Ancient Testaverde lifts Panthers

Early last week, Vinny Testaverde turned down a job offer from Arizona, then accepted one from Carolina.

The Panthers are glad he signed with them -- and do the Cardinals ever regret his decision.

The 43-year-old Testaverde hit Steve Smith for a 65-yard touchdown pass to lead Carolina past the host Cardinals 25-10 on Sunday.

Arizona had to press Tim Rattay into service after losing starter Kurt Warner to a sprained left elbow in the first quarter, and Rattay threw 3 interceptions.

DeAngelo Williams ran for 121 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (4-2), who are 4-0 on the road this year. John Kasay kicked 4 field goals for Carolina.

Testaverde became the oldest starting quarterback to win a game in NFL history, and the third-oldest to start one. His touchdown pass gives him at least one in 21 straight seasons, extending his own NFL record.

At 43 years and 335 days old, Testaverde is the third-oldest quarterback to start a regular season game in NFL history. Steve DeBerg started at 44 years, 279 days old on Oct. 25, 1998, and Warren Moon was 44 years, 8 days old when he started on Nov. 26, 2000.

The Cardinals contacted Testaverde last week after learning starter Matt Leinart would miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone. The plan was for Testaverde to back up Warner.

Testaverde said he was "on my way" to Arizona before talking to his family and deciding the desert was too far away.

"I just couldn't do it," Testaverde said. "At this point in my career, I didn't want to go without seeing my family for as long as I thought I would be away from them. And that was really the reason why I did not come to the Cardinals."

A week ago, Testaverde and his family spent Sunday afternoon in their New York-area home, watching the New York Jets and New York Giants on television. Testaverde spent this Sunday carving up the Cardinals.

He completed 20 of 33 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown, and he did not throw an interception.

The Cardinals (3-3) could have used Testaverde when Warner, making his first start of the season, was knocked out in the first quarter with a sprained left elbow. The injury occurred on a sack by Julius Peppers, who forced a fumble on the play.

With Warner out, Arizona had to turn to Rattay, whom it signed after Testaverde snubbed them. Rattay makes his home in the Phoenix area.

Rattay was 12 of 24 for 159 yards with 3 interceptions.

Bucs 13, Titans 10: Tennessee lost Vince Young, then watched the game slip away, too, as host Tampa Bay beat the Titans.

Matt Bryant's 43-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining won it. Tennessee had a five-game road winning streak halted after the 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year limped off the field in the third quarter.

Jeff Garcia threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Joey Galloway less than five minutes after Young left the game. Garcia then led the Bucs (4-2) on the winning drive after the Titans (3-2) tied the score on LenDale White's 2-yard run with 1:17 left.

Tampa Bay, which rebounded from a lopsided loss to Super Bowl champion Indianapolis, has already matched its victory total for last season.

Ravens 22, Rams 3: Host Baltimore forced Rams QB Gus Frerotte into 6 turnovers, and Matt Stover kicked 5 field goals.

Willis McGahee had a 6-yard touchdown run for the Ravens, who built a 13-0 lead at halftime and coasted. It was the first time this season Baltimore (4-2) won by more than 7 points.

Kyle Boller went 17-for-29 for 185 yards as a replacement for injured Steve McNair. Boller was operating behind an offensive line that started three rookies because of injuries to Jonathan Ogden, Mike Flynn and Adam Terry.

Playing a second straight week in place of an injured Marc Bulger, Frerotte threw a career-high 5 interceptions and lost a fumble.

Baltimore converted the turnovers into 12 points, and that was more than enough to beat a St. Louis team that has been outscored 159-73 this season. The last time the Rams started 0-6 was in 1962, when the franchise was in Los Angeles.

Chiefs 27, Bengals 20: Tony Gonzalez set the NFL record for touchdown catches by a tight end, and host Kansas City rolled up 354 total yards to beat Cincinnati.

Gonzalez, an eight-time Pro Bowler, caught Damon Huard's 3-yard pass in the first quarter and broke Shannon Sharpe's NFL record of 62 touchdown catches for tight ends. Then Gonzalez snared a 26-yard scoring pass from Huard in the fourth period and wound up with 102 yards receiving for the Chiefs (3-3).

Larry Johnson, who had not scored a touchdown after sitting out all of training camp, got 119 yards on 31 carries and 1 TD.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught 8 passes for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns for Cincinnati (1-4), which has lost four straight games.

Jaguars 37, Texans 17: David Garrard threw 2 touchdown passes, and Maurice Jones-Drew amassed 260 all-purpose yards, as host Jacksonville won its fourth straight by beating Houston.

Houston (3-3) provided a real test, especially since Jacksonville (4-1) was coming off big road wins at Denver and Kansas City and has a Monday night matchup against Indianapolis next.

The Jaguars dominated this one, and it could have been worse had they not fumbled three times. The turnovers kept it close until the final quarter.

Jones-Drew had a 7-yard TD run early in the fourth period, making it 23-9. Paul Spicer sacked Matt Schaub on the ensuing possession, causing a fumble that Daryl Smith picked up and ran 77 yards to seal it.

Browns 41, Dolphins 31: Host Cleveland handed Miami a franchise-record ninth consecutive loss.

The Browns (3-3) scored on three of their first four possessions to go up 17-3 before Leigh Bodden intercepted Cleo Lemon's pass. Derek Anderson turned it into a 24-yard touchdown throw to Braylon Edwards on the next play.

After the Dolphins (0-6) pulled within 27-24 in the third quarter, Anderson threw his second and third TD passes of the game to Edwards to put it out of reach.

The Dolphins, who lost their last three of 2006, snapped the team mark of eight consecutive defeats set during the 1967 season. Cam Cameron remained winless as an NFL head coach. It was also the sixth road loss in a row for the Dolphins.