Chargers stifle Manning, Colts

INDIANAPOLIS — San Diego’s defense gave Peyton Manning another night to forget.

The Chargers picked off the four-time league MVP four times, returning two for scores, as they handed Indianapolis a 36-14 loss on Sunday night. It was the most lopsided home loss in the Manning era. The last time the Colts lost by this much at home was Sept. 14, 1997, when Seattle won 31-3.

San Diego (6-5) won its fourth consecutive and kept pace in the AFC West race, one game behind Kansas City.

The Colts (6-5) lost their second consecutive but are still tied with Jacksonville for the AFC South lead, and it was every bit as ugly as the score appeared. Fans started leaving en masse when the Colts committed their fourth of five turnovers with Javarris James’ fumble early in the fourth quarter.

Manning completed 31 of 48 passes for 285 yards with 2 touchdowns and has thrown seven interceptions in the last two weeks - the most over any two-week span in his 13-year NFL career. Pro Bowl receiver Reggie Wayne walked off the field after getting hurt with 2:45 left, and the Colts finished with only 24 yards rushing.

Kevin Burnett returned Manning’s first pick 29 yards for a score. Eric Weddle matched that with a 41-yard return in the third quarter that broke open the game.

Philip Rivers was 19 of 23 for 185 yards with no touchdowns and, most important, no interceptions. Mike Tolbert rushed 26 times for 103 yards and scored on a 3-yard run early in the fourth quarter to seal the victory that put San Diego above the .500 mark for the first time all season.

STEELERS 19, BILLS 16, OT

Buffalo receiver Stevie Johnson was inconsolable for letting a victory slip through his hands. The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t going to let him or Buffalo get a second chance. With his head down at the end of the bench, Johnson couldn’t watch as Shaun Suisham hit a 41-yard field goal with 2:14 left in overtime to secure the Steelers’ victory. It was a dramatic turn of events for the Bills and Johnson, in particular, after he could’ve ended the game in Buffalo’s favor on the previous possession but dropped what would have been a 40-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. “I had the game in my hands and I dropped it,” Johnson said. “Humbled. Humbled.” Then, growing emotional, Johnson added: “I’ll never get over it. Ever.” In a game the Bills (2-9) proved they’re not all that bad, the Steelers (8-3) showed why they’re better. Suisham hit all four of his field-goal attempts, including a 48-yarder. His decisive kick capped a 13-play, 58-yard drive which Ben Roethlisberger kept alive by hitting Mike Wallace for a 17-yard catch to convert third and-8. Rashard Mendenhall had 151 yards rushing and scored on a 1-yard plunge in helping Pittsburgh prepare for a AFC North first-place showdown at Baltimore next week. Hines Ward had seven catches for 107 yards, and Roethlisberger completed 20 of 33 passes for 246 yards. Buffalo proved feisty in facing one of the NFL’s elite teams by overcoming a 13-point first-half deficit and forcing overtime with two seconds left in regulation when Rian Lindell hit a 49-yard field goal. Fred Jackson had five catches for 105 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown, and added 59 yards rushing.

TEXANS 20, TITANS 0

Andre Johnson finally had enough from Cortland Finnegan, sparking a fistfight that led to both players being ejected and could end up in further discipline from the NFL. The Texans snapped a four game losing streak while Johnson and Finnegan were ejected for their fight in the fourth quarter of host Houston’s victory over Tennessee. Arian Foster rushed for 143 yards and caught nine passes for the Texans (5-6), who posted their first shutout since 2004. Houston cornerback Glover Quin set a franchise record with three interceptions off Titans rookie quarterback Rusty Smith, who struggled in his first career start in replacing the injured Vince Young.

VIKINGS 17, REDSKINS 13

Brett Favre was perfect on two scoring drives, and visiting Minnesota won Leslie Frazier’s NFL head coaching debut despite Adrian Peterson’s early injury. Favre went 3 for 3 on the Vikings’ opening possession, which ended with Peterson’s 5-yard touchdown run. The 41-year-old quarterback was 5 for 5 on the first drive of the second half, capped by a 5-yard touchdown from rookie Toby Gerhart, who took over after Peterson left in the second quarter with a bad right ankle. Favre scrambled for a first down on third-and-8 right before the two-minute warning, then hugged several teammates. Minnesota (4-7) ended its nine-game road losing streak, less than a week after firing coach Brad Childress and promoting Frazier. Washington is 5-6.

GIANTS 24, JAGUARS 20

Eli Manning threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 3:15 left and host New York rallied to snap a two-game losing streak and ended Jacksonville’s three-game winning streak. Manning also threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham, Lawrence Tynes kicked three field goals and the defense came up with three consecutive sacks and a late turnover with 1:25 to go as the Giants (7-4) rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit. David Garrard and Rashad Jennings ran for touchdowns and Josh Scobee kicked two field goals as the Jaguars (6-5) lost for only the third time in eight games.

DOLPHINS 33, RAIDERS 17

Chad Henne returned from a benching and injury to throw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, and Dan Carpenter kicked four field goals for visiting Miami. Davone Bess had 111 yards receiving in his first game as a pro in his hometown, and Ricky Williams ran for 95 yards and a score for the Dolphins (6-5), who won for the fifth time in six road games to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Raiders (5-6) returned home following a 35-3 beating in Pittsburgh and put together another dud. Bruce Gradkowski got the nod ahead of Jason Campbell at quarterback, but threw two interceptions.

CHIEFS 42, SEAHAWKS 24

Matt Cassel threw three touchdown passes to Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles rushedfor 173 yards and visiting Kansas City remained atop the AFC West. Facing Pete Carroll, his former coach at Southern California, Cassel threw for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Bowe extended his streak of games with at least one touchdown reception to seven consecutive games. The pair connected on touchdowns of 7, 36 and 9 yards for Kansas City (7-4). Charles added a 3-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Backup defensive tackle Shaun Smith had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first half. Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Seattle (5-6) has lost four of five.

RAVENS 17, BUCCANEERS 10

Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes, and host Baltimore won a franchise record-tying eighth consecutive game at home. Flacco connected with Todd Heap for a 65-yard score and hit Derrick Mason for a 10-yard touchdown during a three-minute span of the second quarter to stake Baltimore to a 17-3 halftime lead. Flacco now has 53 career touchdown passes, surpassing Vinny Testaverde (51) for most in Ravens history. Flacco completed 25 of 35 passes for 289 yards and had a 76-yard touchdown throw to Ray Rice called back because of a block in the back by Anquan Boldin. Baltimore (8-3) improved to 5-0 at home this season and remained tied atop with the AFC North with Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay (7-4) still has not beaten a team with a winning record.

RAMS 36, BRONCOS 33

Rookie Sam Bradford threw for three touchdowns and had his first 300-yard game as St. Louis escaped with a rare road victory, which came just over a day after the NFL fined the Broncos and their coach for a videotaping scandal. There was more than a smattering of boos when Broncos Coach Josh McDaniels was introduced before the game. There were also signs in the crowd calling for his firing following the latest embarrassment that also resulted in the firing of the video operations director who broke NFL rules by taping a San Francisco practice in London last month. The Rams (5-6) had a seemingly safe 33-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Broncos (3-8) pulled within three points on Brandon Lloyd’s touchdown catch from Kyle Orton with 2:35 remaining. Bradford completed 22 of 37 passes for 308 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions in his first road victory as a pro.