AROUND THE LEAGUE
* SAINTS 30, PANTHERS 20: At New Orleans, the Saints moved to 8-0
for the first time in club history when Drew Brees (24-for-35, 330 yards) overcame two early turnovers to throw for a touchdown in a comeback win over Carolina (3-5). The Saints' defense did not intercept a pass for the first time all season, but the unit forced three turnovers on fumbles. The last produced New Orleans' seventh defensive touchdown of the season on Anthony Hargrove's strip, recovery and 1-yard return late in the fourth quarter. DeAngelo Williams rushed for 149 yards and two TDs, and Carolina gained 182 on the ground.
* COLTS 20, TEXANS 17: At Indianapolis, running back Joseph Addai
(63 yards, 14 carries) scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:11 left and Houston's Kris Brown missed a 42-yard field goal as time expired, keeping the Colts undefeated. Indy (8-0) is the fourth team in league history with 17 straight wins. Indianapolis blew a 13-0, first-half lead and trailed by 17-13 when Steve Slaton (17 yards, six carries) opened the fourth quarter with a 1-yard TD run for Houston (5-4). But Addai answered with a 2-yard TD run to rally the Colts.
* SEAHAWKS 32, LIONS 20: At Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck (39-for-51,
329 yards) rallied the Seahawks (3-5) from a 17-0 deficit with a franchise-record 39 completions to hold off Detroit (1-7). Hasselbeck threw an interception on his first play but finished with the first 300-yard passing game in two seasons for the Seahawks. Josh Wilson returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds left, the last of five picks thrown by Lions rookie Matthew Stafford (22-for-42, 203 yards), the top overall draft pick.
* PATRIOTS 27, DOLPHINS 17: At Foxborough, Mass., Tom Brady
(25-for-37, 332 yards) and Randy Moss connected on two highlight-reel plays as New England (6-2) beat Miami (3-5). Moss set up the Patriots' first touchdown with a one-handed, 36-yard grab at the Dolphins 1-yard line, then scored on a 71-yard play after catching the ball about 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Miami's two touchdowns came on possessions on which it used the Wildcat most extensively - after gaining just 36 yards on 21 Wildcat plays in its previous two games. Moss caught six passes for 147 yards.
* BENGALS 17, RAVENS 7: At Cincinnati, the Bengals scored on
their first three possessions, and harassed Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco for most of the game. Cedric Benson (117 yards, 34 carries), coming off the best game of his career (189 yards against his former Bears team) ran for a touchdown. The Bengals (6-2) can take control of the division by winning next Sunday at Pittsburgh; the Steelers (5-2) play Denver tonight. Cincinnati has won all four games in the division, including a sweep of the Ravens (4-4). Flacco (18-for-32, 195 yards) threw two interceptions.
* CARDINALS 41, BEARS 21: At Chicago, 1 week after throwing five
interceptions, Kurt Warner (22-for-32, 261 yards) tied a career high by throwing five touchdown passes as Arizona (5-3) defeated the Bears (4-4). Larry Fitzgerald added 123 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Tim Hightower ran for 77 yards, Beanie Wells added 72 rushing and the Cardinals' offense racked up 438 yards. Jay Cutler (29-for-47, 369 yards) threw three touchdown passes and an interception for the Bears.
* JAGUARS 24, CHIEFS 21: At Jacksonville, David Garrard (18-for-27,
264 yards) threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to Mike Sims-Walker and the Jaguars (4-4) edged Kansas City (1-7). Playing without suspended running back Larry Johnson, the Chiefs managed little offense until late in the fourth quarter. With left tackle Branden Albert and center Rudy Niswanger back in the lineup, Matt Cassel (23-39, 262 yards) threw touchdown passes - both to newcomer Chris Chambers, claimed off waivers Tuesday from San Diego. Maurice Jones-Drew (97 yards, 29 carries) ran for a touchdown for the Jaguars.
* TITANS 34, 49ERS 27: At San Francisco, six plays after his 81-yard
touchdown run was overturned, Chris Johnson took a pitch from Vince Young (12-for-19, 172 yards) and ran 2 yards for a go-ahead score to lift Tennessee (2-6) to its second straight win. Alex Smith (29-for-45, 286 yards) threw a pair of touchdown passes for San Francisco (3-5), but also threw three interceptions. Johnson rushed for 135 yards on 25 carries and a pair of scores for the Titans. Frank Gore (83 yards, 15 carries) ran for a touchdown for the 49ers.
