Texans take down Bears, Cutler

Houston running back Arian Foster is tackled by Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman on Sunday night in Chicago.

Houston running back Arian Foster is tackled by Chicago cornerback Charles Tillman on Sunday night in Chicago.

Monday, November 12, 2012

— The Houston Texans kept taking the ball away from the Chicago Bears. Then, they took their quarterback out of the game.

Arian Foster finished with 102 yards rushing and a touchdown catch, and the Houston Texans intercepted Jay Cutler twice before knocking him out of the game with a concussion on their way to a 13-6 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday night.

In a showdown between two of the NFL’s best teams, the Texans (8-1) beat the Bears (7-2) at their own game. They came away with four takeaways and Tim Dobbins delivered the biggest blow when he drove his helmet into Cutler late in the second quarter.

Foster was the only reliable offensive weapon on either side, particularly in the first half when he ran for 85 yards and made a catch for a 2-yard touchdown to put Houston ahead 10-3.

Otherwise, neither team got much going on a soggy night. The Texans did just enough, and now, they’re tied with Atlanta for the league’s best record after the Falcons were upset by New Orleans.

Matt Schaub threw for 95 yards and a touchdown while getting picked off twice by Tim Jennings. Andre Johnson had four catches for 35 yards with Charles Tillman on him. Former Bear Danieal Manning helped set the tone early in the game, forcing a fumble by Kellen Davis on Chicago’s first play from scrimmage and picking off Cutler later in the first quarter.

Cutler completed 7 of 14 passes for 40 yards with 2 interceptions in the first half, while Jason Campbell threw for 94 yards in the second half.

Brandon Marshall managed 107 yards receiving but also dropped a pass in the end zone. Matt Forte never got going, running for 39 yards.

BENGALS 31, GIANTS 13

Andy Dalton threw a career-high four touchdown passes - each to a different receiver - and Cincinnati ended its four game losing streak by beating the New York Giants. The Bengals (4-5) took advantage of a fumble and Eli Manning’s two interceptions, which set up third quarter touchdowns. The Giants (6-4) head into their bye with back-to-back losses and a lot of issues, especially on offense. The Giants turned it over four times in the second half.

RAVENS 55, RAIDERS 20

Joe Flacco threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and Baltimore set a club record for points. The Ravens (7-2) scored on six of their first seven possessions against the struggling Raiders (3-6),who have yielded at least 40 points in two consecutive games for the first time since 1962. The 55 points tied an Oakland record for points allowed, a mark set in 1961 and matched in 1981. Baltimore led 27-10 at halftime. In the third quarter, Flacco threw touchdown passes of 47 and 20 yards to Torrey Smith, and holder Sam Koch scored on a fake field goal in the third quarter to make it 48-17. In the fourth quarter, Jacoby Jones took a kickoff 105 yards for 55-20 lead. Baltimore’s previous record for points in a game was 48, against Detroit in December 2009.

BRONCOS 36, PANTHERS 14

Peyton Manning made sure John Fox’s return to Carolina was a successful one, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown. Manning threw his 420th touchdown pass to move into a tie for second place on the NFL’s all-time list with Dan Marino. He trails only Brett Favre (508). Manning had plenty of help from his teammates. Von Miller harassed Cam Newton all day and Trindon Holliday returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown as the Broncos (6-3) won for the fifth time in six weeks. The Broncos sacked Newton seven times, including once for a safety, and Miller pressured him into an interception Tony Carter returned 40 yards for a score. Fox, who coached the Panthers for nine seasons, downplayed his return all week, but celebrated with a few fist pumps Sunday.

PATRIOTS 37, BILLS 31

Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns, Devin McCourty ended Buffalo’s hopes with an interception in the end zone and New England kept Buffalo winless at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots (6-3) let a 17-3 lead slip to 34-31 with 7:47 left on Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Donald Jones. Then the Bills (3-6) held the Patriots to a 27-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski with 2:06 remaining.Buffalo then moved to a second-and-10 at the New England 15 before Fitzpatrick threw the ball right into the hands of McCourty while trying to hit T.J. Graham. New England is 11-0 against the Bills at Gillette since it opened in 2002 and 20-2 overall in its last 22 games against Buffalo.

VIKINGS 34, LIONS 24

Adrian Peterson raced 61 yards for the game-sealing touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, padding his NFL rushing lead with 171 yards on 27 carries for Minnesota. Peterson had 120 yards in the final 15 minutes, 10 1/2 months after reconstructive surgery on his left knee. Ponder bounced back from a rough game with 221 yards and two touchdowns for the Vikings (6-4). Calvin Johnson had 207 yards on 12 catches, including a touchdown that brought the Lions (4-5) a little closer with 1:53 left. But Johnson’s lost fumble near midfield on the previous possession put Vikings rookie Blair Walsh in position for his fourth field goal.

BUCCANEERS 34, CHARGERS 24

Josh Freeman threw two touchdown passes and the surging Buccaneers scored on a blocked punt and Leonard Johnson’s 83-yard interception. Freeman has thrown for 13 touchdowns with one interception in his past five games, helping the Bucs (5-4) win four times to climb back over .500 following a 1-3 start. Philip Rivers threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns for San Diego. He was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter to ruin any chance of the Chargers (4-5) coming from behind.

TITANS 37, DOLPHINS 3

Colin McCarthy returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown, and four takeaways helped Tennessee rout Miami. The Titans came into the game on pace to set an NFL record for points allowed in a season, but they stymied Miami by intercepting Ryan Tannehill three times and recovering a Reggie Bush fumble to set up a touchdown. Tennessee (4-6) rebounded from a 51-20 loss a week ago against the Bears that prompted owner Bud Adams to put the organization on notice. Last week the Titans trailed 28-2 after one quarter; this week they led 21-0 after 16 minutes. For Miami (4-5), the home loss was the most lopsided since 1968.

SEAHAWKS 28, JETS 7

Russell Wilson threw touchdowns of 38 yards to Golden Tate and 31 yards to Sidney Rice, and the Seattle Seahawks sent the New York Jets to their worst start since 2007.Wilson hit Tate on the opening drive, then connecting with Rice early in the fourth quarter to give Seattle (6-4) a two-score advantage. Tate added a touchdown pass on a reverse to Rice later in the fourth quarter. Mark Sanchez struggled in his reunion with Seattle Coach Pete Carroll, his former coach at Southern California. Sanchez threw a costly interception at the goal line in the first half, then fumbled at the Seattle 32. Muhammad Wilkerson’s fumble return for a touchdown was the only score for New York (3-6).

THURSDAY’S GAME Indianapolis 27, Jacksonville 10 SUNDAY’S GAMES New Orleans 31, Atlanta 27 Minnesota 34, Detroit 24 Denver 36, Carolina 14 Tampa Bay 34, San Diego 24 Tennessee 37, Miami 3 New England 37, Buffalo 31 Baltimore 55, Oakland 20 Cincinnati 31, NY Giants 13 Seattle 28, NY Jets 7 St. Louis 24, San Francisco 24, OT Dallas 38, Philadelphia 23 Houston 13, Chicago 6 OPEN Arizona, Cleveland, Green Bay, Washington TODAY’S GAME All times Central Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, NOV. 15 Miami at Buffalo, 7:20 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 18 Cleveland at Dallas, noon NY Jets at St. Louis, noon Jacksonville at Houston, noon Cincinnati at Kansas City, noon Philadelphia at Washington, noon Green Bay at Detroit, noon Arizona at Atlanta, noon Tampa Bay at Carolina, noon New Orleans at Oakland, 3:05 p.m.

San Diego at Denver, 3:25 p.m.

Indianapolis at New England, 3:25 p.m.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 7:20 p.m.

OPEN Minnesota, NY Giants, Seattle, Tennessee MONDAY, NOV. 19 Chicago at San Francisco, 7:30 p.m.

Sports, Pages 19 on 11/12/2012