October incident leads to court date for Broncos' Dumervil

DENVER -- Broncos Pro Bowl linebacker Elvis Dumervil has been cited for assault and disturbing the peace for an alleged run-in with a security guard at Invesco Field.

Denver court records show the reported incident happened Oct. 24 following the Broncos' 59-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Dumervil's lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, told The Associated Press the linebacker forgot his credentials, and a guard wouldn't allow him into a players' parking lot, despite Dumervil showing his driver's license.

Steinberg said Thursday that it was a simple disagreement and it's "unfair Elvis is being villainized." The incident was first reported by Denver's KDVR-TV.

"Elvis was never arrested, simply given a ticket. He was never handcuffed or had a mug shot," Steinberg said. "It was a simple disagreement. That's what this is. We hope the prosecution reviews it, finds no reason to go forward and dismisses it."

Dumervil already appeared in court once and is set to appear again Jan. 11.

"Disturbing the peace? Hard to believe you can disturb the peace with 75,000 people there," Steinberg said of the incident.

Dumervil, who led the NFL with 17 sacks in 2009, has been out all season after ripping a chest muscle during training camp.

This has been quite a tumultuous season for the Broncos (3-11).

Earlier this month, coach Josh McDaniels was fired with the squad mired in the worst slump in four decades. The team also has been embroiled in a videotaping scandal, sullying the image of the organization.

Away from the field, three Broncos players have been arrested.

Kevin Alexander was arrested earlier this week and pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and battery stemming from an allegation of a domestic dispute over alleged infidelity. The Broncos released the rookie linebacker hours after the arrest, calling it a football decision to clear a roster spot for cornerback Chevis Jackson.

Rookie cornerback Perrish Cox was arrested in a sexual-assault case. The alleged assault was reported a few days after Cox was knocked out of the Oct. 24 game against the Raiders with a concussion. Court documents say the alleged assault happened Sept. 6.

Linebacker D.J. Williams was stripped of his captaincy after his October arrest on suspicion of drunken driving.

"The off-field conduct is something we take very, very seriously," said Broncos interim coach Eric Studesville, whose team hosts the Houston Texans on Sunday. "We've never downplayed that. We hold every person in this organization, coaches, players, staff, to a high standard of conduct away from this building as they represent this organization.

"The situations that have come up, we've complied with every fact-finding opportunity there is. We've cooperated in every way that we can, to gather the facts."

Is Studesville disturbed by the number of arrests?

"My job is to coach football," he said. "Those things that happen, we're going to comply with everything and we're going to help with it. My job is to focus on getting this team ready for the Houston Texans."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Eagles QB Vick leads all players in Pro Bowl voting

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick leads Pro Bowl voting 1½ years after he was released from federal prison.

The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback had 729,838 fan votes, nearly 39,000 more than second-place Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, the NFL said Wednesday. Manning topped the balloting two weeks ago.

"I think it's just a credit to everything I've tried to accomplish on and off the field, just working as hard as I can to change things around, be a part of the solution and not the problem," Vick said. "I changed my life, and it just goes to show anybody can do it. It's an unfortunate situation, the things that happened. I wish I could go back and change it all. I wish I could take it all back. The only thing I can do is move forward."

It's the latest evidence that many fans seem willing to forgive Vick for the vicious dogfighting operation that sent him to prison for 18 months -- and embrace his stunning return to NFL stardom. A backup to start the season, Vick has led the Eagles to first place in the NFC East, accounting for 21 touchdowns and throwing just two interceptions.

"I appreciate my fans, man," Vick said. "Couldn't do it without them. Been very supportive over the last three years. What more can you ask for?"

Manning had 691,146 votes, which led the AFC, followed by New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (623,074), Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (591,598) and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (547,340).

Online Pro Bowl voting ends Dec. 20. The teams are picked by a vote combination from fans, players and coaches.

Vick, a three-time Pro Bowl pick with the Atlanta Falcons, pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges in August 2007. He was released from federal custody and conditionally reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in July 2009. But it wasn't clear how much interest teams would have in the quarterback who once wowed fans with his unique skills, yet frustrated them with his inconsistency when he last played in the league in 2006.

The Eagles signed Vick before last season, when he was the third-string quarterback and had limited playing time as a change of pace. Even after Philadelphia traded away Donovan McNabb, Vick was expected to back up Kevin Kolb. But when Kolb was hurt in the opener, Vick took over and showed a newfound maturity as a passer. Added to his running skills, he has made the Eagles a contender at 8-4.

"It's a great honor, a great position to be in right now, because I haven't made the Pro Bowl yet, but it's a credit to my coaches, a credit to my teammates, (backups) Mike Kafka, Kevin Kolb, guys who just helped me get through this season," Vick said. "I can't do it without my team, I can't do it without my teammates, I can't do it without the offensive line, (wide receivers) DeSean (Jackson) and Jeremy (Maclin), can't do it without them. I'm just thankful to have these guys in my life, these coaches in my life."

The Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys (9-3) on Sunday.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Frustration over rout leads to brawl between Texans' Johnson, Titans' Finnegan

HOUSTON -- Andre Johnson politely asked Cortland Finnegan to stop it. By the fourth quarter, Houston's star receiver had simply had it with the Tennessee cornerback's antagonistic antics.

Their feisty duel exploded into a full-blown fistfight late in the Texans' 20-0 win over the Titans on Sunday. Both players were ejected, and the ugly incident could lead to further discipline from the NFL.

"He kept doing little things and I told him: 'Just because you're frustrated, you need to stop what you're doing,'" Johnson said. "I guess he thought it was funny."

The usually soft-spoken Johnson caught nine passes and a touchdown before walking off the field to a standing ovation.

"It's just a buildup of things over plays," Johnson said. "I just lost my cool."

Finnegan did not speak to reporters after the game.

"It's not good for the game, no," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the NFL's competition committee. "You don't want to see that stuff."

Arian Foster rushed for 143 yards and also caught nine passes for the Texans (5-6), who were on their way to their first shutout since 2004 when Johnson and Finnegan began slugging it out midway through the fourth quarter.

The two got into a milder shoving match on the previous play, with Johnson giving Finnegan a shot in the back before Finnegan took off his helmet and walked away.

Finnegan then set off the brawl by jabbing at Johnson's neck and face mask at the line of scrimmage. Johnson ripped off Finnegan's helmet and landed at least two punches to Finnegan's head and neck. The two spun each other, and Finnegan tore off Johnson's helmet before players and referees intervened.

"I awarded it to Andre on points," Texans owner Bob McNair joked.

This was Round 2 between Johnson and Finnegan. Last season, Johnson was fined $7,500 for taking Finnegan to the ground by the face mask during a scuffle after a play in a 34-31 Texans win.

Johnson said this week: "That's the past, I'm over that. That's way behind me, I don't think about that." But Finnegan got under his skin again, and Johnson was apologetic after the game.

"I wish that I could take back what happened, but I can't," Johnson said. "I'm pretty sure I'll be disciplined for it."

Houston plays at Philadelphia on Thursday night.

The incident, meanwhile, came at the end of a tumultuous week for the Titans (5-6), who've lost four in a row.

Houston cornerback Glover Quin set a franchise record with three interceptions off Titans rookie quarterback Rusty Smith, who struggled in his first career start.

Smith replaced Houston native Vince Young, who argued with Fisher after he was taken out of last week's loss to Washington with a thumb injury. Young was placed on injured reserve and apologized to Fisher via text message. Young did not join his team for Sunday's game.

Smith completed 17 of 31 passes for 138 yards and a 26.7 passer rating.

"I wish I could have some of those throws back," Smith said. "You can't get them back."

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Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was on the sideline calling plays after he was diagnosed with cancer this week. He's due to start chemotherapy Monday.

The drama with Young and Heimerdinger overshadowed the matchup of the two top rushers in the AFC, Foster and Chris Johnson. It was a mismatch: Foster set a Texans record with his sixth 100-yard game of the season, while Johnson managed a career-low 5 yards on seven carries.

"We weren't able to run the ball at all," Johnson said. "I don't know why we couldn't run it."

The Texans, with the league's 31st-ranked defense, had not held an opponent to fewer than 24 points all season. They dominated from the start Sunday, limiting the Titans to 12 yards and no first downs in the first quarter.

Quin got his first career interception on the first play of the second quarter, a much-needed confidence boost for the second-year cornerback. Quin batted a last-second desperation pass into the hands of receiver Mike Thomas for the winning score in a 31-24 loss at Jacksonville two weeks ago.

Schaub threw touchdown passes to tight end Joel Dreessen and Andre Johnson in the second quarter. Schaub completed 25 of 35 passes for 178 yards in the game.

Neil Rackers kicked a 36-yard field goal that bounced off the left upright for a 17-0 lead in the third quarter, and the Titans' offense was no better in the second half. Tennessee got to the Houston 12 when safety Bernard Pollard was whistled for pass interference. Quin then intercepted Smith's pass near the goal line.

Foster ran 37 yards down the sideline, and the Titans were flagged for a personal foul after the play, tacking on another 15 yards. A few plays later, the individual battle between Johnson and Finnegan boiled over.

Notes: Andre Johnson became the first player to make 60 receptions in each of his first eight seasons. Houston coach Gary Kubiak awarded Johnson the game ball for the accomplishment -- not for the fight. ... Titans K Rob Bironas had his franchise record streak of consecutive games with a field goal snapped at 20. ... Titans WR Randy Moss caught three receptions to reach 952 for his career and pass Andre Reed for eighth all-time.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Henne leads the way as Dolphins top Raiders to keep playoff hopes alive

Chad Henne had quite the roller-coaster month, going from Miami Dolphins starting quarterback to getting benched then injured and then back as starter.

He finished the up-and-down month on quite a high.

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Henne made a triumphant return to the lineup to throw for 307 yards and two scores and Dan Carpenter kicked four field goals to help the Miami Dolphins beat the Oakland Raiders 33-17 Sunday.

"I knew my day would come again," Henne said. "The biggest thing is just staying confident in myself. I know I can get it done out there, I know I can get some wins out there. So, for me, it's just staying confident, fixing mistakes and just keep on improving as a quarterback."

Davone Bess had 111 yards receiving in his first game as a pro in his hometown, and Ricky Williams ran for 95 yards and a score for the Dolphins (6-5), who won for the fifth time in six road games to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Raiders (5-6) returned home following a 35-3 beating in Pittsburgh and put together another dud. Fan favorite Bruce Gradkowski got the nod ahead of Jason Campbell at quarterback, but threw two interceptions and led Oakland to just one offensive touchdown.

The Contra Costa Times reported on Sunday night that Gradkowski re-injured his throwing shoulder in the loss. Gradkowski previously suffered a third-degree separation of the shoulder in Week 5, an injury that cost him five weeks.

Rookie Jacoby Ford was the entire Raiders offense, returning the opening kickoff 101 yards for a score and catching a 44-yard TD pass from Gradkowski in the second quarter. But the Dolphins held Oakland to 16 yards rushing, including 2 on eight carries for Darren McFadden.

"We've played some great quarters, and we've played some great halves, but we haven't put a game together on defense," linebacker Channing Crowder said. "We played a complete game."

Miami also had an offensive turnaround, gaining 471 yards and holding the ball for 41:38 a week after being held to 187. But with Henne at the helm, it was a different story.

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Henne lost his job to Chad Pennington earlier this month, then was sidelined by an injured left knee after Pennington's return to the lineup was cut short by a shoulder injury. But after Tyler Thigpen struggled in a 16-0 loss to Chicago last week, the Dolphins went back to Henne against the Raiders.

The improvement was evident from the start. Henne led Miami to scores on the first two possessions as the Dolphins' offense clicked all day.

"I want somebody to go out there and make me wrong," coach Tony Sparano said. "That's good. I have no problem with that. But Chad was really positive, and he knew all along here, that as we got on in this thing, that we we're going to be counting on him."

Henne had success going against Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who still looks hampered by a sprained right ankle, and rookie Walter McFadden, who got his most extensive action with Chris Johnson out with a groin injury.

McFadden looked especially bad on the first drive of the second half when he went for an interception on an out route to Marlon Moore. Moore caught it and cruised for a 57-yard score that game Miami a 20-14 lead. Henne kept targeting McFadden after that for big plays.

"That's something we definitely scouted and wanted to exploit early and fast," Bess said. "They gave up some big plays to us and we took advantage of it."

Carpenter added a 44-yard field goal, but Miami missed a chance to break the game open after a 47-yard punt return by Bess when Carpenter missed a 47-yard field goal.

Gradkowski threw an interception to Chris Clemons in the end zone on an underthrown pass to Ford. Ford then beat his former Clemson teammate Clemons for a 52-yard catch that set up a 30-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski. That cut Miami's lead to 23-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Carpenter added a 25-yard field goal and Williams iced it with a 45-yard TD run with 3:12 remaining.

The Raiders did nothing between Ford's two first-half touchdowns. Gradkowski threw an interception to Yeremiah Bell and Marcel Reece lost a fumble.

Gradkowski completed 17 of 32 passes for 252 yards and reinjured his shoulder on his final throw of the game so Oakland will likely go back to Campbell next week at San Diego.

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"There was some good stuff and some inconsistency," Cable said of Gradkowski's play. "Again when you only have the ball a handful of times you don't get a real chance to go out and get some rhythm."

Henne, who threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Cobbs in the first quarter, drove the Dolphins downfield late in the half to lead to Carpenter's second field goal, a 23-yarder with 4 seconds left that made it 14-13.

Notes: Henne has six career 300-yard passing games, second to Dan Marino's 63 in Miami history. ... The Dolphins have scored on their opening drive a league-best eight times this season. ... Ford's kickoff return was the third longest in Raiders history.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Freeman leads Bucs past sluggish 49ers

SAN FRANCISCO -- Josh Freeman threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the stagnant San Francisco 49ers 21-0 on Sunday for their first win at Candlestick Park since 1980 and only second ever.

Nothing fancy needed for the Bucs (7-3) to end an eight-game losing streak in San Francisco. They were the underdog, no less.

Ronde Barber made his 40th career interception in the fourth quarter, most in Tampa Bay franchise history, to help clinch it. He also became the first player in NFL history to record 40 interceptions and 25 sacks in a career.

LeGarrette Blount ran for 82 yards and 305-pound left tackle Donald Penn made a late 1-yard touchdown catch.

49ers quarterback Troy Smith lost for the first time in three starts -- leaving coach Mike Singletary to ponder whether to return to former starter Alex Smith next week for San Francisco (3-7).

The Niners were shut out at home for the first time since a 7-0 loss to Atlanta on Oct. 9, 1977.

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Brees throws four TDs, leads Saints over Seahawks

NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees became the Saints' all-time completions leader, throwing for four touchdowns in New Orleans' 34-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Brees was 29 of 43 for 382 yards and completed his 1,850th pass as a Saint in the second quarter to break a record held by Archie Manning since 1982.

Brees hit Marques Colston and Robert Meachem twice each for TDs to keep the defending champion Saints (7-3) one game behind NFC South Division leader Atlanta.

Matt Hasselbeck was 32 of 44 for 366 yards, the most yards allowed by New Orleans' top-ranked passing defense this season, but Seattle (5-5) had trouble getting in the end zone. The Seahawks lost two fumbles and had four drives end with field goals.

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White leads Falcons to wild victory over Bengals

ATLANTA -- Roddy White had a spectacular day for the Falcons, catching 11 passes for 201 yards and leading his team to a wild 39-32 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Atlanta (5-2) squandered a 24-3 halftime lead, falling behind when Cincinnati (2-4) took advantage of two turnovers and ripped off 22 consecutive points in the third quarter.

White put the Falcons ahead to stay with his second touchdown, an 11-yard reception early in the fourth quarter. He then made a leaping catch on the two-point conversion to make it 32-25.

After a Cedric Benson fumble, Michael Turner scored on a 3-yard run for a two-touchdown Atlanta lead. Chad Ochocinco gave the Bengals a chance with a late 8-yard TD catch, but the Falcons recovered the onside kick.

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Britt's career day leads Titans past Eagles

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kerry Collins threw three touchdown passes to Kenny Britt, who had the best game of his career two days after being involved in a bar fight, and the Tennessee Titans scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 37-19 on Sunday.

Britt had the best receiving game in the NFL this season. He caught touchdown passes of 26, 80 and 16 yards and finished with seven receptions for 225 yards -- all career highs for the second-year pro in a game that he didn't start as punishment for his role in the fight.

The Titans (5-2) won their NFL-best 12th in a row over an NFC team with Collins making his first start in a year. Vince Young was sidelined by a sprained left knee and ankle that had him still limping in pregame warmups.

The Eagles (4-3) blew a 19-10 lead despite sacking Collins three times and forcing him into three turnovers.

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Flacco calmly leads Ravens past Steelers to give Baltimore share of division lead

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers were so close to being 4-0 without Ben Roethlisberger. Only close doesn't count in the Ravens-Steelers rivalry, where every game is tight and no lead is truly safe.

Joe Flacco withstood Pittsburgh's late go-ahead touchdown and goal-line stand to throw an 18-yard scoring pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 32 seconds remaining, and the Ravens won 17-14 Sunday to prevent the Steelers from going unbeaten without their suspended quarterback.

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"You go and win it on the last drive, there's no better way to win," Flacco said. "There's not too many better ways to win in Pittsburgh."

A worst-case scenario for the Steelers, Roethlisberger's four-game suspension, nearly became a perfect one.

Nearly.

The Steelers (3-1) took a 14-10 lead on Rashard Mendenhall's 7-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, and they appeared to seal it after Flacco twice threw incomplete from their 2 with slightly less than 3 minutes remaining.

But a holding call on a punt gave Baltimore (3-1) the ball at Pittsburgh's 40 with 55 seconds remaining, and Flacco found Anquan Boldin on two passes for 12 yards and Houshmandzadeh for 10.

Flacco, winning for the first time in four games in Pittsburgh, then froze the Steelers' defense with a pump fake that freed up Houshmandzadeh in the end zone for the game winner.

"Joe just chills," an admiring Houshmandzadeh said. "Look at his face -- he's always calm."

Now, instead of being two games down in the AFC North to Pittsburgh with Roethlisberger to go for the rest of the season, the Ravens are tied after winning in Heinz Field for only the second time in 11 games. Tight end Todd Heap called it a "huge win."

"I think one of reasons why we play so hard here is we hardly win here," defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said.

For the Steelers, it feels empty. Even without Roethlisberger and his two injured backups, Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon, they were within seconds of being 4-0 for the first time since 1979.

"We fought for perfection," cornerback Bryant McFadden said. "We tried to get as close to that as possible.

Baltimore appeared to squander its final chance at winning when, after driving from its 30 to the Steelers 2, William Gay knocked away a Flacco pass intended for Boldin on fourth down.

"We put two great drives together at the end of the game," Flacco said. "We were fortunate to get the ball back."

Two false-start penalties set back the Steelers as they tried to run out the clock, and Keyaron Fox's holding penalty on the punt gave Baltimore another precious 10 yards to work with in the final 1:08.

"If we make one first down, the game's over," Charlie Batch said.

Flacco was 24 of 37 for 256 yards and an interception to outplay Batch, the No. 4 quarterback who barely practiced, much less played, until he beat Tampa Bay 38-13 last week. Batch was 12 of 21 for 141 yards and an interception.

The Ravens won despite being held to 70 yards rushing. Willis McGahee had 14 carries for 37 yards and a touchdown and Ray Rice, playing despite a bruised right knee, had eight carries for 20 yards -- 121 fewer than he had in Pittsburgh last season.

Like any Ravens-Steelers game, it was physical, low-scoring and close, the fifth consecutive regular-season matchup between the mirror-image rivals that was decided by four points or fewer.

"We found a way to beat them at their place," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "That's what makes it so special."

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Both teams scored touchdowns early, an unlikely scenario given the Ravens came in leading the NFL in total defense and Pittsburgh was tops in scoring defense.

Batch's 34-yard completion to Antwaan Randle El set up Mendenhall's 1-yard run late in the first quarter. But Flacco found Derrick Mason for 40 yards ahead of McGahee's 9-yard touchdown run 1:27 into the second quarter.

Billy Cundiff kicked a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the first half, and the Ravens made the 10-7 lead hold up despite twice turning the ball over in the third quarter.

McGahee's fumbled at his 27, but Jeff Reed's 49-yard field-goal attempt struck the right upright. Flacco later was intercepted by Ike Taylor at the Ravens 33, but Reed was wide left from the 45. Reed already has as many misses (four) as he did last season.

The opportunity the Steelers missed was nearly as big.

Notes: McGahee has seven rushing TDs in eight games against Pittsburgh. ... Baltimore was 0-4 in Pittsburgh since 2006, counting the playoffs. ... Baltimore held Pittsburgh below 100 yards rushing (84) for the 10th time in 11 games. ... After a bye week, Roethlisberger returns Oct. 17 against Cleveland.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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With run game grounded, Orton leads Broncos' aerial assault on Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Denver Broncos couldn't be more one-sided offensively right now. The way Kyle Orton's playing, it doesn't matter.

Orton threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Correll Buckhalter with 1:33 left, and the Denver Broncos rallied and beat the Tennessee Titans 26-20 on Sunday.

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The Titans held Denver to 19 yards rushing, forcing Orton to put the ball up 50 times even as he was sacked six times. Orton responded by throwing for 341 yards and two touchdowns.

"I don't think we played our best football the whole time, but anytime you can give yourself a chance to win in the fourth quarter on the road against a good football team, we'll take it," Orton said. "When it got down to it, we made the plays."

Denver coach Josh McDaniels said Orton was hit way more than he wanted.

"But he never lost his poise, continued to be confident on the sidelines, and made a lot of critical throws for us to change field position. He executed when we needed him to execute. I'm very pleased with the way he's leading our football team and the way he's playing," McDaniels said.

The Broncos (2-2) clinched the victory when wind shortened the ensuing kickoff. The Titans (2-2) let the ball bounce, and rookie Marc Mariani, who already had a 98-yard return for a touchdown, ran up and jumped trying to catch it only to be hit by David Bruton.

Cassius Vaughn recovered, and Matt Prater kicked his fourth field goal to pad the lead.

Tennessee had one last chance with 33 seconds left, but Vince Young's third incompletion fell to the turf as time expired to overshadow a game in which Tennessee had a season-high in sacks and an interception. Young's second pass went through Kenny Britt's hands deep in Denver territory.

"This loss is unfortunately an example of just not being able to make the play at the end to close this game out, and that is exactly what happened," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.

Denver came in with the NFL's top passing offense, and Orton helped the Broncos hold the ball for more than 35 minutes. The Broncos, who got only two field goals on five trips inside their opponent's 20 in losing to the Colts last week, scored on six of seven such trips against the NFL's best defense in that category.

The only time the Broncos didn't score?

When Jabar Gaffney couldn't collect a low throw from Orton at the back of the end zone with 4:33 left. Gaffney atoned for that on the next drive as Orton threw deep to the receiver, and officials flagged Titans safety Chris Hope for pass interference, putting the ball at the Tennessee 1.

Orton put Denver ahead with his TD pass to Buckhalter, his second of the game.

"Jabar had been asking for the ball the whole game," Orton said. "(I) just didn't have time to get him the ball in some of those situations, went back to him, and he made a great play."

Denver's defense also did its part with two sacks and one turnover. The Broncos held Tennessee to just 46 of its 288 yards on offense in the second half with three first downs. Chris Johnson ran for only 53 yards, including an 8-yard run that gave the Titans their lone first down in the fourth quarter trying to protect a lead.

"The situation is we are not a good running team right now," said Johnson, who ran for 2,006 yards last season. "We got work to do."

Tennessee led 20-16 after Mariani's kickoff return for a TD in the third quarter, and Rob Bironas kicked his second field goal of the game with 5:00 left in the third quarter.

The Titans sacked Orton three times in the first quarter and outgained the Broncos 115-15. But Bironas pushed a 35-yard field goal wide right, and Johnson fumbled to end two drives deep into Denver territory.

"We've actually got to start scoring touchdowns on defense and making big plays and interceptions and fumbles," Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan said when asked what more they could do defensively. "We have to put that on ourselves. We have the added pressure ourselves to start making plays."

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Denver took advantage of a roughing call by Sen'Derrick Marks on Orton on third down where the lineman appeared to grab the quarterback around the thigh. A play later, the Titans jumped offside for a neutral zone infraction that prompted defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil to throw an obscene gesture at officials that was caught by television cameras.

A play later, Orton put Denver up 7-0 with a 2-yard TD pass to Eddie Royal.

The Titans answered almost immediately. Javon Ringer, Johnson's backup, broke loose on a 54-yard run, and Young found Kenny Britt for an 8-yard TD to tie it up on the next drive. The teams swapped field goals to go into halftime tied at 10 apiece with Bironas kicking a 55-yarder as time expired to atone for his earlier miss.

Notes: Denver rookie Demaryius Thomas had his first career kickoff and took it 36 yards in the second quarter. That's the longest kickoff return for Denver this season. Then he had a 65-yarder in the third quarter. ... Gaffney needed 11 yards to reach 4,000 yards receiving for his career, and he had 51. ... Titans wide receiver Justin Gage hurt his left hamstring, and Fisher said he didn't have updates yet on rookie defensive end Derrick Morgan's left knee or Marks who got hurt late.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Foster's response to benching leads to Texans win

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Arian Foster returned from an early game benching to score on a 74-yard run and an 10-yard catch in the second half to lead the Houston Texans to a 31-24 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Foster, a former practice squad player, has emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the NFL so far this season. Despite entering the game as the league's leading rusher, Foster was held out until midway through the second quarter in what the Texans (3-1) said was a "coach's decision."

Foster took over the game in the second half. On the second play from scrimmage, he burst through a big hole and raced to the 74-yard score, breaking a tackle by Michael Huff on the way to the end zone.

Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Foster caught a short pass from Matt Schaub for the score that gave Houston a 31-14 lead. Troy Nolan's second interception iced the game after the Raiders (1-3) had cut the lead to seven.

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