NFL Packers outlast Vikings to remain unbeaten

Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes to spark the unbeaten Green Bay Packers over Minnesota 33-27, boosting the reigning Super Bowl champions to 7-0 on the season. Rodgers on Sunday completed 24-of-30 passes for 335 yards and Mason Crosby kicked four field goals, including a club-record 58-yarder in the third quarter, as the Packers matched their best start to an NFL season since 1962. Vikings rookie Christian Ponder, making his first start, completed 13-of-32 for 219 yards and two touchdowns but threw two interceptions to Charles Woodson in the third quarter, when the Packers rallied to outscore Minnesota 20-0. "There's not a lot of panic on this team," Rodgers said. Adrian Peterson ran 24 times for 175 yards and a touchdown and Ponder tossed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins with 7:49 to play, but the Vikings, 1-6, could not score again and the Packers won their 700th all-time victory. The Packers have a bye next week before traveling to San Diego. "It means we get a week off to get healthy," Rodgers said. "Then it gets even more difficult." Nothing was difficult for New Orleans in a 62-7 rout of winless Indianapolis where the host Saints (5-2) matched the third-most points in any game in NFL history in winning a rematch of their victory in last year's Super Bowl. The Colts (0-7) surrendered the most points in a regular-season game since 1985. The only larger regular-season one-game total scored by any NFL team was produced by Washington in a 72-41 victory over the New York Giants in 1966. In the NFL's fifth annual regular-season game at London, Matt Forte ran for 145 yards and a touchdown and the Bears defeated Tampa Bay 24-18 at Wembley Stadium, leaving both clubs 4-3. The gridiron loss added to the misery of the Glazer family, owners of both the NFL Buccaneers and English Premier League football side Manchester United, who lost 6-1 to arch-rivals Manchester City earlier in the day. Tim Tebow, making his first start of the season, threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:44 of the fourth quarter and set up Matt Prater's 52-yard field goal that gave Denver an 18-15 victory over winless Miami, who fell to 0-6. "We wanted it and they believed in me for more than 60 minutes," said Tebow. Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger threw a 95-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace, the longest pass play in Steelers history, and the Steelers defeated Arizona 32-20, inflicting a fifth loss in a row on the Cardinals. "Big Ben" was 25-of-38 for 340 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers won their third in a row in a rematch of their 2009 Super Bowl triumph. Plaxico Burress caught three touchdown passes, taking the lead for good on the last of them after an interception by Darrelle Revis, to power the New York Jets past AFC West leaders San Diego 27-21. Matt Ryan ran for one touchdown and threw for another while Matt Bryant kicked three field goals to push Atlanta (4-3) past hosts Detroit 23-16, handing the Lions their second loss in a row after a 5-0 start. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a right leg injury in a failed last-gasp bid for a tying touchdown and was in a walking boot after the game. Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, 35, made five catches to move into second place on the NFL all-time receptions list with 1,104, still 445 grabs shy of Jerry Rice's career record. "Jerry Rice will never be caught," Gonzalez said. "I'm very happy with second place. Those numbers mean I'm getting old mostly." Kendrick Lewis and Brandon Flowers each ran interceptions for touchdowns to spark the Kansas City Chiefs over hosts Oakland 28-0. Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer, obtained last week from Cincinnati, were each picked off three times. Arian Foster ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns and had 119 yards receiving, including a 78-yard touchdown catch, as Houston routed Tennessee 41-7, giving the Texans the AFC South lead at 4-3. The Titans fell to 3-3. Dallas rusher DeMarco Murray ran for a club-record 253 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown romp, as the Cowboys beat winless St. Louis 34-7. The NFL's most anemic offense and worst run defense struggled as the Rams fell to 0-6. Rookie Cam Newton threw for 256 yards and a touchdown and ran for 59 yards and another score to lead the Carolina Panthers (205) past visiting Washington 33-20. Phil Dawson kicked field goals of 52 and 53 yards to give Cleveland a 6-3 victory over visiting Seattle.