American Football:The New York Giants crushed the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in an ominous sign of their intentions to defend their Super Bowl title.
The Giants (4-2) made light work of the 49ers (4-2), the team that beat in last year’s NFC Conference final, to win 26-3, while last season’s AFC champions, the New England Patriots, suffered a surprise loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Giants gave 49ers quarterback Alex Smith a torrid time, sacking him six times and making three interceptions while New York signal-caller Eli Manning threw for 193 yards and a touchdown, to Victor Cruz.
“Coming in to this game, we knew it was a great challenge to see where we stand,” Manning said in a televised interview from Candlestick Park.
“That’s what we did at the end of last season... we’re getting back into that rhythm of playing smart.”
Seattle (4-2) stunned the Patriots (3-3) with a late touchdown when Russell Wilson found Sidney Rice for a 46-yard touchdown pass down the middle, overturning a 13-point deficit in the last 10 minutes to win 24-23.
Matt Bryant kicked a 55-yard field goal with one second to play to give the unbeaten Atlanta Falcons (6-0) a 23-20 win over the visiting Oakland Raiders (1-4).
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who had thrown three interceptions in the first half, engineered the game-winning drive after Oakland tied the score with 40 seconds left in regulation.
The Cleveland Browns (1-5) piled on 27 points in the second half to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 34-24 and snap an 11-game losing streak dating back to November of last season.
The Bengals fell to 3-3, two wins behind a 5-1 Baltimore Ravens team that tightened their grip on top spot in the AFC North division after beating the Dallas Cowboys 31-29 in a thriller.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed 24 of 37 passes for 338 yards and a single game career-high six touchdowns to improve Green Bay’s record to 3-3 as the Texans slipped to 5-1 after making a perfect start to the season.
Dallas had a chance to force overtime after receiver Dez Bryant scored a touchdown with 32 seconds left but he then failed to catch the two-point conversion pass.
The Cowboys (2-3) gave themselves another chance to pinch victory when they recovered the ensuing onside kick to set up a 51-yard field goal attempt that Dan Bailey just missed.
The New York Jets thrashed the Indianapolis Colts 35-9 to snap a two-game losing streak as running back Shonn Greene rushed for a career-best 161 yards and three touchdowns.
The Detroit Lions overcame a 10-point deficit in the last quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 26-23 in overtime and end a four-game losing streak.
Jason Hanson kicked the winning field goal from 45 yards in overtime as the Lions improved to 2-3 and the Eagles, who got 311 passing yards two touchdowns and two interceptions from quarterback Michael Vick, fell to 3-3.
Ryan Tannehill threw two touchdown passes as Miami (3-3) held on to beat the visiting St. Louis Rams 17-14.
St Louis (3-3) had an opportunity to tie the game as time expired but rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein sent a 66-yard field goal attempt wide.
Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns as the Buccaneers (2-3) posted their first win in four games with a 38-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs (1-5).
Rian Lindell kicked a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give Buffalo (3-3) a 19-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals (4-2) to join the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins a four-way tie in the AFC East.
Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III ran in two touchdowns, including one from 76 yards, to give the Redskins (3-3) a 38-26 win over the Minnesota Vikings (4-2).