Benson gets back at Bears

Cedric Benson got his revenge on Chicago, all right. The rest of the Bengals' offense had a sweet time, too.

Carson Palmer threw five touchdown passes -- four of them in a dominant first half -- and Benson ran for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown against the team that let him go, shocking Chicago with a 45-10 victory Sunday that will go down as one of the worst days in Bears history.

The Bengals improved to 5-2 for the first time since 2005, when a fast-strike offense got them to the playoffs. There was a strong resemblance in the first half, when Cincinnati scored on all five possessions and went up 31-0. It tied for the third-most points the Bears (3-3) have allowed in an opening half.

In that half alone, Chad Ochocinco had 103 yards receiving and Benson had 98 yards rushing as the Bears gave up more points than they had in any game all season. Palmer finished 20 of 24 for 233 yards, one shy of his career high for touchdown throws.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw three interceptions, fumbled two snaps and finished 26 of 37 for 251 yards.

Also Sunday

Cowboys 37, Falcons 21: With Tony Romo and Miles Austin bringing the offense to life and the defense giving up little more than long drives at the start of each half, the Cowboys (4-2) roared out of their bye with their most impressive win of the season and first against a team with a winning record.

The Falcons (4-2) came in looking to keep pace with the best start in franchise history. Matt Ryan started great, but couldn't keep it up. His streak of 142 passes without a sack ended with takedowns on consecutive plays in the first quarter.

Jets 38, Raiders 0: Mark Sanchez shook off the worst start of his young career by running for one touchdown and throwing for another, fellow rookie Shonn Greene ran for 144 yards and two scores, and the visiting Jets snapped a three-game losing streak.

It was a low-pressure day for Sanchez, who started two of his first three drives for the Jets (4-3) at the Oakland 4 after turnovers by JaMarcus Russell. Those mistakes led to touchdown runs by Thomas Jones and Sanchez, and played a role in Oakland coach Tom Cable's decision to bench the former No. 1 overall pick in the second quarter.

This was just the fifth home shutout ever for the Raiders (2-5), with four coming in the past four seasons.

Texans 24, 49ers 21: In Houston, Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns, and the Texans built a big lead and held on for the win.

The Texans led 21-0 at halftime, then withstood a rally led by backup quarterback Alex Smith. Eugene Wilson's interception on fourth down halted a last-gasp drive by the 49ers (3-3).

San Francisco benched Shaun Hill after a terrible first half, and Smith threw three touchdowns to Vernon Davis to close the gap. Michael Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards.

The Texans (4-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Patriots 35, Buccaneers 7: Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as the Patriots (5-2) beat the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers at England's Wembley Stadium in the NFL's third regular-season game at the iconic London venue.

For the Bucs, who gave up a home game to play in London, the new surroundings didn't help. They fell to 0-7 and saw their losing streak extended to 11 games overall.

Packers 31, Browns 3: Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, Ryan Grant rushed for 148 yards, and Green Bay warmed up for Brett Favre's first visit back to Lambeau Field next week with a laugher in Cleveland against the Browns.

It would have been understandable if the Packers (4-2) had overlooked an inferior opponent with their eyes on Favre's hyped return to Wisconsin with the Minnesota Vikings. But Rodgers and his teammates took care of business against the Browns (1-6).

Chargers 37, Chiefs 7: Philip Rivers threw three touchdowns passes, and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 71 yards.

Rivers was 18-for-30 for 268 yards and three TDs as the Chargers won their third in a row in Kansas City for the first time since 1981.

The Chiefs (1-6) had hoped a sloppy win over Washington the week before might provide some much-needed momentum. But they played miserably in just about every phase of the game, falling behind 20-0 in the first half.

Matt Cassel threw three interceptions, and the Chargers (3-3) scored their final touchdown when Jacob Hester blocked a punt at the 20, chased the ball into the end zone and fell on it.

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