The Latest: Peyton Manning Completes 6,000th Pass
The Associated Press
The Latest from NFL stadiums around the country on the third Sunday of the season (all times EDT):
10:45 p.m.
Another milestone for Manning.
Peyton Manning has become the second player to complete 6,000 passes in the NFL. Manning reached the mark with a 5-yard pass to Jordan Norwood in the third quarter Sunday night. Manning's Denver Broncos led Detroit 14-12 at the time.
Only Brett Favre (6,300) has more completions than Manning, who reached the 6,000 mark with his 23rd completion Sunday.
Matthew Stafford, Detroit's quarterback, isn't having quite as good a night. He actually caught his own pass in the third quarter for a loss of 6 after the ball bounced back to him from the line of scrimmage.
— Noah Trister reporting from Detroit
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10:30 p.m.
When reaching for a first down goes horribly wrong.
Denver's Demaryius Thomas tried to stretch the ball forward while being dragged to the ground by Detroit's Rashean Mathis in the third quarter Sunday night. But as Thomas was rolling over on top of Mathis, the ball came loose and sailed about 10 yards back toward Denver's own end zone.
Quandre Diggs picked it up for the Lions and took off toward the end zone, but Thomas was ruled down by contact. That ruling was overturned by replay, giving Detroit the ball at the Denver 29.
Detroit eventually scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Ameer Abdullah. A 2-point conversion was stopped, and Denver still led 14-12.
Broncos running back C.J. Anderson passed a concussion test after a crunching hit by Detroit's Darryl Tapp in the first half.
— Noah Trister reporting from Detroit
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9:10 p.m.
Denver running back C.J. Anderson walked to the locker room after a crunching hit by Detroit's Darryl Tapp on the final play of the first quarter Sunday night. Anderson was being evaluated for a concussion.
Anderson was met around the line of scrimmage by Tapp, and the running back remained down on the field for a bit before walking off.
Detroit's Matthew Stafford, meanwhile, was under more pressure early after being knocked around last weekend at Minnesota. Stafford, who was on the injury report with rib issues this past week, was sacked by DeMarcus Ware on Detroit's second offensive play, and again on the Lions' second series.
Then Ware forced Stafford to throw the ball away and sent him to the ground for good measure.
The game was scoreless after one quarter.
— Noah Trister reporting from Detroit
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7:05 p.m.
Well, this is getting ugly. Or, really, it's been ugly for a while now.
Cumulative score of Sunday's three late games: Winners: 107, Losers 15. And there's still time left in the fourth quarter of all three games.
In Miami, Ryan Tannehill has had his team-record string of 160 pass attempts without an interception ended by Rex Ryan's Buffalo defense. The Dolphins trail 34-8.
In Seattle, the Bears are being blanked 26-0 by Seattle.
And in Arizona, the Cardinals lead the 49ers 47-7. Colin Kaepernick has thrown four interceptions, two of which have been returned for touchdowns.
Not much suspense left — except for all the fantasy players.
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6:15 p.m.
Marshawn Lynch's day is done for the Seattle Seahawks after he suffered a hamstring injury.
Lynch was ruled out early in the second half against the Bears.
It capped a strange day for Lynch, who remained in the Seattle locker room through pregame warmups and didn't come out to the sideline until the 7:40 mark of the first quarter. He finished with just 14 yards rushing on five carries.
Lynch caught a 9-yard pass from Russell Wilson on fourth-and-1 in the final minute of the first half but wasn't in on the last four offensive plays of the second quarter.
He was questionable coming into the game with a calf injury that kept him out of practice two of three days this week. Fred Jackson replaced him.
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6:05 p.m.
A bad day just keeps getting worse for Colin Kaepernick.
The San Francisco quarterback's first pass of the first half and first of the second half were intercepted by Arizona. And he has thrown two more picks in between.
The four interceptions — in 10 throws — are a career worst for Kaepernick.
Justin Bethel returned Kaepernick's first pass 21 yards for an Arizona touchdown. Moments later, Tyrann Mathieu returned one 33 yards for a score.
Mathieu also had an interception to set up a field goal to end the first half. Arizona scored 24 points off Kaepernick's interceptions.
The Cardinals lead 38-7 in the third quarter.
— Robert Baum reporting from Glendale, Arizona
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5:25 p.m.
Cam Newton is one unhappy Panther.
The Carolina quarterback expressed frustration on what he felt was a borderline late hit by Saints defensive tackle Tyeler Davison — but more baffled by the explanation he received from referee Ed Hochuli during Sunday's 27-22 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Newton got up from looking for a flag and turned toward Hochuli.
"The response that I got was, 'Cam you're not old enough to get that call,'" Newton said. "I'm looking at him like, 'What? Geez, I didn't think you had to have seniority to get a personal foul or anything like that.'"
Newton said it is frustrating when other quarterbacks get similar calls to go their way.
"I'm ticked off, really," Newton said, then added, "Heaven forbid he gets any rookies — they're going to have a long day, man."
Hochuli had apparently left the stadium before Newton's postgame comments.
— Steve Reed reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina
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4:50 p.m.
It's early, but former Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay figured why wait.
Clay wasted little time in paying back his former team.
He had 3 catches for 58 yards, including 25 on a scoring reception that gave the Buffalo Bills a 7-0 lead with 11:49 left in the first quarter.
Clay signed with the Bills as a free agent after four seasons in Miami.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was 5-of-5 for 77 yards on the drive that took 2:17.
— Charlie McCarthy reporting from Miami Gardens, Florida.
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4:35 p.m.
The McCown brothers started on the same day for the first time since 2007 — and the result was the same.
Both lost again.
Luke McCown started in place of the injured Drew Brees and completed 31 of 38 passes for 310 yards but it wasn't enough to save the Saints, who lost to Carolina 27-22.
The Saints fell three games behind the division leading Panthers and Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South.
Josh McCown completed 28 of 49 passes for 341 yards with two TDs and one interception in Cleveland's 27-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
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4:30 p.m.
The first and fourth passes by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick went the other way for touchdowns.
First, the Cardinals' Justin Bethel stepped in front of the receiver and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown. It was Bethel's first play from scrimmage this season. He's a two-time Pro Bowl special teams player.
After the kickoff, Kaepernick completed a couple of short ones, then under pressure he threw an awkward pass. Tyrann Mathieu snatched it out the air, then high-stepped untouched 33 yards for another score.
The ball hadn't touched the ground, not that it was a good thing for San Francisco. The 49ers find themselves in an early 14-0 hole at Arizona.
— Robert Baum reporting from Glendale, Arizona.
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3:59 p.m.
The Patriots reached several milestones as in their rout of the Jaguars.
Just check some of them off:
— Tom Brady threw his 400th career touchdown.
— New England racked up 35 first downs in building a 51-10 lead over Jacksonville. That ties a franchise record set against Denver on Oct. 7, 2012.
— Kicker Stephen Gostkowski set the NFL record for consecutive extra points.
Gostkowski was 6-for-6 on PATs and has made 425 in a row. He broke the record set by Matt Stover from 1996 until he retired in 2009.
Gostkowski has led the NFL in scoring in each of the last three seasons.
— Jimmy Golen and Pat Eaton-Rob reporting from Foxborough, Massachusetts
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3:40 p.m.
The old man can still run a little.
Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway picked off a pass from Philip Rivers and returned it 91 yards for a touchdown to give Minnesota a 31-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
The 32-year-old Greenway's snaps and his salary have been cut significantly in the last two years. But he made the play of the day in Minneapolis when he grabbed a deflection off Stevie Johnson's hands and raced back up the sideline.
A domino effect happened behind him when the side judge trailing the play ran into Vikings defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, who then bowled over head coach Mike Zimmer.
It was the second career touchdown for Greenway.
— Jon Krawczynski reporting from Minneapolis
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3:35 p.m.
Beast Mode is set to go for the Seattle Seahawks home opener.
Marshawn Lynch was active and expected to start for the Seahawks after sitting out two days of practice this week with a calf injury. One day of rest during the week is normal for Lynch, but he was a limited participant on Thursday and sat out Friday's practice. He was listed as questionable on the injury report.
Lynch has missed only one game since joining the Seahawks during the 2010 season. He was a late scratch before a 2011 game against Cleveland.
— Tim Booth reporting from Seattle
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3:25 p.m.
Ben Roethlisberger is out and Michael Vick has replaced him.
Roethlisberger was carted off after injuring his left knee on a sack in the third quarter against the Rams and the Steelers say he will no return.
Pittsburgh has given the ball to Vick, who made his first appearance of the season late in the third. He completed a short pass on third down before the Steelers punted.
— R.B. Fallstrom reporting from St. Louis
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2:57 p.m.
Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota tied the NFL record for most touchdown passes through his first three games.
Mariota's 3-yard TD toss to Dorial Green-Beckham in the third quarter against Indianapolis was his eighth this season, tying Mark Rypien's record set in 1988 with Washington. Mariota had six TD passes in the first two games. He connected with Kendall Wright on a 7-yard TD pass late in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck set a new low Sunday with eight pass attempts, the fewest of his career in any half. Luck had thrown 12 passes in a half twice before in his career, according to STATS LLC.
Luck is 16-2 against the AFC South since entering the NFL in 2012. He is trying to tie Peyton Manning for most consecutive wins (14) in division games since realignment if he can remain undefeated against Tennessee.
— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee
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2:48 p.m.
Here's one way to find yourself in the head coach's doghouse.
Panthers gunner Teddy Williams failed to return to the field of play while covering a Carolina punt, costing his team 15 yards — and much more. Instead of pinning the Saints at the 9, Josh Nortman was forced to punt again from 15 yards back.
On the re-kick, Saints returner Marcus Murphy fielded Nortman's punt and went 74 yards for a touchdown to give the visiting Saints a 16-10 lead.
—Steve Reed reporting from Charlotte, North Carolina
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2:43 p.m.
Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes left the game against San Diego because of a head injury after a scary collision with teammate Andrew Sendejo.
Rhodes was hurt late in the second quarter on a touchdown catch by Keenan Allen, who was open between Rhodes and Sendejo near the left sideline for a 34-yard gain.
Rhodes stretched out to try to corral Allen, when Sendejo approached from the side and inadvertently smacked into Rhodes' face with his chest, bending Rhodes' neck backward. Rhodes fell to the turf, motionless for a few moments, before slowly getting up and being helped off the field.
The Vikings announced Rhodes as questionable to return. He was replaced in the third quarter by rookie Trae Waynes.
— Dave Campbell reporting from Minneapolis
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2:30 p.m.
New England quarterback Tom Brady has thrown his 400th career touchdown pass, hitting Danny Amendola on a 1-yard pass just before halftime of the Patriots game against Jacksonville.
Brady joins Peyton Manning (533 entering Sunday), Brett Favre (508) and Dan Marino (420) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to reach the milestone.
— Pat Eaton-Robb reporting from Foxborough, Massachusetts.
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2:05 p.m.
It didn't take long for Browns fans to scream for Johnny Manziel.
With Cleveland's offense sputtering in the first half against Oakland, starter Josh McCown overthrew tight end Gary Barnidge, prompting Bowns fans to begin chanting "John-ny! John-ny!" Manziel started for an injured McCown last week and led the Browns to a 28-14 win over Tennessee.
Meanwhile, Luke McCown has been solid in the early going managing the Saints offense, completing 14 of his first 15 passes for 100 yards. McCown, filling in for the injured Drew Brees, has relied mostly short check down passes to move the chains.
Nine different Saints have caught passes and Mark Ingram has scored on a 5-yard touchdown run as the Saints lead 10-0.
— Tom Withers reporting from Cleveland; Steve Reed reporting from Carolina.
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1:55 p.m.
Adrian Peterson has been back for three weeks now. But now we can say he's officially back.
Peterson plowed into the end zone on a 3-yard run against the San Diego Chargers in the second quarter on Sunday to give the Minnesota Vikings a 10-0 lead. It was his first touchdown since Nov. 24, 2013 at Green Bay.
Peterson missed all but one game last year while addressing child abuse charges in Texas.
Jon Krawczynski reporting from Minneapolis
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1:50 p.m.
Marcus Mariota finally has been intercepted in the NFL, and it was returned for a touchdown.
Mariota hit tight end Delanie Walker only to have the pass go off the veteran's hands and straight to Colts safety Dwight Lowery who returned the interception 69 yards for the touchdown. That gave the winless Colts a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans. The Colts have won seven straight and 12 of the last 13 in this series between AFC South rivals.
The rookie quarterback came in leading the NFL with a 129.9 passer rating with six touchdown passes in his first two games.
— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee
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1:40 p.m.
Anytime you can best Merlin Olsen on the football field is noteworthy.
Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis is now in elite company, becoming the franchise's career leading tackler after surpassing the late Hall of Famer when he dragged down Le'Veon Bell following a 20-yard gain in the first quarter.
—R.B. Fallstrom reporting from St. Louis
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1:20 p.m.
The Dallas running game is finally moving without DeMarco Murray.
On the day Murray was inactive in Philadelphia with a hamstring injury, Joseph Randle had runs of 28 and 37 yards — the latter for a touchdown — on the Cowboys' first series against Atlanta. Those were the only two plays on an 80-yard drive that included a 15-yard facemask penalty against Falcons cornerback Robert Alford.
The Cowboys struggled with a 3.4-yard-per-carry average in the first two weeks without Murray, last year's NFL rushing champion.
— Schuyler Dixon reporting from Dallas
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1:05 p.m.
The Steelers-Rams game is being delayed after a corner of the field caught fire.
Yes, that is correct.
A corner of the field in caught fire during the Rams pre-game pyrotechnics show while introducing the starters.
The fire was quickly put out but both teams have left the field as crews cleaning things up, including removing fire extinguisher residue.
The game did get underway after the delay.
— Fallstrom reporting from St. Louis
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12:35 p.m.
The McCown brothers are both starting on the same day for the first time since 2007.
And Josh and Luke McCown are hoping for a different outcome this time: Each quarterback lost their respective games eight years ago.
This is the sixth time the McCowns — Luke is 36, two years older than his younger sibling — have started on the same day. Only once have they both won on that day.
Peyton and Eli Manning are the only other brother combination to pull off the feat.
Josh McCown is starting for Cleveland after returning from a concussion sustained on the season's opening drive. Luke McCown gets the nod for New Orleans with Drew Brees out rehabbing a shoulder injury.
— Tom Withers reporting from Cleveland
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12:15 p.m.
DeMarco Murray is a no-go for the Philadelphia Eagles.
The star running back was inactive for the Eagles' game against the New York Jets on Sunday with a strained hamstring. Murray, who had been listed as questionable, has struggled through two games with just 11 yards on 21 carries.
Ryan Mathews will start in Murray's place. Mathews has 4 yards on four carries in limited action.
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker is also inactive with a sprained left knee. Rookie Devin Smith, the team's second-round draft pick out of Ohio State, is making his NFL debut as Decker's replacement. Smith broke a few ribs and punctured a lung while making a catch early in training camp.
Quarterback Geno Smith is also active for the first time this season after having his jaw broken by a punch from then-teammate Ikemefuna Enemkpali on Aug. 11.
— Dennis Waszak reporting from East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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