Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008

WEMBLEY, England (AP) After last year's low-scoring mudfest, the NFL was hoping for some offensive fireworks this time at Wembley Stadium. And that's just what New Orleans and San Diego delivered.

All the way: Carolina's Steve Smith runs past Arizona defensive back Roderick Hood for an 18-yard touchdown on Sunday in Charlotte, N.C. The Panthers won 27-23. AP PHOTO

Drew Brees went 30-for-41 for 339 yards and three touchdown passes against his former team to lead the Saints to a 37-32 win over the Chargers, putting New Orleans back at .500 and dropping San Diego to 3-5.

The Saints (4-4) held off a late comeback by the Chargers, who came from 37-20 down early in the fourth quarter and were driving for the tying touchdown when linebacker Jonathan Vilma picked off a pass by Philip Rivers with just over a minute to go. Brees took a safety in the final seconds to complete the scoring.

Last year, the New York Giants slogged to a 13-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in London on a rain-soaked field. This time, 83,226 fans at England's showcase venue witnessed high-scoring, offensive football at its best — with a furious finish to boot.

The game turned into a shootout between Brees and Rivers, his former backup in San Diego, as both teams had more than 400 yards of offense.

Brees, who played his first five seasons for the Chargers before signing as a free agent with New Orleans before the 2006 season, faced his former teammates for the first time.

"This game was not about me proving a point or proving anybody wrong or saying they shouldn't have let me go," Brees said. "We beat a very good team today that needed a victory as badly as we did."

Giants 21, Steelers 14: In Pittsburgh, Eli Manning threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 3:11 remaining for New York's only touchdown after the Giants tied it several minutes before on a bizarre safety. Linebacker James Harrison's high snap on the punt gave New York two points, and the Giants held off Pittsburgh for a 21-14 victory in a matchup of division leaders.

Browns 23, Jaguars 17: In Jacksonville, Jamal Lewis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown and Derek Anderson completed three huge passes to give the Browns their second victory in as many games without Kellen Winslow, the outspoken Pro Bowl tight end who missed the game after criticizing the team following his staph infection.

Seahawks 34, 49ers 13: In San Francisco, fullback Leonard Weaver made two lengthy touchdown catches, Josh Wilson returned an interception 75 yards for a score and the Seahawks snapped their three-game losing streak.

Texans 35, Bengals 6: In Houston, Kevin Walter scored two touchdowns. He scored one touchdown in three seasons with Cincinnati, but set a career high by getting his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the year against his old club.

Dolphins 25, Bills 16: In Miami, Ted Ginn had a breakout game with seven catches for a career-high 175 yards, and the Dolphins overcame a nine-point third-quarter deficit. With Ginn's first 100-yard game, he made by far his biggest impact since Miami's much-mocked decision to take him with the ninth pick of last year's draft.

Cowboys 13, Buccaneers 9: In Irving, Texas, Brad Johnson made up for several missed chances at touchdowns by throwing one to newcomer Roy Williams at the end of a drive sustained by four defensive penalties.

Panthers 27, Cardinals 23: In Charlotte, N.C., Kurt Warner put up the better numbers, but Jake Delhomme engineered the comeback that kept the Panthers unbeaten at home and atop the NFC South. Delhomme threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 65-yard strike to Steve Smith.

Patriots 23, Rams 16: In Foxborough, Mass., New England got by the Rams on a fingertip touchdown catch by Kevin Faulk. The Patriots' best pass-catching running back hung onto Matt Cassel's 15-yard pass on the left edge of the end zone with 3:19 remaining.

Eagles 27, Falcons 14: In Philadelphia, Brian Westbrook returned to his All-Pro form and rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as part of a dynamic all-around effort.

Redskins 25, Lions 17: In Detroit, Santana Moss dashed the Lions' hopes of finally winning a game. Moss had a go-ahead touchdown reception in the third quarter and returned a punt for another score in the fourth.

Jets 28, Chiefs 24: In East Rutherford, N.J., after struggling all game, Brett Favre connected with Laveranues Coles for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left. The heavily favored Jets overcame three interceptions by Favre and a Chiefs team using its third-string quarterback.

Ravens 29, Raiders 10: In Baltimore, on an afternoon that belonged to Rex Ryan and his tenacious Baltimore defense, the unquestionable highlight was a 43-yard pass from one Ravens quarterback to another.

We welcome your opinions. Click to send a message to the editor.