NFL roundup

Saints 24, Jets 10

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Darren Sharper returned one of his two interceptions of rookie Mark Sanchez 99 yards for a score, Will Smith forced a fumble in the end zone to produce a second defensive touchdown, and New Orleans handed the New York Jets their first loss, 24-10 on Sunday.

New York (3-1) lost despite stopping the Saints twice on fourth-and-short and holding Drew Brees to 190 yards passing and no touchdowns. New Orleans' normally high-powered offense, which entered the game ranked first in the NFL, did not score a touchdown until Pierre Thomas barreled in from a yard out with 6:07 left, but that was enough.

In his first loss as a pro, Sanchez completed 14 of 27 passes for 138 yards, which still might have been enough if not for his four turnovers.

Broncos 17, Cowboys 10

DENVER (AP) - Champ Bailey knocked away a potential tying touchdown pass from Tony Romo to Sam Hurd with 1 second left. On fourth-and-goal from the 2, Tony Romo found Hurd cutting over the middle, but Bailey reached around and swatted the pass away at the last second, giving the Broncos their first 4-0 start since 2003.

The Broncos took the lead on Brandon Marshall's 51-yard touchdown catch with 1:46 remaining.

The Cowboys (2-2) were ranked first in the league in rushing, but managed only 74 yards on the ground.

Steelers 38, Chargers 28

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ben Roethlisberger threw touchdown passes on fast-starting Pittsburgh's first two drives, Rashard Mendenhall surpassed his previous career total with 165 yards rushing and two scores and the Steelers opened a 28-point lead, then held on.

The Chargers (2-2), outgained nearly 4 to 1 until late in the third quarter, made an apparent blowout close as Philip Rivers threw touchdown passes of 30 yards to Antonio Gates and 13 yards to Chris Chambers and Jacob Hester scored on a 41-yard fumble return, all in the fourth quarter.

Running back Mewelde Moore caught a touchdown pass and threw for another to Heath Miller on a goal-line play as the Steelers (2-2), beaten in the closing seconds by Chicago and Cincinnati the previous two weeks, built such a big lead that they withstood another bad fourth quarter. Jeff Reed finished it off with a 46-yard field goal in the final minute.

49ers 35, Rams 0

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Tight end Vernon Davis caught a 13-yard pass for his third touchdown in two weeks, Patrick Willis returned an interception 23 yards for a score and the 49ers overcame the absence of star running back Frank Gore.

The 49ers (3-1) scored in every way to take command of the NFC West after already beating reigning division champion Arizona and Seattle, recording their first shutout in 119 games since Jan. 6, 2002, 38-0 at New Orleans.

The Rams (0-4) lost their 14th straight, the longest skid in the NFL. St. Louis was blanked for the second time after losing 28-0 to the Seahawks in the season opener.

San Francisco scored touchdowns via special teams, offense and defense for the first time since Nov. 10, 1997, in a 24-12 win at Philadelphia. This also marked the 49ers' largest margin of victory since a 50-14 win over Arizona on Dec. 7, 2003.

Dolphins 38, Bills 10

MIAMI (AP) - With quarterback Chad Henne making his first NFL start, the Dolphins controlled the ball for 37 minutes and earned their first victory.

The Dolphins came into the game 0-3 despite a strong running attack and an 11-minute edge per game in time of possession. Against Buffalo (1-3), Miami ran for 250 yards and mounted scoring drives of 65, 66 and 65 yards.

The Dolphins were 11 for 19 on third- and fourth-down conversions - a category in which they already led the league.

Henne, a second-year pro, shook off six sacks and managed the game well in his first start replacing Chad Pennington, sidelined by a season-ending shoulder injury. Henne had no turnovers, and he threw his first NFL touchdown pass, a 5-yarder to rookie Brian Hartline.

Patriots 27, Ravens 21

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - Tom Brady and Randy Moss hooked up for their first touchdown pass of the season and Baltimore failed on fourth-down plays on its last two series.

Moss' touchdown made it 24-14 late in the third quarter, but Joe Flacco's 13-yard pass to Willis McGahee cut that to 24-21. Stephen Gostkowski's 33-yard field goal gave the Patriots (3-1) a six-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.

On the next possession, with a fourth-and-1 at the Ravens 45-yard line, McGahee was stopped for no gain.

The Ravens (3-1) got the ball back after a punt and moved to a fourth-and-4 at the 14. Flacco then threw to Mark Clayton, who dropped the ball with 28 seconds remaining.

Baltimore left tackle Jared Gaither was taken off the field on a stretcher midway through the second quarter when he blocked right defensive end Jarvis Green, who pushed him into Flacco. Gaither stayed on the ground for about 10 minutes before being lifted onto a cart. He had movement in both arms and legs and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for tests on his neck and shoulder.

Bengals 23, Browns 20, OT

CLEVELAND (AP) - Shayne Graham's 31-yard field goal, set up by Carson Palmer's 15-yard run on fourth down, - on the last play of overtime won it.

Not wanting to settle for a tie, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis gambled on fourth-and-11 from the Cleveland 41 with 1:04 remaining. Palmer dropped back to pass and then tucked it away and scampered up the middle for the first down. Cincinnati ran two plays to get Graham in position, and the kicker, who had an extra point and field goal blocked, drilled it through the uprights.

The Bengals (3-1) have had all four games come down to the wire.

The Browns (0-4) lost their 10th straight dating to last season. Quarterback Derek Anderson sparked Cleveland in his first start this season, throwing one TD pass and running for another.

Jaguars 37, Titans 17

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - David Garrard threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns, two to Mike Sims-Walker, and the Jaguars dismantled the Tennessee Titans 37-17 Sunday.

Garrard shredded Tennessee's injury depleted secondary, often picking on rookie cornerback Jason McCourty, and Jacksonville's defense made the Titans (0-4) look, well, like a winless team. Tennessee went 13-3 last season, the league's best record, and didn't lose until Game 11.

Announced attendance was 49,014 at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, the second straight home game blacked on local television. Owner Wayne Weaver said this week he would consider playing some future games in nearby Orlando - a wake-up call to fans.

The Jaguars (2-2) did their part by putting on an offensive show for the second time in as many weeks. Garrard completed 27 of 37 passes, the latest quarterback to burn the NFL's 29th-ranked pass defense. The Titans had an excuse in this one: They played without cornerback Cortland Finnegan (hamstring) and nickel back Vincent Fuller (forearm).

Colts 34, Seahawks 17

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Peyton Manning led the Colts to touchdowns on four of their first five drives, tied milestones established by Fran Tarkenton and Dan Marino and extended Indianapolis' regular-season victory streak to 13.

Manning finished 31 of 41 for 353 yards, marking the first time in 12 NFL seasons he has topped 300 yards in four consecutive games.

The first TD pass went to Reggie Wayne, making Manning and Dan Marino the only quarterbacks in league history to throw 55 TD passes to two different receivers. The second went to rookie Austin Collie after a brilliant audible with 3 seconds left in the half. It not only gave the Colts (4-0) a 21-3 halftime lead but also gave Manning a share of third place on the NFL's career touchdowns passing list with Tarkenton. Both have 342.

Only Marino (420) and Brett Favre (469) have thrown more.

Seattle (1-3) played without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and left tackle Walter Jones, who are both hurt, and lost its third straight.

Giants 27, Chiefs 16

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Eli Manning, before leaving in the fourth quarter with a bruised right heel, threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns and the Giants (4-0) remained unbeaten.

Kansas City (0-4) has lost 27 of its last 29 games.

From the first quarter, when Jamaal Charles fumbled the opening kickoff and Manning converted it into a quick TD, this battle between occupants of opposite ends of the NFL standings never seemed in doubt. After going 0 for 11 in third-down conversions the week before against Philadelphia, the Chiefs were 2 for 15.

Matt Cassel threw two short touchdown passes in the final minutes for Kansas City, which has lost the first four games for the first time since 1980.

Steve Smith, who has caught at least one scoring pass in three straight games for the Giants, totaled 134 yards on 11 catches, including scoring receptions of 3 and 25 yards.

Bears 48, Lions 24

CHICAGO (AP) - Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and the Bears pulled away in the second half a week after Detroit snapped its 19-game losing streak.

Matt Forte ran for 121 yards and rookie Johnny Knox returned a kickoff 102 yards.

The Lions were celebrating a win over Washington that snapped a slide that matched the second longest in league history. This time, they were holding their breath after watching quarterback Matthew Stafford, the No. 1 draft pick, twist his right knee while being sacked in the fourth quarter.

He was sacked by Adewale Ogunleye, forcing Detroit (1-3) to kick a field goal that cut Chicago's lead to 34-24. Stafford had his leg wrapped and Daunte Culpepper replaced him on Detroit's next drive, a sobering sight for a team that has taken its share of blows over the years.

Devin Hester left with a shoulder injury in the second quarter and Knox injured his right leg in the second half, leaving the Bears (3-1) thin at wide receiver. Before he left the game, Knox did a spot-on impression of Hester when he ran 102 yards untouched up the right side to open the third quarter for the second-longest kickoff return in franchise history.

Redskins 16, Buccaneers 13

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - Jason Campbell made up for a pair of first-half interceptions with two second-half touchdowns, and the Redskins scored on three straight possessions for the first time this season. Washington (2-2) staved off the sky-is-falling talk in the nation's capital for at least one more week.

Losing 10-0 after a first half in which fan discontent rose to a new level, the Redskins started their rally when DeAngelo Hall intercepted a pass from second-year quarterback Josh Johnson, making his first NFL start. Washington converted the turnover into a field goal, but Campbell hit Chris Cooley for a 17-yard touchdown and Santana Moss for a 59-yard score on the next two series.

Aqib Talib's third interception of the game led to a field goal to cut the lead to 16-13 with 4:25 to play. Tampa Bay got the ball back after a punt, but Clifton Smith fumbled deep in his territory to end the Buccaneers' final chance.

Texans 29, Raiders 6

HOUSTON (AP) - Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns, Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a score and the Texans (2-2) finally found their running game. They also figured out a way to shut down someone else's as Houston's NFL-worst defense held the Raiders to 45 yards rushing. The Texans were allowing 205 yards rushing entering the game.

Houston also forced three turnovers and got its first safety in almost seven years.

The Raiders (1-3) continued to struggle, with JaMarcus Russell completing 12 of 33 passes for 128 yards and Darren McFadden finishing with six carries for minus-3 yards rushing.

Slaton's first score came on a 32-yard run in the second quarter that pushed Houston's lead to 13-3. It was the Texans' first rushing score this season. Slaton finished with 65 yards rushing and Ryan Moats added 56.