AMERICAN FOOTBALL:THE NEW Orleans Saints stayed undefeated after overcoming a surprisingly resilient St Louis Rams side in Missouri on Sunday in the National Football League. The visiting Saints only won 28-23 against a Rams side with one win so far in 2009.
Rams quarterback Marc Bulger threw a touchdown pass to Donnie Avery in the first half as the game was tied 14-14 at half-time but Courtney Roby set the tone for the second half with an 87-yard kick-off return touchdown. Drew Brees threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Robert Meachem to seal victory.
Brett Favre threw 344 yards as the Minnesota Vikings moved to 8-1 with a home win over the Detroit Lions but the Denver Broncos lost for the third game in a row, this time going down 27-17 at the Washington Redskins.
The Broncos led 17-14 at half-time behind quarterback Kyle Orton, who had completed 11 of 18 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, only to injure an ankle.
Stand-in Chris Simms took over but after a scoreless third quarter two field goals either side of a rushing touchdown from Ladell Betts secured a home victory at FedEx Field to arrest a four-game losing streak.
Super Bowl champions the Pittsburgh Steelers lost 18-12 at home to AFC North rivals the Cincinnati Bengals, who now lead the division with a 7-2 record while the Steelers slipped to 6-3.
In an all-Florida battle, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a fruitless trip from the Gulf Coast to Miami as they were sunk by the Dolphins, 25-23. The Bucs’ record fell to 1-8 while the Dolphins moved to 4-5.
In Charlotte, the Atlanta Falcons fell 28-19 to the Carolina Panthers, while at the Meadowlands, a Josh Skobee field goal on the last play of the game gave the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars victory over the New York Jets, now4-5 for the season, the Jaguars moving to 5-4.
In Nashville, the Tennessee Titans thrashed the visiting Buffalo Bills 41-17 to leave both teams at 3-6 for the season. Chris Johnson starred for the Titans, making 26 rushes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Denver’s defeat was compounded in the AFC West division when the San Diego Chargers, the Broncos’ next opponents, drew level with them at the top at 6-3 following a 31-23 home win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
It was San Diego’s fourth win in a row, the Chargers’ star running back LaDainian Tomlinson rushing 96 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
The Eagles, though, did not lose any ground on the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys, who lost 17-7 at the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers ignited the game less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, rushing one yard for a touchdown and three minutes later throwing a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Spencer Havner.
In other games, the Arizona Cardinals improved to 6-3 with a home win over NFC West rivals Seattle. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 32-20, while at the foot of AFC West the Kansas City Chiefs had their second win of the campaign with a 16-10 defeat of the Raiders in Oakland.
The showdown between unbeaten Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots lived up to the hype with the outcome not decided until the final drive.
Manning’s Colts emerged 35-34 winners at home, following a dramatic conclusion at Lucas Oil Stadium. With 13 second left on the clock, quarterback Peyton Manning threw a pass to Reggie Wayne for his second touchdown of the night to tie the game at 34-34. Matt Stover kicked the extra point to win the game.
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