New York 31-28 over Cleveland
Another half-time lead morphed into another befuddling loss, this time a 31-28 setback against the New York Jets that sent Cleveland Browns spiralling to 0-8 at the season's midway point. The Browns have dropped 11 straight overall and are 3-26 over their last 29 games.
Next week, the Dallas Cowboys come to town. Then, it's a trip to Baltimore, followed by games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants. The weight of the '0' is sure to only grow heavier as time goes by.
Carolina 30-20 over Arizona
Just when it appeared the Arizona Cardinals were turning things around, their season has hit another speed bump.
The Cardinals lost 30-20 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, one week after missing a golden opportunity against Seattle and settling for a 6-6 tie when a short Chandler Catanzaro field goal attempt hit the upright in overtime.
"We're getting hit in the mouth," Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter said. "We have to stop the bleeding before it's too late."
They'll have a bye next week to figure that out.
Sunday's outing was a mistake-filled affair in which the Cardinals were penalised 10 times for 88 yards, allowed eight sacks, and had one situation when they wound up in a second-and-44 after quarterback Carson Palmer was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct for yelling at an official.
Washington, Cincinnati 27-27 tie (London)
Josh Norman launched into an impassioned rant against a field official as frustrations boiled over following the Washington Redskins' 27-27 tie against the Cincinnati Bengals at Wembley Stadium.
Norman was infuriated by his treatment at the hands of official Brad Freeman, and singled him out for criticism in his postgame news conference.
"Who is 88?" Norman said, referencing Freeman's number. "I just got to know. Who is official 88? He sucked. Just got to be honest with you. I'm going to be straightforward. He was terrible and I feel he like should be reprimanded. I feel like some of the plays that was going on out there ... it was terrible."
Kansas City 30, Indianapolis 14
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs — the same team that allowed weird events to devolve into a devastating wild card loss here three years ago — were mentally tough enough to survive and beat the Indianapolis Colts 30-14 to improve to 5-2.
They did it despite losing their starting quarterback (Alex Smith) and running back (Spencer Ware) to head injuries and their starting left guard (Parker Ehinger) to a knee injury.
Oakland 30-24 (OT) over Tampa Bay
The Oakland Raiders played a historic game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at least some of it was the type of history they wanted to make.
Oakland beat Tampa Bay 30-24 on a 41-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Seth Roberts with 1:45 left in overtime, improving the Raiders to 5-0 on the road for the first time since 1977.
The game was marred by an NFL record 23 penalties by the Raiders, but Carr also set a franchise record with 513 passing yards and threw four touchdowns in the breathtaking victory.
New Orleans 25-20 over Seattle
The New Orleans Saints are one step closer to .500, but as was the case nearly every week with the team, this one came down to the last possession.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse failed to make a tough catch in the back of the end zone as time expired as the Saints held on for a 25-20 upset victory Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Saints defense did well to limit the Seahawks offense for much of the game, and the Saints offense came up with timely scores in the come-from-behind win.
Houston 20-13 over Detroit
The Detroit Lions made a habit recently of rallying late for wins. On Sunday their latest comeback attempt fell just short in a 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans (5-3).
The Lions (4-4) cut the lead to seven when Theo Riddick connected with Matthew Stafford on a 1-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter.
Houston added a field goal after that before a 34-yard field goal by Matt Prater got Detroit back within a score. But Houston recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock to secure the victory.
Atlanta 33-32 over Green Bay
The Atlanta Falcons found themselves in another tight game. This time, they came through with the winning play.
After two excruciating losses, the Falcons rallied for a 33-32 victory over the Green Bay Packers when Matt Ryan threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu with 31 seconds remaining Sunday.
With Julio Jones shut down in the second half, Ryan turned to Sanu to bail out Atlanta (5-3). He caught five passes for 50 yards on the final possession, the last of them a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone after he got matched against linebacker Jake Ryan.
Denver 27-19 over San Diego
The Denver Broncos took turns picking off Philip Rivers in a 27-19 win over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
That sets up an AFC West showdown in Oakland next weekend between two 6-2 teams -- the up-and-coming Raiders and the reigning Super Bowl champs who are winning the same way they did last year: with defense, defense, defense.
The Broncos hit Rivers 17 times, sacked him four times and intercepted three of his passes, including Bradley Roby's 49-yard pick-6 that started it all.
