Patriots Day at Indianapolis
OK, the Patriots aren't going to romp every week.
Indianapolis actually gave New England a test on Sunday. It might be the only time the Patriots need to sweat this season.
Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in a 4-minute span of the fourth quarter to overcome a 10-point deficit and New England remained perfect by beating the defending Super Bowl champion Colts 24-20.
The win in one of the NFL's biggest regular-season games ever made the Patriots (9-0) a strong threat for the NFL's first unbeaten season since Miami did it in 1972.
"This is the first time we were in a ballgame late," said Brady, who has 33 touchdown passes and is on pace to break Peyton Manning's record of 49 in a season. "There wasn't any loss of confidence or determination."
Why would there be with Brady, Randy Moss, Wes Welker and a big-play defense on hand?
New England, which had been averaging more than 41 points and had beaten eight opponents by an average of more than 25 points, trailed 20-10 after Manning scored on a 1-yard sneak with 9:42 left.
However, Brady's 55-yard completion to Moss set up a 3-yard TD pass to Welker. Rosevelt Colvin knocked the ball loose from Manning to force a punt on the next series. Then, Brady found Kevin Faulk over the middle for 13 yards for the winning score with 3:15 left.
Jarvis Green knocked the ball lose from Manning and Colvin recovered to clinch it for New England.
"They force you into playing perfect ... keeping the pressure on people, forcing you to play well for all 60 minutes," said Colts coach Tony Dungy, whose team is 7-1. "They won it in the fourth quarter today."
Packers 33, Chiefs 22Brett Favre hit Greg Jennings for a 60-yard touchdown pass with 3:05 to go, giving Favre victories over each of the other 31 teams in the league. It's a career milestone Manning and Brady achieved just one week before.The Chiefs (4-4) had taken a 22-16 lead on Damon Huard's 17-yard pass to Tony Gonzalez and a 2-point conversion run by Priest Holmes, who came in when Larry Johnson injured his foot a few minutes earlier.
Cowboys 38, Eagles 17Nearly two years to the day that Terrell Owens was banished from the Eagles, the star receiver caught 10 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown in Philadelphia.
Saints 41, Jaguars 24At New Orleans, Drew Brees threw for 445 yards and three touchdowns, and Mike McKenzie returned an interception 75 yards for a score. The Saints (4-4) improved to .500 after opening the season with four losses.Brees' 35 completions on 49 attempts without an interception were impressive enough. Reggie Bush scored touchdowns on a 1-yard run and a 2-yard reception, finishing with 115 total yards. Marques Colston had 10 catches for 159 yards.
Browns 33, Seahawks 30At Cleveland, Phil Dawson's 25-yard field goal gave the Browns a comeback win and their first three-game winning streak since 2001. Jamal Lewis rushed for a career-high four touchdowns, the last with 2:17 remaining in regulation, for the Browns (5-3), who trailed 21-6 in the first half. Lewis scored on runs of 2, 1, 2 and 1 yards.
Lions 44, Broncos 7At Detroit, Jon Kitna threw two touchdown passes and the Lions (6-2) scored twice on defense, doubling their win total from last year and matching the most victories in any season under team president Matt Millen.
Titans 20, Panthers 7Albert Haynesworth had three of the Titans' season-high seven sacks as host Tennessee got its third straight victory. The Titans held an opponent to 14 or fewer points for the sixth time this season and limited Carolina (4-4) to a season-low 191 yards total offense. Travis LaBoy also had a sack and his first career interception for Tennessee (6-2), and Chris Hope picked off backup Matt Moore with 2:13 left to seal the victory.
Redskins 23, Jets 20, OTShaun Suisham tied a franchise record with his fifth field goal, a 46-yarder with 7:43 left in overtime. He also had kicks of 46, 40, 22 and 40 yards.Clinton Portis rushed for 196 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries as visiting Washington (5-3) beat New York for the eighth time in nine meetings. The Redskins, who won their second overtime game of the season, rallied from a 14-point deficit.
Bucs 17, Cardinals 10At Tampa, Fla., in addition to Tanard Jackson's second-quarter interception, which set up a field goal, the Bucs limited the Cardinals to one first down and 78 yards total offense in the opening half. Arizona (3-5), averaging 337.3 yards per game, finished with a season-low 195.
Bills 33, Bengals 21Rookie running back Marshawn Lynch had a career-best 153 yards rushing, including a 56-yard TD run that put the game away with 2:22 remaining. He also had an 8-yard touchdown pass to Robert Royal that put host Buffalo ahead for good.The Bills (4-4) won their third straight, their best stretch since winning six straight in 2004, and produced 479 yards of total offense.
Falcons 20, 49ers 16Warrick Dunn became the first Atlanta back to run for 100 yards this season, while fullback Ovie Mughelli had the first TD rushing in his career. Dunn rushed for 100 yards on 27 carries, including a 9-yard touchdown. Mughelli scored on a 1-yard plunge with just his third carry of the season.
Texans 24, Raiders 17Sage Rosenfels connected with Andre' Davis on a 42-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter that helped visiting Houston (4-5).
