Western Michigan's junior QB was 37-of-51 for 479 yards against Connecticut with five touchdown passes and no interceptions.

View full sizeAP photoWestern Michigan's Alex Carder has been one of the MAC's most-impressive quarterbacks this season, and leads the Broncos into this week's West showdown with Bowling Green.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mid-American Conference has had a history of impressive quarterbacks. We present to you Western Michigan QB Alex Carder, fresh off of WMU's 38-31 victory over Connecticut of the Big East.

The 6-2, 224-pound junior was 37-of-51 for 479 yards against the Huskies with five touchdown passes and no interceptions. That puts Carder, from Shawnee, Kan., at 1,466 yards passing with 12 TD passes and just four interceptions.

Now in his third season, Carder's career numbers stand at 4,827 passing yards with 42 TDs against 16 picks. He still has one and a half seasons to go with the Broncos (3-2, 1-0).

Carder is not alone among quality MAC quarterbacks. There's also Bowling Green sophomore Matt Schilz. He's coming off his roughest outing of the season (13-of-25, 114 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT) in a 55-10 loss at West Virginia. The Falcons (3-2, 1-0) triggerman still has passed for 3,392 yards since the start of 2010 with 22 TD and 18 INT.

This should make for an interesting head-to-head battle Saturday as the Falcons travel to Western Michigan. While neither the Broncos or the Falcons were considered better than dark horses in their division races, the winner moves a step closer to standing with the favorites.

Ouch! Just when it appeared Ohio (4-1, 1-0) was set to feast on MAC cupcakes, the injury bug has hit hard. After defeating Kent State, but losing three defensive starters, a slate of Buffalo (1-4, 0-1), Ball State (3-2, 1-0) and Akron (1-4, 0-2) suddenly looks a bit more daunting for the East Division leaders.

Buffalo and Akron are both road games, with a home game against Ball State the most challenging. While OU coach Frank Solich has maintained this is probably the deepest team he has had since arriving in Athens, the losses will affect game preparation.

"We're going to have to watch how we practice," he said following the 17-10 win over Kent. "Obviously, we're going to have to make some [personnel] changes. We're not going to be able to go at the same pace."

Whew? That's the collective exhale from Toledo (2-3, 1-0), following a resounding 36-13 victory at Temple. The victory sets UT up as the team to beat in the MAC.

Preseason West favorite Northern Illinois (2-3, 0-1) has struggled with a sad defense, leaving WMU and surprising Ball State as the Rockets' main contenders.

Detroit Lions extend winning streak over two seasons to eight with 34-30 comeback win over Dallas Cowboys. Would-be "dream team" Philadelphia Eagles slip to 1-3 with 24-23 loss to San Francisco 49ers.

Associated PressSteelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is sacked by Texans outside linebacker Connor Barwin (98) during Houston's 17-10 win over Pittsburgh.

Houston Texans 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10

HOUSTON, Texas -- Andre Johnson went down, so the Houston Texans turned to their other offensive star to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Arian Foster rushed for 155 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Texans' 17-10 win.

Johnson, Houston's All-Pro receiver, left in the second quarter with a right hamstring injury and did not return to the game, though he was back on the sideline late to watch Houston (3-1) finish off Ben Roethlisberger and the injury-plagued Steelers (2-2).

Big Ben was beat up all day, sacked five times behind an offensive line missing two regular starters. The Steelers also lost running back Rashard Mendenhall (hamstring), linebacker James Harrison (eye) and defensive end Aaron Smith (foot) during the game.

Roethlisberger hurt his left foot but stayed in, and he was wearing a walking boot when he left the stadium. He said he was injured on the second-to-last series when he was tackled from behind. Roethlisberger had an X-ray after the game but said he didn't know the results.

Foster, meanwhile, finally looked healthy after weeks of nursing a left hamstring strain. He broke a 42-yard touchdown run with about 12 minutes left after the Steelers rallied to tie it at 10-all. Foster finished with 30 carries.

Matt Schaub threw a touchdown pass to Owen Daniels in the first half. Houston, which led 10-0 at the half, was on the move in the second quarter when Johnson pulled up without getting touched.

The five-time Pro Bowl receiver caught a pass, turned upfield and then fell forward near the 40-yard line, immediately clutching the back of his right leg. He limped off and walked to the locker room on his own.

The Texans seemed to lose their edge after that. The drive stalled and Neil Rackers kicked a 22-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead. Rackers improved to 10-for-10 this season.

Schaub threw a 30-yard pass to Daniels to the Steelers 42 early in the fourth. Foster took it from there, breaking outside and outrunning the Pittsburgh secondary to the end zone.

Antonio Smith and Mario Williams sacked Roethlisberger, and linebacker Connor Barwin swatted away Big Ben's fourth-down pass with 2:38 left.

The Steelers had one last gasp after Houston had another touchdown wiped away by a penalty. Joseph intercepted Roethlisberger's pass from the end zone and returned it for a score, but rookie J.J. Watt was flagged for roughing the passer.

The Texans got an interception that counted by Jason Allen to end the drive and clinch the win.

Foster, the 2010 NFL rushing champion, ran over, around and through the Steelers' defense, gaining 41 yards in all. He had a pair of 5-yard runs to the Pittsburgh 1, and with the Steelers keying on him, Daniels was open and Schaub found him for an easy touchdown.

The score finished a 19-play drive that consumed 10 minutes, 55 seconds, both franchise records.

Williams sacked Roethlisberger on the fourth play of the second half. But Pittsburgh's line starting holding up better, and Roethlisberger threw a 23-yard pass to Antonio Brown to the Houston 15. Mendenhall scored on a 3-yard run, his last play before leaving with the injury.

Backup Isaac Redman broke an 18-yard run across midfield to start the Steelers' next series. Pittsburgh chewed up the last five minutes of the third quarter with the drive, and Suisham tied it with a 26-yard field goal.

Cincinnati Bengals 23, Buffalo Bills 20

CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton shook off a horrid first half and led his first comeback victory, culminating in Mike Nugent's 43-yard field goal as time ran out for a 23-20 win over the previously undefeated Buffalo Bills.

The Bills (3-1) came in as the AFC's last perfect team after pulling off historic comebacks, rallying from deficits of 18 and 21 points in the previous two games.

They found themselves on the other end of one in front of the smallest crowd in Paul Brown Stadium's history.

Dalton threw a third-quarter touchdown pass and ran 3 yards on a draw play, tying it with 4:09 to go. He scrambled for a first down on the winning drive -- a replay overturn gave him the needed ground -- and Nugent ended it with his third field goal.

The Bengals (2-2) overcame a 17-3 halftime deficit to end a 10-game losing streak against Buffalo.

Only 41,142 fans showed up, the smallest crowd in the stadium's 12 seasons. Many of them left before Dalton pulled himself together and pulled off his first game-winning drive.

Buffalo moved ahead 17-3 during Dalton's horrid first half. The second-round draft pick was only 7 of 20 for 116 yards with two sacks and an interception that safety Bryan Scott returned 43 yards for a touchdown. His passer rating was a minuscule 15.8.

The rookie finally got it going with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham, the Bengals' first touchdown in seven quarters. He went 3 yards on a quarterback draw to tie it, then scrambled to set up the winning kick the next time Cincinnati got the ball.

On third-and-3 from the Cincinnati 43, he scrambled away from the rush and dived out of bounds, stretching the ball as far ahead as he could. It was marked a few inches short of the first down. After a review, the ball was moved about a foot forward, giving the Bengals a first down.

Brian Leonard caught a 15-yard pass and ran 14 yards to the Buffalo 25, setting up the winning kick. Nugent, coming off knee surgery last year, is 10 for 10 on field goal chances.

Dalton finished 18 of 36 for 298 yards. Cedric Benson ran 19 times for 104 yards, taking some of the pressure off Dalton.

Coming off an emotional win over New England, the Bills were flat on offense and never got moving. They'd scored at least 30 points in each of the first three games, but managed only Scott's touchdown return, Fred Jackson's 2-yard run and a pair of field goals.

Last year, the Bills came to Paul Brown Stadium and pulled off a comeback that got them going, rallying behind Ryan Fitzpatrick for a 49-31 win after trailing 31-14 at halftime. Fitzpatrick couldn't make a big play in the second half on Sunday, finishing 20 of 34 for 199 yards.

Detroit Lions 34, Dallas Cowboys 30

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions are for real, all right.

A week after turning a 20-point halftime deficit into an overtime win, the Lions provided further proof they're a legitimate contender by turning a 24-point deficit into a 34-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

The defense got it started with interceptions returned for touchdowns on consecutive drives midway through the third quarter, then Stafford and Johnson took over from there, hooking up for a pair of touchdowns in the final period, including a 2-yarder for the winning points with 1:39 left.

Detroit is 4-0 and has won an NFL-best eight straight games. This also was its franchise-record fifth straight road win, avenging a loss here last November that had been its NFL-record 26th straight road loss.

Tony Romo and the Cowboys (2-2) continued to show there's no lead and no deficit too big for them. They blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead for the first time in franchise history in the opener, and this was their largest lead blown in a loss in franchise history, according to STATS LLC, wiping out comeback wins the last two weeks. Dallas' previous biggest blown fourth-quarter lead was 21 against Washington on Nov. 28, 1965.

In addition to the two TDs Romo threw for Detroit defenders, he set up the Lions' winning touchdown with another interception at the Dallas 40-yard line with 4:13 left.

This was a bizarre way for the Cowboys to end an NFL-record streak of nine straight games decided by a field goal or less. The final play was wacky, too, with Felix Jones catching a short pass with no one around him on fourth-and-20, then running out of bounds after only gaining 8 yards.

Stafford was 21 of 43 for 240 yards and two touchdowns, both to Johnson. He was intercepted once, on his first pass to Johnson, leading to Dallas' first touchdown. Stafford wasn't sacked but faced a lot of pressure -- at least, during the first 2 1/2 quarters.

Johnson caught eight passes for 96 yards, and tied Cris Carter's NFL record of catching two TDs in four straight games. Johnson already was the first player in NFL history to do it in the first three games of a season.

Both of his scoring grabs were spectacular. There was a 23-yarder in which he reached up and over three Dallas defenders, then the game-winner, which came against tight coverage on a play when the Cowboys had 12 defenders on the field.

Romo finished 34 of 47 for 331 yards, with three touchdowns. He was still playing with a cracked rib, wearing a protective vest and needing a painkilling injection.

But those things didn't seem to bother him when he was on a roll of completing 13 of 14 passes, the only incompletion a clock-stopping spike. That streak ended when his good buddy Bobby Carpenter made a leaping interception and a weaving 35-yard return for a touchdown, starting Detroit's rally.

The Lions were still down 27-10, so it seemed harmless. Then, Detroit's Chris Houston picked off a pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown, and things got very interesting, very quickly.

The Lions' offense only had a field goal to that point, but the combination of Stafford and Johnson were tough to stop after that. Detroit also got a 51-yard field goal from Jason Hanson that put it within 30-27, just before Romo's final interception.

Dez Bryant was among the early stars for Dallas, catching two touchdown passes before Johnson even had a single grab, and Laurent Robinson had seven catches for 116 yards.

Chicago Bears 34, Carolina Panthers 29

CHICAGO, Illinois -- Devin Hester was performing somersaults. Matt Forte was running wild, too.

Even so, this was hardly a breather for the Chicago Bears.

Hester set an NFL record with his 11th punt return for a touchdown, Forte ran for a career-high 205 yards and Chicago beat Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers 34-29.

Hester had earlier set up a touchdown run by Forte with a 73-yard kickoff return before he ran back a punt 69 yards in the second quarter to move ahead of former Cleveland Brown Eric Metcalf on the all-time list. He performed three somersaults in the end zone with the lead at 24-10, but the celebration was a little early.

The Panthers (1-3) cut the lead to four points at halftime and had their chances to take the lead in the second half but came up short, spoiling coach Ron Rivera's return to Soldier Field while wasting another big performance by Newton.

The rookie threw for 374 yards and Carolina wound up with 543 total yards. Steve Smith passed Muhsin Muhammad as Carolina's all-time leading receiver, finishing with 181 yards on eight catches. He needed 23 to set the record and now has 9,414 in his career, but a few key plays helped preserve a wild win for the Bears.

An apparent 22-yard touchdown catch by Jeremy Shockey was waved off by what appeared to be an interference call after Chicago's Charles Tillman lost his footing.

Former Panther Julius Peppers then blocked a 34-yard field goal by Olindo Mare, who also made it a one-point game with a 38-yarder to start the fourth quarter.

He also missed a 52-yard attempt after Charles Godfrey intercepted Jay Cutler at the Chicago 38 right after that, and the Bears' Robbie Gould made it 27-23 when he nailed a 24-yarder with 6:41 remaining.

The Bears (2-2) added to their lead in the closing minutes, when Forte broke off a 40-yard run and Marion Barber took it in from the 3, sealing the win after back-to-back losses to New Orleans and Green Bay.

Forte easily broke his previous career high of 166 yards last year against Carolina and shook off a brutal performance last week, when he managed 2 yards on nine attempts.

He and Hester lifted Chicago on a day when Cutler threw for 102 yards and the defense couldn't contain the Panthers.

San Francisco 49ers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 23

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania -- When the San Francisco 49ers finally let Alex Smith air it out, he outdid Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Chucking its conservative approach in the second half, the 49ers surged back from a 20-point hole and beat the Eagles 24-23.

Vick wasn't hampered by his bruised right hand, throwing for a career-high 416 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 75 yards. But Philly's defense fell apart in the final 30 minutes, and Frank Gore capped a 77-yard drive with a 12-yard TD run with 3 minutes remaining.

Former Eagles kicker David Akers, who left for San Francisco as a free agent this summer, kicked the decisive extra point. His replacement, rookie Alex Henery, missed from 39 and 33 yards in the final period.

Philadelphia (1-3) has been outscored 36-0 in the fourth quarter of its last three games, all losses. The team so lauded for its free agency haul after the lockout is in last place in the NFC East.

Meanwhile, the 49ers (3-1) are on top of the NFC West in Jim Harbaugh's rookie season as coach. They won at Cincinnati last week, remained in Ohio rather than go back to the West Coast, and showed lots of staying power in Philly.

San Francisco's comeback began after Akers' field-goal attempt was blocked and Henery soon after made a 32-yarder for a 23-3 lead.

Harbaugh then allowed Smith to look downfield more, and the Niners needed just four plays to go 80 yards, including a 44-yard catch and run by rookie Kendall Hunter, who supplemented Gore perfectly. Joshua Morgan got wide open over the middle for a 30-yard TD.

Then Henery began missing kicks after Vick set him up with big plays. Philadelphia had 13 plays of at least 15 yards, including a 61-yard bomb to DeSean Jackson that was wasted when Henery missed from 39 yards.

Vernon Davis' 9-yard touchdown catch brought the Niners within six points late in the third quarter. When Henery failed from 33 yards, it was the final opening the 49ers needed.

Gore had a 21-yard run on the 77-yard drive that ended with his powerful surge into the end zone.

Jeremy Maclin fumbled with 2:06 left and the Eagles driving for perhaps a winning score.

Jason Babin was the only Philadelphia defender with much of an impact, getting three sacks to reach seven in four games.

Vick turned a seeming sack into a sensational touchdown in the first quarter.

After connecting with a variety of targets, Vick was about to go down at the San Francisco 16 when rushed by Ahmad Brooks and Ray McDonald. Both had open shots at him, and both missed. Vick scrambled right and found Clay Harbor in the back right corner of the end zone to make it 7-0.

Vick never seemed bothered by the hand, on which he wore a padded pink glove.

Henery did make three field goals, from 32, 32 and 33 yards, and Akers had a 37-yarder. Philadelphia finally solved its red-zone problems with 38 seconds left in the opening half on a third-down shovel pass from Vick to LeSean McCoy for a 5-yard score and a 20-3 halftime lead.

New Orleans Saints 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 10

JACKSONVILLE, Florida -- Drew Brees threw for 351 yards and a touchdown, Darren Sproles added 188 all-purpose yards and the New Orleans Saints beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-10 in a game that was more lopsided than the score indicated.

The Saints (3-1) scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and looked well on their way to scoring 30 points for the fourth consecutive week. But Brees threw two interceptions, John Kasay missed two long field goals and the Saints managed just nine points in the second half.

"If you had told us before the game that you're going to have 500 yards of total offense and you're going to convert 50 percent of our third downs, we would have thought that's 40 points," Brees said. "Unfortunately, it was 23 points because we got inside the 20 three times in the second half and didn't come away with touchdowns.

"So that's disappointing, but feel we have proven that we can move the ball. Now we just got to score touchdowns."

It didn't matter against the Jaguars (1-3), who have struggled to score all season. Jacksonville has 39 points in four games, clearly dealing with the growing pains associated with having a rookie quarterback.

Blaine Gabbert struggled in his first home start, no surprise since the Saints have given rookie quarterbacks all sorts of problems in three years under defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

Gabbert was erratic all afternoon, throwing high and missing wide-open receivers. He completed 16 of 42 passes for 196 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. He also was sacked three times.

He didn't get much help, either. The Jaguars dropped several passes, including one by Maurice Jones-Drew on the opening possession and one by Mike Thomas on the final drive.

Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio vowed to open up the offense after last week's 16-10 loss in Carolina. But it did little good with Gabbert's inaccuracy and his teammates' not-so-soft hands.

Brees completed 31 of 44 passes. Sproles had 75 yards rushing, 56 yards receiving and 57 yards in returns. Jimmy Graham caught 10 passes for 132 yards, both career highs, and a score.

Graham's last catch was a 59-yarder that put the Saints in position to score 30 points with a little more than two minutes remaining, and they certainly tried to get it after Brees got upset about what he felt was a late hit.

Just after Brees was sacked by Clint Session, 340-pound defensive tackle Terrance Knighton plopped on top of him. Brees got up in a huff, and players from both teams started pushing and shoving. Brees threw deep on the next play, but Devery Henderson stepped out of bounds before making the catch at the goal line.

"I feel like they were trying to keep their scoring average high," Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "They wanted 30, but we didn't let them."

Brees tried to play down the whole thing.

"Yeah, I was on the ground and the guy hit me," Brees said. "He came up to me afterwards and said, 'I didn't realize you were down. It didn't seem like anyone hit you. That's all right."

Brees put the Saints in control with consecutive touchdown drives to open the game. He also made a touchdown-saving tackle following an interception late in the second quarter

The top-ranked Titans defense allowed 416 yards, but the Browns only reached the red zone once on Sunday.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerTennessee safety Jordan Babineaux had little trouble dodging Colt McCoy's desperate attempt at a tackle following Babineaux's third-quarter interception Sunday afternoon. With McCoy out of the way, Babineaux easily completed the 97-yard TD return. "I tell you what, it's a cold wind when you're out there running by yourself," Babineaux said.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Take a look at the statistics, and you might draw an obvious conclusion. The Browns had 416 yards of offense against Tennessee on Sunday. Quarterback Colt McCoy set a single-game franchise record with 40 completions in 61 attempts. The Browns controlled the ball for 13 minutes more than the Titans.

Which, of course, means the Titans defense smothered and dominated and lived up to its top ranking in the NFL. Um, right?

Things are not always as they seem, especially when it comes to deciphering the NFL, and specifically when it comes to the Tennessee Titans' defense -- at least against the Browns.

In four games, the Titans have allowed only five touchdowns. Opponents score an average of 14 points. Quite simply, teams do not score against the Titans, and the Browns were no exception on Sunday in their 31-13 loss. Only once did McCoy maneuver his team to within 20 yards of the end zone. Only once did the Browns score a touchdown.

There's a glaring reason.

"We're good," Titans safety Jordan Babineaux said. "Just let me tell you that up front. I believe we are. The thing is, we can't get complacent. The moment we start to do that, you'll see the defense start to waver, and that's exactly what we can't do."

That's exactly what they didn't do, despite losing strong safety Chris Hope to a broken arm in the first quarter. The Titans patched with a secondary rotation that included Babineaux and safety Anthony Smith. Cortland Finnegan and Jason McCourty clamped down the cornerback positions, and led the Titans with 10 tackles apiece.

The defensive line held strong and steady, sacking McCoy three times, and Josh Cribbs another time when the receiver attempted to throw on a trick play.

"You gotta think about it, when you give up that many yards and no points, that tells you a lot about your defense," defensive tackle Shaun Smith said.

The Browns' offense logged 25 first downs and 155 more yards than the Titans had previously averaged. But the defense created a turnover when Babineaux intercepted McCoy in the third quarter, and returned the ball 97 yards for a touchdown to put the Titans ahead, 31-6. Babineaux simply lived up to the nickname "Big Play Babs" earned when he was in Seattle when he scampered past an outstretched McCoy in his cruise to the end zone.

"Our guys up front were doing a great job of getting after the quarterback. That's where it started," Babineaux said. "[But] I tell you what, it's a cold wind when you're out there running by yourself."

Said QB Matt Hasselbeck, who played with Babineaux in Seattle: "He just has a knack for coming up with big plays in critical situations."

The Titans defense as a whole had a knack for coming up with stops whenever they needed them.

"Their defense is ranked No. 1 in the red zone, and they played like it," McCoy said.

 TWINSBURG, O. - The best advice Twinsburg High senior Malina Howard received concerning the recruiting process is be thorough and not to rush.    The 6-5 post player heeded that advice before giving the women's basketball program at Maryland her oral commitment on Saturday.  

 TWINSBURG, O. - The best advice Twinsburg High senior Malina Howard received concerning the recruiting process is be thorough and not to rush.
 

 The 6-5 post player heeded that advice before giving the women's basketball program at Maryland her oral commitment on Saturday.
 

  "I made an official visit to Notre Dame the weekend of Sept. 16th and visited Maryland this weekend,'' said Howard. "I narrowed it down to those two schools at the end of July because they spent a lot of time recruiting me.
 

  "Both schools did a super job and both coaches told me not to rush my decision because it's going to be one of the biggest decisions of my life.''
 

 Howard was voted The Plain Dealer's Player of the Year last season after averaging 21.4 points, nine reboumnds and 2.0 blocked shots a game in leading the Tigers to the Division I state championship.
 

 "The academic part of my visit to Maryland was very good,'' said Howard, who will major in kinesiology. "It had a big effect on me.''
 

 Howard said Maryland wants her to develop into an all-around player.
 

 "If I work hard enough, I should see some playing time as a true freshman,'' she said. "The recruiting process was well worth it but Im glad it's over because it took a lot of of me.
 

 "I'm very excited about my decision.''

Browns' poor overall performance sunk hopes of the team's first 3-1 start since 2001.

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerGreg Little (15), Colt McCoy (12) and Mohamed Massaquoi (11) on the Browns' sideline during the fourth quarter of Cleveland's 31-13 loss to Tennessee.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns went into Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans with a chance to be 3-1 for the first time in 10 years.

Instead, the Browns played so poorly in the 31-13 loss on their home field that 3-1 looked more like 3-13.

Some exaggeration, maybe, to make a point, but you get it.

There's lots of blame to go around in such an overall shabby performance. It was so bad that even quarterback Colt McCoy didn't impress while setting a team record with 40 completions -- completing 66 percent of his throws despite several drops by Browns receivers.

Play-calling and the (mis)use of certain players begs big questions, too, but we'll leave the coaching out of the equation here so we can ask you what aspect of the Browns players' performance was most disappointing to you.

The Browns now begin their bye week. They will certainly have to correct some of their problems before Oct. 16, when they visit the unpredictable Oakland Raiders.

Michigan's hopes for a division title are not based on a dismantling of Minnesota. It's based on everything else.

View full sizeCarlos Osorio, Associated PressDenard Robinson (right) and backup QB Devin Gardner enjoyed the postgame celebration with fellow Michigan students Saturday after a 58-0 drubbing of Minnesota. The Wolverines finally play a road game Saturday night against Northwestern.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- What a Saturday for Michigan.

As the 5-0 Wolverines realize that this could keep rolling for a bit, with Northwestern, Michigan State, Purdue and Iowa next on the schedule, go ahead and make an argument that Michigan has a real chance at the Legends Division title.

That's not based on Michigan's 58-0 dismantling of Minnesota on Saturday. It's based on everything else. Look at what happened in the rest of the division:

• Nebraska couldn't stop Wisconsin in a 31-point loss. Take note, Denard Robinson.

• Michigan State barely hung on to get past Ohio State with an offense that couldn't convert when it mattered. Take note, defensive coordinator Greg Mattison.

• Northwestern couldn't prevent Illinois' comeback. Iowa, on a bye week, still has a loss to Iowa State. And Minnesota is ... a work in progress.

Before the season, it looked like every Legends team but the Golden Gophers had a shot at contending, but Nebraska and Michigan State appeared to be a cut above. Now, there's no reason for the Wolverines to fear either.

There's no reason for overconfidence. If Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa is healthy for Saturday, the Wildcats should be able to score with the Wolverines, who are averaging 37 points and have won their last three games by the score of 117-10.

Michigan moved up to No. 11 in the coaches poll and No. 12 in the AP poll, the second-highest ranked Big Ten team behind Wisconsin. When's the last time the Wolverines were ranked this high? When they were No. 5 in the 2007 preseason polls before their opening loss to Appalachian State.

So Michigan fans shouldn't get ahead of themselves. But they should feel like they have a shot.

News, notes and leftover tidbits about the Buckeyes.

View full sizeMarvin Fong, The Plain DealerVerlon Reed is second on the Buckeyes with nine receptions this season, but a late-game injury could limit his action Saturday against Nebraska.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- News, notes and leftover tidbits about the Buckeyes:

Receiver Verlon Reed injured his right knee on the onside kick in the final seconds Saturday and it didn't look good as he was helped off the field, with Reed placing no weight on his right leg. Ohio State on Sunday released a statement that Reed will be evaluated this week before it's known how severe the injury is.

Reed was a starting receiver while DeVier Posey was suspended and Corey "Philly" Brown was out for three games with an ankle sprain. Posey will return this week and Brown may, so the Buckeyes would be more able to absorb his absence now.

"Everything I've heard from him, he's anxious and eager to get back this week," center Mike Brewster said of Brown. ...

Freshman defensive lineman Michael Bennett was using crutches after the game and had a small brace on his right ankle. He's a regular part of the defensive line on passing downs and would be missed. Ohio State's defense is fourth in the Big Ten and No. 14 in the nation, allowing only 285 yards per game. ...

Watch the special teams on Saturday. Nebraska is No. 1 in the Big Ten in kickoff returns and Ohio State is No. 2. ...

After his first loss as a freshman starting QB in 2008, Terrelle Pryor was accompanied to postgame interviews by quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano, who oversaw the questions and told Pryor it wasn't his fault. Saturday, freshman quarterback Braxton Miller came out and faced the music and stood in the center of a large pack of reporters on his own. ...

The Michigan State loss wasn't exactly like the Miami loss. Junior fullback Zach Boren thought the road defeat at Miami was at least a step in a progression. Saturday wasn't.

"To tell you the truth, I thought the first four games we were building," Boren said. "Michigan State just had our number."

Big Ten bits

What does Wisconsin running back Montee Ball have in common with the entire Ohio State offense? Both have 14 touchdowns this season. Ball scored four times against Nebraska and leads the nation in touchdowns, with 13 on the ground and one receiving. ...

Penn State isn't having much more luck offensively than Ohio State. Quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden combined to go 16-for-36 for 271 yards in Saturday's 16-10 win over Indiana. And the offensive line also had issues. ...

How about another team looking for a quarterback? Indiana started Dusty Kiel against the Nittany Lions because Ed Wright-Baker was out with an ankle injury. Said IU coach Kevin Wilson: "Is there an issue or a controversy with who we got? We'll figure that one out when we get to Monday, but right now, Dusty played well." ...

Michigan State's B.J. Cunningham moved to 12th in the nation in receiving yards, averaging 116 per game, after going for 154 against Ohio State. The Spartans continue to lead the nation in total defense, allowing only 173 yards per game. The Buckeyes gained only 178 yards Saturday. ...

Michigan's 580 yards against Minnesota on Saturday was the eighth-highest total in major college football on the day, and the 45th-best output this season. The 58 points was the second-highest score of the weekend and tied for 23rd this year. ...

The school-record 268 receiving yards by Illinois' A.J. Jenkins against Northwestern on Saturday is more than any Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue or Indiana receiver has for the season. ...

Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson is second in the nation in passing efficiency and Illinois' Nathan Scheelhaase is seventh. Scheelhaase was thrown only seven touchdown passes in five games, but he is completing 69 percent of his passes. ...

Minnesota's best chance at avoiding a 1-11, 0-8 season comes at Purdue next week.

Pat Shurmur's offense has a lot of moving parts at present, but not enough effective ones, sports columnist Bud Shaw writes.

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerPat Shurmur didn't win this fourth-quarter argument with the officials, and little else went right for the first-year Browns head coach in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Titans.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- To answer the question on most everyone's mind, yes, the Browns' offense would outscore the Buckeyes' offense in head-to-head competition -- providing Pat Shurmur's guys won the toss and got the wind.

Most bye weeks, even early-season ones, are embraced in NFL locker rooms for their healing powers. After Tennessee 31, Browns 13, Shurmur needs this one worse than his players.

Not because Colt McCoy threw 61 times while Peyton Hillis dropped in and out of the huddle. The game got away from the Browns in the second half and led to McCoy throwing on almost every down. As for Hillis, that was not the NFL equivalent of a pre-schooler's timeout we saw. It's impossible to believe any coach -- not even Eric The Vindictive -- would use a game to make a week-old point about the necessity to play hurt or sick. Right? Especially not Shurmur.

So let's table for discussion the ESPN report claiming some Browns' players were upset Hillis didn't play against Miami. Let's not read too much into the fact that when asked about it, Shurmur said, "Peyton was sick," but then added, "That was my understanding."

Could he have been more emphatic in Hillis' defense? Did he want to be? Who knows? For now, let's just agree the Browns have bigger issues than whether Hillis is less than thrilled about his contract status and his number of carries.

Shurmur needs the time to decide what kind of offense makes sense for the Browns. Not what kind he'd ideally like to run. Even if the unspoken understanding in Berea is that this season is going to be all about discovery personnel-wise, chances to win keep coming every seven days. There's team building to be had in taking advantage of those, too.

What Shurmur has now is McCoy shouldering too much, in part because the running game is turning too cute. I'm not just talking about the number of pass attempts on a gusty day at the lakefront, but what happened on some snaps before the score became one-sided.

The fourth-down toss to Armond Smith. The handoff to Hillis on third down with no fullback leading the way. One was Shurmur's stab at trying to hit a home run. The other was a dive play designed, in the coach's words, to "surprise."

Of equal surprise was seeing Josh Cribbs take a toss from McCoy on third-and-6 at the Titans' 24 with the express purpose of throwing downfield -- this on a "we're not only still in Kansas Toto, we are airborne in a tornado" kind of day. It surprised many in the stadium but not nearly enough Titans.

Shurmur said before the season he didn't know what concerns fans had about the West Coast offense in terms of pass/run emphasis, but that he was committed to a physical running game.

"I think we do [have one]," he reiterated Sunday. "There were times in the game when we ran the ball pretty efficiently."

Just not anywhere near consistently, even while it was still a game. Hillis carried five times in the first two series, three more before the half and then only twice after intermission. He carried with 8:16 remaining in the first quarter, then not again until 7:29 remained in the second. After one missed week, does Hillis suddenly find himself in an almost equal timeshare with Montario Hardesty? How does that happen?

The Browns ran the ball just five times in the second half, twice by McCoy. Hardesty had one carry. As a pass catcher, he had a few good moments but overall made Braylon Edwards look like Glue Fingers Lavelli.

If Shurmur is in fact committed to a physical running game, how committed is he to Hillis? They would seem to go together.

"We're four weeks into this," McCoy said, meaning "only." Good point. But there are issues other than pass/run ratio. McCoy is making poor decisions the more he's asked to throw. He could've been picked off four times Sunday instead of once. Since signing an extension, Evan Moore is only slightly more visible in the offense than Carlton Mitchell.

The bye comes at a good time for the Browns and their rookie head coach.

And an even better time for their offensive coordinator.

Plain Dealer's Cleveland Browns beat writers Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot deliver the news from the Browns 31 - 13 loss to the Tennessee Titans at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Watch video

Browns now begin their bye week. Their next game is on Oct. 16 against the Raiders in Oakland.

Associated PressPatriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and wide receiver Deion Branch (84) after Branch caught a touchdown pass from Brady during New England's 31-19 win in Oakland.

New England Patriots 31, Oakland Raiders 19

OAKLAND, California -- Tom Brady bounced back from a four-interception performance by throwing for 226 yards, two touchdowns and committing no turnovers to help the New England Patriots to a 31-19 win over the mistake-prone Oakland Raiders.

The Cleveland Browns, 2-2 after their 31-13 loss at home to the Tennessee Titans, now have a bye week and will play their next game on Oct. 16 in Oakland against the Raiders (2-2).

Wes Welker caught nine passes for 158 yards and a score, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Stevan Ridley added rushing touchdowns and the Patriots (3-1) played a mostly mistake-free game after last week's surprising loss in Buffalo.

This time the interception that changed the game was made by New England instead of thrown by Brady. Patrick Chung got a gift-wrapped pick in the end zone late in the first half when Jason Campbell inexplicably threw the ball right to the safety with no receiver in the area for the Raiders.

Campbell threw another interception early in the fourth quarter to 325-pound defensive lineman Vince Wilfork as the Raiders were unable to give the energized sellout crowd much to cheer about after the opening minutes.

The Raiders committed nine penalties for 85 yards, including a pair of personal fouls on New England's opening drive by former Patriots star Richard Seymour.

But the biggest mistake was the one made by Campbell at the end of the first half. The Raiders were at the New England 6 and in position to take a 17-14 lead when Campbell stepped up in the pocket and threw the ball directly to Chung.

The Patriots drove for a 44-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski in the closing seconds of the half. New England then took the opening kickoff of the second down the field for a score on Ridley's 33-yard run so the Raiders trailed 24-10 by the time Campbell took his next snap.

Oakland settled for a field goal deep in New England territory late in the third quarter after the officials overturned a pass interference call against the Patriots.

New England answered with another touchdown drive capped by Brady's 4-yard pass to Deion Branch that made it 31-13 and gave him 274 career TDs, passing his boyhood hero Joe Montana for ninth place all time. That also tied Peyton Manning's record of 13 straight games with at least two TD passes.

New England's much-maligned defense did enough despite losing star linebacker Jerod Mayo in the first half to a knee injury and allowing 504 yards. The Patriots held an opponent to under 20 points for the first time this season, a drastic change from last week's 34-31 loss to the Bills.

Darren McFadden, the NFL's leading rusher, had 75 yards on 14 carries. Campbell finished 25 for 39 for 344 yards, but the Raiders only made it into the end zone once before Campbell's 6-yard TD pass to Denarius Moore with 28 seconds left.

Brady, who threw for a record 1,327 yards the first three games, needed to do much less against the Raiders. He completed 16 of 30 passes as New England did plenty of damage on the ground with Ridley rushing for 97 yards and Green-Ellis adding 75.

Buoyed by a sellout crowd and big-game atmosphere, the Raiders came out fast with Campbell completing four of five passes for 57 yards in the opening drive to set up a 28-yard field goal by Sebatsian Janikowski.

But that emotion also hurt the Raiders with Seymour being called for unnecessary roughness for throwing Brady to the ground after a delay of game penalty and a facemask later on a TD drive.

Green Bay Packers 49, Denver Broncos 23

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin -- The Green Bay Packers remain unbeaten, thanks to a career-best day from Aaron Rodgers in a 49-23 rout of the Denver Broncos.

Rodgers threw for a career-high 408 yards, tied a personal best with four touchdown passes and ran for two more scores.

Charles Woodson ran an interception back for a touchdown for the Packers (4-0), who join resurgent NFC North rivals Detroit as the only undefeated teams left in the NFL.

Eric Decker caught a pair of touchdowns from Kyle Orton for Denver (1-3). Orton threw for 273 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Rodgers' 408 yards passing was a regular-season career high; he threw for 423 yards in the Packers' playoff loss to Arizona in January 2010. Rodgers was replaced by backup Matt Flynn late in the fourth quarter.

Packers veteran wide receiver Donald Driver left in the second quarter with an apparent left knee injury, but returned in the second half -- then caught a touchdown from Rodgers in the fourth quarter.

The Packers took a 21-3 lead on Rodgers' 11-yard touchdown scramble early in the second quarter, but the Broncos briefly got back in the game as Orton threw a pair of second-quarter touchdowns to Decker.

Rodgers then shut the door just before halftime, throwing a 17-yard touchdown to Greg Jennings with 24 seconds left in the second quarter. The Packers took a 28-17 lead.

Rodgers converted a third-and-13 situation with an 18-yard completion to James Jones, then went on to march the Packers to the Denver 8-yard line. Rodgers took off running and was tackled as he stretched the ball to the goal line, where officials ruled him just short.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy called for a replay review, and the play was ruled a touchdown. Green Bay took a 35-17 lead with 8:26 left in the third quarter.

Orton put together another drive as the Broncos tried to keep up, and appeared to find tight end Daniel Fells for a long gain near the goal line. But Fells fumbled the ball and Packers safety Morgan Burnett recovered, giving the ball back to the Packers.

Rodgers then hit Randall Cobb for a 61-yard completion as the rookie spun away from a pair of Broncos defenders, and the Packers finished the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jones to put Green Bay ahead 42-17.

Green Bay fell behind 3-0 on an early field goal drive but answered with a big play from Rodgers, who threw a 50-yard touchdown to Nelson after the receiver outran double coverage.

Then came the 30-yard interception return for a touchdown by Woodson, who plucked a pass from Orton intended for Decker out of the air and ran it back for an easy score and a 14-3 Green Bay lead.

The Packers' next score came on an 11-yard scramble by Rodgers. Driver collided with Broncos safety Brian Dawkins on that play. Driver was down for several minutes, then left the field with assistance from his teammates.

Driver later was taken on a cart to the locker room, but came out to start the second half. He caught a touchdown from Rodgers with 7:46 left in the game.

New York Giants 31, Arizona Cardinals 27

GLENDALE, Arizonz --Eli Manning, playing at the scene of his 2008 Super Bowl triumph, threw two touchdown passes in a 58-second span late in the game and the New York Giants rallied for a 31-27 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The scoring passes of 2 yards to Jake Ballard with 3:37 to go and 29 yards to Hakeem Nicks with 2:39 left came after the Cardinals (1-3) seemingly had taken control at 27-17 on Beanie Wells' third rushing touchdown of the game with 5:16 to go.

Manning completed 7 of 8 for 126 yards on the decisive drives as the Giants (3-1) won their third in a row. He finished 27 of 40 for 371 yards. Nicks caught 10 for 162 yards.

Wells, who missed the previous game with a hamstring injury, rushed for a career-best 138 yards.

The Cardinals' last gasp ended when Kevin Kolb's pass to Larry Fitzgerald from the New York 30 fell incomplete. Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 102 yards to break the franchise records for career yards receiving and career 100-yard games. Kolb, still obviously struggling to take hold of Arizona's offense, was 20 for 34 for 237 yards, with one interception and one lost fumble.

Wells' 39-yard run set up his final touchdown but Manning wasted no time in moving his team downfield with completions of 21, 28 and 26 yards to the 2 to set up the toss to Ballard, the tight end's second touchdown catch of the game.

Arizona's offense went nowhere and a short punt gave the Giants the ball at the Cardinals 48. Manning threw 29 yards to Victor Cruz, who went to the ground on his own and gave away the ball in what the Cardinals insisted was a fumble. The referees said no, and Manning threw a 29-yard strike to Nicks for the winning score.

The Cardinals took the lead with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, one set up by Fitzgerald's phenomenal grab of a 47-yard pass, the other when Manning fumbled the ball away at the New York 5-yard line. Nose tackle David Carter, a sixth-round draft pick out of UCLA, burst up the middle and stripped the ball out of Manning's hand. Darnell Dockett fell on the ball for Arizona. Wells ran for 4 yards, then plunged in from the 1 to put Arizona up 20-10 with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

The big play for Arizona earlier in the third came when Fitzgerald and defender Deon Grant went up after Kolb's long pass. Initially, Grant appeared to have the ball, but as they came down, Fitzgerald wrestled it away with his right arm. The 47-yard completion gave Arizona the ball at the New York 10. A 7-yard pass to Fitzgerald gave Arizona a first down at the 1, and Wells pounded it in from there to put Arizona up 13-10 with 10:24 left in the third quarter.

Arizona couldn't convert any of three scoring opportunities into touchdowns in the first half and the Giants offense came alive for a 10-play, 69-yard touchdown drive, then Lawrence Tynes kicked a 30-yard field goal with one second to play to put New York up 10-6 at the break.

Kolb was sacked three times in the first half, twice by Dave Tollefson, and fumbled the ball away deep in New York territory.

Ahmad Bradshaw, whose fumble on New York's first possession set up an Arizona field goal, rambled 13 yards for the score with 2:54 to play.

After the Cardinals failed to move the ball, Manning connected on a 22-yard pass to Cruz and a 26-yarder on the sidelines to Nicks. A facemask penalty against Joey Porter on the Nicks completion and the ball moved to the 12 to set up Tynes' late first-half field goal.

The Cardinals had the ball twice early deep in Giants territory and came away with only three points. Three plays after the opening kickoff, Bradshaw fumbled after a hit by safety Kerry Rhodes and Clark Haggans recovered for Arizona at the New York 16. The offense couldn't move and Arizona settled for Jay Feely's' 27-yard field goal.

The defense stuffed New York after the kickoff and the Cardinals drove from their 48 to the Giants 17. But Osi Umenyiora, in his first game back from arthroscopic knee surgery, stripped the ball from Kolb and New York's Jacquian Williams recovered at the Giants 14. Umenyiora finished with two sacks.

San Diego Chargers 26, Miami Dolphins 16

SAN DIEGO, California -- Philip Rivers threw for 307 yards and one touchdown, Mike Tolbert ran for another score and the San Diego Chargers knocked out Miami quarterback Chad Henne on the way to a 26-16 victory over the winless Dolphins.

Henne hurt his left shoulder at the end of a run on a broken play on the Dolphins' second possession and didn't return. Although backup Matt Moore led the Dolphins to the game's first TD, Rivers' passing eventually overpowered the Dolphins (0-4).

Rivers threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson to tie the game at 7 late in the first quarter. Ryan Mathews' 48-yard gain on a screen pass set up Tolbert's 1-yard leap over the pile for a 20-10 lead for the Chargers (3-1) early in the third quarter.

Atlanta Falcons 30, Seattle Seahawks 28

SEATTLE, Washington -- Matt Ryan threw for 291 yards and a touchdown and came up with key scrambles all day to keep Atlanta's offense moving, but he had to wait out Steven Hauschka's miss of a long kick with 13 seconds left as the Falcons escaped with a 30-28 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Ryan completed a touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez on Atlanta's opening possession. Michael Turner ran for two scores in the first half, and Matt Bryant made three field goals for the Falcons (2-2), who remained perfect on the West Coast under coach Mike Smith.

The second of Bryant's three kicks gave the Falcons a 27-7 lead early in the third quarter. They had dominated the first half and, outside of a blown coverage on a 52-yard TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Sidney Rice, had kept Seattle's offense floundering.

But Seattle (1-3) got a spark in the second half, going with a no-huddle offense, and quickly trimmed the Falcons lead. Jackson threw two more touchdown passes, the second one an 8-yard toss to Ben Obomanu with 8:13 left that cut the Falcons' lead to two.

Atlanta didn't get any points on its next drive but ran more than six minutes off the clock. Ryan converted three third downs, including a 10-yard run on third-and-7 that helped run an extra two minutes. Seattle had just one timeout left after burning a pair on defensive lapses earlier in the half.

Ryan completed 28 of 42 passes and added another 26 yards with his legs. His favorite target was rookie Julio Jones, who had 11 catches for 127 yards.

Jackson had his best game with the Seahawks. But he couldn't make up for a miserable first half offensively, when Seattle managed just five yards rushing. Jackson was 25 of 38 for 319 yards and had his first three-touchdown game since 2008 with Minnesota. He was intercepted twice and nearly got Seattle in position for a game-winning kick.

Seattle got the ball back at its 15 with 1:49 left and quickly moved toward midfield. The Seahawks caught a break with 41 seconds to go when referee Walt Anderson was buzzed to review the previous completion to Doug Baldwin and stopped the clock. Jackson then hit Zach Miller for 13 yards to the Atlanta 45.

After a completion to Miller got Seattle to the Atlanta 43 with 16 seconds remaining, Jackson was hurried on third down and threw incomplete. Instead of going for it on fourth down, Seattle coach Pete Carroll sent out Hauschka for a 61-yard attempt that was short and wide left.

Hauschka's career long is 54 yards.

How discouraged are you by the Browns' 31-13 loss to the Titans? Where do the Browns go from here heading into the bye week? Are you sold on Colt McCoy, Pat Shurmur and the West Coast Offense? What is Peyton Hillis' future in Cleveland hold? Talk with other fans in our open chat room.

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerThe Browns fell hard to the Titans, 31-13, Sunday at the stadium.

How discouraged are you by the Browns' 31-13 loss to the Titans? Where do they go from here heading into the bye week? Are you sold on Colt McCoy, Pat Shurmur and the West Coast Offense? What is Peyton Hillis' future in Cleveland?

Talk about these topics and whatever you like with other fans in our open Browns Fan Chat room. Just remember to play nice with others.

Then Monday at noon, listen and fire away with your questions for Tony Grossi as he'll join us for an audio chat. You can also stick around and listen to cleveland.com's Fan Show where we'll feature your chat room comments and questions.

Note: To turn off audio alerts, click on round button on bottom left of chat room and click on preferences.

The Browns' defense, which had excelled for two weeks, suffered several big plays by Tennessee. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- T.J. Ward looked around and nailed the somber mood that permeated the locker room.

"You can hear a pin drop in here right now, because that's not the same defense we've been," the Browns' second-year safety said Sunday. "It was just a bad day for us and it's embarrassing."

The defense, which geared up all week for veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and star running back C.J. Johnson, faltered on a few big plays that the team couldn't overcome. Hasselbeck completed only 10 of 20 passes, but three went for touchdowns in the first half -- including an 80-yarder for the second touchdown and a 57-yard reception that set up the third.

Hasselbeck threw a 12-yard TD to tight end Craig Stevens, the 80-yarder to tight end Jared Cook and a four-yard score to receiver Damian Williams after the 57-yard pass to Nate Washington.

The Browns also gave up a 25-yard run to Johnson that led to the first TD.

"[Hasselbeck] didn't really have to do anything," said Ward. "It's not like he dunked us all the way down the field. He had two big plays. When you're a quarterback and we make it that easy for you, you're going to have a big day. He did what he had to do, but we gave him a lot of plays."

View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerScott Fujita wrapped up Titans receiver Nate Washington on this second-quarter play, but none of the Browns could prevent Washington's 57-year catch and run that set up a short Titans TD late in the half on Sunday.

After Johnson found a hole on the left side and sprinted past Chris Gocong for 25 yards, Hasselbeck found Stevens wide open at the left side of the end zone a few plays later for a 7-3 lead. The closest defender was Ward, but Stevens wasn't supposed to be his man.

"It was a miscommunication," said Ward. "That's basically it. He snuck behind us and we weren't playing our coverage completely. I was trying to play the middle of the field, and they caught us sleeping."

On the first play of the next drive, Hasselbeck found Cook over the middle singled up on linebacker Scott Fujita. Cook dashed past Fujita, sprinted up the left sideline and avoided Usama Young, whose attempted tackle missed at about the Browns' 45.

"It was just play-action where I had one false step and when you're playing man-to-man coverage on a super-fast tight end, you can't have any false steps," said Fujita. "Then it becomes a footrace and you're behind the 8-ball trying to catch up to him. I've got to be smarter than that."

Young felt equally bad.

"I've made that play so many times," he said. "That's why it's so frustrating. He's running an over route, I saw him pretty open, and I tried to break on it. Once I broke on it, the receiver was in my way, so I had to undercut him. Once he got to the sideline, he was rolling.

"[I didn't] really have him at an angle to push him out of bounds. He's a strong runner and he ran through my tackle. I wish I had the play back."

Coach Pat Shurmur seemed to put more of the onus on Young for the score, which put the Titans up, 14-6, early in the second.

"We just have to tackle him," said Shurmur. "They're going to make plays where the ball get pitched downfield a few yards and then we have to eliminate the big play. Based on what I saw, they made a nice throw and catch, and we have to get him on the ground."

If those plays weren't bad enough, the defense -- No. 3 against the pass heading in -- gave up the 57-yarder to Washington. Tennessee's Williams ducked his shoulder and picked nickelback Dimitri Patterson -- perhaps illegally -- which enabled Washington to get down the left side. One play later, Williams caught the 4-yard TD over Sheldon Brown to make it 21-6.

Should it have been offensive interference on Williams? You can bet the Browns will send the tape into the league office.

"It could be," said Young. "If the receiver just goes right in front of the DB and almost blocks him, that would make it illegal. [But] sometimes we might hold or get away with a play, and you move onto the next one."

By then, the Browns were deep in a hole. In the second half, Johnson churned out 60 of his 101 yards with the comfy lead.

"The big plays were what killed us," said Fujita. "The Titans had a lot of scheme runs that we hadn't seen before, but we kept it bottled up, minus one run that kind of popped out. It was just a shame that they had three or four big plays get behind us."

Even Hasselbeck wasn't expecting it to be this effortless.

"We thought it was going to be a challenge," he said. "They're top 10 in the league in every category when it comes to the passing game, even the red zone, and No. 2 in sacks. Rain was coming in off the lake, and we talked about throwing it while we could. Guys stepped up and made big plays against their man coverage."

Said Ward: "We're going to have this bad taste in our mouth for two weeks, so when we come out and play Oakland, we're going to be completely prepared and ready."

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Wisconsin is rising, Ohio State is falling and Nebraska is trying to figure out which way it's headed.

View full sizeMark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal-SentinelA visibly angry Bo Pelini apologized to Nebraska fans after the Cornhuskers were routed by Wisconsin on Saturday. Will the former Buckeye star make his alma mater pay the price when Nebraska hosts Ohio State on Saturday night?

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The tide is turning in the Big Ten.

Six-time champ Ohio State (though last year's share was vacated) is trying to hang on, while Wisconsin is asserting itself not only as the conference's best team, but a national power. And Nebraska is trying to find where it fits in, one day after entering Madison figuring to be more like the Badgers but leaving looking more like the Buckeyes.

With apologies to what may be happening at Michigan and Illinois, a combined 10-0 so far, the tale of this season will be told by what happens to the Buckeyes, Cornhuskers and Badgers from here on.

• Ohio State: Like the league as a whole, the Buckeyes are in limbo between the past and the future. At the moment, they're starting a freshman quarterback they don't trust.

Freshman Braxton Miller may be too young to succeed at the moment (not his fault), but the constant emphasis from the offensive staff about not committing turnovers seems to have paralyzed his ability to make plays. His only significant completion Saturday was a 33-yard pass when Chris Fields was open by 10 yards.

Miller's one pick came when his first-down sideline ball to freshman Devin Smith was a bit late and underthrown, and Miller had to watch as Michigan State defender Darqueze Dennard made a great play to rip the ball away. Yet that practically qualified as a success on first down.

Including a couple plays wiped out by penalties, Ohio State had 21 first-down snaps Saturday before the last desperate touchdown drive led by Joe Bauserman. Thirteen plays were called runs, which gained an average of 2.4 yards. Eight were passes, which led to: four sacks, an offensive pass interference penalty, an incompletion, a 4-yard completion to Carlos Hyde and the pick.

Once first down failed, the Buckeyes were in a hole the entire game. Pounding into the line isn't always the right call on first-and-10. After the game, OSU coach Luke Fickell said making big plays was the No. 2 key to the game. The Buckeyes never had a prayer of making any the way they went about things.

Miller will get better, certainly. But give him the freedom to make some mistakes or he'll never make a play. If the Buckeyes aren't willing to do that, or he's not ready for that responsibility, then play Bauserman at least part of the time.

• Nebraska: Ohio State's offensive line against Nebraska's defensive line was supposed to be a showcase matchup next Saturday night. Instead, each is hoping to get better after a rough week.

As beleaguered as the Buckeyes were against Michigan State, the Cornhuskers' defensive line has been an issue all season, lacking leadership and consistency. The Spartans dominated the Buckeyes up front, helped by blitzers, but maybe Nebraska isn't capable of that. Nebraska has dealt with some key injuries on defense, but as is the case with Ohio State, the excuses only cover a portion of the problems.

"I'm embarrassed by how we played defensively. I apologize to the fans of Nebraska, because that was a joke. Plain and simple," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini told reporters Saturday night.

As big as Saturday is for Ohio State, which hasn't lost consecutive games since 2004, the longest streak in the nation, it's even more difficult to imagine how Nebraska fans might react if the Cornhuskers lose as 10-point home favorites.

• Wisconsin: The Badgers are third in the nation in points scored and eighth in yards gained, and primed to make a run at the Big Ten's first national championship since Ohio State nine years ago. Fifth in the coaches poll, Wisconsin is a good bet to move past Stanford eventually. With No. 2 LSU and No. 3 Alabama meeting in the regular season, the only thing that should keep an undefeated Wisconsin team out of the national title game is if that LSU-Alabama winner and Oklahoma both finish without a loss.

One-year quarterback transfer Russell Wilson has been a gift from the football gods, and the defense is improving. But the Badgers are a different team in Camp Randall, so don't buy them completely until they win on the road.

Three actual road tests remain: at Michigan State on Oct. 22, at Ohio State on Oct. 29 and at Illinois on Nov. 19.

Given the state of the Ohio State-Wisconsin rivalry, the Badgers' trip to Ohio Stadium could be the toughest hurdle left in the regular season, if the Buckeyes don't fall apart in the next month.

So Ohio State is playing to get its season in order. And to take Wisconsin's season apart.

Browns running back shows concern with his reduced role in the offense.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Peyton Hillis, who last week had to defend himself against critics who thought he should've played sick, had to deflect another controversy Sunday surrounding that absence.

The Browns running back, who sat out the Dolphins game with strep and flu-like symptoms, dismissed a national report that some teammates believed his unresolved contract status may have been a factor in not playing. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it Sunday, not naming any of the players.

"That's shouldn't even be an issue," said Hillis after Sunday's 31-13 loss. "That's not an issue in my brain. I'll go out there and I'll play. But if I know I'm not 100 percent and I can hurt my team, I'm not going to risk myself."

Coach Pat Shurmur said "No, Peyton was sick," when asked in the postgame press conference. "That was my understanding."

Hillis seemed more concerned with his reduced role in the offense. He carried the ball only 10 times for 46 yards. Montario Hardesty carried seven times for 22 yards.

"I've always found myself to be a guy who gets in a rhythm and gets things done," Hillis said. "But the game plan and what the coaches presented out there, that's what they wanted to go with. So being a player, you follow the coach's orders and do what he tells us to do and you respect that."

Asked if he was frustrated by the division of labor, he said, "You have to take that up with the coaches. That's nothing I can predict. I have no control over that."

Was he healthy enough after losing 10-12 pounds last week?

"I was fine," he said. "I'm healthy. My body feels great. I'm just riding the tide and waiting my chances and opportunities and trying to get things done when I can."

As for the third and 1 that he failed to convert, Hillis didn't seem to love the call. He was lined up as the fullback with Hardesty behind him, and dove to the right for no gain.

"Take it up with the coach," said Hillis. "I'm just running the plays that he tells me to do. He's the head coach. We just run the plays he gives us."

Explained Shurmur: "It was a dive play. We were trying to surprise them. There's a lot of ways to run the ball on third and one. Quick hitters to our best runner. We didn't execute it. We didn't get it done."

Monday tests for Haden: Cornerback Joe Haden suffered a sprained left knee during the game, according to Shurmur. He'll undergo an MRI, most likely on Monday.

Haden first hurt the knee on a second-quarter punt, but returned. He re-injured it when he ran down Nate Washington after his 57-yard catch just before halftime. Haden eventually came out of the game for good in the fourth quarter.

"I didn't realize he had gone down when he did," said linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. "This bye couldn't come at a better time for him to heal up and be ready for Oakland. I hope everything works out for him and he's healthy enough to play. But I know he's a tough kid and he's going to work extremely hard to get back."

A case of the drops: Hardesty caught five passes, but that wasn't what he was talking about afterward.

"I had three or four dropped balls," he said. "I need to make those plays, get up field and keep us in better situations. Those are the things that I must do and I am going to do."

Hardesty converted a third down with a 27-yard catch.

"I'm very disappointed with some plays I didn't make on the field," he said. "I made some good catches in the game and I dropped some easy ones. So I gotta catch the ball, there's noexcuse for it."

In this corner: Center Alex Mack punched a defensive tackle -- and it wasn't Shaun Smith. It was rookie Karl Klug midway through the fourth quarter at the Titans goal line.

"It was just football," said Klug. Mack was flagged 15 yards, but the Browns scored a TD on Colt McCoy's pass to Ben Watson.

Commented Smith, who had an incident with Mack last season while with Kansas City: "So he should have a $15,000 fine. That's what you get for a punch. I'm going to make sure I send [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell an email about that."

Said Mack: "Luckily we were able to come back as an offense and score a touchdown on that drive so I won't be killing myself all night long."

Avoiding mind games: Tennessee QB Matt Hasselbeck said he chatted with former coach Mike Holmgren after the game. That was a wise decision, he said, since the Browns president may have some hidden mental talents.

"It was good of me not to talk to him before the game because he would have gotten into my head," Hasselbeck said. "He just has the ability to do that. But I've got a ton of respect for him, and I owe him so much for my career.

"I'm happy for him and his family. I can tell the Browns are on the right track because they have great people here."

Extra points: Mohamed Massaquoi suffered a shoulder injury when two defenders converged and knocked his helmet off in the fourth quarter.

On Twitter: @marykaycabot

Not much good to say anywhere about the Browns poor overall performance. Numerous links to Browns stories.

Joshua Gunter, The Plain DealerTitans defensive end Dave Ball gets after Browns quarterback Colt McCoy during Tennessee's 31-13 win at Cleveland.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Not much good is being said about the Cleveland Browns' performance in their 31-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans at Browns Stadium.

Nor should there be. The score is a fair indication of what the difference was in quality between the Titans (3-1) and Browns (2-2) in Week 4 of the NFL season.

The Browns now begin their bye week. Their next game will be on Oct. 16 in Oakland against the Raiders (2-2).

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Tony Grossi's Browns-Titans game story; his "Tony's take," Mary Kay Cabot's Browns Insider and her story on the Browns' defensive failings against Tennessee; a post-game column by Terry Pluto and his post-game scribbles; Bud Shaw's column on the game; a video by David I. Andersen, with Grossi and Cabot commenting on the game; a Starting Blocks poll on the biggest Browns' disappointment in the game; and much more.

Goal to goal

Comments on the Browns-Titans game by Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com.

Browns offensive weaknesses apparent against a good defense. By Don Delco for Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report.

Coach Pat Shurmur needs to manage playing-time concerns, Marla Ridenour writes for the Akron Beacon Journal.

Browns stumble into their bye week. By Scott Petrak for the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina County Gazette.

The defense gives up big plays, and Browns notes, by Fred Greetham for Scout.com's Orange and Brown Report.

The Browns looked like they didn't belong, Todd Porter writes for the Canton Repository.

The Browns are suffering West Coast offense growing pains, writes Jim Ingraham for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.

The Titans took advantage of the Browns' defensive tendencies, Bob Finnan writes for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal.

The Browns had a tough time with the Titans' tight ends, Jim Wyatt writes for the Tennesseean.

A Titans report card on the Browns game. By Jim Wyatt of the Tennesseean.

Peyton Hillis dismissed a national report that some teammates believed his unresolved contract status may have been a factor in not playing last week.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerBrowns running back Peyton Hillis.

Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer has this story on how Peyton Hillis dismissed a national report that some teammates believed his unresolved contract status may have been a factor in not playing.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported this on Sunday, but no players were named in the report.

Hillis didn't play against the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago because of strep throat. Some critics said Hillis should have played.

Alan Moore is a place-kicker at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala. He also would be a blip on the college football radar, except that he is, uh, 61 years old.

Faulkner's Alan Moore (26) is congratulated by teammate Don Lee, left, after kicking an extra point during an NAIA college football game against Ave Maria University at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. Moore, 61, a Vietnam veteran and grandfather of five, became the oldest player ever to get in a college football game. (AP Photo, David Bundy)

Abraham Mercado is a place-kicker at Morgan State University in Baltimore. He would be a blip on the college football radar, except that he’s Mexican-born, an Orthodox Jew and the only white player on the team.

Alan Moore is a place-kicker at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala. He also would be a blip on the college football radar, except that he is, uh, 61 years old.

(Today we take a respite from the many ills of big-time college football to shine a light on two delightful smaller-time tales, courtesy of Division I-AA Morgan State and the NAIA’s Faulkner.)

Morgan State is one of 105 historically black colleges in the nation. Mercado chose the school because it was the only one to offer him a full athletic scholarship and because Baltimore has a large Jewish community.

On the field — and in most of his classes — he is the only white face.

“It doesn’t really matter. I’m very accepting of all people,” Mercado told The Jewish Week. “I’ve always been among people of other races.”

Mercado’s unusual circumstances remind me of my first job out of college, when I did sportscasts for black-owned WOL Radio in Washington, D.C. I was the only white on-air personality — I use the term “personality” loosely — at the station.

One afternoon, I answered the phone in the newsroom and the caller asked for me.

“Are you a brother?” he inquired.

“Excuse me?”

“Are you a brother?” he repeated with emphasis.

“Well,” I said, “if your first name is Steve and your last name is Chad, then I’m a brother.”

He explained that he was confused — I sounded white but he thought I must be black, working for WOL. I assured him that I was arguably the whitest guy in town.

What I would tell Mercado — and he seems sharp enough to know it already — is this: Being around people of another background is a good thing. And, frankly, being the only white person among blacks is a lot easier in America than being the only black person among whites.

(For those who dispute this, I would refer you to the Emancipation Proclamation, Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act, for starters.)

This season, Mercado, a 20-year-old redshirt sophomore, has made five of nine field-goal attempts. He hopes to make it to the NFL, where — I must warn him — he would again find himself a minority — ethnicwise, racewise and religionwise.

Speaking of out-of-place kickers, that brings us to retired construction worker, avocado farmer and grandfather Alan Moore, the oldest player in college football history.

In 1968, Moore was an 18-year-old freshman kicker at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss. But he was shipped off to the Vietnam War, ending his academic and athletic pursuits. Forty-plus years later, he decided he wanted to kick again, so he started practicing on his own — straight-on style with a square-toed shoe — and then he went to Faulkner, where he made the team as a backup extra-point kicker.

Moore’s unusual circumstances remind me of an evening I spent in the 1980s at the home of my friends Vinnie and Anna Perrone. I was between marriages at the time, and they were in the midst of their still-ongoing marital experiment, and with nothing better to do, we stumbled upon this old movie on pre-cable TV called, “The World’s Greatest Kicker.” It was about a 55-year-old millionaire whose college days were interrupted by World War II, and he returned to campus to become a game-winning kicker.

(The film is alternately horrific and hilarious. And, sadly, it still ranks as one of the best nights Vinnie, Anna and I ever had socially as adults.)

So, magically and improbably, life now imitates art in the guise of Moore. He lives in a dorm, hears teammates call him “Pops” or “Old Man” and, last month in Faulkner’s season opener, the 61-year-old knocked through the Eagles’ first extra point of the year.

Moore hopes to make a game-winning field goal. As with Abraham Mercado’s NFL aspirations, this likely will be an unrealized dream.

So be it — four months shy of Social Security, “The World’s Greatest Kicker” still walks among us.

Ask the Slouch!

Q: With Texas A&M making its way to the SEC as its 13th team, the ACC expanding to 14 teams (for now), the Pac-12 not interested in any of the remaining Big 12 members (for now), the Big 12 deciding how it’s going to get back to 10 members before losing anybody else (for now), the Big East figuring out who’s coming and who else is going (for now), are you considering joining a conference of journalists, or do you want to remain an independent? — Vince Pipern, Alexandria, Va.

A: To borrow from Groucho Marx, I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member. (P.S. No one is showing any interest, anyway.)

Q: If Peyton Manning is out for the season and the Colts go 0-16, will he win his fifth MVP? — Kevin Cole, Indianapolis

A:Pay the man, Shirley.

You, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just email asktheslouch@aol.com and, if your question is used, you win $1.25 in cash!

Norman Chad is a freelance writer from Los Angeles.

The Cleveland Browns have plenty of corrections to make.

Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerCoach Pat Shurmur.

The Tennessee Titans smashed the Cleveland Browns on Sunday and ESPN's Jamison Hensley writes how this a step back for a Browns team looking to prove itself after consecutive victories over two winless teams.

So what happened?

Cleveland couldn't slow down a Titans passing attack that just lost its top wide receiver (Kenny Britt). The Browns are tied with the Steelers and Bengals, all of whom have 2-2 records.

That's not all. Hensley reminds us how bad the Browns' pass defense played. It was especially surprising because the defense was ranked No. 3 against the pass.

Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 194 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Cleveland failed to cover the tight ends. Craig Stevens caught a 12-yard touchdown after beating safety T.J. Ward, and Jared Cook had an 80-yard catch-and-run score when linebacker Scott Fujita couldn't keep up with him and safety Usama Young took a bad angle of pursuit.

More Browns

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Bud Shaw writes how coach Pat Shurmur has some work to do.

Ohio.com: Marla Ridenour writes how Pat Shurmur must silence his team's chatter.

The News-Herald: The Browns are suffering from growing pains, writes Jim Ingraham.

NorthCoastNow.com: All facets of the Browns' game was off.

The Tennessean: Look out for the Titans after their third straight victory.

Join us for a live Browns chat today at noon with The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi. The Browns got blown out at home by the Titans. Why was Peyton Hillis on the sidelines so often on Sunday? Is Colt McCoy missing open receivers or are they struggling to get open? We'll answer those questions and more.

View full sizeChat live with Tony Grossi every Monday at noon.

Join us for a live Browns chat today at noon with The Plain Dealer's Tony Grossi.

The Browns got blown out at home by the Titans. Why was Peyton Hillis on the sidelines so often on Sunday? Is Colt McCoy missing open receivers or are they struggling to get open?

You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Tony's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in mp3 format.

Note: To turn off audio alerts, click on round button on bottom left of chat room and click on preferences.

Help is the on way for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Will it be enough?

APOhio State head coach Luke Fickell.

Despite how bad the Ohio State Buckeyes have looked, things will soon get better (they hope) with the return of the players who were suspended.

Jon Spencer of MansfieldNewsJournal.com writes how the return of Mike Adams, Dan Herron, DeVier Posey and Solomon Thomas will help the Buckeyes.

Forget what coach Luke Fickell said before the season about the "Tat 4"-turned-"Sat 4" having to earn their way back on the field after five weeks of suspension. As bad as they looked in the tattoos-for-memorabilia scandal that rocked the program, those four seniors, especially the three on offense, are now viewed as the cavalry charging over the hill.

But Spencer reminds us the return of the players doesn't mean the team's problems will all end.

Unless a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach saddle up and ride in on that white horse, don't expect miracles when the Buckeyes hit the road this week to play equally distressed Nebraska.

Around the Horse Shoe

Check out Doug Lesmerises of The Plain Dealer and his notes on the Buckeyes.

Matt Markey of The Toledo Blade writes how the Buckeyes avoided making history.

See how former Buckeyes played on Sunday in the NFL.

If you're traveling to see the Buckeyes at Nebraska, you'll need this.