NFL Week 7 Roundup: Colts Spoil Manning's Return To Indy
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Indianapolis fans treated Peyton Manning like a returning hero before he led the Broncos against their team.
Then the Colts treated Manning unkindly Sunday night, handing Denver (6-1) its first loss of the season, 39-33.
As a sign in the crowd read: "No Longer Peyton's Place."
"I had some advice from some people to really appreciate that moment," Manning said. "I enjoyed coming back here."
"This is a game we need to learn from. We had four turnovers and somehow had a chance to win," added Manning, who finished 29 of 49 for 386 yards with three TDs and one interception. He was sacked four times. "Kind of relieved this game is over. If there is a next time, it might be somewhat easier. It was an emotional week and it can be draining."
Andrew Luck threw for three touchdowns and ran for another. And the Colts (5-2) took advantage of Manning's and Denver's uncharacteristic mistakes.
"I never looked at it as the guy who replaced Peyton," Luck said after beating Manning. "I just look at it as a chance to play football for a great team.
"It's a good one against one of the better teams in the league."
At least Manning got out of Indy healthy. It was not a good day for three other quarterbacks, all of whom were injured in defeats. Sam Bradford damaged his left knee in a 30-15 loss at Carolina, Jay Cutler left Chicago's 45-41 loss at Washington with a groin problem, and Nick Foles suffered a head injury in a 17-3 defeat against Dallas.
Also Sunday, Kansas City remained unbeaten by edging Houston 17-6; the New York Jets beat New England 30-27 in overtime; Cincinnati took Detroit 27-24; San Francisco defeated Tennessee 31-17; San Diego kept Jacksonville winless, 24-6; Atlanta did the same to Tampa Bay, 31-23; Green Bay downed Cleveland 31-13; Pittsburgh edged Baltimore 19-16; Buffalo beat Miami 23-21.
Seattle won at Arizona 34-22 last Thursday.
On Monday night, it's Minnesota (1-4) at the New York Giants (0-6).
Off this week were New Orleans (5-1) and Oakland (2-4).
COLTS 39, BRONCOS 33
Before kickoff, more than 67,000 Colts fans got to their feet to salute the player who brought the city a Super Bowl and more during his 14 years in Indianapolis.
What began as boos for the Broncos quickly turned to cheers once Manning was spotted coming out of the tunnel. The roar inside Lucas Oil Stadium — constructed in no small part thanks to Manning's contributions to the Colts' franchise — built steadily for much of a 90-second highlight reel of Manning's career in Indianapolis.
The 37-year-old quarterback acknowledged the cheers while standing along the visitors' sideline. He took off his helmet and turned to face the different sections, grinning sheepishly and waving on occasion.
"It was a pretty special moment to have there and something I will always remember," Manning said.
But the Broncos made too many errors and lost for the first time in 18 games.
JETS 30, PATRIOTS 27, OT
The host Jets (4-3) snapped a six-game regular-season slide against New England (5-2) when Nick Folk kicked a 42-yard field goal with 5:07 left in overtime. Folk got a second chance after he missed a 56-yarder moments earlier. But Chris Jones was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for pushing a teammate forward to try to block the kick, a new NFL rule.
"I was like, 'You know what? It's about time we got a break,'" Jets coach Rex Ryan said, smiling. "That's really what I was thinking. It just worked out."
Geno Smith threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score.
New England tied it at 27 with 16 seconds left in regulation on Stephen Gostkowski's 44-yard field goal. The Patriots saw a 12-game winning streak against the AFC East end, but got back star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who had eight receptions for 114 yards.
"Every season kind of has those crossroads," said Jets guard Willie Colon. "This is one of those crossroads games, and we came out on the right side of it."
PALLADINO: TURNING POINT FOR GANG GREEN?
PANTHERS 30, RAMS 15
Cam Newton is finding his stride for Carolina (3-3). He completed 15 of 17 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown in a heated game.
The Rams (3-4) lost their cool with several personal foul penalties — and then lost Bradford to a left knee injury late in the fourth quarter. Bradford was running toward the sideline when he was pushed out of bounds by safety Mike Mitchell and came up holding his left knee. He was carted to the locker room.
"It's a left knee and it's the knee with the brace on it," coach Jeff Fisher said.
Panthers cornerback Captain Munnerlyn intercepted Bradford on the game's first play and returned it 45 yards for a score.
REDSKINS 45, BEARS 41
Visiting Chicago (4-3) left with its third loss in four games. Roy Helu's third touchdown, a 3-yard run with 45 seconds to play, lifted the Redskins (2-4).
Robert Griffin III completed 18 of 29 passes for 298 yards with two touchdowns. Griffin also ran 11 times for a season-high 84 yards against a defense depleted by injuries, but the breakout performance came from rookie tight end Jordan Reed, who caught nine passes for 134 yards and one touchdown.
Josh McCown, playing in a regular-season game for the first time since 2011, completed 14 of 20 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown for Chicago. Matt Forte rushed for three touchdowns, Alshon Jeffrey had 105 yards receiving, and Devin Hester tied Deion Sanders' NFL record for return touchdowns with an 81-yard put runback for the Bears.
But Cutler's injury was the main story line for Chicago.
"When you're close to somebody, and they get hurt, man, your heart just kind of sinks, but at the same time, you've got to process that emotion and move on and get ready to play," McCown said. "So I was bummed, said a prayer, grabbed a helmet, got some throws and got ready to play."
COWBOYS 17, EAGLES 3
The Eagles (3-4) have lost a franchise-worst nine straight games at home. Their last win at Lincoln Financial Field was over the New York Giants on Sept. 30, 2012; they play the Giants next Sunday.
Tony Romo threw for 317 yards and one touchdown to offset a generally mediocre offensive performance for much of the game. Dallas (4-3) leads the NFC East.
A Cowboys defensive line missing three of its projected starters pressured and harassed Foles before sending him to the sideline with a head injury on the last play of the third quarter. He walked to the sideline on his own power and was evaluated by trainers. Foles walked to the locker room as the fourth quarter started.
CHIEFS 17, TEXANS 16
The Chiefs, 2-14 last year, are the NFL's only remaining unbeaten.
Jamaal Charles ran for 86 yards and a touchdown, Alex Smith also ran for a score and the scrappy Chiefs held off the banged-up Texans.
Tamba Hali had 2 1-2 sacks and forced a clinching turnover when he stripped QB Case Keenum in the final minutes. Derrick Johnson recovered the fumble for host Kansas City (7-0).
"It's confidence," said Hali. "Guys believe in what we're doing. They believe in one another, and that goes a long way."
Keenum, making his first NFL start in place of the injured Matt Schaub, threw for 271 yards and a touchdown for the Texans (2-5). Houston running back Arian Foster left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and did not return.
BENGALS 27, LIONS 24
At Detroit, Mike Nugent's 54-yard field goal as the game ended lifted the AFC North-leading Bengals (5-2). They won the same way last week when he made an overtime kick to give Cincinnati a win after it blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead at Buffalo
The Lions (4-3) looked like they did enough to send the game to OT, but rookie Sam Martin shanked a punt just 28 yards to midfield in the final minute. Andy Dalton, who threw three touchdown passes, took advantage with two short passes to set up the winning field goal.
Detroit's Matthew Stafford connected with Calvin Johnson on two of his three TD passes.
49ERS 31, TITANS 17
At Nashville, Colin Kaepernick threw for 199 yards and ran for 68 and a touchdown. The 49ers (5-2) won their fourth straight before heading to London for a game with winless Jacksonville by jumping to a 17-0 halftime lead. Frank Gore also ran for a pair of 1-yard TDs, Tramaine Brock intercepted a pass, Justin Smith had two of the 49ers' three sacks, and Kassim Osgood recovered a muffed punt for a TD.
The Titans (3-4) lost their third straight even with Jake Locker starting after missing two games with a sprained right hip and knee. Locker threw for 326 yards with two TD passes in a fourth-quarter spurt that came up short.
CHARGERS 24, JAGUARS 6
At Jacksonville, the Jaguars fell to 0-7 as Philip Rivers threw for 285 yards and a touchdown, and Ryan Mathews ran for 110 yards and a score.
Jacksonville has lost every game this season by double digits, becoming the first team since the 1984 Houston Oilers to garner that dubious distinction. The Oilers lost their first 10 games that season by at least 10 points.
Rivers completed his first 14 passes and finished 22 of 26 as San Diego improved to 4-3.
FALCONS 31, BUCCANEERS 23
At Atlanta, Matt Ryan threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Jacquizz Rodgers, and the Falcons snapped their three-game losing streak.
Harry Douglas had seven receptions for a career-best 149 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown catch, for the Falcons (2-4). Douglas flourished as Ryan's No. 1 receiver with Julio Jones out for the season and Roddy White inactive for the first time in his nine-year career due to hamstring and ankle injuries.
Falcons safety Thomas DeCoud returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown as the Buccaneers (0-6) remained winless.
PACKERS 31, BROWNS 13
At Green Bay, the Packers (4-2) took the NFC North leads with their third straight win, built on a balanced offense. Aaron Rodgers passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns, and Eddie Lacy ran for another score and gained 82 yards.
The defense took care of the rest against struggling quarterback Brandon Weeden, who was 17 for 42 for 149 yards. Tight end Jordan Cameron caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter for Cleveland (3-4).
Tight end Jermichael Finley had a 10-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter before leaving with a neck injury. The team said he had movement in his extremities after being carted off.
STEELERS 19, RAVENS 16
At Pittsburgh, Shaun Suisham's 42-yard field goal won it as time expired. Suisham's fourth field goal of the day pushed the Steelers (2-4) to their second straight win. He is perfect this season on 14 field goals and nine extra points.
Rookie running back Le'Veon Bell ran for a season-high 93 yards on 19 carries and Lawrence Timmons was in on 17 tackles.
Joe Flacco passed for 215 yards and a touchdown, but couldn't stop the defending Super Bowl champions (3-4) from losing for the third time in four games.
BILLS 23, DOLPHINS 21
At Miami, Mario Williams forced a fumble when he sacked Ryan Tannehill with less than three minutes left, setting up the winning field goal by former Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter. Miami released Carpenter in August after five seasons, and he made a 31-yarder with 33 seconds to go.
Rookie Nickell Robey returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown on the third play of the game to help the Bills build an early 14-0 lead, but they had to rally after Brandon Gibson caught his second touchdown pass of the game to put Miami ahead.
The injury-plagued Bills (3-4) ended a streak of six consecutive road losses, including two this season, while Miami (3-3) lost its third game in a row.
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