Nov 1, 2015 5 min read

Arizona coach Bruce Arians didn’t throw a chair or erupt into a tirade at halftime. The Cardinals didn’t have to be told how badly they were playing.

So Carson Palmer and his teammates went out and did something about it.

Palmer threw four touchdown passes three in the second half as the Cardinals scored 27 unanswered points for a 34-20 win Sunday over the Browns, who lost two defensive starters with concussions and have reached a crisis point in their season.

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said Arians delivered a simple message.

“He said, ‘We’re either pretenders or contenders. And it’s up to you to show who you are in the second half,'” Fitzgerald said. “When coach challenges you like that, we had to come out and respond.”

Palmer finished with 374 yards passing, including TDs on the first two possessions of the third quarter as the Cardinals (6-2) overcame a 20-10 halftime deficit. His third TD after halftime, a 6-yarder to Larry Fitzgerald, gave Arizona a 31-20 lead.

When they got to the locker room at halftime, the Cardinals were bracing themselves for the wrath of Arians. He decided to take a softer approach.

“Didn’t have to say much to them, they took it upon themselves, especially the leaders, to get what’s out there corrected,” Arians said. “I used to throw (stuff), but I can’t lift it anymore. Even the chairs are heavy.”

Palmer knew the Cardinals were capable of shaking off their lousy first half.

“As sloppy as it was, good teams find a way to come out and shut them out, go down and score points,” he said.

Michael Floyd had a 60-yard TD catch and tight end Troy Niklas had two short TD receptions to help the Cardinals overcome four turnovers and win in Cleveland for the first time since 1985.

New Orleans 52, N.Y. Giants 49: Drew Brees passed for career highs of 511 yards and seven touchdowns, and recently signed Kai Forbath kicked a 50-yard field goal as time ran out, giving the New Orleans Saints a 52-49 victory over the New York Giants in a game with a record 13 scoring passes.

Baltimore 29, San Diego 26: Justin Tucker kicked a 39-yard field goal on the final play. Joe Flacco threw for 319 yards and ran for a score to help Baltimore (2-6) snap a three-game skid and hand the Chargers (2-6) their fourth straight defeat, 29-26.

The Ravens’ six losses this season have come by a combined 30 points, and their only win before Sunday came in overtime.

Tampa Bay 23, Atlanta 20, OT: Bouncing back after blowing a 17-point lead, Tampa Bays got a 31-yard field goal from Connor Barth in overtime to beat the mistake-prone Falcons.

Seattle 13, Dallas 12: Russell Wilson had a scoring pass for the game’s only touchdown and directed a late drive to the winning field goal, leading the Seattle Seahawks over the Dallas Cowboys 13-12.

The defending NFC champions (4-4) are back to .500 after an 0-2 start. The Cowboys (2-5) lost their fifth straight without Tony Romo in Dez Bryant’s return from a five-game absence with a broken right foot.

The Seahawks started the decisive drive at their 15, with Wilson converting three third downs capped by a scramble that helped run the clock before Steven Hauschka’s 24-yard field goal with 1:06 remaining.

Minnesota 23, Chicago 20: Adrian Peterson ran for 103 yards and Blair Walsh kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to give Minnesota a 23-20 win over Chicago.

St. Louis 27, San Francisco 6: Todd Gurley rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries, topping 100 yards for the fourth straight start to open his career, and the St. Louis Rams had three sacks and a safety in a 27-6 victory over San Francisco.

Gurley, who had a 71-yard touchdown run, is the first rookie to open his career with four consecutive 100-yard games, according to STATS, with data available since 1991.

Houston 20, Tennessee 6: Brian Hoyer threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns, and Houston tied a franchise record with seven sacks during a 20-6 win over a Tennessee team still without quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Kansas City 45, Detroit 10: Alex Smith threw for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 78 yards and another TD to lead Kansas City over Detroit Lions, 45-10, at Wembley Stadium.

Oakland 34, N.Y. Jets 20: Derek Carr threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns to help Oakland pick apart the New York Jets’ vaunted defense in a 34-20 victory that announced the Raiders as a legitimate contender in the AFC.

Latavius Murray ran for 113 yards, Andre Holmes caught two touchdown passes and Charles Woodson intercepted his league-leading fifth pass of the season to give the Raiders (4-3) their first winning record this late in the season since 2011.