The Associated Press
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Sept. 8
N.Y. Giants at Detroit, 7:10 p.m., ESPN. Eli Manning will try to get the Giants’ offense going under new coordinator Ben McAdoo. The Lions are opening the season on a Monday night for the first time since 1971, and this will be Detroit’s first game under new coach Jim Caldwell.
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San Diego at Arizona, 10:20 p.m., ESPN. Both teams are coming off winning seasons. The Chargers were 9-7 and made the playoffs, the Cardinals finished 10-6 and didn’t. The teams are playing for the second time in 12 days after they met in San Diego in the preseason finale.
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STARS
Passing
–Matt Ryan, Falcons, was 31 for 43 for a team-record 448 yards and three touchdown passes in Atlanta’s 37-34 overtime win over New Orleans. Ryan also eclipsed the team record for career TD passes. He is at 156, breaking the mark of 154 by Steve Bartkowski. Ryan led his 24th career winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2008.
–Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, finished 23 for 34 for 365 yards and a touchdown and interception in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 victory over Cleveland. Roethlisberger improved his record against the Browns to 18-1, the best mark of any quarterback against one team since at least 1970 (minimum 15 starts).
–Andy Dalton, Bengals, finished 25 for 38 for 301 yards, including a 77-yard TD pass to A.J. Green in Cincinnati’s 23-16 win over Baltimore. Dalton is 31-18 as a starter, the best in Bengals history for a QB with 10 or more starts.
–Peyton Manning, Broncos, completed 22 of 36 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns to tight end Julius Thomas in a 31-24 victory over the Colts.
— Jay Cutler, Bears, was 34 for 49 for 349 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions in Chicago’s 23-20 OT loss to Buffalo.
–Joe Flacco, Ravens, was 35 for 62 for 345 yards and a touchdown and interception in Baltimore’s 23-16 loss to Cincinnati.
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Rushing
–Knowshon Moreno, Dolphins, had 24 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown in New England’s 33-20 win over Miami. Moreno has 358 yards on the ground in his past two regular-season games against New England, the first of those being a 224-yard effort in Denver’s loss at the Patriots last season.
–DeMarco Murray, Cowboys, had 22 carries for 118 yards in Dallas’ 28-17 loss to San Francisco.
–Le’Veon Bell, Steelers, finished with 21 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 win over Cleveland.
–Arian Foster, Texans, had 27 carries for 103 yards in Houston’s 17-6 win over Washington.
–Chris Ivory, Jets, had 10 carries for 102 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown in New York’s 19-14 win over Oakland.
–Cordarrelle Patterson, Vikings, had 102 yards on only three carries, including a 67-yard touchdown, in Minnesota’s 34-6 win over St. Louis. Patterson is the first wide receiver since at least the 1970 merger to have at least a 35-yard TD rushing in three consecutive games. He is also the first wide receiver since at least the merger with at least a 50-yard TD rushing in back-to-back games.
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Receiving
–Julius Thomas, Broncos, had seven receptions for 104 yards and scored three touchdowns in a 31-24 victory over Indianapolis. The tight end scored all of his TDs in the second period.
— A.J. Green, Bengals, had six catches for 131 yards, including a go-ahead 77-yarder late in the fourth quarter of Cincinnati’s 23-16 win over Baltimore. Steve Smith, Ravens, had seven catches for 118 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown.
–Antonio Brown, Steelers, had five receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s 30-27 win over Pittsburgh.
–Julio Jones, Falcons, had seven receptions for 116 yards in Atlanta’s 37-34 overtime win over New Orleans.
–Rookie Allen Hurns, Jaguars, had four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-17 loss to Philadelphia. Hurns is the first player in NFL history to have two TDs receiving in the first quarter in his NFL debut.
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Special Teams
–Alfred Blue, Texans, blocked a punt and returned it 5 yards for a touchdown in Houston’s 17-6 win over Washington.
–Mike Nugent, Bengals, was 5 for 6 on field goals in Cincinnati’s 23-16 win over Baltimore.
–Caleb Sturgis, Dolphins, was 4 for 4 on field goals in Miami’s 33-20 victory over New England.
–Ryan Succop, Titans, was 4 for 4 on field goals against his former team in Tennessee’s 26-10 win over Kansas City.
–Matt Bryant, Falcons, was 3 for 3 on field goals, including a 52-yarder in OT, in Atlanta’s 37-34 win over New Orleans.
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Defense
–Rahim Moore, Broncos, picked off two passes in helping Denver defeat Indianapolis, 31-24.
–Cameron Wake, Dolphins, had two sacks and two forced fumbles in Miami’s 33-20 win over New England.
–J.J. Watt, Texans, had two tackles for losses including a sack, blocked an extra point, recovered a fumble and swatted down a pass in Houston’s 17-6 win over Washington.
–Harrison Smith, Vikings, returned an interception 81 yards for a touchdown in Minnesota’s 34-6 win over St. Louis.
–Chris Culliver, 49ers, returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown in San Francisco’s 28-17 win over Dallas.
–Fletcher Cox, Eagles, returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 34-17 win over Jacksonville.
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MILESTONES
The Eagles came back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to defeat Jacksonville 34-17. The Eagles are the first team in NFL history to win a game by at least 17 points after being shut out and trailing by at least 17 points at halftime. … Matt Ryan set a franchise record with 448 yards passing in Atlanta’s 37-34 OT win over New Orleans. He broke the mark of 431 yards set by Chris Chandler in 2001. Ryan also eclipsed the team record for career TD passes. He is at 156, breaking the mark of 154 by Steve Bartkowski.
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HOT DEBUTS
Mike Zimmer (Vikings), Bill O’Brien (Texans) and Ken Whisenhunt (Titans) each won their first game as a head coach with their new teams. … Jacksonville rookie wide receiver Allen Hurns had four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the Jaguars’ 34-17 loss to Philadelphia. Hurns is the first player in NFL history to have two receiving TDs in the first quarter in his NFL debut. … Saints’ first-round pick Brandin Cooks had seven catches for 77 yards and a touchdown.
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STREAKS & STATS
Broncos QB Peyton Manning now has beaten every team in the league after a 31-24 victory against his former club, the Indianapolis Colts. Brett Favre is the only other quarterback to manage that. … The Texans’ 17-6 win over the Redskins snapped their 14-game losing streak. … The Raiders’ 19-14 loss to the Jets was their 14th straight defeat in the Eastern time zone. … Through the first 12 games, home teams were 6-6 on Sunday. … The Bengals ended a four-game losing streak in Baltimore with a 23-16 victory over the Ravens. The loss stops Baltimore’s eight-game home-opener winning streak. … Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake has had at least one sack in each of New England’s past five trips to Miami. … The Patriots had a 10-point lead at the half, but the Dolphins rallied for a 33-20 win. New England had prevailed in 16 of its previous 17 games when it held a double-digit edge at intermission. Miami became the first team since 2003 to beat New England in a season opener. And for the first time since Week 3 of the 2012 season, the Patriots will end a weekend without at least a share of the AFC East lead. … The Raiders’ Charles Woodson joined Darrell Green (19) as the only players with an interception in at least 17 consecutive seasons.
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SIDELINED
It was a rough opening game for the Kansas City Chiefs, who lost Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson to a torn Achilles tendon. Johnson went down late in the first half with nobody around and needed to be carted off the field. Kansas City lost another defensive starter, lineman Mike DeVito, in the second half to the same injury in a loss to Tennessee. … Houston had a scare when DE-LB Jadeveon Clowney, the top overall pick in this year’s draft, injured his knee and didn’t return in a win over the Redskins. … QB Shaun Hill left St. Louis’ loss against Minnesota with a left quadriceps injury. St. Louis also lost defensive end Chris Long to a left ankle injury. … Steelers rookie running back Dri Archer left the win over the Browns with left knee and ankle injuries. … Chiefs right tackle Jeff Allen left with a strained biceps and Titans linebacker Zach Brown injured his shoulder. … Bills linebacker Keith Rivers injured his groin in a win at Chicago.
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SPEAKING
“There’s no question this was a special day. It was an awesome day. Great to come back to Kansas City. I’m very thankful the day went the way that it did.” — Titans kicker Ryan Succop on facing his former after being released by the Chiefs last weekend. He was 4 for 4 on field goals in Tennessee’s 26-10 win.
“I am old, but I can still play.” — 33-year-old Fred Jackson after his 38-yard run set up a winning field goal in Buffalo’s 23-20 victory at Chicago.
“The goal is always to be underpaid. You never want to be that guy that people say: ‘He got money and shut down.’ So I want to go out there every single day … and prove that I’m worth it.” — Texans DE J.J. Watt following his strong performance in a 17-6 win over Washington.
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