Pittsburgh — The New England Patriots no longer are perfect, all because of a rookie quarterback who still is.
Ben Roethlisberger, who doesn't know what it's like to lose an NFL game, drove the Steelers to four scores following uncharacteristic New England turnovers, and Pittsburgh ended the Patriots' two long winning streaks with a remarkably easy 34-20 victory Sunday.
The Patriots (6-1) had won 21 straight counting the playoffs and a league-record 18 in a row in the regular season, but were all but out of this one after Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes to Plaxico Burress during a 21-point Steelers first quarter.
Maybe all this winning was too much to ask of Boston-area teams. With running back Corey Dillon (thigh) sitting out and Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law (foot) sidelined for all but a few plays, the Patriots' record run ended only four days after the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years.
"It was never about the streak, that was never part of our preparation," linebacker Mike Vrabel said. "It wasn't this week against the Steelers, either -- we just didn't play well enough to win, that's it."
This was supposed to be the game that exposed Roethlisberger as a rookie -- taking on New England's defensive mastermind, coach Bill Belichick, and the Patriots' unpredictable defenses. Instead, Roethlisberger ran his own winning streak to 18 -- his last 13 games at Miami of Ohio and his first five in the NFL.
Only former Steelers quarterback Mike Kruczek's 6-0 start while subbing for the injured Terry Bradshaw in 1976 is longer than Roethlisberger's since the 1970 NFL merger. But Kruczek never threw a TD pass in 10 games.
Roethlisberger already has nine scoring passes in what fast is becoming the best season by an NFL rookie QB since Dan Marino threw 20 touchdown passes and only six interceptions in 11 games for the 1983 Dolphins.
"It's only been five games," Roethlisberger said. "We keep saying it over and over again, let's not get too excited."
New England coach Bill Belichick suffers during the final seconds of the Patriots' 34-20 loss to Pittsburgh. The loss Sunday in Pittsburgh was the Patriots' first in 22 games.
His teammates certainly are excited, with the Steelers (6-1) off to their best start since their 1978 team was 7-0. Roethlisberger was 18-of-24 for 196 yards and no interceptions Sunday and is 39-of-49 in his last two games.
"You can't describe his effort," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "He's 5-0, and he's earning a lot of respect on this team. The guys on this team are fighting hard for him."
Rather than Roethlisberger, it was the Patriots' Tom Brady who looked like the rookie, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in New England's first loss since a 20-17 defeat to Washington on Sept. 28, 2003.
"It's not weird at all (to lose). We knew it was a possibility every week," linebacker Tedy Bruschi said. "That's why we played so hard and prepared so hard every week. But a couple of things happened, a couple of mistakes ... and they were rolling."
Everything looked status quo early for the Patriots, who overcame Dillon's absence following two consecutive 100-yard games to drive for Adam Vinatieri's 43-yard field goal, the 15th straight game they've scored first.
After that, it fell apart.
Roethlisberger hit Ward for 21 yards ahead of a perfectly thrown 47-yard scoring pass to a stretched-out Burress, who quickly shed backup Randall Gay two plays after he came in for the injured Law.
Buffalo's Willis McGahee (21) celebrates a run to the one-yard line with teammates Ryan Neufeld (88) and Lawrence Smith in the second half. The Bills defeated Arizona, 38-14, Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y.
It never became any better for the Patriots, playing here for the first time since beating Pittsburgh, 24-17, in the AFC championship game in January of 2002.
Eagles 15, Ravens 10
Philadelphia -- Terrell Owens had an 11-yard TD catch, and David Akers kicked three field goals, helping Philadelphia reach 7-0 for the first time in franchise history.
Owens had eight catches for 101 yards.
Baltimore (4-3) drove to Philadelphia's 48 in the final two minutes, but Boller's fourth-down pass was incomplete. Donovan McNabb completed 18 of 33 passes for 219 yards and a TD.
Falcons 41, Broncos 28
Denver -- Michael Vick threw two touchdown passes to Peerless Price and accounted for 367 yards of offense to help the Falcons set aside their 56-10 embarrassment last week at Kansas City.
Jake Plummer threw for a Denver-record 499 yards -- a career high and the best mark in the league this year -- but also had three interceptions as the Broncos (5-3) added this stunner to last week's 23-10 loss to Cincinnati. Vick finished with season highs of 115 yards rushing and 252 passing.
Chargers 42, Raiders 14
San Diego -- Drew Brees threw a career-high five touchdown passes and set the team single-game record for pass efficiency in leading the surprising Chargers (5-3). Brees completed his first eight passes and was 22-of-25 overall -- 88 percent -- for 281 yards. He had no interceptions for the fifth time in six games.
The previous team record was 81.8 percent by Rick Neuheisel, the replacement quarterback during the 1987 strike. The Raiders (2-6) lost their fifth straight. Kerry Collins was intercepted twice and went 24-of-39 for 263 yards.
Seahawks 23, Panthers 17
Seattle -- Shaun Alexander gained 195 yards on 32 carries, and Matt Hasselbeck recovered from a dismal performance last weekend, throwing for 201 yards.
The Panthers (1-6) lost their fifth straight.
Josh Brown kicked three field goals in the second half, connecting from 27, 45 and 22 yards to give the Seahawks a comfortable cushion.
Giants 34, Vikings 13
Minneapolis -- Tiki Barber ran 24 times for 101 yards and two short touchdowns to give the Giants their third straight victory over the Vikings.
New York (5-2) finally solved its red-zone struggles by scoring all five times it reached the Minnesota 20, including four TDs.
Daunte Culpepper finished 24-for-42 for 231 yards, one late touchdown and two interceptions.
Packers 28, Redskins 14
Landover, Md. -- Brett Favre and the Packers won their third straight game to pull back to .500 after a 1-4 start.
The Redskins (2-5), trailing 20-14, thought they scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 43-yard reception by Clinton Portis with 2:35 to play. But the celebrations died quickly when the play was called back for an illegal-motion penalty on receiver James Thrash.
On the next play, Al Harris intercepted Mark Brunell's pass, and Ahman Green scored on an 11-yard run four plays later to seal the victory.
Texans 20, Jaguars 6
Houston-- Demarcus Faggins returned Byron Leftwich's errant pass 43 yards for a score with 42 seconds left.
David Carr went 26-of-34 for 276 yards and a touchdown, the Texans held Jacksonville (5-3) to 39 yards rushing.
Leftwich finished 25-of-40 for 227 yards with two interceptions.
Cowboys 31, Lions 21
Irving, Texas -- Vinny Testaverde stunned everyone with a seven-yard run on fourth-and-three to set up a tying touchdown, then scrambled three yards for the go-ahead score to help the Cowboys (3-4) end a three-game losing streak.
With Keyshawn Johnson the only receiver in the lineup who ever had caught a pass, the Cowboys ran 41 times -- 11 more than in any game this season -- for 127 yards. Eddie George had season-bests of 31 carries and 99 yards.
Titans 27, Bengals 20
Nashville, Tenn. -- The Titans rested Steve McNair and his aching chest, and backup Billy Volek responded by throwing for two touchdowns and 210 yards for their first victory at home this season.
Gary Anderson kicked two field goals, and Chris Brown also ran for a touchdown and for 147 yards, his fifth 100-yard performance this season.
Bills 38, Cardinals 14
Orchard Park, N.Y.-- Willis McGahee provided the spark the Bills needed offensively, running for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
In two starts this season, McGahee has two 100-yard games and has led the Bills (2-5) to both of their victories.
The Cardinals (2-5) continued to struggle away from home after a big 25-17 win over Seattle in Arizona last week. The loss was Arizona's 17th straight on the road, the worst current streak in the NFL, dating back to a win at Carolina on Oct. 6, 2002.
Bears 23, 49ers 13
Chicago -- Nathan Vasher's stumbling interception and 71-yard return iced a wobbly victory for the Bears.
When officials ruled after replay that Vasher was not touched down by contact -- his knee hit the ground -- because he was bobbling the ball, the rookie's TD return with 3:52 left stood, and the Bears had ended a four-game losing streak. The Bears (2-5) prevailed behind Vasher's interception of Ken Dorsey's throw and three field goals by Paul Edinger.
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