Cardinals beat the heat, Green Bay

Published 12:00 am Monday, September 22, 2003

The Arizona Cardinals beat the heat and wilting Green Bay for their first victory of the season.

The Cardinals upset the Packers 20-13 on Sunday at aptly named Sun Devil Stadium, where it was 102 degrees at kickoff and 106 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

''The heat did take it's toll, and we were able to capitalize on it,'' Cardinals newcomer Emmitt Smith said.

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The 106 degrees at nearby Sky Harbor Airport was a record for the date, surpassing the 105 recorded in 1949 and 1984.

''The elements are the elements,'' Packers coach Mike Sherman said. ''People come up to Green Bay, and I don't say we beat them because it's cold out. I say we beat them because we won the game. They beat us because they played better than we did - bottom line.''

Brett Favre, 35-1 when it's 34 degrees or colder, is 12-18 in games when the kickoff temperature is above 70.

Favre, 23-for-33 for 226 yards and a touchdown, drove the Packers (1-2) to the Arizona 7 in the final seconds. But on third-and-goal, his pass was picked off by Dexter Jackson.

''People got their money's worth today,'' said Arizona quarterback Jeff Blake, who completed 20 of 31 passes for 273 yards. ''I heard somebody in the stands say last week that we were robbing them. Well, we're even now.''

Blake threw a 1-yard pass to James Hodgins for the winning touchdown with 3:59 to play.

Giants 24, Redskins 21, OT

At Landover, Md., Matt Bryant kicked a 29-yard field goal 4:15 into the extra period for New York.

The Giants (2-1) led 21-3 at halftime, but a mistake-filled second half and bad clock management late in the game allowed Washington (2-1) to tie it on John Hall's 34-yard field goal with 13 seconds left in regulation.

Seahawks 24, Rams 23

At Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Koren Robinson with a minute remaining and Josh Brown made the extra point as the Seahawks overcame a 13-point deficit.

Marshall Faulk, held to 31 yards on 15 carries for the Rams (1-2), left in the third quarter with an injured left hand. Seattle is 3-0 for the first time in five years.

Bucs 31, Falcons 10

At Atlanta, Warren Sapp scored the first offensive touchdown of his career on a 6-yard catch as the Bucs rebounded from a disappointing loss.

Tampa Bay (2-1) took out all its frustration following a loss to Carolina on the Falcons (1-2), who failed for the second week in a row to give Dan Reeves his 200th coaching victory.

Colts 23, Jaguars 13

At Indianapolis, Reggie Wayne caught a career-high 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns for the Colts.

Indianapolis is off to its first 3-0 start since 1996 and its second such start since 1978. Jacksonville (0-3) has lost five straight dating to the end of last season.

Chiefs 42, Texans 14

At Houston, Dante Hall had a 73-yard punt return for a score to help Kansas City to its first 3-0 start in seven years.

Priest Holmes had 156 total yards and two touchdowns. The Texans (1-2) trailed 14-7 until Trent Green hit a wide-open Eddie Kennison with a 15-yard scoring pass, and Hall made his big play.

Patriots 23, Jets 16

At Foxboro, Mass., Tom Brady overcame a sore right elbow and scored on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter to lead the Patriots.

Asante Samuel added a TD on a 55-yard interception return for New England (2-1). Vinny Testaverde threw for 264 yards for the Jets (0-3), moving him into eighth place on the NFL's career list with 40,300 yards passing.

Ravens 24, Chargers 10

At San Diego, Jamal Lewis ran for 132 yards and one touchdown, a week after setting the NFL single-game record with 295 yards.

The Ravens (2-1) won their second straight. San Diego (0-3) has been outscored 88-37 this season.

Titans 27, Saints 12

At Nashville, Tenn., Steve McNair threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, becoming just the fifth quarterback in NFL history to reach 20,000 yards passing with 3,000 yards rushing.

Eddie George had 29 carries for 100 yards and ran for his first touchdown of the season to seal the victory for the Titans (2-1). Deuce McAllister had 11 carries for 8 yards for the Saints (1-2).

Vikings 23, Lions 13

At Detroit, Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper had two touchdown runs before missing the second half with a bruised back.

Minnesota (3-0) is off to its best start since winning seven games to start the 2000 season. The Lions (1-2) have lost two straight since beating Arizona in the opener.

Dolphins 17, Bills 7

At Miami, Ricky Williams carried a franchise-record 42 times for 153 yards and one score as Miami (2-1) moved into a tie for the division lead with Buffalo and New England.

The Dolphins made interceptions to end two early scoring threats by the Bills, whose only points came on Nate Clements' 54-yards interception return. Buffalo's Drew Bledsoe completed 10 of 25 passes for just 98 yards with two interceptions and four sacks.