Jets win, improve to 4-0

Earlier this week, New York Jets coach Herman Edwards went around the locker room trying to give his players an index card with the following message:

“If you are scared to go 4-0, call the police.”

There were no takers. It was easy to see why Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Down 14-13 with 5:58 to go, Chad Pennington calmly led his team 60 yards to set up the winning field goal. Doug Brien nailed the 38-yarder with 58 seconds remaining to lift the Jets to a 16-14 victory in East Rutherford, N.J., moving them to 4-0 for the second time in franchise history.

The last time the Jets were 4-0 was 2000, when they failed to make the playoffs and finished 9-7. They have a chance to go 5-0 for the first time next weekend at home against San Francisco.

“I had a bunch of them made and said, ‘If you are scared now, you can take these cards and no one will know you called them,’ ” Edwards said. “They all looked at me like I was crazy. That’s the kind of team we have become. We believe in each other, we believe we can get it done.”

Pennington went 31 of 42 for 304 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but his biggest plays came at the end, after Buffalo scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to take the lead. He went 7 of 8 for 51 yards on the winning drive.

Lions 17, Falcons 10

Detroit finally scored a touchdown rushing and harassed Michael Vick into three turnovers, preventing visiting Atlanta from going 5-0 for the first time in franchise history.

Joey Harrington threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Az-Zahir Hakim on fourth down and Artose Pinner scored on a 1-yard dive to put the Lions head for good.

Steelers 34, Browns 23

Ben Roethlisberger, becoming more comfortable and more productive with each start, confused visiting Cleveland with his running and creativity, and Pittsburgh won its third in a row behind the rookie quarterback.

Duce Staley complemented Roethlisberger by running for 117 yards, his third consecutive 100-yard game, and scoring on a 25-yard run in the first quarter.

Colts 35, Raiders 14

Peyton Manning completed 16 of 26 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, while Edgerrin James ran for 136 yards and a score to lead Indianapolis to a home victory, its fourth straight win.

Oakland fell to its 12th consecutive road loss.

Giants 26, Cowboys 10

Tiki Barber ran for 122 yards and a touchdown and Steve Christie kicked four field goals to give New York a win in Irving, Texas.

New York overcame a slow start to win its fourth straight by taking advantage of mistakes by Dallas and making some breaks for itself.

Vikings 34, Texans 28 (OT)

Daunte Culpepper threw five touchdown passes, the last a 50-yarder to Marcus Robinson on the Vikings’ second possession in overtime, as Minnesota won in Houston.

The victory was a huge relief for the Vikings, who almost let it get away after building a 21-0 lead in the third quarter as Culpepper picked apart the Texans.

Buccaneers 20, Saints 17

Chris Simms, making his first NFL start, hurt his throwing shoulder in the first quarter and was replaced by Brian Griese, who went 16 of 19 for 194 yards and the decisive touchdown as Tampa Bay won in New Orleans.

It was the second straight week New Orleans had lost to a previously winless team. The Cardinals beat the Saints 34-10 last week.

Chargers 34, Jaguars 21

Drew Brees, the quarterback the front office didn’t want, threw two touchdown passes to Antonio Gates, the tight end who played basketball – not football – at Kent State as San Diego beat visiting Jacksonville.

LaDainian Tomlinson’s biggest gains came as a receiver, although he did go airborne over the Jaguars’ line for a 1-yard touchdown run. He gained 56 yards on 19 carries, and caught four passes for 78 yards.

Broncos 20, Panthers 17

Backup Reuben Droughns ran for 193 yards for Denver and Jake Plummer threw a 39-yard pass to Ashley Lelie for the winning points as the Broncos held off visiting Carolina.

Plummer threw two touchdowns – one with each arm.

Droughns, a fullback-turned-tailback, had 127 career rushing yards rushing entering the game.

The Panthers came into the game without injured running back Stephen Davis and lost backup DeShaun Foster in the second quarter with a sprained shoulder.

Ravens 17, Redskins 10

Ed Reed scored a touchdown on a safety blitz, stopped Clinton Portis on a third-and-1 and sprung B.J. Sams for a 78-yard punt return, all in a 2 1/2 -minute span in the third quarter as visiting Baltimore beat Washington.

The Ravens scored 14 points without their anemic offense taking the field, which was more than enough to rally from a 10-0 halftime deficit.