers a 14-3 lead and a few minutes later, the Broncos headed into halftime being showered by boos.

They made some great adjustments in the second half,'' Tomlinson said. We obviously didn't do a good enough job in finishing.''

After Bailey's pick, defense and special teams kept the Broncos in great field position through the third quarter, but the offense struggled and Elam missed a pair of 53-yard field-goal attempts.

Midway in the fourth quarter, Broncos rookie Darrent Williams burst through untouched on a punt return for what looked like a touchdown. But the Broncos were penalized for too many men on the field, the result of players running off the sideline to celebrate before Williams reached the end zone.

I've paid enough money to the National Football League without getting into that,'' Shanahan said of the call. I don't want to be fined anymore.''

The Broncos staved off major embarrassment by scoring on that drive to go ahead 17-14 and the Chargers answered with a field goal -- their only decent drive of the second half -- that tied the score and set things up for Dayne.

He was viewed as a longshot to make the roster, almost an afterthought in a training camp that included Maurice Clarett and Jerry Rice. And even when Dayne made the team, questions persisted when Shanahan made him inactive for Denver's 34-10 loss to Miami on opening day.

On Sunday, though, he was suited up and did some damage after spending most of the game watching Anderson -- who came back after hurting his ribs last week -- get held to 49 yards on 15 carries.

I was just happy to get the opportunity to play, and to help my team win,'' Dayne said.

Bailey felt the same way. He dislocated his shoulder last week, but came back and led a defense that held Drew Brees to 175 yards and Tomlinson to 52 yards rushing and no receptions.

We've got a great defense, a great front-seven,'' Bailey said. There's no way we shouldn't play the way we did in the second half every week.''

Notes:@ San Diego TE Antonio Gates returned from his suspension and caught six passes for 80 yards. ... Denver DE Courtney Brown made his debut after missing the preseason and Week 1 with an elbow injury and had a sack and a fumble recovery.

game14sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050918013 game14team1name=Kansas City game14team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_kan.gif game14team1score=23 game14team2name=Oakland game14team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_oak.gif game14team2score=17 game14gamedate=2005-09-18 game14gamestatus=Final game14gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050918013.jpg game14gamecaption=Kansas City Chiefs Gary Stills (55) recovers a bad punt attempt by the Oakland Raiders' Chris Carr (23) in the first quarter Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005, in Oakland, Calif. game14gamerecap=Randy Moss delivered the breathtaking big play the Oakland Raiders expected when they acquired him. But when it came time for a potential game-winning drive, the Kansas City Chiefs made sure he wouldn't get free.

Kansas City's defense came through for a second straight week, stopping Oakland at the 10-yard line in the final minutes of a 23-17 victory Sunday night.

Trent Green offset Moss' 64-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter with two long field goal drives for the Chiefs (2-0) in the second half. Moss had only one catch after the touchdown and was nowhere to be found on Oakland's final drive.

He's going to make some plays. That's Randy Moss,'' Chiefs safety Sammy Knight said. Hopefully we can contain him and we did that at the end.''

Winning with defense is a welcome change in Kansas City, where a high-scoring offense hasn't been enough in recent years. That led to an overhaul of the defense in the offseason and the results after two weeks have been positive.

After taking a shutout into the final minute of a season-opening 27-7 win over the New York Jets, the Chiefs held off the Raiders when they needed to.

It's just the second game. We don't feel like we're at our peak yet,'' cornerback Patrick Surtain said. But to hold a great offense to 17 points is something you can be proud of. But in no way, shape or form are we satisfied with how we played. We know we can play better.''

After Samie Parker's fumble set up a final drive for Oakland, Kerry Collins led the Raiders (0-2) to the 10 with 1:58 to go. On fourth down, Collins looked for Moss but he was covered, so instead he lofted a last-ditch pass to Jerry Porter. Porter leaped and had the ball on his fingertips, but Benny Sapp knocked it away.

They had some people on him,'' Collins said of Moss. I was certainly trying to go his way. They were putting two or three guys on him.

After the Raiders took over on their 36 early in the third quarter, Collins dropped back for a play-action pass. Moss ran past Surtain and then outleaped Knight at the 20 before running it in the rest of the way. He turned back toward the defense as he crossed the goal line and then did a dance move as he celebrated with his new fans. He finished with five catches for 127 yards.

The Chiefs answered with a methodical 15-play drive that was slowed by back-to-back holding calls against Jordan Black after Priest Holmes' 20-yard run set up a first-and-goal at the 9. A 39-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes made it 20-17 after three quarters.

Green then led Kansas City on an 11-play, 54-yard drive, completing key third-down passes to Parker and Tony Gonzalez to set up a 42-yard kick by Tynes.

Green was 18-for-28 for 238 yards, and Holmes ran for 75 yards and a score for Kansas City.

AP - Sep 19, 12:20 am EDT

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Moss was the last player introduced before the game and received the loudest cheers. He caught an 18-yard pass to set up Oakland's first score, a 1-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter by LaMont Jordan.

Moss got louder cheers when he appeared to catch a 6-yard touchdown throw early in the second quarter. But those quickly ended when the play was called back by an pass interference on Moss and Oakland settled for a 29-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.

Jordan also had a touchdown called back when Langston Walker held on a 56-yard run. After committing 16 penalties in the season-opening loss at New England, flags again hurt the Raiders, who committed two key penalties to stall a drive earlier in the fourth quarter.

We're not lacking for confidence, we're just lacking for wins,'' Porter said. It's dumb to get frustrated now, it's Week 2. We have 14 more games to play.''

Kansas City struggled on the ground without injured 10-time Pro Bowl tackle Willie Roaf, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry but the Chiefs did get two TDs rushing. Chris Carr muffed a punt at Oakland's 17 after the first drive of the game and the Chiefs converted two fourth downs, including Holmes' 1-yard score.

Holmes briefly left the game after being nicked up in the second quarter, but Larry Johnson came in and carried twice for 17 yards to make it 14-7.

We knew the yards were going to be hard,'' Johnson said. We knew they would try to shut down the run as much as they could. Trent did a good job hitting the receivers on some third-down passes.''

Collins was 21-for-35 for 263 yards, but was booed frequently as he often threw the ball short on third downs.Notes Kansas City also had a score called back when Dante Hall's long punt return in the final minute of the first half was negated by an illegal block. ... The Raiders have won nine of their last 11 home openers, with both losses coming to Kansas City. ... Raiders WR Ronald Curry will have an MRI exam Monday after injuring his right leg late -- the same side as his torn Achilles' tendon a year ago.

game15sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050919018 game15team1name=NY Giants game15team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_nyg.gif game15team1score=27 game15team2name=New Orleans game15team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_nor.gif game15team2score=10 game15gamedate=2005-09-19 game15gamestatus=Final game15gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050919018.jpg game15gamecaption=New Orleans Saints wide receiver Joe Horn (87) fumbles the ball near the end zone pylon as he is pursued by New York Giants cornerback Curtis Deloach in the fourth quarter of the Saints 27-10 loss to the Giants, Monday, Sept. 19, 2005, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The ball hit the pylon in the fumble and the play was ruled a touchback, with the ball going to the Giants. game15gamerecap=To the New Orleans Saints, Monday night's bizarre home'' opener was unfair from the outset. And they played like they didn't want to be there in losing 27-10 to the New York Giants.

They made this seem like the Super Bowl,'' quarterback Aaron Brooks said of the NFL and the hoopla after New Orleans had six turnovers and 13 penalties. We played a team that outplayed us today, but it was way overdone. Setting up a stage, traveling out here, was uncalled for.

Try not to patronize us next time, traveling us to New York, saying we're playing a home game.''

Added coach Jim Haslett: We were in the visiting locker room, on the visiting field. It seemed like an away game.''

The Giants, visitors in name and jersey color only, had no complaints. Playing before 68,031 of their fans, they took advantage of New Orleans' sloppiness from the first play, a fumbled kickoff. Tiki Barber scored two touchdowns and the defense had four sacks.

It was supposedly their home game, but we just played like it was our home game,'' said Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who had two sacks.

NFL nomads after the damage to the Superdome and New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Saints were given a home game here by the league. Historically more successful on the road under Haslett (25-17 going in), they couldn't overcome critical mistakes in falling to 1-1.

Efforts to make this resemble something akin to home appeared minimal at Giants Stadium, where -- surprisingly, considering the local team's popularity --
about 10,000 seats went unoccupied. Those in attendance generally were dressed in Giants blue and, except for mild applause when the entire Saints squad came onto the field before the coin toss, they rooted for their guys.

One end zone had SAINTS painted in white and a few Saints banners were scattered along the blue bunting on the lower level. Other than a www.saintshurricanefund.org sign on the message board, everything about the night said New Jersey, not New Orleans.

It could go on and on like this, we have to take this one week at a time,'' Brooks said. At some point, it is going to wear down on us. We've got to be strong enough and mature enough to handle this situation and accept the responsibilities given to us.''

While they could be excused if their minds were elsewhere, Saints players have insisted that on game day, nothing distracts them from football. It looked that way in last week's upset of Carolina. It looked decidedly different Monday night.

I think the guys have gone a great job of focusing on football in practices and meetings,'' Haslett said. It did not reflect that today. It didn't carry over.''

In the first half alone, the Saints committed 11 penalties for 72 yards, including an illegal contact by Sedrick Hodge that negated a third-down sack and set up the Giants' third touchdown.

AP - Sep 20, 12:07 am EDT

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We've been in four complexes in four weeks, I've been in three hotels, now an apartment,'' Haslett noted. But that (performance) had nothing to do with where we live or what we do. We sucked on that field today.''

At least the Saints' other seven home games will be played closer to home: four in Baton Rouge, La., and three in San Antonio, where they train. For this one, they had to dress in the cramped visitors' locker room, with a makeshift Saints sign hung above the entrance.

The Giants (2-0) benefited in every way from the NFL's decision, beginning with the opening kickoff. Some Saints trickery immediately backfired. Michael Lewis handed off the return to Fred McAfee, who fumbled at the 10, with Chase Blackburn recovering. Three plays later, to tumultuous cheers for the visitors,'' rookie Brandon Jacobs squeezed into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Hardly the start the Saints needed, and it didn't get much better. The Giants took a 14-0 lead on Barber's 6-yard reception.

But the Saints are nothing if not resilient, and they came back with an 86-yard drive that was almost all Joe Horn. He had two catches of 15 yards, then a 21-yard touchdown reception. It was Horn whose cell phone antics in a game against the Giants two years ago drew him a measure of fame -- and a $30,000 fine.

They didn't just beat our butts and drag us all over the field,'' Horn said. We gave them the ball and they capitalized.''

Hodge's penalty three plays after Carlos Emmons' interception led to Barber's 12-yard run for a 21-7 New York lead. While the Saints got closer on John Carney's 21-yard field goal near the end of the half, their miscues continued in the second half.

Brooks' fumble set up Jay Feely's 39-yard field goal. And when his pass deflected off Donte' Stallworth to safety Brent Alexander, the Saints were reeling.

Carney, who kicked the winning field goal last week at Carolina, even missed a 29-yarder, hitting the left upright. Feely then made a 30-yarder for New York.

When Horn fumbled as he was stretching for the end zone with 3:40 to go, most of the fans headed home, quite happy to see the visitors' victory.

That's one of the loudest I've heard the stadium in a long time, and it wasn't even full,'' Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey said. As players, we hear that and it really helps us out.''

Notes: Saints kick returner Michael Lewis injured a knee in the fourth quarter and Haslett said it appeared to be serious. ... The Saints had a five-game winning streak, dating back to last season, snapped. ... New York's Plaxico Burress and Shockey each had five receptions for 64 yards.Barber rushed for 83 yards. ... Horn made nine catches for 143 yards, while Stallworth had eight for 17.6. Saints RB Deuce McAllister set a team record for yards rushing in a career with 4,305, beating George Rogers' mark of 4,258.

game16sourceURL=http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20050919006 game16team1name=Washington game16team1logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_was.gif game16team1score=14 game16team2name=Dallas game16team2logo=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\nfl_dal.gif game16team2score=13 game16gamedate=2005-09-19 game16gamestatus=Final game16gameimage=C:\Program Files\Frey Technologies\SageTV\plugins\Sports\images\20050919006.jpg game16gamecaption=Washington Redskins Mike Sellers (45) and Rock Cartwright (31) celebrate the Redskins' 14-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Irving, Texas, Monday, Sept. 19, 2005. game16gamerecap=Joe Gibbs has won three Super Bowls and two NASCAR championships. Yet of all the thrills he has experienced, he puts what happened Monday night near the top of the list.

The Washington Redskins, seemingly stuck in neutral or perhaps even reverse, got touchdown passes of 39 and 70 yards from Mark Brunell to Santana Moss in the final 3:46, then their defense made it hold up for a 14-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.

It was one of the greatest moments in sports for me,'' Gibbs said.

The Redskins (2-0) ended a four-game losing skid to their top rival and won for just the second time in 16 meetings. This was their first win at Texas Stadium since 1995 and the first time Gibbs beat Dallas coach Bill Parcells in their last nine games.

No wonder Gibbs got the ice-water bucket treatment at the end and players were celebrating as if they'd won the state high school championship. As an added bonus, Washington is going into its bye week, so this victory will be savored even longer.

At the end, there was some unbelievable plays,'' Gibbs said. It really took my breath away.''

Parcells', too, although for other reasons.

The Cowboys (1-1) were coming off a win at San Diego in which they scored the go-ahead points in the final minute, then made it hold up with a defensive stand at the end. Now it happened to them, although this time Dallas led for most of the game, stretching the advantage to 13-0 with 5:58 left.

You've got to learn to close the show,'' Parcells said. We didn't do that.''

The lead seemed pretty safe considering the Redskins hadn't gotten as far as the Cowboys 28 since their opening drive and had yet to score a touchdown all season. Plus, history was on Dallas' side, too. Washington had lost 25 straight games when trailing after three quarters and Parcells' teams were 77-0 when leading by at least 13 in the fourth quarter.

I don't know if anybody believed but us,'' linebacker Marcus Washington said. We did enough tonight. We're heroes, all of us.''

Making this victory even sweeter for the Redskins was spoiling what had been a festive night for Cowboys fans. The 65,207 fans -- the team's largest crowd in 10 years -- were lured out partly by Washington, but mostly to watch Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin join the team's Ring of Honor.

While fans seemed mildly irritated by Parcells' conservative game plan, and weren't too happy about an early missed field goal and a missed chance for another kick just before halftime, nobody was too concerned.

AP - Sep 20, 12:37 am EDT

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Then Brunell got going.

On fourth-and-2 from the Washington 46, Brunell hit James Thrash for 20 yards. On fourth-and-15 from the Dallas 39, he threw a spiral that Moss ran under in the end zone.

The Cowboys' next drive was ruined by a holding penalty on Flozell Adams that wiped out a first-down catch by Keyshawn Johnson. One play after a punt into the end zone, Brunell threw deep to Moss again and he again caught it in stride, never even getting touched on his way to the end zone.

It looked like the Mark Brunell of old,'' said Moss, who caught five passes for 159 yards and won the hearts of Washington fans skeptical of whether he could be the deep threat the club was looking for when they traded Laveranues Coles to get him.

Brunell was 20-of-34 for 291 yards with an interception. He picked on Dallas cornerback Aaron Glenn on both touchdowns.

Dallas still had a couple of minutes to try regaining the lead and was in good shape, too, when rookie Tyson Thompson returned the kickoff to the 48. But the Cowboys couldn't even get a first down. Terry Glenn's short catch over the middle on fourth down was stopped short.

Their final drive began at their 21 with 36 seconds left. The game ended with Glenn tackled at the Washington 43, then he rose to his knees and threw the ball up in disgust while the Redskins went wild again.

All losses are tough,'' Cowboys tackle La'Roi Glover said, but this one is tougher.''

Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe was 21-of-36 for 261 yards and remained interception-free in his second go-round with Parcells. He used a flea flicker to hit Glenn on a 70-yard touchdown pass -- Dallas' longest play since October 2002, pre-Parcells -- but it was one of the few times he threw deep.Notes Redskins safety Pierson Prioleau pulled his right hamstring on the opening series and didn't return. ... Eight of the teams' last nine meetings have been decided by seven points or less. ... Peerless Price caught one pass for minus-1 yard in his Dallas debut. To activate him, the Cowboys went without a fullback. ... Washington is 2-0 for the second time in three years.