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Bucs might not stop here

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Would the NFL’s only winless team please stand up?

That’s OK, Buccaneers, you can just remain standing.

Seeing as St. Louis and Tennessee won Sunday, Tampa Bay is the only team that still has a zero in its left-hand column.

And the immediate future doesn’t look too bright for the Bucs, who will return from their week off Sunday with first-round pick Josh Freeman making his first start at quarterback.

Of Tampa Bay’s next four opponents, only 3-4 Miami has a losing record, and the Dolphins -- who will play host to the Buccaneers on Nov. 15 -- have won three of their last four.

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As for the Rams and Titans, they were delighted to be in the land of the living Sunday, if only for a day. Yes, their seasons are effectively over, but at least they won’t be joining the Detroit Lions as the only franchises to finish 0-16.

St. Louis beat the one-win Lions, in fact, ending its 17-game losing streak and finally getting Steven Jackson across the goal line. He came into the game ranked second in yards from scrimmage and third in rushing and yet, astoundingly, had yet to score a touchdown this season.

Tennessee, which stopped its losing skid at eight games dating to last season, beat Jacksonville, 30-13, getting solid play from second-chance starter Vince Young and a spectacular effort from Chris Johnson.

Young, the No. 3 overall pick in 2006, got the start over the struggling Kerry Collins at the urging of Titans owner Bud Adams. He completed 15 of 18 passes for a modest but error-free 125 yards and a touchdown. Johnson, meanwhile, rushed for a club-record 228 yards in 24 carries.

“It’s just one week at a time now that we got the first win,” Coach Jeff Fisher said. “Unfortunately, it took us a little bit too long.”

Deja blue

Whereas the Titans and Rams picked up their first wins of the year, Indianapolis keeps rolling. The Colts are 7-0 for the fourth time in five seasons.

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It might seem like just another season for Peyton Manning & Co., but not for Jim Caldwell. He became the first rookie coach since the 1970 merger to win his first seven games.

Big win, bigger loss

After losing three of their first five games, the Houston Texans have quietly righted their ship and Sunday collected their third consecutive victory. But their 31-10 triumph at Buffalo came at a cost. Tight end Owen Daniels, who entered the game as Houston’s leading receiver, suffered a right knee injury that could spell the end of his season.

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sam.farmer@latimes.com

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Streakers

Longest regular-season winning streaks in NFL history (*active):

*--* TEAM YEARS WINS New England 2006-08 21 New England 2003-04 18 Chicago 1933-34 17 Chicago 1941-42 16 Miami 1971-73 16 Miami 1983-84 16 Pittsburgh 2004-05 16 Indianapolis 2008-09 *16 *--*

Source: nflmedia.com

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