Redskins 17, Lions 10
Story line: Clinton Portis ran for 147 yards on 34 carries and threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Laveranues Coles to break a 3-3 tie in Detroit.
Star: Portis became the first player to run for 100 yards against Detroit (4-4) this season.
Extra point: Taylor Jacobs blocked a punt and Walt Harris returned it 13 yards for a TD, giving Redskins (3-5) a 17-3 lead.
Quote: “It was a dream of mine, it started when I was 8. I was in [coach Joe Gibbs’] ear all week about it.”–Portis on first pass he has ever thrown.
Chargers 43, Saints 17
Story line: It was host San Diego’s highest-scoring game since beating Miami 45-20 on Dec. 27, 1993. The Chargers (6-3) won for the fifth time in six games.
Stars: Drew Brees (22 of 36 for 257 yards) threw four TD passes, three to tight end Antonio Gates. Brees has thrown nine TD passes in two weeks, pushing his season total to 18 against just three interceptions.
Extra points: Philip Rivers made his pro debut for San Diego with 4:04 left and the Chargers leading 43-17. He handed off three straight times, then took a knee twice to run out the clock. The Saints (3-5) have lost four of five.
Quote: “We’re almost disappointed the [open date] is coming [Sunday] because we just want to keep going.”–Brees.
Broncos 31, Texans 13
Story line: Rod Smith caught his 676th career pass to surpass Shannon Sharpe atop Denver’s all-time receptions list and later caught a 13-yard pass for his 56th TD reception, also passing Sharpe for the club record, as the Broncos (6-3) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Stars: Jake Plummer threw for 234 yards and four TDs, including a 40-yarder to Ashley Lelie, with no interceptions. Reuben Droughns ran for 120 yards to surpass 100 for the fourth time in five games.
Extra points: Houston (4-4) failed in its attempt for the first three-game winning streak in franchise history.
Quote: “It’s a privilege to be on the same field as that guy.”–Plummer on Smith, a 10-year vet who spent his first year on Denver’s practice squad.
Buccaneers 34, Chiefs 31
Story line: Michael Pittman scored one of his three TDs on a team-record 78-yard run, giving the host Bucs (3-5) consecutive wins for just the second time since they won the Super Bowl two years ago.
Stars: Pittman ran for 128 yards on 15 carries, and Brian Griese was 22 of 34 for 296 yards and two TDs.
Extra points: Trent Green threw for 369 yards and three TDs for the Chiefs (3-5), who have scored 132 points in the last three weeks, but was intercepted by Dwight Smith in the end zone with less than six minutes to go. Priest Holmes scored his 14th rushing TD of the season but was on the sideline with a sore knee on Kansas City’s last two drives.
Quote: “Nobody was talking about us as an offense. It was just Kansas City’s offense vs. our defense.”–Pittman.
Bills 22, Jets 17
Story line: Buffalo (3-5) won its third game in four outings, and third straight at home–all with running back Willis McGahee as a starter. And the weather has played a factor in all three wins, with winds of 25 m.p.h. or stronger blowing off Lake Erie.
Star: McGahee finished with a career-high 132 yards and a TD–a 12-yard run–his third 100-yard rushing game in his third career start.
Extra points: Jets quarterback Chad Pennington bruised his right shoulder and did not return after he was sacked for a 13-yard loss midway through the fourth quarter. Jets (6-2) failed to match their best start in franchise history.
Quote: “We’re supposed to be a bad-weather team. Teams don’t want to come in here and play in this situation.”–Bills receiver Eric Moulds.
Cardinals 24, Dolphins 23
Story line: Arizona ended 17-game road losing streak. Larry Fitzgerald caught winning score on a 2-yard pass from Josh McCown with 19 seconds left after a holding penalty against Miami (1-8) negated a sack and gave Arizona first-and-goal.
Star: Cardinals’ Duane Starks returned an interception 41 yards for a TD and had seven tackles.
Extra points: The margin of defeat was an extra point missed in the first quarter by Bill Gramatica, signed Friday because Miami’s two other kickers are hurt.
Quote: “We’ve lost to two of the worst franchises in football this year (Cincinnati, Arizona). What does that say about us?”–Dolphins tight end Randy McMichael.
Bengals 26, Cowboys 3
Story line: Tight end Matt Schobel, who had only 11 catches in the first seven games, caught a 76-yard TD pass from Carson Palmer and Shayne Graham booted four field goals for the host Bengals (3-5).
Stars: Bengals’ defense. The Cowboys ran for only 109 yards against a defense allowing an average of 155, and Cincinnati intercepted three Vinny Testaverde passes and recovered a Testaverde fumble.
Extra points: Cowboys (3-5) have lost four of their last five.
Quote: “That’s about as bad as you can get.”–Dallas coach Bill Parcells.
Raiders 27, Panthers 24
Story line: Tyrone Wheatley and Amos Zereoue combined to run for three short TDs, and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 19-yard field goal with six seconds to play to give the Raiders (3-6) the road victory.
Star: Jake Delhomme was off most of the game despite passing for 299 yards and three TDs for defending NFC champion Carolina (1-7).
Extra point: Janikowski’s winning field goal was set up by a 38-yard pass-interference call on Dante Wesley.
Quote: “It was a little redemption.”–Raiders QB Kerry Collins, the first draft pick in Carolina history, who was vilified when he quit the team midway through the 1998 season.
Ravens 27, Browns 13
Story line: Ed Reed sealed win with NFL-record 106-yard interception return in waning seconds for host Baltimore (5-3).
Stars: Back from a two-game suspension, Jamal Lewis ran for 81 yards on 22 carries, including a 2-yard TD that erased a 13-12 deficit. Ravens’ Matt Stover kicked four field goals.
Extra points: Richard Alston returned opening kickoff 93 yards for a TD for Cleveland (3-5). Browns’ Phil Dawson extended his consecutive field goals made streak to 26.
Quote: “I knew it was going to be bad, but not that bad.”–Browns’ Derrick Frost, whose 7-yard punt from the 2 set up the Ravens’ go-ahead TD.
Monday night matchup
Vikings (5-2) at Colts (4-3)
TV/radio: 8 p.m., WLS-Ch. 7, WSCR-AM 670.
Line: Colts by 7.
Last meeting: Colts won 31-10 Dec. 24, 2000, at Indianapolis.
Players to watch: The NFL’s No. 1 passer (Peyton Manning, 22 TDs, 4 INTs) and No. 2 (Daunte Culpepper, 20 TDs, 5 INTs).
Terry Bannon’s pick: Colts 41, Vikings 36.
