Bengals survive Browns in OT
The Cincinnati Bengals were involved in yet another nail-biter — and it's a trend quarterback Carson Palmer would like to see end soon.
The last-minute Bengals needed a 31-yard field goal from Shayne Graham late in overtime to beat the winless Cleveland Browns 23-20 on Sunday.
Not wanting to settle for a tie, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis gambled and decided to go for it on fourth-and-11 from the Cleveland 41 with 1:04 remaining.
Palmer dropped back to pass and then tucked the ball away and scampered up the middle for 15 yards and the first down. Cincinnati ran two plays to get Graham in position, and the kicker, who had an extra point and field goal blocked earlier in the game, sent it sailing through the uprights.
"It'd be nice to go up by a couple scores and drink some Gatorade as we take a knee at the end," Palmer said.
Defensive end Robert Geathers returned a fumble 75 yards for a score for Cincinnati (3-1), which is tied with Baltimore atop the AFC North. The Bengals visit the Ravens next Sunday.
"Nobody's happy," said Browns quarterback Derek Anderson, who provided a huge spark in his first start this season. "We lost. Nobody's happy we went to overtime and played it to the last 10 seconds. That's not what we're here for."
Saints 24, Jets 10At New Orleans, Darren Sharper returned one of his two interceptions of rookie Mark Sanchez 99 yards for a score, Will Smith forced a fumble in the end zone to produce a second defensive touchdown, and New Orleans handed the Jets their first loss.New York (3-1) lost despite stopping the Saints twice on fourth-and-short and holding Drew Brees to 190 yards passing and no touchdowns.
Broncos 17, Cowboys 10At Denver, Champ Bailey knocked away a potential tying touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Sam Hurd with 1 second left. On fourth-and-goal from the 2, Romo found Hurd cutting over the middle, but Bailey reached around and swatted the pass away at the last second, giving the Broncos their first 4-0 start since 2003.The Broncos took the lead on Brandon Marshall's 51-yard touchdown catch with 1:46 remaining.
49ers 35, Rams 0At San Francisco, tight end Vernon Davis caught a 13-yard pass for his third touchdown in two weeks, Patrick Willis returned an interception 23 yards for a score and the 49ers overcame the absence of star running back Frank Gore.
Dolphins 38, Bills 10At Miami, quarterback Chad Henne making his first NFL start and the Dolphins controlled the ball for 37 minutes to earn their first victory.The Dolphins came into the game 0-3 despite a strong running attack and an 11-minute edge per game in time of possession. Against Buffalo (1-3), Miami ran for 250 yards and mounted scoring drives of 65, 66 and 65 yards.
Patriots 27, Ravens 21At Foxborough, Mass., Tom Brady and Randy Moss hooked up for their first touchdown pass of the season and Baltimore failed on fourth-down plays on its last two series.Moss' touchdown made it 24-14 late in the third quarter, but Joe Flacco's 13-yard pass to Willis McGahee cut that to 24-21. Stephen Gostkowski's 33-yard field goal gave the Patriots (3-1) a six-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Jaguars 37, Titans 17At Jacksonville, Fla., David Garrard threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns, two to Mike Sims-Walker.Garrard shredded Tennessee's injury depleted secondary, often picking on rookie cornerback Jason McCourty, and Jacksonville's defense dominated the Titans (0-4). Tennessee went 13-3 last season, the league's best record, and didn't lose until Game 11.
Colts 34, Seahawks 17At Indianapolis, Peyton Manning led the Colts on four touchdown drives, tied milestones established by Fran Tarkenton and Dan Marino and extended his team's regular-season victory streak to 13.Manning finished 31 of 41 for 353 yards, marking the first time in 12 NFL seasons he has topped 300 yards in four consecutive games.The first TD pass went to Reggie Wayne, making Manning and Dan Marino the only quarterbacks in league history to throw 55 TD passes to two different receivers. The second went to rookie Austin Collie after a brilliant audible with 3 seconds left in the half. It not only gave the Colts (4-0) a 21-3 halftime lead but also gave Manning a share of third place on the NFL's career touchdowns passing list with Tarkenton. Both have 342.
Giants 27, Chiefs 16At Kansas City, Mo., Eli Manning, before leaving in the fourth quarter with a bruised right heel, threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns as the Giants (4-0) remained unbeaten.
Redskins 16, Bucs 13At Landover, Md., Jason Campbell made up for a pair of first-half interceptions with two second-half touchdowns, and the Redskins (2-2) scored on three straight possessions for the first time this season.
Texans 29, Raiders 6At Houston, Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns, Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a score and the Texans (2-2), with the NFL's worst defense, held the Raiders to 45 yards rushing.
Bears 48, Lions 24At Chicago, Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and the Bears pulled away in the second half.
