SCOREBOARD
Monday night, Sept. 24
New England (3-0) at Cincinnati (1-2). The Patriots have looked invincible thus far and now face one of the NFL’s most porous defenses.
STARS
Passing
– Brett Favre, Packers, threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns, the first a 16-yarder to Greg Jennings that moved him past Dan Marino for first on the career list. Green Bay beat Minnesota 23-16.
– Daunte Culpepper, Raiders, threw for two touchdowns and ran for three more in a 35-17 victory over the Dolphins.
– Tony Romo, Cowboys, was 21-of-33 for 339 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-7 victory over winless St. Louis. Romo also ran for a score.
– Trent Edwards, Bills, was 22-of-28 for 234 yards in place of injured starter J.P. Losman, and threw the deciding touchdown as Buffalo beat the Jets 17-14 for its first win.
– Peyton Manning, Colts, threw for 193 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in a 38-20 victory over Denver. Manning also ran for a touchdown.
Rushing
– Justin Fargas, Raiders, ran for a career-high 179 yards on 22 carries in place of injured LaMont Jordan during a 35-7 victory over Miami.
– Joseph Addai, Colts, rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown in a 38-20 win over Denver.
– Larry Johnson, Chiefs, carried 25 times for 123 yards in a 30-16 victory over San Diego. He’d gained only 140 yards on 50 carries, a 2.8-yard average, through the first three weeks.
– Edgerrin James, Cardinals, ran for 77 yards and a touchdown as Arizona hung on for a 21-14 victory over previously unbeaten Pittsburgh.
– Michael Pittman and Earnest Graham, Buccaneers, combined for 138 yards on 32 carries with a touchdown in place of injured Carnell “Cadillac” Williams in a 20-7 win over Carolina.
Receiving
– Patrick Crayton, Cowboys, caught seven passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-7 win over the Rams. Crayton had caught six passes for 78 yards through the first three weeks.
– Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs, caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown in a 30-16 victory over San Diego. The first-round pick from LSU has 13 catches for 235 yards the past two weeks.
– Deion Branch, Seahawks, caught seven passes for 130 yards in a 23-3 win over the 49ers.
– Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, caught 11 passes for 123 yards against Pittsburgh. He also recovered an onside kick with 1:49 remaining after the Steelers got within 21-14.
– Ike Hilliard, Buccaneers, caught seven passes for 114 yards in a 20-7 win over Carolina.
– Dallas Clark, Colts, caught six passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-20 victory over Denver.
Special Teams
– Steve Breaston, Cardinals, returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown in a 21-14 win over Pittsburgh. It was the Cardinals’ first punt return for a touchdown in 14 years.
– Morten Andersen, Falcons, kicked four field goals in a 26-16 victory over Houston. The 47-year-old came up short on a 42-yard attempt that appeared to be nicked.
– Jon Ryan, Packers, faked a punt and eluded several Vikings defenders to convert a fourth down during a 23-16 win over Minnesota. He also averaged 49 yards on his four punts.
– Shaun Rogers, Lions, blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt by the Bears, giving him an NFL-high 11 blocked kicks since 1991.
– Devin Hester, Bears, returned a kick 97 yards for a touchdown, his seventh kick or punt return for a score in one-plus seasons.
Defense
– Terrence McGee, Bills, intercepted Chad Pennington’s pass at the Buffalo 31 with 6 seconds left, preserving a 17-14 victory over the Jets.
– Tyron Brackenridge, Chiefs, a rookie free agent, raced 50 yards for a score after Philip Rivers was sacked and fumbled in the fourth quarter of a 30-16 victory over San Diego.
– Adrian Wilson and Ralph Brown, Cardinals, each intercepted Ben Roethlisberger. Wilson’s pick in the end zone prevented a touchdown, and Brown’s clinched a 21-14 win over Pittsburgh.
– Marcus Trufant, Seahawks, had a pair of interceptions in a 23-3 victory over the 49ers.
– Jared DeVries, Lions, had five tackles and forced two fumbles in a 37-27 victory over Chicago.
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MILESTONES
nzalez caught the 62nd touchdown of his career, tying him with Shannon Sharpe on the all-time list at his position.
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STREAKS
The Colts have beaten Denver in five of the last seven meetings. They’ve won nine in a row overall, counting last year’s playoff games, to tie a franchise record. … Oakland had lost six games in a row to the Dolphins and beat them for the first time since 1996. … For the first time since 1995, the Dolphins have allowed at least 30 points in three consecutive games. … Atlanta’s 26-16 victory over Houston was its first since last Dec. 10 at Tampa Bay. … The Cowboys are 4-0 for the first time since 1995, the year of their last Super Bowl title. The Rams are 0-4 for the first time since 2002, the year after they lost in the Super Bowl. … The Cardinals ended Willie Parker’s string of four consecutive 100-yard rushing games, limiting the Pittsburgh running back to 37 yards on 18 carries. … The Chiefs have not allowed a second-half touchdown this season.
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STATS
ead of Kansas City 16-6. But he managed only 16 yards in the second half, when the Chiefs rallied for a 30-16 win. … The Chargers are 1-3 after going 14-2 last season, dropping new coach Norv Turner’s record to 59-85-1 in three NFL head coaching stints. … The Panthers managed only 236 yards in a 20-7 loss to Tampa Bay.
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SWINGS
Chad Pennington was 32-of-39 for 290 yards, and was leading the Jets to a potential tying field goal when he was intercepted with 6 seconds left in a 17-14 loss to Buffalo. … The Lions are 3-1 for the first time since 2004 after beating Chicago 37-27. … The Falcons overturned two fourth-quarter calls with replay challenges. One of them took away a Houston touchdown, and one play later Kris Brown yanked a field goal attempt wide left. … A year after going 4-12 and finishing last in its division, Tampa Bay is 3-1 after beating Carolina 20-7. … Chicago and San Diego, who had the best records in their conferences last season, both are 1-3.
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SLOPPY
an Billick threw his red flag too late to challenge a Cleveland touchdown. TV replays appeared to show Jamal Lewis failed to cross the goal line. … Trent Dilfer threw two picks and lost a fumble in place of injured Alex Smith as San Francisco lost 23-3 to Seattle.
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SACKS
Julian Peterson had three of Seattle’s six sacks in a 23-3 win over San Francisco. … Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila had two of Green Bay’s four sacks in a 23-16 win over Minnesota. … The Chiefs’ Derrick Johnson sacked Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter, and rookie Tyron Brackenridge returned the fumble 50 yards for the clinching touchdown in a 30-16 victory over the Chargers.
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SIDELINED
injury. … The Steelers lost Troy Polamalu (abdomen) and Casey Hampton (hamstring) in a 21-14 loss to Arizona.
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SPEAKING
“What’s he going to guarantee next week? It’s tough when you run your mouth.” – Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp, after Miami linebacker Joey Porter failed to deliver on his guaranteed win.
“He cares about the record, but it’s not the most important thing. He cares about winning.” – Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman, after Brett Favre broke Dan Marino’s record for career touchdown passes.
“I think the players owe the fans an apology. I would be as upset as they are if I had to sit in the stands for four quarters and look at that garbage. … As a team collectively we have no heart. We have no energy. We have no drive.” – Panthers defensive tackle Kris Jenkins after a 20-7 loss to Tampa Bay.
“They have a right to voice their opinion, just like everybody else. They showed their frustration with us, the way we’ve been playing. I can’t say that I blame them.” – LT, after fans booed at the en
d of the Chargers’ 30-16 loss to Kansas City