Texans' late turnovers help Colts, Manning make 17-point comeback

Monday, October 6, 2008
Peyton Manning turned a colossal collapse by the Houston Texans into a stunning victory for the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts scored 21 points in a late span of 2:10 -- two touchdowns thanks to fumbles by quarterback Sage Rosenfels -- then intercepted Rosenfels' last-ditch comeback attempt for a 31-27 win Sunday.

Manning threw two touchdown passes, connecting with Reggie Wayne on a 5-yarder with 1:54 remaining for the decisive points. Linebacker Gary Brackett returned a fumble by Rosenfels 68 yards for a score in between Manning's TD throws.

Rookie Tom Santi caught the other late score, a 7-yarder to bring the Colts (2-2) within 27-17 with 4:04 to go.

Backup Rosenfels, playing for the ill Matt Schaub, had the winless Texans (0-4) ahead by 17 points before the collapse.

Cardinals 41, Bills 17

The Bills (4-1) lost their quarterback and their first game of the season.

Second-year quarterback Trent Edwards, a major reason Buffalo was one of three unbeaten teams entering the day, went down with a concussion on a fierce hit from safety Adrian Wilson on the third play of the game. It was the Bills' defense that collapsed after that.

Rookie Tim Hightower had a pair of touchdown runs for Arizona (3-2) and Kurt Warner threw to Larry Fitzgerald twice for scores.

Broncos 16, Buccaneers 13

Brandon Stokley hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jay Cutler and Matt Prater kicked three field goals for Denver (4-1).

Tampa Bay (3-2) quarterback Brian Griese was injured on a hit in the third quarter and left the game.

Cowboys 31, Bengals 22

Dallas (4-1) led 17-0 after only three drives, but ended up staving off the bumbling Bengals (0-5).

Tony Romo was 14-of-23 for a season-low 176 yards, but threw three touchdown passes -- two in the fourth quarter.

Patriots 30, 49ers 21

Kevin Faulk rushed for two scores, Matt Cassel had 259 yards passing and the Patriots won in San Francisco for the first time in franchise history.

Randy Moss had five catches for 111 yards for the Patriots (3-1).

San Francisco (2-3) has won four of the five meetings at home against New England.

Dolphins 17, Chargers 10

Ronnie Brown scored the decisive touchdown from the old-school single-wing formation and the Dolphins' smothering defense rose to the occasion at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter, and Miami pulled off its second successive upset.

Defending AFC West champion San Diego fell to 2-3.

Titans 13, Ravens 10

The Titans are still unbeaten thanks to a late touchdown drive and a defense that outperformed the top-ranked unit in the league.

Kerry Collins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Alge Crumpler with 1:56 left. The Titans (5-0) trailed 10-6 before Collins directed an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive.

Baltimore rookie quarterback Joe Flacco was then intercepted by Nick Harper, assuring the Ravens (2-2) a second straight defeat.

Giants 44, Seahawks 6

In a nearly flawless performance, Eli Manning threw two touchdowns, Brandon Jacobs ran for two more and the unbeaten Giants scored on their first five possessions.

The win was the eighth straight for the Giants (4-0) and gave the Super Bowl champions their best start since 1990, The Giants rolled up 523 yards in total offense, their most since collecting 524 against Green Bay in 2002.

Falcons 27, Packers 24

Aaron Rodgers played hurt and played hard. But he was upstaged by Matt Ryan and the Falcons.

Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan turned in another sharp performance for Atlanta (3-2), completing 16 of 26 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns against the banged-up Packers (2-3).

Falcons receiver Roddy White caught eight passes for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Aaron Rodgers was 25-for-37 for 313 yards with three touchdowns.

Redskins 23, Eagles 17

Clinton Portis ran for 145 yards and one touchdown and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El threw a TD pass for Washington (4-1).

Shaun Suisham kicked three field goals beyond 40 yards, helping the Redskins overcome a 14-0 deficit.

The Eagles fell to 2-3.

Panthers 34, Chiefs 0

DeAngelo Williams had 123 yards rushing and scored three touchdowns as the Panthers (4-1) handed the Chiefs (1-4) their first shutout in nearly six years.

Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez caught a 6-yard pass from Huard late in the first quarter to move past Shannon Sharpe for the NFL's career leader for yards receiving for a tight end. But that catch came on third-and-16, leading to one of Dustin Colquitt's seven punts.

Bears 34, Lions 7

Kyle Orton set career highs in yards passing, completions and quarterback rating while throwing two touchdowns. He was 24-of-34 for 334 yards and had a 121.4 rating

Chicago (3-2) broke a first-place tie with the Packers to lead the lackluster NFC North. The Lions fell to 0-4.

Steelers 26, Jaguars 21

Ben Roethlisberger threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns, helping the Steelers (4-1) overcome their offensive woes and snap a four-game losing streak against Jacksonville (2-3).

Roethlisberger finished 26-of-41, rebounding from an interception on his third pass that Rashean Mathis returned 72 yards for a score. Roethlisberger's perfect 8-yard fade pass to Hines Ward in the corner of the end zone put the Steelers ahead 26-21 with 1:53 remaining.

Roethlisberger misfired on the 2-point conversion, but Pittsburgh's defense sealed the win by sacking David Garrard and then forcing two incomplete passes.

The Jaguars blew a late lead for the fourth consecutive week.

-- AP