Foster fills in for Panthers

Backup running back lifts Carolina in OT, 23-20

? Stephen Davis gave the Carolina Panthers a running start Sunday, then DeShaun Foster took over.

The Panthers’ tag-team running attack bowled over Indianapolis defenders, broke tackles and eventually set up a 47-yard winning field goal from John Kasay to keep the Panthers unbeaten with a 23-20 overtime win.

“Coach let me know Stephen was down, and it was going to be on my shoulders,” Foster said. “I just tried to go out there and make the most of my opportunity.”

The Panthers (5-0) have won seven straight dating to last season and are one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL. The others are Kansas City (6-0) and Minnesota (5-0).

But this win was atypical for Carolina.

Just six days after Peyton Manning miraculously rallied the Colts (5-1) from a 21-point deficit in the final four minutes at Tampa Bay, he nearly did it again.

Manning led the Colts on an improbable 91-yard, game-tying drive in the final three minutes against another one of the NFL’s best defenses — but he never got a chance to win it.

To compound the Panthers’ problems, Davis, the NFC’s leading rusher, watched most of the final 21 minutes with a bruised arm. He finished with 76 yards rushing, his first sub-100-yard game since joining the Panthers and a dramatic drop-off from last week’s 159-yard effort.

Davis’ absence forced Carolina to use Plan B — making Foster the workhorse.

Carolina kicker John Kasay (4) kicks the winning 43-yard field goal out of the hold of Todd Sauerbrun (10) against the Indianapolis Colts. The kick gave the Panthers a 23-20 overtime victory Sunday in Indianapolis.

“If you’re going to be a running team like we envision ourselves to be, you have to have that,” coach John Fox said of the Panthers’ depth at running back.

Foster carried 16 times for 85 yards, his best day as a pro, after missing all of his rookie season with a left knee injury.

For the Colts, it was that kind of day.

After dominating both offensively and defensively in the first half, Indianapolis did little right in the second half.

The offense had just 66 yards in offense before its final drive and turned the ball over twice.

The defense couldn’t get off the field and eventually broke down.

Foster and Davis made the Colts pay.

“They have two pretty good running backs, but we didn’t stop them, that’s all,” Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said.

The Panthers got back into the game after Manning was intercepted, and Davis broke four tackles en route to a 28-yard TD run that made it 13-10 early in the third quarter.

Carolina kicker John Kasay celebrates his winning kick.

On the Panthers’ next possession, Nick Harper fell down, and Jake Delhomme hooked up with Steve Smith for a 52-yard TD pass to take the lead. Smith had six catches for 103 yards.

Even when it appeared the Colts made a play, like when Chad Bratzke snatched a Delhomme pass out of the air at Carolina five early in the fourth quarter, it turned out wrong.

Fox challenged the call and won.

“In the replay, I thought that both players grabbed the ball and never had control of it and the ball popped out,” referee Larry Nemmers said. “Therefore, it’s an incomplete pass.”

Colts coach Tony Dungy was puzzled by the change.

“I’m watching the same replay, trying to see what they saw to overturn it,” he said. “He said he didn’t think Chad ever had the ball. That’s his opinion.”

Carolina kept possession and chewed up another five minutes before Manning & Co. got the ball back.

Then Manning was at his best.

He hooked up with four different receivers, including Marvin Harrison, who caught his 700th pass and became the NFL’s fastest to that mark Sunday, before spotting Reggie Wayne for a 25-yard TD pass. That tied the score with 45 seconds left in regulation.

Manning finished 23-of-34 for 293 yards with one touchdown, while Harrison caught eight passes for 119 yards and became the Colts’ all-time leader in receiving yards.

But Foster dominated the overtime.

Titans 38, Texans 17

Nashville, Tenn. — Steve McNair had a perfect quarterback rating in the first half, finished with a career-high 421 yards passing and threw three touchdowns to Derrick Mason for Tennessee. The Titans (4-2) also intercepted three passes, returning one for a touchdown, against the Texans (2-3).

Cowboys 23, Eagles 21

Irving, Texas — Add beating Philadelphia to the list of things Dallas can do under new coach Bill Parcells. Randal Williams foiled a game-opening onside kick by returning it 37 yards for a touchdown, and Billy Cundiff kicked a 28-yard field goal with 1:11 left as the Cowboys ended a six-game losing streak to their division rivals. With a fourth straight win, the Cowboys improved to 4-1 for the first time since 1995 and remain alone atop the NFC East.

Dolphins 24, Jaguars 10

Jacksonville, Fla. — Randy McMichael scooped up a fumble for the go-ahead score, Jay Fiedler ran interference for Ricky Williams, and defensive ends Jason Taylor and Adewale Ogunleye played superbly to help Miami (4-1) plunge Jacksonville (1-5) into a deeper hole.

Saints 20, Bears 13

New Orleans — Aaron Brooks threw two touchdown passes against one of the NFL’s worst defenses to lead New Orleans. Brooks connected with Joe Horn on a six-yard scoring pass with 7:18 left for the clinching score as the Saints won for the second time in six games. The Bears fell to 1-4. Deuce McAllister ran for 116 yards on 29 carries, and Brooks was 14-of-29 for 153 yards.

Buccaneers 35, Redskins 13

Landover, Md. — Tight end Todd Yoder caught his first two NFL touchdowns as Tampa Bay’s offense broke loose in the second half. Yoder had four catches for 28 yards. He had only seven catches total in his first three years in the league. Bucs quarterback Brad Johnson threw four touchdown passes and completed 22 of 30 passes for 268 yards.

Browns 13, Raiders 7

Cleveland — William Green gained 145 yards on 26 carries, leading Cleveland to a rare and ugly home win over penalty-prone Oakland. The Raiders (2-4) committed an NFL season-high 19 penalties — five on consecutive plays in the third quarter.

Patriots 17, Giants 6

Foxboro, Mass. — New York giveaways kept New England in the game for a half. Then Tom Brady and the rest of the Patriots took over. Brady and Kevin Faulk led the Patriots to 10 points on their first two second-half drives, and Richard Seymour played a dominant defensive game to lead New England (4-2) over the Giants (2-3).

Broncos 17, Steelers 14

Denver — Jason Elam settled a tight struggle between the AFC’s top two defenses. Elam hit a 47-yard field goal on the final play of the game as Denver (5-1) handed Pittsburgh (2-4) its third straight loss. Pittsburgh tied it at 14 on Jerome Bettis’ one-yard dive and an improbable two-point conversion, but the Broncos got the ball back at their 20 with 2:41 left.

Jets 30, Bills 3

East Rutherford, N.J. — Vinny Testaverde threw three touchdown passes, and New York sacked Drew Bledsoe a season-high seven times en route to its first win of the season. The Jets, who had last week off, improved to 3-0 after a bye week under third-year coach Herman Edwards.

Ravens 26, Cardinals 18

Tempe, Ariz. — Arizona quarterback Jeff Blake faced the latest of his three former teams Sunday. Chris McAlister, Jamal Lewis and Ed Reed made it a rude reunion. McAlister intercepted Blake twice, returning the second one 83 yards for a touchdown to lead Baltimore (3-2). Arizona is 1-5.

Seahawks 20, 49ers 19

Seattle — Seattle is off to its best start in 17 years, thanks to a rookie kicker who ignored the pressure and an opportunistic defense that created some pressure of its own. Josh Brown kicked a 37-yard field goal with 3:03 to play, lifting the Seahawks over San Francisco. The 49ers were driving on the ensuing possession when Seattle’s opportunistic defense, held in check much of the night, finally struck. On the first play after the two-minute warning, San Francisco’s Garrison Hearst had the ball stripped out of his hands by linebacker Chad Brown on a one-yard run at midfield, and safety Ken Hamlin pounced on it.