Landover, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Russell Wilson's ability to escape pressure and create plays allowed the Seattle Seahawks to hold off the Washington Redskins, 27-17, on Monday. Wilson made many dazzling plays with his legs, especially in the fourth quarter, as the Seahawks claimed their ninth straight Monday Night Football win. The third-year pro out of Wisconsin set a career high for rushing yards with 122 yards and a score on 11 carries. Wilson also completed 18-of-24 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 17 times for 72 yards for the Seahawks, who had three touchdowns called back due to penalties. Lynch also caught five passes for 45 yards and a score. Seattle came into the game well rested, last playing on Sept. 21 when they won a Super Bowl XLVIII rematch by outlasting the Denver Broncos, 26-20, in overtime. The Seahawks (3-1) now find themselves in a tie with Arizona for first place in the NFC West. The Cardinals lost to the Broncos on Sunday.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5
Final Score: New Orleans 37, Tampa Bay 31 (OT)
New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Khiry Robinson's 18-yard touchdown run on the first possession of overtime capped the Saints' comeback as New Orleans scored 17 unanswered points to down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 37-31, in an NFC South battle. New Orleans (2-3) was on the verge of another debilitating loss after getting embarrassed last Sunday night in Dallas by 21 points, but Drew Brees and the offense made enough big plays down the stretch to extend New Orleans' home winning streak to 10 games. Pierre Thomas totaled 112 yards from scrimmage and scored both on the ground and through the air, while Brees overcame a three-interception performance with 371 yards and two touchdowns on 35-of-57 attempts. Mike Glennon, trying to lead Tampa Bay (1-4) to a second straight victory, threw for 249 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the setback, the club's sixth straight loss against its division rival.
Final Score: Dallas 20, Houston 17 (OT)
Arlington, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Dan Bailey kicked a 49-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Dallas Cowboys to a 20-17 victory over the Houston Texans. The Texans scored the last 10 points of regulation, but were forced to punt on the opening possession of the extra session. Dez Bryant made a spectacular 37-yard reception along the left sideline on Dallas' ensuing touch to set up Bailey's boot.
Final Score: Pittsburgh 17, Jacksonville 9
Jacksonville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Ben Roethlisberger threw for a touchdown and Brice McCain returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 17-9, on Sunday. Roethlisberger was 26-of-36 for 273 yards, throwing to 11 different receivers in the win. Antonio Brown caught five catches for 84 yards, Michael Palmer hauled in a touchdown pass and Heath Miller had three catches for 46 yards. Le'Veon Bell rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries for Pittsburgh (3-2), which bounced back from a 27-24 loss to Tampa Bay last week. Blake Bortles threw for 191 yards on 22-of-36 passing with two interceptions and Josh Scobee made three field goals for the Jaguars (0-5), who have lost three straight games to the Steelers.
Final Score: Philadelphia 34, St. Louis 28
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Eagles' offense was once again contained to pedestrian levels, but touchdowns on defense and special teams helped Philadelphia hold off the St. Louis Rams, 34-28, in Week 5 action. The Eagles (4-1) relied on a defense that forced three turnovers and a special teams unit that scored on a blocked punt for the second straight week. Defensive end Cedric Thornton recovered two fumbles, picking up one in the end zone and returning another 40 yards to set up a Jeremy Maclin touchdown catch. Nick Foles threw a pair of touchdown passes but finished with just 207 yards with an interception and a lost fumble for Philadelphia, which was outgained 466-352 one week after being held without an offensive touchdown in a loss to the 49ers. The Rams (1-3) scored the final 21 points and moved the ball just past midfield in the final minute, but two dropped passes and an incompletion on fourth down spoiled a chance at a miraculous comeback. Austin Davis came on strong late and passed for 375 yards and three touchdowns, two going to Brian Quick.
Final Score: Buffalo 17, Detroit 14
Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Dan Carpenter hit a 58-yard field goal with just four seconds to play and the Buffalo Bills pulled off a 17-14 win over the Detroit Lions. Kyle Orton, making his first start for Buffalo in place of a benched EJ Manuel, threw for 308 yards and a touchdown on 30-of-43 passing with an interception for the Bills (3-2), who snapped a two-game losing streak. Matthew Stafford went 18-for-31 for 221 yards, one touchdown and one interception for the Lions (3-2), who had won their previous two games. Golden Tate caught seven passes for 134 yards and a score.
Final Score: NY Giants 30, Atlanta 20
East Rutherford, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) - Odell Beckham Jr.'s first career touchdown catch highlighted a second-half surge that propelled the New York Giants to a 30-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at MetLife Stadium. Beckham's 15-yard grab of an Eli Manning fade attempt with 10:02 to play was part of a 20-point swing that brought New York (3-2) back from a 20-10 third- quarter deficit to post its third consecutive win. Fellow rookie Andre Williams added a touchdown run during the rally, while Manning connected with Rueben Randle for a scoring strike earlier and finished with 200 passing yards and no turnovers on a 19-of-30 completion rate. Beckham, the Giants' first-round pick of the 2014 draft who sat out the first four games with a hamstring injury, had 44 yards on four receptions in his debut. Williams, pressed into an extended role when Rashad Jennings sprained his left knee in the third quarter, totaled 65 yards on 20 carries. Julio Jones hauled in 11 Matt Ryan passes for 105 yards and Antone Smith had a 74-yard touchdown catch for Atlanta (2-3), but the Falcons' offense went cold down the stretch en route to the club's 10th loss in its last 11 on the road. Ryan ended 29-of-45 for 316 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
Final Score: Indianapolis 20, Baltimore 13
Indianapolis, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Andrew Luck passed for a touchdown and ran for another score, as the Indianapolis Colts overcame four turnovers in a 20-13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium. Luck connected on 32-of-49 passes for 312 yards, but was picked off twice. Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 68 yards, but his fumble inside two minutes left nearly cost the game for the Colts (3-2), who have won their last three contests. Joe Flacco finished 22-of-38 for 235 yards with an interception for the Ravens (3-2), whose three-game winning streak was broken. Baltimore turned the ball over three times.
Final Score: Cleveland 29, Tennessee 28
Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) - Brian Hoyer's second touchdown pass of the fourth quarter to Travis Benjamin was the go-ahead score with 1:09 left in the contest, as the Cleveland Browns rallied from a 25-point first-half deficit to claim a 29-28 victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 action. Hoyer ended the day 21-of-37 for 292 yards, three TDs and one interception for the Browns (2-2), while Taylor Gabriel posted 95 yards on four receptions and Benjamin contributed 48 yards on four grabs. Ben Tate picked up 123 yards on 22 carries and Tank Carder was responsible for a blocked-punt safety early in the fourth quarter that stoked Cleveland's comeback effort. Charlie Whitehurst was 13-of-21 for 194 yards and two scores for the Titans (1-4), who lost starter Jake Locker in the second quarter with a hand injury. Locker completed 8-of-11 attempts for 79 yards and threw the first of two TD receptions from Kendall Wright while also posting a rushing touchdown. Justin Hunter added a 75-yard scoring catch, while Wright ended with 47 yards on six catches.
Final Score: Carolina 31, Chicago 24
Charlotte, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Greg Olsen's second touchdown catch of the game late in the fourth quarter led the Carolina Panthers to a 31-24 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Olsen had six catches for 72 yards while Cam Newton went 19-for-35 for 255 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while also losing a fumble for the Panthers (3-2), who ended a two-game slide. Matt Forte had 12 catches for 105 yards and a score, while adding 17 carries for 61 yards for the Bears (2-3), but had a late fumble that led to Carolina's winning score. Jay Cutler went 28-for-36 with 289 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, adding a touchdown on the ground and a lost fumble for Chicago, which has lost its last two games.
Final Score: Denver 41, Arizona 20
Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Peyton Manning said Wednesday that getting to the 500-touchdown mark was just "the other thing." He got the best of both worlds on Sunday. Manning threw his 500th touchdown pass in the first quarter and finished with four TD tosses in the Denver Broncos' 41-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Manning hooked up with tight end Julius Thomas for a 7- yard score on 3rd-and-goal at the 4:43 mark of the opening frame to get to the 500 milestone. He gave a mini fist pump following the touchdown. Manning finished 31-of-47 for 479 yards with two interceptions, while Demaryius Thomas had eight receptions for a career-high 226 yards and two touchdowns for Denver (3-1), which outscored Arizona 17-0 in the fourth to pull away. The five-time MVP Manning joined Brett Favre as the only other quarterback to eclipse 500 touchdown passes. Favre holds the all-time record with 508 TD tosses. Manning is five touchdowns away from tying him. Manning reached the milestone in his 244th career game, while it took Favre 293 contests to reach 500. Marvin Harrison has caught the most TD passes from Manning with 112, followed by Reggie Wayne with 67. The 38-year-old fired 399 of those TD passes in Indianapolis and currently has 104 with the Broncos.
Final Score: San Francisco 22, Kansas City 17
Santa Clara, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Phil Dawson made five field goals and the 49ers spoiled Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith's return to San Francisco with a 22-17 victory. Trailing by five, Smith and the Chiefs started from their own 20 with 2:12 left and no timeouts. Perrish Cox prevented Smith from leading Kansas City down the field for a game-winning score, as he picked off the 2005 No. 1 overall pick. Smith was San Francisco's starting quarterback until he suffered a concussion in a game against St. Louis in Week 10 of the 2012 season. Colin Kaepernick won the starting job from there, and Smith was traded to the Chiefs in 2013.
Final Score: San Diego 31, NY Jets 0
San Diego, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Philip Rivers passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns before being rested late, and the San Diego Chargers trounced an inept New York Jets squad, 31-0, on Sunday afternoon. Rivers completed 20-of-28 attempts and threw a pair of first-half scores to Antonio Gates for the Chargers (4-1), who pitched their first shutout since a similar score against Kansas City on Dec. 12, 2010. Branden Oliver posted 182 yards of total offense and two touchdowns including a game-best 114 yards on 19 carries, with Gates contributing 60 yards on four receptions. The tandem of Geno Smith and Michael Vick combined to go 13-of-32 for 74 yards and one interception for the Jets (1-4), whose point total has decreased with each of their four straight defeats.
Final Score: New England 43, Cincinnati 17
Foxboro, MA (SportsNetwork.com) - The narrative leading up to Sunday night's game was that the Cincinnati Bengals were the team to beat in the AFC and the New England Patriots had fallen off. The message, as always, is never count out Tom Brady. Brady threw two touchdown passes and the Patriots routed the previously-unbeaten Bengals, 43-17, at Gillette Stadium. Coming off an underwhelming triumph over the winless Raiders and a crushing defeat in Kansas City, the Patriots (3-2) got back on track with a statement win in front of their home fans. Brady completed 23-of-35 for 292 yards and New England racked up 220 yards on the ground, with Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen running for 113 and 90, respectively. Cincinnati (3-1) was the last team in the NFL to lose a game after Arizona fell to the Broncos earlier Sunday. Andy Dalton passed for 204 yards and two touchdowns, but Cincinnati's defense failed to live up to the standards it set in the previous three games. The Bengals gave up just 33 points in those three wins before coughing up 43 in this one.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2
Final Score: Green Bay 42, Minnesota 10
Green Bay, WI (SportsNetwork.com) - Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 42-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field. Rodgers finished with 156 passing yards on 12-of-17 efficiency and Eddie Lacy had a season-high 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries for the Packers (3-2), who were coming off a 38-17 win over Chicago last week. Jordy Nelson had a 66-yard touchdown catch, while Davante Adams and Randall Cobb also caught a scoring pass. Christian Ponder rushed for a touchdown and completed 22 of his 44 passes for 222 yards and two interceptions for Minnesota (2-3), which was without starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater due to a sprained left ankle. Matt Asiata rushed 15 times for 72 yards and Adam Thielen had 57 yards on four catches in defeat.
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