NFL roundup: Chargers’ rally falls short in loss to Seahawks

SEATTLE -- Leon Washington returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns, including a go-ahead, 99-yard burst with 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Seattle Seahawks held off the San Diego Chargers , 27-20, on Sunday at Qwest Field.

Washington rumbled a team-record 101 yards for a score in the third quarter for the Seahawks, who forced five turnovers. Two of those were interceptions by rookie Earl Thomas, including a pick of a Philip Rivers pass inside the Seattle 10-yard line in the waning seconds.

Matt Hasselbeck completed 19 of 32 passes for 220 yards with a TD and an interception for Seattle (2-1), which upended the Chargers for the sixth time in the last seven meetings.

Rivers threw for a career-high 455 yards, going 29 of 53 with two scores and the two interceptions. Antonio Gates had seven receptions for 109 yards and a TD for the Chargers (1-2), who played a good portion of the game without star linebacker Shawne Merriman. He suffered a calf injury in the first quarter.

Jets 32, Dolphins 23

MIAMI -- Mark Sanchez threw three touchdown passes and LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a one-yard touchdown run with two minutes left in the game, helping the New York Jets to a 31-23 victory over the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins quickly drove down the field as they tried to tie the score and got to the Jets’ 5-yard line. They had fourth-and-4 with 34 seconds to play, but cornerback Drew Coleman intercepted Chad Henne’s pass in the end zone, sealing the victory.

Miami had pulled within 24-23 when Dan Carpenter kicked a 50-yard field goal with 6:49 to play, but New York (2-1) came right back with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive capped by Tomlinson’s first touchdown of the season.

Tomlinson finished with 70 yards on 15 carries.

Sanchez, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 256 yards, found Dustin Keller in the end zone twice in the first half as the Jets jumped to a 14-0 lead.

Henne was 26 for 44 for 363 yards with two touchdown passes for Miami (2-1), which rallied to take a 17-14 lead at 8:47 of the third quarter after Brandon Marshall caught an 11-yard touchdown pass.

Falcons 27, Saints 24 (OT)

NEW ORLEANS -- Matt Bryant’s 46-yard field goal with two minutes left in overtime gave Atlanta a 27-24 victory over New Orleans at the Superdome on Sunday.

Matt Ryan connected on 19-of-30 throws for 228 yards and two touchdowns and Michael Turner carried 30 times for 114 yards and a score for the Falcons (2-1), who ended a three-game losing streak to the Saints.

Drew Brees completed 30 of 38 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns but was intercepted twice and Lance Moore caught six passes for 149 yards and two scores for the Saints (2-1), who fell to the Falcons for only a second time in the last nine meetings.

Cowboys 27, Texans 13

HOUSTON -- Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes to Roy Williams and Dallas picked up a much-needed victory by beating the Houston Texans, 27-13, at Reliant Stadium.

Romo turned in a solid performance, completing 23 of 30 passes for 284 yards. Williams had five receptions for 117 yards for the Cowboys (1-2), who avoided dropping their first three games of the year for the first time since 2001.

Matt Schaub threw for 241 yards on 23-of-32 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Texans (2-1), who were aiming to start a season 3-0 for the first time in franchise history. Arian Foster finished the game with 106 yards on 17 carries.

Cardinals 24, Raiders 23

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Sebastian Janikowski pulled a 32-yard field goal wide left as time expired and Arizona escaped with a 24-23 victory over Oakland in a cross-conference matchup.

LaRod Stephens-Howling took the opening kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown for the Cardinals (2-1), who won their home-opener for the fourth time in five years.

Derek Anderson threw for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns -- to Steve Breaston in the second quarter and to Larry Fitzgerald for the go-ahead score in the third quarter -- but only completed 12 of 26 passes.

Bruce Gradkowski was 17 of 34 for 255 yards, one score and a pick for the Raiders (1-2), who were coming off a two-point win at St. Louis last Sunday.

Darren McFadden racked up 105 yards and a TD run on 25 carries, while Louis Murphy led all receivers with 119 yards on five catches.

Rams 30, Redskins 16

ST. LOUIS -- Sam Bradford tossed a touchdown and picked up his first career win in the St. Louis Rams’ 30-16 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Bradford, the top overall pick in this year’s draft, went 23 for 37 with 235 yards and an interception for the Rams (1-2), who snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to Week 8 of last season.

Steven Jackson had a 42-yard touchdown run, but left the game in the second quarter with a groin injury. Josh Brown connected on three field goals and three extra points in the win.

Donovan McNabb completed 19 of 32 passes for 236 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Redskins (1-2), who have dropped their past two after opening the season with a win over Dallas. Santana Moss had six catches for 124 yards and a score, but also lost a fumble.

Eagles 28, Jaguars 3

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Michael Vick completed 17 of 31 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score for Philadelphia, which pulled away from Jacksonville, 28-3, at EverBank Stadium.

Jeremy Maclin caught four passes for 83 yards and two scores, DeSean Jackson made five grabs for 153 yards and a score, and the Eagles (2-1) beat the Jaguars (1-2) for the first time in four meetings.

David Garrard completed 13 of 30 passes for 105 yards under sustained pressure all game and was sacked six times, while Maurice Jones-Drew carried 22 times for 88 yards for the hosts, who have started 1-2 for a third straight season.

Colts 27, Broncos 13

DENVER -- Peyton Manning passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts’ high-powered offense proved too much for Denver in a 27-13 decision at IInvesco Field.

Austin Collie was the main beneficiary of Manning’s 58th career 300-yard passing game, setting career highs across the board with 12 catches, 171 yards and two touchdowns.

With Colts receiver Pierre Garcon out with a hamstring injury, Blair White stepped in and caught a touchdown pass in his first NFL game. Reggie Wayne added 65 yards on four catches and Dallas Clark reeled in five passes for 44 yards.

Manning hit on 27 of 43 passes while the running game totaled just 40 yards for Indianapolis (2-1), which was coming off an impressive 38-14 victory over the Giants last Sunday night.

Denver also abandoned the run, as Kyle Orton racked up a career-best 476 yards on 37-of-57 passing but had only one touchdown to pair with an interception.

Brandon Lloyd had a career-high 169 yards and a score on six grabs, while Jabar Gaffney totaled 12 receptions and 140 yards for Denver (1-2).

Patriots 38, Bills 30

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing to lead New England to its 14th straight win over Buffalo, 38-30 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Randy Moss struck for a pair of touchdown receptions for the Patriots (2-1), who have not lost to the Bills since a 31-0 defeat in Buffalo during Week 1 of 2003.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis finished with 98 yards and a score on 16 carries, Danny Woodhead rushed for a touchdown and Rob Gronkowski contributed a TD reception.

Ryan Fitzpatrick was 20 of 28 for 247 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bills (0-3), who have lost the season’s first three games for the first time since 2007.

C.J. Spiller posted a 95-yard kickoff return with a touchdown reception, while Steve Johnson caught a TD pass and Marshawn Lynch had 79 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

Chiefs 31, 49ers 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Matt Cassel passed for 250 yards and three touchdowns and Kansas City continued their promising start to the season with a 31-10 rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

Thomas Jones ran for 95 yards and a touchdown for the Chiefs (3-0), who have won their first three games for the first time since 2003, when Kansas City started 9-0. Jamaal Charles added 97 rushing yards, while Dexter McCluster finished with three catches for 69 yards and a score. Cassel completed 16 of 27 passes and was intercepted once.

Alex Smith passed for 232 yards with an interception and one touchdown, which came on the last play as the 49ers (0-3) remained without a win. San Francisco had not started a season with three straight losses since 2004, when it opened that year at 0-4.

Frank Gore was held to 43 yards on 15 carries, but caught nine passes for 102 yards in the loss.

Steelers 38, Buccaneers 13

TAMPA, Fla. -- Charlie Batch threw three touchdown passes in his first NFL start since 2007 and Pittsburgh rolled to a 38-13 victory over Tampa Bay in the NFL’s lone Week 3 matchup of undefeated teams.

The 35-year-old Batch got the call under center with a suspended Ben Roethlisberger still unavailable and injuries to both Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich. The veteran filled in admirably as a game-manager, hitting on 12 of 17 throws for 186 yards, but also produced a pair of big plays with 46- and 41-yard touchdown tosses to Mike Wallace.

Wallace caught three passes for 100 yards, while Rashard Mendenhall gashed the defense for 143 yards and a score on 19 touches for Pittsburgh (3-0), which moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2007.

Josh Freeman completed 20 of 31 passes for 184 yards with an interception that was returned 79 yards for a touchdown by fleet-of-foot lineman Brett Keisel.

Titans 29, Giants 10

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chris Johnson carried the ball 32 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and the Titans’ defense recorded three turnovers and a safety en route to a convincing 29-10 Tennessee victory over the New York Giants at New Meadowlands Stadium.

Vince Young completed 10 of 16 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown for the Titans (2-1), who bounced back from a 19-11 loss to the Steelers to pick up their 10th straight win against the NFC.

Kenny Britt hauled in two passes for 26 yards and a score for Tennessee, which got interceptions from Sen’Derrick Marks and Jason McCourty.

Eli Manning connected on 34 of 48 passes for 386 yards with two interceptions for the Giants (1-2), who lost 38-14 to the Colts last Sunday night.

Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 15 times for 88 yards and a score and Steve Smith hauled in nine passes for 103 yards. Kevin Boss, who missed last week’s game with a concussion, caught three passes for 88 yards.

The story of the game was New York’s sloppy play. The Giants missed two field goals and had 86 penalty yards.

Vikings 24, Lions 10

MINNEAPOLIS -- Adrian Peterson scored twice to help Minnestoa to its first win of the season with a 24-10 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Peterson finished the game with 23 carries for 160 yards, including a career-long 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter as the Vikings (1-2) bounced back from losses to New Orleans and Miami to start the season during games in which the team totaled just 19 points.

Brett Favre didn’t have a great game as he was picked off twice and went 23 for 34 with 201 yards and a score, but it was enough to extend Minnesota’s home winning streak against the Lions to 13 games.

Shaun Hill, making his second consecutive start in place of an injured Matthew Stafford, went 29 for 43 with 237 yards, one score and two fourth quarter interceptions for the Lions (0-3), who have lost 22 straight games as the visitors.

Calvin Johnson had six catches for 56 yards while rookie Jahvid Best, who came into the game with five touchdowns, was limited to 26 yards on seven carries and two receptions for 13 yards in the loss.

Ravens 24, Browns 17

BALTIMORE -- Joe Flacco completed 22 of 31 passes for 262 yards and a trio of touchdown passes to Anquan Boldin as Baltimore rallied to defeat the pesky Cleveland Browns.

Flacco, who had four passes intercepted in last Sunday’s loss at Cincinnati, rebounded by leading a victory in which he committed no turnovers. His third scoring hook-up of the day with Boldin, a 27-yard lob with 9:13 to play in the fourth quarter, provided the Ravens (2-1) with the winning points.

Boldin finished with eight receptions for 142 yards, and his three touchdowns matched his career high established with Arizona in a win over Miami on Sept. 14, 2008.

Bengals 20, Panthers 7

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cedric Benson scored a pair of touchdowns and Cincinnati dominated the time of possession in a 20-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

In wet conditions, the Bengals (2-1) were able to take advantage of four Carolina turnovers to hold the ball for 36:22 of the game’s 60 minutes. Benson finished with 81 yards rushing on 27 carries and added a seven-yard receiving score that all but sealed the outcome with eight minutes remaining.

Carson Palmer struggled to complete passes, finishing 19-of-37 for 195 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, as Cincinnati won for the second straight week following a season-opening loss in New England. Jermaine Gresham hauled in four passes for 59 yards in the win.

Jimmy Clausen made his first career start for the Panthers (0-3) and struggled in the subpar conditions, completing only 16 of 33 passes for 188 yards with an interception. The Panthers are now the only team in the NFL to lose all three of their games thus far by 10 or more points.

DeAngelo Williams ran 10 times for 64 yards, while Jonathan Stewart found the end zone in defeat. Mike Goodson was the team’s leading receiver with four catches for 47 yards.