SAINTS 28, RAMS 25 (OT)
Story line: John Carney kicked five field goals for the Saints (2-1), including a 38-yarder to tie it 25-25 with three seconds left in regulation and the game-winner in overtime to end the Rams’ 15-game regular-season home winning streak. Marc Bulger’s 19-yard TD scramble and two-point conversion pass with 28 seconds to go gave the Rams a 25-22 lead.
Stars: New Orleans’ Aaron Brooks was 24 of 41 for 316 yards and a touchdown. More important, he was 3 of 4 for 42 yards on the winning drive, and his 12-yard bootleg run to the St. Louis 13 set up Carney’s clinching 31-yarder in OT. . . . Charles Grant had three of the Saints’ five sacks.
Extra points: St. Louis (1-2) has yet to force a turnover. . . . Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins’ 53-yard field goal gave him 1,000 career points.
Quote: “I know we don’t like to play them because of all the talent they have, but I don’t know if they like to play us either.”–Saints coach Jim Haslett.
RAVENS 23, BENGALS 9
Story line: With 186 yards rushing, punishing back Jamal Lewis finally delivered–and the Ravens (2-1) needed it with second-year quarterback Kyle Boller still finding his way. He ran for a touchdown and threw for another but had two costly fumbles that kept it close.
Star: Ed Reed intercepted Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer twice near the end zone. He has 14 picks in 34 games.
Extra point: Lewis, 25, became the fifth-youngest to reach 5,000 yards. It was his 25th 100-yard game.
Quote: “When you’re a young quarterback, you get greedy, and I have to fight that temptation. You need to develop patience. When something isn’t there, you don’t just throw it up in the air.”–Palmer, who was 25 of 52 for 316 yards, but threw three interceptions and was sacked four times.
SEAHAWKS 34, 49ERS 0
Story line: Seattle (3-0), which has allowed only 13 points in its first three games, simply shut down the 49ers (0-3). San Francisco had only 48 yards rushing and Ken Dorsey, the 49ers’ second-year quarterback, was 19 of 32 for 153 yards with two interceptions and two fumbles.
Stars: Shaun Alexander didn’t have a huge day rushing, gaining 52 yards on 19 carries. But as usual, he was hard to keep out of the end zone, scoring on two 1-yard runs along with catching the first of Matt Hasselbeck’s two TD passes.
Extra point: The Seahawks went 8-0 last season in Seattle and have won 10 straight at home dating to 2002.
Quote: “I probably had some friends here, but they all probably left in the third quarter. I’m embarrassed about the whole game.”–49ers coach Dennis Erickson.
GIANTS 27, BROWNS 10
Story line: The Giants (2-1) did all the little things in winning their second straight under coach Tom Coughlin. They didn’t turn the ball over, they made big plays and they held the Browns in check with great field position–Jeff Feagles landed four punts inside the 14-yard line in the first half. Injury-ravaged Cleveland (1-2) lost its second straight.
Stars: Kurt Warner threw for 286 yards and ran for just his second career regular-season TD. . . . Michael Strahan had six tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries to lead a defense that made life miserable for Browns QB Jeff Garcia.
Extra points: Amani Toomer extended his own Giants record by a catching a pass for the 86th straight game. . . . The Browns were held to 89 total yards in the first half, in which three of their six series started inside their own 10.
Quote: “More important than who we were playing today was, `Can the New York Giants not beat themselves?”‘
–Giants center and former Brown Shaun O’Hara.
FALCONS 6, CARDINALS 3
Story line: This game wasn’t pretty. There were nine fumbles (seven resulting in turnovers), five calls that had to be reviewed by the referee (two were overturned) and not one touchdown despite countless opportunities by both teams. The Cardinals (0-3) lost three fumbles inside the Falcons’ 20.
Stars: A pair of Jay Feeley field goals put Atlanta at 3-0 for the first time since 1986. . . . Atlanta’s defense teed off on one of the NFL’s most inept offenses: Rod Coleman forced two of Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown’s three fumbles and Patrick Kerney had half of the Falcons’ six sacks.
Extra points: Falcons QB Michael Vick was sacked five times and turned the ball over three times. He also ran for 58 yards on a bootleg–the longest carry of his career. . . . Arizona hadn’t lost its first three games since 1996.
Quote: “We were putting some pretty heavy pops on (McCown). He was looking pretty glassy-eyed. That had an effect on him.”–Kerney.
BRONCOS 23, CHARGERS 13
Story line: Broncos 6-foot-3-inch receiver Ashley Lelie won a one-on-one showdown with 6-foot Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer for the 33-yard touchdown that gave Denver (2-1) a momentum-shifting 10-point lead late in the third.
Stars: Denver quarterback Jake Plummer finished with 294 yards and two touchdowns. . . . Chargers rookie Nick Kaeding hit a 51-yard field goal, improving to 4-for-4 on the season.
Extra points: San Diego (1-2) fell to 1-9 in Denver since 1995. . . . Mike Shanahan won his 100th game with the Broncos. . . . Chargers QB Drew Brees had more yards receiving (38) than passing (16) at halftime, courtesy of a first-quarter catch from running back LaDainian Tomlinson on a trick play.
Quote: “Has it been that long?” –Lelie, who hadn’t caught a TD pass since Sept. 28, 2003, a span of 15 games.
STEELERS 13, DOLPHINS 3
Story line: Unfazed by torrential rain in the first half from the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne, Pittsburgh (2-1) forced four turnovers and beat the hapless Dolphins. . . . Steelers rookie Ben Roethlisberger, making his first NFL start, had his first pass intercepted but finished 12 of 22 for 163 yards and a TD.
Star: Hines Ward made a diving 7-yard touchdown catch.
Extra points: The Dolphins, who have scored 23 points in three games, fell to 0-3 for the first time since 1969, the year before Don Shula became coach. . . . The last rookie QB to beat the Dolphins was New England’s Drew Bledsoe in 1994.
Quote: “The weather in the first half was not conducive to doing anything. We couldn’t even hold the ball. But that’s the kind of football I love.”–Steelers coach Bill Cowher.
RAIDERS 30, BUCCANEERS 20
Story line: Raiders quarterback Kerry Collins entered late in the first quarter to replace injured starter Rich Gannon and led four scoring drives.
Star: Tyrone Wheatley capped 102-yard day with 2-yard TD.
Extra points: After Jerry Rice’s record receptions streak was snapped last week, Tampa’s Tim Brown owns the longest active run, and he extended it to 176 games. Brown’s 16-yard TD reception with 10:45 left was his 100th career touchdown catch–and the Bucs’ first offensive TD of the season.
Monday night matchup
Cowboys (1-1) at Redskins (1-1)
TV/radio: 8 p.m.; WLS-Ch. 7, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: Redskins by 1 1/2.
Key stat: Dallas has won five of the last six at Washington.
Terry Bannon’s pick: Redskins 20, Cowboys 17.
