Sunday’s NFL Capsules

 

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -The Patriots are dominant once more. And still unbeaten.
Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes, shattering Steelers safety Anthony Smith’s guarantee of a victory, Randy Moss caught two of them and New England crushed Pittsburgh 34-13 on Sunday.
The lopsided victory against the NFL’s stingiest defense followed a two-game struggle in which the Patriots (13-0) needed late comebacks to beat teams with losing records, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
They had a short week to prepare for the Steelers (9-4) after beating the Ravens on Monday night on a touchdown with 44 seconds left.
Still, the Patriots became the fifth team with a 13-0 record, joining the 1934 Chicago Bears, 1972 Miami Dolphins, 1998 Denver Broncos and 2005 Indianapolis Colts. They can become the first team since the 1972 Dolphins to finish a regular season undefeated; those Dolphins were 14-0, then won three postseason games for the NFL’s only perfect season.
The victory clinched a first-round playoff bye, and the Patriots should be big favorites to take a 15-0 record into their season finale at the New York Giants.
The Steelers would have clinched a playoff berth with a victory, but still lead the AFC North.
Brady is four scoring passes shy of Peyton Manning’s record of 49 set in 2004. Moss caught touchdown passes of 4 and 63 yards in a span of 1:59 midway through the first half and has 19 to move into second place for a season. Jerry Rice’s record of 22 is in sight.
Bills 38, Dolphins 17
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Rookie Trent Edwards’ four touchdown passes, two each to Lee Evans and Robert Royal, led Buffalo over the woeful Dolphins, dropping Miami to 0-13.
Miami is off to the third-worst start to a season in NFL history, joining Oakland (1962) and Indianapolis (1986). And the Dolphins, who host Baltimore next weekend, are one loss short of matching the 0-14 record set by Tampa Bay, as an expansion team in 1976, and New Orleans in 1980.
Miami has lost 16 straight dating to last season, matching the eighth longest streak in NFL history.
It was the Bills’ most TD passes in a game since Drew Bledsoe had that many in 2004.
The Bills’ running attack produced two 100-yard rushers for the first time since 1996, with Fred Jackson having 115 and Marshawn Lynch adding 107.
Buffalo’s defense did its part, racking up a season-high five sacks and forcing four turnovers, including safety George Wilson returning rookie quarterback John Beck’s fumble 20 yards for a score.
Buffalo (7-6) won for the sixth time in eight games.
Cowboys 28, Lions 27
DETROIT (AP) – Jason Witten caught a 16-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass with 18 seconds left. With the win, Dallas (12-1) clinched the NFC East and moved a step closer to earning home-field advantage in the conference playoffs.
The tight end had career highs with 15 receptions and 138 yards, and was able to enjoy his accomplishments because he redeemed himself after fumbling inside the 1 midway through the fourth quarter.
Detroit (6-7) has lost five straight and won’t be able to live up to quarterback Jon Kitna’s expectations of a 10-win season.
Romo was 35-of-44 for 302 yards and two TDs, helping the Cowboys win 12 of their first 13 games for the first time in franchise history.
Kevin Jones ran for 92 yards and two scores, T.J. Duckett had a 32-yard TD run and Detroit led 27-14 after three quarters. Detroit outgained Dallas 390-368, had 152 yards rushing against one of the NFL’s best teams against the run and allowed only one sack after giving up the most in the league.
Packers 38, Raiders 7
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – The Packers didn’t need Brett Favre to throw the ball all over the field to clinch the NFC North, relying on the running of Ryan Grant and a pair of special teams touchdowns from Will Blackmon.
The Packers (11-2) assured an end to their two-year absence from the postseason with three games left to play.
Blackmon, a backup cornerback who has missed most of the season because of a broken foot, returned a punt 57 yards for a touchdown and recovered a muffed punt by Raiders returner Tim Dwight in the end zone.
Grant, acquired in a trade with the Giants just before the season, took over as the starter last month. He rushed for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown, his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Grant’s hard running and sharp cutbacks took pressure off the sore left shoulder and right elbow of Favre, who extended his quarterback-record consecutive starts streak to 250 regular-season games despite leaving last week’s loss at Dallas because of the injuries.
Favre completed 15 of 23 passes for 266 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Oakland (4-9). His biggest play went to Greg Jennings, who came down with a deep jump ball as Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt fell, then ran for an 80-yard touchdown to put the Packers ahead 24-7 midway through the third quarter.
Seahawks 42, Cardinals 21
SEATTLE (AP) – Matt Hasselbeck threw four touchdown passes, the most of his season, and the Seahawks clinched their fourth consecutive NFC West title.
Seattle (9-4) stormed to a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter and cruised to its fifth consecutive victory, its longest streak since a team-record 11-game run two seasons ago that helped the Seahawks reach their only Super Bowl.
Hasselbeck completed 22 of 33 throws for 272 yards and no interceptions to stay on pace for team records in attempts, completions and yards. He is completing 63 percent and has 11 touchdowns with just three interceptions during this winning streak.
Arizona got a career-high five interceptions from a rattled Kurt Warner, who was also sacked five times. Patrick Kerney had his third three-sack day in four games. He leads the NFL with 13 1/2 sacks.
Yet the Cardinals are still in contention for the franchise’s second postseason berth in 25 years. Arizona (6-7) is one game behind Minnesota for the final wild-card spot in the NFC, with three games left.
Colts 44, Ravens 20
BALTIMORE (AP) – The Colts strolled back into the playoffs with a performance that fully displayed just how far the Baltimore Ravens have fallen in 11 months.
Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes, including the 300th of his career, and the Colts built a 30-point lead in the second quarter. The win, combined with Tennessee’s loss to San Diego earlier in the day, assured the Colts (11-2) a sixth consecutive trip to the postseason.
Baltimore (4-9) has lost a franchise-record seven straight. Coming off an inspired effort in a 27-24 loss to the unbeaten New England Patriots, the Ravens committed five turnovers, had a punt blocked and managed only 57 yards in offense through the first 30 minutes.
In the playoffs last January, Indianapolis failed to score a touchdown in a 15-6 victory that eliminated the Ravens. In the rematch, the Colts scored three TDs in the first quarter and two more in the second.
Chargers 23, Titans 17, OT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 16-yard run with 7:29 left in overtime, and the Chargers rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter for their third straight victory and seventh in nine games.
Tennessee (7-6) had a chance to run out the clock in a game the Titans desperately needed to stay close to Cleveland and Jacksonville for the AFC’s two wild-card berths. But they gave the ball back to San Diego (8-5) with 2:24 left in regulation and went three-and-out in overtime.
The loss wasted a strong performance by the Tennessee defense, which had five sacks and three interceptions. But the Titans couldn’t get close enough to Philip Rivers, who overcame a sore left knee and two interceptions to throw two TD passes in the final 7:29 – the last with 9 seconds left.
Rivers started the rally with a 7-yard TD pass to Tomlinson with 7:29 left, pulling San Diego within 17-10 to cap a 92-second drive.
Then Rivers moved the Chargers 80 yards in 2:15 even with one play erased by review when Tomlinson was ruled to have stepped out of bounds. Rivers threw down the middle on fourth-and-5 to Chris Chambers for 20 yards, a play that stood under replay.
Tomlinson finished with 26 carries for 146 yards.
Texans 28, Buccaneers 14
HOUSTON (AP) – Sage Rosenfels threw for three touchdowns to lead the Texans (6-7) and has won both games he’s started in place of the injured Matt Schaub.
Rosenfels lost two fumbles, but Tampa Bay (8-5) was only able to convert one into points.
The Buccaneers could have secured the NFC South title with a win, but instead saw their four-game winning streak snapped due to miscues and ineffectiveness.
They started Luke McCown as Jeff Garcia missed his second straight game with a bruised back. McCown had a big game last week in a win over New Orleans, but was sacked four times and harassed for most of the day in this one. He was 25-of-38 for 266 yards with no touchdowns and a fumble.
Mario Williams was in McCown’s face often in this one and sacked him late in the fourth quarter to push his sack total to 9 1/2 this season.
Rosenfels had two touchdown passes of 4 yards and one for 8, and Andre’ Davis added a score on a 97-yard kickoff return. The quarterback finished 27-of-36 for 209 yards.
Greg White sacked Rosenfels three times.
Jaguars 37, Panthers 6
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Fred Taylor ran for 132 yards and a touchdown and Jacksonville (9-4) harassed Vinny Testaverde, stuffed DeShaun Foster and locked down Steve Smith – the defense’s most complete game since consecutive wins at Denver and Kansas City early in the season.
The defense ended up sharing the spotlight with Taylor, whose 80-yard TD run with 9:48 to play was the longest run from scrimmage in the NFL this season.
Taylor started up the middle, cut left and then ran untouched for the score. He outran several defenders on his way to the end zone and ended up passing Eddie George (10,441) and Tiki Barber (10,449) on the NFL’s all-time rushing list.
Taylor now ranks 18th with 10,457 yards. He would have had more yards, but ended up losing 21 yards on a fumble in the second quarter.
The Panthers (5-8) lost for the sixth time in seven games. With games remaining against division leaders Seattle, Dallas and Tampa Bay, Carolina probably needs to win out to even have a shot at making the postseason.
Vikings 27, 49ers 7
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Even with rookie sensation Adrian Peterson completely shut down, the Vikings were in good hands as soon as Kevin Williams got the ball. The Vikings’ 311-pound defensive lineman returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first play, and Chester Taylor had an 84-yard scoring run in the Vikings’ fourth straight victory.
Robert Ferguson caught a 19-yard TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson as the Vikings (7-6) moved into the sixth spot in the NFC playoff picture by jumping to a 27-0 halftime lead with no help from Peterson, the NFL rushing leader entering the game.
Peterson finished with a career-low 3 yards on 14 carries, as 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis won the meeting of two high-profile rookies. Minnesota’s only dynamic offensive play was Taylor’s TD run, the third-longest in franchise history and the bulk of his 101 yards rushing.
Frank Gore rushed for 68 yards and lost two fumbles for San Francisco (3-10) , which has yet another injured quarterback after its 10th loss in 11 games. After Trent Dilfer went out with a head injury shortly before halftime, third-stringer Shaun Hill went 22-of-28 for 181 yards in the first significant NFL action of his six-year career. Hill, a longtime Vikings backup, committed two turnovers.
Browns 24, Jets 18
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Derek Anderson threw two touchdown passes and Joe Jurevicius recovered two late onside kicks as Cleveland strengthened its playoff chances.
Jamal Lewis had a touchdown catch and added a 31-yard TD run with 1:22 left, and the Browns (8-5) moved a game in front of Tennessee and Buffalo in the wild-card race. They all trail Jacksonville (9-4).
Kellen Clemens led the Jets downfield in the closing minutes and scored on a 1-yard sneak with 2:59 left to get within 17-12, but the 2-point conversion pass to Chris Baker fell incomplete.
New York then pulled off a successful onside kick as Brad Smith grabbed the ball, which popped out as he fell and Brad Kassell recovered at the Browns 43. Mike Nugent kicked a 38-yard field goal that made it 17-15 with 1:43 left.
The Jets tried another onside kick that Jurevicius recovered. Three plays later, Lewis broke a number of tackles and rumbled into the end zone for a 24-15 lead. Lewis finished with 118 yards rushing on 21 carries.
New York (3-10) then drove for a 35-yard field goal by Nugent with 32 seconds remaining. On another onside kick Jurevicius again came up with the ball to seal the win.
Giants 16, Eagles 13.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Eli Manning threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, Lawrence Tynes made three short field goals and the Giants moved closer to a wild-card playoff spot.
David Akers hit the right upright on a 57-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds after Donovan McNabb drove the Eagles 50 yards in the final minute.
The Giants (9-4) are almost locked into the No. 5 seed in the NFC. Meanwhile, the defending division champion Eagles (5-8) are all but eliminated from contention following their third straight loss.
McNabb hadn’t played since spraining his right ankle against Miami on Nov. 18. A.J. Feeley led the Eagles to a win over the Dolphins, but threw costly interceptions in the final minutes of losses to New England and Seattle.
McNabb led the Eagles into the end zone on their first possession, but they managed just a pair of field goals the rest of the game.
The Giants were driving to put the game away when defensive end Juqua Thomas came forced Brandon Jacobs’ fumble following a 21-yard gain. Thomas recovered at the Eagles 5 with 5:51 left. Philly drove to New York’s 44, but McNabb’s pass to Jason Avant on fourth-and-6 was incomplete and the Eagles didn’t get the ball again until the final minute.
Broncos 41, Chiefs 7
DENVER (AP) – The Broncos manhandled the Chiefs, finally playing like the contender they fancied themselves after an offseason spending spree.
Jay Cutler threw a career-best four touchdown passes, Selvin Young rushed for a career-high 156 yards on 17 carries and Elvis Dumervil had three sacks and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. Cutler completed 20 of 27 passes for 244 yards, no interceptions and a passer rating of 141.0.
The Broncos (6-7) remain two games behind San Diego in the AFC West with three to go following the Chargers’ come-from-behind win in Tennessee.
Brandon Stokley, who signed a three-year contract extension Friday, hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes in. Then Travis Henry, who learned Tuesday he had successfully challenged a positive drug test that would have resulted in a yearlong ban from the NFL, punched it in from 1 yard.
The Chiefs (4-9) went three-and-out eight times and had three turnovers in losing for the sixth straight time.
Bengals 19, Rams 10
CINCINNATI (AP) – Rudi Johnson ran 1 yard for a touchdown, Shayne Graham kicked four field goals on a nasty day, and the Bengals took advantage of the Rams’ novice quarterback Brock Berlin.
A steady, often driving rain on a 38-degree afternoon made it tough to throw, catch or hold onto the slick footballs – not what the Rams (3-10) wanted when using their third-string quarterback. Berlin, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, played because injuries wiped out the Rams’ top two options. Marc Bulger (concussion) sat out a second straight game, and backup Gus Frerotte was sidelined by an injury to his passing shoulder.
That made it easy on the Bengals (5-8), who needed only to contain running back Steven Jackson and avoid mistakes. They were barely able to do it.
Fakhir Brown intercepted Carson Palmer’s first pass of the second half and returned it 36 yards for his first career touchdown. Jackson ran 18 times for 91 yards and caught four passes for 26 yards.