COLTS 35, RAIDERS 14
Story line: Oakland tested Peyton Manning, and it didn’t take the Colts’ quarterback long to figure out the answers. Manning made one perfect read after another, softening up the Raiders and then sending Edgerrin James slamming through the middle. The Colts (4-1) won their fourth straight. Oakland (2-3) fell to its 12th consecutive road loss.
Star: James ran for 136 yards on 32 carries and sealed the game with a touchdown run for the third straight week. It was his third 100-yard game of the season.
Extra points: Raiders QB Kerry Collins was sacked four times and threw three interceptions. . . . Indianapolis limited Oakland to 269 yards and just 53 yards rushing . . . Manning threw for only 198 yards, his lowest total of the season.
Quote: “I thought it was as complete a team win as we’ve had in a couple years here.”–Colts coach Tony Dungy.
GIANTS 26, COWBOYS 10
Story line: The Giants (4-1) are doing the kinds of things winning teams do. Like making a stand on fourth-and-1 deep in their own territory, then again at midfield in the fourth. And not giving up on Tiki Barber after a slow start. It was the Giants’ fourth straight win–they won only four all last season.
Star: Barber, the league leader in all-purpose yards and No. 2 in rushing, had 76 yards on five receptions in addition to his 122 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Extra points: Giants coach Tom Coughlin beat his former boss and sometimes nemesis Bill Parcells for the second time in five tries. . . . The Cowboys (2-2) had 11 penalties.
Quote: “We’re just stupid. We’re just dumb.”–Parcells.
BRONCOS 20, PANTHERS 17
Story line: The Panthers (1-3) came into the game without running back Stephen Davis (knee) and lost backup DeShaun Foster in the second quarter with a broken collarbone. It left things to Nick Goings and Brad Hoover, who had three carries between them. They combined for 43 yards.
Star: Jake Plummer threw two touchdowns for Denver (4-1), one with his right (and correct) hand and one with his left. The left-handed TD–his second left-handed throw of the season–was a 5-yard shovel pass to Reuben Droughns.
Extra point: Denver’s Jason Elam hit two field goals in the first quarter and became the 16th player to kick 300.
Quote: “It was an emotional roller coaster.”–Plummer.
BUCCANEERS 20, SAINTS 17
Story line: It was the second straight week that New Orleans (2-3) lost to a previously winless team. Leading 13-7 at halftime, Tampa Bay (1-4) opened the second half with a rare offensive score–only its fourth offensive TD in five games. Brian Griese hit Ken Dilger with a 45-yard scoring pass to give the Bucs a 13-point lead. “If I would have missed him, I think he would have been mad at me all week,” Griese said.
Stars: Greg Spires stripped the Saints’ Deuce McAllister, and Ronde Barber picked up the ball and ran 18 yards for a TD.
Extra point: Going into Sunday’s game, New Orleans had beaten Tampa Bay three of four times since the teams became NFC South rivals in 2003.
Quote: “It was 20-17, two fumbles, one for a touchdown–my numbers don’t matter.”–McAllister, 102 yards rushing.
STEELERS 34, BROWNS 23
Story line: The Steelers are 4-1 for only the third time in 22 seasons after going 6-10 last season. The Browns (2-3) dropped two games behind Pittsburgh in the AFC North. Browns free-agent quarterback Jeff Garcia still looked uncomfortable out of the 49ers’ West Coast offense despite dodging a heavy pass rush to throw for 210 yards.
Stars: Duce Staley scored on a 25-yard run while gaining 117 yards, his third consecutive 100-yard game. . . . Plaxico Burress made six catches for 136 yards and a TD. . . . The Browns’ Phil Dawson kicked three field goals. He’s 11 of 11 this season and has made 21 in a row since Oct. 19, 2003.
Extra points: Browns coach Butch Davis is 1-7 against the Steelers. . . . Burress’ touchdown catch was only the second against the Browns’ secondary this season.
Quote: “If you settle for field goals instead of touchdowns, you never create any heat on them.”–Garcia.
JETS 16, BILLS 14
Story line: Chad Pennington went 31 of 42 for 304 yards with a touchdown, but his biggest plays came at the end, after Buffalo (0-4) scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to take a 14-13 lead with 5:58 to go. He went 7 of 8 for 51 yards on the winning drive, setting up Doug Brien’s 38-yard field goal with 58 seconds left.
Stars: Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet finished with eight catches for 90 yards–his highest yardage total since getting 118 against on Dec. 23, 2001. . . . John Abraham had three sacks.
Extra points: The Jets are 4-0 for the second time in franchise history. . . . Bills receiver Eric Moulds extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 98. He had six catches.
Quote: “You have to go out there and kick it like you’re kicking a ball in your back yard. I knew I hit it true. It just seemed like it hung up there for five seconds.”–Brien.
CHARGERS 34, JAGUARS 21
Story line: Wearing their powder-blue throwback jerseys and white helmets from the 1960s, the Chargers did almost everything right in beating the Jaguars (3-2). San Diego (3-2) led 21-0 early in the second quarter and won consecutive games in the same season for the first time since Oct. 2002.
Stars: Drew Brees was 17 of 26 for 211 yards and hit tight end Antonio Gates with two TD passes. Brees didn’t throw an interception for the third straight game. . . . LaDainian Tomlison gained 134 total yards and ran for a TD. . . . Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich was 36 of 54 passes for 357 yards, all career highs.
Extra points: Tomlinson limped off the field late in the third. The Chargers announced that Tomlinson was being rested. His backup, Jesse Chatman, scored on a 41-yard run midway through the fourth and finished with 103 yards on 11 carries.
Quote: “He tried his Michael Vick impersonation. It didn’t work. He should stick to running the ball.”–Tackle Roman Oben, on Tomlinson’s two plays at QB, including one sack.
49ERS 31, CARDINALS 28
Story line: Josh McCown threw his first three touchdown passes of the season, but the Cardinals’ once-sturdy defense was shredded on the 49ers’ final three drives. The Niners (1-4) rallied from a 16-point deficit to force overtime, winning on Todd Peterson’s 32-yard field goal.
Stars: The Niners’ Brandon Lloyd made a diving 23-yard TD catch with 1:07 left in regulation, then wrestled the ball away from two defenders for the tying conversion. . . . Eric Johnson, who needed a pain-killing injection to play with his bruised ribs, set a 49ers record for tight ends with 162 yards.
Extra point: Rookie Larry Fitzgerald caught his first TD with 8:19 left to give the Cardinals (1-4) a 28-12 lead.
Quote: “When you have been around the game a long time, you get some tough losses, and this ranks up there with ’em.”–Cardinals coach Dennis Green.
Monday night matchup
TITANS (1-3) AT PACKERS (1-3)
TV/radio: 8 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: Packers by 3.
Last meeting: Titans won 26-20 at Tenn. on Dec. 16, 2001.
Terry Bannon’s pick: Packers 24, Titans 20.
