Drew Brees sets single-season passing record as Saints clinch NFC South

NEW ORLEANS — Quite a night for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints — a record and a rout.

Brees set the NFL record for yards passing in a season, breaking a mark that Dan Marino had held for nearly three decades, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Falcons.

Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go.

“Honestly, I was really trying not to think about the record or anything,” Brees said. “I knew we were close. A couple guys mentioned stuff to me on the sideline. I didn’t want to hear it. It’s like a pitcher with a no-hitter, I guess.”

It was Brees’ final pass of the game and it gave him 5,087 yards passing — with one game still to play. Marino finished with 5,084 yards for the Miami Dolphins in 1984.

Minutes after Brees broke the record, Marino offered congratulations on his Twitter account.

“Great job by such a special player,” Marino wrote.

Brees responded in kind later, writing on his own Twitter account, “Thanks to @DanMarino for his class and support during this run. It is an honor to attempt to follow the example he set for us all.”

As Sproles spiked the ball, Brees thrust his fist triumphantly in the air and started walking toward midfield while the Superdome crowd went wild and his teammates chased him down. Offensive lineman Carl Nicks was the first one to get there and tried to lift Brees onto his shoulder, but couldn’t do it as teammates swarmed around.

“If I could have put him on my shoulders and paraded him around the whole stadium I would have done that. He deserves it,” Nicks said. “It’s like a movie, man. Just a movie ending. It’s beautiful. … You could tell by everyone’s reaction after he did it how much people care about that guy. We all love him.”

Brees’ four touchdown passes gave him 276 for his career, moving him ahead of Joe Montana (273) and Vinny Testaverde (275) for ninth all-time. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards twice — he had 5,069 in 2008.

Brees’ first scoring pass went for 8 yards to Marques Colston and the second for 9 yards to Jimmy Graham. Graham’s TD catch was his 10th of the season, a new franchise high for a tight end. In the third quarter, Brees hit Robert Meachem for a score from 24 yards, which made it 28-10.

“I love the fact that everybody could be part of this on Monday Night Football,” Brees said. “There’s so many people that are a part of this. It’s not about me. It’s about this team, it’s about this city, it’s about these fans. So many people contributed to this, and I’m happy for them.”

The Saints also had 463 total yards, giving them more than 6,857 offensive yards for the season, breaking the 2008 club record of 6,571. New Orleans continues to close in on the NFL record of 7,075 offensive yards in a season set by the 2000 St. Louis Rams.

Brees might have broken the record in the third quarter if not for Sproles’ 92-yard kickoff return, which set up John Kasay‘s 29-yard field goal. Brees also was intercepted twice, once in the Falcons end zone, but New Orleans was still dominant enough to take a three-score lead.

The game became a romp when Julio Jones was stripped by Scott Shanle and Malcolm Jenkins returned it 30 yards for a score to make it 38-16 in the fourth quarter. The Superdome crowd was in full celebration by then, but the play also meant fans would have to wait until later in the fourth quarter before Brees finally got his chance to break the passing record.

“Obviously, it’s a special moment for the players, especially Drew,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Atlanta, which won the NFC South last season, is headed to the playoffs as a wild card.

Uncharacteristically, Brees had only a yard passing during a span of a little more than 18 minutes. Knowing he was closing in the record, the crowd howled, “Drewwww” each time he took the field. He finally gave the fans what they wanted after Atlanta failed on a fourth-down try at its own 33. That gave Brees, who needed only 30 yards for the record at that point, just enough space to work with.

“I knew after the touchdown to Meachem that we were really close,” Brees said. “I didn’t know how close, but really close, and then we had a couple of those drives that stalled out and I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’ — especially since the whole game we had been converting first downs, doing all the right things offensively, both the run and the pass, yet we couldn’t put a drive together in the fourth quarter and I thought, we’ve got to get this ball back, we’ve got to go down and score and put one together.”

Matt Ryan had 258 yards passing and one TD, including a 21-yard scoring strike to Jones that gave the Falcons a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.

“We didn’t really play well enough in any phase of the game to give ourselves a chance to win,” said Falcons coach Mike Smith, whose team came in with a chance to stay in the hunt for the division title. “There were some opportunities early on. And then it kind of got out of hand there at the end. … It’s not the type of effort that you want to have with so much on the line with what the outcome could have meant to our team.”

New Orleans responded to Atlanta’s first TD with a 10-play, 81-yard scoring drive that put the Saints in the lead for good. Brees completed four of six passes for 48 yards, the last three to Colston, who finished with seven catches for 81 yards.

The result might have been even more lopsided if Brees’ pass intended for Graham in the end zone had not been broken up by linebacker Curtis Lofton, and then batted in the air by safety William Moore before coming to rest in the arms of Dominique Franks for an interception.

New Orleans bounced back on its final drive of the second quarter, covering 80 yards in 10 plays and only 1:55, capped by Graham’s TD catch.

Both teams scored on all their possessions in the opening quarter, with the Saints briefly pulling in front 7-3 on Pierre Thomas‘ 4-yard touchdown run, after which he pulled a bow from his uniform pants, put it on the football and offered it as a gift to a woman with a parasol in the front row behind the end zone.

The referees weren’t cutting Thomas any slack on his Christmas-themed celebration, flagging him for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

The score capped an eight-play, 84-yard scoring drive on which Brees completed two passes for 49 yards.

Game notes
Brees has passed for 300 yards or more an NFL-record 12 times this season. … New England quarterback Tom Brady could pass Marino next week, too. Brady has thrown for 4,897 yards this season. … The Saints are 7-0 at home and never have gone undefeated at home in a full season. … The Falcons were 0-3 on attempted fourth-down conversions.

Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

49ers pick off Ben Roethlisberger 3 times, shut down Steelers after pair of outages

SAN FRANCISCO — From the swirling winds off the bay that can play fits with the football to the 1989 earthquake that rocked the World Series, Candlestick Park has long been an unpredictable venue known for its challenges.

Monday Night Football nearly became a Monday Night Fiasco when everything went dark — twice.

San Francisco’s lights-out return to prime time in a 20-3 victory over the Steelers helped salvage what could have been an embarrassing evening for everyone involved on the NFL’s biggest stage after a pair of power outages delayed the game for close to 35 minutes in all.

“I just feel like San Francisco took a big step to show the NFL and to show the state of California that they need a new stadium,” Steelers safety Ryan Clark said. “I think it was a very strategic move, and Candlestick may be no more.”

Good thing there’s a state-of-the-art $1 billion stadium in the works.

The 49ers rode their top-ranked run defense once again to keep ailing Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger off balance and maintain a hold on the NFC’s No. 2 playoff seed and a first-round bye.

“Electric atmosphere tonight,” tweeted team president Jed York — unclear if his pun was intended.

Vernon Davis caught a 1-yard touchdown pass for the 49ers (11-3) one play after setting himself up with a 21-yard reception from Alex Smith, Frank Gore ran for a 5-yard score and David Akers kicked field goals of 22 and 38 yards to overtake Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for San Francisco’s single-season scoring record.

“I think we showed the world we can play the game of football on a national stage,” Davis said. “At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about: respect.”

The Steelers (10-4) missed a key chance to take sole possession of first place in the AFC North and gain the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed.

Roethlisberger, playing on a sprained left ankle that had him in a walking boot during the week, threw two early interceptions and another in the waning minutes — and a couple of light structures flickered as the final ticks elapsed.

Even all those Terrible Towel-waving Steelers supporters in the sellout crowd of 69,732 couldn’t will their team when San Francisco’s unique home-field advantage became two blackout delays.

“It’s very frustrating to feel like you let down your team and your fans and your coaches. It’s tough,” Roethlisberger said. “I’m not going to make excuses. I played a bad football game, I turned the ball over and that one’s on me.”

San Francisco became the first team in NFL history to hold an opponent without a rushing touchdown through each of the first 14 games.

“I also want to recognize our defense,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “NFL record for not allowing a rushing touchdown in 14 games. I think that is huge.”

Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson and Tarell Brown made interceptions, while Rookie of the Year candidate Aldon Smith had 2½ sacks for San Francisco’s stingy defense.

The 49ers also have gone 36 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. Rashard Mendenhall had 15 carries for 64 yards.

“This team has really become a team,” Harbaugh said. “I’m really proud of them for that.”

Roethlisberger still finished 25 for 44 for 330 yards, but was sacked three times. After his second pick, he fumed as he limped off the field and could be seen yelling into his chin strap.

The 49ers made a big statement in their most meaningful home game since their last trip to the playoffs in January 2003, when San Francisco came from behind to stun the New York Giants 39-38 in one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

“It was probably the biggest home game since I’ve been here,” Alex Smith said.

They had to wait 20 minutes to get started after the power went out the first time. It didn’t seem to faze San Francisco.

“It wasn’t too bad. It was unusual,” said Alex Smith, who went 18 for 31 for 187 yards. “You don’t expect to have to deal with it, and it happened twice. But it was the same for both teams.”

Smith wasn’t sacked after being taken down 18 times in the previous three games, including nine in the Niners’ prime time flop at Baltimore on Thanksgiving night against Jim Harbaugh’s big brother, John.

Jim Harbaugh prepared for the Steelers by comparing notes with his brother after the Ravens won both meetings this season with Pittsburgh in one of the AFC’s fiercest rivalries.

The Steelers are 0-for-Harbaugh this season.

“I think we need to acknowledge that was 49er football tonight,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “We played the game on their terms.”

The 37-year-old Akers, who long admired Rice from afar growing up in Kentucky, topped Rice’s 138 points scored in 1987.

Yet Akers has said he doesn’t feel deserving of the points mark over a great such as Rice — who clowned around on the field before the game catching passes from fellow Hall of Famer and former QB Steve Young, including one in the end zone.

It was after Akers’ second field goal when everything went dark for a second time. Thousands of flashbulbs went off in the midst of the black, with thousands of fans sitting in darkness — including all those Steelers fans who travel the country with their team.

NFL security chief Jeff Miller said he witnessed a transformer blow up while he was monitoring a gate outside the stadium, where a shooting during the preseason already put a negative light on this venue.

The second delay came early in the second quarter and halted the game again between the playoff-bound teams for about 15 minutes. Miller and other NFL officials gathered in the press box to assess the situation, remaining in constant contact with the commissioner’s office.

This was the 49ers’ only Monday Night game this season and their final regular-season home game at Candlestick Park. The NFL certainly will want to make sure there are no problems when San Francisco hosts a home playoff game next month as NFC West champions — and Miller said he remains confident Candlestick can capably host a playoff game.

“Never in my life have I been a part of a blackout in a stadium,” Davis said.

The Steelers missed linebacker James Harrison, who served his one-game suspension for a helmet to facemask hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy on Dec. 8.

“We better lick our wounds pretty quickly because we have a quick turnaround here,” Tomlin said.

This marked the fourth time in Monday Night Football history that two teams faced off with 10 victories and a winning percentage of at least .750 — and San Francisco has played in all of them, the last on Dec. 15, 1997, with the 12-2 49ers vs. 11-3 Broncos.

Game notes
The 49ers lost left tackle Joe Staley to a second-half leg injury. WR Ted Ginn Jr. injured his right ankle on the second-half kickoff. … Pittsburgh managed just 84 yards rushing.

Streaking Seahawks hammer Rams to keep playoff hopes alive

SEATTLE — The Skittles came flying out of the stands, close enough that Marshawn Lynch was regretting not catching his favorite candy in midair and taking it back to the sideline.

Too bad. He could have shared his reward with Doug Baldwin.

“I could have caught them, that’s how close they got to me,” Lynch said.

Baldwin, an undrafted rookie out of Stanford, showed the rest of the NFL what it missed Monday night. He blocked a first-quarter punt that was returned by Michael Robinson 17 yards for a touchdown, then caught a 29-yard TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson in the third period as the Seattle Seahawks pulled away for a 30-13 win over the staggering St. Louis Rams.

Seattle (6-7) won for the fourth time in five games and kept alive its slim hopes for reaching the postseason. The Seahawks likely would need to win out to potentially make the playoffs a reality, but they’re at least back in the conversation after a 2-6 start.

Much of this late-season rally has been on the back of Lynch, who is making a push for a reward beyond sweets this offseason — a big contract as a free agent.

Lynch topped 100 yards rushing for the fifth time in the last six games, finishing with 115 on 23 carries. He scored a touchdown in his ninth straight game on a 16-yard run with 2:57 left to put away Seattle’s 13th win in its last 14 games against the Rams.

Seahawks fans threw bags of Skittles into the end zone as Lynch celebrated his ninth rushing touchdown this season, and he tied a franchise record with nine consecutive games with a TD.

“I think it’s more of a team accomplishment,” Lynch said. “It’s great to have, but that win was a lot better.”

Baldwin, who is Seattle’s leading receiver and has become the main option for Jackson, finished with seven receptions for 93 yards and his third TD catch of the season.

As a receiver, he disappeared until the third quarter when he snagged a 22-yard reception across the middle to convert a third-and-11 near midfield. On the next play, Baldwin faked going inside and broke to the sideline, losing Darian Stewart in coverage. Jackson found Baldwin and he got just inside the pylon to give the Seahawks a 14-point lead.

Baldwin had six of his seven catches in the second half.

“We just expect that out of him now,” Jackson said. “We expect him to go out and make plays every week.”

His catches seemed secondary to his contribution on special teams.

Baldwin’s influence on the game was evident from the start, when he took a pitch from Leon Washington on a kickoff reverse and returned it beyond the 40. Seattle was later forced to punt, but it was Baldwin racing from the outside to down the punt at the Rams 6.

Then he made the biggest of his three fine special teams plays in the first 5 minutes of the game.

Coming almost entirely unblocked off the right end, Baldwin took a punt off the foot of Donnie Jones. The bounding ball hopped up into the arms of Robinson, who went the final 17 yards for an early 7-0 Seahawks lead.

“As far as my expectations go, I expected to be successful. I didn’t know how successful, but I expected to be able to come in here and win a job in some capacity, because if you don’t have that confidence in yourself you’re not going to win a job,” Baldwin said. “To be where I am now, no I didn’t expect this. But at the same time I’m not satisfied.”

Jackson wasn’t his best, but didn’t need to be against the Rams. He went 21 of 32 for 224 yards and connected with nine receivers.

Seattle topped 100 yards rushing for the sixth straight game, accomplishing that feat for the first time in the same regular season since 1996. It came behind an offensive line that lost its third starter for the season a week ago when Russell Okung went down with a torn pectoral muscle.

And kicker Steven Hauschka hit field goals of 23, 42 and 48 yards. Seattle’s only flub was a fumbled exchange late in the first half deep in the Rams’ end.

Sam Bradford started for St. Louis (2-11) despite a high left ankle sprain that’s bothered him for nearly two months and forced him to miss last week’s game at San Francisco. Bradford barely practiced this week and it showed as he was rusty and made poor decisions. Bradford was 12 of 29 for 193 yards, was intercepted by Brandon Browner on the first play of the second half and nearly picked off on a handful of other throws.

Steven Jackson had 50 yards rushing on 11 carries by halftime, including dashes of 11 yards twice and 10 yards once. He was limited to just 42 yards on 15 carries when the teams met a few weeks ago and the Rams were trying to exploit the Seahawks’ secondary. Jackson finished with 63 yards on 20 carries, but was ignored for five plays from the Seattle 1 in the fourth quarter before finally scoring on a third-and-goal plunge.

That was the extent of the highlights for the Rams.

“I feel like we’ve just lacked consistency all year,” Bradford said. “It’s just really hard to get a rhythm going when you don’t establish the path on a run.”

Game notes
Seattle LB Leroy Hill sustained a stinger in the closing seconds, but coach Pete Carroll thought he would be OK. Seahawks guard Robert Gallery was taken out late with a sore hip. … Steven Jackson’s 1-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was St. Louis’ first offensive TD in Seattle since September 2008. … Brandon Lloyd led St. Louis with five catches for 82 yards but was targeted 12 times. … Browner’s interception was his fifth of the season. … Josh Brown made field goals of 46 and 29 yards for the Rams.

Philip Rivers’ 294 yards, 3 TDs power Chargers’ romp over Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — No matter how many interceptions he threw, no matter how many turnovers he committed, Philip Rivers refused to play it safe.

He knew things would change.

They finally did. On “Monday Night Football” no less, and with his San Diego Chargers in the deepest of holes.

Rivers threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns, burning Jacksonville’s depleted secondary early and often, and the Chargers beat the Jaguars 38-14 to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Chargers (5-7) had been waiting for the three-time Pro Bowl selection to return to form. Some questioned whether it would happen this season. But Rivers never lost faith even though he leads the NFL in interceptions (17) and turnovers (21) and was a key part of the team’s disappointing slide.

“It’s been a rough six weeks,” Rivers said. “I haven’t put a complete game together, but I don’t care about the numbers. I just want to win.”

Rivers was nearly perfect against Jacksonville (3-9), adding to the team’s tumultuous week.

He completed 22 of 28 passes — hooking up with Vincent Brown, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd for long scores — before sitting out the final few minutes. Rivers finished with a 146.1 QB rating, by far his highest of the season.

The Chargers scored on five of their first six drives, then sent most of the home crowd scrambling for the exits with Ryan Mathews‘ 31-yard TD run in the fourth. Mathews ran 13 times for 112 yards.

“That’s the type of chemistry coming into this season we knew we had,” tight end Antonio Gates said. “We stayed on course despite what we’ve been through these last six weeks. That we were able to get a win tonight speaks volumes for this team.”

It was a much-needed victory for a team that trails Denver and Oakland by two games in the AFC West with four to play.

And it was another blow to the Jaguars, who endured the most sweeping changes in the 17-year history of the franchise last week.

Team owner Wayne Weaver fired coach Jack Del Rio and announced he was selling the club to Illinois businessman Shahid Khan. Interim coach Mel Tucker fired receivers coach Johnny Cox, reassigned quarterbacks coach Mike Sheppard and waived starting receiver Jason Hill.

The moves seemed to invigorate a franchise that had seemingly gone stale in Del Rio’s ninth season. Fans showed up energized for a prime-time game that signaled the start of a new era. Some wore “Yes We Khan” T-shirts. Other donned fake mustaches to emulate the owner-in-waiting.

It made little difference on the field, mostly because Jacksonville’s defensive injuries proved too much to overcome.

The Jaguars played without their top three cornerbacks — Rashean Mathis, Derek Cox and Will Middleton — and lost safety Dwight Lowery (shoulder) and defensive end John Chick (knee) during the game.

“No excuses here,” Tucker said. “We won’t allow ourselves to go down that road.”

Rivers took advantage of the injuries, picking on a pair of cornerbacks who were signed off the street in recent weeks.

Rivers threw a 22-yard TD pass to Brown and a 35-yarder to Jackson on the final two drives of the first half as the Chargers overcame a brief deficit to seize control. Those scores came in the final 2:32 of the half.

The opening drive of the third quarter didn’t take long, either. On the fifth play, Rivers found Floyd deep down the right sideline for a 52-yard score. Floyd, activated Monday night after missing six games with a hip injury, beat Ashton Youboty badly on the play. Floyd finished with four receptions for 108 yards.

“He’s just an outstanding player,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said of Rivers. “Like any quarterback, it starts with protection, with the guys up front. He’s missed Malcom. We’ve missed Malcom. When Philip has all his guys, and he can operate like he did today, he’s as good as anybody.”

It was the second TD given up by Youboty, who was replaced on the next possession by Morgan Trent, signed five days ago.

The biggest cheer for the Jaguars came late in the third quarter, when Weaver was shown on the stadium’s large video board. Weaver and his wife received a standing ovation.

The $760 million sale must be approved by the NFL later this month. Khan chose not to attend the game, which turned out to be a good move.

“I don’t think anyone has been through anything like that,” said Maurice Jones-Drew, who finished with 188 total yards. “This is a $9 billion business. Other than that, we played football. We’ve got to figure out how to keep going for four quarters and not two.”

Jones-Drew was the lone offensive star for Jacksonville — again. He finished with 97 yards rushing and 91 yards receiving. He leads the NFL in rushing with 1,137 yards.

Jones-Drew caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Blaine Gabbert to cap a 79-yard drive at the start of the second quarter. The Jaguars managed only 27 yards in the opening quarter.

After a three-and-out by the Chargers, Gabbert and Drew hooked up on a 48-yard shovel pass. It was a beautifully executed play, with Gabbert flicking the ball five yards with his left hand to Drew, who had the middle of the field all to himself and ran down to the 4-yard line.

Chargers cornerback Antoine Cason broke up a potential touchdown pass to Jarett Dillard, but on third-and-goal from the 5, Gabbert found Cecil Shorts in the back corner of the end zone to give the Jaguars a 14-10 lead.

It was all San Diego after that, mostly due to Rivers.

Game notes
Chargers C Nick Hardwick (neck) left in the first half, but later returned. … LB Donald Butler (foot) left the game and did not return. … The Chargers improved to 18-2 in December and January under Turner. … The Jaguars have lost 12 of their last 15 games, dating to last season. … Gabbert completed 19 of 33 passes for 195 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, his best game since early October. … An overlooked play was Jacksonville offensive tackle Guy Whimper‘s 17-yard reception. He showed soft hands and nimble feet. Chargers S Eric Weddle didn’t seem to want any part of tackling the 302-pound lineman.

Drew Brees accounts for 5 TDs as Saints demolish fading Giants

NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees took a few triumphant strides toward the goal post with the ball in his hand and rose up for an imitation, Michael Jordan-style dunk over the crossbar.

He had to settle for a finger-roll instead.

It was one of the few times Brees came up short Monday night as the New Orleans Saints made everything look easy in a 49-24 victory over the slumping New York Giants, who have lost three straight.

“I was a little more tired than I thought I would be,” Brees said of his celebration, which came right after he finished an 8-yard scramble with a dive into the end zone. “I do apologize to MJ.”

Brees was prepared for a little ribbing from teammates and coaches, but they mainly complimented him after he passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to his scoring run.

“There’s that confidence that players around him have, and obviously we have in him,” Saints coach Sean Payton said of Brees. “He made some fantastic throws tonight.”

Tight end Jimmy Graham had five catches for 84 yards, including touchdowns of 5 and 29 yards. Brees’ two other scoring strikes went to Lance Moore, who had five catches for 54 yards.

“Can’t say enough about our team. Our coaches, offense, defense — it was a great team win tonight in every aspect,” Brees said.

This was a game New York was desperate to win after losing its previous two to San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Instead, the Giants (6-5) dropped a game behind first-place Dallas in the NFC East and face the possibility of a four-game losing streak when they host the unbeaten Green Bay Packers next weekend.

“We didn’t stop them. How much further explanation do you want?” said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, whose defense was unable to sack Brees. “We prepared well, but when we got in the game we didn’t cover well. When we don’t get to the passer, we have trouble.”

The Saints (8-3), meanwhile, maintained a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

They also padded their rushing stats with 205 yards on the ground, including touchdown runs of 12 yards by Pierre Thomas and 35 yards by rookie Mark Ingram.

“Our guys came out sharp,” Payton said. “We felt like this was going to be a tough opponent coming in with two losses they had prior to our game. … We had the balance we were looking for. I thought we ran it well tonight.”

Marques Colston had three catches for 78 yards, all on the Saints’ 34-second, 88-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter that gave New Orleans a 21-3 halftime lead. Colston’s longest reception went for 50 yards when he caught a pass along the left sideline, slipped a tackle and raced up field.

The Giants took a beating on the scoreboard and on the field. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora went out with a sprained ankle and receiver Hakeem Nicks was rocked on a vicious hit by Saints rookie safety Isa Abdul-Quddus.

Nicks stayed in the game despite bruised ribs.

New York already was missing two key players because of injuries: leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw and wide receiver Mario Manningham.

“It’s hard not to know when you’re getting your butt whipped, but I didn’t see any moping I was concerned about,” Giants defensive lineman Justin Tuck said. “We played hard, (but) it’s hard to smile when you’re losing like that.”

Eli Manning completed 21 straight passes for the Giants — mostly after the outcome was decided. New York did not get into the end zone until Brandon Jacobs steamrolled safety Roman Harper on an 8-yard scoring run that made it 21-10 in the third quarter, but the Saints went right back down the field and scored on Brees’ 8-yard scramble.

After Giants running back Da’Rel Scott fumbled on his own 29, Brees connected with Graham, who rumbled down the left sideline and dove for the pylon for his second TD of the game, and his team-leading eighth receiving score of the season.

The Saints never trailed, striking first early in the second quarter on Brees’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Moore, who snagged a quick throw on the right side and dove to stretch the ball across the goal line before he was tackled.

The 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive included a 23-yard pass to Graham and a 23-yard run by Darren Sproles, and it was the first of three touchdown drives of more than 80 yards in the opening half.

“We can always get better. There’s always something to prove. The challenges only get greater as you move through the season,” Brees said before looking ahead to his team’s next game. “Sunday night football next week, we got Detroit coming to town, on a short week, so we’re going to have to get ourselves back on track out here pretty quick and ready for that game.”

Back home in the Big Easy, Manning passed for 406 yards. He was intercepted by linebacker Will Herring in the end zone on the team’s first series.

The only scoring the Giants managed in the first half was Lawrence Tynes‘ 42-yard field goal. Tynes also attempted a 61-yarder, which fell short, at the end of the half.

The Giants, who have been struggling to run the ball all season, gained only 73 yards on the ground.

Game notes
Brees took back the NFL passing lead from Tom Brady. Brees now has 3,689 yards, keeping him on pace to break Dan Marino‘s single-season mark of 5,084 set in 1984. … Brees has passed for at least one TD in 38 straight games, the second-longest streak in NFL history. … The Saints’ total of 577 yards was the second-highest in franchise history. … The Giants lowered their already anemic rushing average to 82.3 yards per game.

Pats bury Chiefs after shaky 1st as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski shine again

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Rob Gronkowski somersaulted into the end zone, staggered to his feet and still managed to spike the ball.

“I was just fine,” the Patriots star tight end said. “I just got the wind knocked out of me a little bit.”

New England was more than fine after looking groggy on offense early in the game before finishing big with a 34-3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.

Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Gronkowski, who has five in his past three games. Julian Edelman returned a punt 72 yards for another score and Kyle Arrington had two of the Patriots three interceptions.

“We try to be a very opportunistic defense,” Arrington said, “and when plays like that present themselves, you’ve got to capitalize on them. And if I can get into the end zone one of these times, that would be good, too.”

The Patriots (7-3) didn’t need him to do that on Monday when they increased their AFC East lead to two games.

The Chiefs (4-6) weren’t expected to do much on offense behind untested quarterback Tyler Palko, who threw three interceptions in his first career start with Matt Cassel injured. And they didn’t, managing just a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Succop with 1:30 left in the first quarter for their only lead.

“Three interceptions is inexcusable,” Palko said. “The game is hard enough as it is without making mistakes.”

With Gronkowski collecting his ninth and 10th TD receptions of the season, the Patriots had their second straight dominant game after beating the New York Jets 37-16. The Chiefs lost their third straight.

The Patriots didn’t generate much of an attack during their first four series. There were three punts and a fumble by Brady that was recovered by Kansas City’s Allen Bailey on the first play of the second quarter. And on his next series, Brady was sacked twice.

“Obviously, the first half we didn’t do anything,” Brady said. “I don’t think it could have gotten much worse.”

But the protection improved and Brady, who had thrown for just 19 yards in the first quarter, took advantage, leading three consecutive scoring drives.

He connected with Gronkowski for a 52-yard score when the tight end caught the ball over the middle and scampered the last 35 yards, barely managing to remain inbounds on the right side as he neared the end zone.

“When I get the ball, you just don’t want to go down,” he said. “You’ve got to try and do something with the ball. That’s why you get it.”

Arrington, who leads the NFL with seven interceptions, got his first of the game on Kansas City’s next series and Stephen Gostkowski made it 10-3 at halftime with a 21-yard field goal.

“We were still fighting and we knew it was a close game going into halftime,” Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis said. “They got a big play and a big score (Gronkowski’s second touchdown) in the second half and that started their rally.”

The Patriots got the ball to start the third quarter and went 85 yards on nine plays, scoring on Brady’s 19-yard pass to Gronkowski, who went head over heels, landing on his neck in the right corner of the end zone after being hit by Derrick Johnson.

“He’s a great football player,” Patriots guard Brian Waters said. “It doesn’t surprise me for him to be able to bounce up.”

Gronkowski has 20 touchdowns in 26 games, surpassing Mike Ditka’s mark of 31 for the fewest games needed by a tight end to reach 20 touchdowns. He also pulled within three of the single-season, tight end record of 13 touchdown receptions held by Antonio Gates of San Diego and Vernon Davis of San Francisco.

“Everyone’s doing their job and I just happen to be an open guy and Tom hits me in the end zone,” Gronkowski said.

Just 1:03 after his second touchdown, Edelman got his second punt return touchdown of his career as the Patriots jumped to a 24-3 lead with 9:24 left in the third quarter.

Edelman, a wide receiver, also played defensive back, a position hit hard by injuries.

“I do whatever I can to help the team,” he said.

Arrington picked off another pass on the Chiefs’ next possession, leading to a 19-yard field goal by Gostkowski.

And just when it looked as if Palko, who had thrown just 13 passes before Monday night, might direct his team to a touchdown, he threw an interception to Phillip Adams in the end zone with 10:50 left in the game.

“We did too many things that get you beat in this league too many times,” Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali said.

The Patriots finished the scoring on rookie Shane Vereen‘s first NFL touchdown on a 4-yard run with 1:01 left.

In the previous meeting between the teams, Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 opener and was replaced by Cassel. But he injured his right throwing hand in the Chiefs’ last game, a 17-10 loss, and had season-ending surgery on Nov. 14.

Palko completed 25 of 38 passes for 236 yards and three interceptions. Brady was 15 of 27 for 234 yards and no interceptions.

“All in all, I felt pretty confident,” Palko said. “Obviously, there’s a few things I’d like to have back.”

Game notes
Gronkowski’s 52-yard reception was the longest of his career. … The Chiefs tried an onside kick after Succop’s field goal but were called for touching the ball before it went 10 yards. … Wes Welker extended his streak to 88 games with at least one catch. His first reception didn’t come until six minutes remained in the game and he finished with two.

Aaron Rodgers, unbeaten Packers run over Vikings in laugher

Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers was just fine sharing the spotlight with the Green Bay Packers’ defense. Thrilled, actually.

If the Packers now can field a dependable defense along with their trademark high-octane offense, they just might be unstoppable.

The Packers (9-0) remain the NFL’s lone undefeated team — not that Rodgers is quite ready to ponder the possibility of a perfect season.

“I’m sure there will be, obviously, more pressure, more scrutiny from the outside of this locker room,” Rodgers said. “But we’ve got a good locker room.”

Rodgers threw four touchdown passes against a fierce Vikings pass rush, Randall Cobb returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown and the Packers defense contained Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings in a 45-7 victory on Monday night.

“It’s (our) best game, because of the margin of victory,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “And at the end of the day, it’s about points.”

Green Bay’s defense came into the game giving up nearly 300 yards passing per game, second-most in the NFL. Their last time out, the Packers nearly blew a big lead in the fourth quarter at San Diego, holding on for a 45-38 victory.

The Packers finally played to their potential against the division rival Vikings (2-7), holding rookie quarterback Christian Ponder to 190 yards passing with an interception and limiting Peterson to 51 yards and a touchdown.

I’m Surgical With This

Aaron Rodgers is putting on a clinic this season and if past history is any sort of barometer, he could be headed back to the Super Bowl.

“I felt as a defense we owed it to ourselves to play a game like that,” cornerback Charles Woodson said. “Owed it to our fans, our team, especially our offense who’s been playing out of their minds this year. We needed a game like that. It feels good, but it’s still one game.”

Worse yet for the Vikings, they may be without cornerback Antoine Winfield because of a broken clavicle, according to coach Leslie Frazier. Monday’s game was Winfield’s first since sustaining a neck injury.

The Vikings’ defense did its best to rough up Rodgers, sacking him three times and hitting him hard virtually every time he took off running. Defensive end Jared Allen harassed Rodgers at every turn.

The pressure didn’t force any uncharacteristic mistakes from Rodgers, who was 23 of 30 for 250 yards without an interception. Rodgers threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jordy Nelson, and also found Greg Jennings and John Kuhn for scores.

“Our performance tonight was very disappointing,” Frazier said.

Allen didn’t need anybody to recite Rodgers’ gaudy stats.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Allen said. “All I know is he crushed us tonight.”

McCarthy put backup quarterback Matt Flynn in the game with 10:30 left in the fourth quarter — and the Vikings couldn’t keep him out of the end zone, either, as he scrambled 3 yards for a touchdown with 4:27 left.

But it was Cobb, a second-round rookie out of Kentucky, who got it all started for the Packers.

Packers Bring The Wood(son)

The Packers unleashed their secondary Monday night, sending a defensive back on a blitz on 19 of 39 (48.7 percent) of Christian Ponder’s dropbacks Monday. It was their highest blitz percentage over the last four seasons.

After the Packers’ defense forced the Vikings to go three-and-out on their first possession, Cobb fielded a punt from Chris Kluwe and squeezed through a seam in the middle of the field. Cobb accelerated down the left sideline and danced the final few steps into the end zone, tossing the ball in the air as if he was shooting a basketball before doing a “Lambeau leap” into the stands.

Cobb also had a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Packers’ season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

“I guess when the lights come on my tempo and my game speed goes up,” Cobb said. “But I’ve got to get to where I’m doing it every game.”

Rodgers finally got the ball and directed an 11-play, 70-yard drive that included conversions on third-and-8, to Donald Driver, and third-and-7, to running back James Starks. Rodgers then finished the drive with a perfect pass to Jennings in the middle of the field for a touchdown, and the Packers led 14-0.

With the Vikings driving near the end of the first quarter, Woodson wrestled a ball away from Visanthe Shiancoe for what initially was ruled an interception. Frazier challenged the call and it was overturned, giving Ryan Longwell a shot at a 47-yard field goal. But the Vikings committed a penalty, and Longwell came up just short on a 52-yard attempt.

Rodgers then put together another drive, and Rodgers hit tight end Jermichael Finley for 25 yards on a fourth-and-5 conversion attempt at the Vikings 34-yard line. Allen sacked Rodgers on first-and-goal, and the Packers ended up settling for a 25-yard field goal by Mason Crosby to take a 17-0 lead with 12:04 left before halftime. Ponder then threw an interception to Packers cornerback Tramon Williams, misfiring on a deep ball after a flea-flicker toss back from Peterson. Rodgers was sharp on the first possession of the second half, leading an eight-play, 69-yard drive that included a fourth-down conversion to Nelson. Rodgers found Nelson on the right sideline two plays later, Nelson threw a stiff arm at Vikings cornerback Cedric Griffin and broke free for a touchdown, giving the Packers a commanding 24-0 lead with 10:45 left in the third quarter.

The Packers forced another punt but Cobb fumbled, and the Vikings recovered deep in Packers territory. Ponder threw to Percy Harvin, then handed to Peterson for a 3-yard touchdown up the middle. The Vikings cut the Packers’ lead to 24-7 with 8:41 left in the third quarter. Cobb then made up for his mistake with a long kickoff return to give the ball to the Packers at midfield. Rodgers led yet another precision drive, finishing it off with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Kuhn for a 31-7 lead.

Game notes:
Cobb’s return was the Packers’ first punt return for a touchdown since November 2008. … Including the playoffs, the Packers have won 15 straight games dating back to last season, the longest such streak in team history. … Monday’s attendance was 70,519.

Matt Forte, Bears fight past mistakes to cool off Eagles

Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA — Matt Forte was standing on the sideline after losing two fumbles and Chicago faced a fourth-quarter deficit.

No problem for Jay Cutler and these resilient Bears.

It’s not about schemes, chemistry or coaching anymore in Philly. It’s time to face facts: the Eagles aren’t tough enough, writes Dan Graziano. Blog

Cutler threw a go-ahead 5-yard TD pass to Earl Bennett, Forte ran for 133 yards and the Bears rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 30-24 on Monday night.

“We cannot afford to fall behind against anyone in this league, so we needed a good start,” said Forte, who had 374 touches without losing a fumble.

“We had that, and even with that fast start, we still fell behind against that team. But we stayed focused and recovered. We tried not to worry about the past, and just focus on the next play. For us, that is the key.”

It was a crushing loss for Michael Vick and the Eagles (3-5), who blew a fourth-quarter lead for the fourth time this season. Jeremy Maclin fell down and was tackled at the Chicago 30 after a 9-yard catch on fourth-and-10 with just under two minutes left, and the Bears ran out the clock. The defending NFC East champions trail the New York Giants (6-2) by three games.

Faulty Fourth

The Eagles’ loss Monday night came after yet another fourth-quarter collapse. Philly has now been outscored by 36 points in the fourth quarter this season, worst in the NFL.

“We need to keep getting better,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “We have to continue to work hard and learn from our mistakes.”

Chicago (5-3) won its third straight game, but remains third in the NFC North behind Green Bay (8-0) and Detroit (6-2). The Bears entered as an 8-point underdog despite coming off a bye.
After LeSean McCoy’s 33-yard touchdown run following Forte’s second fumble gave the Eagles a 24-17 lead in the third quarter, the Bears answered with 13 straight points. Robbie Gould kicked a 38-yard field goal to cut it to 24-20, and then Chicago’s defense forced a punt after three plays. The Bears drove 51 yards for the go-ahead score, with Cutler tossing a 5-yard TD pass to Bennett over Asante Samuel for a 27-24 lead.

“All you ever hear is DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and all of the plays that they can make,” Bennett said of Philadelphia’s standout receivers. “So, we just wanted to go out there, make some plays, and prove the critics wrong.”

The Eagles reached the Bears 42 on their next drive. On fourth-and-6, punter Chas Henry bounced a pass to a wide-open Colt Anderson and Chicago took over. Henry, recruited as a quarterback at Florida, spent a lot of time throwing passes to long snapper Jon Dorenbos on the sideline in the second quarter, presumably warming up for the fake punt. He got his chance and badly underthrew the pass.

Identity Change

Since the Bears lost to the Lions in Week 5, Chicago has made a point of establishing its ground game and protecting quarterback Jay Cutler.

“Pretty seldom do we have a guy completely uncovered and have a chance to make a big play. We didn’t execute,” Reid said.

The Bears took advantage. A pass interference penalty on Nnamdi Asomugha at the Eagles 7 prolonged the drive. The defense stiffened and Gould hit a 22-yarder to extend the lead to 30-24. Trent Cole knocked the ball loose from Forte following a 6-yard run midway through the third quarter, and Mike Patterson recovered at the Bears 41. Forte was originally ruled down, but the play was overturned when the Eagles challenged.

Two plays later, McCoy sprinted down the left side and into the end zone to score for the eighth straight game, tying Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren’s club record.
In a matchup featuring two of the game’s best running backs, Forte outplayed McCoy except for the two fumbles. McCoy had 71 yards rushing.

The Eagles tied it at 17 on Ronnie Brown’s 4-yard TD run that capped an 80-yard drive to open the second half. The TD was Brown’s first since joining the Eagles. Brown was one of six former Pro Bowl players acquired by Philadelphia in the offseason. He hadn’t made much of a contribution and was traded to Detroit last month only to have the deal voided because Jerome Harrison didn’t pass a physical.

The Bears took a 17-10 halftime lead on Marion Barber’s 2-yard TD run after a costly fumble by Jackson. Jackson, a Pro Bowl punt returner, was stripped by Corey Graham and the Bears recovered at the Eagles 9 with a minute left in the second quarter.

A roughing-the-passer penalty on Jason Babin gave Chicago a first down at the Eagles 2 after Cutler threw an incomplete pass on third down. Barber then ran in from the 2. Cutler threw a 5-yard TD pass to Matt Spaeth and Gould kicked a 51-yard field goal to help the Bears build an early 10-0 advantage. Rookie Alex Henery kicked a career-best 47-yard field goal for the Eagles, and the defense made a big play on Chicago’s ensuing series late in the second quarter. Forte caught a short pass from Cutler, but Brian Rolle punched the ball out. Rolle picked it up and ran 22 yards for a TD that tied it at 10.

After struggling badly against the run the first five weeks, the Eagles improved in the past two games. They allowed just 127 yards rushing combined in wins against Washington and Dallas.

Helped by a pass interference call on Major Wright that kept their second drive going, the Eagles reached the Bears 19 early in the second quarter. But Vick made a poor throw into double coverage that was picked off by Wright, who returned it 36 yards to the Bears 48.

The teams met for the fifth straight year. Chicago has won four of those games. Beloved former Eagles coach Buddy Ryan was honored at halftime. Vick was 21 of 38 for 213 yards and one interception. He fell to 0-4 as a starter against the Bears. Cutler was 18 of 32 for 208 yards and two TDs. Ryan, who is battling cancer, was Chicago’s defensive coordinator during their Super Bowl championship season in 1985. He came to Philadelphia the next season and led the Eagles to the playoffs from 1988-90. Ryan got a loud ovation and fans chanted “Buddy! Buddy!”

Game notes
Eagles FS Nate Allen left with a concussion. … Bears return specialist Devin Hester left with an ankle injury.

Chiefs topple clumsy Chargers in wild OT affair to tie for West lead

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Up and down the sideline, the Kansas City Chiefs were telling each other the game wasn’t over. Didn’t matter that Philip Rivers was under center with less than a minute left, and that Nick Novak was poised to kick the winning field goal for San Diego.

The Chiefs have had their backs against the wall enough this season.

They certainly weren’t going to just quit.

With first down at the Kansas City 15, Rivers called for the snap — and the ball never got into his hands. It squirted loose on the field, bounced under a scrum, and finally emerged in the hands of Chiefs linebacker Andy Studebaker, who was running to the sideline in joy.

The game headed for overtime, and Ryan Succop eventually knocked through a 30-yard field goal to give the Chiefs a dramatic 23-20 victory over the Chargers on Monday night.

“Our guys were saying, ‘It ain’t over ’till it’s over. Keep playing, and digging,’ ” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. “You never know what will happen.”

Kansas City (4-3) became the first team in NFL history to lose its first three games and share at least part of a division lead after four more. The Chiefs are also the first team since the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2000 to win four straight games after losing their first three.

Rivers could have prevented all of it from happening.

“I haven’t had one in years,” Rivers said of the fumbled snap. “It’s unfortunate. I dropped it. This one is rough. You blow it on a play that never should have happened.”

Kansas City had its own chance to win in regulation, but Matt Cassel overthrew his wide receiver in Chargers territory and Eric Weddle‘s second interception sent the game to overtime.

Philip Rivers has become a turnover machine this season and after Monday night’s three-turnover performance he leads the league in giveaways.

San Diego won the toss but failed to pick up a first down, and Cassel calmly led Kansas City down field. Succop’s field goal with 5:16 remaining gave the Chiefs their fourth straight win and moved them into a tie with San Diego (4-3) and the idle Oakland Raiders (4-3) in the division.

“We were saying, ‘Don’t quit,’ ” Studebaker said. “You never quit, even if it looks ugly. If you quit every time something looks ugly, you miss an opportunity to do something special.”

Boy, was this one ever ugly.

Rivers wound up throwing for 369 yards, but he also had two interceptions and one big fumble.

The teams combined for eight turnovers, matching the most in an NFL game this season. The Chargers were called for 12 penalties worth 105 yards in a gruesome game on Halloween night.

One that looked pretty in the end to Kansas City.

The Chiefs got off to an abysmal start this season, losing their first two games by a combined 89-10 score and then dropping their third game on the road, at San Diego. Along the way, the Chiefs lost Pro Bowl running back Jamaal Charles, safety Eric Berry and tight end Tony Moeaki for the season.

They started moving in the right direction against division doormats Minnesota and Indianapolis, and then romped to a 28-0 win over Oakland last week.

Now, they are tied for the lead in the AFC West.

“It’s everybody,” Haley said. “And I hate to mention one without mentioning them all, because everybody fought their tail ends off to make that result what it was.”

The Chiefs had things going early, getting a 36-yard field goal from Succop in the first quarter and then capitalizing on Rivers’ second interception in the first few minutes.

With the ball at the Chargers 39, Cassel dropped back to pass and saw Jonathan Baldwin streaking for the end zone. The wide receiver out-jumped fellow rookie Marcus Gilchrist for his first career touchdown catch, giving the Chiefs a 10-0 lead.

Novak kicked a field goal midway through the second quarter for San Diego, but he missed another late in the second quarter, and Succop hit one with just a few ticks on the clock for a 13-3 halftime lead.

The Chargers’ defense kept them in the game in the third quarter, holding the Chiefs to two three-and-outs and picking off Cassel for the second time. Kansas City only managed 44 yards of offense in the second and third quarters combined.

Novak kicked three field goals in the third quarter, drawing the Chargers within 13-12, but their inability to get into the end zone cost them dearly.

Kansas City finally got its offense in gear, marching 74 yards in 10 plays early in the fourth quarter. Jackie Battle finished off the drive by leaping over the scrum from a yard out, giving the Chiefs a 20-12 lead with 12:01 left.

It sure didn’t last long.

Rivers completed four straight passes covering 74 yards — one for 27 yards to Vincent Jackson on third-and-13 — before Curtis Brinkley leaped in from 2 yards out for the Chargers’ first touchdown.

Going for the 2-point conversion and the tie, Rivers floated a pass to Brinkley in the flat and he was thrown back by cornerback Brandon Carr. The officials ruled that Brinkley nudged the ball over the goal line, though, and the decision was upheld by video review.

It was the fourth replay call that went against the Chiefs.

Rivers’ butterfingers made that a moot point.

“They had no timeouts. We were in position to go kick the game-winning field goal,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “It didn’t happen. It looked to me like Philip got a little anxious and came out early. That’s a very unusual way to not win a game.”

Game notes
The Chargers signed LB Bront Bird from the practice squad and released WR Bryan Walters before the game. … Chiefs S Jon McGraw left the game with a shoulder injury. … San Diego CB Quentin Jammer left the game in the second half with cramps.

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars push past ineffective Ravens to halt 5-game skid

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Maurice Jones-Drew walked off the field, his white pants had a mix of grass, dirt and blood stains. They might be worth keeping that way.

After all, few players have had that much success against that defense.

Jones-Drew ran for 105 yards, Josh Scobee kicked four field goals and the Jacksonville Jaguars snapped a five-game slide with a 12-7 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

“It finally feels good to win one after all those losses,” said Jones-Drew, the first player to run for 100 yards against the Ravens since last December. “It was nice to show the world what we’re about. We beat a very good team.”

Stepping into the national spotlight for a few hours, the Jaguars used their best defensive effort in seven years to slow down Ray Rice, Joe Flacco and Co.

“You’ve got to give them credit. They played like it was their Super Bowl,” Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin said.

The victory could be a turning point for a young team trying to create confidence after losing eight of its previous nine games. Instead of talk about coach Jack Del Rio’s job security, the Jaguars (2-5) got back in the mix in the wide-open AFC South.

“We knew this was an opportunity to right things and gain a little respect,” Del Rio said.

They relied on Jones-Drew and the defense to get it done.

Jacksonville didn’t allow a first down until the 5:26 mark of the third quarter, a mix of stout defense and inept offense. Flacco finally got the Ravens (4-2) on the scoreboard with a little more than two minutes remaining. He capped a 90-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Boldin.

The Ravens failed to recover an onside kick when the ball bounced inches short of going the required 10 yards. Scobee followed with his third field goal of at least 50 yards, tying an NFL record held by many.

“As long as I’m getting those opportunities, I will gladly take them,” Scobee said. “Given that we haven’t scored a lot of points this season, I know that every time I’m out there it’s very important.”

Baltimore had a final possession, but in fitting fashion, Jacksonville’s defense came up big. Drew Coleman stepped in front of Ed Dickson and intercepted Flacco’s final pass.

The Ravens finished with 146 total yards, the fewest yards the Jaguars have allowed since 2004.

“They basically beat us with their defense,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I don’t think it was any one thing. It was a lack of execution. It’s almost as bad as you can play on offense.”

The Jaguars set a franchise record by allowing only 16 yards in the first half, including 1 yard passing by Flacco, who was under relentless pressure for much of the night.

“We need to make sure when we’re not on our ‘A’ game, we’re not this,” said Flacco, who completed 21 of 38 passes for 137 yards.

Baltimore finally got a first down on its 28th play of the game when Rice broke off a 12-yard run. That was only the second play longer than 10 yards for the Ravens.

“We were confident about this game,” Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton said. “We knew we had to outplay them. The difference between this and the other weeks is that we started fast. Our defense is capable of that. That’s why we hold ourselves to a high standard. We just needed to taste victory. Now that we have, we’re going to keep it rolling.”

The teams combined to go 0 of 16 on third-down conversions in the opening half. The Jaguars began the third quarter with six first downs, only for the Ravens’ defense to stiffen after yet another mistake.

The Ravens stopped Jacksonville, but Brendon Ayanbadejo was called for a personal foul and ejected from the game when he punched Guy Whimper in the facemask after the play. That gave the Jaguars first-and-goal from the 3, but Blaine Gabbert failed to complete two passes in the end zone and Scobee kicked a 22-yard field goal.

An earlier field goal was set up by another Baltimore blunder.

After Gabbert completed passes of 24 and 11 yards to the Ravens 38, Gabbert was sacked on third-and-8 at the 40. The Jaguars chose to punt, but Paul Kruger was penalized for running into the kicker. The 5-yard penalty put Scobee in field goal range, putting the Jaguars up 6-0 with a 54-yard kick.

Scobee, who extended his franchise record with a field goal for the 15th straight game, kicked two 54-yarders.

Jacksonville needed every yard and point it could muster. The NFL’s worst offense put the game on Jones-Drew’s shoulders. He carried 30 times, most of them right into the middle of Baltimore’s revered defense.

“We just grinded them,” Gabbert said. “Mojo’s a beast back there.”

Game notes
Ravens S Ed Reed had his shoulder popped back into place in the fourth quarter, but returned after a few plays off. … Houston’s Arian Foster was the last player to run for at least 100 yards against Baltimore. … The Jaguars, who snapped a six-game losing streak in prime time, improved to 7-3 on Monday night. … Rice ran eight times for 28 yards. … Baltimore’s star was Sam Koch, who punted nine times for a 52.2 yard average.