Bengals rout Texans for their first victory

HOUSTON -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson had "guaranteed" a victory for Sunday, but his proclamation didn't exactly rival Joe Namath for boldness. After all, the Bengals were playing the expansion Houston Texans.

Still, Cincinnati got to shed the label as the league's most laughable team for at least one week, as Jon Kitna threw four touchdown passes to lead the Bengals past the Texans 38-3 Sunday.

Artrell Hawkins added a 102-yard interception return and Corey Dillon added 92 yards rushing for the Bengals (1-7), who became the last team to get a victory this season.

Cincinnati made good on Johnson's boast by pouring out all their frustrations on the Texans (2-6), starting with Hawkins' interception on the final play of the first quarter. It tied the longest play in Cincinnati history and put the Bengals ahead for good at 10-3.

Houston quarterback David Carr threw one more interception and finished 18-of-32 for 199 yards.

Kitna made his fourth straight start and completed 22 of 27 passes for 263 yards. His fourth TD pass went for 10 yards to Johnson.

Patriots 38, Bills 7

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A year after taking away Drew Bledsoe's starting job in New England, Tom Brady outdueled his former mentor and led the Patriots past the Bills.

Brady completed 23 of 27 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns, helping the defending Super Bowl champs (4-4) end their four-game losing streak and get back into the AFC East race.

Buffalo (5-4) had won three straight.

Bledsoe, playing against his old team for the first time since he was traded to the Bills last April, had decent numbers -- 28-of-45 for 302 yards and a 1-yard TD pass to Peerless Price -- but he was sacked four times.

Former Bills player Antowain Smith ran for 111 yards and a touchdown and also caught two TD passes from Brady.

49ers 23, Raiders 20

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Jose Cortez atoned for his missed 27-yard field goal at the end of regulation by making a 23-yarder 8:41 into overtime as the 49ers (6-2) won Bay Area bragging rights by beating the Raiders (4-4), who lost their fourth straight game.

Counting their 6 1/2-minute drive to end the fourth quarter and the overtime, the 49ers held the ball for the final 15-plus minutes.

Jeff Garcia was 25-of-36 for 282 yards, completing 17 of his 19 passes after halftime to keep the 49ers moving downfield. Terrell Owens had his best game of the season with 12 receptions for 191 yards.

Jerry Rice, who set every significant NFL receiving record during 16 seasons with the 49ers, had six catches for 74 yards for the Raiders. Rich Gannon was 18-of-28 for 164 yards, ending his NFL-record streak of six straight 300-yard games.

Bucs 38, Vikings 24

TAMPA, Fla. -- Brad Johnson threw for 313 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, and Keyshawn Johnson had a season-high nine receptions for 133 yards and two TDs to lead the Bucs (7-2) past the Vikings (2-6).

The Bucs matched the best nine-game start in their history, equaling the 1979 team.

Minnesota has lost 14 consecutive regular-season road games.

Michael Bennett ran for 114 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown that was the longest run in Vikings history, surpassing Clinton Jones' 80-yarder in 1969.

Falcons 20, Ravens 17

ATLANTA -- Michael Vick had a miserable game, but the Falcons (5-3) still won their fourth straight after squandering a 14-point lead. The Ravens are 3-5.

After two straight brilliant outings, Vick completed only 12 of 24 passes for 136 yards. The second-year quarterback also was sacked three times, had negative yards rushing, fumbled twice and threw his first interception of the season.

The Falcons still managed to secure their longest winning streak since 1998, when they won nine in a row and went to the Super Bowl.

Steelers 23, Browns 20

CLEVELAND -- Tommy Maddox threw two touchdown passes, Amos Zereoue ran for a career-high 111 yards and Pittsburgh's defense shut down Cleveland.

With their fourth straight win, the Steelers (5-3) took command of the AFC North and hit the halfway point looking better than they have all season. The Browns are 4-5.

Eagles 19, Bears 13

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Defense carried the Eagles (6-2) again, shutting out the Bears (2-6) in the second half and stopping their final drive.

The Eagles have allowed 13 or fewer points five times this season.

Titans 23, Colts 15

INDIANAPOLIS -- Keith Bulluck returned a fumble 61 yards for one touchdown, and Peter Sirmon's interception led to another TD as the Titans moved into a first-place tie in the AFC South. Both teams are 4-4.

It was Tennessee's third straight win, and the Colts' third straight loss.

Lions 9, Cowboys 7

DETROIT -- Jason Hanson kicked his third field goal from 43 yards out with 48 seconds left as the Lions (3-5) surpassed last year's victory total by edging the Cowboys (3-6).

Detroit rookie Joey Harrington completed his longest pass of the day -- a 13-yarder to James Stewart -- on fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 43 to keep the game-winning drive going.

Jets 44, Chargers 13

SAN DIEGO -- One week after blowing an 18-point lead in a loss to Cleveland, the Jets (3-5) scored their most points since beating Carolina 48-21 on Nov. 29, 1998 as they routed the Chargers (6-2).

Redskins 14, Seahawks 3

SEATTLE -- Kenny Watson ran for 110 yards in place of injured starter Stephen Davis, and Shane Matthews threw two first-half touchdowns passes to lead the Redskins (4-4) past the Seahawks (2-6).

Giants 24, Jaguars 17

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tiki Barber ran for 101 yards and scored on runs of 2 and 44 yards as the Giants (4-4) held off the Jaguars (3-5).

-- From wire reports