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NFL Week 4: Falcons Overcome Vick's Injury, Rout Vikings

POSTED: 9:15 pm EDT October 2, 2005
UPDATED: 8:30 am EDT October 4, 2005

Atlanta 30, Minnesota 10
ATLANTA -- Warrick Dunn ran for 126 yards and a touchdown and the Falcons defense forced three turnovers and recorded nine sacks as Atlanta routed the Minnesota Vikings, 30-10, at the Georgia Dome. Michael Vick left the game midway through the second quarter with a right knee strain and did not return, but it didn't matter for the Falcons (3-1). Atlanta used a strong running game and even better defensive effort to win its second straight contest. Vick ended 6-of-8 for 49 yards with a touchdown and ran for 58 yards. He left the game, mostly as a precautionary measure, after being tackled by Erasmus James with eight minutes left in the half. His backup Matt Schaub went 5-of-14 for 39 yards in a game that didn't see much of an air attack from Atlanta. The Falcons gained 286 yards on the ground, falling 11 yards short of the club record. Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper's horrid season continued. The quarterback threw two interceptions and lost a fumble as his turnover total increased to 13 through four games this season. He finished 23-of-34 for 250 yards with a touchdown. Mewelde Moore recorded 120 yards of total offense and Troy Williamson had a touchdown catch for the Vikings (1-3), who failed to follow up their first win of the season with another victory.The Atlanta Falcons had to play two quarters without quarterback Michael Vick, but it didn't stop them from improving to 3-1.

Philadelphia 37, Kansas City 31
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Donovan McNabb threw for 369 yards and three touchdown passes to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 37-31 comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Terrell Owens hauled in 11 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles (3-1), who trailed 24-6 in the second quarter before scoring 31 unanswered points. McNabb, who completed 33-of-48 attempts, set franchise records with his third straight and 14th career 300-yard passing game. Randall Cunningham previously held both marks. Priest Holmes rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs (2-2), who were coming off a 30-10 loss in Denver on Monday night. Trent Green completed 19-of-30 passes for 221 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. Kansas City's Dante Hall returned a kick 96 yards for a score and also caught a touchdown pass. The kickoff return TD was the NFL record-tying sixth of Hall's career.

Saints 19, Bills 7
SAN ANTONIO -- Deuce McAllister rushed for 130 yards to help lead the New Orleans Saints to a 19-7 victory over the Buffalo Bills at the Alamodome. Aaron Brooks scored the lone touchdown for the Saints on a four-yard run and finished 15-of-26 with 172 yards as New Orleans (2-2) earned its first home win of the season. The Saints are playing seven "home" games in two different stadiums (the Alamodome and Tiger Stadium) after the Superdome was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Willis McGahee rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries for the Bills (1-3), who have lost three straight since a season-opening victory over winless Houston. Buffalo is off to its second straight tough start, having opened last year 0-4.

Buccaneers 17, Lions 13
TAMPA, Fla. -- Joey Galloway caught seven balls for 166 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown catch that proved to be the difference in the game, as Tampa Bay survived a late scare to defeat the Detroit Lions, 17-13. Brian Griese threw for 302 yards with a pair of touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions and lost a fumble for the Buccaneers (4-0). Michael Pittman had six catches for 96 yards and a score, and also added 30 yards on the ground. Cadillac Williams, the rookie starter, had only 13 yards on 11 carries before leaving the game with a hamstring injury. Joey Harrington passed for just 137 yards on the day for Detroit (1-2), and had his lone touchdown pass reversed by instant replay. Kevin Jones scored a TD for the Lions, but was limited to just 38 yards on 12 carries.

Colts 31, Titans 10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Peyton Manning threw for 264 yards with four touchdowns and the Indianapolis defense played another strong game, as the Colts rolled to a 31-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans at The Coliseum. Manning and the Indianapolis offense came alive after three subpar weeks in which the defense carried the club. The All-Pro quarterback had thrown for just two scores in the first three games, but doubled that output on Sunday as the Colts (4-0) beat the Titans for the fifth straight time. He completed 20- of-27 passes, including nine to Marvin Harrison, who finished with 109 yards and two scores. Harrison notched his 100th and 101st career touchdown receptions, surpassing Steve Largent and Tim Brown for sole possession of third place on the all-time list. The Colt defense, meanwhile, was trying to keep an opponent under 10 points for its fourth straight game to start the season, but they were denied with a late touchdown by the Titans. Steve McNair struggled most of the day for Tennessee (1-3), which has lost two in a row. He completed 28-of-37 passes for 220 yards with a touchdown and an interception in defeat. McNair was also the top rusher for the Titans with 40 yards on four carries.

Chargers 41, Patriots 17
FOXBORO, Mass. -- LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns to lead the San Diego Chargers to a 41-17 victory over the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Drew Brees connected on 19-of-24 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns for the Chargers (2-2), who won for the second straight week after starting the season 0-2. Tomlinson extended his NFL record with a rushing touchdown in his 16th straight game. The 16- game stretch is also second behind Lenny Moore's league record of 19 straight games with a touchdown of any kind. Tom Brady threw for 224 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Patriots (2-2), who were coming off last week's 23-20 victory at Pittsburgh. The loss ended New England's 21-game winning streak at home, including the playoffs. The team's last setback in Foxboro came to the New York Jets on December 22, 2002. The Patriots lost safety Rodney Harrison for the season with a torn ACL he suffered against the Steelers and this was New England's first game without him.

Giants 44, Rams 24
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Eli Manning tossed a career-high four touchdown passes and Plaxico Burress recorded a season-high 204 yards receiving to lead the New York Giants to a 44-24 win over the St. Louis Rams at Giants Stadium. Manning ended 19-of-35 for 296 yards for the Giants (3-1), who rebounded from their lone setback of the season with their third win of 2005. Burress had a career-best 10 catches, including two for touchdowns, and New York has just one loss through four games for the second straight season. Tiki Barber added 128 yards and a touchdown rushing, and Jeremy Shockey and Amani Toomer also had TD catches for the Giants, who have won three straight over the Rams. Marc Bulger completed 40-of-62 passes for 442 yards for St. Louis (2-2), which had a two-game win streak come to an end. Shaun MacDonald had 121 yards on nine receptions for the Rams, who needed to rely on the air attack after falling behind early. Steven Jackson was held to 17 yards and a TD on 10 carries, but also had a receiving score as St. Louis was held to just 42 yards on the ground for the game.

Broncos 20, Jaguars 7
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jake Plummer threw a pair of touchdown passes and Mike Anderson ran for 115 yards, as the Denver Broncos cruised to a 20-7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Alltel Stadium. Plummer completed 19-of-26 passes for 136 yards and finished a pair of second- quarter drives with short touchdown tosses to Dwayne Carswell. The Broncos (3-1) have won three straight since a season-opening loss at Miami. Anderson led a Denver ground game that accounted for 188 yards, while the Bronco defense -- without All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey -- held Jacksonville to just 12 rushing yards. Byron Leftwich threw for 240 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on 20-of-34 passing in defeat. Jimmy Smith caught five passes for 109 yards for the Jaguars (2-2), whose last three possessions ended in turnovers. Jacksonville managed just two first downs to Denver's 16 in the first half and trailed 14-0 after totaling just 48 yards offensively, but the Jaguars put together a 66-yard drive on their first series of the second half to reach the end zone.

Bengals 16, Texans 10
CINCINNATI -- Carson Palmer threw for 276 yards and a touchdown and T.J. Houshmandzadeh had 105 yards receiving as Cincinnati defeated Houston, 16-10, at Paul Brown Stadium. Palmer was 25-of-34, Rudi Johnson carried the ball 19 times for 88 yards and Shayne Graham added three field goals for the Bengals (4-0), who have won their first four games for the first time since 1988. David Carr was 17-of-26 for 174 yards and a score and Domanick Davis had 81 yards rushing in the loss for the Texans (0-3), who are off to their worst start in franchise history. Graham gave the Bengals a 13-10 fourth-quarter lead after he converted a 27-yard field goal with 5:04 left that capped a 13-play, 61-yard drive. Graham capped the scoring with a 46-yard field goal with 1:10 left in the game to put the Bengals up 16-10.

Redskins 20, Seahawks 17 (OT)
LANDOVER, Md. -- Nick Novak's 39-yard field goal 5 :31 into overtime kept Washington undefeated and lifted the Redskins to a 20-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. Mark Brunell threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns for the Redskins (3-0), who sit alone atop the NFC East division. Clinton Portis added 90 yards on 25 carries, while Santana Moss caught six passes for 87 yards. Washington is off to its best start since 1991, when they started 11-0 and won Super Bowl XXVI. The Redskins will travel to Invesco Field next Sunday to take on the Denver Broncos. Matt Hasselbeck ended 26-of-38 for 242 yards and a score, but the Seahawks (2-2) couldn't notch their third consecutive win. Shaun Alexander ran for 98 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the loss. Darrell Jackson, whose six- yard TD grab late in the fourth quarter forced overtime, had 55 yards on seven receptions. Seattle will face the Rams in St. Louis next Sunday.

Ravens 13, Jets 3
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Jamal Lewis scored and Matt Stover booted a pair of field goals to lead the Baltimore Ravens past the New York Jets, 13-3, at M&T Bank Stadium. Anthony Wright completed 15-of-21 passes for 144 yards for the Ravens (1-2), who picked up their first win of the season and avoided their first-ever 0-3 start. Brooks Bollinger, in his first NFL start, ended 14-of-28 for 149 yards for the injury-ravaged Jets (1-3), who have dropped two in a row and are off to their worst start since beginning the 2003 campaign with four consecutive losses. Bollinger was thrust into action following shoulder injuries to both Chad Pennington and backup Jay Fiedler in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Pennington is expected to miss the remainder of the season, while Fiedler could be sidelined anywhere from 7-to-10 weeks.

Raiders 19, Cowboys 13
OAKLAND -- LaMont Jordan rushed 26 times for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Oakland's defense came up with a huge final stand in the closing minutes, as the Raiders held off the Dallas Cowboys, 19-13, at McAfee Coliseum to get their first win of the season. Sebastian Janikowski booted four field goals and Randy Moss caught four passes for 123 yards for the Raiders (1-3), who had dropped their first three games for the first time since 1992. Kerry Collins completed 13-of-23 passes for 218 yards for Oakland, which lost its opening three games to New England, Kansas City and Philadelphia by a combined 19 points. Now they head into their bye week finally with a win. Drew Bledsoe completed 11-of-26 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown for the Cowboys (2-2), but he was also picked off once. Julius Jones carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards for Dallas, which drove from its own 20 to Oakland's three in the closing minutes, only to be stymied.

Cardinals 31, 49ers 14
MEXICO CITY -- Josh McCown threw for a career-best 385 yards with two touchdowns and Neil Rackers connected on all six of his field goal attempts to lead the Arizona Cardinals past the San Francisco 49ers, 31-14, at Estadio Azteca in the first regular season game played outside the United States in National Football League history. McCown completed 32-of-46 passes - both career highs - for the Cardinals (1-3), who picked up their first win of the season and avoided their first 0-4 start since beginning the 1986 campaign with five straight losses. Arizona, which managed just one touchdown and 10 field goals through the first three games on offense, also picked up just its second win in its last 10 versus the 49ers. Tim Rattay was 11-of-21 for 126 yards and an interception for San Francisco (1-3), which has dropped three in a row after its surprising season-opening win over St. Louis. The 49ers wasted a 14-0 lead. Things don't get any easier for the 49ers next week, as they host Peyton Manning and the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts.

Panthers 32, Packers 29 (Monday Night)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jake Delhomme threw for two touchdowns and Stephen Davis ran for a pair of scores, as the Carolina Panthers held off the Green Bay Packers, 32-29, at Bank of America Stadium. Delhomme finished 17-of-24 for 206 yards and Davis carried the ball 19 times for 51 yards for the Panthers (2-2), who rebounded from a disappointing loss last week in Miami to even their record this season. Brett Favre went 28-of-47 for 303 yards with four touchdowns, one interception and one fumble for Green Bay (0-4), which continued its worst start since 1988 after a late rally fell short. "To go 0-4, I think that speaks volumes," Favre said. "I never expected to be 0-4, but my job is still to lead this team in tough situations. Moping doesn't do any good."

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