Shiny new Jet looks good
Mark Sanchez and the New York Jets sent quite the message to the New England Patriots.
The rest of the NFL, too.
The rookie quarterback came out throwing in the second half after two quiet quarters Sunday, connecting with Dustin Keller on the go-ahead touchdown that gave the Jets a 16-9 victory over Tom Brady and the Patriots.
The Jets' gritty team effort, which backed up some pre-game boasting from coach Rex Ryan, stood in contrast to another dazzling individual performance by the Saints' Drew Brees, who tossed three more touchdown passes in a 48-22 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brees threw six TD passes last week as the Saints pounded Detroit, and seemed to pick apart Philadelphia's secondary just as easily. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 311 yards and one interception, with Marques Colston grabbing eight passes for 98 yards and two of the scores.
The Eagles (1-1) were without Donovan McNabb, who missed the game with a cracked rib. Kevin Kolb started in his place and threw for 391 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions, one that was returned 71 yards by DeSean Jackson for a touchdown.
"You like starting 2-0," Saints coach Sean Payton said flatly, "but it doesn't promise you anything."
Promises? Ryan sure knows something about that.
The outspoken Jets coach reiterated his offseason promise this week that he didn't come to "kiss Bill Belichick's rings," and even sent a voicemail to season ticket holders urging them to be loud Sunday. They responded so forcefully that Brady was forced into consecutive delay of game penalties in the third quarter.
The victory was the first for the Jets (2-0) over Brady at home, and the first over the Patriots (1-1) at the Meadowlands since 2000.
Giants 33, Cowboys 31In Arlington, Texas, Lawrence Tynes kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired and the Giants beat the turnover-prone Cowboys, ruining the debut of their rival's $1.15 billion stadium.
Vikings 27, Lions 13In Detroit, Brett Favre set an NFL record with his 271st straight start in the regular season, then threw two touchdown passes to help beat the Lions.49ers 23, Seahawks 10At San Francisco, Frank Gore had touchdown runs of 79 and a career-best 80 yards, and finished with 207 yards on 16 carries to lead the 49ers.Ravens 31, Chargers 26At San Diego, Ray Lewis stopped Darren Sproles on fourth-and-2 at the Ravens 15 with only 33 seconds left, spoiling a monster afternoon by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers.He threw for a career-high 436 yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers (1-1).Broncos 27, Browns 6At Denver, Elvis Dumervil tied a Broncos record with four sacks and linebacker Andra Davis had 10 tackles against his former team.Bengals 31, Packers 24At Green Bay, Wis., the Bengals nearly blew another lead in the final minute, before the Packers ran out of time at the Cincinnati 10 yard line.The Packers (1-1) kicked a late field goal and recovered an onside kick, and Aaron Rodgers marched them to the Bengals 10 before a false start call with two seconds left ended the game.Texans 34, Titans 31At Nashville, Tenn., Matt Schaub threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns, and Kris Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal in the closing minutes to ruin Tennessee's home opener.Falcons 28, Panthers 20At Atlanta, Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes in the first half and Chris Houston stopped a Jake Delhomme-led rally at the end, intercepting a pass at the Falcons 4 to preserve the win.Bills 33, Buccaneers 20At Orchard Park, N.Y., Donte Whitner returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown, and Terrell Owens scored on a 43-yard catch in his home debut for the Bills.Redskins 9, Rams 7At Landover, Md., Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 21, 28 and 23 yards as the Redskins had four drives of more than 60 yards that faltered inside the 10.Raiders 13, Chiefs 10At Kansas City, Mo., Darren McFadden answered Kansas City's go-ahead touchdown with just over a minute left, lifting the Raiders to a lackluster win.Cardinals 31, Jaguars 17At Jacksonville, Fla., Kurt Warner completed his first 15 passes and broke the NFL's single-game record for completion percentage for the Cardinals.
