Roundup

Defense key as Steelers hand Vikings first loss

Detroit News wire services

Pittsburgh -- Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and Minnesota were anything but perfect.

The Vikings couldn't gain a half-yard when it might have turned the game, then watched the Steelers' big-play defense end their unbeaten season with two long touchdown returns in the final 6 1/2 minutes.

LaMarr Woodley's 77-yard fumble return and Keyaron Fox's 82-yard interception return on turnovers by Favre allowed Pittsburgh to turn back Minnesota's repeated comeback attempts, and the Steelers rode three major defensive stands to an important 27-17 victory Sunday.

The anticipated quarterback showdown between Favre and NFL passing leader Ben Roethlisberger became a defensive duel. And the Super Bowl champion Steelers (5-2) -- No. 1 defensively the last two seasons -- are tough to beat in any game that's decided by defense.

The Vikings (6-1) conceded as much in the third quarter when, after failing to score from a half-yard out on three plays in which Peterson got the ball only once, they settled for a field goal that kept Pittsburgh in the lead at 13-10.

To the Steelers, the goal-line stand was as decisive as the two defensive touchdowns that followed.

"That's the biggest point of the game," safety Ryan Clark said. "You have the best running back in the world and you don't give it to him. They're saying they can't beat us running, and that's a major statement when you have the guy they have back there."

Woodley's return, with the linebacker huffing and puffing for the final 30 yards after Brett Keisel stripped Favre of the ball, was reminiscent of James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Super Bowl against Arizona. Coach Mike Tomlin called it "one of those slow-motion moments that are a joy in this business."

The touchdown put the Steelers up 20-10 with 6:23 remaining, after the Vikings drove to the Steelers 8 and were in position to take their first lead since Peterson's 2-yard touchdown run put them up 7-3 in the second quarter.

"I got to the 40 and I didn't think I was going to make it," Woodley said.

The Vikings weren't done, not in this season of last-minute surprises. Percy Harvin answered with an 88-yard kickoff return touchdown, but Favre couldn't pull this one out after twice previously rallying the Vikings in the closing minutes.

"There were a lot of what-ifs, a lot of reasons we didn't win," Favre said. "The red zone was one of them. They're physical, and they were as good as we thought they'd be. ... When I came here and looked at our schedule (and saw the Steelers game), I went, 'Oh-h-h.' "

With Favre hitting Peterson on a 29-yard pass play, the Vikings drove to the Steelers 18 with just over a minute remaining, and their biggest victory of an improbably good season awaited.

But Fox intercepted Favre's pass intended for Chester Taylor and returned it almost the length of the field, with nearly every Viking except Favre in pursuit. Favre had been intercepted only twice previously.

"Brett tried to force it in there and the running back bobbled it and it slipped out of his hands and it fell into my lap," Fox said. "I had just run across the field after Peterson and I was winded, so it felt like it was 100-plus yards."

The Vikings' most significant missed opportunity came when they had the ball only a foot or so from the goal line midway through the third period. Peterson, held to 69 yards on 18 carries after averaging 161.5 yards in his first two games against AFC North teams, failed to get in on first down.

On the next two downs, Favre couldn't get the ball to covered receivers in the end zone. Coach Brad Childress then settled for Ryan Longwell's 18-yard field goal rather than go for it on fourth down, as the crowd of 65,597 -- a Steelers record at Heinz Field -- loudly cheered the potentially decisive stand.

"We had three chances," Favre said. "It's easy to look back now and say we should've done this or should've done that. I would think handing it to Adrian, he'd get it in. I'm sure he will say he should've went in, but ... ."

Said Peterson, "Playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their defense -- I felt it's the best defense we're going to face -- you've got to get those seven points. I was highly upset about having to settle for three points."

Favre (34-of-51, 334 yards) was better statistically than Roethlisberger (14-of-26, 175 yards) -- except for the turnovers. The Vikings outgained Pittsburgh, 386-259, but couldn't outscore the Steelers defense.

Saints 46, (at) Dolphins 34

Unbeaten New Orleans overcame an early 21-point deficit, mounting touchdown drives of 82, 79 and 60 yards on successive possessions in the second half to overtake Miami.

NFL passing leader Drew Brees had his worst day of the season, with three interceptions and five sacks. But he scored twice, the second time on a 2-yard keeper with 8:35 left to give the Saints their first lead.

Tracy Porter's 54-yard interception return sealed the win for the Saints (6-0), off to their best start since 1991. The league's highest-scoring team topped 40 points for the fourth time.

Patriots 35, Buccaneers 7

Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as New England (5-2) beat winless Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium in the NFL's third regular-season game at the iconic London venue.

For the Bucs, who gave up a home game to play in London, the new surroundings didn't help. They fell to 0-7 and saw their losing streak extended to 11 games overall.

The Patriots were coming off a 59-0 win over the Titans in which Brady tossed six TD passes. New England wasn't as overpowering this time, and Brady even threw two interceptions in an uneven first-half performance.

Packers 31, (at) Browns 3

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, Ryan Grant rushed for 148 yards and Green Bay warmed up for Brett Favre's first visit back to Lambeau Field next week with a laugher against Cleveland, which got over the flu but can't shake other problems.

It would have been understandable if the Packers (4-2) had overlooked an inferior opponent with their eyes on Favre's hyped return to Wisconsin with the Vikings. But Rodgers and his teammates took care of business against the Browns (1-6), who have scored just four offensive touchdowns and 72 points all season.

(At) Bengals 45, Bears 10

Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes -- four of them in a dominant first half -- and Cedric Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that let him go.

Cincinnati improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2005, when a fast-strike offense got it to the playoffs. There was a strong resemblance in the first half, when Cincinnati scored on all five possessions and went up 31-0. It tied for the third-most points Chicago (3-3) has allowed in an opening half.

(At) Cowboys 37, Falcons 21

Tony Romo returned to his swashbuckling style, keeping drives alive by improvising and turning one near-disaster into a touchdown, and Miles Austin proved his breakout game was no fluke by coming up with big play after big play.

With Romo and Austin bringing the offense to life and the defense giving up little more than long drives at the start of each half, Dallas (4-2) roared out of its bye with its most impressive win of the season and first against a team with a winning record.

Atlanta (4-2) came in looking to keep pace with the best start in franchise history. Matt Ryan started great, but couldn't keep it up. His streak of 142 passes without a sack ended with takedowns on consecutive plays in the first quarter. He was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

Cardinals 24, (at) Giants 17

Arizona erased some bad memories in its last regular-season visit to Giants Stadium, forcing four turnovers and bewildering Eli Manning with its blitzes in a victory.

The Cardinals finished 3-15 at the Meadowlands, but this win lifted the defending NFC champions into first place in the West Division at 4-2 with their third straight win.

Kurt Warner, who was 6-2 as a starter with the Giants in 2004, threw one TD pass and got plenty of help from star receiver Larry Fitzgerald and a staunch defense led by safety Adrian Wilson, who had an interception and a fumble recovery. Less-heralded Cardinals Jason Wright, Tim Hightower and rookie Beanie Wells found the end zone.

New York (5-2) lost its second straight and was let down by, of all people, its normally solid punter. Jeff Feagles struggled, helping give the Cardinals a solid edge in field position for much of the prime-time matchup. Manning was 19-for-37 and threw three interceptions.

(At) Texans 24, 49ers 21

Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and Houston built a big lead, then held on for the win.

The Texans led 21-0 at halftime, then withstood a rally led by 49ers backup quarterback Alex Smith. Eugene Wilson's interception on fourth down halted a last-gasp drive by San Francisco (3-3).

San Francisco benched Shaun Hill after a terrible first half, and Smith threw three touchdowns to Vernon Davis to close the gap. Michael Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards.

The Texans (4-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Jets 38, (at) Raiders 0

Mark Sanchez shook off the worst start of his young career by running for one touchdown and throwing for another, fellow rookie Shonn Greene ran for 144 yards and two scores and New York snapped a three-game losing streak.

It was a low-pressure day for Sanchez, who started two of his first three drives for New York (4-3) at the Oakland 4 after turnovers by JaMarcus Russell. Those mistakes led to touchdown runs by Thomas Jones and Sanchez, and played a role in Oakland coach Tom Cable's decision to bench the former No. 1 overall pick in the second quarter.

This was just the fifth home shutout ever for the Raiders (2-5), with four coming in the past four seasons.

Chargers 37, (at) Chiefs 7

Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns passes and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 71 yards.

Rivers was 18-for-30 for 268 yards and three TDs as San Diego won its third in a row in Kansas City for the first time since 1981.

Kansas City (1-6) had hoped a sloppy win over Washington the week before might provide some much-needed momentum. But the Chiefs played miserably in just about every phase of the game, falling behind 20-0 in the first half.

Matt Cassel threw three interceptions and the Chargers (3-3) scored their final touchdown when Jacob Hester blocked a punt at the 20, chased the ball into the end zone and fell on it.

Bills 20, (at) Panthers 9

Jairus Byrd had two more interceptions, Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't make a big mistake in his first start at quarterback and Buffalo took advantage of Carolina's miscues.

The Bills won despite being outgained, 425-167. The Panthers led in first downs, 20-9, and held the ball for nearly 35 minutes. But Jake Delhomme was intercepted three times, Kenny Moore fumbled a punt, John Kasay missed two field goal attempts, and the Panthers (2-4) saw their two-game winning streak stopped.

Byrd, a rookie, had two interceptions to set up touchdowns as Buffalo (3-3) won road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2004.

Colts 42, (at) Rams 6

Peyton Manning was 23-for-34 for 235 yards -- ending his run of 300-yard games at five -- and three touchdown passes and the defense got its first score of the year on rookie Jacob Lacey's 35-yard interception return.

Looking fresh coming off a bye, Indianapolis won its 15th straight regular-season game and set a franchise record with its eighth straight road victory.

The Colts are 6-0 for the fourth time in five seasons.

St. Louis (0-7) lost its 17th straight regular-season game, wasting a season-best 134 yards on 23 carries by Steven Jackson. The Rams' highlight came on their opening drive, a 50-yard flea-flicker from Marc Bulger to Donnie Avery to the Colts 14, but the drive fizzled and the Colts forced a short field goal.

The Colts intercepted Bulger twice and Dwight Freeney ran his sack streak to seven straight games -- three off the NFL record.