Foxboro, Mass ? Peyton Manning got help from an unlikely source – his defense – and the Colts remained the NFL’s only unbeaten team.

The Patriots also were victimized for the first time by Adam Vinatieri as Indianapolis won, 27-20, Sunday night. With his once-adoring fans booing, he kicked two field goals in his first game against New England since leaving as a free agent.

But he also missed twice in the second half.

A steady Manning kept the crowd quiet for most of the game and threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts, who began the game with five interceptions in seven games, intercepted Tom Brady four times and recovered one fumble.

They allowed no touchdown passes, only two scoring runs by Corey Dillon and two field goals by rookie Stephen Gostkowski. He replaced Vinatieri, the longtime Patriots kicker whose field goals in the final seconds won two Super Bowls.

The Patriots had one last chance after Vinatieri missed from 37 yards with 1:55 left. But on the Patriots’ second play, Brady was intercepted one last time by Cato June.

“That was a tough night all the way around,” Brady said. “The defense really kept us in there with as many turnovers as there were.”

The Patriots did run for 148 yards against the worst rushing defense in the NFL, but that did nothing more than keep them within striking distance.

They tied the game on Dillon’s one-yard run on the second play of the second quarter. Indianapolis countered with an 82-yard drive capped by Joseph Addai’s two-yard touchdown run, before New England tied it again on Dillon’s four-yard run.

Then Terrence Wilkins returned the kickoff 70 yards to the Patriots 29 and Vinatieri put the Colts ahead for good 17-14 with a 33-yard field goal with 1:46 left in the half. New England’s final possession before intermission ended on Bob Sanders’ interception at the Indianapolis three.

The Indianapolis defense celebrates after a third-quarter turnover. The Colts intercepted New England's Tom Brady four times in their 27-20 victory Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

“We’re not going to win many games that way, giving up big plays on special teams, defense,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.

Dolphins 31, Bears 13

Chicago – The Dolphins still look out for their own. Miami upset Chicago to spoil the Bears’ bid for an undefeated season.

Ronnie Brown rushed for a career-high 157 yards, and Jason Taylor forced a fumble and returned an interception 20 yards for a touchdown.

Brown carried 29 times and eclipsed his previous career high set last season against Carolina by 35 yards. The defense constantly applied pressure as the Dolphins snapped a four-game losing streak and handed Chicago its first loss of the season.

Ravens 26, Bengals 20

Baltimore – The Ravens scored two quick touchdowns off turnovers and never trailed, their second straight victory since coach Brian Billick took control of the offense.

After trailing 17-0, Cincinnati twice got within six points in the fourth quarter.

Steve McNair passed for 245 yards, Jamal Lewis scored a touchdown, and Matt Stover kicked four field goals for the Ravens, who took a two-game lead over Cincinnati in the AFC North.

Jaguars 37, Texans 7

Jacksonville, Fla. – David Garrard, making his second straight start in place of Byron Leftwich, threw three touchdown passes in the rain.

Vince Young, meanwhile, had his worst day as a pro. He was intercepted three times, sacked once and basically roughed up the entire game as the Jaguars improved to 4-0 at home.

Washington's Sean Taylor chases down a blocked field goal. Taylor drew a facemask penalty on the return, resulting in an untimed down and allowing the Redskins to kick the game-winning field goal and snare a 22-19 victory.

Redskins 22, Cowboys 19

Landover, Md. – In a finish as crazy as any in the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry, Washington’s Nick Novak got two chances for a game-winning field goal. He missed the first and barely made the second – with no time left on the clock.

Novak’s 47-yard kick snapped the Redskins’ three-game losing streak.

Novak was wide-right on a 49-yard field-goal try with 31 seconds left, then Cowboys kicker Mike Vanderjagt’s chip shot with six seconds to go was blocked by Troy Vincent.

Washington’s Sean Taylor picked up the bouncing ball and made a weaving, tackle-busting return into Dallas territory as time expired. Dallas’ Kyle Kosier was flagged for a facemask penalty on the return, tacking on another 15 yards – and meaning the game would continue for one more play.

That wound up being Novak’s field goal, when the ball barely sneaked inside the right upright.

Giants 14, Texans 10

East Rutherford, N.J. – Tiki Barber scored a touchdown and accounted for nearly half the yards in a go-ahead 67-yard fourth-quarter drive that Jeremy Shockey capped with a short touchdown catch as New York won its fifth straight.

The defense, which was playing without three starters and then lost Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan in the second quarter because of a foot injury, sealed the win when rookie linebacker Gerris Wilkinson forced fullback Jameel Cook to fumble at the Giants 35 after a short catch.

Saints 31, Buccaneers 14

Tampa, Fla. – Marques Colston caught 11 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown, and Drew Brees threw for 314 yards and three TDs. The Saints reached the midpoint of the season with twice as many wins as they had all last year.

Colston, a seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra, had a leaping 15-yard TD grab that gave the Saints an early lead against the notoriously slow-starting Bucs. Tampa Bay, which has only scored seven points in the first quarter, rallied from a 17-0 deficit, with Gradkowski throwing two touchdown passes of 44 and 17 yards to Joey Galloway in the second quarter.

Bills 24, Packers 14

Orchard Park, N.Y. – Linebacker London Fletcher and Buffalo’s turnover-happy defense made up for a sputtering offense hampered by Willis McGahee’s rib injury. Fletcher scored on a 17-yard interception return of Brett Favre’s pass, keying a four-takeaway performance.

Rookie safety Ko Simpson sealed the win when he intercepted a Favre pass on first down from the one with the Packers down 17-10. Simpson returned it 76 yards to set up Anthony Thomas’ 14-yard touchdown run.

Lions 30, Falcons 14

Detroit – Detroit turned Michael Vick’s two first-half turnovers into touchdowns, and Roy Williams had a 60-yard TD early in the fourth quarter.

Atlanta’s electric quarterback threw for seven TDs and averaged 262 yards passing in the previous two games, both victories, but was quickly brought back down to earth. He

fumbled on the Falcons’ first drive, an unforced error as he held the ball like a loaf of bread, and threw an interception from deep in his end in the second quarter. Both led to Kevin Jones’ TD runs.

Broncos 31, Steelers 20

Pittsburgh – The Steelers ended the Broncos’ season by winning in Denver last January. Nearly 10 months later, the Broncos may have done likewise in Pittsburgh to the Steelers’ going-nowhere season.

Javon Walker scored three touchdowns on two receptions and a 72-yard run on a wide receiver reverse, and the Broncos took advantage of repeated Pittsburgh mistakes, likely ending any realistic chance the Steelers can repeat their Super Bowl title. The Steelers’ sixth loss in seven games left them with a 2-6 record, matching their worst in coach Bill Cowher’s 15 seasons and by any returning NFL champion in the last 20 seasons. No team has bounced back from a 2-6 record and a loss in its eighth game to make the playoffs, and only the Arizona Cardinals currently have a worse record in the NFL.

Chargers 32, Browns 25

San Diego – LaDainian Tomlinson scored three touchdowns late in the second half and finished with 172 yards on 18 carries. Tomlinson had consecutive 100-yard rushing games for the first time this season. Last week he ran for 183 yards, had 57 yards receiving and scored three times to vault into second place in the NFL in both yards rushing and yards from scrimmage.

He has three 100-yard rushing games this season, plus 14 touchdowns for San Diego (6-2).

With Cleveland’s offense sputtering, Phil Dawson kicked a club-record six field goals – from 37, 20, 42, 30, 36 and 35 yards.

The Browns (2-6) finally scored a TD with 1:11 left when Braylon Edwards caught a four-yard pass from Frye.

49ers 9, Vikings 3

San Francisco – Joe Nedney kicked his third field goal with 7:15 to play after convincing the officials to give him another chance, and San Francisco’s maligned defense improbably shut out the Vikings in the final three quarters.

Nedney hit field goals from 25 and 30 yards before nailing a 51-yarder – but only after he wheedled another try. Flags flew as he missed his first attempt, and referee Ed Hochuli initially called a delay-of-game penalty that would have taken San Francisco out of field-goal range. But Hochuli picked up his flag after Nedney vocally explained that the play clock had been reset erroneously, arguing loudly enough to be picked up on Hochuli’s microphone.