Patriots 23, Cardinals 12
Story line: Tom Brady (15 of 26 for 217 yards, 2 INTs) threw two first-half touchdown passes to Daniel Graham for New England (2-0), which won its 17th straight.
Stars: Corey Dillon gained 158 yards on 32 carries, and former Illinois star Eugene Wilson had two interceptions leading to 10 points for the visiting Patriots.
Extra points: Arizona (0-2) had just 167 yards, 50 on the ground. The Patriots are off next week, and can tie the NFL record of 18 straight victories with a win Oct. 3 at Buffalo.
Quote: “What streak? We’re just trying to win a game.”–Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Jaguars 7, Broncos 6
Story line: Denver running back Quentin Griffin fumbled a handoff on the 23-yard line with 37 seconds to play, and Akin Ayodele recovered to preserve the victory in Jacksonville, Fla.
Stars: The Jaguars’ defense held Griffin, who ran for 156 yards for the Broncos (1-1) in Week 1, to 66 yards, extending its streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher to an NFL-best 17 games.
Extra point: The Jags (2-0) lost three games in the final minute last season and finished 5-11. They’ve won twice this season in the waning seconds.
Quote: “We’re keeping the cardiologists busy in town.”–Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.
Falcons 34, Rams 17
Story line: Warrick Dunn ran for two TDs in Atlanta (2-0) before leaving with a sprained left knee, and Michael Vick (14 of 19 for 179 yards, one TD) had 12 carries for 109 yards, the third 100-yard rushing game of his career.
Star: Defensive end Brady Smith scored a fourth-quarter TD when he stripped the ball from Rams QB Marc Bulger in the end zone and caught the fumble in the air.
Extra point: The Falcons posted five sacks in their first win over the Rams (1-1) since 1998.
Quotes: “That’s one of my favorite takeaways of all time.”–Falcons defensive coordinator Ed Donatell of Smith’s TD.
Jets 34, Chargers 28
Story line: Chad Pennington threw two TD passes for the visiting Jets (2-0), safety Erik Coleman had an interception and a fumble recovery, and Curtis Martin scored on New York’s first two possessions.
Star: Martin’s TD runs were 1 and 2 yards, and he finished with 119 yards on 32 carries.
Extra points: The Jets are 2-0 for just the second time in 11 seasons.
Quote: “I was a little woozy, but I knew I was playing in a football game.”–Chargers QB Drew Brees, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion.
Cowboys 19, Browns 12
Story line: Eddie George ran for 62 yards and a TD, but the host Cowboys (1-1) were far from perfect. They reached at least the Cleveland 43-yard line on 10 of their 11 drives, but had four turnovers, a missed field goal and two punts.
Star: Vinny Testaverde threw for 322 yards and a touchdown, but threw three interceptions.
Extra point: Jeff Garcia threw three interceptions and was just 8 of 27 for 71 yards for the Browns (1-1). His quarterback rating was 0.0.
Quote: “The bottom line is winning games and playing smart. I did one out of the two.”–Testaverde.
Ravens 30, Steelers 13
Story line: Jamal Lewis rushed for 62 yards and two TDs for host Baltimore (1-1).
Star: Chris McAlister returned an interception 51 yards for a TD with 2:56 remaining for the Ravens.
Extra point: Tommy Maddox went 4-for-13 for 67 yards for Pittsburgh (1-1) before being forced out in the third quarter with an elbow injury.
Giants 20, Redskins 14
Story line: New York forced seven turnovers to give coach Tom Coughlin his first win with the Giants (1-1). The home win snapped a franchise record-tying nine-game losing streak for the Giants.
Stars: Linebacker Barrett Green scored on a 16-yard fumble return, and Kurt Warner (22 of 33 for 232 yards) threw a 38-yard TD pass to Tim Carter.
Extra point: Clinton Portis lost two fumbles for Washington (1-1), Mark Brunell had an interception and lost fumble before leaving with a hamstring injury, and Patrick Ramsey threw three INTs. The seven takeaways were the Giants’ most in a non-strike game since 1986.
Quote: “Seven! That’s almost unheard of in football.”–Redskins’ Ramsey.
Seahawks 10, Buccaneers 6
Story line: Matt Hasselbeck threw a second-quarter TD pass to Koren Robinson, and the Seahawks (2-0) opened a season with consecutive road wins for the first time in 10 years.
Stars: Marcus Trufant returned an interception 41 yards to set up Hasselbeck’s TD pass.
Extra point: Chris Simms (21 of 32 for 175 yards) replaced Brad Johnson in the second quarter for the Bucs (0-2) and was sacked four times, lost a fumble and threw an interception at the end of the game. .
Saints 30, 49ers 27
Story line: Aaron Brooks (25 of 34 for 279 yards, three TDs) rallied the Saints in the final two minutes, taking them 59 yards and hitting Donte’ Stallworth for a 16-yard touchdown.
Star: Ashley Ambrose intercepted Ken Dorsey’s pass with four seconds left to preserve the win after the visiting 49ers (1-1) got to the Saints’ 1 but were called for offensive pass interference, nullifying the play.
Extra point: The Saints lost running back Deuce McAllister with a sprained right ankle on the third play.
Quote: “I’d rather be blown out than get beat that way.”–49ers running back Kevan Barlow, who ran for 120 yards and 2 TDs.
Bengals 16, Dolphins 13
Story line: Chad Johnson got free for a 20-yard catch that put the host Bengals in range for Shayne Graham’s 39-yard field goal with two seconds left.
Star: LB Brian Simmons returned an interception 50 yards early in the second half for the Bengals’ only TD.
Extra points: Bengals’ Carson Palmer completed 7 of last 8 passes, but was only 21 of 38 for 147 yards. Dolphins are 0-2 for the first time since 1988. Bengals (1-1) were playing their first nationally televised home game in seven years.
Monday night matchup
VIKINGS (1-0) AT EAGLES (1-0)
Time: 8 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: Eagles by 3.
Last meeting: Eagles won 48-17 at Philadelphia on Nov. 11, 2001.
Keep your eye on: Quarterbacks, who combined for nine TD passes and zero interceptions last week: Five for Vikings’ Daunte Culpepper, four for Eagles’ Donovan McNabb. They are legitimate MVP candidates.
Terry Bannon’s pick: Eagles 28, Vikings 24.
