Around the league

At East Rutherford, N. J., the Giants’ defence registered four sacks and forced two fumbles as New York took sole possession of first place in the NFC East. Linebacker Antonio Pierce returned a fumble for a touchdown for New York ( 8- 4), which also had two Drew Bledsoe interceptions. The second, by Brent Alexander, came with 1:47 left in the game. At Miami, Chris Chambers outjumped cornerback Jabari Greer for his 15th reception of the game, a four- yard TD catch, on fourth down with six seconds remaining to lead the Dolphins to victory. Lee Evans caught three touchdown passes to put the Bills ahead 21-0 less than 13 minutes into the game, and they led 23-3 with 12 minutes left. At Charlotte, N. C., DeShaun Foster scored two touchdowns and became the first Carolina back to go over 100 yards this season while helping the Panthers ( 9- 3) snap a three- game losing streak against Atlanta ( 7- 5). It also gave Carolina a two-game NFC South lead over the Falcons, and a one-game advantage over Tampa Bay — setting up another huge division showdown next week against the Bucs. At Chicago, Charles Tillman returned one interception of Brett Favre 95 yards to set up a field goal, and Nathan Vasher carried a fourth- quarter pick 45 yards for a clinching touchdown as the Bears ended Green Bay’s domination at Soldier Field. At Cleveland, David Garrard threw two second- half touchdown passes and ran for a crucial first down in the final minutes to lead the Jaguars to their fifth straight win. At Detroit, Brad Johnson threw two touchdown passes, Michael Bennett scored twice as the Vikings ( 7- 5) won their fifth straight. Detroit ( 4- 8) has lost five of six and didn’t seem to be sparked by Dick Jauron in his debut as interim head coach. At Baton Rouge, La., Ronde Barber intercepted Aaron Brooks three times and Chris Simms hit Joey Galloway for the only touchdown that Tampa Bay ( 8- 4) needed. On New Orleans’ final drive, Brooks threw for the end zone on what could have been a tying score when Barber picked off the pass, Tampa Bay’s fourth of the game. At Baltimore, Matt Stover kicked a 38-yard field goal with six seconds left for the Ravens ( 4- 8). Kris Brown’s fifth field goal with 1:08 to go to put Houston in position for its second win of the season. But for the second straight week, the Texans ( 1- 11) let a seemingly certain victory get away. At Kansas City, Mo., the Chiefs received a favourable replay ruling when they challenged the spot on a run that appeared to give Denver a first down near midfield on fourth- and-one with 2:01 left. At St. Louis, Clinton Portis ran for 136 yards on 27 carries with a pair of touchdowns and the Redskins made Ryan Fitzpatrick run for his life as they snapped a three- game losing streak. At Foxborough, Mass., Corey Dillon scored on a one-yard run and Kevin Faulk made three big third- down catches, keeping the Patriots’ AFC East lead at two games. At San Francisco, Kurt Warner was 29- of- 45 for 354 yards and Anquan Boldin somehow turned one of his 11 catches for 156 yards into the go- ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Associated Press