ATLANTA – Matt Bryant kicked a 40-yard field goal with five seconds remaining and the Atlanta Falcons remained unbeaten, rallying past the Carolina Panthers 30-28 on Sunday.
The Falcons (4-0) are off to their best start since 2004, when they reached the NFC championship game. Despite taking a career-high seven sacks, Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes for Atlanta. Bryant added three field goals.
The Panthers (1-3) nearly clinched it on Cam Newton’s run with just over a minute remaining, but he fumbled the ball while trying to dive for the necessary yardage. Carolina recovered and wound up punting, downing the ball at the Atlanta 1. But Ryan immediately got the Falcons out of the hole, throwing a 59-yard pass to Roddy White.
Four plays later, Bryant won it.
TEXANS 38, TITANS 14
HOUSTON (AP) – Danieal Manning and Kareem Jackson returned interceptions for touchdowns and Matt Schaub threw two TD passes.
Arian Foster had a touchdown run for the Texans (4-0), who are off to the best start in club history.
Titans quarterback Jake Locker left in the first quarter and did not return after hurting his left, non-throwing shoulder on a hit by Glover Quin.
Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes in relief of Locker for the Titans (1-3). Chris Johnson carried 25 times for 141 yards, more than tripling his rushing total through the first three games.
CARDINALS 24, DOLPHINS 21, OT
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Jay Feely kicked a 46-yard field goal 6:31 into overtime to keep Arizona unbeaten.
The Cardinals (4-0) forced overtime when Kevin Kolb threw a 15-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Andre Roberts with 22 seconds to play in regulation.
Two big defensive plays set up the final two Arizona scores. First, Daryl Washington sacked rookie Ryan Tannehill, whose fumble was recovered by Vonnie Holliday at the Arizona 49 and the Cardinals moved downfield to score.
The winning field goal came after Tannehill was hit by Paris Lenon as he threw and Kerry Rhodes came up with an interception.
Tannehill threw for 431 yards. Brian Hartline set a Dolphins record with 253 yards receiving on 12 catches.
49ERS 34, JETS 0
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Carlos Rogers returned a fumble 51 yards for a touchdown, and San Francisco ran for more than 200 yards.
Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick – on a wildcat-style option – all ran for scores as the 49ers (3-1) bounced back from a loss at Minnesota. Rather than head back to the West Coast, coach Jim Harbaugh chose to have his team stay in eastern Ohio – and it apparently helped.
The Jets (2-2) lost top wide receiver Santonio Holmes to what appeared to be a serious foot injury. It was the first time New York was shut out since losing 9-0 to Green Bay in 2010, and the Jets’ biggest shutout home loss since falling 37-0 to Buffalo in 1989.
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BRONCOS 37, RAIDERS 6
DENVER (AP) – Peyton Manning finished with 338 yards and three touchdown passes.
Manning opened the game by leading the Broncos on an 80-yard touchdown drive – their first opening-quarter touchdown of the season – and Denver never trailed.
The Broncos (2-2) beat the Raiders (1-3) at home for the first time since 2007.
Willis McGahee ran for 112 yards for his 32nd-career 100-yard game.
The Broncos held Darren McFadden to 34 yards on 13 carries and Carson Palmer, who led Oakland to a comeback win last week over Pittsburgh, never got on track. He finished 19 for 34 for 202 yards.
EAGLES 19, GIANTS 17
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Lawrence Tynes missed two field-goal tries from 54 yards with 15 seconds left and Philadelphia held on to beat the New York Giants.
Tynes missed wide left, but the Eagles had called a timeout to ice him. He was short on his second attempt.
With LeSean McCoy leading the way on the ground, Michael Vick guided the Eagles (3-1) to another comeback.
Alex Henery kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:49 left and the Eagles overcame two pass-interference penalties on New York’s final drive. The defending Super Bowl champion Giants (2-2) have struggled against Philadelphia, losing eight of the last nine meetings.
McCoy had 121 of his 123 yards rushing in the second half.
VIKINGS 20, LIONS 13
DETROIT (AP) – Percy Harvin returned the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown and Marcus Sherels scored on a punt return early in the third for Minnesota.
Minnesota (3-1), in first place in the NFC North, matched the number of wins it had last season. The Vikings also snapped an 11-game losing streak in the division.
The Lions (1-3) have lost three straight.
They are the first team since at least 1940 to give up a kickoff and a punt return for TDs in consecutive games, according to STATS LLC. They gave up scores on a kickoff and punt in last week’s 44-41 loss in overtime at Tennessee.
RAMS 19, SEAHAWKS
ST. LOUIS (AP) – Rookie Greg Zuerlein kicked four field goals, including a 58-yarder and a club record 60-yarder, and the Rams also used a fake field goal to score their only TD of the game.
The Rams 2-2) went ahead 10-7 late in the first half when a fake field goal attempt turned into a 2-yard touchdown pass from punter Johnny Hekker to Danny Amendola.
The Seahawks (2-2) lost six days after beating Green Bay when a botched call by replacement officials on the final play gave them the winning touchdown. Regular officials were back this weekend.
Marshawn Lynch led Seattle with 118 yards on 20 carries, including an 18-yard score on the game’s first possession.
The Rams intercepted Russell Wilson three times, with Bradley Fletcher clinching it with a pick at the Rams 25 with a minute to go.
PATRIOTS 52, BILLS 28
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Tom Brady led New England on six consecutive second-half touchdown drives.
Brady finished 22 of 36 for 340 yards and three scores, and also scored on a 4-yard run in helping the Patriots (2-2) avoid their first three-game losing streak in 10 years. Stevan Ridley scored two touchdowns rushing. New England scored 35 straight points and finished with 580 total yards in overcoming a 21-7 third-quarter deficit.
The Patriots forced six turnovers, including four interceptions of Ryan Fitzpatrick passes, and three sacks.
Fitzpatrick finished 22 of 39 for 350 yards and four touchdowns, including two to tight end Scott Chandler.
The Bills (2-2) dropped to 1-17 in their last 18 games against New England.
CHARGERS 37, CHIEFS 20
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Philip Rivers threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns, and San Diego capitalized on six turnovers.
Five of the Chiefs’ turnovers came in the first half, when San Diego (3-1) raced to a 27-6 lead.
Matt Cassel threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City (1-3), but he also had three first-half interceptions. Jamaal Charles, who followed his big game last week at New Orleans with touchdowns rushing and receiving, fumbled twice.
PACKERS 28, SAINTS 27
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Aaron Rodgers threw a go-ahead touchdown to Jordy Nelson in the fourth quarter, and Green Bay shook off a week’s worth of controversy with a rally.
With Packers fans howling about what appeared to be yet another bad call – this time by the regular officials, not the replacements – Garrett Hartley missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with just under three minutes remaining, costing the Saints a shot at the lead.
Rodgers threw for 319 yards with four touchdowns and an interception for the Packers (2-2).
Drew Brees threw for 446 yards with three touchdowns for the winless Saints (0-4). Brees has thrown at least one touchdown in 47 straight regular-season games, tying the NFL’s all-time mark set by Johnny Unitas.
REDSKINS 24, BUCCANEERS 22
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Billy Cundiff redeemed himself for a poor day kicking, booting a 41-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining.
Cundiff missed three earlier attempts, including a 31-yarder that wound have put the Redskins (2-2) up by two scores early in the fourth quarter. He also missed twice in the first half, but was on the money after Robert Griffin III marched his team into position for the winning score.
Tampa Bay (1-3) wiped out an 18-point deficit to go ahead 22-21 on Connor Barth’s third field goal, a 47-yarder with 1:42 remaining.
BENGALS 27, JAGUARS 10
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Andy Dalton threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score.
Dalton and A.J. Green burned Jacksonville several times, including once to set up a second-quarter touchdown and again for a fourth-quarter score.
The Bengals (3-1) finished with six sacks, putting constant pressure on Blaine Gabbert and overcoming all those defensive injuries. Cincinnati played without starting cornerbacks Nate Clements and Leon Hall as well as backups Jason Allen and Dre Kirkpatrick.
The Jaguars (1-3) failed to take advantage.
Gabbert completed 23 of 34 passes for 186 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Dalton completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards.
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