49ERS 24, BUCCANEERS 7
Story: The 49ers’ relentless rushing game flattened the Bucs. Garrison Hearst ran for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Kevan Barlow added 75 more. The passing game also clicked as Terrell Owens (6 catches, 152 yards) turned a short pass into a 75-yard scoring romp and Jeff Garcia passed for 253 yards.
Stars: Julian Peterson, Ahmed Plummer and Mike Rumph each intercepted a Brad Johnson pass against a team that had scored more than 30 in each of its last three games.
Extra points: The only Bucs TD came on a broken play that accounted for nearly half of their first-half yards, a 75-yard pass to Keenan McCardell late in the first quarter. . . . The Bucs beat the 49ers 31-6 in last season’s playoffs.
Quote: “I told them, `Man, keep running right at them. Run it down their throat.’ They want to dance. They want to look pretty. When you run it right at them, you really get into their psyche and take them out of everything they want to do.” –49ers and ex-Bucs defensive lineman Chidi Ahanotu.
SAINTS 45, FALCONS 17
Story: Atlanta was embarrassed for the second straight week in former Illini quarterback Kurt Kittner’s first NFL start. After falling 36-0 to St. Louis on Monday night, the Falcons gave up 369 yards in the first two quarters, falling behind 35-14. Kittner, replacing an ineffective Doug Johnson, played like a third-stringer, completing just 9-of-29 for 115 yards. He did throw his first career TD, an 18-yarder to Brian Finneran.
Stars: Aaron Brooks finished 23-of-30 for 352 yards and three touchdowns, Deuce McAllister rushed for 116 yards and the Saints finished with 507 yards of total offense.
Extra points: Atlanta has lost six in a row since a season-opening victory at Dallas. During the losing streak, they have surrendered 34.5 points a game. . . . Falcons coach Dan Reeves remains stuck on 199 career victories.
Quote: “There were a lot of balls I’d like to have back. There was nothing that we didn’t expect. We just didn’t execute all the time and we need to be more consistent.” –Kittner.
EAGLES 14, GIANTS 10
Story: Brian Westbrook scored on an 84-yard punt return with 1:16 to play. Until the return, the Giants’ defense dominated the game. It limited Donovan McNabb (9-of-23, 64 yards passing) and company to 134 total yards, with the Eagles getting one first down and 23 yards in the second half. Westbrook broke through a wall of defenders quickly, leaving only two to beat. He outran punter Jeff Feagles to the sideline in front of the Giants’ bench and tiptoed along the sideline to get past a last-ditch tackle by Marcellus Rivers.
Star: Westbrook, in addition to his punt return, scored the Eagles’ other touchdown on a 6-yard run in the first quarter. He has rushed for touchdowns in four straight games–the first Eagles back to do that since Ricky Watters in 1996.
Extra point: The Giants had a final chance after Kerry Collins hit Amani Toomer to get the ball to the Eagles’ 44-yard line with 72 seconds to play. But four plays later, Bobby Taylor broke up a fourth-down pass to TE Jeremy Shockey.
Quote: “It’s unbelievable. We just keep finding ways to lose. You might call it bad luck, but we just aren’t finishing football games.” –Giants offensive tackle Chris Bober.
BENGALS 34, RAVENS 26
Story: Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, who was defensive coordinator on the 2000 Ravens team that won a Super Bowl, got touchdown passes of 45 and 82 yards from Jon Kitna as the Bengals went ahead 24-7 at the half, thanks in part to a pair of Kyle Boller fumbles. After his first fumble, Matt Schobel grabbed a 45-yard touchdown, the longest by a Bengals tight end in nine years. Boller then fumbled again on a sack at the Ravens’ 15, setting up Corey Dillon’s 2-yard scoring run less than three minutes later.
Stars: Kitna finished 16-of-21 for 274 yards without an interception or fumble. Ravens running back Jamal Lewis had 101 yards, his fifth straight triple-digit rushing game.
Extra point: The Ravens had 13 penalties for 113 yards.
Quote: “[Coach Lewis] wanted it. He wouldn’t say so, but he did. I wanted to win for him more than anybody. He wanted it bad.” –Bengals WR Chad Johnson (5 catches, 130 yards).
CHARGERS 26, BROWNS 20
Story: LaDainian Tomlinson broke off a 70-yard TD run on his first carry after halftime to open up a 20-6 lead. He picked up 143 yards in the second half as the Chargers snapped a nine-game losing streak dating to last season. Kwamie Lassiter also returned a Tim Couch pass 38 yards for a TD as the Chargers became the final team to get a win.
Stars: Tomlinson finished with 200 yards rushing on 26 carries, good for a 7.7-yard per carry average. Chargers’ Steve Christie kicked field goals of 44, 50, 42 and 32 yards.
Extra point: Kelly Holcomb (11-of-19, 90 yards) replaced an ineffective Couch (13-of-24, 102 yards, two interceptions) late in the third quarter and threw two TD passes. The second to TE Darnell Sanders trimmed a 17-point deficit to 23-20.
Quote: “He was bound and determined not to let us lose. He wanted the ball.” –Chargers QB Drew Brees on Tomlinson.
JETS 19, TEXANS 14
Story: Vinny Testaverde, in what could be his last start before Chad Pennington returns from a wrist injury, led the Jets on a long drive to set up an 8-yard TD run by LaMont Jordan with 1:21 left. After the Jets missed on a two-point try, J.J. Moses returned the kickoff 63 yards to New York’s 27 and the Texans quickly moved to the 9. But on fourth-and-4, David Carr’s pass glanced off Andre Johnson’s chest.
Stars: Testaverde was 15-of-29 for 182 yards, 111 of those to Santana Moss on six catches.
Extra point: Texans rookie RB Domanick Davis rushed for 129 yards and caught nine passes for 70 more in his first start. It was the first 100-yard rushing performance in the franchise’s 22-game history. . . . Testaverde threw his 250th career TD pass, an 18-yarder to Moss in the second quarter.
Quote: “We’ve been in this situation before. You don’t have to say a lot, you just call the play with confidence and let them see it in your eyes, and the guys came out and made some great plays.” –Testaverde.
BILLS 24, REDSKINS 7
Story: Running back Travis Henry, who got some incentive when Willis McGahee began practicing this week, ran for a career-high 167 yards and scored twice. After the Redskins cut the lead to 10-7 on Patrick Ramsey’s 25-yard TD pass to Rod Gardner, the Bills marched 80 yards on six plays, capped by Drew Bledsoe’s 10-yard pass to Josh Reed. Henry had runs of 21 and 13 yards on the drive. Henry sealed it with a 14-yard TD run five minutes into the fourth quarter.
Stars: The Bills defense held the Redskins to 169 total yards. Reed had eight catches for 109 yards and a TD.
Extra point: Redskins DE Bruce Smith played his first game at Buffalo since leaving the Bills in 1999 after 15 seasons. Despite several chances, he failed to get a sack, leaving him two shy of breaking Reggie White’s NFL career record.
Quote: “I come out every week to play hard to help this football team. It’s got nothing to do with Willis McGahee. It’s all about the Buffalo Bills.” –Henry.
Monday matchup
CHIEFS AT RAIDERS
Time: 8 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: Chiefs by 4.
Last meeting: Raiders won 24-0 at Oakland on Dec. 28, 2002.
Key stat: Raiders have won 6 of last 7 vs. Chiefs.
The buzz: Normally, the Raiders could be expected to beat an AFC West rival in a Monday night game. But these Raiders have a severe case of post-Super Bowl-losing malaise, a sometimes fatal condition.
Terry Bannon’s pick: Chiefs 27, Raiders 17.
