Vikings deny Beckham, mystify Manning in 24-10 win vs. NYG

Minnesota's defense denied Odell Beckham Jr. all night and forced two turnovers that led to 10 points, and the Vikings mystified Eli Manning yet again during a 24-10 victory Monday over the New York Giants.

Sam Bradford threw a touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph for the third straight game and kept his turnover-free streak since joining Minnesota intact, helping the Vikings (4-0) lead from start to finish after falling behind in each of their first three wins and record their first 4-0 start since 2009. The Vikings, Eagles and Broncos are the only remaining unbeatens.

"I think they like to compete. I think they like to go out there and prove to everybody that they can be talked about with other good teams in this league," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.

Beckham, who has yet to score this season, was smothered by cornerback Xavier Rhodes and had a career-low 23 yards on three catches.

"It's not a one-on-one game. It's 11-on-11, and we got beat 11-on-11 today," Beckham said.

Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard were quiet, too, and Manning was erratic as ever while finishing 25 for 45 for just 261 yards. Rhodes picked him off in the third quarter , the 15th interception for Manning in eight career starts against the Vikings. He's 2-6 with only five touchdown passes.

Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon each ran for a touchdown as the Vikings rushed for a season-high 104 yards to strike their best balance of the season as they continue to craft a post-Adrian Peterson strategy without their injured veteran running back. Bradford went 26 for 36 for 262 yards, thriving with quick-release throws behind an offensive line that protected better than it had in any of the previous three games.

"I didn't get hit, hardly at all," Bradford said. "The game ball should go to those guys."

The Vikings, who have allowed only 50 points in four games and rank second in the league in that category, have an NFL-best turnover margin of plus-10. The Giants (2-2) dropped to minus-8 for the season, including a muffed punt in the first quarter by Dwayne Harris that was forced by Vikings wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson in his new role on the coverage team.

"A good team on the road, especially this team, you can't give them two possessions," Giants coach Ben McAdoo said. "The message is getting through. I just think we need to take care of the ball."

RUDOLPH

Rudolph's wife, Jordan, was scheduled to give birth to twins by induction on Tuesday morning. He joked he wanted a second touchdown catch, one for each of his soon-arriving children. Bradford might as well be their godfather with the way he's connected with his sure-handed tight end.

"We kind of had a bond early," Bradford said, adding: "He's just such a big target."

MONDAYS WITH MOSS

Former Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss, at the game as an analyst for ESPN, blew the ceremonial Gjallarhorn prior to kickoff to get the crowd going early. Fifteen years ago, Moss caught three touchdown passes on a Monday night game as the Vikings beat the Giants 28-16.

"This is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful place," Beckham said. "The atmosphere they created, I love it. You live for it, you thrive in it, and tonight we didn't have that opportunity."

STRUGGLING SECONDARY

The Giants defensive backs are so depleted by injuries that wide receivers were playing safety in practice this week. Andrew Adams, promoted from the practice squad last week, started at safety for Nat Berhe. Trevin Wade had trouble all game, starting at cornerback for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Wade was beaten byCharles Johnson for receptions of 30 and 40 yards, had a pass interference penalty on Rudolph and got away with one on an early incompletion to Adam Thielen.

WALSH, WIDE LEFT

Blair Walsh's 46-yard field goal attempt failed early in the third quarter, already his fifth miss (three field goals, two extra points) of the season. The interception by Rhodes gave him the chance to make a 44-yarder less than 3 1/2 minutes later.

INJURY UPDATE

Giants TE Larry Donnell (concussion) was blown off his feet in the second quarter by blitzing Vikings LBAnthony Barr and quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. Donnell was obviously woozy as he walked slowly to the sideline.

Vikings RT Andre Smith (right elbow) was hurt in the first quarter and was replaced by Jeremiah Sirles.

UP NEXT

The Giants play at Green Bay (2-1) on Sunday night.

The Vikings host Houston (3-1) on Sunday afternoon.

Roethlisberger has 5 TD passes, Steelers thump Chiefs 43-14

 Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns passes for the fifth time in his career and the Pittsburgh Steelers throttled the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 on Sunday night.

A week after suffering the franchise's worst loss in 27 years, the Steelers (3-1) responded by overwhelming the erratic Chiefs (2-2).

Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown - wearing cleats featuring the profile of golf great and western Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer - for a pair of scores.

Roethlisberger also found Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jesse James for touchdowns as the Steelers emphatically rebounded from a 31-point meltdown in Philadelphia. The quarterback finished 22 of 27 for 300 yards and a rating of 152.5, just shy of a perfect 158.3 rating.

Le'Veon Bell ran for 144 yards on 18 carries and caught five passes for 34 yards in his return from a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Bell's return brought Pittsburgh's high-powered offense back to full strength for the first time this year, though he spent most of the first half watching Roethlisberger go to work.

The Steelers scored a franchise-record 22 points in the first quarter as their defense forced a pair of turnovers Roethlisberger quickly converted into touchdowns. Pittsburgh reached the end zone three times in a span of six offensive snaps in the quarter and added a two-point conversion on top of it while the Chiefs floundered in the rain.

Smith was 30 of 50 for 287 yards and two inconsequential fourth-quarter touchdowns after things were well out of hand. Spencer Ware ran for 82 yards but also fumbled in the first quarter that kick-started Pittsburgh's record-setting run. The Chiefs allowed four sacks to a team that came in with an NFL-worst one on the season and could do little right.

Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles ran one time for 6 yards in his first game since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last October. It was perhaps the lone bright spot in a loss that played in stark contrast to a romp over the New York Jets last week in which the Chiefs forced eight turnovers.

They didn't force one against the Steelers and instead watched Pittsburgh cross the goal line six times. Pittsburgh's 43 points were the most allowed by Kansas City in a regular season game since Andy Reid took over in 2013.

INJURIES

Chiefs: Running back Knile Davis was evaluated for a concussion

Steelers: Right tackle Marcus Gilbert went down with a left ankle injury late in the first half and did not return. Linebacker Anthony Chickillo (knee) and Jarvis Jones (ankle) and Heyward-Bey (shoulder) all left in the second half and did not return.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: are off next week before traveling to take on the suddenly dangerous Oakland Raiders on Oct. 16. Kansas City is 5-1 against the Raiders under Reid.

Steelers: Begin a three-game swing against AFC East teams next Sunday when they host the New York Jets.

Rookies Elliott, Prescott lead Cowboys past 49ers 24-17

With Tony Romo, Dez Bryantand two starting offensive linemen out injured, Dallas turned things over to a pair of talented rookies who have the Cowboys playing mistake-free football.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for 138 yards and a touchdown and Dak Prescott threw for two scores to help the Dallas Cowboys overcome an early 14-point deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-17 on Sunday.

"This is a great team," Prescott said. "I think the win just shows the character. We had more guys go down last week and guys had to step in. They got the job done. I guess the theme I guess you could say is if somebody goes down, just step up and do your job, and we've done a good job."

The Cowboys (3-1) fell in a 14-point hole early in the second quarter before taking over the game behind a pair of rookies who have helped the team get off to a fast start this season with Romo sidelined by a back injury. Making things even harder this week were the absences of star receiver Bryant and offensive linemen Tryon Smith and La'el Collins.

Prescott threw for 245 yards and had a 20-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams and a 4-yarder to Brice Butler to tie the game at the half.

Elliott then took over with 96 yards rushing in the second half, including a 1-yard run that gave Dallas the lead for good late in the third quarter.

"We just all came together, that's what it was," Elliott said. "We have a lot of faith in each other and there wasn't any point in that game where any of us worried on that sideline. We knew what we could do and we knew we were beating ourselves."

Blaine Gabbert got off to a fast start to help San Francisco (1-3) take the early lead but struggled to generate any offense after that. Gabbert finished 16 for 23 for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

He had a chance to lead a late tying drive but he threw a 3-yard pass to Torrey Smith on fourth-and-6 from the Dallas 35 to end hopes at a comeback.

"We were moving the ball. We have to make a play there on third-and-6 and fourth-and-6," coach Chip Kelly said. "It was 6 yards. We have to be able to covert."

BIG MISTAKE: Gabbert doesn't throw the ball deep often but he had one shot at a big play in the fourth quarter when Torrey Smith got open down the middle of the field. But Gabbert didn't lead him with the pass, allowing Morris Claiborne to intercept it .

"Every game in the league comes down to one or two plays that change the outcome and that definitely had an impact on it and that's on me," Gabbert said. "I got to throw that ball to the middle of the field and let him go get it."

BIG LOSS: The Niners lost star inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman to a lower left leg injury in the third quarter. He went down with a non-contact injury and had to be helped off the field. He was then taken to the locker room on a cart and was immediately ruled out for the rest of the game. Elliott ran for 23 yards on the play after Bowman left. He had six carries for 50 yards and the TD on the drive after Bowman left.

Rookie DeForest Buckner then left later in the game and had a walking boot on his left foot.

FILLING IN: With Bryant out with a hairline fracture of a bone in his right knee, the Cowboys needed someone else to step up on the outside. Butler, who came into the game with just one catch this season, had five catches for 41 yards, including a 4-yard TD that tied the game at 14.

THIRD DOWNS: After failing to convert their first 10 third-down chances last week against Seattle, the Niners were quite efficient at the start this week. They converted seven straight third downs to open the game, including Gabbert's 33-yard TD pass to Jeremy Kerley and Hyde's 3-yard TD run . San Francisco then converted just one of its final seven third-down chances.

ANTHEM PROTEST: Six teammates of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick joined him for a protest during the national anthem on Sunday. Safety Eric Reid and linebacker Eli Harold kneeled beside Kaepernick. Defensive backs Antoine Bethea, Keith Reaser, Jaquiski Tartt and Rashard Robinson all raised their fists.

Brees, Saints stun Chargers in final minutes for 35-34 win

When the New Orleans Saints came to Qualcomm Stadium to stretch their legs after a long flight Saturday, Drew Brees walked to the spot in the west end zone where he suffered a career-changing injury on the last day of 2005, and said a prayer.

"It was a great time of reflecting, of just how far I've come and our team has come," Brees said.

Some 24 hours later, Qualcomm was the spot of a great celebration for Brees and the Saints. They rallied with two touchdowns in the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds for a stunning 35-34 victory against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, who blew a 13-point lead by committing two crucial turnovers.

"This was as much a team game, a team win, as I could ever remember," said Brees, who left the Chargers as a free agent in early 2006 and led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title four years later.

With the Chargers trying to protect a 34-21 lead, Melvin Gordon fumbled and Darryl Tapp recovered at the San Diego 13, setting up Brees' 5-yard TD pass to Michael Thomas on fourth-and-2 to pull to 34-28 with 4:50 to go.

Travis Benjamin then fumbled after a reception and Nate Stupar recovered at the San Diego 31. Seven plays later, fullback John Kuhn scored his third TD of the game, on a 1-yard run. The PAT made it 35-34.

Rivers, who was Brees' understudy for his first two NFL seasons, was intercepted by B.W. Webb with 1:10 to go.

After the final gun, Brees ran over to the stands and traded high-fives with jubilant Saints fans. After showering and doing postgame interviews, he came back out on the field with several family members and friends.

It was the first time Brees played at Qualcomm Stadium since Dec. 31, 2005, when he injured his throwing shoulder in his final appearance as Chargers quarterback. He had surgery and was allowed to leave as a free agent, signing with New Orleans.

That gave the starting job to Rivers.

"That last game in San Diego, I thought my career might have been over," Brees said. "As I walked off the field, I thought it might be the last game I would ever play."

The Saints took a chance on Brees, and four years later he led them to an NFL title.

Brees overcome two interceptions to led the Saints (1-3) to their first win.

It was the third time this season the Chargers (1-3) blew a late lead.

Chargers coach Mike McCoy was furious.

"That performance in the second half is flat-out unacceptable," McCoy said. "From the very opening kickoff return all the way to the very end. You cannot turn the ball over at critical times when you are trying to put the game away. Two times in a row. We absolutely gave this one away."

NO LEAD IS SAFE

The Chargers seemed to have it in control after Rivers directed a 14-play, 74-yard scoring drive capped by Gordon's second 1-yard scoring run of the game to give the Chargers a 31-21 lead with 12:15 to play. Rivers kept the drive alive with a pinpoint, 16-yard completion to Tyrell Williams to the New Orleans 7-yard line.

The Chargers have led in the fourth quarter of each of their three losses.

WHERE IT TURNED

The Chargers took a 24-14 halftime lead after scoring on three straight possessions, getting the 53-yard TD pass from Rivers to Inman, a 30-yard field goal from Josh Lambo and a 1-yard run by Gordon.

San Diego floundered on the opening drive of the second half, making fans nervous. Dexter McCluster caught the opening kickoff of the second half 6 yards deep and bringing it out only to the 15. The Chargers went three and out, and Brees led them on a drive culminated when Kuhn scored on a 1-yard run to pull the Saints to 24-21.

ATTENDANCE: The announced crowd was 60,641 at 70,000-seat Qualcomm stadium, the second home game this year well short of capacity. The Chargers are threatening to move to Los Angeles if voters don't approve a $1.1 billion stadium subsidy via an increase in hotel occupancy taxes.

ANTHEM PROTEST: Chargers Joshua Perry, Joe Barksdale, Chris Hairston, D.J. Fluker and Tyreek Burwellof held up their right fists during the national anthem.

INACTIVES: Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was inactive for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. Also out a second straight week was LT King Dunlap, who is bothered by migraines. ... Chargers lineman Chris Hairston limped off with a groin injury late in the second quarter. ... San Diego defensive endJoey Bosa, out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, has yet to make his NFL debut.

INJURIES: Chargers LG Orlando Franklin sustained a knee injury. ... Chargers LB Denzel Perryman injured a shoulder in the second quarter. ... Saints DE Paul Kruger suffered a back injury in the third quarter.

Rams rally late to beat Cardinals 17-13, Palmer hurt

The move to the West Coast has done wonders for the Rams.

Tavon Austin returned a punt 47 yards to set up Case Keenum's 4-yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick with 2:36 to play, and Los Angeles improved to 3-1 for the first time in a decade, adding to Arizona's early season woes with a 17-13 victory Sunday.

After years of mediocrity in St. Louis, the Rams are 3-1 for the first time since 2006, tied with Seattle for first in the NFC West.

The Cardinals (1-3), the reigning NFC West champions and expected to contend for the Super Bowl, have lost as many games this year as they did all of last season, and two of them have been at home.

Now they head to a Thursday night game in San Francisco almost certainly without Carson Palmer, who left late in Sunday's loss to undergo the concussion protocol after his head was slammed to the turf on a sack by Aaron Donald.

"The sky is not falling for us," Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. "I'm sure it is for a bunch of the fans - we're as disappointed as they are - but we've got a game Thursday night."

Keenum threw two touchdown passes to Quick, including a 65-yard score in the first quarter.

"Good teams win the close games," Keenum said. "It says we are fighters. We have done it on the road two times in a row. We are not going to dwell on where we are. We are looking ahead. We are looking at where we are going."

The play that sent Palmer to the sidelines forced a punt and Austin raced past would-be tacklers to the Arizona 34. A facemask penalty against Ifeanyi Momah moved the ball to the 19 and the Rams (3-1) went ahead when Quick caught a pass under tight defense for the score.

Arizona backup Drew Stanton was intercepted twice in the final minutes, including on a Hail Mary on the game's final play.

Arizona outgained the Rams 420-288 but committed five turnovers to the Rams' one.

"The big thing for us was getting the turnovers," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "Then, offensively we are improving in the third-down area and keeping the ball alive."

The Cardinals took their only lead of the game 13-10 on Chandler Catanzaro's 21-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter.

Arizona had tied it at 10 on Palmer's 5-yard touchdown pass to Michael Floyd with 24 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Cardinals' offense stumbled through most of the first half and was hearing boos from the home crowd before finally getting moving in the final two minutes.

QUICK'S REDEMPTION

Quick caught only 10 passes for 102 yards and his future with the team was in doubt in training camp.

"When someone doubts you of course you are going to be motivated to prove them wrong," he said. "You have to fight and be strong mentally. If they (his coaches) feel like things are a little shaky that means you have to do something better. There were some things I had to do. I had to improve and get better. `'

COSTLY PENALTIES

A defensive holding penalty against the Cardinals kept the Rams' first scoring drive alive and an offensive holding penalty nullified an Arizona touchdown moments later.

The defensive hold on Patrick Peterson came when Keenum was sacked on third-and-five. Three plays later, Keenum connected with Quick for the long TD.

The Cardinals drove to the Los Angeles 10 on their next possession and Chris Johnson ran for an apparent touchdown. But a holding penalty against Jermaine Gresham nullified the score and the Cardinals settled for a field goal.

Another Arizona threat ended with a spectacular interception by Trumaine Johnson in the end zone.

TURNOVERS

Turnovers scuttled two Arizona scoring threats.

The Cardinals were at the Rams 33 in the second quarter when Palmer threw deep and Johnson intercepted in the corner of the end zone.

In the third quarter, Arizona recovered Keenum's fumble and drove to the Los Angeles 26, but Aaron Donaldhit Palmer, forcing a fumble that the Rams recovered.

GREEN HONORED

Cardinals wide receiver Roy Green was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor at halftime.

Green played on offense, defense and on special teams in 12 seasons with the Cardinals (1979-90). He ranks second in franchise history in touchdowns, third in all-purpose yards and fourth in 100-yard receiving games.

Broncos lose Siemian, beat Bucs 27-7 to improve to 4-0

 Paxton Lynch made his NFL debut sooner than expected Sunday, stepping in for injured starter Trevor Siemian to help the Denver Broncos remain unbeaten with a 27-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Siemian left the game with two minutes remaining in the first half with what the defending Super Bowl champions described as an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He remained in uniform and watched the second half from the sideline, wearing a baseball cap while Lynch - the 26th pick in this year's draft- finished the Broncos' ninth consecutive win.

Siemien threw a touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas, capitalizing on Aqib Talib's interception and 25-yard return to the Bucs 11 on Tampa Bay's opening possession. The ex-Buc cornerback also set up another first-half TD with a second interception that led to C.J. Anderson's 1-yard run for a 14-7 lead.

For the second straight week, play was stopped in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium because of inclement weather. The game was suspended for 1 hour, 26 minutes with 6:52 remaining Sunday, with only a few thousand fans returning to their seats for the conclusion.

Jameis Winston scrambled 7 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, but had limited success against the Denver defense the rest of the way. In addition to throwing two interceptions, the second-year quarterback was sacked five times while going 17 of 35 for 179 yards.

A week after becoming the first player in league history with 300 passing yards, four TD passes and zero interceptions in his first career road start, Siemian was off to another solid start when he was sacked by Bucs defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, who slung the Broncos quarterback to the turf on his left shoulder for an 8-yard loss late in the second quarter. Siemian left the field on his power and later received a ride to the locker room on a cart.

Denver (4-0) punted after Lynch threw an incompletion on third down coming out of the two-minute warning. The rookie got one more crack at the Bucs defense before halftime, going 4 of 8 for 47 yards to move his team into position for a 38-yard field goal that made it 17-7.

The Broncos set the tone for a frustrating second half for the Bucs, methodically moving 69 yards in 16 plays for a field goal that increased the lead to 13. Lynch's 5-yard TD pass to Emmanuel Sanders, who had eight receptions for 88 yards, made it 27-7 in the fourth quarter.

MODEST NUMBERS

Siemian was 5 of 7 for 68 yards, including an 11-yard TD pass to Sanders on Denver's first offensive play. Lynch finished 14 of 24 for 170 yards, one TD and no interceptions.

HOMECOMING

Talib faced his former team for the second time, first in Tampa. He was a first-round draft pick of the Bucs in 2008 and spent four-plus years with the team before being traded to New England in the middle of the 2012 season. His 33 interceptions are the most by a cornerback since the ninth-year pro entered the league. The first 16 came with Tampa Bay. The only other time he faced his former team, Talib had an interception during New England's 23-3 victory over the Bucs in 2013.

FAST START

The Broncos are 4-0 for the second straight season and third time in four years. Their nine-game winning streak is the longest in the NFL and they've now won a league-best 26 consecutive games when they've won the turnover battle.

SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT

The Buccaneers had four sacks - 1 1/2 by McDonald, after not getting much pressure on opposing quarterbacks the previous two weeks against Arizona and Los Angeles. Siemian was sacked three times before leaving the game.

INJURIES

Broncos: In addition to Siemian, lost reserve CB Kayvon Webster with hamstring injury in second half.

Buccaneers: Pro Bowl DT Gerald McCoy limped off with a calf in the second quarter and did not return. ... TEBrandon Myers (hip) and LB Noah Spence (shoulder) left in the first half and did not return. ... Played without RB Doug Martin (hamstring) and DE Robert Ayers Jr. (ankle) for the second straight week.

Hoyer leads way as Bears beat Lions 17-14 for 1st win

Brian Hoyer led the Chicago Bears to their first win and maybe gave coach John Fox something to think about in the process.

Hoyer threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns filling in forJay Cutler, and the Chicago Bears earned their first win of the season with a 17-14 victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Bears (1-3) got a win after starting 0-3 for the second time in as many seasons under Fox. They also stopped a six-game home losing streak as well as a six-game slide against Detroit (1-3), though things got tight near the end.

Chicago was leading 17-6 when Andre Roberts returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Golden Tate then caught a 2-point conversion pass from Matthew Stafford to cut it to 17-14 with 1:52 left, but the Bears recovered the onside kick.

Hoyer was on target in his second straight start with Cutler nursing a sprained right thumb. He completed 28 of 36 passes against a defense missing the injured Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Levy.

Fox has been noncommittal when asked if Cutler will start when he is ready to return, and he wasn't about to tip his hand after this one. Chicago visits Indianapolis next week.

"I'd like to enjoy this for at least a few hours," Fox said.

Hoyer shrugged off a similar question, saying, "It's my role to do whatever's asked of me. Today, I'm going to enjoy the victory. Whatever they say to me tomorrow, then that's what I'll prepare to do. I think that's being a professional about it."

Eddie Royal caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Jordan Howard ran for a career-high 111 yards for Chicago.

Zach Miller caught a touchdown, and the Bears gained 408 yards in just their second home win in 10 games under Fox.

The Lions dropped their third straight, with Stafford struggling to find open receivers and a short-handed run game once again unable to get going.

Stafford was 23 of 36 for 213 yards and was intercepted twice deep in Bears territory. He got picked off byJacoby Glenn on a miscommunication with Tate near the end of the first half.

And the Lions had the ball on the Chicago 23 when Deiondre Hall picked off a pass intended for Anquan Boldinwith about four minutes remaining in the game.

Marvin Jones Jr. had 74 yards receiving after setting a career high with 205 yards against Green Bay the previous week.

"We were just not sharp at all," coach Jim Caldwell said. "There was no rhythm to it. That's my fault."

TO RECAP: The Lions settled for a 21-yard field goal by Matt Prater on the opening drive of the second half after two runs at the Chicago 1 got stopped.

Hoyer hit Royal deep down the middle for a 64-yard gain on the next drive, setting up a 6-yard touchdown catch by Miller that increased Chicago's lead to 14-6 in the third quarter.

But Chicago's Kevin White was slow to get off the ground after being tackled by Glover Quin following a short catch and eventually walked to the locker room with an ankle injury. Fox said he had no details on the severity of the injury.

QUOTABLE: Tate on the interception late in the first half with the Lions on the Chicago 22: "Just a silly mistake on my part. I'll own up to that. Just missed a signal. That cost us three points. It's tough. It's tough."

Bears right guard Kyle Long on winning: "We were 100 percent invested into this game. I don't even know who we play next."

MISSING PLAYERS: Ansah sprained his ankle two weeks ago in Detroit's loss to Tennessee and didn't return to the game. Levy has a quadriceps injury. He missed much of last season with a hip injury.

Besides Cutler, Chicago played its second game without LBs Danny Trevathan (sprain thumb) and Lamarr Houston (season-ending left ACL tear). RB Jeremy Langford (ankle) was inactive after getting hurt last week at Dallas.

OLD FRIEND: Joique Bell had a quiet debut for Chicago, running for 6 yards on three attempts. Bell was released by the Lions in February and worked out for them last week before signing with Chicago on Tuesday.

INJURIES : Lions RB Dwayne Washington limped off in the first with a left ankle injury after he was tackled byJohn Timu on a second-quarter run. ... TE Eric Ebron aggravated his ankle injury and hurt his knee blocking on a run in the first quarter, but returned.