ARLINGTON, Texas — Colin Kaepernick tossed two touchdown passes to tight end Vernon Davis and the San Francisco 49ers took advantage of four first-half turnovers to overwhelm Dallas in the season opener 28-17 Sunday.
Chris Culliver returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown and Eric Reed, Perrish Cox and linebacker Patrick Willis intercepted Tony Romo on three consecutive possessions. Rookie Carlos Hyde added a 4-yard touchdown run and Kaepernick completed 16-of-23 passes for 201 yards as the 49ers improved to 4-0 in season openers under coach Jim Harbaugh.
DeMarco Murray rushed for 118 yards and added a 2-yard score for the Cowboys, who scored late in both the third and fourth quarters to close the margin. Romo finished 23-for-37 for 281 yards, but Dez Bryant struggled with dehydration and was held to just four receptions for 55 yards.
San Francisco got out of the blocks in a hurry as linebacker Dan Skuta stripped Murray, and Culliver picked up the loose ball and scampered untouched into the end zone. Kaepernick ignited the offense as he found a wide-open Davis for a 29-yard touchdown and followed Reed’s 48-yard interception return by connecting with his tight end again for a 2-yard scoring play to give the 49ers a 21-3 lead with 4:25 still to play in the first quarter.
Hyde barreled in over right tackle in the final minute of the half to extend the cushion before Dallas finally got its offense untracked in the second half. Murray stumbled in to cap a 14-play drive late in the third before Romo found a wide-open Terrance Williams for a 2-yard score for his 29th straight game with a touchdown pass.
San Francisco racked up 21 points in the first quarter and went on to trounce Dallas at AT&T Stadium. San Francisco’s ball-hawking defense coupled with quarterback Colin Kaepernick precision proved the perfect recipe for a victory.
The 49ers turned four Dallas turnovers into three touchdowns.
Jets 19, Raiders 14
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The latest incarnation of the New York running-back-by-committee racked up 212 yards, and the Jets limited Oakland to 25 rushing yards in a win at MetLife Stadium.
Running back Chris Ivory put the game away by rumbling for a 71-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Ivory finished with 102 yards on 10 carries while Chris Johnson, who signed with the Jets in the off-season following six 1,000-yard seasons with the Tennessee Titans, had 68 yards on 13 carries.
Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14
TAMPA, Fla. — With Cam Newton sidelined for the first time in his young career by a rib injury, Carolina leaned on veteran backup Derek Anderson and a stingy defense and withstood a late comeback at Raymond James Stadium.
Anderson, making his first start since Dec. 5, 2010, completed 24 of 34 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. His counterpart for Tampa Bay, Josh McCown finished 22-for-35 with 183 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Early on, the home crowd booed a sluggish offense that managed only two first downs in the first half.
Eagles 34, Jaguars 17
PHILADELPHIA — Quarterback Nick Foles threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin midway through the fourth quarter and Philadelphia rallied from a 17-0 deficit to win at Lincoln Financial Field.
It was the first touchdown in more than a year for Maclin, who missed all of the 2013 season with a knee injury. He split a busted coverage and was wide open behind the Jaguars defense when he hauled in the go-ahead touchdown pass with 6:59 left to play.
Falcons 37, Saints 34 (OT)
ATLANTA — Matt Bryant, who sent the game into overtime with a 51-yard field goal as regulation expired, connected from 52 yards out less than two minutes into overtime as Atlanta opened the season with a victory over rival New Orleans at the Georgia Dome.
The winning field goal came after safety William Moore knocked the ball loose from Saints wide receiver Marques Colston and linebacker Joplu Bartu recovered at the Saints’ 38-yard line.
Quarterback Matt Ryan completed 31 of 43 passes for a team-record 448 yards and three touchdowns as the Falcons set a team mark with 568 total yards.
Steelers 30, Browns 27
PITTSBURGH — Shaun Suisham’s 41-yard field goal as time expired lifted Pittsburgh over Cleveland after the Steelers blew a 24-point halftime at Heinz Field.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 365 yards, 278 coming in the first half. Running Le’Veon Bell rushed for 109 yards on 21 carries and wide receiver Antonio Brown had five catches for 116 yards as Pittsburgh beat Cleveland for the 20th time in the last 22 meetings.
Head coach Mike Pettine, in his debut with the Browns, resisted the urge to go to ultra-hyped backup quarterback Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy and second of two first-round draft picks by the Browns. Hoyer rewarded the coach’s patience by going 19-of-31 passing for 230 yards.
Bengals 23, Ravens 16
BALTIMORE — Quarterback Andy Dalton answered an 80-yard touchdown pass by Baltimore’s Joe Flacco with a 77-strike of his own to A.J. Green as Cincinnati won at M&T Bank Stadium. The Bengals snapped a four-game losing streak in Baltimore, earning their first victory since 2009.
Flacco had given Baltimore its first lead of the game when he found wide receiver Steve Smith streaking down the sideline with 5:46 left in the game. However, Dalton answered in almost the same fashion on the ensuing drive as Green got behind the secondary, bobbled the ball before recovering and running into the end zone.
Titans 26, Chiefs 10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A strong performance from quarterback Jake Locker coupled with a dominating defensive effort pushed Tennessee to a convincing win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Locker, the Titans’ 2011 first-round draft choice, threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns while completing 67 percent of his passes and adding 17 yards on four carries scrambling away from pass-rush pressure.
Late in the first half, Kansas City’s leading tackler, linebacker Derrick Johnson, crumbled to the turf without being touched and was taken off the field on a motorized cart. The early diagnosis was an injury to his right Achilles tendon, likely ending his season.
Bills 23, Bears 20 (OT)
CHICAGO — Buffalo blew a 10-point halftime lead and a three-point fourth quarter lead, but held on to beat the Chicago on Dan Carpenter’s 27-yard field goal in overtime at Soldier Field. It was Buffalo’s first victory in six games at Chicago.
The Bears had the ball first in the extra period but after a 13-yard un by Matt Forte on the first play, they couldn’t advance the ball and had to punt. Buffalo started at its own 22-yard line and marched down to the Bears goal line before Carpenter kicked the game-winner. The key play was a 38-yard run by Fred Jackson.
Vikings 34, Rams 6
ST. LOUIS — Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson broke the game open with an electrifying long touchdown run in the third quarter and the Minnesota defense throttled punchless St. Louis at the Edward Jones Dome.
In each team’s season opener, the Vikings never trailed and looked sharper. The Rams couldn’t generate much offense, even after starting quarterback Shaun Hill (thigh) left the game at halftime and was replaced by backup Austin Davis.
Texans 17, Redskins 6
HOUSTON — Arian Foster rushed for 103 yards after missing the entire preseason as Houston turned in a strong defensive performance and snapped a 14-game losing streak with a victory over Washington at NRG Stadium.
The Texans battered Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III and capitalized on two Redskins miscues while protecting a one-score lead. The Redskins committed a pair of backbreaking red-zone turnovers on consecutive possessions in the third quarter, squandering promising scoring opportunities.