NFL Week One Roundup

Super Bowl hopefuls open with wins <br>Undated-AP<br>-- Amid the swirl of Super Bowl talk, three leading contenders struggled in opening-day wins while a championship hopeful many had thought might

Sunday, September 3rd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Super Bowl hopefuls open with wins
Undated-AP
-- Amid the swirl of Super Bowl talk, three leading contenders struggled in opening-day wins while a championship hopeful many had thought might be slipping, won impressively on the road.

(Landover, Maryland-AP) -- The Washington Redskins, infused with a bevy of high-priced free agents on defense, rode the legs of Stephen Davis to a 20-to-17 home win over the Carolina Panthers. Davis rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown, giving the 'Skins cause to celebrate the nine-year, 90 (m) million-dollar deal they'd agreed to with Davis this weekend.

Redskins quarterback Brad Johnson scored the winning touchdown on a one-yard sneak with 12:14 left.

(Kansas City, Missouri-AP) -- The Indianapolis Colts got big days from Edgerrin James and Payton Manning in a 27-to-14 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. James rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns while Manning passed for 273 yards. Colts defensive back Jeff Burris had the game's biggest play, returning a fourth quarter interception 27 yards for a touchdown with 12:38 to play.

The Chiefs saw a 12-year winning streak in home openers come to an end.

(Foxboro, Massachusetts-AP) -- Mike Alstott rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the New England Patriots, 21-to-16. Shawn King passed for 167 yards and a score as the Bucs spoiled Bill Belichick's opener as Patriots coach.

(Cleveland-AP) -- Despite missing several offensive starters due to injuries, the Jacksonville Jaguars had enough to roll over the Cleveland Browns, 27-to-7. Mark Brunell passed for 301 yards and a touchdown. Keenan MCcardell had nine receptions for 115 yards and tight end Kyle Brady caught five passes for 85 yards.

Elsewhere on kickoff Sunday:

(Irving, Texas-AP) -- The Philadelphia Eagles knocked Troy Aikman out of the game and they blasted the Dallas Cowboys, 41-to-14, at Texas Stadium.

Duce Staley rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown. He is the first Eagles' running back to top 200 yards in a game since Steve Van Buren in 1949.

Aikman sustained the ninth concussion of his career in the second quarter and was taken to a hospital for observation.

(Minneapolis-AP) -- The Daunte Culpepper era in Minnesota opened with the quarterback rushing for 73 yards and passing for 190 as the Vikings outscored the Chicago Bears, 30-to-27. Culpepper had three touchdown runs and Gary Anderson added three field goals for the Vikes.

Pittsburgh-AP
-- The Baltimore Ravens showed off their stout defense in a 16-to-0 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers hadn't been shut out in a season opener at home since 1989.

Tony Banks passed for 18-of-32 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown for the Ravens.

(Atlanta-AP) -- The Atlanta Falcons showed what they can do if their offensive weapons are intact. Jamal Anderson, who missed most of last season with a knee injury, rushed for 77 yards and free agent-signee Shawn Jefferson caught seven passes for a career-high 148 yards as the Falcons scored a 36-to-28 win over the rebuilding San Francisco 49ers.

(Miami-AP) -- The post-Dan Marino era kicked off on a high note for the Miami Dolphins. Jay Fiedler played mistake-free, passing for 134 yards and the Dolphins came up with six turnovers in a 23-to-0 home shutout of the Seattle Seahawks.

(New York-AP) -- The New York Giants showed some running depth in a 21-to-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Tiki Barber rambled for a career-high 144 yards and two touchdowns and Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne debuted with 78 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Giants also intercepted Arizona's Jake Plummer three times and recovered a Plummer fumble.

(New Orleans-AP) -- Returning to the site of his heroics in Super Bowl 31, Desmond Howard ripped off a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown, sending the Detroit Lions to a 14-to-10 win over the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome. Saints' running back Ricky Williams rushed for 84 yards, but he also fumbled twice.

(Oakland, California-AP) -- Ryan Leaf's first N-F-L regular season appearance in 20 months was rocky as the Oakland Raiders battered Leaf in a 9-to-6 win. Leaf threw three interceptions and fumbled twice.

Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon connected with Andre Rison on a ten-yard touchdown pass with 2:53 to go for the winning margin.

(Green Bay, Wisconsin-AP) -- Curtis Martin scored two touchdowns, including the go-ahead two-yard reception with three and a half minutes to go, and the New York Jets tripped the Green Bay Packers 20-to-16 at Lambeau Field. Martin rushed for 110 yards.

The win was preserved by Victor Green, who picked off a Brett Favre (FAHRV) pass at the Jets' nine-year line with 1:08 to play.