The Associated Press

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The outcome had long been decided. The humiliation was just beginning.

The Tennessee Titans capped a 30-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday with a brutish 11-minute, 17-play drive that triggered the first significant meltdown of Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio's young career.

"What I saw, I won't stand for here," Del Rio said.

Eddie George ran for 41 of his 88 yards during the drive, which yielded a field goal by Gary Anderson and helped the Titans (6-2) reach the 30-point mark for the fifth straight game, tying a franchise record set in 1961 when the team was in Houston.

Steve McNair completed 21-of-27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, and Tennessee's defense made big plays to set up two touchdowns. The Titans beat the Jaguars (1-6) for the eighth time in the last 10 games.

"When you take 11 minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter, you're doing a great job of running the football," said McNair, who came in as the AFC's top-rated passer.

Indeed, it was the final, devastating drive that had both locker rooms talking.

"We're going to identify the guys who aren't getting it done and find guys who can, because that's embarrassing," Del Rio said.

Overall, Tennessee held the ball for a strength-sapping 39:14.

"They knew what was coming and we were still able to run it," Titans tight end Frank Wycheck said.

Meanwhile, Tennessee's defense held Jacksonville to 297 yards and made several big plays of its own.

In the second quarter, cornerback Andre Dyson made a great play, snatching a pass from the hands of Jimmy Smith to give the Titans the ball at the Jaguars 29. Early in the third quarter, Jevon Kearse and Kevin Carter made a devastating hit on Byron Leftwich, causing the ball to pop out of the rookie quarterback's hands. Robaire Smith nabbed it and ran 43 yards to the Jaguars 7. Both turnovers resulted in Tennessee touchdowns.

"Turnovers have been the difference for us the last few weeks," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "If you can't get in the end zone, at least put the offense in a situation where it can capitalize."

Ravens 26, Broncos 6

BALTIMORE - The Denver Broncos have a hard enough time beating the Baltimore Ravens under normal circumstances.

Playing with third-string quarterback Danny Kanell made the task virtually impossible, especially on a day in which the Lewis & Lewis Show put on a stellar performance before a record crowd.

Ray Lewis rambled 37 yards with a key interception in the fourth quarter, and Jamal Lewis topped 100 yards rushing for a sixth straight game as the Ravens cruised past Denver 26-6 Sunday.

Matt Stover kicked four field goals for the Ravens (4-3), who maintained their hold on first place in the AFC North by beating Denver (5-3) for a fourth straight season, including the 2000 playoffs.

"Sometimes, it's just one of those things," Ray Lewis said. "We match up very well against Denver."

Especially when the Broncos use Kanell, who was pressed into action because Denver was without injured starters Jake Plummer and Steve Beuerlein.

Starting for the first time since 2000, Kanell went 16-for-31 for 114 yards and two interceptions.

"Obviously, it was not the kind of comeback I wanted," Kanell said. "Bottom line, it's a loss. I'm bummed about it right now."

Patriots 9, Browns 3

FOXBORO, Mass. - Adam Vinatieri's three field goals beat Cleveland's two quarterbacks as New England's strong defense shut down the shifting signal-callers.

New England won its fourth straight game and improved their AFC East-leading record to 6-2.

Cleveland (3-5) replaced Tim Couch (sprained finger) with Kelly Holcomb for the second straight game and lost again, as the Browns reached Patriots territory only once.

Cleveland's 8-3 record in its previous 11 road games didn't help as it gained just 203 yards.

Colts 30, Texans 21

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Colts needed another flawless performance Sunday from Peyton Manning.

As usual, he delivered.

Manning helped the Colts overcome a sluggish start by repeatedly burning the Houston secondary before turning it over to Edgerrin James late as Indianapolis held (6-1) off Houston.

Houston (2-5) lost its third straight and dropped to 0-3 all-time against the Colts.

Manning completed 22-of-30 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. The result was a 133.9 quarterback rating.

Meanwhile, Houston was hindered by the absence of starting quarterback David Carr.

Carr sprained his right ankle late in the first quarter, missed two series, returned to lead the Texans on a touchdown drive and then left again late in the first half after re-injuring the ankle He was replaced by veteran Tony Banks.

Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison caught eight passes for 100 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard game.

Chiefs 38, Bills 5

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After winning their first seven games, the Kansas City Chiefs finally played like a team that can't lose.

Dante Hall's 67-yard catch-and-run got them rolling, and Priest Holmes scored three touchdowns as the Chiefs (8-0) became the league's only unbeaten team Sunday night.

And now the Chiefs get a week off to savor their perfect half season. Only 11 other teams since 1972 reached the midway point of the season without a loss. Eight advanced to the Super Bowl and six hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

Already leading the league in takeaways, the Chiefs had seven against the Bills - five interceptions and two recovered fumbles. They also sacked Drew Bledsoe three times.

Hall, who finished with four catches for 107 yards, also had a 31-yard catch that keyed an 83-yard march that Green capped with a 1-yard TD toss to Tony Gonzalez for a 28-5 lead.

Travis Henry had 124 yards on 22 carries for the Bills.

Return to Bengals front page...