NFL's Gutsiest Wins of the First Half

Cowboys 24, Giants 17

On the NFL's Opening Night, the favored defending champion Giants welcomed their NFC East rival Dallas to the Meadowlands, but were bested by the heroics of Tony Romo and the Cowboy offense. Romo outdueled the two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, completing 22-of-29 passes for three touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 129.5. Dallas running back DeMarco Murray rushed for 131 yards on 20 carries and wideout Kevin Ogletree came out of nowhere for a breakout performance of 114 yards on eight grabs, two of which went for touchdowns.

49ers 30, Packers 22

In an early-season matchup between two of the NFC's best, visiting San Francisco -- known the previous season for its top-ranked defense -- outperformed the high-powered Green Bay offense led by reigning league MVP Aaron Rodgers. Niners' QB Alex Smith played mistake-free and threw two touchdown passes, connecting with seven receivers on 20-of-26 passing. Meanwhile, tailback Frank Gore rushed for 112 yards and a score on just 17 carries. Notably, 49ers' kicker David Akers matched the longest field goal in NFL history with a 63-yarder to end the first half.

Giants 41, Bucs 34

Down 24-13 at the half and wanting to avoid a 0-2 start to the season, New York rallied behind Eli Manning's 510 passing yards to come out on top in this shootout in the Meadowlands. In a contest marred by a postgame quarrel between head coaches Tom Coughlin and Greg Schiano, the final 6:48 included four touchdowns -- two from Manning -- on his near-record day. The Giants' play caller, in tossing three scores to go with three second-quarter picks, came within three yards of the team's all-time passing record of 513 yards, set by Phil Simms versus the Bengals in 1985.

Eagles 24, Ravens 23

The seesaw battle between two 1-0 clubs tested which team would blink first. Baltimore rookie kicker Justin Tucker hit on 3-of-3 field goals, from 56, 51 and 48 yards, but in the end it would prove not to be enough. The home team overcame four turnovers to win on a 1-yard Michael Vick touchdown run, and Philadelphia moved to 2-0 for the first time since its Super Bowl appearance in 2004.

Jaguars 22, Colts 17

At 0-2 and on the road against AFC South division rival Indianapolis, Jacksonville quarterback Blaine Gabbert hit receiver Cecil Shorts for a short completion that turned into an 80-yard race for the end zone with just 45 seconds remaining to stun the hometown crowd. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew had a breakout performance with 177 yards and a touchdown after holding out for most of the preseason over a contract dispute, helping the Jaguars overcome a 300-plus-yard, two score game by Colts' rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.

Titans 44, Lions 41

Forty-six fourth quarter points and several head-scratching calls by the replacement officials working their final week deadlocked this game at 41 apiece at the end of regulation. A Rob Bironas 26-yard chip shot was ultimately the difference as Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns to get the Titans off the snide at home for their first win of the season.

Ravens 31, Patriots 30

A rematch of the hard-fought 2011 AFC Championship Game won by New England, Ravens' wideout Torrey Smith hauled in six catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns just a day after his younger brother died of a motorcycle accident. In a game that saw six lead changes, Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco (382 yards, 3 touchdowns) mounted a fourth quarter comeback with four minutes left to avenge the team's final game last season. Rookie kicker Justin Tucker sealed the home with with a 27-yard field goal as time expired.

Packers 28, Saints 27

Trying to dodge a 1-3 start to the season after a questionable call by replacement referees gave away the previous week's game, the Packers won the quarterback duel between Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees, which definitely lived up to the billing. Rodgers finished with 319 yards, four touchdowns and a pick to Brees' 446 yards and three touchdowns. In the loss, Brees tied Johnny Unitas' all-time record of at least one touchdown pass in 47 consecutive regular-season games.

Colts 30, Packers 27

Wide receiver Reggie Wayne totaled 212 receiving yards on 13 catches, including a touchdown with 35 seconds remaining, and the Colts, who finished with a 2-14 record the previous season, knocked off the visiting Packers, tops in the league in 2011 at 15-1. Down 21-3 at the half, Indianapolis scored 19 unanswered points before eventually overcoming a five-point hole in the waning seconds of the game for their biggest win of the season.

Seahawks 24, Patriots 23

Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson had his best game to date with 293 yards passing and three touchdowns to outplay future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and keep the Seahawks undefeated at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. A 23-10 New England advantage with less than 10 minutes to go would not be enough. A 46-yard Wilson completion to Sidney Rice with 1:18 left in the game was the difference as Seattle stunned the once-thought invincible Pats.

Broncos 35, Chargers 24

Down 24-0 at halftime in a crucial AFC West division game at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, the Denver defense and quarterback Peyton Manning willed their team back with 35 unanswered second-half points for a win that was the fourth-largest regular season comeback in NFL history. The game has seemingly spun around both teams' seasons. Since then, the Broncos have rattled off consecutive wins to move to 5-3 riding a streak of three in a row, while San Diego has stumbled to a record of 4-4, including a Week 8, 7-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns.