Tampa, Fla. ? There was no doubt in Michael Clayton’s mind. When he lunged for the end zone, he had the football – and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first victory – firmly in his grasp.

“I knew I scored,” said Clayton, whose eight-yard touchdown reception with 35 seconds remaining gave the previously winless Bucs a 14-13 victory over the fuming Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

“It was our time,” he added. “This team has been through so much.”

Clayton’s TD – his first in 19 games – was ruled an incomplete pass before the call was overturned by replay, which showed the receiver had control of the ball when he extended his arms.

The Bengals (3-2) thought they had won when Clayton put the nose of the ball over the goal line on the fourth-down play only to have it knocked loose when he landed on the ground. Referee Mike Carey reversed the call, setting off a wild celebration on the home sideline.

“We know it’s only one win, and this is not the NFC championship,” Bucs defensive tackle Anthony McFarland said. “But we’ve got to start somewhere, and we start with this.”

The winning TD capped a roller coaster performance for rookie quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, making his second start for Tampa Bay in place of the injured Chris Simms. The sixth-round draft pick also threw a two-yard TD pass to Alex Smith, but spent much of the day looking like the inexperienced player he is.

Carson Palmer threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Shayne Graham kicked two field goals for Cincinnati. The Bengals marched into Bucs territory in the closing seconds, but Graham’s 62-yard field goal attempt as time expired was short and off the mark.

An official is knocked down as Cincinnati defenders tackle Tampa Bay running back Carnell Williams, left, during the Buccaneers' 14-13 victory. The Bucs claimed their first victory of the season on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

The Bucs (1-4) avoided their first 0-5 start since 1996 and snapped Cincinnati’s eight-game winning streak against NFC opponents.

Gradkowski completed 25 of 44 passes for 184 yards and one interception. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams rushed for 94 yards on 19 carries, including a 38-yard burst that set up Tampa Bay’s first touchdown in the third quarter.

Cowboys 34, Texans 6

Irving, Texas – Enough with all the headaches T.O. causes. Now the Dallas Cowboys know how much fun it can be to have Terrell Owens around.

Owens caught two third-quarter touchdown passes and another in the fourth, turning a tight game against the Houston Texans into an easy victory – helping the Cowboys (3-2) avenge an embarrassing loss to their in-state rivals four years ago and reminding everyone why owner Jerry Jones signed the volatile receiver.

Owens’ touchdowns covered three, 21 and two yards.

Saints 27, Eagles 24

New Orleans – Upon arriving in the end zone for the first time all season, Joe Horn was in the mood to celebrate. After a legitimizing victory over Philadelphia, so are the surprising Saints.

Shut out of the end zone through the first five games of the season, Horn did two shoulder-shaking end-zone dances after catches of 14 and 48 yards, then John Carney hit a 31-yard field goal as time expired for the Saints.

New Orleans (5-1) now enters its bye week in first place in the NFC South. Horn finished with 110 yards on six catches, including a key 20-yard gain on the winning drive.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 27 of 37 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns and did not take a sack against a defense that has 23 already this season.

Dallas receiver Terrell Owens celebrates after scoring his third touchdown against the Texans. The Cowboys won, 34-6, Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas.

Panthers 23, Ravens 21

Baltimore – It would have been a wonderful story of redemption: Kyle Boller taking over for an injured Steve McNair and leading the Baltimore Ravens to victory.

Jake Delhomme would have none of it.

Delhomme threw for a career-high 365 yards and two touchdowns, and Carolina slipped past the Ravens for its fourth straight victory.

Steve Smith had eight catches for 189 yards and a touchdown, and John Kasay kicked three field goals for Carolina (4-2). The Panthers limited Baltimore (4-2) to 80 yards rushing – the fourth straight game they held the opposition under 100 yards on the ground.

Boller entered in the first quarter after McNair sustained a concussion and sprained neck while being sacked by Michael Rucker and Chris Draft.

Lions 20, Bills 17

Detroit – Roy Williams had 10 receptions for 161 yards – both career highs – and scored a touchdown, while Kevin Jones ran for a season-high 127 yards and a score to lead the Lions. Instead of the usual late mistakes that have cost the Lions in four of five opening losses, Detroit made the clutch plays it needed on both sides of the ball, ending Rod Marinelli’s long wait for his first victory as a head coach. The Lions (1-5) outscored the Bills (2-4) by four points in the fourth – just enough to win – after being outscored 47-14 in the final quarter in their previous five games, four of which they had plenty of chances to win.

Giants 27, Falcons 14

Atlanta – Tiki Barber outplayed the NFL’s best ground team by running for 185 yards, Jeremy Shockey caught a couple of touchdown passes, and the Giants rallied past the Falcons in the second half. The Giants (3-2) fell behind 14-3 when Warrick Dunn broke off a 90-yard touchdown on Atlanta’s first offensive play of the second half – the longest run in team history. But New York dominated the Falcons (3-2) the rest of the way, going ahead with touchdown drives of 84 and 91 yards.

Seahawks 30, Rams 28

St. Louis – Josh Brown’s 54-yard field goal as time expired helped Seattle regain first place from its NFC West rival. The winning kick came after a five-yard penalty that briefly had the Rams (4-2) thinking they’d pulled off another improbable win. What happened was a simple illegal-formation penalty against the Seahawks (4-1) as they spiked the ball to give Brown a chance for the long field goal. The Rams began to celebrate, believing a 10-second clock runoff would give them the victory. But officials ruled that because the ball had been spotted and snapped properly, there was no runoff.

Titans 25, Redskins 22

Landover, Md. – Vince Young has his first NFL victory, with big assists from a Titans running back, a kicker and a tight end who blocked a punt. Young rallied the Titans from an 11-point first-half deficit, leading his previously winless team to an upset of the Redskins (2-4). Rob Bironas kicked three field goals, including a 30-yarder with 5:11 to play that decided the game. Travis Henry ran for a career-high 178 yards on 32 carries with one touchdown, his second consecutive 100-yard game. Casey Cramer blocked a punt in the second half to give his team a safety, providing a vital extra two points of cushion in a tight game. But it was the cool of Young, the No. 3 overall draft pick from Texas making his third start, who engineered an attack that generated 344 yards.

Chargers 48, 49ers 19

San Francisco – The Chargers’ vaunted defense finally got a challenge. Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson couldn’t say the same. Tomlinson set a franchise scoring record with a career-best four touchdowns rushing, and Rivers passed for a career-high 334 yards and two more scores in the Chargers’ victory over San Francisco. Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson caught scoring passes from Rivers, who was practically perfect as the Chargers rolled to their first 4-1 start since 2002. Rivers went 29-of-39 with a poise beyond his five career starts, easily picking apart an injury-riddled secondary on a defense that already has allowed 194 points this season.

Tomlinson rushed for just 71 yards, but surpassed Lance Alworth’s Chargers record with his 84th career touchdown in the first quarter. He added three more on similarly short runs, each punctuated with a ball flip and a wave.

Jets 20, Dolphins 17

East Rutherford, N.J. – The Jets turned on the offense and woke up the crowd with a second-half scoring burst. Then they did all they could to let Miami back in it. Laveranues Coles caught two touchdown passes, and Mike Nugent kicked a pair of 33-yard field goals, and the Jets barely held on. Miami had a chance to tie, but Olindo Mare came up short on a 51-yarder. In a game that could be added to the lengthy list of classic meetings between the AFC East rivals, the Jets (3-3) did just enough after halftime to earn an important division win.

Broncos 13, Raiders 3

Denver – Jason Elam kicked two field goals, Tatum Bell ran for a short touchdown, and Champ Bailey picked off another key pass. The offense-challenged Broncos (4-1) haven’t allowed a touchdown in three home games, and they’re the only team NFL team since 1940 to start off a season by yielding just one TD through five games. With Detroit, Tampa Bay and Tennessee all winning Sunday, the Raiders are the only winless team in the NFL.