Things are not good in Denver, where the Broncos lost their second home game out of three on Sunday. They’re better in San Diego, where the Chargers return home for a game against the Oakland Raiders this week after drubbing the Broncos 41-3.
The rout was the worst defeat for the Broncos at home since Kansas City crushed them 56-10 on Oct. 23, 1966. It was also the first time that the Chargers won two straight games in Denver since 1967-68.
Fans started clearing out of Invesco Field after the third quarter, with the Chargers up 34-3.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been more embarrassed,” Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. “I don’t think our players have ever been more embarrassed to put on that type of show.”
That show included allowing the Chargers 484 yards of offense. LaDainian Tomlinson totaled 140 yards, including 73 on three catches. Michael Turner ran for 147 yards on 10 carries, including a 74-yard TD scamper. Quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and had no interceptions after going into the contest with nine turnovers.
Brandon Siler’s 23-yard fumble return for a score and 14-0 lead with 6:15 left in the first quarter helped charge up the Bolts.
“It definitely gained some confidence and momentum for us,” Tomlinson said.
San Diego (2-3) snapped its three-game losing streak while Denver (2-3) lost its third in a row.
“You can feel our guys’ confidence come back,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “We have more work to do, but we made progress.”
The Broncos season, meanwhile, seems to be sliding away. They have allowed more points and yardage in each game they play.
Giants running game gets a lift: So how are the New York Giants faring without Tiki Barber in the backfield? Just fine, especially now that Brandon Jacobs has returned after missing three games with a sprained knee.
Jacobs ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries in the Giants’ 35-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. His running mate, Derrick Ward, gained 56 yards on 13 carries along with a TD.
The Giants definitely miss the retired Barber, who gained 10,449 yards in his career, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. But with Jacobs and Ward, the Giants have two running backs gaining 4.8 yards per carry this season. That helps quarterback Eli Manning in the passing game. Manning threw two TD passes in the second half against the Jets.
Bills win turns into loss: The Buffalo Bills did everything they could do to upset the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night. They returned two of five interceptions for touchdowns, and Terence McGee took a kickoff and ran it back 103 yards for another score.
But the tide turned late in the fourth quarter in the first Monday night football game in Buffalo since 1994.
With a chance to seal the victory, Bills quarterback Trent Edwards, who was making his second career start, threw a pass from the Dallas 11-yard line into heavy coverage. The pass was tipped by the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware and grabbed by Terence Newman, who ran it back 70 yards. Another interception of Tony Romo ended Dallas’ chance to score.
But Romo bounced back, engineering an 80-yard drive, connecting with Patrick Crayton on a 4-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left. The two-point conversion failed, making it 24-22 Buffalo. The Cowboys got a good bounce on their onside kick, recovered by Nathan Jones.
Just two pass plays later, Nick Folk kicked a 53-yard field goal to hand the Cowboys an improbable 25-24 victory.
“It shows you how good we can be and what we can do if we don’t make mistakes,” Folk said. “And even if we do make mistakes and we stick together.”
Week 5 Leaders:
Passing: Brett Favre, Packers, 29-40, 322 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Michael Turner, Chargers, 10 carries,147 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals, 9 catches, 136 yards, 1 TD
Solo Tackles: Lance Briggs, Bears, 16
Sacks: Andre Carter, Redskins, and three others had 2 each.
Interceptions: Fakhir Brown, Rams, and three others had 2 each.
Quotable: “Junior adds a lot to our defense, but I don’t know what Junior is thinking sometimes.”
“Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick on LB Junior Seau, who raised the ball high in the air while returning an interception in win over Browns on Sunday.