NFL Roundup: Gamble pays for Broncos

Shanahan goes for two to upend San Diego

Denver wide receiver Eddie Royal (19) is mobbed by teammates after Royal pulled in the game-winning two-point conversion pass against the Chargers. The Broncos won, 39-38, Sunday in Denver.

Broncos 39, Chargers 38

Denver – Showing the ultimate confidence in his offense, Denver coach Mike Shanahan went for a two-point conversion with 29 seconds left. Jay Cutler hit rookie Eddie Royal over the middle to give Denver a victory over stunned San Diego.

The Chargers (0-2) couldn’t believe they lost in the final seconds for the second straight week, with a controversial officiating call helping decide the outcome.

Trailing 38-31, the Broncos (2-0) reached the one, but on third-and-goal, Cutler reared back to throw. The ball slipped out of his hands, bounced off the grass and into linebacker Tim Dobbins’ hands.

But referee Ed Hochuli blew his whistle, apparently ruling it an incomplete pass. After a review, Hochuli said the Broncos would keep the ball because his whistle had blown the play dead. The Broncos got the ball at the 10, where it hit the grass.

Two plays later, Cutler hit Royal for the TD to make it 38-37.

Instead of going for the tie, Shanahan kept his offense on the field and, with 75,000-plus fans at Invesco Field holding their breath, Cutler again found Royal in the end zone for the winning points.

49ers 33, Seahawks 30, OT

Seattle – Joe Nedney shook off a missed field goal as time expired in regulation and kicked a 40-yarder 4:40 into overtime. The loss left the four-time defending division champions 0-2 for the first time since 2002.

Patriots 19, Jets 10

East Rutherford, N.J. – Matt Cassel was efficient running the offense in his first NFL start, taking over for the injured Tom Brady. Cassel, who hadn’t started at any level since his senior year of high school, was 16-of-23 for 165 yards, Sammy Morris ran for a TD, and Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals.

Giants 41, Rams 13

St. Louis – A 97-yard drive put the New York offense in gear. Another stifling effort from a big-play defense led by Justin Tuck made much of the scoring window dressing in the Giants’ 12th straight away victory, including their Super Bowl victory last February.

Colts 18, Vikings 15

Minneapolis – Taking a beating all afternoon, Peyton Manning peeled himself off the Metrodome turf and gave it right back to the Minnesota defense.

Manning rallied Indianapolis from a 15-0 hole late in the third quarter, moving Adam Vinatieri into position for the winning field goal with three seconds left.

Packers 48, Lions 25

Detroit – Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes in the first four drives of his second start, helping Green Bay build a big lead it needed.

Green Bay led, 21-0, midway through the second quarter, but fell behind by a point with 7:41 left after Calvin Johnson caught his second TD in the fourth quarter.

Steelers 10, Browns 6

Cleveland – Ignoring his sore right shoulder and wind gusts of 60 mph, Ben Roethlisberger threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward as the Steelers made it 10 straight victories over their closest rival, beating the Browns to extend the NFL’s longest current winning streak between two teams.

Titans 24, Bengals 7

Cincinnati – With Vince Young not even with the team, the Titans ended a troubling and confusing week by winning in a breeze.

Backup quarterback Kerry Collins threw low, tight passes that stayed on track in Cincinnati’s wind-tunnel of a stadium. Collins threw his first touchdown pass in two years, rookie Chris Johnson ran for 109 yards, and Rob Bironas guided a low, curving kick between gyrating uprights for a 34-yard field goal.

Bills 20, Jaguars 16

Jacksonville, Fla. – Trent Edwards was good early and even better late, doing just enough to lead the Bills (2-0) to their best start in five years.

Edwards completed his first 10 attempts and threw a perfect touchdown pass to James Hardy late in the fourth quarter. Edwards finished 20-of-25 for 239 yards, Marshawn Lynch ran for 59 yards and a score, and Buffalo’s defense held Jacksonville in check most of the day. The Jaguars (0-2) are off to their worst start since 2003. They finished 5-11 that season.

Panthers 20, Bears 17

Charlotte, N.C. – After watching the Bears build a big lead behind a stout defense and a rookie running back, the Panthers used the same combination to stage a late comeback for an unlikely 2-0 start.

Jonathan Stewart rushed for all but one of his 77 yards in the second half and scored two touchdowns, including the go-ahead TD late in the fourth quarter.

Redskins 29, Saints 24

Landover, Md. – Jason Campbell hit Santana Moss for a 67-yard touchdown pass that won the game. Campbell and new Redskins coach Jim Zorn’s West Coast offense succeeded in Week Two as spectacularly as it failed in Week One. Campbell went from uncomfortable to prolific, completing 24 of 36 passes for 321 yards.

Cardinals 31, Dolphins 10

Glendale, Ariz. – Kurt Warner looked like he did in his MVP days, Anquan Boldin certainly wasn’t sulking over contract woes, and Larry Fitzgerald caught almost everything thrown his way.

The result was a rout that has the Cardinals 2-0 for the first time in 17 years.

Warner completed 19 of 24 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Boldin caught all three scores, a career high.

Buccaneers 24, Falcons 9

Tampa, Fla. – Rookie Matt Ryan was intercepted twice in the first half, and Tampa Bay’s Brian Griese turned the miscues into a touchdown and field goal.

A week after beating Detroit in his pro debut, Ryan threw incompletions on his first nine passes before settling down to keep Atlanta (1-1) in the game with three field goal drives that trimmed a 17-point deficit to eight with five minutes to go.