The Packers have released Cecil Newton from their practice squad. Newton is the older brother of Cam Newton. Newton, a guard/center, was signed earlier this month when Green Bay was hit with a rash of injuries along its offensive line. After a successful career at Tennessee State, Newton went undrafted in 2009 before logging preseason work that year with the Jaguars and then with the Saints this year.

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.

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk has been fined $10,000 by the NFL for flipping his middle finger on the field during last Sunday's win over the Rams. Hawk explained after the game that the gesture, delivered to his own sideline, was a "running joke." "It was just, I guess, a bad joke. I definitely won't do it again," he said.

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk has apologized for making an obscene hand gesture during Sunday's victory over the Rams. Hawk made the gesture, the flipping of his middle finger, toward the Green Bay sideline after sacking St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford in the second quarter. He called it a "running joke" with some of his teammates and said it "wasn't meant to get out there, for people to see." "It was a joke, and I kind of got caught up in the emotion of the game," Hawk said. "I definitely apologize if any kids or anyone else saw it. I have a daughter myself, so I wouldn't want her doing that. I got excited and I got caught up in the game. It was just, I guess, a bad joke. I definitely won't do it again." Hawk said he hoped to avoid a fine from the NFL, and promised not to do it again.

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk wasn't penalized on the field Sunday, but he can expect a call from the NFL this coming week. After sacking St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford in the second quarter of yet another Green Bay victory, Hawk leapt to his feet and appeared to flip off his own sideline.

Rams running back Steven Jackson, who says he is back at full strength following a quadriceps injury suffered in Week 1, believes his winless team will beat the undefeated Packers this weekend. Jackson has rushed for 100-plus yards in each of the last two meetings with Green Bay. "I expect us to win," he said. "I feel healthy. I think I can shoulder the load that I'm used to shouldering."

The Packers are expected to offer stock in the team by the end of the year, raising money to help pay for a $130 million renovation of Lambeau Field. The work would add thousands of seats in time for the 2013 season. The NFL's only publicly owned team hasn't sold stock since 1997. It likely would sell shares for about $200 each, which would get buyers voting rights, access to annual meetings and perks like ts of the playing field and locker rooms.

The Packers complained following Sunday night's victory about the Falcons hitting after the whistle. "Great teams don't indulge in the kind of cheap stuff the Falcons do," Green Bay nose tackle B.J. Raji said. "We're the champions and we play that way. We walk away from the stuff they pull. These guys are coached to play after the whistle. "I don't know what the deal is. I think it's a lack of talent on their part. We didn't worry about any of that. We came out and played our game." "It's unnecessary," defensive end Ryan Pickett added. "They call it playing physical. But it's after the whistle. It's not physical. We know it watching tape that they like to hit after the whistle. You have to watch yourself around the piles. They point at you if you react. We just felt like if we just punch them up front at the start it would end that."

The defending-champion Packers are 5-0 after Sunday night's comeback win over the Falcons, but linebacker Clay Matthews says the team hasn't yet hit it's stride. "It's nice to know that we're not playing our best ball, yet we're getting better and at the same time we're still winning," Matthews said, "so we're 5-0, got a chance to go 6-0 and play better ball next week heading in to Week 7 and just continue to develop and progress as a football team. "That's what's encouraging."

The Falcons were without John Abraham in Sunday night's game against the Packers in Atlanta. Abraham, the team's top pass rusher, was inactive because of a hip injury. Kroy Biermann, who started 14 games last season, is filling in for Abraham.