Philadelphia Daily News from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 80

SPORTS ADRIAN LEADS WAY Donavan McNabb and Kevin Kolb (right) meet after McNabb's Vikings won their first game of the year. hannah foslien getty images ASSOCIATED PRESS MINNEAPOLIS In the battle of the former Eagles quarterbacks, the McNabbs got the best of the Kolbs, but the show belonged to Minnesota's Adrian Peterson. Peterson rammed his way into the end zone to make the Vikings' early lead even larger, lowering his shoulder to finish the run as if to pour 4 weeks of frustration out on his unsuccessful tackier. The Vikings finally ended their troubling habit of stumbling down the stretch. Peterson powered in for three first-quarter touchdowns to build a cushion so big even Minnesota couldn't lose it, and the Vikings earned their first victory yesterday by beating the bumbling Arizona Cardinals, 34-10.

"It felt good just to get a 'W first and foremost and get out of this slump. It was a good test for us, and we did what we've been preaching," said Peterson, who rushed 29 times for 122 yards. Donovan McNabb jogged in for a score, too, and the Vikings (1-4) went ahead, 28-0, less than 12 Vi minutes into the game. It was McNabb's 33rd career rushing TD, but his first since Dec. 20, 2009.

Kevin Kolb had three turnovers for the Cardinals (1-4) and finished 21-for-42 for 232 yards and one TD pass, a performance so shaky the Vikings were able to confidently run down the clock after some ugly offense of their own during the second and third quarters. "There isn't a magic wand that we can wave, and all of a sudden it will get better. But we are going to keep plugging at it, and we will AROUND THE LEAGUE RAIDERS 25, TEXANS 20: At Houston, Oakland coach Hue Jackson sank to his knees, buried his face in his hands and finally released the emotions he'd been holding back. Up in the visitor's suite at Reliant Stadium, Mark Davis wiped away tears with a paper towel and glanced to the sky. The Raiders (3-2) won the day after their maverick owner Al Davis died, beatingtheTexans (3-2) behind Jason Campbell's two touchdown passes.

Michael Huff intercepted Matt Schaub's pass in the end zone on the final play, and the Raiders ran to celebrate a bittersweet victory unlike any other in the storied history of the franchise. Stadiums around the league observed a moment of silence before the early games to honor Davis, who died at his Oakland home at age 82. His son, Mark, took his place in the owner's box, and the Raiders wore black decals on the backs of their helmets with "AL" written in silver letters. They were statistically dominated by Houston, outgained 473-278 and held to 11 first downs and 94 yards rushing. They still managed to do the only thing that ever mattered to Davis.

They just won, baby. STEELERS 38, TITANS 17: At Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger's sprained left foot is just fine, thanks. And so, apparently, are the defending AFC champions. The quarterback tied a team record by throwing for five touchdowns including two to ines Ward and the Steelers rolled past the Tennessee Titans (3-2). Other than a slight limp when he ran, Ro-ethlisberger appeared to have no issues with his sprained left foot, also hitting Mike Wallace, Heath Miller and David Johnson for scores as the Steelers (3-2) ended Tennessee's three-game winning streak.

The five touchdown passes tied a single-game club record Roethlisbergeralready shares with Mark Malone and Terry Bradshaw. PACKERS 25, FALCONS 14: At Atlanta, Aaron Rodgers threw for 396 yards and a pair of TDs, leading the unbeaten Green Bay Packers back from a sluggish start over the Falcons. The high-scoring Packers (5-0) trailed 14-0 early in the second quarterand were held without a TD in the first half by Atlanta (2-3), which was trying to make up for an embarrassing 48-21 loss to Green Bay in the playoffs last season. SAINTS 30, PANTHERS 27: At Charlotte, N.C., Drew Brees found Pierre Thomas wide-open on the right side for a 6-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left, helping the New Orleans Saints (4-1) rally past the Carolina Panthers. Brees threw for 359 yardsand two touchdowns, includinga nearly flawless final drive in which he completed eight of nine passes for 80 yards to take back momentum after Cam Newton and the Panthers (1-4) had taken their first lead early in the fourth quarter.

CHIEFS 28, COLTS 24: At Indianapolis, Matt Cassel threw for 257 yards and fourtouchdowns, and Kansas City scored the final 21 points to keep the Colts (0-5) winless. Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston each caught two TD passes to give the Chiefs (2-3) their first win at I ndianapolis. The 17-point comeback matched the biggest comeback in team history. BENGALS 30, JAGUARS 20: At Jacksonville, Andy Dalton threw two TD passes, Bernard Scott scored with 1:56 remaining and the Cincinnati Bengals gave the Jaguars (1-4) their fourth straight loss, putting coach Jack Del Rio's future further in doubt. The Bengals (3-2) took advantage of Matt Turk's 22-yard punt into the wind to set up the winning score, a touchdown needed because Mike Nugent missed an extra point in the first half.

49ERS 48, BUCCANEERS 3: At San Francisco, Alex Smith threw two of his three TD passes to Vernon Davis, Frank Gore ran for a score in his second straight 100-yard rushing game and the 49ers (4-1) beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) fortheir best start in9years. Carlos Rogers returned an interception 31yards for a touchdown and tight ends Davis and Delanie Walker each caught TD passes of 20-plus yards in San Francisco's third straight win since blowing a late lead in an overtime loss to Dallas. PATRIOTS 30, JETS 21: At Foxborough, BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for a career-high 136 yards and two TDs and the New England Patriots (4-1) beat the New York Jets (2-3) with a vastly improved defense. Tom Brady completed 24 of 33 passes for 321yards and one TD as the Patriots scored at least 30 points for the 13th straight regular-season game. CHARGERS 29, BRONCOS 24: At Denver, Philip Rivers overcame an interception and a fourth-quarter fumble to lead the San Diego Chargers (4-1) over the Broncos (1-4) despite Tim Tebow's best efforts to rally the home team from a 16-point deficit.

Tebow threw two TD passes after replacing Kyle Orton to start the third quarter, and had one final shot for the win before his pass fell incomplete in the end zone on the final play. der from coach Leslie Frazier. Frazier said he remains confident in McNabb as the starter. With a wide, sly smile, the coach insisted he was unaware of the boos. "Never heard it.

All I heard were cheers. It was a great day for the Vikings," Frazier said. Added linebacker Chad Green-way: "You never want to get booed by your own fans, but you expect it when you're 0-4 that they're going to tell you how they feel." McNabb has at least avoided those costly turnovers, unlike Kolb, who has six picks and three lost fumbles in five games. "It's not one person making a lot of mistakes. It's all of us making one or two mistakes.

That's where details come in," Kolb said. "You're never going to find non-belief in this locker room. We felt like we had a chance the whole time. get better," Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin said. From McNabb's bounced passes to Kolb's errant throws, neither ex-Eagle quarterback played well.

McNabb's final numbers against what had been aleaky Arizona secondary were 10 completions, 21 attempts, 169 yards and a bunch of boos. "I don't worry about it all, because at the end of the day you look up and you see a win," McNabb said. "We're excited about it." The Vikings started three straight first-quarter drives at the Arizona 18, 24 and 25, stretching their lead so large so quickly the fans stopped chanting for rookie Christian Ponder. McNabb and the Vikings were still jeered off the field at the half with a 28-3 advantage after a sack prompted a run-out-the-clock or BIG HURTS BIG NUMBERS Tarvaris Jackson, QB, Seahawks, chest Brian Dawkins, Broncos, neck Mario Williams, LB, Texans, pectoral muscle MikeTolbert, RB, Chargers, concussion Zak DeOssie, LS, Giants, concussion Gerald McCoy, DT, Buccaneers, left ankle Chris Snee, Giants, concussion Pass completions: Drew Brees, Saints, 32 Passes: Matt Schaub, Texans, 51 Passing yards: Eli Manning, Giants, 420 Passing TDs: Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers, 5 Receiving yards: VictorCruz, Giants, 161 Rushingyards: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Patriots, 136 Longest FG: Mason Crosby, Packers, 56 Monday, October 10, 2011 PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS Page 8l.