Foxborough, Mass. ? Injuries finally caught up with the New England Patriots. San Diego’s explosive offense added to the misery.

Even Marty Schottenheimer knew something wasn’t right with the defending Super Bowl champions.

After his Chargers beat New England, 41-17, Sunday, the San Diego coach suggested the victory may have had as much to do with who wasn’t playing for New England as the superior performances of Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates.

“What they’ve done is remarkable,” he said of the Patriots, who had their 21-game home winning streak ended. “But at what point in time do you keep responding when you have to keep putting in new players? They’ve done it wonderfully over the last four years, but there comes a time where it has to catch up with you, even with a team as great as this one.”

This was New England’s first loss in Foxborough since Dec. 22, 2002, when they were beaten by the New York Jets. That was the only season in the last four that the Pats failed to win the Super Bowl.

The last time the Patriots started a season 2-2 was 2003, though they went on to win the title that year anyway. The last time they lost at home to San Diego was in 1970, winning seven straight before Sunday.

San Diego cornerback Drayton Florence (29) congratulates safety Clinton Hart after he intercepted a pass from New England backup quarterback Matt Cassel and returned it for a touchdown. The Chargers beat the Patriots, 41-17, Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

San Diego, which has scored 86 points in two victories after starting with two losses, nearly was unstoppable against a defense with a lot of holes. Brees threw for two touchdowns, Tomlinson ran for two more, and Gates had six catches for 108 yards.

Though the game was tied 17-all at the half, Brees took advantage of a secondary that already was without two of its top three cornerbacks and now is missing safety Rodney Harrison, lost for the year because of a knee injury.

Tomlinson extended his NFL record to 16 consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, and San Diego rushed for 183 yards against a defense that also is without last year’s starting inside linebackers, Tedy Bruschi and Ted Johnson.

Coach Bill Belichick lauded the Chargers’ performance.

“San Diego is the better team,” he said. They did a good job in every area, better than we did, and I think the score reflected that.”

Saints 19, Bills 7

San Antonio – The Alamodome certainly felt like home for the New Orleans Saints.

Aaron Brooks ran for a touchdown, John Carney kicked four field goals, and the defense kept Buffalo’s floundering offense bottled up after the first quarter. New Orleans snapped a two-game losing streak in its temporary home after Hurricane Katrina forced the Saints from the Superdome.

Houston fullback Moran Norris, right, a Kansas University product, scores a touchdown past Cincinnati defender Odell Thurman. The Texans lost, 16-10, Sunday in Cincinnati.

Donte’ Stallworth grabbed eight receptions for 129 yards, and Deuce McAllister rushed for 130 yards for the Saints (2-2). J.P. Losman continued to struggle for Buffalo (1-3), going 7-of-15 for 75 yards with an interception and three sacks before he was replaced by Kelly Holcomb at the start of the fourth quarter.

Bengals 16, Texans 10

Cincinnati – The Bengals are 4-0 for the first time since 1988 – the last time they went to the Super Bowl – as T.J. Houshmandzadeh paced a bogged-down offense with 105 yards on eight catches. Shayne Graham’s 27-yard field goal with 5:04 left broke a 10-all tie, and David Carr’s fumble with 3:14 sent the Texans to their first 0-3 start in four seasons as an expansion team. Graham made another field goal from 46 yards with 1:10 left, and Carr was sacked on what was supposed to be a desperation throw from midfield as time ran out. Carr was 17-of-26 for 174 yards with seven sacks.

Colts 31, Titans 10

Nashville, Tenn. – Peyton Manning threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Marvin Harrison that tied the NFL record for most TDs between a quarterback and receiver. Harrison caught nine passes for 109 yards, and Edgerrin James also ran for 90 yards in helping the Colts improve to 4-0 with their highest point total this season. Steve McNair was 28-of-37 for 220 yards for the Titans (1-3).

Redskins 20, Seahawks 17, OT

Landover, Md. – Rookie Nick Novak kicked a 39-yard field goal 5:31 into overtime to give the Redskins their first 3-0 start since 1991, the season they won their last Super Bowl. The Seahawks (2-2) tied the game on Darrell Jackson’s six-yard catch with 1:23 remaining. They got the ball back on Kelly Herndon’s interception on a pass deflected off the outstretched fingertips of Clinton Portis, the only turnover of the game. Three plays later, Josh Brown hit the upright from 47 yards.

Broncos 20, Jaguars 7

Jacksonville, Fla. – Jake Plummer threw two touchdown passes to backup offensive lineman Dwayne Carswell, while Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell combined for 175 yards rushing. Denver played well without star cornerback Champ Bailey, whose streak of 99 consecutive starts ended when he was inactive because of a hamstring injury. Fred Taylor carried eight times for 14 yards, and the Jaguars (2-2) finished with a franchise-low 12 yards rushing.

Buccaneers 17, Lions 13

Tampa, Fla. – Joey Galloway scored on an 80-yard reception, and Brian Griese threw for 302 yards as Tampa Bay got off to its first 4-0 start since 1997. Rookie Carnell “Cadillac” Williams was slowed by a sore hamstring and held to 13 yards on 11 carries. He left the game late in the third quarter and did not return. He also has been slowed by a sprained foot. Detroit (1-2) thought it would escape with a victory when Joey Harrington found Marcus Pollard in the right corner of the end zone, but the tight end’s sliding catch was reversed by instant replay.

Giants 44, Rams 24

East Rutherford, N.J. – Eli Manning threw for 296 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He was 19-for-35 and threw for two TDs to Plaxico Burress – who had a career-high 10 catches – and one each to Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey. Jay Feely added three field goals for New York (3-1), which entered the game having scored the most points in the NFL this season. The Rams’ (2-2) Marc Bulger finished 40-of-62 for 442 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted twice and was hampered by his team’s inability to establish a running game. St. Louis finished with 42 yards on 15 carries.

Raiders 19, Cowboys 13

Oakland, Calif. – LaMont Jordan ran for 126 yards and a score, Sebastian Janikowski kicked four field goals, and Oakland’s defense put together a late goal-line stand to lead the Raiders (1-3). Randy Moss, who had 10 touchdown receptions in five victories in his career against Dallas, had a long catch on Oakland’s first drive but was more of a decoy.

Falcons 30, Vikings 10

Atlanta – Michael Vick went down midway through the second quarter because of a sprained right knee, watching the rest of the game from the sideline as backup Matt Schaub and the defense finished off the Falcons’ rout. Warrick Dunn rushed for 126 yards, including his 50th career touchdown on a 37-yard run, to lead a 274-yard performance on the ground.

Ravens 13, Jets 3

Baltimore – Jamal Lewis scored on a one-yard run, Matt Stover kicked two field goals, and the Ravens won their first game of the year. The Ravens (1-2) held Curtis Martin to 30 yards on 13 carries, sacked third-string quarterback Brooks Bollinger five times and limited the Jets (1-3) to eight first downs and 152 yards.

Cardinals 31, 49ers 14

Mexico City – The NFL threw a fiesta at Azteca Stadium, and the biggest regular-season crowd in league history turned out. Mexico’s 103,467 fans created a thrilling atmosphere at the league’s first regular-season game outside the United States. Josh McCown passed for a career-high 385 yards and two touchdowns against the Niners’ pathetic pass defense, and Neil Rackers kicked a career-best six field goals through the 7,700-foot air.