Colts boot Chargers as time runs out

This time, Adam Vinatieri was right on from a lot farther out.

Vinatieri, one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, made a 51-yard field goal as time expired to lift Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts to a 23-20 win over the host San Diego Chargers on Sunday night.

He was kicking toward the same goal posts where just more than a year ago he pushed a 29-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 1:31 left, allowing the Chargers to hold on for a 23-21 win.

Manning threw 2 touchdown passes for the Colts (7-4), who won their fourth straight game to remain in wild-card contention.

The Chargers (4-7) remain desperate. The two-time defending AFC West champions have lost four of five and are 2 games behind division leader Denver, which was upset 31-10 by the Oakland Raiders.

Manning kept the winning drive alive with a 14-yard pass to Marvin Harrison on fourth-and-inches from the Chargers' 48-yard line following a long officials' review over the spot of the ball following the previous play.

It was Vinatieri's 22nd career game-winning field goal in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime. Included on that list are two last-second kicks that won Super Bowls for the New England Patriots.

It was Manning's 35th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime.

Manning seemed determined not to take a fourth straight loss to the Chargers. It was the Chargers who ended the Colts' 2007 season with a 28-24 upset in a divisional-round playoff game.

It wasn't easy, though.

The Colts went ahead 20-10 on Vinatieri's 38-yard field goal with 11:48 left. That kick capped a drive kept alive by pass interference calls against defensive backs Antonio Cromartie and Clinton Hart, both on third downs.

The Chargers scored 10 straight to tie it.

Philip Rivers threw a 1-yard scoring pass to rookie running back Jacob Hester and Nate Kaeding kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:30 left.

Manning turned a turnover by Philip Rivers into a 17-10 lead, throwing a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Rhodes on fourth-and-goal with 38 seconds left in the third quarter.

Rhodes burned linebacker Stephen Cooper for the TD catch after he was stopped on three straight runs after the Colts had a first-and-goal at the 1.

The drive was set up by Rivers' fumble.

Rivers was scrambling when Robert Mathis came in from behind and batted the ball out of his hand. Raheem Brock scooped it up and returned it to the Colts' 34.

Earlier, Manning rebounded from his own costly interception to throw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 38 seconds left before halftime to pull the Colts into a 10-10 tie.

On Indianapolis' previous possession, Manning was intercepted by Quentin Jammer at the Chargers 11.

The Chargers turned it into a 10-3 lead when Rivers hit Vincent Jackson on a 39-yard touchdown pass to cap the 89-yard, nine-play drive. Jackson made the catch behind two defenders before falling into the end zone. It was just the third TD pass allowed by the Colts this year.

The Colts had gone three games without a turnover and the Chargers had gone four games without a takeaway.

Vinatieri kicked a 23-yard field goal and San Diego's Nate Kaeding kicked a 35-yarder, both in the first half.

Manning completed 32 of 44 passes for 255 yards. Rivers was 24 of 31 for 288 yards.

Patriots 48, Dolphins 28: Matt Cassel threw for 415 yards, Randy Moss caught 3 touchdown passes and the resilient Patriots won a shootout over host Miami.

The Patriots (7-4), who remained a game behind the AFC East-leading Jets, avenged an upset loss to Miami in September. New England hasn't been swept in a season series by a division opponent since 2000.

For the Dolphins (6-5), the loss snapped a four-game winning streak and hurt their chances of an improbable playoff berth after going 1-15 last year.

Cassel had his second consecutive 400-yard day, completing 30 of 43 passes, including touchdowns of 25, 8 and 29 to Moss. The wide receiver made 8 catches for 125 yards for his best day since an injury ended Tom Brady's season.

The Dolphins' Chad Pennington threw for a career-high 341 yards and 3 touchdowns, and ran for a TD. He completed 24 of 41 passes with 1 interception.

Ravens 36, Eagles 7: Pulled after an awful first half, Donovan McNabb watched from the sideline as host Baltimore beat Philadelphia, presenting first-year coach John Harbaugh with a lopsided victory over the team he served as an assistant for 10 years.

Ed Reed picked off McNabb's replacement, Kevin Kolb, and returned the interception an NFL-record 108 yards for a touchdown to give the Ravens (7-4) a 22-point cushion with 7:24 left.

McNabb was 8-for-18 for 59 yards with 2 interceptions and a fumble in the first half - a miserable 13.2 quarterback rating. Seven turnovers in seven quarters was evidently enough for Eagles coach Andy Reid.

Kolb failed to cure the ailing Eagles offense, going 10-for-23 for 73 yards and 2 interceptions. The Eagles' only touchdown came on a 100-yard kickoff return by Quintin Demps in the first half.

Buccaneers 38, Lions 20: Tampa Bay fell behind host Detroit (0-11) by 17 points, then scored 5 unanswered touchdowns en route to its third straight victory.

The Buccaneers (8-3) trailed 17-0 after the first quarter before all three phases scored to contribute to a rout. Warrick Dunn ran for a touchdown, and Jeff Garcia connected with Ike Hilliard and Jerramy Stevens for scores in the second quarter to put the Bucs ahead 21-17. Clifton Smith returned a punt 70 yards early in the third to give them an 11-point cushion.

Carnell "Cadillac" Williams had 27 yards rushing on 16 carries in his first game since a knee injury almost ended his career 14 months ago.

The Lions' Daunte Culpepper completed 8 of 20 passes for 121 yards, a TD and 2 interceptions. He was benched in the third quarter, but had to go back in the game because Drew Stanton was sidelined with a concussion.

Redskins 20, Seahawks 17: Clinton Portis darted and pounded for 143 yards on 29 carries, including key ones late that helped preserve Washington's first victory in almost a month as the Redskins beat host Seattle.

Portis was questionable to play after missing most of practice this week because of his sprained knee. Then, the NFL's leader in yards from scrimmage injured a muscle near his hip late in the first half, when he rushed for 69 of his yards.

Yet he kept running, finishing with his first 100-yard day since the Redskins' last win, on Oct. 26 at Detroit, and ending a two-game losing streak for Washington (7-4).

Seattle sunk to 2-9, its worst start since 1992, and lost for the fourth straight time at home.

Raiders 31, Denver 10: Ashley Lelie, who forced a trade out of Denver in 2006 after a bitter holdout, returned to Invesco Field helped lead Oakland to a stunning win over the host Broncos by catching a touchdown pass and setting up another with a spectacular 51-yard reception.

Rookie Darren McFadden ran for two 1-yard touchdowns, and the Raiders (3-8) snapped a four-game losing streak and rectified their 41-14 thrashing at the hands of the Broncos (6-5) in the opener.

The Raiders, who had lost seven of eight, hadn't scored a touchdown on offense since Oct. 26 against Baltimore. They also got a punt return for a touchdown from Johnnie Lee Higgins for the second straight week.

Bills 54, Chiefs 31: Trent Edwards threw for 2 touchdowns, ran for 2 others and visiting Buffalo rolled up more points than had ever been scored against Kansas City.

The Bills (6-5) pounced on 5 turnovers and came within 4 points of matching their 42-year-old record for most points in a game. The previous high against the Chiefs was 51 in an overtime loss at Seattle in 1983.

Rian Lindell kicked 4 field goals, and Leodis McKelvin returned an interception 64 yards for a score for the Bills, who had lost four in a row after starting 4-0. Edwards was 24 of 32 for 273 yards and 2 touchdowns, and he scored on runs of 5 and 15 yards.

The Chiefs (1-10) lost 3 fumbles, and Tyler Thigpen threw 2 interceptions. It's the 19th loss in 20 games for the Chiefs.

Texans 16, Browns 6: Sage Rosenfels passed for 275 yards and a touchdown, and Kris Brown kicked 3 field goals as Houston snapped an eight-game losing streak outside Texas with a win over host Cleveland.

The Texans (4-7) had lost five straight road games this season and hadn't won away from home since Nov. 4, 2007, at Oakland. But all it took was a weekend in Cleveland to fix their travel woes.

Rosenfels, a career backup, had his best game since replacing the injured Matt Schaub three weeks ago. Andre Johnson had 10 catches for 116 yards as the Texans also ended a three-game losing streak.

A disastrous season got even worse for the Browns (4-7), who lost their third straight at home and watched their ever-faithful fans leave by the thousands in the final minutes. Quarterback Brady Quinn was replaced in the second half of his third start after throwing 2 interceptions.