ATLANTA -- Michael Turner had a tiebreaking three-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Matt Bryant kicked four field goals and the Atlanta Falcons beat the Dallas Cowboys 19-13 on Sunday night to extend their run as the NFL's only unbeaten team.
Turner had 20 carries for 102 yards and Matt Ryan had a season-high 342 yards passing for the Falcons (8-0), who took their first lead on Turner's TD with 14:16 left in the game.
Tony Romo completed 6 of 6 passes for 78 yards, including a 21-yard scoring pass to Kevin Ogletree, on the Cowboys' touchdown drive later in the fourth.
The Falcons then worked the clock, holding the ball for 5 minutes, 4 seconds, leaving only 17 seconds left after Bryant's 32-yard field goal.
Romo completed three short passes before the game ended on a pass to Felix Jones, who was tackled near the Atlanta 22 (see full recap).
Steelers rally past Giants
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to beat themselves before they beat the New York Giants.
Overcoming unusual sloppiness, the Steelers dominated the second half for a 24-20 victory Sunday as Isaac Redman rushed for 147 yards and the winning touchdown from 1 yard with 4:02 to go (see full recap).
Temporary relief from the destruction of Superstorm Sandy was what New York's fans sought, and the Giants provided it for a while. But they couldn't stop Redman, who had little relief with Pittsburgh's other two main backs injured.
The Steelers (5-3) arrived in New Jersey hours before the game, which might have accounted for their carelessness. They had the fewest giveaways in the NFL entering the game, but were neglectful with the ball and in pass coverage; cornerback Keenan Lewis had 87 yards on two pass interference penalties. They wasted some great kick returns, too.
It all added up to a pleasant couple of hours for locals, who packed MetLife Stadium despite the difficulties caused by a lack of power in many homes, long gas lines and, of course, severe damage throughout the region.
Panthers end skid vs. Redskins
LANDOVER, Md. -- After Robert Griffin III was buried in a pile near the goal line, Cam Newton took over and led a 98-yard drive -- bloody thumb and all.
His abilities as a leader in question and his team in desperate need of positive morale -- not to mention a win -- Newton got the better of the first NFL matchup between the last two Heisman Trophy winners Sunday as the Carolina Panthers broke a five-game losing streak, beating the penalty-prone Washington Redskins 21-13 (see full recap).
Newton threw for 201 yards and ran for 37. DeAngelo Williams, dealing with a recent demotion to second-string, tiptoed down the sideline for a 30-yard score -- his longest run of the season -- and Steve Smith hauled in his first touchdown catch of 2012.
The Panthers (2-6) held Griffin and the Redskins (3-6) to long drives that were short on points in a game that Washington coach Mike Shanahan had declared a "must-win."
Bears demolish Titans
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Lovie Smith demanded a fast start from his Chicago Bears after a sluggish performance a week ago.
They certainly responded.
Charles Tillman forced four fumbles. Brian Urlacher scored on a 46-yard interception return. Plus, Chicago turned a blocked punt into a touchdown.
Jay Cutler threw three TD passes to Brandon Marshall just for good measure and the Bears put up their highest point total since 1980, routing the Tennessee Titans 51-20 on Sunday for their sixth straight win (see full recap).
"We didn't want to have a repeat of last week against Carolina," Tillman said. "This week our whole motto was, `Let's start fast.' To create a turnover on the first play of the game was the mindset going into the game."
Tillman did just that, stripping Titans receiver Kenny Britt on Tennessee's first offensive play and proving how exceptionally dangerous these Bears are even when they don't start with the ball.
The Bears (7-1) scored a franchise-record 28 points in the first quarter. They took control by creating three turnovers in the first 13 minutes, resulting in 14 points.
Doug Martin runs Bucs past Raiders
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Tampa Bay
Buccaneers turned to big-play rookie Doug Martin to pull away in the
second half, yet still needed one key defensive play to hold off the
Oakland Raiders.
Martin rushed for a franchise-record 251 yards and four touchdowns and Ahmad Black intercepted a Carson Palmer pass after Oakland had cut an 18-point deficit to three late in the fourth quarter as the Bucs beat the Raiders 42-32 on Sunday (see full recap).
Martin, who was born in Oakland and went to high school in nearby Stockton, had a memorable homecoming for the Bucs (4-4) by scoring on runs of 1, 45, 67 and 70 yards as he gashed what had been an improved run defense for the Raiders (3-5) the past few weeks.
Martin, the 31st pick in April out of Boise State, became the first back since at least 1940 to score on three TD runs of at least 45 yards in one game, according to STATS LLC.
He finished 45 yards shy of tying Adrian Peterson's single game record of 296 set in his rookie season in 2007.
Packers run to victory vs. Cards
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Tom Crabtree's slow-motion chug up the field was fast enough to beat out two Arizona Cardinals defenders.
Crabtree tumbled into the end zone just ahead of Paris Lenon and William Gay for a 72-yard touchdown that was Green Bay's longest of the season, and sealed the Packers' 31-17 victory over the Cardinals (see full recap).
Randall Cobb added two TD receptions and James Jones had his eighth scoring catch, a career-high, as the Packers handed Arizona its fifth straight loss.
The Packers (6-3) also finally got their running game going, finishing with a season-high 176 yards rushing on 39 carries. It was the first time in a month they've cracked the century mark.
Aaron Rodgers did not have his best game, going 14 of 30 for 218 yards. But he did break off a 25-yard run to help set up Green Bay's first score, and jumped on a fumble to keep alive another scoring drive.
©2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
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