Giants shake off slow start to end Jaguars winning streak at three

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- With his team trailing by 11 points and the season on the brink, coach Tom Coughlin wasn't the only voice in the New York Giants' locker room at halftime.

The one that stood out was Justin Tuck, and his message was simple: Stop playing like garbage.

Garrard's personal achievement

The Giants (7-4) got the message and maybe saved their season with five games to go.

Eli Manning threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 3:15 to play and Tuck and his buddies sacked David Garrard on three straight plays in the closing minute and forced a turnover as the Giants rallied to beat Jacksonville 24-20 on Sunday. The win snapped a two-game slide and ended the Jaguars' three-game winning streak.

"I talked about how you allow somebody to come into your house and take over," Tuck said after the Jaguars had taken a 17-6 halftime lead. "At that point, they were doing just about whatever they wanted to do. We couldn't allow ourselves not to be on the same page."

"I told them I was playing like garbage," Tuck added. "I told them we were playing like garbage. In the second half, we've got to pick it up. I just tried to create a spark, and it worked."

The Giants held the Jaguars (6-5) to three points, 92 yards in total offense and forced two turnovers, with Antrel Rolle's fumble recovery with 1:25 left icing the game.

"That was something that we needed," Coughlin said. "We needed to rise up and have a finish like that. We're all aware of the circumstances that we're in, that the division is in, that the conference is in, and we needed to keep pace."

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Jacksonville took a 20-17 lead on 42-yard field goal by Josh Scobee with 8:26 to play and the Giants finally took the lead with a six-play, 69-yard drive that featured an 18-yard pass to Mario Manningham and an 18-yard run by Brandon Jacobs, who gained 87 yards on 14 carries in his return to the starting lineup.

Faced with a third-and-10 at the Jaguars 32, Manning (14-of-24 for 226) and Boss caught Jacksonville in a blitz.

"He saw it," Manning said of Boss. "He went up the field looking for the ball and I got it to him."

Boss caught the ball at the 25, shook off a tackle by safety Courtney Greene and romped into the end zone.

"He almost brought me down," said Boss, whose holding penalty cost the Giants a first-half touchdown. "I was kind of fumbling and stumbling to keep my feet and get in the end zone."

Greene took the blame.

"I just missed the tackle," said Greene, who led the Jaguars with 11 tackles.

Manning also threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Manningham and Lawrence Tynes kicked three field goals. Manning's late heroics also helped big brother Peyton in the AFC South race with Jacksonville -- the Colts and Jaguars began the day tied for the division lead.

Garrard and Rashad Jennings ran for touchdowns and Scobee kicked two field goal as the Jaguars lost for only the third time in eight games.

"This is a team that's been in Super Bowls and been in a lot of playoff runs, so we can't let up on a team like that," Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "It's a sign of maturity. We have a lot of growing up to do all across the board."

Jacksonville had one last chance and Garrard drove the Jaguars from their 27 to the Giants 29, where they got a first down on an illegal contact penalty against Aaron Ross with 1:51 to play.

Tuck and Antrel Rolle sacked Garrard for an 11-yard loss on first down. Dave Tollefson tackle Garrard for a loss of 5 more on second down. Cornerback Terrell Thomas, who intercepted Garrard's first pass of the second half to set up Tynes' third field goal, then sacked the quarterback and forced a fumble that Rolle recovered.

"If you don't execute and let a team stay in the game, that's what going to happen, you're going to end up losing out there," Garrard said as he waited to be X-rayed. "That's two or three weeks in a row we've left teams back in where we had a chance to end the game."

The Giants tied it early in the fourth quarter on the touchdown pass to Manningham and a 2-point conversion run by Ahmad Bradshaw.

Garrard (20-of-35 for 162) used runs of 6, 6 and 11 yards to set up Scobee's go-ahead 42-yard field goal.

Garrard and the Jaguars were outstanding in the first half, scoring on drives on 75, 85 and 71 yards the first three times they had the ball.

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Jennings capped the Jaguars' opening drive with a 5-yard run. Garrard hit passes of 12 and 16 yards on a 15-play drive that Scobee ended with a 22-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead.

The Giants appeared to tie the game on a 9-yard pass from Manning to Manningham on their next possession, but the score was nullified by a holding penalty against Boss. Tynes, who kicked a 22-yard field goal after New York's opening drive stalled at the Jags 5, added a 29-yarder.

Garrard then led a 13-play, 71-yard scoring drive he capped with a sensational 5-yard run on which he avoided a sack by Osi Umenyiora and broke a tackle by Tuck in going from sideline to sideline for the TD.

Notes: Will Beatty started at left tackle for the Giants with Shawn Andrews out with back injury. ... Former Giant Guy Whimper started at left tackle for Jacksonville with Eugene Monroe out with a concussion. ... Mike Sims-Walker, who battled an ankle injury all week, had four catches for 48 yards. ... The Giants finished with four sacks. ... Jacksonville lost despite having the ball for 35:27.

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Balanced Ravens end Dolphins' road streak to win seventh straight at home

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens emphatically shut down the Miami Dolphins' highly successful road show.

Billy Cundiff kicked four field goals, and the Ravens forced three turnovers in a 26-10 victory Sunday that ended the Dolphins' unbeaten run on the road.

Baltimore (6-2) won its seventh straight home game behind Cundiff and a defense that blanked Miami (4-4) after halftime. Cundiff connected from 26, 39, 20, 24 yards, and the Ravens limited the Dolphins to 24 yards rushing over the final 30 minutes.

"I think it was important we come in and protect our home the way we did," Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis said. "I just love the way we came out and played today."

Miami quarterback Chad Henne went 22 for 34 for 231 yards and three interceptions. The Dolphins also had only 10 players on the field upon being victimized by a fake punt and never really got in sync on offense.

"I think it's obvious: Right now, we can't beat the great teams, we can't beat the good teams," said Miami receiver Brandon Marshall, who was limited to five catches for 30 yards. "I can't put my finger on it. We just shoot ourselves in the foot."

Miami came in 4-0 on the road, but the Ravens were not impressed. Baltimore never trailed and pulled away after taking a 13-10 halftime lead. The Dolphins allowed 402 yards on a whopping 71 plays and failed to produce a turnover. The Ravens finished with a 16-minute advantage in time of possession thanks heavily to the running of Ray Rice, who gained 83 yards on 22 carries and had seven catches for 97 yards.

"It was a ridiculous performance by our defense," Miami linebacker Channing Crowder said. "It was too easy for them." Crowder and the Ravens were involved in a shoving match that he contended started when Baltimore running back Le'Ron McClain spit in his face.

Afterward, Ravens receiver Derrick Mason went on a rant directed at Crowder, who called Mason "old" in the days leading up to the game.

"I don't even think they want him on this team, but they have nobody to replace him so he has to be there," Mason said. "They took him out of the game, they played a bit better. He was getting knocked down, getting pushed out of the way. The guy is horrible."

Joe Flacco completed 20 of 27 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens, who are 6-0 at home since 2001 after a bye.

"We did a great job all day. I don't know if you can even point to one drive," Flacco said. "We really drove the ball well all day."

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Baltimore went up 20-10 by moving 81 yards for a touchdown on its first possession of the third quarter. Rice caught three passes for 61 yards before Flacco hit Mason in the end zone from 12 yards.

Minutes later, Baltimore used a fake punt to get to the Miami 26. But Cundiff missed a 37-yard field goal.

The Dolphins then moved downfield before Dan Carpenter was wide left on a 46-yard field goal try, ending a run of 14 straight successful attempts.

Cundiff added a field goal with 6:45 left, and an interception by Ed Reed set up Cundiff's final 3-pointer with 2:07 to go.

Baltimore scored a touchdown on its opening possession for the first time this season. The drive ended when Willis McGahee took a screen pass from Flacco, broke free behind a block by Ben Grubbs and weaved his way to a 32-yard score.

Miami then became the first team to score a touchdown on its opening drive against the Ravens. Ronnie Brown carried six times for 45 yards, including a 12-yard TD run.

But Brown would gain only 14 more yards on the ground, and the Dolphins never got close to the end zone again.

"I think it was just a collective effort where we just didn't get it done offensively," Henne said.

After a 26-yard field goal by Cundiff put Baltimore up 10-7, Lardarius Webb went 32 yards with an interception to the Miami 4. Baltimore was pushed back to the 20 before holder Sam Koch muffed the snap on a field goal try.

The Dolphins were forced to punt, and a 10-play drive by the Ravens ended with a field goal for a 13-7 lead.

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Later in the half, Miami moved 79 yards to the Baltimore 1, before Carpenter kicked a field goal.

That, however, would be the extent of the Dolphins' scoring.

"We can't slip back any further," Henne said. "We're 4-4 and the place where we want to go, we've got to win some of these games and go on a good roll."

Notes: Ravens WR Donte' Stallworth made his season debut after missing seven weeks with a broken foot. He did not catch a pass. ... Webb's interception was the first of his career. ... Miami S Tyrone Culver left with an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return. ... Miami's Paul Soliai recorded his first career sack in the second quarter.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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No unbeatens remain as Vinatieri, Colts halt Chiefs' streak

INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning didn't have a touchdown pass or throw for 300 yards, so along comes backup running back Mike Hart to rescue the Indianapolis Colts and hand the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season.

With Manning missing receivers all day, Hart found an inside crease in the Chiefs defense, crashed through three players for 11 yards and the game's only touchdown with 4:02 left to give the Colts a 19-9 victory Sunday.

The result leaves the NFL without an undefeated team just five weeks into the season.

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"It's moments like this that you don't get all the time and when they pop, you try to take advantage of it," Hart said. "It's fun."

The 5-foot-9 Hart got his chance when Joseph Addai went down midway through the third quarter with what appeared to be a right shoulder injury.

Hart carried 11 times for 50 yards, both career-highs.

"Mike did a great job," Manning said after going 26-of-44 for 244 yards and one interception. "He had an interesting week practice wise. He got injured during the week and didn't know quite what was going to happen. Next thing you know, he comes out and does a heck of a job for us. That's why you've got to have depth. Everybody's got to be ready at any time."

Indy (3-2) needed a victory to get back into a first-place tie in the AFC South and was facing the hottest team in football.

Kansas City (3-1), with four straight wins dating to last season, was the NFL's last unbeaten team and brought a defense that hadn't allowed more than 14 points in a game all season -- until Hart's run.

With Manning having a rare off day, the Colts featured a more balanced attack. The problem was Indy had deactivated backup running back Donald Brown, and when Addai was hurt, the Colts had to turn to Hart.

The Chiefs thought they had done enough defensively to thwart Manning & Co. with an assortment of nickel and dime packages that had the quarterback out of sync and flustered.

On a normal day, that might have been good enough to beat the Colts.

But Kansas City didn't get into the end zone, and for the first time since 1970, the NFL has no 4-0 teams. Denver, Detroit and the Los Angeles Rams all went 3-0 in '70 before losing.

"We're a team trying to transition into becoming a good team. We're not there," coach Todd Haley said. "If we had won this game, I'd be saying the same thing. Good is much bigger than four games. Good is measured a little differently, but we are transitioning and we are making progress."

Jamaal Charles carried 16 times for 87 yards. Matt Cassel was 16-of-29 for 156 yards, and the Chiefs had to settle for three field goals, losing their chance at a miracle comeback when Ryan Succop missed a 51-yard attempt with 1:17 to go.

The difference: Kansas City's failed gambles and Hart.

Haley opened the game with an onside kick that didn't go the necessary 10 yards. Nine plays later, Adam Vinatieri hit a 20-yard field goal.

On the next series, Cassel threw for a first down on fourth-and-2 from the Indy 8. When the ball was incomplete, Manning marched the Colts into position for a 24-yard field goal that made it 6-0.

"Going back to 2000, teams that have opened with an onside kick have had a plus-60 percent win percentage whether they got it or not and we knew that we would have to steal a possession in this game a couple of different ways," Haley explained. "When they work, you're good, when they don't, you're not good."

Then it was essentially a stalemate.

Succop hit a 45-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the first half to make it 6-3. Vinatieri opened the second half with a 47-yarder and Succop countered with field goals of 35 and 43 yards to tie the score at 9.

Vinatieri finally broke the tie with a 42-yarder with 14:40 left to give Indy a 12-9 lead, and then the Colts put the ball in Hart's hands -- who sealed it with his big run.

"Once I got the ball, the o-line, they took care of the front seven," Hart said. "I had two safeties back there and I was on the 3 to 4 yard line and it was my job to get in from there."

Notes: Indy has now won 10 of the last 11 games in this series, dating to 1990. ... The Colts had led the AFC South for 113 of 136 weeks before this season, but Sunday marked the first time they've been atop the division in 2010. ... Backup tackle Barry Richardson started in place of injured right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, so when Branden Albert hurt his left elbow in the first half, the Chiefs moved left guard Brian Waters to tackle. ... The Chiefs have given up zero points off turnovers this season.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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