Denver stays perfect
The Denver Broncos are reminding their fans of Super Bowl seasons past with their 5-0 start. The Dallas Cowboys are just relieved their season hasn't completely fallen apart heading into their bye week.
Kyle Orton led a 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter to tie the score and Matt Prater kicked a 41-yard field goal in overtime Sunday to lift Denver to a 20-17 victory over the New England Patriots.
"The electricity in the stadium was so great that we had to have it," Orton said. "When we got to overtime, we just had to win."
Josh McDaniels got a win over his old boss, Bill Belichick, and the Broncos opened the season with five wins for the first time since 1998, their last Super Bowl season.
At Kansas City, Mo., Miles Austin caught 10 passes for a franchise-record 250 yards and scored the winning touchdown in overtime, lifting the Cowboys to a 26-20 victory against the winless Chiefs.
Austin topped the record of 246 yards that Hall of Famer "Bullet" Bob Hayes set against Washington almost 39 years ago, and helped send the Chiefs (0-5) to their 28th loss in 30 games.
"It's a feeling that's unbelievable," he said. "It's amazing. I never seen that coming today. I was ready today, but you never expect a huge game like that."
Austin's tackle-breaking 59-yard catch-and-run from Tony Romo gave the mistake-prone Cowboys (3-2) a 20-13 lead with 2:16 left. Then after Matt Cassel's 16-yard TD pass to Dwayne Bowe tied it 20-20 with 24 seconds to go in regulation, Austin got free on a 60-yard scoring play on Dallas' second possession in overtime.
Orton threw for 330 yards and two scores and the Broncos held New England (3-2) scoreless in the second half.
Denver's fourth-quarter drive certainly wasn't "The Drive" — Elway's classic, 98-yard march that helped beat the Browns 23-20 back in the 1987 AFC title game — but it will go down as one of the best in this franchise's history.
Trailing 17-10 with 9:59 left, Orton was at his patient best during the game-tying drive that started at the 2. A 14-yard completion to Jabar Gaffney, a screen to Knowshon Moreno who sprung for 27. A 7-yard completion to Eddie Royal, who finished with 10 catches for 90 yards.
Falcons 45, 49ers 10At San Francisco, Roddy White had a 90-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown and a 31-yard TD reception, and Michael Turner ran for three scores to end San Francisco's five-game home winning streak.White finished with eight catches for a career-high 210 yards against the 49ers' usually stingy defense. Six of those receptions were in the first half for 185 yards, as Atlanta (3-1) came out of its bye week sharp in all phasesn.
Cardinals 28, Texans 21At Glendale, Ariz., Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown with 2:20 to go and the Arizona defense stopped the Texans three times at the 1-yard line in the final minute.Matt Schaub brought the Texans back from a 21-0 halftime deficit to tie the game and had completed 11 straight when Rodgers-Cromartie, playing with a fractured right index finger, stepped in front of intended receiver Kevin Walter.
Seahawks 41, Jaguars 0At Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck returned from being sidelined two games with broken ribs to throw four touchdown passes, and the Seahawks rolled to their biggest home shutout in 25 years.
Bengals 17, Ravens 14At Baltimore, Carson Palmer threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 22 seconds left to cap an 80-yard drive fueled by Baltimore penalties.All five of Cincinnati's games this season have been decided by seven points or fewer. Palmer masterfully directed the final drive for the Bengals (4-1) — with the help of three yellow flags. The third one was a pass interference penalty against Frank Walker on third-and-16 from the Baltimore 30 — although the infraction was called by the officials against Ed Reed.
Eagles 33, Buccaneers 14At Philadelphia, Donovan McNabb showed he was fine after missing two games with a broken rib, throwing for 264 yards and three touchdowns.Rookie Jeremy Maclin had two TD catches and the lopsided score allowed Michael Vick to take extra snaps at quarterback in the fourth quarter. He completed his first pass in 33 months and had an 11-yard run.
Colts 31, Titans 9At Nashville, Tenn., Peyton Manning's near-perfect start to the season continued as he had 309 yards and three touchdown passes, and the Colts never trailed in beating their AFC South rivals for their NFL-best 14th straight regular-season win.Manning joined Kurt Warner and Steve Young as the only quarterbacks to open a season by throwing for at least 300 yards in each of the first five games.
Panthers 20, Redskins 17At Charlotte, N.C., aided by a disputed call and Jake Delhomme's bold third-down run, the Panthers (1-3) jump-started a sagging season.The Panthers scored the game's final 18 points, and Jonathan Stewart's 8-yard run with 9:21 left was the go-ahead touchdown.
Giants 44, Raiders 7At East Rutherford, N.J., Eli Manning threw two scoring passes and led the Giants on touchdown drives on their first four series before resting his sore heel.
Vikings 38, Rams 10At St. Louis, Brett Favre threw for 232 yards and a touchdown a day after his 40th birthday. Spry and efficient, Favre showed no signs of a letdown after beating the Packers last week, dodging defenders and winging passes in every direction to give Minnesota its first 5-0 start in six years.Browns 6, Bills 3At Orchard Park, N.Y., backup kicker Billy Cundiff hit an 18-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining for Cleveland, ending a display of offensive ineptitude.Cundiff also made a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter, and punter Dave Zastudil downed seven of nine punts inside the Bills 20.
