49ers 37, Rams 13
Story line: Host San Francisco (3-1) pounded its biggest rival with delight as Jeff Garcia threw for a touchdown and ran for another in a rout that left the defending NFC champions winless in five games. No NFL team has come back from an 0-5 start to reach the postseason.
Star: Garrison Hearst rushed for 116 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.
Extra point: Career backup Jamie Martin, subbing for the injured Kurt Warner, threw two interceptions, and the Rams didn’t score a touchdown until he hit running back Lamar Gordon with a pass with 29 seconds left in the game.
Quote: “They’re down right now, and we took the attitude that we wanted to take it to them and not allow them to get back into a playoff hunt or get back into a position where they can get rolling.”–Garcia on the Rams.
Saints 32, Steelers 29
Story line: Deuce McAllister rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns as New Orleans (4-1) held off visiting Pittsburgh (1-3). The Steelers used a touchdown and two-point conversion to cut their deficit to 32-29 with 1:26 left, but the Saints recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.
Star: McAllister scored on runs of 1 and 52 yards. The Saints are 3-0 when McAllister has run for 100 yards.
Extra point: Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox played well in his first NFL start since 1992. He completed 22-of-38 passes for a career-high 268 yards and three TDs.
Quote: “If you give me the opportunity, I’ll make some plays for you. That’s all I need.”–Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who had his best game of the season: 84 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Chiefs 29, Jets 25
Story line: Priest Holmes caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Trent Green with 27 seconds left as Kansas City (3-2) beat New York (1-4) in East Rutherford, N.J. Green went 23-for-33 for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
Star: Holmes ran for 152 yards and a touchdown and caught nine passes for 78 yards.
Extra point: The Jets’ Curtis Martin had his first 100-yard game of the season, gaining 119 yards. Chad Pennington went 23-of-30 for 245 yards in his first career start.
Quote: “I can’t see us being any lower than we are.”–Jets defensive end John Abraham.
Ravens 26, Browns 21
Story line: Baltimore (2-2) built a 23-0 lead and weathered a furious comeback by the Browns (2-3) in Cleveland. Brandon Stokley caught two TD passes from Chris Redman.
Star: Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis had an interception, forced a fumble that he recovered and made four tackles before injuring his left shoulder and sitting out the last quarter.
Extra point: With Tim Couch on the bench with a concussion, Browns backup Kelly Holcomb threw two TD passes to Dennis Northcutt. After recovering an onside kick, Cleveland moved the ball to the Ravens’ 17 in the final minute, but Holcomb’s final pass was picked off by safety Ed Reed.
Colts 28, Bengals 21
Story line: Peyton Manning threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as host Indianapolis (3-1) beat Cincinnati in a game that was more competitive than expected. Edgerrin James scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, ending a scoreless drought of 34 quarters that dated to Sept. 23, 2001.
Star: Colts receiver Marvin Harrison caught nine passes for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Extra point: Corey Dillon ran for 164 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Jon Kitna passed for 244 yards and a score as the Bengals produced two more TDs than they had in their first four games.
Buccaneers 20, Falcons 6
Story line: Tampa Bay’s defense scored a touchdown for the fourth straight week as Derrick Brooks raced 15 yards with a lateral from Warren Sapp after an interception. The visiting Bucs (4-1) also knocked out Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick in beating the Falcons (1-3).
Star: Keyshawn Johnson caught his first touchdown pass of the season–a 76-yarder from Brad Johnson. He finished with six catches for 131 yards.
Extra point: The Bucs’ defense has allowed only 27 points in winning four straight games, and the defense hasn’t given up a touchdown on the road all season.
Redskins 31, Titans 14
Story line: Rookie Patrick Ramsey came off the bench and threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns as Washington (2-2) bounced back after two straight losses to beat Tennessee (1-4) in Nashville.
Star: Ramsey, who took over when Danny Wuerffel left with an injured right shoulder, rallied the Redskins from a 14-10 deficit. He was 20-of-34 with TD passes of 23 and 14 yards.
Extra point: The Titans lost their fourth straight game and matched their worst start since relocating to Tennessee in 1997. They also blew a second-half lead for the third time during the skid and had fans booing loudly as they fell apart.
Quote: “We knew he could look good in practice, but the game’s a different story. He proved to us he could play.”–Redskins coach Steve Spurrier on Ramsey, indicating the rookie will start next week.
Cardinals 16, Panthers 13
Story line: Bill Gramatica kicked a 50-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to lift Arizona over Carolina (3-2) in Charlotte. The Cardinals improved to 3-2, their best start since 1991.
Star: Jake Plummer, who passed for 221 yards and a TD, made a key play to keep the winning drive alive. Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers knocked the ball loose from him on a jarring hit, but Plummer scooped it back up and heaved it downfield to MarTay Jenkins for a 17-yard gain.
Extra point: The Panthers had a miserable day offensively. Rodney Peete threw two interceptions, Lamar Smith ran for just 49 yards on 18 carries and had two fumbles.
Quote: “When I jumped, I made sure to land with both feet at the same time.”–Gramatica, who tore knee ligaments while celebrating a field goal last season.
Giants 21, Cowboys 17
Story line: Kerry Collins threw three TD passes as New York (3-2) matched its season total for offensive touchdowns with three in beating Dallas (2-3) at Irving, Texas. Quincy Carter passed for a career-best 262 yards for the Cowboys.
Star: Tiki Barber rushed for a season-high 94 yards.
Extra point: The Cowboys’ final drive stalled at fourth-and-9 from their 48 with 2:03 left, and coach Dave Campo opted to punt. Dallas didn’t get the ball back, ending its home winning streak at three in a row.
Monday’s matchup
Packers at Bears
TV/radio: 8 p.m.; WLS-Ch. 7, WBBM-AM 780.
Line: Bears by 1.
Outlook: Can the Bears run the ball? Anthony Thomas is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry, but Packers have NFL’s 27th rushing defense. If the Bears can’t run, Brett Favre will throw and throw and . . .
Terry Bannon’s pick: Packers 27, Bears 24.
