Peyton Manning threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns to win the first game between the NFL's defending co-MVP quarterbacks, leading Indianapolis to a 31-17 victory over Tennessee on Sunday.
Steve McNair was 25-of-39 for 273 yards and ran for a TD, but was intercepted in the end zone, sacked three times and had his final drive ended when he was sacked and fumbled in the last minute.
PHOTO: AP
Edgerrin James ran for two touchdowns and 124 yards as the Colts (1-1) avoided losing consecutive games in the regular season for the first time since the middle of the 2002 season -- now a span of 26 games.
The Titans had plenty of chances to bury the Colts in a deep hole before a record crowd of 68,932. But they turned the ball over on downs at the Indy 4, and settled for a field goal on another deep drive into Indianapolis territory after two dropped passes in the end zone.
The worst came when Nick Harper took the ball away from Pro Bowl receiver Derrick Mason in the end zone to end another possession in the fourth quarter. Manning took advantage by leading the Colts 80 yards in 11 plays, and James finished it with a 4-yard run for a 24-17 lead that was Indianapolis' first in the game.
Bears 21, Packers 10
In Green Bay, Wisconsin, Mike Brown's 95-yard fumble return for a touchdown sparked the Bears to only the third win over their longtime rivals in their last 21 meetings.
It was Brown's fifth defensive score, a team record, and the second-longest fumble return in Bears history, surpassed only by team founder George Halas' 98-yard return in 1923. It was also the second-longest fumble return for a score ever given up by Green Bay.
When Lovie Smith was hired as Bears coach on Jan. 15, he declared his top priority was knocking off the Packers -- and that he knew just how to do it. The last two times he'd faced Green Bay was as the St. Louis Rams' defensive coordinator, and the Packers committed a combined 10 turnovers in those games.
Brett Favre threw two interceptions Sunday, and the killer was Ahman Green's fumble just before halftime that Brown returned for the touchdown.
Raiders 13, Bills 10
In Oakland, California, Jerry Rice's streak of 274 games with a catch ended, while Ronald Curry caught five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders' victory.
Rice is still a starter, but has said he's willing to accept a lesser role for the Raiders (1-1) if it helps the team rebound from last season's 4-12 debacle. He didn't get a pass thrown his way until 2{ minutes before halftime -- and that was the only one.
The last time Rice didn't catch a pass was Dec. 1, 1985. Rice was substituted almost every other play during Oakland's second-to-last drive. He came out with 2:37 left during a Buffalo (0-2) timeout and threw his helmet to the ground, causing it to bounce over a metal bench. He appeared to yell in frustration and paced the sideline for several minutes.
Patriots 23, Cardinals 12
In Tempe, Arizona, a sometimes sloppy performance by the Super Bowl champion Patriots still was enough to defeat the sputtering Cardinals. It was the 17th victory in a row and counting for the Patriots. Corey Dillon gained 158 yards on 32 carries and Tom Brady threw two first-half TD passes to Daniel Graham for New England (2-0).
Former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman, killed in combat in Afghanistan, was honored in an emotional halftime ceremony in Arizona's home opener.
Jaguars 7, Broncos 6
In Jacksonville, Florida, Quentin Griffin was a surprise last week. He was a disappointment Sunday.
Griffin fumbled on the 23-yard line with about a minute to play, allowing the Jaguars to escape with the victory.
Jake Plummer drove Denver into field goal range with less than a minute to play, thanks partly to defensive end Lionel Barnes' personal foul penalty. The Broncos (1-1) had a third-and-10 on the 23 -- what would have been a 40-yard field goal for Jason Elam. But Griffin bobbled the handoff, Akin Ayodele recovered and the Jaguars ran out the remaining 31 seconds to improve to 2-0 behind a suffocating defense.
Jets 34, Chargers 28
In San Diego, it didn't take Curtis Martin and the Jets long to knock the Chargers back to reality.
Martin scored on the Jets' first two possessions and became the team's all-time rushing leader. He scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards and finished with 119 yards on 32 carries. With 8,185 yards in seven seasons with the Jets, he broke Freeman McNeil's old team record of 8,074.
Cowboys 19, Browns 12
In Irving, Texas, Vinny Testaverde threw for 322 yards and Eddie George ran for 62 yards and a touchdown in a victory that had all the makings of a blowout -- if not for mistake after mistake by the Cowboys.
Dallas (1-1) reached at least the Cleveland 43-yard line on 10 of its 11 drives, but turned that into only two touchdowns and a field goal.
Giants 20, Redskins 14
In East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Washington Redskins gift-wrapped Tom Coughlin's first win as Giants coach.
Linebacker Barrett Green scored on a 16-yard fumble return and New York forced seven turnovers to hand Joe Gibbs his first loss in his second stint with Washington.
Kurt Warner threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Tim Carter and Steve Christie kicked two field goals in a game the Giants (1-1) had to sweat out despite having a plus-6 edge in turnovers.
The win snapped a franchise record-tying nine-game losing streak for the Giants.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
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