In what could be a potential playoff matchup in the NFC, the Cowboys handed the Packers their first loss of the season, beating Green Bay 27-16 on Sunday night.

It was over when…
Tony Romo stepped up in the pocket and connected with WR Miles Austin 52 yards downfield for a touchdown through double coverage, giving the Cowboys a 26-9 lead with nine minutes left.

Game ball
Cowboys RB Marion Barber turned in the Cowboys’ first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, carrying 28 times for 142 yards. When Barber has at least 11 rush attempts, the Cowboys are 22-1.

Key stat
The Cowboys outgained the Packers on the ground 217 to 84. Dallas collected 13 of its 22 first downs on the ground, while 12 of the Packers’ 17 first downs came through the air.

Noteworthy
Sunday’s win was the Cowboys’ first at Lambeau Field. Including playoffs, Dallas is 1-5 all-time at Lambeau. The Cowboys’ three previous road victories over the Packers came in Milwaukee. … The Packers are 10-2 in their last 12 home games and 19-4 in their last 23 games overall. … The Cowboys are 12-1 in their last 13 road games. … Dallas has started 3-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1976-77. … The Cowboys have won four in a row on Sunday night and are 16-14 all-time on Sunday night.

In the battle of quarterbacks, Romo was 17 of 30 passing for 260 yards, a touchdown and a pick, while Rodgers finished 22 of 39 for 290 yards. But Rodgers racked up most of his yards when Dallas got up big in the fourth quarter and allowed the Packers to complete underneath passes to keep the clock running.

But forget the quarterbacks, the difference-maker(s) for Dallas was Marion Barber and Felix Jones, who combined for 218 yards and two touchdowns. They set the table for the Cowboys offensively and the Packers couldn’t generate enough pressure on Romo because they had to honor the run. Conversely, Dallas’s defense was able to apply pressure on Rodgers all night because Green Bay couldn’t consistently run the ball. Ryan Grant’s fumble on the Packers’ opening position (which Dallas eventually turned into a 3-0 lead) didn’t help either.

For as good as Rodgers has been, the Packers need Grant and the running game to be productive. Especially when playing better defenses like Dallas.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are finally off the schnide. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Jaguars earned their first victory, beating division rival Indianapolis 23-21 thanks to a 51-yard field goal by kicker Josh Scobee.

It was over when…
In a fourth quarter that saw three lead changes in the final 2:36, Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee kicked a 51-yard field goal to put Jacksonville on top with four seconds remaining in the game.

Game ball
Maurice Jones-Drew got the glory with a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but Fred Taylor did much of the dirty work all day, pacing the Jaguars with 121 yards on 26 carries. On one punishing 34-yard run in the third quarter the 32-year-old running back lowered his head and broke at least four tackles to set up Jones-Drew’s go-ahead touchdown.

Key stat
After recording just 97 total yards in Jacksonville’s first two games, Taylor and Jones-Drew combined for 228 yards on 45 carries against the Colts, who were playing without safety Bob Sanders. Jacksonville’s success running the ball allowed the Jaguars to dominate the time of possession (41:35-18:25), including a 26:01 to 3:59 advantage in the second half.

Noteworthy
Jones Drew finished with 161 yards from scrimmage and has now scored at least one touchdown in five career games vs. Indianapolis. … The Colts defense has allowed a 100-yard rusher in every game this season, including two Sunday in Taylor and Jones-Drew.

Well, something had to give. Jacksonville hasn’t been able to run the ball the last two weeks because of a banged up offensive line, and Indianapolis hasn’t been able to stop the run. The Jaguars rushed for 236 yards and looked like a completely different team than they had the previous two weeks. Fred Taylor (26 carries, 121 yards) was outstanding and his 34-yard run was amazing. David Garrard looked better today too, completing 16 of 22 passes for 167 yards, although he did throw a pick. With Houston and a banged up Pittsburgh coming up the next two weeks, the Jags have a chance to get back on track after this win.

The Colts got away with having a poor run defense the year they won the Super Bowl, but it doesn’t look like that will be the case this year. At some point you’d think that Peyton Manning (15 of 29, 216 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) will get it together and start producing 300-plus yard games with no interceptions. But as of now he looks shaky will he continues to recover from an offseason knee procedure. It’s crazy to think that the Colts are 1-2 right now, but it’s even crazier to think that they’re 0-2 at home. Should have stayed in the RCA Dome.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz helped his new team the San Francisco 49ers beat his former team, the Detroit Lions, 31-13 on Sunday.

It was over when…
Arnaz Battle recovered an onside kick with just over 6 minutes remaining and the 49ers holding a 15-point lead. Joe Nedney kicked a field goal with 4:25 left to take a three-score lead.
Game ball
Frank Gore rushed for 130 yards and a touchdown. His 27 attempts helped the 49ers control the clock in the second half, and his 33-yard run in the first quarter helped set up the 49ers’ first score.

Key stat
J.T. O’Sullivan was not sacked in 23 pass attempts, an almost unheard of streak in a Mike Martz offense.

Noteworthy
The 49ers are 2-1 for the second consecutive year. … Rudi Johnson rushed for 83 yards and caught a 34-yard touchdown pass for the Lions after replacing rookie rookie Kevin Smith. … Quarterback Jon Kitna was shaken up toward the end of the game and had his right knee examined by the training staff.

The 49ers’ offense is starting to click. QB J.T. O’Sullivan was sharp, throwing for 189 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 23 passing. Frank Gore was outstanding as well, rushing for 130 yards and touchdown. As long as the defense can hold its own, the 49ers can definitely compete in a weak NFC West, although it’s still hard to fathom that a J.T. O’Sullivan-quarterbacked team will make the playoffs.

New week, same results for the Lions. They got down early, Jon Kitna had zero time to throw and the defense was bad. Outside of Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams, Ernie Sims, Kevin Smith, Dewayne White and maybe Kitna, the entire roster should be blown up.

The Seattle Seahawks rebounded from their 33-30 overtime loss last week to beat NFC West rival St. Louis 37-13 on Sunday.

It was over when…
T.J. Duckett scored on a 1-yard run with 8:39 left in the fourth quarter. The touchdown capped a 15-play, 86-yard drive to give the Seahawks a 21-point lead.

Game ball
Running back Julius Jones’ 29-yard touchdown run in the first quarter gave the Seahawks a 17-0 lead. Jones finished with 140 yards rushing.

Key stat
The Seahawks rushed for 240 yards, while holding The Rams to just 65 yards on the ground.

Noteworthy
Seahawks running back Duckett had his first two-touchdown rushing day in four years. … St. Louis lost for the 16th time in 19 games, and have lost seven consecutive games to Seattle. … The Seahawks avoided starting 0-3 for the first time since 2002.

I know it was against the Rams’ defense, but how good did Julius Jones (22 carries, 140 yards, 1 TD) look? Maurice Morris’s injury has opened the door for Jones to be the feature back and he hasn’t disappointed. Amazing how productive Mike Holmgren’s offense can be with a running game. Matt Hasselbeck even looked good for the first time this season, completing 12 of 20 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown.

There isn’t much you can say about the Rams. They easily rival the Chiefs as the worst team in the NFL and at least KC has an excuse as to why they’re so bad; Tyler Thigpen is starting at quarterback for Larry Johnson’s sake. St. Louis is this bad with a healthy Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson and Torry Holt. Amazing.

After winning 10 games in 2007, the Browns just can’t get it together this year. Cleveland dropped to 0-3 on the season after division rival Baltimore handed them a 28-10 loss on Sunday.

It was over when…
The Ravens, leading 28-10, went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Cleveland 29 in the fourth quarter to keep alive a drive that would drain the clock and prevent the Browns from attempting a comeback.

Game balls
The Ravens’ defensive backs broke the game open for the Ravens in the third quarter. First Chris McAlister intercepted Derek Anderson’s pass and ran the ball back to the 12 to set up the Ravens’ go-ahead TD; On the next Browns’ drive, speedy safety Ed Reed picked off Anderson and dashed 32 yards to the end zone.

Key stat
The Ravens held onto the ball nearly 15 minutes longer than the Browns. Half of Cleveland’s possessions lasted less than one minute while the Ravens had one 14-play drive last more than nine minutes.

Noteworthy
Baltimore Strong Safety Dawan Landry was injured late in the second quarter while making a tackle on Jamal Lewis. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and taken to a hospital. … The Browns have just two offensive TD in 33 possessions this season. Dating back to last season, the Browns have just five offensive TDs in their last six games (1-5 record). … The last time the Ravens were 2-0 was in 2006 when they started 4-0.

Is it time for the Brady Quinn era to start in Cleveland? He didn’t look good in preseason, but he has to be a better option than Derek Anderson (125 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs) at this point, right? I was a big supporter of Anderson and felt the Browns were wise to hang on to him in the offseason, but he’s been awful. And he hasn’t gotten much support from WR Braylon Edwards, either.

And what do we make of the Ravens? Is their defense that good or are the offenses they’ve faced (Cincinnati, Cleveland) just that bad? Next week they play Pittsburgh, but with Ben Roethlisberger banged up, the Steelers might not be a great test for Baltimore next week, either. Regardless, rookie QB Joe Flacco (129 yards, 2 INTs) is 2-0 as a starter and RB Willis McGahee (15 carries, 64 yards, 1 TD) looked good in his first action since having an offseason knee procedure.

The Eagles bounced back from their Monday night defeat in Dallas by shutting down Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers 15-6 in Philadelphia on Sunday.

It was over when …
Steelers backup QB Byron Leftwich threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-10 with 35 seconds remaining to end their slim chances of pulling off an improbable comeback. The Eagles took over on downs and kneeled down to run out the clock.

Game ball
This contest featured a dominant performance by the Eagles’ front-seven on defense, but not to be overlooked was the sensational effort from Philadelphia punter Sav Rocca. Rocca punted the ball three times in the fourth quarter and all were pivotal in the victory. In the Eagles’ first possession of the quarter, they were forced to punt from their own 11-yard line. The Steelers expected to get the ball back in good field position, but Rocca boomed a 64-yarder that Santonio Holmes was only able to return for 5 yards because of its hang time. On his next effort, Rocca blasted another 54-yarder that went out of bounds and pinned the Steelers at their own 6-yard line. Finally, Rocca used his touch to kick a 37-yarder that bounced out at the Steelers’ 7-yard line. Without those punts, the Eagles may not have gotten the win.

Key stat
The Eagles recorded nine sacks and a safety during the game and had at least twice that many knock-downs. Even more amazing, is that the stat is somewhat deceiving because Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger barely escaped four other times and was credited with 6 rushing yards on those plays. If Roethlisberger was less elusive, the Eagles very easily could have tallied 15 sacks or more.

Noteworthy
Eagles RB Brian Westbrook left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. … Roethlisberger left late in the fourth quarter with a hand injury and did not return. … The Steelers did not have a play of 20-yards or more until Heath Miller’s 21-yard grab with less than two minutes left. … In one eight-play stretch of the second quarter, the Steelers gave up five sacks, committed a false start penalty and threw an interception. … Pittsburgh did not get into the red zone until its final drive. … Donovan McNabb set a new Eagles franchise record with his 176th career touchdown pass..

I think Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jim Johnson took out his frustrations from Monday night on the Steelers today because he was absolutely relentless in blitzing his defenders (even more than he usually is). And had RB Brian Westbrook not suffer an injury early in the game, it’s likely the Eagles would have won by more than nine points.

It was clear Big Ben’s shoulder dramatically affected his play today. Several times throughout the game he set up to throw long and checked down to his running back instead. And while he normally has issues holding on to the ball too long in the pocket, it was a major problem today. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not the Steelers choose to rest Roethlisberger over the next couple weeks with tough defenses in Baltimore and Jacksonville coming up.

The red-hot Broncos earned their third win of the year, edging out the New Orleans Saints in a wild 34-32 shootout in Denver on Sunday. Saints’ kicker Martin Gramatica missed a 43-yard field goal that would have given New Orleans a 35-34 lead late in the fourth quarter.

Both quarterbacks put on an aerial show, with Drew Brees throwing for 421 yards and a touchdown and Jay Cutler finishing with 264 yards and two scores. Reggie Bush had another monster game, catching 11 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 73 yards and a score. And Denver WR Brandon Marshall was sick again, hauling in six passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. (How do you not triple cover that guy if you’re a defensive coordinator? He’s phenomenal.)

The Broncos look great. Their defense hasn’t played as well as people expected them to, but Cutler and the offense is playing with a ton of confidence and they’re shredding defenses through the air. They play at Kansas City next week, then return home to play Tampa and Jacksonville in Weeks 5 and 6. It’ll be interesting to see how good Denver’s offense can be against two of the better defenses in the league.

I really thought the Saints could be potential Super Bowl contenders this year and they still might be. But after all of the offseason additions, the defense still looks shaky. New Orleans still has issues in the secondary and especially in getting off the field on third downs. When your offense puts up 20-plus points a week, you should win more games than you lose.

After dropping their opener to the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins have rebounded over the past two weeks. The Skins notched their second game of the year, beating the Arizona Cardinals 24-17 on Sunday.

It was over when…
Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell made a play-fake and completed a 26-yard pass on second-and-7 with just under 2 minutes remaining in the game. The first down enabled Washington to go into the victory formation and kill the rest of the clock.

Game ball
Campbell was sharp for the second straight week as he made several clutch third-down throws, tossed two touchdowns and also showed impressive scrambling ability, twice extending drives by rushing for a first down. He finished 22-of-30 through the air for 193 yards and added 26 on the ground.

Key stat
As is often the case in close games, the difference proved to be turnovers. The Redskins had two takeaways, while the Cardinals failed to force a single turnover. Washington scored 10 points off of its
takeaways.

Noteworthy
Santana Moss became the first Redskins receiver to catch a touchdown in six consecutive games going back to Bobby Mitchell in 1961. … Each team had a long touchdown taken away by penalty. The Cardinals were called for delay of game on what appeared to be a first-quarter touchdown on fourth-and-1, and the Redskins were called for unnecessary roughness on what seemed to be a 68-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. … Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald has three 100-yard receiving games in his last four outings stretching back to last season. … Each team had a receiver complete a pass. Arizona’s Jerheme Urban had an 18-yard completion and Washington’s Antwaan Randle El tossed an 11-yarder.

After their loss to New York, it looked like it would take an entire season for QB Jason Campbell and the Redskins to learn Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. But they’ve turned things around since and actually look pretty sharp. Washington was supposed to be the worst of the NFC East, but in New Orleans and Arizona, they’ve beaten two decent teams in back to back weeks now.

After beating the 49ers and Dolphins, this was the Cards first real test of the season. They didn’t fail by any means, but the defense didn’t play as well Sunday as it did in their previous weeks. But the encouraging thing is that the Kurt Warner (192 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) and the offense looks pretty sharp in the early going and the NFC West can be had.

The Tennessee Titans won their third straight game after beating the Houston Texans 31-12. Houston QB Matt Schaub had a rough day, throwing for only 188 yards and three interceptions.

It was over when…
Titans CB Cortland Finnegan squashed any hopes of a late Texans comeback by intercepting Matt Schaub on Tennessee’s 1-yard line and returning it a franchise record 99 yards for a touchdown. The score gave the Titans a 31-12 lead with 1:17 remaining. The pick was Finnegan’s fourth of the season.

Game ball
Titans running back LenDale White scored two touchdowns. … On defense, safety Michael Griffin intercepted Schaub twice.

Key stat
Texans rookie running back Steve Slaton gained 104 yards on nine carries in the first half and just 12 yards on nine carries in the second half.

Noteworthy
Tennessee is 3-0 for the first time since 1999. … The Titans now have defeated the Texans seven consecutive times. … Schaub did not complete his first pass until 14:40 remained in the second quarter, throwing an interception and fumbling the ball in that span. He finished 17 of 37 for 117 yards, no touchdowns, three interceptions and two fumbles.

Rookie Steve Slaton had himself a day, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown, but Schaub’s poor play negated it. The Texans drove inside the red zone three times down 24-12 in the fourth quarter and came away with zero points. Tennessee’s defense deserves a lot of credit for shutting Houston down several times at the goal line, but Schuab was absolutely brutal.

The Minnesota Vikings used a solid defensive effort to earn their first win of the season, beating the Panthers 20-10.

It was over when …
Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was sacked on fourth-and-27 with no timeouts left and the Panthers down by 10 late in the fourth quarter.

Game ball
Just before halftime, Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield blitzed untouched around the left side, sacked Delhomme, forced a fumble, picked up the ball and ran it back 19 yards for a touchdown that tied the score and turned the momentum of the game.

Key stat
Referees threw 21 flags through the course of the game, but Carolina’s gaffes were more costly. The noise in the Metrodome may have contributed to the Panthers’ delay-of-game penalty and six false starts. On defense, an illegal contact penalty in the fourth quarter extended a Vikings drive and kept Carolina’s offense on the sidelines.

Noteworthy
A timeout called by John Fox in the fourth quarter negated a blocked field goal by the Panthers. … In his first game back from a two-game suspension, Carolina receiver Steve Smith caught the first pass of the game but had just three more receptions the rest of the way to finish with four catches and 70 yards. … Gus Frerotte is 38-44-1 in his career as a starter.

The Panthers just have to tip their hats to the Vikings secondary, which had been brutal coming into this game. Minnesota held Jake Delhomme to 191 yards and no touchdowns, and more importantly kept Steve Smith (4 catches, 70 yards) relativity quiet. Kind of strange that on a day where Adrian Peterson (17 carries, 77 yards) looks mortal, the Vikings get their first win of the season over a quality opponent. At least for one week, it looks like the move to Gus Frerotte (16 of 28, 204 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) at quarterback paid off for Brad Childress.