Week 7: Rutgers' Britt Tops Huge NFL Performances
NEW YORK (AP) -- Coming up: New York Giants (4-2) at Dallas Cowboys (1-4), 8:30 p.m. EDT. Desperate Dallas could find itself in too big a hole to climb out of and contend for the NFC East if it loses to New York, which has won three in a row.
STARS
Passing
—Matt Moore, Panthers, reclaimed his starting job and threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-30 victory over San Francisco for Carolina's first win this season.
—Matt Ryan, Falcons, had his best game of the season, completing 24 of 33 for 299 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-32 win over Cincinnati. Carson Palmer, Bengals, went 36 of 50 for 412 yards and three TDs.
—Joe Flacco, Ravens, threw for 250 yards and three touchdown passes in a 37-34 OT victory against Buffalo. The Bills' Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for four touchdowns and has thrown multiple TD passes in five straight games, the longest streak by a Buffalo QB since Drew Bledsoe's five-game run in 2002.
—Aaron Rodgers, Packers, was 21 of 34 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions to beat the quarterback he once backed up, Brett Favre, for the first time in a 28-24 win over the Vikings.
Rushing
—Darren McFadden, Raiders, scored four times as the Raiders posted the most points in their 50-year history with a 59-14 thrashing of the Broncos. McFadden scored from 4, 19,4 and 57 yards and rushed for 165 yards.
—Thomas Jones, Chiefs, rushed for 125 yards, including a 70-yard run, and scored a TD in a 42-20 victory over Jacksonville in which Kansas City gained 236 yards on the ground. The Chiefs lead the league in rushing.
—Steven Jackson had his third consecutive 100-yard game, finishing with 110 yards on 22 carries in an 18-17 loss at Tampa Bay. He set the Rams' career rushing record with 7,324 yards.
—Ryan Torain, Redskins, gained 125 yards on 21 carries in a 17-14 win at Chicago.
—Frank Gore rushed for 102 yards for San Francisco in a 23-20 loss at Carolina.
—Adrian Peterson, Vikings, rushed for 131 yards in a 28-24 loss to the Packers.
Receiving
—Kenny Britt, Titans, had the best game of his career two days after being involved in a bar fight, making three TD catches in a 37-19 win over the Eagles 37-19. Britt didn't start the game as punishment, but finished with seven catches for 225 yards.
—Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, had two TD receptions for the second straight week, helping Kansas City beat Jacksonville 42-20.
—Roddy White, Falcons, who led the NFC with 43 receptions entering the game, added 11 catches for 201 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-32 win over Cincinnati. For the Bengals, rookie Jordan Shipley piled up 131 yards on six catches, including a 64-yard touchdown.
—David Gettis, Panthers, had eight catches for 125 yards and two TDs in a 23-20 win over the 49ers, the rookie's first two NFL touchdown receptions.
—Steve Johnson and Lee Evans, Bills, had big production in a losing effort. Johnson caught eight balls for 158 yards and Evans got six for 105 in a 37-34 OT loss at Baltimore. Evans scored three times.
Special Teams
—John Kasay made a 55-yard field earlier in the game and later kicked a 37-yarder to lift the Panthers to their first win of the season, 23-20 over San Francisco. Kasay has made 40 field goals of more than 50 yards in his career, tied with Morten Andersen for second. Jason Hanson, still with Detroit, has 45.
—Cleveland's Reggie Hodges had a 68-yard run on a fake punt, the longest rush by a punter since 1970.
—Connor Barth, Buccaneers, kicked four field goals for the Bucs, from 35, 39, 53 and 38 yards, in an 18-17 win over the Rams.
—Olindo Mare, Seahawks, made field goals of 20, 31, 51, 24 and 26 yards, stretching his consecutive streak to 30 dating back to last season, in a 22-10 win over Seattle.
Defense
—DeAngelo Hall, Redskins, tied an NFL record with four interceptions of Jay Cutler, returning one 92 yards for a touchdown in a 17-14 win at Chicago.
—Adam "Pacman" Jones, Bengals, stripped Falcons WR Roddy White, picked up the ball and ran 59 yards with the fumble for a touchdown in a 39-32 loss at Atlanta.
—David Bowens, Browns, twice ran back TDs on picks of Drew Brees — whose wife delivered a son they named Bowen on Tuesday — in Cleveland's 30-17 win over New Orleans. They were the first TDs of Bowens' career on interceptions.
—Safety Ed Reed, Ravens, forced three turnovers in his injury-delayed season debut, helping Baltimore beat Buffalo 37-34 in overtime. Reed, who spent the previous six weeks recovering from offseason hip surgery, forced a fumble and had two interceptions.
PICK-SIXES
Nine interceptions were returned for touchdowns Sunday, the most in the league since Week 2 of 2003, when there were 10. Two were by Cleveland linebacker David Bowens. The others were by Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall, Chicago cornerback D.J. Moore, Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan, Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson, San Francisco defensive tackle Ray McDonald, Oakland cornerback Chris Johnson and Packers linebacker Desmond Bishop.
MILESTONES
DeAngelo Hall, Redskins, tied an NFL record with four interceptions of Jay Cutler, returning one 92 yards for a touchdown in a 17-14 win over Chicago. He's the 19th player with four INTs in a game. ... Oakland set a team record with 59 points in routing Denver 59-14. ... Steven Jackson became the Rams' all-time leading rusher, surpassing Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson on a 3-yard carry in the second quarter. Dickerson gained 7,245 yards for the Rams from 1983-87. Jackson has 7,324 after finishing with 110 yards on 22 carries. ... Vikings QB Brett Favre passed John Elway for most games started in one stadium when he was in the opening lineup at Lambeau Field, his home stadium from 1992-2008, for the 119th time. It was his 291st consecutive start, a league record. ... Terrell Owens, Bengals, became the fifth player in NFL history with 150 TDs when he hauled in a 19-yard pass from Carson Palmer.
STATS
AFC North leader Pittsburgh improved to 5-1 and is 3-0 on the road. Miami, meanwhile, is now 0-3 at home after falling 23-22 to the Steelers. ... Josh Freeman, Buccaneers, the third quarterback selected in the 2009 draft, has led fourth-quarter comebacks in five of seven career victories, including an 18-17 win over St. Louis. Neither Freeman nor rookie Sam Bradford threw an interception in the game. ... David Akers, Eagles, who missed three field goals last week, made four at Tennessee in a 37-19 defeat. ... Todd Bouman, Jaguars, who was unemployed when the week began, threw his first TD passes since 2005 in a 42-20 loss at Kansas City. ... The Saints outgained Cleveland 394-211, but thanks to four interceptions, the Browns won 30-17. ... Baltimore yielded 505 yards and four touchdowns to the 30th-ranked offense in the NFL, yet beat Buffalo 37-34 in overtime. ... Rookie QB Max Hall finished 4 of 16 for 36 yards with a passer rating of 13.5 for Arizona before leaving after a blow to his head. ... The Chargers fell to 2-5, their worst start in four seasons under coach Norv Turner, by losing 23-20 to New England. Overall, it's their worst start since going 1-6 to open 2003.
STREAKS
Tennessee has won 12 in a row against the NFC after a 37-19 comeback victory over Philadelphia . ... Carolina ended its five-game slide to open the season with a 23-20 victory over San Francisco. ... This is the third straight year Cleveland beat the Super Bowl champions, defeating the Giants in 2008, the Steelers last year and the Saints 30-17 on Sunday. ... Olindo Mare, Seahawks, made field goals of 20, 31, 51, 24 and 26 yards, stretching his consecutive streak to 30 dating back to last season, in a 22-10 win over Seattle.
SLOPPY
Chicago committed six turnovers, which makes for 20 giveaways this season, in a 17-14 loss to Washington. The Bears also allowed four sacks, two by Brian Orakpo. ... The Titans had three giveaways and allowed three sacks, but Philadelphia didn't score off any of them in a 37-19 loss at Tennessee. ... Drew Brees, Saints, was intercepted 11 times last season, but has thrown 10 already, including four in a 30-17 loss to Cleveland. David Bowens returned two of them for TDs. ... San Diego lost three fumbles and an interception in a 23-20 loss to New England. ... The Broncos had allowed 59 points one other time before their 59-14 loss to Oakland on Sunday, in the 1963 season opener, which they lost to Kansas City 59-7.
SIDELINED
Pittsburgh's key defensive end Aaron Smith tore his left triceps. ... Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs aggravated an ankle injury and left in the first quarter against Washington. ... San Francisco QB Alex Smith hurt his left shoulder, saying it felt similar to a previous injury ... The Bucs played without three injured offensive starters — center Jeff Faine, guard Keyrick Vincent and fullback Earnest Graham — as well as reserve tight end Jerramy Stevens, who was arrested Saturday night and charged with marijuana possession. ... The Steelers won at Miami despite losing three starters with injuries: linebacker LaMarr Woodley (hamstring), Smith and tackle Flozell Adams (left ankle).
SPEAKING
"It's kind of mind blowing. I had my mom, my aunt, and my two cousins in the stands. The first ball went to my mom, the second ball went to my aunt and the next thing you knew everybody had a ball." — DeAngelo Hall, Redskins, after his four interceptions in a 17-14 win over Chicago tied an NFL record.
"Oh man, it was beautiful, just getting back out there with the guys. Coming out here and knowing the fans were going to be how they were, that was just a dream come true. It was like being a rookie all over again my first year here." — Ravens veteran safety Ed Reed, who forced three turnovers in his first game this season after recovering from offseason hip surgery.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
