AMERICAN FOOTBALL ROUND-UP: PITTSBURGH QUARTERBACK Ben Roethlisberger threw three touchdown passes in his first game back from suspension on Sunday to help the Steelers continue their strong start to the NFL season.
The New York Jets chalked up their fifth straight win with a 24-20 victory over the Denver Broncos and Brett Favre defied an elbow injury to make his 290th record straight start and lead the Minnesota Vikings (2-3) past the Dallas Cowboys 24-21. Favre was initially listed as questionable for Sunday after being hampered by tendinitis in his right elbow for weeks.
Favre will meet an NFL official next week as part of an ongoing investigation into the player’s conduct two years ago. According to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Favre will be questioned today about allegations he sent a lewd text message to a female employee of the Jets when he was with the club in 2008.
Roethlisberger, returning from a four-game suspension for breaching NFL rules on player conduct, connected with Mike Wallace, Hines Ward and Heath Miller in Pittsburgh’s 28-10 win over the struggling Cleveland Browns (1-5).
The win gave the Steelers (4-1) sole possession of top spot in the AFC North Division, one game ahead of a Baltimore Ravens (4-2) team that lost an overtime thriller against New England. The Patriots (4-2) trailed the Ravens by 10 points in the final quarter but rallied to tie the score at 20-20 and force the game into overtime, where Stephen Gostkowski booted a 35-yard field goal to give New England a 23-20 victory.
New Orleans (4-2) got their stuttering campaign back on track with a 31-6 thumping of a Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) team that were held scoreless until the fourth quarter. The Saints suffered a shock loss at Arizona last week that raised doubts about their prospects of back-to-back Super Bowl titles, but they came back with a powerful display against the hapless Buccaneers.
Quarterback Drew Brees erased any concerns about his shaky form with a confident display, passing for 263 yards and three touchdowns, while rookie running back Chris Ivory rushed for a career best 158 yards on 15 carries.
The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) overcame the absence of injured quarterback Michael Vick to beat the Atlanta Falcons (4-2) in a brutal encounter and join the New York Giants atop the NFC East division. Kevin Kolb, Vick’s replacement, had three touchdown passes and completed 23 of 29 passes for 326 yards in a game that featured a sickening collision between Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson and Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson. Both left the field, Jackson with concussion and Robinson with a head injury.
Eli Manning threw two touchdown passes and Brandon Jacobs rushed for two as the Giants won their third straight game, a 28-20 victory that handed the Detroit Lions (1-5) their 24th straight loss on the road, dating back to 2007.
The Houston Texans (4-2) recovered from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter and, thanks to a late score, eked out a 35-31 over the Kansas City Chiefs. Andre Johnson’s touchdown with 28 seconds left completed the comeback and left the Texans on top of the AFC South Division while the Chiefs, who have lost two straight after a perfect start, remained atop the AFC West.
Dan Carpenter kicked a 44-yard goal in overtime to give the Miami Dolphins (3-2) a 23-20 win over the Green Bay Packers (3-3), leaving them two games back of AFC East rival New York Jets (5-1).The Seattle Seahawks (3-2) survived a late charge from the Chicago Bears (4-2) to win 23-20, the St Louis Rams (3-3) upset San Diego 20-17 to drop the Chargers to 2-4 and San Francisco (1-5) beat the Oakland Raiders (2-4), 17-9.
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