Perfect Pats and Colts heading for showdown
BOSTON: The New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts maintained their perfect records with convincing victories on Sunday, setting up a colossal showdown next week.
The Patriots (8-0) overwhelmed the Washington Redskins 52-7 while the defending Super Bowl champion Colts (7-0) crushed the Carolina Panthers 31-7.
New England's Tom Brady passed for three touchdowns and ran in two more in the rout of Washington. He completed 29 of 38 passes for 306 yards and scoring strikes to Mike Vrabel, Randy Moss and Wes Welker.
"8-0 is great, but it does not mean anything," Brady told reporters as the Patriots turned their attention to next Sunday's showdown in Indianapolis.
"It (the unbeaten record) does not guarantee us anything. We've got to keep improving throughout the season."
Vrabel, a linebacker, also forced three fumbles, one of which Rosevelt Colvin returned 11 yards for a touchdown. Brady's backup Matt Cassel rushed 15 yards for the Patriots' final score.
Washington (4-3) scored with three minutes left on the clock, quarterback Jason Campbell passing to Chris Cooley for a 15-yard touchdown.
In North Carolina, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes and Joseph Addai scored three times as Indianapolis put up 31 unanswered points after going behind to DeShaun Foster's early score for the Panthers.
Manning hit Addai on a four-yarder and connected with Reggie Wayne on a 59-yard pass play in a decisive third quarter.
The second TD gave Manning his 288th career scoring pass, breaking Hall-of-Famer Johnny Unitas' team record.
Manning, who completed 14 of 30 passes for 254 yards, has now tasted victory over every team in the NFL.
Addai finished with two rushing touchdowns and 100 yards on the ground.
His two-yard run gave Indianapolis its first lead at 10-7 with 1:33 left in the first half. He also rushed for a 12-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"Peyton does a great job of balancing it off, so we were able to run and pass today," Addai told reporters.
Adam Vinatieri kicked a 20-yard first-quarter field goal for the Colts' other score.
In London, the New York Giants (6-2) won their sixth game in a row, beating the winless Miami Dolphins (0-8) 13-10 in the rain at Wembley Stadium. The Giants' Brandon Jacobs rushed for 131 yards in the first NFL regular-season game played outside of North America.
LenDale White ran for a career-best 133 yards in a 13-9 home victory by the Tennessee Titans (5-2) over the Oakland Raiders (2-5).
Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Hines Ward and the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-13. Cincinnati (2-5) has now lost seven in a row at home to the Steelers.
Antonio Gates caught two of Philip Rivers' three touchdown passes and the San Diego Chargers (4-3) whipped the Houston Texans 35-10 in their home stadium. The Chargers' venue had been used as an evacuation center for thousands displaced by the southern California wildfires. The Texans dropped to 3-5 with the loss.
Agencies
(China Daily 10/30/2007 page24)
