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Green Bay wilts in Arizona heat wave

Outside linebacker Ray Thompson, right, of the Arizona Cardinals dives to recover a fumble against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. PHOTO: AFP

The Green Bay Packers love cold weather. Playing in the heat is a different story.

Jeff Blake wore out the Packers on a day of record heat in the desert, then Dexter Jackson sealed it with a clutch interception at the finish.

Jackson, last year's Super Bowl MVP, intercepted Brett Favre's pass in the end zone with 10 seconds left to save the Arizona Cardinals' 20-13 victory on Sunday.

"The elements are the elements," coach Mike Sherman said. "People come up to Green Bay, and I don't say we beat them because it's cold out. I say we beat them because we won the game. They beat us because they played better than we did today -- bottom line."

Blake completed 20 of 31 passes for 273 yards, including a 1-yard pass to James Hodgins for the winning touchdown with 3:59 to play.

Favre, 23-for-33 for 226 yards and a touchdown, drove the Packers (1-2) to the Arizona 7 in the final seconds. But on third-and-goal, his pass was picked off by Jackson.

The Cardinals (1-2) took a knee and earned their first victory of the season, and second in 12 games.

Favre, 35-1 when it's 1?C or colder, is 12-18 in games when the kickoff temperature is above 21?C, and this one was way, way above 21?C.

The 39?C temperature at kickoff equaled the hottest game ever for the Packers. It warmed up to 40?C at the start of the second half, and 41?C at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

That's hot, even by Arizona standards. 41?C at nearby Sky Harbor Airport was a record for the date, surpassing the 40?C recorded in 1949 and 1984.

Giants 24, Redskins 21, OT

In Landover, Maryland, Matt Bryant kicked a 29-yard field goal 4:15 into the extra period, putting the Giants and Redskins in a tie for first place in the NFC East.

The Giants (2-1) led 21-3 at halftime, but a mistake-filled second half and bad clock management late in the game allowed Washington (2-1) to tie it on John Hall's 34-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in regulation.

Kerry Collins threw three touchdown passes, completing 24 of 39 passes for 276 yards. Tiki Barber ran for 126 yards, and the defense held the Redskins without a touchdown until late in the third quarter.

Seahawks 24, Rams 23

In Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Koren Robinson with 1 minute remaining and Josh Brown made the PAT as the Seahawks overcame a 13-point deficit to start 3-0 for the first time in five years.

Rams running back Marshall Faulk, held to 31 yards on 15 carries, left in the third quarter with an injured left hand.

Browns 13, 49ers 12

In San Francisco, Andre Davis caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Kelly Holcomb with 29 seconds left as Cleveland rallied for two late scores.

Holcomb knew his starting spot might have been in the balance after two lousy games, but he finally led the Browns (1-2) on two stirring drives for the victory. Both ended in TD passes to Davis -- the second capping a 91-yard drive.

Ravens 24, Chargers 10

In San Diego, Jamal Lewis ran for 132 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries, a week after setting the NFL single-game record with 295 yards.

Lewis needed 182 yards to break O.J. Simpson's two-game record of 476 yards set in 1976.

The Ravens (2-1) won their second straight. San Diego (0-3) has been outscored 88-37 this season. Including their second-half collapse last year, the Chargers have lost seven straight and 10 of 12.

Bucs 31, Falcons 10

In Atlanta, defensive tackle Warren Sapp scored the first offensive touchdown of his career on a 6-yard catch as the Bucs rebounded from a disappointing loss.

The Bucs (2-1) were clearly perturbed by the way they lost to Carolina a week earlier, getting two field goals and an extra point blocked before falling 12-9 in overtime. Tampa Bay took out all its frustration on the hapless Falcons (1-2), who failed for the second week in a row to give Dan Reeves his 200th coaching victory.

Colts 23, Jaguars 13

In Indianapolis, Reggie Wayne caught a career-high 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns as the Indianapolis Colts are off to their first 3-0 start since 1996 and only their second such start since 1978.

Jacksonville (0-3) has lost five straight dating to the end of last season.

Fred Taylor had 17 carries for 126 yards, topping the 5,000-yard career mark and became the first runner to gain more than 100 yards against the Colts defense in 15 games.

In other games: Titans 27, Saints 12; Patriots 23, Jets 16; Chiefs 42, Texans 14; Vikings 23, Lions 13; Steelers 17, Bengals 10; Dolphins 17, Bills 7
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