ST. LOUIS — Steven Jackson scored two touchdowns and had his first 100-yard rushing game in three seasons as the St. Louis Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints 31-21 on Sunday for their first win.
Drew Brees kept alive his touchdown pass streak in the final seconds a week after throwing five TDs in a 62-7 rout of the Indianapolis Colts. Brees was intercepted twice, with Darian Stewart’s pick and 27-yard return putting the game away with 2:51 to go.
The NFC South-leading Saints (5-3) average an NFL-best 35 points but never got going against a defense ranked near the bottom of the league. The Rams (1-6) had a season-high six sacks after entering the game with just 11, three by Chris Long.
Steelers 25, Patriots 17
PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger passed for 365 yards and two touchdowns, and Pittsburgh finally solved its Tom Brady problem with an emphatic victory over New England.
Roethlisberger completed 36 of 50 passes and led the Steelers on a series of clock-chewing drives, effectively keeping Brady and the NFL’s top-ranked offense off the field. Pittsburgh held the ball for more than 39 minutes and survived a late rally to win its fourth straight following a 2-2 start.
Brady passed for two touchdowns, but threw for a season-low 198 yards and couldn’t get into any sort of rhythm while losing to the Steelers for just the second time in his career.
Giants 20, Dolphins 17
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz with 5:58 to play and New York barely avoided a post-bye letdown by keeping Miami winless.
Manning hit 31 of 45 passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns in rallying the Giants from an 11-point first-half deficit. Mario Manningham caught the other touchdown, a 7-yard play that got New York (5-2) back into the game late in the first half.
Lawrence Tynes kicked two short field goals, and New York’s defense got four sacks on the Dolphins’ final two drives.
Steve Slaton and Matt Moore (13 of 22 for 138) capped the Dolphins’ first two drives with 1-yard runs.
Vikings 24, Panthers 21
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Longwell kicked a 31-yard field goal with 2:43 left in the game to lift Minnesota over Carolina.
Cam Newton put the Panthers in position to tie the game in the final two minutes. He completed a 44-yard pass to Brandon LaFell on fourth-and-15, but Olindo Mare was wide left with a 31-yard field goal attempt with 26 seconds left.
Adrian Peterson ran for 162 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Vikings snapped a two-game losing streak.
Bengals 34, Seahawks 12
SEATTLE — Quarterback Andy Dalton threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes, one to fellow rookie A.J. Green, Brandon Tate returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown with 3:22 left and Cincinnati whipped Seattle for its fourth straight win.
Dalton tossed TDs of 14 yards to Jerome Simpson and a beautiful 43-yarder that dropped into the arms of Green in the second quarter to give the Bengals a 17-3 lead. Cincinnati is tied with Baltimore for second place in the AFC North, with both teams a half game behind Pittsburgh.
Lions 45, Broncos 10
DENVER — Detroit sacked Denver quarterback Tim Tebow seven times and turned his two turnovers into touchdowns in a rout that snapped a two-game losing streak.
Cornerback Chris Houston had the fourth 100-yard interception return in team history and defensive end Cliff Avril got the sack, the strip and the scoop, rumbling 24 yards into the end zone with the fumbled football as part of the Lions’ 45-point run after the Broncos had taken a 3-0 lead on their first drive.
49ers 20, Browns 10
SAN FRANCISCO | Frank Gore ran for both 125-plus yards and a touchdown in a fourth straight game, Michael Crabtree made his first TD reception of the season, and San Francisco defeated Cleveland.
Alex Smith completed 15 of 24 passes for 177 yards, leading the first-place 49ers to their fifth consecutive victory since an overtime loss to the Cowboys in Week 2.
Texans 24, Jaguars 14
HOUSTON — Arian Foster rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown, and Houston shut down rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert and the NFL’s worst offense in a win over Jacksonville.
Matt Schaub threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score for the Texans. Houston also took one more step toward the franchise’s first division title and playoff berth by improving to 3-0 in the AFC South.
Titans 27, Colts 10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matt Hasselbeck threw for 224 yards and a touchdown, and Nate Washington scored twice and Tennessee kept Indianapolis winless.
Rob Bironas kicked field goals of 51 and 50 yards, and Jason McCourty recovered a blocked punt in the end zone as the Titans snapped a two-game skid.
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