Stepfan Taylor ran for the tying touchdown with 38 seconds left in regulation and the go-ahead score in the third overtime, and Stanford's defense forced Curtis McNeal's fumble into the end zone to finish a 56-48 win over No. 20 USC on Saturday night. Andrew Luck improved his Heisman Trophy chances by engineering four late scoring drives for Stanford, which rallied after trailing for the first time all season.

Carolina 33, Washington 20 Trench Counter: Panthers +6, Redskins -6 John Beck accounted for two of the three turnovers the Washington Redskins (3-3) committed in their loss to the Carolina Panthers (2-5) on Sunday afternoon. Beck was making his first start of the season after he replaced Rex Grossman in last week's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins had more first downs and fewer penalty yards than the Panthers, but Carolina didn't give the ball away. Cam Newton had 256 yards and two total touchdowns as Carolina averaged 10.1 yards per pass. Newton, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined to rush for 162 yards on 34 carries as the Panthers controlled the clock (35:30 time of possession). In addition to their three turnovers, the Redskins were also 0-for-2 on fourth down. Cleveland 6, Seattle 3 Trench Counter: Browns +13, Seahawks -13 The Cleveland Browns (3-3) edged the Seattle Seahawks (2-4) in a game that was marked by offensive ineptitude. Seattle finished the game with 137 total yards and just nine first downs. Cleveland had 298 total yards, 20 first downs and held the ball for almost 43 minutes, but they only managed to put up a pair of field goals, including the game-winner with 11:18 left in the fourth quarter. Charlie Whitehurst, making his first start of 2011, was just 12-for-30 with 97 passing yards and two turnovers (an interception and a fumble). Midway through the third quarter, Seattle’s Leon Washington returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown. However, the return was nullified by an illegal block above the waist. Whitehurst was intercepted on the next play. Cleveland’s Montario Hardesty was the game’s lone offensive star. Starting in place of Peyton Hillis, the second-year back rushed for 95 yards on 33 carries. Atlanta 23, Detroit 16 Trench Counter: Falcons +1.8, Lions -1.8 Matt Ryan threw two interceptions and briefly sat out because of an ankle injury, but the Atlanta Falcons (4-3) were still able to record an impressive win over the Detroit Lions (5-2) at Ford Field. The loss was the second-straight for the Lions, who had their undefeated start ended by the San Francisco 49ers last week. The Atlanta defense limited Detroit’s potent offensive attack, holding the Lions to 13 first downs and just an 8.3% success rate on third down. Ryan accounted for both of Atlanta’s touchdowns, passing for one and running for another. Matt Bryant added three field goals to round out his team’s offense and Michael Turner helped open things up for Ryan by rushing 27 times for 122 times. Despite not having Jahvid Best, Detroit rushed 20 times for 104 yards (5.2 average), but Matthew Stafford had a rough afternoon. He went 15-for-32 with 183 yards and a touchdown, marking the first time this season he hasn’t passed for at least two scores. Denver 18, Miami 15 (OT) Trench Counter: Broncos +2.7, Dolphins -2.7 Trailing 15-0 with just a few minutes left, Tim Tebow shook up the Denver Broncos (2-4) in his first start of the season and led a furious comeback against the Miami Dolphins (0-6) that ended in an overtime win. Tebow, who finished 13-for-27 with 161 passing yards and eight rushes for 65 rushing yards, threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final three minutes to force overtime (he ran in for the two-point conversion on the second with 17 seconds left). The Dolphins won the coin toss, but Matt Moore fumbled as he was sacked on Miami’s second possession of the extra period, immediately putting Denver in field goal range. Broncos coach John Fox oddly opted to run three times (for a total of two yards) with Lance Ball, setting up a deep, 52-yard game-winning field goal for Matt Prater. Leading 12-0 after a 16-yard connection between Moore and tight end Anthony Fasano, the Dolphins opted to go for two. Had they kicked the extra point, the Broncos would have fallen a point shy of forcing overtime. N.Y. Jets 27, San Diego 21 Trench Counter: Jets +9.4, Chargers -9.4 The New York Jets (4-3) scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to notch a comeback win against the San Diego Chargers (4-2) at MetLife Stadium. Trailing 21-10 at halftime, Plaxico Burress scored his second and third touchdowns of the afternoon over a 10-minute span to give New York a lead their defense would not relinquish. The Jets had nine more first downs than the Chargers, including four that were handed to them on penalties. Philip Rivers and the San Diego offense struggled, totaling just 268 yards and 14 points. The first score of the game came on a 37-yard fumble return for a touchdown by linebacker Donald Butler, who also had a team-leading nine tackles. Rivers finished 16-for-32 with 179 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. A week after a controversial 100-yard interception return by Darrelle Revis, the cornerback picked off Rivers and returned the ball 64 yards, setting up the game-winning touchdown drive. Chicago 24, Tampa Bay 18 Trench Counter: Bears +17.4, Buccaneers -17.4 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) made things interesting at Wembley Stadium in London after the Chicago Bears (4-3) jumped out to a 21-5 led through three quarters. Josh Freeman led the Buccaneers on a pair of touchdown drives over a five-minute span that pulled the team to within a field goal, but Chicago accumulated 76 yards over more than five minutes on the ensuing drive. A 25-yard Robbie Gould field goal forced Tampa Bay to look for the end zone with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. The Buccaneers moved 43 yards on five plays, but D.J. Moore hauled in Chicago’s fourth interception of the afternoon to ice the game. Freeman’s four picks were twice as many turnovers as the Bears had and Tampa Bay managed just 4.4 yards per offensive play. Chicago rode Matt Forte for 145 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, including a 32-yard score in the first quarter. Houston 41, Tennessee 7 Trench Counter: Texans +36.8, Titans -36.8 The Houston Texans (4-3) were without Andre Johnson once again, but they didn’t need their elite wide receiver against the Tennessee Titans (3-3) at LP Field. Arian Foster, last season’s NFL rushing leader, was all Houston needed. He rushed 25 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns, while also hauling in five receptions for 119 yards and another score. Tennessee managed 148 total yards, 86 fewer yards than Foster accumulated on his own. Tennessee committed two turnovers, without recording a takeaway, and they were just 2-for-10 on third down. Matt Hasselbeck wasn’t the team’s only problem, but he was replaced with roughly 10 minutes remaining by rookie Jake Locker, who completed his first NFL pass to Lavelle Hawkins for 12 yards. Houston ran 70 offensive plays, averaging 7.4 yards per play against the Titans. Pittsburgh 32, Arizona 20 Trench Counter: Steelers +7.3, Cardinals -7.3 The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter and held on to top the Arizona Cardinals (1-5). The Cardinals didn’t score until their fifth possession, after beginning the game with an interception and then three straight punts. After scoring two touchdowns to pull within a field goal, Pittsburgh rattled off 15 straight points, including a safety, to put the game away. Ben Roethlisberger finished 25-for-38 with 340 yards and three touchdowns. Arizona moved the ball well, but their defense allowed 424 total yards and failed to record a takeaway. There were two long scoring plays in the game, with Mike Wallace scoring on a 95-yard pass from Roethlisberger and Kevin Kolb hooking up with Larod Stephens-Howling on a 73-yard score in the third quarter. Kansas City 28, Oakland 0 Trench Counter: Chiefs +11.2, Raiders -11.2 The Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) were far from impressive, but the final score against the Oakland Raiders (4-3) certainly was in California. Kyle Boller started, but was replaced by Carson Palmer in the third quarter after throwing three interceptions. Palmer, who was acquired on Tuesday from the Bengals, then went 8-for-21 with 116 yards and three interceptions of his own. The Raiders had more total yards than the Chiefs, but they were shutout thanks to their turnovers. Oakland lost Darren McFadden to an injury early. Matt Cassel was 15-for-30 with 161 yards and two interceptions of his own, but the Chiefs took care of the ball otherwise to ensure victory. It was Kansas City’s defense that starred as Oakland had eight possessions end in three plays or fewer. In addition to their six interceptions, the Chiefs also had a sack, two tackles for loss, eight pass deflections, six quarterback hits and a pair of touchdowns. Dallas 34, St. Louis 7 Trench Counter: Cowboys +18, Rams -18 DeMarco Murray got things started with a 91-yard touchdown run early in the first quarter and the Dallas Cowboys (3-3) rolled over the St. Louis Rams (0-6). Murray, starting because of an injury to Felix Jones, rushed 25 times for 253 yards and a score. The yardage total was a franchise record. As Dallas leaned on Murray, Tony Romo went 14-for-24 with 166 yards and two touchdowns. The two teams combined for 10 penalties, but the mistakes cost them just 46 total yards. Dallas averaged 8.6 yards per carry on the ground, including 12 rushing first downs. Overall, the Cowboys had 11 more first downs than St. Louis, which was forced to punt five times and went for it unsuccessfully on fourth down twice. Sam Bradford was forced to sit with a high-ankle sprain, leaving the Rams to start A.J. Feeley. Green Bay 33, Minnesota 27 Trench Counter: Packers +10.3, Vikings -10.3 The Minnesota Vikings (1-6) hung with the defending Super Bowl champions, but the Green Bay Packers (7-0) prevailed to preserve their undefeated record. Aaron Rodgers was nearly perfect, going 24-for-30 with 335 yards and three touchdowns, while Vikings rookie Christian Ponder played well in his first NFL start. Ponder went 13-for-32 with 219 yards, two scores and two interceptions. The rookie also rushed four times for 31 yards. James Starks sealed the game late with a number of lengthy runs, but Adrian Peterson was the game’s rushing star. Peterson ran 24 times for 175 yards and a touchdown, including a 54-yard scamper. With Minnesota leading 17-10 with less than a minute left in the first half, Green Bay scored 23 straight points.

Keith Nichol caught a 44-yard pass from Kirk Cousins on the game's final play for a tie-breaking touchdown, giving the Spartans (No. 16 BCS, No. 15 AP) a 37-31 victory against Wisconsin (No. 6 BCS, No. 4 AP) on Saturday night. With four seconds left, Cousins rolled out to his right and threw it about as far as he could. The ball went into the end zone but caromed off Michigan State receiver B.J. Cunningham's facemask back to Nichol, who caught it just outside the end zone and struggled for the goal line, fighting two Wisconsin defenders and just barely breaking the plane. Nichol was initially ruled short of the end zone, but officials overturned the call after a review, giving the Spartans (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) the win and knocking the Badgers (6-1, 2-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten. "We knew we had a chance," Cousins said. "There's always a chance."

Atlanta 31, Carolina 17 Trench Counter: Falcons +9.7, Panthers -9.7 The Atlanta Falcons (3-3) defeated the Carolina Panthers (1-5) thanks to 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Trailing by a field goal after a 14-yard run by Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Atlanta's defense held Carolina scoreless over the game's final 21-plus minutes. Matt Ryan went 14-for-22 with 163 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The team's nearly split the time of possession, but Michael Turner helped the Falcons control the game with 27 carries for 139 yards and two scores. Newton looked human against the Falcons, tossing three interceptions and averaging 6.5 yards per pass at the Georgia Dome. The rookie also rushed six times for 50 yards. Greg Olsen was Newton's top target (10), but he hauled in just five receptions for 42 yards. The Panthers went punt, punt, interception and then ran out of time on their final four possessions. Cincinnati 27, Indianapolis 17 Trench Counter: Bengals +0.8, Colts -0.8 The Cincinnati Bengals (4-2) committed eleven penalties for 111 yards, but the Indianapolis Colts (0-6) turned the ball over three times as they remained winless. With the game tied at seven apiece early in the second quarter, the Bengals reeled off 13 straight points. Carlos Dunlap put the game out of reach with a 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown with 2:22 left in regulation. Curtis Painter, who went 23-for-34 with 188 yards, a touchdown and an interception, didn't get much help from his receivers. Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark, who combined for 14 catches, 105 yards and a score, each lost a fumble. The Colts ran the ball well without Joseph Addai, averaging 4.1 yards. Andy Dalton looked poised once again, going 25-for-32 with 264 yards and a score, which came on a 11-yard connection with A.J. Green in the first quarter. San Francisco 25, Detroit 19 Trench Counter: 49ers -11.3, Lions +11.3 The Detroit Lions (5-1) controlled the game on the stat sheet, but the San Francisco 49ers (5-1) excelled late to hand the home team their first loss of the season. Detroit had the advantage in first downs (21 to 14), yards per pass (4.9 to 3.5), penalty yards (54 to 120) and turnovers (0 to 2), but San Francisco scored the final 10 points of the game. Frank Gore helped give the 49ers one advantage as they averaged 7.0 yards per carry (against 3.7 for the Lions). Gore tallied 141 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and they accumulated 203 rushing yards as a team, including seven first downs. After scoring a touchdown on a reviewed catch by Nate Burleson, the Lions punted, punted, lost the ball on downs and ran out of time in their final four possessions at Ford Field. Green Bay 24, St. Louis 3 Trench Counter: Packers +5.9, Rams -5.9 The Green Bay Packers (6-0) remained undefeated by easily beating the St. Louis Rams (0-5) in a game that featured no scoring after halftime. Green Bay led 3-0 after the first period and then scored three straight touchdowns in the second quarter to seize control of the game. Josh Brown kicked a 36-yard field goal with three seconds left in the first half for the Rams’ only points of the game. St. Louis had more first downs, yards per rush, time of possession and total yards, but they couldn’t make timely plays, were forced to punt five times and turned the ball over on downs on three occasions. Aaron Rodgers, who connected with James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Donald Driver for touchdowns, finished with 310 yards on 17-for-28 passing. N.Y. Giants 27, Buffalo 24 Trench Counter: Giants +5.7, Bills -5.7 The New York Giants (4-2) intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick late in the fourth quarter to setup Lawrence Tynes’ game-winning, 23-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining. The Buffalo Bills (4-2) had a chance to tie or take the lead, but they turned the ball over on downs after just four plays as time ticked away. The team went back-and-forth as there were only two occasions when either team scored on back-to-back drives. Buffalo took a 14-7 lead into the second quarter after an 80-yard run by Fred Jackson and a 60-yard pass from Fitzpatrick to Naaman Roosevelt, but the Giants answered with a touchdown and a field goal in the second period and Buffalo never led again at MetLife Stadium. Pittsburgh 17, Jacksonville 13 Trench Counter: Steelers +8.2, Jaguars -8.2 The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) topped the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) in a game that was much closer than expected on Sunday afternoon. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead with more than 10 minutes left in the second quarter, the Steelers were shutout by the Jaguars, who just didn’t have enough offense to climb all the way back into the game. Josh Scobee hit two field goals of at least 45 yards and Jason Hill caught an 18-yard pass from rookie Blaine Gabbert to make up Jacksonville’s scoring. The two teams combined for 31 first downs and the Jaguars were just 4-for-15 on third down, leading to seven punts. Gabbert was sacked five times and hit six times by Pittsburgh’s defense, which overcome injuries to their unit. Rashard Mendenhall, who sat out last week’s game, rushed 23 times for 146 yards and a score at Heinz Field. Philadelphia 20, Washington 13 Trench Counter: Eagles +14.4, Redskins -14.4 The Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) got a much-needed win on the road against the rival Washington Redskins (3-2) as they were in danger of dropping their fifth-straight contest. Leading 20-3 with a little more than two minutes left in the second quarter, Philadelphia failed to score again, but their defense kept Washington at bay. The Eagles intercepted Rex Grossman four times (three by Kurt Coleman) before the Redskins replaced him with John Beck in the fourth period. Beck ran two yards for his team’s only touchdown of the game with 2:44 left in regulation, but the Eagles ran out the clock to ensure the victory. The Redskins were just 1-for-10 on third down and they held the ball for less than 22 minutes at FedEx Field. Washington had less than 100 yards of total offense in the first half when their only points came on a 50-yard field goal by Graham Gano. Baltimore 29, Houston 14 Trench Counter: Ravens +4, Texans -4 The Baltimore Ravens (4-1) held the Houston Texans (3-3) to just seven points on offense as they ran away from the game in the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens compiled 109 more total yards than the Texans and had six more first downs, which allowed them to overcome two turnovers. Baltimore scored the game’s final 16 points. Houston scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Wade Smith and Matt Schaub connected with Jacoby Jones for a 32-yard touchdown in the third quarter to briefly give the team a 14-13 lead. The Ravens answered five minutes later and never trailed again. Houston punted six times, but Baltimore did so just twice. Oakland 24, Cleveland 17 Trench Counter: Raiders +7.1, Browns -7.1 The Oakland Raiders (4-2) beat the Cleveland Browns (2-3) in part because of a gutsy call late in the third quarter on fourth-and-long. Raiders punter Shane Lechler tossed a 35-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss on a fake field goal, giving the team a brief 24-7 lead. Oakland didn’t score again, while Cleveland rattled off 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but the trick play gave them enough of a lead to hold on. Cleveland and Oakland were very close statistically, but the Browns struggled on the ground (16 of their 18 first downs came through the air) and the Raiders averaged more yards per pass (7.4 to 4.5). The Raiders had Kyle Boller under center after Jason Campbell went down with a collarbone injury. Colt McCoy completed just 47% of his passes, but totaled 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. New England 20, Dallas 16 Trench Counter: Patriots +1.4, Cowboys -1.4 The New England Patriots (5-1) had four turnovers, but they were able to edge the Dallas Cowboys (2-3) thanks to yet another touchdown drive led by Tom Brady in the final moments. Trailing by a field goal, Brady connected with tight end Aaron Hernandez on an eight-yard pass to give New England the lead with just 22 seconds left. On that drive, Brady went eight-for-nine with 78 yards on an 80-yard drive. The Patriots went 8-for-13 on third down, while the Cowboys were just 4-for-12 when facing the possibility of fourth down. Dallas also cost themselves with 10 penalties for 77 yards, which overshadowed their +2 turnover differential. They handed the Patriots two first downs via penalties at Gillette Stadium. After putting up a strong performance over the first 57 minutes, the Dallas defense let Brady march 80 yards in just a little over two minutes. Tampa Bay 26, New Orleans 20 Trench Counter: Buccaneers +9.6, Saints -9.6 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) jumped out to a 20-7 lead against the New Orleans Saints (4-2) and held on despite a second-half charge for a key NFC South victory and a first-place tie. In a game that saw head coach Sean Payton essentially break his knee on the sideline, the Saints were sloppy (four turnovers) and unable to record a single takeaway. In addition to their turnovers, New Orleans converted just once in four trips to the red zone. Josh Freeman was superb for the Buccaneers, going 23-for-41 with 303 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. With LeGarrette Blount out, Earnest Graham stepped in to rush 17 times for 109 yards as Tampa Bay had a slight edge in time of possession. Brees had more yards (383) than Freeman, but he threw three interceptions. After Mark Ingram rushed 12 yards for a touchdown that brought the Saints to within a field goal, they had a three-and-out and Brees committed a turnover at the Tampa Bay four-yard line.

Raiders punter Shane Lechler threw a touchdown pass in the team's game against the Browns on Sunday. After starting quarterback Jason Campbell went down with a collarbone injury, Kyle Boller was roughed up on a sack late in the third quarter to force a long fourth down. On the next play, Lechler found tight end Kevin Boss for a 35-yard touchdown, momentarily giving Oakland a 24-7 lead.

The AFC The Buddy Nix Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings: “If you've caught even a quarter's worth of Buffalo Bills football this season, you don't need to be told that running back Fred Jackson has been, bar none, the team's most valuable player.” The Jeff Ireland The Phinsider: “The Miami Dolphins had this past weekend off, being scheduled for the first week of byes. During that time, the Dolphins, hopefully, used the break to find an answer to several issues the team has had through the first four weeks of the 2011 season.” The Jonathan Kraft Dan Duggan of The Boston Herald: “Turns out even the vaunted Darrelle Revis can’t stop Wes Welker. Round One between the NFL’s leading receiver and its best cover cornerback went to the former, as the Patriots beat the New York Jets, 30-21, at Gillette Stadium.” The Mike Tannenbaum Gang Green Nation: “The Jets have struggled forever finding a guy capable of consistently getting to the quarterback. Maybe Jamaal Westerman can be the guy. Aaron Maybin has a lot of fans, but he is really a situational guy.” The Ozzie Newsome Bruce Raffel of Baltimore Beatdown: “The 2011 NFL season is shaping up to be the most prolific passing year of any in league history. Through five weeks of the season, there have never been as many (10) 400+ yard passing games in NFL history and the most ever in a full season is only a few ahead of that (13).” The Mike Brown Ryan Harper of Cincy Jungle: “If you look up the word awesome in the dictionary you'll see a picture of A.J. Green next to it. Okay, well that technically isn't the case. The Bengals 2011 first round pick is on pace to have one of the most productive seasons by a rookie wide receiver in recent memory. “ The Tom Heckert Chris Pokorny of Dawgs By Nature: “Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur met with the media Monday afternoon to discuss several things that have happened since the team's bye week. One of the highlights is that Greg Little will be a starting receiver at the "X" position, and tight end Evan Moore should see some more reps” The Kevin Colbert Michael Bean of Behind The Steel Curtain: “Another week, another highlight reel catch for Mike Wallace, the continually improving wide receiving threat for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wallace's big play of Week 5 didn't come until the later part of the fourth quarter, with the Steelers comfortably ahead of the Titans but still in search of a knockout blow to punctuate what had easily been their best team effort of the 2011 season.” The Rick Smith Battle Red Blog: “Matt Schaub and these current Texans have been such a perfect blend of mediocrity over the past five years that Starbucks could buy the formula and start producing great-smelling java with a bitter aftertaste in all billion of its locations tomorrow.” The Chris Polian Stampede Blue: “Remember that guy Dallas Clark who used to torment opposing secondaries and light up the scoreboards? You know the guy who routinely broke long seam routes for key third down conversions and demoralized opponents with majestic leaping one-handed catches.” The Gene Smith Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country: “The Jacksonville Jaguars players [Monday] held a players only meet to have a heart to heart. I do not have word yet what was discussed in detail in the meeting, but sources have told me that no coaches or upper management were involved.” The Mike Reinfeldt Music City Miracles: “The Tennessee Titans are looking to trade for a wide receiver. I have heard that Mike Reinfeldt has been on the last phone exploring possibilities- including talks with the Green Bay Packers.” The Brian Xanders John Bena of Mile High Report: “Tim Tebow will be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos - likely in the shot gun - when the team comes back from their by with a trip to Miami to face the Dolphins. Denver has never beaten the Dolphins in South Florida - they did win Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami - but at 0-4, Miami has struggled even more than the Broncos.” The Scott Pioli Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride: “Maybe Matt Cassel is taking a similar path as last year. No, this isn't a commentary on how Cassel is now the future of the Chiefs but I'm just pointing out what we're seeing from Cassel. Last year, despite the Chiefs 3-0 start, the early complaints about the Chiefs centered around Cassel.” The Al Davis The San Francisco Chronicle: “It’s hard to think of a more heartfelt Raider Nation memorial than this: an Al Davis tattoo. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such tribute to Oakland’s fallen leader (the gentleman got inked Sunday).” The Dean Spanos John Gennero of Bolts From The Blue: “The Chargers defense now has two notches in its belt for this season. Last week, they knocked Chad Henne out for the season and probably ended any chance he has of being a starter in the next few years. This week, they made Kyle Orton look so bad that he was benched for Tim Tebow for what will most likely be the rest of the season.” The NFC The Stephen Jones Steven Mullenax of The Landry Hat: “No Cowboy season in the past six years has been so defined by the play of Tony Romo. His epic victories in game two and three, and his colossal breakdowns in game one and four are the stuff of Greek Mythology.” The Jerry Reese Ed Valentine of Big Blue View: “Eli Manning's QBR Rating for this week tells a story not really just for Manning, but for the New York Giants offense in Sunday's 36-25 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Manning's QBR for the week was just an 18.0, 23rd in the league out of 26 quarterbacks rated prior to this week's Monday Night Football game.” The Howie Roseman Bleeding Green Nation: “As it turns out, Vince Young was almost right. He just chose the wrong word. He called the Eagles a Dream Team. What they are, really, is a Fantasy Team. And the problem is, fantasy teams aren't teams at all” The Bruce Allen Hogs Haven: “Hits on Michael Vick -- I want Vick to get hit early and often. Even if they don’t sack him, just get some good licks on him. Get in his head a little bit. I don't want to see Vick hurt, but I want him to feel major discomfort.” The Jerry Angelo Chicago Tribune: “Matt Forte has made it clear he's not happy with his contract situation after excelling through the first quarter of the season and accounting for more than 51 percent of the Bears' offense.” The Martin Mayhew Graham Couch of MLive.com: “Detroit Lions fans spent most of the last dozen years hoping Barry Sanders would take the field again, perhaps show up unannounced at training camp.” The Mark Murphy Acme Packing Company: “While watching players do the Lambeau Leap, I've always wondered how difficult it is for them to get free from the clutching hands of fans. They're being held up by every fan within a 10-seat radius; 22 hands all trying to get a piece of the latest touchdown scorer to jump into the crowd.” The Mark Wilf Christopher Gates of Daily Norseman: “Ho hum, another day, another 122 yards and three more touchdowns for the best running back in the National Football League. There are few players in this league that are as much fun to watch as Adrian Peterson, particularly when things get rolling the way they were on Sunday.” The Thomas Dimitroff Dave Choate of The Falcoholic: “The Falcons are bristling with weaponry. I don't think I have to account for everyone here, but suffice to say they have at least four legitimately good options in the passing game, and a decent supporting cast around them. This is not an offense that should struggle to score 14 points in a game.” The Marty Hurney Cat Scratch Reader: “Almost overshadowed by our abysmal run defense, Carolina's secondary has worked their way into the top 10 in pass defense and is all but knocking the door down to get into the top 5. They started slow, allowing Kevin Kolb to carve us up and look like a pro-bowler week 1 of the season, but have tightened the bolts and came together over the first quarter of the season. It is my hope that I can provide a convincing argument as to why we should all be excited for this group that many consider to be one of our bigger weaknesses.” The Mickey Loomis Kevin Spain of The Times-Picayune: “At his Monday press briefing, New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton said the win against Carolina could turn out to be key because of how they did it.” The Mark Dominik Rodney Page of The St. Petersburg Times: “If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to erase the memory of a 45-point loss to San Francisco, they may have to do it without two of their best players.” The Rod Graves Jess Root of Revenge Of The Birds: “So...yeah. The Arizona Cardinals were embarrassed 31-10 on Sunday. It would be understandable to think that there is not a single thing that we could find that could possibly be seen as a positive. That would be why this is later than normal.” The Billy Devaney Jim Thomas of St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Rod Hood didn't go home, nor did he go watch his alma mater, Auburn, play over the Rams’ bye weekend. He didn't head for a beach, either, for one last weekend of fun in the sun before the cold weather hits St. Louis.” The Trent Baalke David Fucillo of Niners Nation: “49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh chatted with the media [Monday] and again hit a couple high notes but didn't get into many specifics. He is a hard nut to crack, but the victories are coming by a combination of execution and great game-planning and he more or less said that with his comments. The players and coaches are coming together and taking care of business. It's pretty simple and Harbaugh is not going to give away any game-planning secrets, so we get fairly basic press conferences.” The John Schneider Danny Kelly of Field Gulls: “Remember three weeks ago when everyone thought the Seahawks were the worst team in the NFL? Remember a little while before that when the Seahawks’ failures prompted some national publication to make up rumors that Pete Carroll and John Schneider weren't getting along? Remember when everyone thought that James Carpenter was a bust and that the Seahawks had the worst offensive line in football?”

For the first time this season, there were teams inactive in Week 5. Baltimore, Cleveland, Dallas, Miami, St. Louis and Washington were all off. Buffalo 31, Philadelphia 24 Trench Counter: Bills -2.9, Eagles +2.9 The Buffalo Bills (4-1) bounced back after their first loss of the season to hand the Philadelphia Eagles (1-4) their fourth consecutive defeat. The Bills led 28-7 midway through the third quarter, but Michael Vick and the Eagles staged a near comeback over the final 22 minutes at Ralph Wilson Stadium. On Philadelphia's final drive, the Bills wrestled a pass from Jason Avant for Vick's fourth interception of the afternoon. Then, on fourth-and-inches near midfield, the Bills lined up to go for it and drew the Eagles offside to seal the win. Philadelphia had close to 500 yards of total offense, but their five turnovers doomed them against the Bills. Three of their first four drives ended in an interception and three of their turnovers occurred on Buffalo's side of the field. Fred Jackson was the star of the game for the Bills, rushing for 111 yards and a touchdown and catching six passes for 85 yards. Kansas City 28, Indianapolis 24 Trench Counter: Chiefs +6, Colts -6 Looking for their first win, the Indianapolis Colts (0-5) jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but Matt Cassel took over to lead the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) to a comeback win on Sunday afternoon. Cassel went 21-for-29 with 257 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the second half. Jackie Battle rushed 19 times for 119 yards (nearly surpassing his career total) and Dwyane Bowe hauled in seven receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Curtis Painter didn't commit a turnover and averaged 10.3 yards per pass, but the Colts had eleven fewer first downs than the Chiefs and only averaged 2.9 yards per carry. Joseph Addai left with a hamstring injury after totaling 19 yards on six touches. Pierre Garcon continued his connection with Painter, catching five passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Minnesota 34, Arizona 10 Trench Counter: Vikings +20.4, Cardinals -20.4 The Minnesota Vikings (1-4) got into the win column thanks to a dominant performance by Adrian Peterson against the Arizona Cardinals (1-4). Peterson rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns as Minnesota averaged 4.6 yards per rush. Donovan McNabb was also dangerous through the air, throwing for 169 yards and an eight-yard average. The Vikings also took care of the ball with just one turnover, a fumble by wide receiver Michael Jenkins. Arizona couldn't get much going because of their four turnovers. Kevin Kolb had three (two interceptions and a fumble) with 232 yards on 21-for-42 passing. He was replaced by Richard Bartel on the team's final possession and the reserve had an interception among his six pass attempts. The Cardinals had 291 total yards (just 41 fewer than the Vikings), but they punted five times and had drives stalled by miscues. Seattle 36, N.Y. Giants 25 Trench Counter: Seahawks +1.5, Giants -1.5 The Seattle Seahawks (2-3) used two touchdowns in the final three minutes to record an upset win over the New York Giants (3-2). Trailing 25-22 after a Lawrence Tynes field goal with 4:49 left in regulation, Charlie Whitehurst connected with Doug Baldwin for the go-ahead score and Brandon Browner returned an Eli Manning interception 94 yards for a touchdown to put the game away a little more than a minute later. Whitehurst was on the field because of a chest injury suffered by starter Tarvaris Jackson. Whitehurst finished 11-for-19 with 149 yards and a score. Manning had a huge afternoon, throwing for 420 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had three interceptions and lost a fumble. In the game's final 12 minutes, the Giants saw Victor Cruz fumble a reception, Tynes kick a field goal and Manning throw two interceptions. Pittsburgh 38, Tennessee 17 Trench Counter: Steelers +14.7, Titans -14.7 Injuries were not a problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) as they coasted against the Tennessee Titans (3-2) at Heinz Field. Without Rashard Mendenhall and a number of key defenders, Ben Roethlisberger went 24-for-34 with 228 yards, five touchdowns and an interception. The Steelers averaged 6.2 yards per rush and 7.3 yards per pass. Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman filled in for Mendenhall with 156 yards on 26 carries. The Titans scored first with a 29-yard field goal by Rob Bironas, but Pittsburgh scored four straight touchdowns to seize control of the game. Tennessee had just one turnover and nearly as many first downs as Pittsburgh, but they punted four times thanks to nine penalties and Matt Hasselbeck's 29-for-49 performance with just 4.9 yards per pass. New Orleans 30, Carolina 27 Trench Counter: Saints -4.8, Panthers +4.8 The Carolina Panthers (1-4) stormed back after an early deficit, but Drew Brees connected with Pierre Thomas for a 6-yard touchdown with less than minute remaining to give the New Orleans Saints (4-1) a thrilling win. The Panthers averaged more than seven yards per offensive play, but they punted once more than the Saints and the defense couldn't stop Brees on the winning drive. Brees went 32-for-45 with 359 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while rookie Cam Newton stole the show with his play. Newton had 224 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing seven times for 27 yards and a score. DeAngelo Williams helped balance Carolina's attack with nine rushes for 115 yards and a score. The Saints used up 6:16 on their game-winning drive, running 13 plays for 89 yards. Cincinnati 30, Jacksonville 20 Trench Counter: Bengals -5.4, Jaguars +5.4 Don't look now, but the Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) have a winning record after their comeback victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) at EverBank Field. Jacksonville led 13-7 before Cincinnati rookie Andy Dalton connected with Jermaine Gresham for a touchdown right before halftime. The Bengals scored 23 of the game's final 30 points. The two teams managed just 25 first downs between them and Cincinnati had just 239 yards of total offense thanks to low averages on the ground (2.5) and through the air (4.9). Blaine Gabbert was a little better in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks, but Dalton earned the victory. Gabbert went 15-for-28 with 221 yards and a touchdown, while Dalton had 179 yards, two scores and an interception on 21-for-33 passing. Oakland 25, Houston 20 Trench Counter: Raiders -8.6, Texans +8.6 The Oakland Raiders (3-2) used a strong defensive second half to defeat the Houston Texans (3-2) in a close battle. The Raiders allowed a pair of touchdowns in the first half, but limited the Texans to just two field goals over the final thirty minutes. Houston was strong defensively as well, holding Oakland to just 11 first downs. Matt Schaub went 24-for-51 with 416 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and a 7.9 yards per pass average. Without Andre Johnson (hamstring), Schaub leaned on Arian Foster (five catches for 116 yards), Joel Dreessen (112 yards and a touchdown) and Owen Daniels (seven receptions for 89 yards). Over a stretch that spanned the second and fourth quarters, the Texans punted in six of eight possessions. San Francisco 48, Tampa Bay 3 Trench Counter: 49ers +31, Buccaneers -31 The San Francisco 49ers (4-1) thumped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) at Candlestick Park in impressive fashion. The 49ers racked up 28 first downs, 418 total yards, averaged 9.3 yards per pass, 5.9 yards per rush and forced three turnovers. Alex Smith had 170 yards and three touchdowns and rookie Colin Kaepernick got some late action as he threw his first NFL passes. Tampa Bay got their only points on a 24-yard field goal by Connor Barth with 3:58 left in the first quarter. Josh Freeman struggled, posting 187 yards and two interceptions. Leading comfortably in the second half, San Francisco didn't take their foot off the gas. Vernon Davis caught two touchdown passes from Smith in the second half and backup running back Anthony Dixon scored on a one-yard run with 3:47 left in the fourth quarter. The 49ers rushed for 213 yards, including 125 from Frank Gore. San Diego 29, Denver 24 Trench Counter: Chargers +9.2, Broncos -9.2 The San Diego Chargers (4-1) survived what may go down as the beginning of the Tim Tebow Era for the Denver Broncos (1-4). The Chargers racked up more than 400 yards of total offense, averaging 7.3 yards per pass and 4.8 yards per rush. San Diego held the football for more than forty minutes and didn't commit a single penalty, which allowed them to overcome their -1 turnover margin. After a poor first half, Kyle Orton was replaced by Tebow, who nearly led the Broncos to a stunning comeback victory at Sports Authority Field in Colorado. Tebow led a pair of touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, pulling Denver to within two at one point. He rushed for a 12-yard score and connected with running back Knowshon Moreno for a 28-yard catch-and-run on the team's next possession. Tebow led the Broncos 51 yards down field to San Diego's 29-yard line before time expired. New England 30, N.Y. Jets 21 Trench Counter: Patriots +13.8, Jets -13.8 After nearly coughing up an early 10-0 lead, the New England Patriots (4-1) held on to hand the rival New York Jets (2-3) another disappointing defeat. Tom Brady and New England's passing game was effective yet again as he threw for 321 yards (8.9 average), a touchdown and an interception. The difference, though, was BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who rushed 27 times for 136 yards and two scores. Every time the Jets scored to trim New England's lead, the Patriots answered shortly after. Mark Sanchez and the Jets looked better offensively than they have early in the season. The quarterback went 16-for-26 with 166 yards and two touchdowns, which allowed Shonn Greene to total 83 yards and a score on 21 rushes. However, New York punted seven times as they were just 3-for-11 on third down. Green Bay 25, Atlanta 14 Trench Counter: Packers +8.3, Falcons -8.3 The Atlanta Falcons (2-3) jumped out to a 14-0 lead at home, but the Green Bay Packers (5-0) were patient as they stayed perfect with a comeback win. Atlanta scored touchdowns on their first two possessions before punting five times and enduring two Matt Ryan interceptions. Ryan was just 18-for-32 with 167 yards, a touchdown and the two turnovers as he was overshadowed by Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers went 26-for-39 with 396 yards and two touchdowns, averaging, 9.5 yards per pass. Green Bay struggled on ground, averaging 2.9 yards per carry, but Rodgers and their defense gave them enough to win. After falling behind, the Packers scored 25 unanswered points. Atlanta did have success getting to Rodgers, though, sacking him four times and hitting him on eight more occasions.

Andrew Luck threw for a season-high 370 yards and three touchdowns to pad his Heisman Trophy resume, and No. 7 Stanford stayed perfect with a 48-7 victory over Colorado on Saturday night. With former Stanford standouts Tiger Woods and John Elway joining the crush of NFL scouts on the sidelines, Luck completed 26 of 33 passes to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 13 games. "I don't think we noticed it," Luck said, chuckling that he missed some of his favorite athletes. "It's awesome to hear that."

The No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners absolutely dominated the No. 11 Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Oklahoma won easily 55-17 thanks to three touchdown passes from quarterback Landry Jones. Also, three members of the Sooners defense scored touchdowns in the romp. "It was an excellent day," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. "To come down in here in this situation and win like that is really pretty special." Jones was 31 of 50 for 367 yards and no turnovers. He improved to 2-0 against the Longhorns, and gave Oklahoma its third win over Texas in five years.