The New England Patriots leapfrogged the New York Jets atop the AFC East Division as the NFL’s Halloween Sunday lived up to its grisly billing for some of the league’s Super Bowl contenders.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored two touchdowns as the Patriots (6-1) posted their fifth straight win this season and knocked Minnesota Vikings (2-5) quarterback Brett Favre out of the game with a gash on his chin that required stitches.
“I got hit very hard, it was sore and bleeding,” Favre said. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. I remember everything, unfortunately.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
Sunday was a real-life horror show for the high-flying Jets and the once-mighty Dallas Cowboys, a pair of teams that began the season with high hopes of playing in the Super Bowl.
The Jets (5-2) fell 9-0 to the Green Bay Packers (5-3) at their New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey. It was only their second loss, but their mistake-riddled performance raised questions about the potency of their offense.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez completed only 16 of 38 passes and had two interceptions as the Jets turned the ball over three times in Packers territory.
The Packers had 123 total yards less than the Jets, but that hardly mattered as Green Bay’s Mason Crosby kept the score ticking over with three field-goals.
“Green Bay is one of the top teams, but they’re playing at our place and we have to win these games,” Jets coach Rex Ryan said. “I don’t care who we play. If you play at our place, we should win. That was disappointing.”
This season’s Super Bowl will be in Dallas’ new stadium in Arlington, but the Cowboys’ (1-6) push to become the first team to play in their home stadium in the championship already looks grim with the season reaching the halfway point.
Dallas were thrashed 35-17 at home by the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) after a performance that brought jeers from their own supporters, perhaps wishing the ghosts of previous Dallas teams would come back to life.
Jaguars quarterback David Garrard tied a club record with four touchdown passes, while the Cowboys could only manage two late consolation touchdowns against a Jacksonville team with the worst defensive record in the NFL.
“I’m very, very sorry to our fans,” Cowboys owner-manager Jerry Jones told reporters. “You should have better than this. You should be able to tell that I won’t rest until we’ve figured some things out that get us in a different spot.”
The Tennessee Titans (5-2) and the Seattle Seahawks (3-3) both stayed top of their respective divisions despite losses against lower-ranked opponents.
The Titans, who lead the AFC South, fell 33-25 to the San Diego Chargers (2-5), while the Seahawks were thrashed 33-3 by the Oakland Raiders (3-4).
Ryan Succop kicked a field-goal as time expired in overtime to give the the Kansas City Chiefs (5-2) a 13-10 win over the Buffalo Bills (0-7), the only winless team in the NFL, although their latest loss was tinged with a sense of cruelty.
Rian Lindell nailed what would have been the game-winning field-goal in overtime, but a Chiefs timeout moments before his attempt forced him to do it again. Lindell’s second chance from 53 yards hit the upright.
The Detroit Lions (2-5) chalked up their second win when they clawed their way to a win over the Washington Redskins (4-4).
Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes in his first game back since he separated his shoulder in a season-opening loss at Chicago. He completed 26 passes for 212 yards.
Dan Carpenter had five field-goals as the Miami Dolphins (4-3) earned a 22-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (2-5) to remain perfect on the road this season, while the New Orleans Saints (5-3) defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) 20-10.
Josh Brown kicked four field-goals and rookie quarterback Sam Bradford threw two touchdown passes as the St Louis Rams (4-4) grabbed a 20-10 win over the Carolina Panthers (1-6), while LeGarrette Blount ran in a pair of touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) earned a 38-35 victory over the Arizona Cardinals (3-4) 38-35.
In London, backup quarterback Troy Smith led the San Francisco 49ers (2-6) to a 24-16 comeback victory over the Denver Broncos (2-6) at Wembley in the fourth regular-season game played in Britain.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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