Column: It’s not the same old story as aging stars dominate NFL Week 3

The NFL is a young man’s game.

But not every Sunday.

A throng of thirtysomethings made pivotal plays Sunday to rescue their teams in Week 3, showing that occasionally experience and craftiness trump fresh legs.

That was the case at the end of Oakland’s game at Cleveland, when 38-year-old Charles Woodson — Methusela by NFL standards — made a game-clinching interception with 38 seconds left to secure a 27-20 upset for the Raiders.

The win ended a 16-game losing streak in the Eastern time zone by the Raiders, dating to 2009. What’s more, they had lost 11 in a row on the road.

“It was hanging over the whole organization’s head,” Woodson said. “You’ve got to win these type of games to make the change you want to make.”

Woodson, an Ohio native, has tormented his home state since his Heisman Trophy days at Michigan. That he’s even on the field is astounding, considering he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opener.

Woodson has at least one interception in each of his 18 seasons. The only other player to accomplish that was Hall of Famer Darrell Green, who did it 19 years in a row with the Washington Redskins.

Then, there was Philadelphia’s Darren Sproles, who at 32 shatters the notion that age 30 is the beginning of the end for running backs. He had an 89-yard punt return for a touchdown and added a one-yard run for another score as the Eagles picked up their first victory by knocking off the previously unbeaten New York Jets, 24-17.

In Nashville, it was 32-year-old Indianapolis running back Frank Gore who scored a pair of touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans in a 35-33 come-from-behind victory. The Colts walked to the edge and stared into the abyss of an 0-3 start before recovering and picking up their 14th consecutive AFC South win.

Pittsburgh cornerback Will Allen celebrated his 33rd birthday this summer. Sunday, he blew out the candles on the St. Louis Rams with a key interception at the end, setting up a field goal in a 12-6 victory. It was a subdued triumph for the Steelers, though, because quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went down with an injured left knee and was carted to the locker room.

Roethlisberger, who hasn’t missed a game since late 2012, was injured when his leg was caught underneath him on a sack by Mark Barron.

“I just caught his leg on the way in,” Barron said. “I didn’t have nothing to do with his knee. I didn’t see how he fell.”

According to an individual with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity, Roethlisberger has a sprained medial collateral ligament and a significant contusion on the knee and is expected to miss four to six weeks. The contusion is said to complicate the injury.

In Minnesota, it was linebacker Chad Greenway — at 32, the fourth-oldest player on the Vikings — who delivered the dagger to San Diego. With the Chargers showing signs of life in the second half, Greenway picked off a Philip Rivers pass and returned it 91 yards for a touchdown. That was the spirit-breaker in a 31-14 victory by the Vikings.

New England’s Tom Brady threw for 358 yards and two touchdowns — including the 400th of his career — as the Patriots rolled over Jacksonville, 51-17.

Brady, 38, has said he envisions playing into his mid-40s.

Sunday, he was ageless.

Valley of the Stun

Don’t look now, but the Arizona Cardinals are on fire.

They are off to their second consecutive 3-0 start, a first for that franchise, after handing San Francisco a 47-7 throttling in which they intercepted two of Colin Kaepernick’s first four passes and returned them for touchdowns. The 49ers quarterback finished with a career-high four interceptions.

It was another outstanding game for Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, who threw for 311 yards, and the Cardinals keep breaking club records. Sunday marked the first time since 1969 they had strung together two 40-point victories, and this was their largest margin of victory since a 44-0 win over Houston in 1970.

Y’all come back now, y’hear?

The Atlanta Falcons are 3-0, but they don’t make it look easy. They outscored Dallas 22-0 after halftime and 14-0 in the fourth quarter to earn a 39-28 come-from-behind victory. The Falcons are the first team in NFL history to start 3-0 after trailing in the fourth quarter of each game.

With friends like these

With a 28-24 loss at home to Cincinnati, Baltimore slipped to 0-3 for the first time in franchise history.

The Ravens’ struggles haven’t elicited much sympathy from the AFC rival Patriots. In a radio interview before his team’s game, Jonathan Kraft, president of the Patriots, made reference to the Ravens, who were 0-2 at the time.

“It’s too bad about Baltimore, isn’t it?” Kraft said sarcastically during an interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub. “It’s really too bad about Baltimore.”

The Ravens were ensnared in the Deflategate controversy, as they played New England the week before the Patriots played Indianapolis in the AFC title game. In August, the Ravens released a statement saying they did not tip off the Colts about the Patriots’ deflating footballs.

Asked if the Ravens might be suffering the ill effects of karma, Kraft couldn’t help but rub it in.

“That has nothing to do with it,” he said. “The Ravens are sweethearts. [Baltimore Coach] John Harbaugh, he’s a sweetheart.”

Green energy

It was an incredibly prolific Sunday for Cincinnati receiver A.J. Green, who had 10 catches for 227 yards and two touchdowns against the Ravens. They simply couldn’t cover him.

“That seems to be a regular occurrence with him,” Harbaugh said with a shrug. “One of these days we’ll figure out how to cover A.J. Green. It would be nice if we did that one time before he retires.”

Sound the alarm

The start of the Steelers-Rams game was delayed for nearly 30 minutes after pregame pyrotechnics in St. Louis caused a fire that burned a section of the artificial turf. Members of the field crew had to use fire extinguishers, followed by water to wash off the residue, and finally vacuums to remove the water. In short, it was a mess.

Some people in St. Louis have accused the Los Angeles-minded Rams of conducting a scorched-earth campaign, but not this kind.

sam.farmer@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesfarmer