EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Brett Favre picked a near-perfect way to become the winningest quarterback in NFL history.

Favre hit his first 14 passes of the second half and threw three touchdown passes to rally the Green Bay Packers to a 35-13 victory over Eli Manning and the New York Giants on Sunday.

The victory was the 149th of Favre’s 17-year career and gave him one more than Hall of Famer John Elway.

It also gave the Packers their first 2-0 start since they won their first three in 2001.

The loss was the second straight for the undisciplined and error-prone Giants, something that hasn’t happened at the start of a season since 1996 – the year Dan Reeves got fired.

49ers 17, Rams 16

ST. LOUIS – It was the kind of simple catch Dante Hall has made many times, camped under a punt, his arm waving for a fair catch.

This time, late in the fourth quarter Sunday, he dropped it. Marcus Hudson recovered for San Francisco, setting up the winning field goal in the 49ers’ 17-16 win over St. Louis.

The Rams’ Jeff Wilkins missed a 56-yard field goal try with 59 seconds to play, the ball falling about a yard short of the goal post.

Browns 51, Bengals 45

CLEVELAND – This was a high-flying, high-scoring show even Chad Johnson and all his props couldn’t top.

Derek Anderson threw five touchdown passes, Jamal Lewis rushed for 215 yards and the Cleveland Browns, so desperate after losing their home opener they traded their starting quarterback, outlasted the Cincinnati Bengals and Carson Palmer 51-45 on Sunday.

Palmer tossed a career-high six TDs, but his final chance to rally the Bengals (1-1) ended when he was intercepted with 21 seconds left by Cleveland cornerback Leigh Bodden, who made a diving grab near Cleveland’s sideline.

Bears 20, Chiefs 10

CHICAGO – Devin Hester fielded the punt, and in a flash, the Chicago Bears were in control.

Hester scored on a 73-yard punt in the second quarter and set up a field goal in the third with another long return as the defending NFC champions beat the Kansas City Chiefs 20-10 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Cedric Benson did his part to dispel the notion he’s soft, but Rex Grossman had another mediocre outing.

Colts 22, Titans 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans have run out of magic, at least against the Indianapolis Colts.

Peyton Manning threw for 312 yards and a touchdown, and the Colts held off Tennessee for a 22-20 victory Sunday when the Titans couldn’t pull off a final-drive comeback.

This time, the Titans (1-1) trailed by 13 points instead of 14.

Cowboys 37, Dolphins 20

MIAMI – The Dallas Cowboys did plenty of scoring again Sunday, this time with help from their defense.

After winning a shootout in the season opener, Dallas took advantage of five takeaways and a ball-control offense to beat the hapless Miami Dolphins 37-20.

The Cowboys intercepted Trent Green four times and recovered a fumbled snap. Green also fumbled attempting a spike play late in the first half, possibly costing Miami points.

Jaguars 13, Falcons 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars defense rebounded from an embarrassing season opener and quarterback David Garrard proved a little something, too.

The defense sacked Joey Harrington seven times, held Atlanta under 100 yards rushing and sparked a 13-7 victory over the Falcons on Sunday.

Atlanta’s biggest problem came on special teams, where rookie Matt Prater missed two field goals. He was wide right from 43 yards in the second quarter and wide right from 26 yards in the third. He is now 1-of-4 on the season.

Ravens 20, Jets 13

BALTIMORE – In a duel of backup quarterbacks, Kyle Boller’s experience prevailed over Kellen Clemens’ exuberance. Boller threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns Sunday, and the Baltimore Ravens overcame a late charge by Clemens and the New York Jets in a 20-13 victory.

Making his first NFL start, Clemens cut a 20-3 deficit to seven points in the fourth quarter and took the Jets (1-1) to the Baltimore 7 before Ray Lewis intercepted a deflected pass in the end zone with 1:04 left to preserve the win.

Broncos 23, Raiders 20

DENVER – The Denver Broncos may never have called a smarter timeout.

Jason Elam’s 23-yard field goal with 5:48 left in overtime gave the Broncos a 23-20 win just minutes after the Raiders had been celebrating what they thought was their own wild win.

Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 52-yard field goal at 11:13 of overtime. But as the Raiders rushed the field in celebration and the Broncos hung their heads in defeat, the officials ruled Denver called a timeout just before the snap.

Buccaneers 31, Saints 14

TAMPA, Fla. – At 35, Joey Galloway isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Just ask the bewildered New Orleans Saints, who never seem to be able to catch up with Tampa Bay’s speedy receiver.

Galloway caught four passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, tormenting the Saints for the sixth straight game between the NFC South rivals and leading the Buccaneers to a 31-14 victory Sunday.

Arizona 23, Seattle 20

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Maybe that Cardinals curse is history.

After blowing a 17-0 lead in what looked like another classic Arizona collapse, Darnell Dockett recovered a fumble by Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck. Then Neil Rackers kicked a 41-yard field goal with 1 second to go Sunday, giving the Cardinals a 23-20 victory over the Seahawks.

Rackers’ 52-yarder tied it at 20 with 4:44 to play.

Texans 34, Panthers 21

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – From the opposite sideline, David Carr stood, barely moving, watching his former team play like it rarely had during his five-year tenure.

With Matt Schaub throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns and backed up by an effective running game, the Houston Texans forced three turnovers and recovered from a sluggish start for a 34-21 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday for their first 2-0 start in franchise history.

Lions 20, Vikings 17

DETROIT – The Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions took turns blowing chances to win the game.

In the end, Jason Hanson’s 37-yard field goal in overtime lifted Detroit to a 20-17 victory over Minnesota on Sunday and ended a 10-game losing streak in the series.

The Lions and Vikings combined for nine turnovers in regulation – and two missed field goals in the final 35 seconds.