NFL roundup: Peyton Manning, Broncos come up short against Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes and Adam Vinatieri made a tie-breaking 55-yard field goal with 6:13 to play, giving Indianapolis a surprising 27-24 victory over Denver.

The Colts (4-5) ended a three-game losing streak and stayed atop the AFC South by ruining Peyton Manning’s return to Indy again.

Denver (7-1) was the only unbeaten team to lose this weekend.

Luck was brilliant, going 21 of 36 for 252 yards. He broke a 17-17 tie with a TD pass early in the fourth quarter, then helped snap a 24-24 tie by setting up Vinatieri for the field goal on the next drive. Indy ran out the final 5:57.

Manning was 21 of 36 for 281 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. He couldn’t break Brett Favre’s record for regular-season wins (186) by a quarterback and fell 3 yards short of becoming the NFL’s career passing leader.

49ers 17, Falcons 16

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Blaine Gabbert threw a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes to Garrett Celek and undermanned San Francisco held on to beat Atlanta.

The 49ers (3-6) head into the bye on a winning note after a week of change.

Making his first start in more than two years, Gabbert didn’t take a sack behind an offensive line that has faced heavy scrutiny all year.

Celek made TD catches of 1 and 11 yards to give him three on the year and San Francisco’s stout defense flustered Matt Ryan despite the patchwork use of backups because of a rash of injuries.

Gabbert threw an interception midway through the fourth quarter, giving Atlanta (6-3) another chance with 7:14 to go. After an incompletion, Ryan hit six straight throws, but eventually missed Julio Jones in the end zone and Atlanta kicked a field goal and fell just short.

Giants 32, Buccaneers 18

TAMPA, Fla. -- Eli Manning threw for 213 yards and two touchdowns, helping first-place New York rebound from last week’s road debacle at New Orleans with a 32-18 victory at Tampa Bay.

Josh Brown booted four field goals for the Giants (5-4), including fourth-quarter kicks of 53 and 44 yards that gave New York some breathing room after the Bucs (3-5) pulled within two points.

Manning threw first-half TD passes of 8 yards to Reuben Randle and 4 yards to Shane Vereen. The Giants defense, bolstered by the return of Jason Pierre-Paul, did its part by keeping the Jameis Winston-led Tampa Bay offense out of the end zone until the rookie scrambled 10 yards for a TD that made it 20-18 with 9:25 remaining.

Winston’s 2-point conversion pass to the rear of the end zone was caught out of bounds. The Giants sealed the victory with Brown’s third and fourth field goals, plus Trevin Wade’s fumble recovery on the game’s final play.

Panthers 37, Packers 29

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score, and the Carolina Panthers took an important step toward best record in the NFC once the playoffs arrive with a 37-29 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Newton completed 15 of 30 passes for 297 yards and ran for 57 yards on nine carries in one of the better games of his five-year NFL career.

The Panthers (8-0) extended their regular-season win streak to 12 games and put themselves in terrific shape in the NFC standings, where every other team has at least two losses.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton reaches the ball over the goal line for a touchdown against the Packers in the first half Sunday.

(Bob Leverone / Associated Press)

Aaron Rodgers threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns and led a furious fourth-quarter comeback from 23 points down, but couldn’t complete it. Linebacker Thomas Davis intercepted Rodgers on a fourth-and-goal pass at the Carolina 3 with 1:54 left.

The Packers (6-2) have lost back-to-back games after starting 6-0.

Vikings 21, Rams 18 (OT)

MINNEAPOLIS -- Adrian Peterson rushed for 125 yards on 29 carries for Minnesota, helping set up Blair Walsh’s 40-yard field goal in overtime that lifted the Vikings to a win after quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left with a concussion.

In a predictably grind-it-out game between two similarly constructed teams, the Vikings (6-2) ended Todd Gurley’s streak of games with 125-plus yards rushing at four. Gurley gained 89 yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts for the Rams (4-4), who received the overtime kickoff but went three-and-out.

Marcus Sherels tiptoed along the sideline for a 26-yard return of Johnny Hekker’s 63-yard punt, and Peterson ran the ball well into Walsh’s range to give the Vikings their seventh straight win at home.

Titans 34, Saints 28

NEW ORLEANS -- Rookie Marcus Mariota passed for 371 yards and four touchdowns, including the winning 5-yard scoring pass to Anthony Fasano in overtime, as Tennessee snapped a six-game skid with the win at New Orleans.

The Saints (4-5) led 21-10 but could not put away the Titans (2-6), who turned in a feisty performance in their first game since coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired and replaced by Mike Mularkey.

Sunday also marked Mariota’s return from a knee sprain that sidelined him two games. He completed 28 of 39 passes, at times converting quick, decisive throws under pressure.

Drew Brees was 28 of 39 for 389 yards and three touchdowns for the Saints. He also scored on a short keeper but was intercepted in the end zone.

Both teams missed go-ahead field goal attempts in the last two minutes of regulation.

Jets 28, Jaguars 23

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two touchdown passes while playing with a torn ligament in his left thumb, Chris Ivory ran for two scores and New York took advantage of late mistakes by Jacksonville to claim a victory.

Brandon Marshall had a 20-yard TD catch after the Jets (5-3) recovered a muffed punt late in the fourth quarter, helping New York end a two-game skid in a messy performance by both sides. The Jets next face former coach Rex Ryan’s Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Blake Bortles threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns, including a 20-yard pass to Bryan Walters with 2:16 left to keep Jacksonville in it. But Marcus Williams came up with his second interception of the game on Jacksonville’s next possession as the Jets sent the Jaguars (2-6) to their 13th straight road loss.

Patriots 27, Redskins 10

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Julian Edelman and LeGarrette Blount scored touchdowns before Washington ran its second play from scrimmage as New England remained unbeaten.

Tom Brady completed 26 of 39 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns, including an 8-yard TD to Edelman on the Patriots’ opening drive. New England (8-0) then pulled off a surprise onside kick, but that drive stalled when Edelman fumbled.

The Redskins could manage only a single play: Kirk Cousins’ pass that bounced off Pierre Garcon and into the air, where it was intercepted by Logan Ryan. New England made it 14-0 on Blount’s 5-yard score.

Washington (3-5) managed just 15 total yards in the first quarter.

Kirk Cousins was 22 for 40 for 217 yards on the day, but he was hurt by seven dropped passes.

Bills 33, Dolphins 11

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Sammy Watkins had a career-best 168 yards receiving and a touchdown, and rookie running back Karlos Williams scored twice in leading the Buffalo to the win.

Watkins broke the game open with a 44-yard touchdown catch from Tyrod Taylor to put the Bills up 26-14 late in the third quarter. LeSean McCoy had a season-best 112 yards rushing and a touchdown, before leaving in the fourth quarter with a right shoulder injury.

Linebacker Jerry Hughes had two sacks, including a forced fumble, which he recovered to set up Watkins’ score.

The Bills (4-4) were coming out of their bye week.

Miami (3-5) continued to regress. Coming off a 36-7 loss to New England, Miami has lost two straight since winning its first two games after interim coach Dan Campbell took over when Joe Philbin was fired.

The Dolphins are 0-4 against AFC East rivals.