SUNDAY STARS
Vinny Testaverde, Cowboys, threw for 322 yards and a TD on 23-of-35 passing in a 19-12 win over Cleveland. He also was intercepted three times.
Aaron Brooks, Saints, finished a 59-yard drive in the final two minutes with a 16-yard TD pass to Donte' Stallworth to beat the 49ers 30-27. Brooks passed for 279 yards with three touchdowns and completed 25 of 34 passes.
Chad Pennington, Jets, was 22-of-29 for 258 yards and a TD pass in a 34-28 victory over the Chargers.
Peyton Manning, Colts, threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-17 win over Tennessee.
Michael Vick, Falcons, rushed for 109 yards, and passed for 179 yards and a TD in a 34-17 win over St. Louis.
DeShaun Foster, Panthers, carried 32 times for 174 yards, including a team-record 71-yard burst, as a sub for the injured Stephen Davis in a 28-17 win over Kansas City.Corey Dillon, Patriots, gained 158 yards on 32 carries, helping New England to a 23-12 victory against Arizona.Thomas Jones, Bears, rushed for 152 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in Chicago's 21-10 victory over Green Bay.Edgerrin James, Colts, ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including a 30-yard TD run, to lead Indianapolis over Tennessee 31-17.Curtis Martin, Jets, scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards and finished with 119 yards on 32 carries, leading New York to a 34-28 win over San Diego.
Donte' Stallworth caught nine passes for 113 yards and a TD in a 30-27 win vs. San Francisco.Reggie Wayne, Colts, caught seven passes for 119 yards and a TD in a 31-17 win over the Titans.David Givens, Patriots, caught six passes for 118 yards in New England's 23-12 victory at Arizona.Hines Ward, Steelers, had six catches for 151 yards in a 30-13 loss to Baltimore.
Special TeamsEddie Drummond, Lions, returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score in a 28-16 win over Houston.Neil Rackers, Cardinals, kicked field goals of 51 and 52 yards in the second quarter of a 23-12 loss to New England.Tim Dwight, Chargers, returned a kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, but San Diego lost 34-28 to the Jets.
Mike Brown, Bears, returned a fumble 95 yards for a TD in a 21-10 victory over Green Bay. Brown was carted off the field with 3:54 remaining, lost for what could be an extended period with a right Achilles' tendon injury.Chris McAlister, Ravens, returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown in a 30-13 win against Pittsburgh.The New York Giants' defense forced seven turnovers - their most in a non-strike game since 1986 against the Redskins - in a 20-14 victory over Washington. Linebacker Barrett Green scored on a 16-yard fumble return.The Oakland Raiders' defense sacked the Bills' Drew Bledsoe seven times in a 13-10 win.Ashley Ambrose, Saints, intercepted Ken Dorsey's pass in the end zone with :04 left to preserve New Orleans' 30-27 victory over the 49ers.Brady Smith, Falcons, was credited with a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery when he stripped the ball from Rams quarterback Marc Bulger and caught it in the end zone, helping the Falcons to a 34-17 victory.
Curtis Martin rushed for 11 yards on his first carry to become the leading rusher in New York Jets history, passing Freeman McNeil. Martin came in needing 9 yards to break McNeil's team record of 8,074 yards. He finished with 119 yards on 32 carries. ... Brett Favre broke Dan Marino's NFL record of 24 touchdowns against a single opponent with an 18-yard TD pass in the third quarter against Chicago. Favre (3,999) also surpassed Warren Moon (3,988) for third place on the NFL career completions list. ... Mike Brown's 95-yard fumble return in Chicago's 21-10 win over Green Bay was a Bears-record fifth defensive score, and the second-longest fumble return in team history, surpassed only by team founder George Halas' 98-yard return in 1923.
The Arizona Cardinals honored Pat Tillman in a halftime ceremony that featured the fallen player's widow and other members of his family. A giant No. 40 jersey was unfurled in Sun Devil Stadium, where Tillman played as a star linebacker for Arizona State and an overachieving safety for the Cardinals. Tillman left a lucrative contract in the NFL in 2002 to join the Army Rangers with his brother Kevin. He was killed April 22 in the Khost province of Afghanistan, the first NFL player to die in combat since the Vietnam War. He was 27.
Ken Dorsey, making his first NFL start, was sacked twice, pressured constantly, and completed only six of 13 passes in the first half of San Francisco's 30-27 loss to New Orleans. He fared better in the second half, finishing 18-for-32 for 205 yards and an interception. ... Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms made his NFL regular-season debut early in the second quarter. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 175 yards, but was sacked four times, lost a fumble and threw an interception at the end.
Jerry Rice's NFL-record streak of 274 games with a catch ended. The last time Rice didn't catch a pass was Dec. 1, 1985, at Washington. ... The Giants first win under coach Tom Coughlin stopped a franchise record-tying nine-game losing streak. New York closed last season with eight straight losses under Jim Fassel. ... Atlanta beat St. Louis for the first time in eight meetings. The Falcons are 2-0 for the first time since 1998, also the last year they beat the Rams. They won the NFC title that year.
The Jaguars held Denver's Quentin Griffin to 66 yards, extending their streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher to an NFL-best 17 games. ... The 49ers have scored in 420 straight games, the longest run in NFL history. ... New England won its 17 straight game with a 23-12 victory over Arizona. The league mark is 18 by five teams.
