Brees went 30-for-41 for 339 yards and three touchdown passes against his former team, leading the Saints to a 37-32 win over San Diego on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, putting New Orleans back at .500 and dropping the Chargers to 3-5.
The Saints (4-4) held off a late comeback by the Chargers, who came from 37-20 down early in the fourth quarter and were driving for the tying touchdown. But linebacker Jonathan Vilma picked off a pass by Philip Rivers with just over a minute to go. Brees took a safety in the final seconds to complete the scoring.
After last year's rain-soaked, error-filled 13-10 win by the New York Giants over the Miami Dolphins in London, the NFL was hoping for a high-scoring, offensive show in its return to the English capital. And that's just what the 83,226 fans at England's showcase venue got.
Brees, who came into the game leading the NFL with 2,224 yards passing, exploited the Chargers' vulnerable pass defense. But Philip Rivers, his former backup in San Diego, came up with big numbers too, completing 25 of 40 attempts for 343 yards and three touchdowns to bring his season total to 19 TDs. But while Brees went without an interception, Rivers' one pick on the final drive proved crucial.
-- GIANTS 21, STEELERS 14: The New York Giants did little with the exceptional field position the Steelers gave them. Finally, when it seemed Pittsburgh had too much depth and defense for the Super Bowl champs, the Steelers were tripped up by - of all things - a bad punt snap.
Eli Manning threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Boss with 3:11 remaining for the Giants' only touchdown after they tied it several minutes before on a bizarre safety. Linebacker James Harrison's high snap on the punt gave New York two points, and the Giants held off Pittsburgh for a 21-14 victory in a matchup of division leaders.
The resilient Steelers (5-2) playing with backups all over the field, tried to make up for Ben Roethlisberger's four interceptions by turning two big-play scores into a lead they preserved with a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter.
But the Giants (6-1) tied it with 6:48 remaining on the safety.
Pro Bowl linebacker Harrison, playing center due to long snapper Greg Warren's knee injury, snapped the ball over punter Mitch Berger's head and out of the end zone. It wasn't certain why Harrison was snapping rather than starting center Justin Hartwig or right guard Darnell Stapleton, a center at Rutgers.
John Carney kicked four field goals for New York.
-- BROWNS 23, JAGUARS 17: The Browns had just enough offense, even without Kellen Winslow. Jamal Lewis ran for 81 yards and a touchdown and Derek Anderson completed three huge passes.
It was Cleveland's second victory in as many games without Winslow, the outspoken Pro Bowl tight end who missed the game after criticizing the team following his staph infection. The Browns (3-4) played their best game of the season two weeks ago while Winslow was in the hospital and beat the Giants.
They didn't miss him against the Jaguars (3-4), either.
Anderson finished 14-of-27 for 264 yards and a touchdown. He had 168 yards passing in the first half, including a 5-yard TD toss to Donte' Stallworth; a 51-yard completion to Winslow's replacement, Steve Heiden, on fourth down; and a 43-yarder to Braylon Edwards that set up a short field goal.
His 53-yard strike to Syndric Steptoe in the fourth period may have been even bigger. It set up Phil Dawson's second of three field goals that put the Browns ahead for good with 4:35 remaining.
Jaguars rookie Brian Witherspoon fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Dawson kicked a 42-yarder.
-- SEAHAWKS 34, 49ERS 13: Compared to new coach Mike Singletary's feuding, fumbling, quarterback-switching 49ers, even the struggling Seahawks looked sharp.
Fullback Leonard Weaver made two lengthy touchdown catches, Josh Wilson returned an interception 75 yards for a score and the Seahawks ruined Singletary's tumultuous debut.
Seneca Wallace passed for 222 yards in his third career victory as a starter, including short passes turned into scores of 43 and 62 yards by his fleet-footed fullback. T.J. Duckett had an early 1-yard TD run as the Seahawks (2-5) calmly snapped their three-game losing streak and evened the season series with the Niners (2-6), who lost their fifth straight.
-- TEXANS 35, BENGALS 6: In his first meeting against his former team, Kevin Walter scored two touchdowns. He scored one touchdown in three seasons with Cincinnati, but set a career high by getting his fourth and fifth touchdowns of the year against Cincinnati (0-8).
Walter had help from a bevy of strong Houston performances led by Matt Schaub's three touchdown passes and Andre Johnson's fourth straight 100-yard game.
The win gave Houston (3-4) three consecutive victories in a single season for the first time in franchise history, and dropped Cincinnati to 0-8 for the fourth time. The Bengals are two losses away from their team-worst 0-10 start, which came in 1993.
The 29-point loss is their largest of the season and they've allowed 73 points in the last two weeks.
Johnson capped his fabulous October with 143 yards receiving and has 593 yards this month.
-- DOLPHINS 25, BILLS 16: Ted Ginn had a breakout game with seven catches for a career-high 175 yards, and the Dolphins overcame a nine-point third-quarter deficit. With Ginn's first 100-yard game, he made by far his biggest impact since Miami's much-mocked decision to take him with the ninth pick of last year's draft.
Ginn set up Miami's first two scores with receptions of 46 and 64 yards. Those completions were part of an efficient day for Chad Pennington, who went 22-for-30 for 314 yards with no interceptions.
Dan Carpenter kicked field goals of 43, 45 and 35 yards, all in the final 23 minutes after the Dolphins fell behind 16-7.
Buffalo (5-2) committed four turnovers, all in the fourth quarter. Joey Porter had two sacks, including one to force a fumble for a safety for the Dolphins (3-4), who tripled their win total from last season under the new Bill Parcells regime.
-- COWBOYS 13, BUCCANNERS 9: Brad Johnson made up for several missed chances at touchdowns by throwing one to newcomer Roy Williams at the end of a drive sustained by four defensive penalties. The maligned Dallas defense made it hold up.
The Cowboys (5-3) gained only 173 yards, but with coach Wade Phillips taking a "more active" role in his defense, they put the clamps on Jeff Garcia and the Bucs (5-3). Tampa Bay got two first-quarter field goals and another in the third quarter, but that was it.
The Buccaneers were driving for a possible winning touchdown until a fourth-down pass to Jerramy Stevens fell incomplete under heavy pressure with 13 seconds left. As Dallas players bounced around in celebration, Tampa Bay tackle Jeremy Trueblood threw his helmet in frustration.
Johnson, starting for the second straight week because Tony Romo has a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, was 19-of-33 for 122 yards. His longest pass went for just 14 yards, on a dump-off to running back Marion Barber. Johnson also was sacked three times. However, he didn't have a turnover and neither did the Cowboys, a first this season.
-- PANTHERS 27, CARDINALS 23: Kurt Warner put up the better numbers, but Jake Delhomme engineered the comeback that kept the Panthers unbeaten at home and atop the NFC South. Delhomme threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 65-yard strike to Steve Smith.
The Panthers (6-2, 5-0 at home) rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit despite Warner's big day. He threw for 381 yards - by far the most given up by Carolina this season - and two touchdowns to Anquan Boldin. But the Cardinals (4-3) continued their road woes in part thanks to a botched fake field goal and a missed extra point.
Smith caught five passes for 117 yards for Carolina and DeAngelo Williams rushed for 108 yards and a TD in a game that featured a second-half shootout led by two gunslinging quarterbacks who were teammates for Amsterdan of the Europe.
Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald had seven catches for 115 yards.
-- PATRIOTS 23, RAMS 16: The Patriots got by the Rams on a fingertip touchdown catch by Kevin Faulk. The Patriots' best pass-catching running back hung onto Matt Cassel's 15-yard pass on the left edge of the end zone with 3:19 remaining.
A juggling interception by Deltha O'Neal with 1:08 left ended the Rams' last threat.
Faulk had shouldered a bigger running load than usual with Laurence Maroney sidelined for the season and the top two backups, Sammy Morris and LaMont Jordan, out with injuries. But Faulk did what he does best, catching the ball, just in time as the Patriots (5-2) won their second straight game.
Until then, St. Louis' Josh Brown and New England's Stephen Gostkowski each kicked three field goals. BenJarvus Green-Ellis' 2-yard run on the Patriots' first possession had given them a 7-3 lead. Then the Rams went ahead 10-7 on a 69-yard pass play from Marc Bulger to Donnie Avery. It was the longest pass play of Bulger's career.
But the Rams (2-5) couldn't overcome the absence of Steven Jackson, their leading rusher and receiver who missed the game with a strained right thigh muscle. And defensive end Leonard Little left in the first half with a hamstring injury.
They lost for the first time since Jim Haslett replaced Scott Linehan, who was fired with an 0-4 record.
-- REDKSINS 25, LIONS 17: Santana Moss dashed Detroit's hopes of finally winning a game.
Moss had a go-ahead touchdown reception in the third quarter and returned a punt for another score in the fourth.
Jason Campbell threw for 328 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Moss nine times for 140 yards for the Redskins (6-2).
Clinton Portis joined O.J. Simpson in the NFL record book with his fifth straight game with at least 120 yards rushing. He has 126 yards.
Shaun Suisham kicked four field goals, including a 42-yarder with 1:56 to go that put Washington ahead by eight points.
Detroit (0-7) got the ball at its 23 with no timeouts left - needing a touchdown and 2-point conversion to force overtime - but the drive ended near midfield with a short pass on fourth down.
The Redskins allowed the Lions to go ahead with their first score in an opening quarter this season and trailed until Moss caught a 50-yard pass that capped a 95-yard drive with 4:42 left in the third quarter. He returned a punt 80 yards early in the fourth, giving Washington a 22-10 lead.
-- JETS 28, CHIEFS 24: After struggling all game, Brett Favre connected with Laveranues Coles for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left. The heavily favored Jets overcame three interceptions by Favre and an upset-minded Chiefs team using its third-string quarterback.
Leon Washington returned Steve Weatherford's punt 37 yards - and even dragged the punter on his back for a few of those yards - to put the Jets (4-3) in terrific field position at the Chiefs 46. Favre floated a pass to Coles, who fought off Dimitri Patterson to make a one-handed catch in the front of the end zone.
Tyler Thigpen, making his second NFL start, got the Chiefs (1-6) downfield quickly for one final shot. But his pass on fourth-and-1 to Will Franklin was knocked away by Drew Coleman.
Favre finished 28-of-40 for 290 yards and two touchdowns and the three INTs. Washington caught a pass for a score and ran another in, and Thomas Jones also ran for a touchdown.
Thigpen was 25-of-37 for 280 yards and touchdowns to Tony Gonzalez and Mark Bradley in relief for the injured Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard, both out for the season with injuries.
The Chiefs, in former Jets coach Herm Edwards' return to the Meadowlands, appeared on their way to victory when rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers returned his second interception of the game 91 yards for a touchdown.
-- RAVENS 29, RAIDERS 10: On an afternoon that belonged to Rex Ryan and his tenacious Baltimore defense, the unquestionable highlight was a 43-yard pass from one Ravens quarterback to another.
Baltimore limited the Oakland Raiders to 35 yards while building a 19-point halftime lead, and the Ravens got a safety and four sacks. The win was particularly sweet for Ryan, whose twin brother Rob is defensive coordinator for the Raiders (2-5).
Rob Ryan was forced to deal with a surprise wrinkle. The Ravens (4-3) unveiled their own version of the single wing, inserting Troy Smith at quarterback and using starting quarterback Joe Flacco as the wide receiver on the left side.
Smith ran three times for 13 yards and once pitched the ball to rookie Ray Rice, who tacked on 19 yards. But the biggest play came in the third quarter, when Smith heaved a pass down the sideline to Flacco, who made an excellent grab on the run after getting behind linebacker Ricky Brown.
The completion set up a field goal for a 22-3 lead.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/10/214621