Resilient Romo leads Cowboys to London win

Resilient Romo leads Cowboys to London win

LONDON - Tony Romo made sure that "America's Team" left an impression in London on Sunday, shrugging off a back injury to lead Dallas to a 31-17 NFL victory over Jacksonville at Wembley Stadium.

Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, seen on the sidelines during a NFL game in Arlington, Texas, on November 2, 2014

"It's just a little sore," Romo said of the effects of two small fractures in his back, which saw him miss one game before returning to train and travel with the team this week.

He completed 20 of 27 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns -- two of them caught by Dez Bryant. Jason Witten also made a touchdown catch and DeMarco Murray ran for 100 yards as the Cowboys headed back Stateside pleased with their trans-Atlantic adventure.

"I had no idea what to expect but I genuinely couldn't have enjoyed this week more," Romo said after the victory in one of three regular-season games being played at Wembley this year.

"The people, the fans, the environment... it's one of my favorite cities in the world."

Despite concerns over Romo's injury, the Cowboys' victory over the struggling Jags -- who fell to 1-9 -- was no shock.

The upset of the day belonged to the New York Jets, who snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 20-13 victory over Pittsburgh.

"Finally," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "Golly, that felt great."

Jets quarterback Michael Vick threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and displayed vintage form on the ground as the Jets beat a Steelers team coming off back-to-back victories in which quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had thrown a total of 12 touchdowns.

- Palmer hurt in Cards win -

Arizona's prospects of boosting their league-leading record looked dim when quarterback Carson Palmer exited with a left knee injury with the Cardinals trailing St. Louis in the fourth quarter.

But Arizona rallied around backup Drew Stanton and scored two defensive touchdowns for a 31-14 victory that took the Cardinals' record to 8-1 for the first time since 1948, when the club was based in Chicago.

Palmer, who inked a three-year, $50 million contract extension this week, was hurt when he was sacked by Rams safety Mark Barron.

Palmer eventually limped off the field, but was taken by stretcher to the locker room. The team said further tests were needed to determine the severity of the injury, but several media outlets reported the Cardianals feared he had a season-ending torn ligament.

The Saints suffered a rare defeat in New Orleans, where Phil Dawson's 35-yard field goal with 5:14 left in overtime completed a stirring San Francisco rally that saw the 49ers notch a 27-14 triumph.

Dawson also booted a 45-yard field goal with 44 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Theo Riddick with 29 seconds remaining to lift the Lions to a 20-16 triumph over Miami.

Jamaal Charles and Alex Smith both ran for touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Kansas City rallied for a 17-13 victory over the Bills in Buffalo and in Tampa, Matt Ryan's TD pass to Roddy White in the fourth quarter helped Atlanta to a 27-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

- Packers maul Bears -

In Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers matched the NFL record as he threw six touchdown passes in the first half to lead the Packers to a 55-14 rout of NFC North rivals Chicago.

Rodgers tied the league mark for most scoring passes in a half, established by Oakland's Daryle Lamonica in 1969.

Jordy Nelson caught six passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and Randall Cobb totaled 72 yards and a score on four catches for the Packers, who are unbeaten in four home games this season.

Meanwhile the Bears, who fell 51-23 to New England prior to their bye week last week, joined the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only teams in NFL history to allow 50 or more points in back-to-back games.

It was a prolific night for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning as well. Manning threw five touchdown passes to lead Denver to a 41-17 victory over Oakland.

It was the ninth five-TD game of Manning's career, one more than Drew Brees for the most in NFL history.

Super Bowl champions Seattle got it done on the ground in a 38-17 victory over the New York Giants.

Marshawn Lynch led the Seahawks scoring four touchdowns, accounting for 140 of Seattle's club-record 350 rushing yards.

In Baltimore, Justin Forsett rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns as the Ravens defeated Tennessee 21-7.

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