Sunday, September 18, 2011

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady threw for 423 yards six days after setting a single-game team record of 517, leading the New England Patriots over the San Diego Chargers 35-21 on Sunday.

Brady had three touchdown passes and tied for the third most yards passing in club history, going 31 of 40 with no interceptions as the Patriots (2-0) scored on each of their four first-half possessions.

The Chargers (1-1) turned the ball over inside the Patriots 35-yard line three times, leading to 17 points. They also were stopped on a fourth-and-goal at the 1.

Saints 30, Bears 13

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns, and New Orleans’ defense beat up on Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler. Brees’ scoring strikes included a 79-yarder to Devery Henderson.

Darren Sproles scored on a 12-yard swing pass, and Robert Meachem had a 4-yard TD reception for the Saints (1-1). Cutler passed for 244 yards and a score but was sacked six times and fumbled once as he Bears fell to 1-1.

Lions 48, Chiefs 3

DETROIT — Matthew Stafford threw two of his four touchdown passes to Calvin Johnson, and Detroit (2-0) whipped Kansas City (0-2) for the largest margin of victory in franchise history. The Lions broke their record set with a 44-0 win over the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995.

Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was carted off the field midway through the first quarter with a torn ACL.

Cowboys 27, 49ers 24 (OT)

SAN FRANCISCO — Playing with a fractured rib, Tony Romo hit Jesse Holley on a 77-yard completion on the Cowboys’ first play of overtime that set up Dan Bailey’s winning 19-yard field goal, and Dallas rallied to edge San Francisco.

It was an exact reverse of what happened a week earlier: a 27-24 road loss to the Jets after Dallas blew a late 14-point lead.

Bailey kicked a tying 48-yard field goal as time expired in regulation after missing an early 21-yard attempt.

Bills 38, Raiders 35

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to David Nelson with 14 seconds left to cap a wild fourth quarter to help Buffalo (2-0) outlast Oakland (1-1).

The Bills scored touchdowns on all five of their second-half possessions to overcome a 21-3 first-half deficit. The teams traded leads five times over the final 14:10.

Fred Jackson scored twice and had 117 yards rushing for the Bills. Fitzpatrick finished 28 of 46 for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

Packers 30, Panthers 23

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Aaron Rodgers threw for 308 yards and two scores, and Green Bay withstood another 400-yard passing day from rookie Cam Newton.

A week after throwing for 422 yards, Newton topped himself by throwing for 432 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 37 seconds left for the Panthers (0-2).

Buccaneers 24, Vikings 20

MINNEAPOLIS — LeGarrette Blount’s 4-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds left lifted Tampa Bay (1-1) over Minnesota (0-2).

Eight of Josh Freeman’s 14 career victories have come when the Buc went ahead in the fourth quarter or overtime. The Buccaneers trailed 17-0 at halftime and were outgained 284-62.

Adrian Peterson had 25 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the first half for the Vikings.

Steelers 24, Seahawks 0

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger threw for 298 yards and a touchdown as Pittsburgh (1-1) bounced back from an opening-week loss to rout Seattle (0-2).

Mike Wallace caught eight passes for 126 yards and a score, and Rashard Mendenhall ran for 67 yards and a touchdown for the Steelers, who limited the Seahawks to 164 yards.

Jets 32, Jaguars 3

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes as the offense broke a 16-game skid without scoring a touchdown in the first quarter, and Antonio Cromartie had two of New York’s four interceptions of Luke McCown to cruise past Jacksonville.

Santonio Holmes caught a 17-yard TD pass to start the scoring for the Jets (2-0). McCown was 6 of 19 for 59 yards for the Jaguars (1-1) for a 1.8 rating before he was replaced by rookie Blaine Gabbert.

Texans 23, Dolphins 13

MIAMI — Andre Johnson made up for a dropped pass with a 23-yard score that helped Houston (2-0) seal a victory over Miami (0-2). Matt Schaub threw for 230 yards and had a quarterback rating of 118.5. Johnson made seven catches for 93 yards.

Broncos 24, Bengals 22

DENVER — Willis McGahee ran for a touchdown, and Eric Decker caught two touchdown passes from Kyle Orton to lead Denver (1-1) past Cincinnati (0-2) for John Fox’s first win as the Broncos’ coach. Andy Dalton threw for 332 yards for the Bengals.

Browns 27, Colts 19

INDIANAPOLIS — Peyton Hillis rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns, leading Cleveland (1-1) over Indianapolis (0-2). The Browns ended a five-game losing streak to the Colts, with their first win in the series since Sept. 25, 1994. Colt McCoy was 22 of 32 for 211 yards with one TD.

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