LANDOVER, Md. – All Deuce, all the time.

Except for the touchdowns.

Deuce McAllister did everything but score for the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He had his ninth consecutive 100-yard rushing game, running for 165 yards on 30 carries and catching four passes for 31 more in a 24-20 victory over the Washington Redskins.

The victory moved the Saints (6-6) back to .500 and kept their playoff hopes realistic for at least another week. The Redskins (4-8) have lost three straight and seven of eight, and the defense failed to hold a lead by giving up the winning drive in the fourth quarter for the third straight week.

Aaron Brooks ran for two scores and passed for another, but McAllister handled the ball on 35 of New Orleans’ 67 offensive plays. His ninth consecutive 100-yard game ties him for third all-time with Walter Payton and Fred Taylor. Barry Sanders holds the record with 14.

The winning score was Brooks’ 15-yard pass to Boo Williams with 9:38 to play, a drive set up by Keyuo Craver’s 52-yard kickoff return. Craver’s was a rare big play after a day of gaffes by the Saints’ special teams.

Rams 48, Vikings 17

ST. LOUIS – There’s plenty of life left in Marshall Faulk’s legs.

Faulk ran for three touchdowns to help the St. Louis Rams beat the Minnesota Vikings 48-17 in a battle of division leaders Sunday, his third straight 100-yard game after going 10 games without one.

Faulk had 108 yards on 17 carries and scored on runs of 18, 5 and 7 yards. He has 127 touchdowns, passing Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Jim Brown for fourth on the career list.

Bears 28, Cardinals 3

CHICAGO – Kordell Stewart made the most of another chance to start. So did Brock Forsey.

With Chris Chandler sidelined by a sore shoulder, Stewart threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead the Chicago Bears past the Arizona Cardinals 28-3.

Forsey, a rookie from Boise State, started for Chicago in place of leading rusher Anthony Thomas, out with viral pneumonia.

In his second NFL start, Forsey responded by gaining 134 yards on 27 carries. He scored on a 9-yard run with 3:33 to go, capping Chicago’s 21-point fourth quarter.

Ravens 44, 49ers 6

BALTIMORE – No comeback required.

Ray Lewis returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown to cap a 17-point flurry in the second quarter, and the Baltimore Ravens cruised past the San Francisco 49ers 44-6.

One week earlier, the Ravens trailed Seattle by 14 points at halftime and by 17 in the fourth quarter before rallying to win. Baltimore (7-5) took a far easier path against the 49ers, building a 24-6 halftime lead before coasting to the most lopsided victory in franchise history.

That set up next week’s showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals for first place in the AFC North. Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh to remain tied with Baltimore atop the division.

The return of quarterback Jeff Garcia did nothing to change the fortune of the 49ers (5-7), who fell to 0-6 on the road. Back from a three-game absence with a sprained ankle, Garcia went 14-for-29 for 112 yards with a career-high four interceptions before being pulled early in the fourth quarter.

It was San Francisco’s worst loss since a 41-3 defeat against Jacksonville in September 1999.

The game turned in the second period, when Baltimore converted a precarious 7-6 lead into an 18-point cushion in the span of 1 minute, 25 seconds.

First, Matt Stover kicked a 28-yard field goal following a 75-yard kickoff return by Lamont Brightful. After a San Francisco punt, Anthony Wright threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Robinson – the fifth time in two weeks the duo hooked up for a score.

It took only 14 seconds for Baltimore to add another touchdown. On second down from the San Francisco 20, Garcia threw a pass that deflected off receiver Cedrick Wilson to Lewis. He high-stepped down the right sideline for a score with 32 seconds left in the half.

Lewis’ first regular-season interception return for a touchdown was merely one facet of a redemptive performance by the Baltimore defense, which was burned for five touchdown passes and 41 points by Seattle.

Stover added a field goal in the third quarter, and Wright cashed in on an interception by Gary Baxter with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Terry Jones.

The Ravens limited 49ers star receiver Terrell Owens to two catches for 17 yards.

The first time Owens touched the ball, it proved beneficial for the Ravens. A high pass from Garcia deflected off Owens’ outstretched hand to Baltimore’s Ed Hartwell, whose first career interception led to a 6-yard touchdown run by Jamal Lewis.

The 49ers countered with two field goals by Todd Peterson, but that’s all they would get.