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NFL roundup

©Associated Press
September 23, 2002

Giants 9, Seahawks 6

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Instead of a record-tying 300-yard passing performance by Kerry Collins, New York gladly settled for three field goals from a former pawnbroker turned kicker.

Rookie Matt Bryant's 47-yard field goal with 2:04 to play was the winner for the Giants, who overcame a subpar effort.

Bryant, waived less than a week before the season and re-signed two days before the opener when Owen Pochman went on injured reserve, added field goals of 33 and 21 yards.

"I feel more like a part of the team," said Bryant, 9-for-9 on field-goal attempts this season. "They know who I am now."

Collins, who just missed in his effort for a record-tying sixth straight 300-yard passing game, moved the Giants 65 yards in 11 plays to set up the winner. He was 23-of-38 for 282 yards.

Collins hit passes of 20 yards to Amani Toomer, 18 to Hilliard and 10 to Jeremy Shockey to set up Bryant's career long.

Cornerback William Peterson iced the win for the second straight week with an interception in the final two minutes, picking off Trent Dilfer.

Seattle was limited to 145 yards on offense and Shaun Alexander gained 37 yards rushing.

Chargers 23, Cardinals 15

TEMPE, Ariz. -- San Diego's defense was the difference again, this time with turnovers and a goal-line stand.

Marcellus Wiley returned one interception 40 yards to set up a touchdown and Donnie Edwards returned another 20 yards for a score as the Chargers held off Arizona's comeback try.

The Cardinals became the first team to score a touchdown against San Diego when Jake Plummer connected with MarTay Jenkins for a 65-yard touchdown on Arizona's third play.

Plummer also threw 31 yards to Marcel Shipp for a fourth-quarter score.

But the interceptions, a lost fumble by Thomas Jones and Carlos Polk's blocked punt for a safety doomed Arizona.

"These kind are the ones that are hard to talk about," Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said, "because we gave them the football game."

Down 23-15 with under two minutes to go, Arizona had four shots to score from the San Diego 9, but Leonardo Carson batted down a pass on first down and the next three passes fell incomplete. Arizona trailed 23-7 before a five-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Shipp's score.

LaDainian Tomlinson scored on runs of 4 and 2 yards.

Eagles 44, Cowboys 13

PHILADELPHIA -- Donovan McNabb used Dallas' blitz to his advantage, completing 24 of 37 for 287 yards and three touchdowns and running for 67 yards and a score.

Pressured, harassed and forced to run in the first quarter, McNabb kept his poise and picked apart the Cowboys the rest of the game.

"I think I stopped them from blitzing," McNabb said. "I took it upon myself to get some yards and move the chains."

Scrambles of 26 and 25 yards in the opening quarter kept Dallas off-balance and opened the passing game after a slow start.

"He takes the game over," Dallas coach Dave Campo said of McNabb.

Reggie Swinton's 100-yard kickoff return was Dallas' only touchdown.

McNabb, sacked twice in the first quarter, spent the game's final 9:28 watching from the sideline after the Eagles built a 28-point lead.

Trailing 10-3 in the first quarter, the Eagles scored the next 31.

A 35-yard score to James Thrash tied it at 10 early in the second quarter. On the Eagles' next possession, McNabb's 2-yard touchdown run made it 17-10. A personal foul penalty on Duane Hawthorne and a 49-yard pass interference call on Mario Edwards gave Philadelphia 64 of the 80 yards on the drive.

The Eagles put the game away with touchdowns on the first two possessions of the third quarter: McNabb to Antonio Freeman on a 59-yard pass and Westbrook to Todd Pinkston from 25 yards on a halfback option pass.

Browns 31, Titans 28 (OT)

NASHVILLE -- Tim Couch did his best to silence the critics who said backup Kelly Holcomb should be Cleveland's starting quarterback.

Phil Dawson's 33-yard field goal 4:13 into overtime capped a rally led by Couch, who threw for three touchdowns, two in the final 2:35 of regulation. Couch was 36-for-50 for 326 yards.

"There was a lot of talk this week whether I should even be the quarterback of this team," Couch said. "I've said all along I don't care what a lot of people on the outside think, but I know these guys in this locker room believe in me and I believe in myself."

Couch sat out the first two games after tearing scar tissue in his right elbow, and in his absence Holcomb was the league's second-rated passer.

The Titans led 28-14 with 5:06 left. But Couch cut Tennessee's lead to 28-21 on a 12-yard scoring toss to Andre Davis with 2:35 to go.

With Tennessee ready for an onside kick, Dawson pooch-kicked the ball over the Titans, and Dennis Northcutt recovered it at the Titans 42. Nine plays later Couch found Northcutt for an 8-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left.

Cleveland won the toss and Couch needed eight plays to set up Dawson's field goal.

The Titans had almost as many yards in penalties (67) as offense (128) through three quarters and went three-and-out five times.

Colts 23, Texans 3

HOUSTON -- Peyton Manning gave the rookie quarterback a few lessons in reading defenses.

Manning threw touchdowns of 42 and 43 yards and helped set up three Mike Vanderjagt field goals to lead Indianapolis.

Manning, who threw three interceptions in last week's loss to Miami, quieted a boisterous crowd of 69,204 with a perfectly lofted 42-yard pass to Qadry Ismail, who slipped behind the secondary in the first quarter.

Houston's David Carr clearly was impressed.

"That's where I want to be as a quarterback, and that's where the guys around me want to be," Carr said. "They've been together four or five years. When he checks off, there is no indecision. They all know what he's going to do."

Manning completed 21 of 28 for 272 yards.

The Texans tried for a comeback in the third behind rookie Jonathan Wells, who rushed for 42 yards in a 56-yard drive to set up their score, a 24-yard field goal by Kris Brown.

Indianapolis' 13-3 lead stood until 4:06 left. Manning threw on the sideline to Reggie Wayne, who caught the ball after it bounced out of the hands of cornerback Marcus Coleman and ran in for a 43-yard score.

The Texans asked for a replay review to see if Wayne was out of bounds, but the play stood. Coleman also was burned by Ismail on his touchdown.

Packers 37, Lions 31

DETROIT -- The stadium and quarterback were different. The result wasn't.

For the second straight season the Packers built a comfortable fourth-quarter lead on the road against the Lions but had to hold off a late comeback by a rookie quarterback.

Brett Favre threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns as Green Bay spoiled the first start by Joey Harrington and the regular-season debut of Ford Field.

"I learned a long time ago: Don't ever pack it in and think it's over," Favre said. "You just never know."

After trailing 34-17 Detroit got two touchdowns, including a 52-yard pass to James Stewart with 1:37 left, to get within three. Ryan Longwell's 47-yard field goal with 1:15 left finished the scoring.

Detroit had a chance from the Packers 48 with less than a minute left but Harrington barely overthrew Mikhael Ricks on what would have been a score. On the next play Tod McBride intercepted Harrington's overthrown pass at the Green Bay 3.

Last season at the Pontiac Silverdome, Mike McMahon led the Lions to two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to scare the Packers before losing 29-27.

Harrington was 15-for-35 for 182 yards with two TDs and four interceptions.

Broncos 28, Bills 23

DENVER -- Brian Griese is changing his reputation of playing poorly in the clutch.

Griese threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns and led a key scoring drive for the third consecutive week for the Broncos. Griese, the worst-rated passer in the fourth quarter last season, has been the league's best this season.

After leading decisive scoring drives against St. Louis and San Francisco the first two weeks, Griese took the Broncos 80 yards for a touchdown after the Bills got within 21-16 midway through the fourth.

Griese was 6-of-9 for 62 yards on the final drive, capping it with a 26-yard touchdown to Rod Smith with 2:39 left. He also kept the drive alive with a 6-yard pass to Smith on fourth-and-5 from the Buffalo 37-yard line.

Denver lost starting tailback Olandis Gary early with a sprained left ankle but didn't miss a beat behind a career-high game from rookie Clinton Portis. The former Hurricane, used primarily as a third-down back in the first two games, gained 103 yards. His 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, the first of his career, put the Broncos up 14-0.

Gary said he should be ready to play next week.

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