Washington running back Clinton Portis (26) lifts his jersey to reveal a T-shirt honoring slain teammate Sean Taylor. The Bills defeated the Redskins on Sunday in Landover, Md., in their first game since Taylor's death. At left is Washington tackle Chris Samuels.

Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell (2) passes against Denver. Russell, the top pick in April's draft, saw his first game action in the Raiders' 34-20 victory Sunday in Oakland, Calif.

Landover, Md. ? Fred Smoot cried several times when he looked over to the safety position and Sean Taylor wasn’t there. Santana Moss held up his fingers to represent Taylor’s No. 21 after catching a pass. Clinton Portis revealed a T-shirt honoring Taylor after scoring the game’s only touchdown.

Drained before they ever took the field, the Washington Redskins somehow steeled their fragile emotions and played to honor their fallen teammate in front of 85,000 fans waving their No. 21 towels.

Their resolve was shattered, replaced by more tears and disbelief, when Rian Lindell kicked a 36-yard field goal with 4 seconds left to give the Buffalo Bills a 17-16 victory.

“It makes your heart drop all the way to your feet,” quarterback Jason Campbell said. “We wanted to come out here and win one for Sean.”

Five days after Taylor died from a gunshot wound in Florida, the Redskins defense did Taylor proud by not allowing a touchdown. Buffalo’s points came on five field goals and a safety.

But, on this of all days, a major gaffe by Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs played a key role in leaving Washington’s players disconsolate at the final whistle.

Lindell made a 51-yard attempt that didn’t count because Gibbs called timeout just as the ball was snapped. Gibbs then called another timeout as Lindell lined up a second time, but consecutive timeouts aren’t allowed in the NFL – and they result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when specifically called to freeze the kicker.

The penalty gave Lindell a much easier kick in the rain.

Jets 40, Dolphins 13

Miami – Rookie John Beck threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, and the Dolphins fell to 0-12. Beck’s turnovers led to a touchdown and three field goals. In three starts, he has yet to direct the offense to a touchdown.

Despite the Dolphins’ woeful record, they were favored by 11â2 points, and the game was touted as their best remaining chance to avoid the NFL’s first 0-16 season.

Giants 21, Bears 16

Chicago – Eli Manning led two late touchdown drives, and Reuben Droughns scored on a two-yard run with 1:33 remaining. Manning was awful for most of the game, but delivered in the latter stages after throwing four interceptions the previous week in a drubbing by Minnesota.

Cardinals 27, Browns 21

Glendale, Ariz. – Arizona turned three of Cleveland’s four turnovers into touchdowns, Edgerrin James topped 100 yards rushing for only the second time this season and the Cardinals held on to go 3-1 against the AFC North.

Kurt Warner threw two touchdown passes, and Neil Rackers kicked a pair of late field goals.

Raiders 34, Broncos 20

Oakland, Calif. – Josh McCown threw three touchdown passes for Oakland despite missing two series when top overall draft pick JaMarcus Russell played for the first time. Justin Fargas carried 33 times for 146 yards and a touchdown, and Oakland scored 24 points off four turnovers to snap a five-game losing streak to Denver.

Russell, the No. 1 overall draft pick out of LSU, made his long-awaited debut in the second quarter.

Buccaneers 27, Saints 23

New Orleans – A botched trick play may have cost the Saints their season.

Devery Henderson fumbled a late, awkward toss from Reggie Bush, then backup quarterback Luke McCown drove Tampa Bay for a touchdown with 17 seconds left. The winning score was a quick four-yard pass to Jerramy Stevens, who had to outleap Jason Craft to make the catch.

Colts 28, Jaguars 25

Indianapolis – The Colts are on the verge of their fifth straight AFC South title after Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes, two after the Colts won replay challenges.

It was the second victory by the Colts over the Jaguars this season, essentially giving them a three-game lead with four games left in a division they’ve controlled since Tennessee won it in the first year of its current configuration.

Seahawks 28, Eagles 24

Philadelphia – Lofa Tatupu set up Seattle’s first two touchdowns by intercepting A.J. Feeley twice in the first quarter, and he sealed victory with another pick at the Seahawks 4 in the final minute.

Vikings 42, Lions 10

Minneapolis – Adrian Peterson is back in a big way. The rookie rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns in his return from a knee injury, and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson continued his steady improvement against the free-falling Lions.

Titans 28, Texans 20

Nashville, Tenn. – Vince Young, who missed the previous matchup with his hometown team that Rob Bironas won with an NFL-record eight field goals, threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns in rallying the Titans, snapping a three-game skid.

The Titans had defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth back after an injured hamstring kept him out of the three defeats. His return helped revive a defense coming off its worst performance of the season in a 35-6 loss at Cincinnati last week.

Rams 28, Falcons 16

St. Louis – Gus Frerotte threw three touchdown passes in the first half, then sweated out two second-half interceptions that fueled an Atlanta comeback in the Rams’ first home victory this season.

Frerotte fumbled a routine snap on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the final minute of a five-point loss to the Seahawks last week at home. He needed a defensive stop after Chris Crocker’s interception and 16-yard return to the Rams 33 with 5:33 left gave the Falcons a shot at the lead.

Panthers 31, 49ers 14

Charlotte, N.C. – Vinny Testaverde threw two touchdown passes, and the Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak with their first home victory in more than a year.

Using razzle-dazzle rarely seen under conservative coach John Fox, the Panthers snapped a seven-game home losing streak dating to last season with Testaverde, who at 44 years, 19 days became the second-oldest starting QB in NFL history.

Testaverde also became the oldest starter to win, beating his own record set seven weeks ago in Arizona.

Steelers 24, Bengals 10

Pittsburgh – Hines Ward caught two touchdown passes from Ben Roethlisberger to break the Steelers’ record for career scoring catches, and Pittsburgh ended a seven-game winning streak by road teams in their AFC North rivalry with the Bengals.

Getting their offense back after being held to one touchdown in two games by the losing-record Jets and winless Dolphins, the Steelers shook off an early 7-0 deficit.