Miami 3-0 for first time since 2002

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - Ryan Tannehill lobbed a 1-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Dion Sims with 38 seconds left Sunday, and the unbeaten Miami Dolphins rallied past the Atlanta Falcons 27-23.

The score capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive after Atlanta’s Matt Bryant missed a 35-yard field goal attempt with 4:46 left. Jimmy Wilson intercepted Matt Ryan to seal the victory.

Miami quickly fell behind 10-0 and trailed much of the game, but improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2002. The Falcons fell to 1-2.

Tannehill led the comeback and finished 24 for 35 for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. He overcame five sacks and two turnovers.

COLTS 27, 49ERS 7 Andrew Luck threw for 164 yards and ran for a 6-yard touchdown while facing college Coach Jim Harbaugh for the first time, and visiting Indianapolis defeated San Francisco. Trent Richardson scored a 1-yard touchdown on his first carry in his Colts debut after being acquired on Wednesday from the Browns. He was drafted two spots behind Luck at No. 3 last year. Ahmad Bradshaw added a 1-yard touchdown run in the final minutes, and Adam Vinatieri kicked a pair of field goals before missing a 51-yarder early in the fourth.

SEAHAWKS 45, JAGUARS 17 Russell Wilson matched his career high with four touchdown passes - two each to Sidney Rice and Zach Miller - and host Seattle overwhelmed Jacksonville. The Seahawks improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2006, beginning a stretch of four consecutive games against the AFC South. Seattle came in as a 19-point favorite and never gave Jacksonville a chance. Seattle jumped ahead 17-0 early in the second quarter. Wilson connected with Miller twice in the first 16 minutes on touchdowns of 1 and 4 yards. He hit Rice for an 11-yard touchdown late in the first half and found him again on a 23-yarder early in the third quarter.

JETS 27, BILLS 20 Geno Smith threw two touchdown passes, including a go-ahead 69-yarder to Santonio Holmes in the fourth quarter, and host New York overcame a team-record 20 penalties to hang on and beat Buffalo in an ugly game. Smith slightly outplayed EJ Manuel in a matchup of the first two quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft in April. But this one was tough to watch at times with the barrage of penalties. The Jets rolled up 168 yards in penalty yardage, and nearly gave it away against the Bills.

PANTHERS 38, GIANTS 0 Cam Newton threw three touchdown passes and ran for another, and host Carolina sacked Eli Manning seven times as the Panthers handed Tom Coughlin his worst defeat as coach of New York. It was the largest margin of victory in Panthers history. The Panthers allowed Newton to run out of the read option,which helped open up an offense that had been mostly stagnant this season. Newton had 223 yards passing and threw two touchdown passes to Brandon LaFell and one to Ted Ginn Jr. He ran for 45 yards and a touchdown.

PATRIOTS 23, BUCCANEERS 3 Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes to Kenbrell Thompkins to lead host New England to a one-sided victory over Tampa Bay. Thompkins, an undrafted free agent, scored on plays of 16 and 5 yards in the first half. Aaron Dobson, a second-round draft pick, finished with seven catches for 52 yards. In their first two games, the rookies combined for just nine receptions. The Patriots led 17-3 at halftime as the Buccaneers wasted several opportunities. They turned the ball over twice on downs, Rian Lindell missed a 38-yard field goal attempt before making a 30-yarder, and Josh Freeman threw an interception to former Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib with 11 seconds left in the first half.

SAINTS 31, CARDINALS 7 Drew Brees passed for three scores and scrambled for host New Orleans’ first rushing touchdown of the season in a victory over Arizona. The Saints quarterback was 29 of 46 for 342 yards, with 2 touchdown passes to tight end Jimmy Graham and the other to Robert Meachem. Brees was intercepted once by New Orleans native and former LSU star Tyrann Mathieu. That play ended a scoring threat, but only delayed the inevitable on a day when Arizona’s short-handed defense was little match for the Saints.

LIONS 27, REDSKINS 20 Matthew Stafford completed 25 of 42 passes for 385 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception, and Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson both had 100 yards receiving for visiting Detroit, which beat Washington on the road for the first time. The Lions ended a 21-game streak against the Redskins, the second-longest in NFL history. Detroit’s last victory away from home in the series came in 1935 against the Boston Redskins, two years before the move to Washington. Robert Griffin III and the defending NFC East champion Redskins fell to 0-3. The Lions got their insurance touchdown with 3:56 remaining on Stafford’s 11-yard pass to Johnson.

TITANS 20, CHARGERS 17 Jake Locker helped host Tennessee end a skid against the San Diego that spanned two states and two decades. Locker threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to rookie Justin Hunter with 15 seconds left and the Titans rallied to beat the Chargers. It was their first victory over the Chargers for the franchise since 1992 when the team was in Houston and Titans Coach Mike Munchak still was playing for the then-Oilers. The Titans had lost nine consecutive to San Diego. Locker ended the slide by completing seven passes to six receivers for 94 yards on the game-winning drive. He finished with 299 yards passing and ran for 68 yards.

BEARS 40, STEELERS 23 Chicago’s defense forced five turnovers and scored twice, and the visiting Bears beat Pittsburgh to remain unbeaten. Major Wright returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, and Julius Peppers picked up Ben Roethlisberger’s fumble and raced 42 yards for a score in the fourth quarter as the Bears held off a late rally.

Sports, Pages 17 on 09/23/2013

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