Buffaloed no more
Buffalo finally has a win. To get it, the Bills had to extend a record losing streak by their opponent.
Dallas has its second win, and the first for Jason Garrett as an NFL head coach.
San Francisco got its third victory of the season and, yes, might be climbing into contention in the NFC West.
After three straight close calls, the Bills made sure there would be no 0-16 teams this season by beating the only franchise to manage that ignominious feat, the Lions, 14-12 on Sunday. The win at Orchard Park, N.Y., gave Detroit a 25-game road skid, snapping a league record it held with, who else, itself.
“At the end of the game, I saw a fan pull up a sign that said something about `the streak continues,”‘ Detroit receiver Nate Burleson said. “It's definitely frustrating.”
The frustration of being the NFL's only winless club is over for the Bills, who got two touchdowns from Fred Jackson: a 1-yard plunge and a 16-yard catch in a sloppy game played in rain-soaked conditions between two perennial losers.
Buffalo (1-8) ended what had been its worst start to a season since going 0-11 in 1984.
A 33-20 victory against the New York Giants meant something extra to the Cowboys, who had lost five in a row, costing Wade Phillips his coaching job. Garrett moved up from offensive coordinator on Monday, and Dallas (2-7) made a slew of big plays to snap a five-game winning string for New York (6-3).
San Francisco is 3-6 after its 23-20 OT win against the Rams, but that merits consideration as a contender to win the NFC West, where the leader is Seattle at 5-4.
Jaguars 31, Texans 24At Jacksonville, Fla., Mike Thomas caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from David Garrard that Houston defensive back Glover Quin batted into his hands on the final play in regulation.
Jets 26, Browns 20, OTAt Cleveland, New York (7-2) won a second straight away OT game and its eighth in a row on the road. Santonio Holmes scored on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez with 16 seconds left in overtime, offsetting three missed field goals by Nick Folk, including a 47-yarder in OT.
Seahawks 36, Cards 18At Glendale, Ariz., Matt Hasselbeck returned from a one-game absence to throw for 333 yards, Mike Williams caught 11 passes for 145 yards and Olindo Mare kicked five goals. Williams, out of the NFL the past two seasons after flopping in Detroit, had career highs for catches and yards as the visiting Seahawks (5-4) swept the Cardinals (3-6).
Bears 27, Vikings 13At Chicago, Jay Cutler threw for three touchdowns, Devin Hester had two big returns and Chicago (6-3) moved into a tie with Green Bay for the NFC North lead.
Broncos 49, Chiefs 29At Denver, Kyle Orton threw a career-high four touchdown passes, Tim Tebow had two TDs and Knowshon Moreno topped 100 yards for the first time.
Dolphins 29, Titans 17At Miami, the Dolphins (5-4) achieved a season-high points total. It took three quarterbacks, a flea-flicker and the revival of the wildcat.Defense helped, too. Randy Moss managed only one catch in his first game with the Titans, and Miami takeaways led to two touchdowns.
Colts 23, Bengals 17At Indianapolis, Peyton Manning didn't throw a TD pass for the second game this season, but Kelvin Hayden returned an interception for a touchdown and Javarris James ran for a TD.
Bucs 31, Panthers 16At Tampa, Fla., Josh Freeman threw two touchdown passes and rookie LeGarrette Blount ran for a score. Freeman threw TD passes of 8 yards to Arrelious Benn and 20 yards to Kellen Winslow.
