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Cowboys, Eagles stake claims as NFC powers

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

If you’re looking for NFC powerhouses, try the Cowboys and Eagles.

Dallas and Philadelphia each improved to 5-1 on Sunday with impressive performances. The Cowboys went into Seattle and edged the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks 30-23. A few hours later, Philadelphia routed the New York Giants 27-0.

DeMarco Murray again rushed for more than 100 yards and scored on a 15-yard run with 3:16 left as the Cowboys stunned Seattle 30-23.

Dallas, 5-1 for the first time since 2007, overcame a pair of special teams turnovers to become the first team outside the NFC West to win in Seattle since 2011.

“I think that showed the maturity of this team. We expected to win,” Dallas tight end Jason Witten said. “We knew this was going to be a challenge and we stayed the course.”

The course couldn’t have been rougher for the Giants at Philadelphia. Connor Barwin had three of the Eagles’ eight sacks.

“Bill Davis, our defensive coordinator, called a great game, moved us around up front, their O-Line couldn’t get a read on what we were doing,” Barwin said.

Monday night, San Francisco (3-2) is at St. Louis (1-3).

The Week 6 action began Thursday night when Indianapolis improved to 4-2 by beating Houston (3-3) 33-28.

Off this week were Kansas City (2-3) and New Orleans (2-3).

COWBOYS 30, SEAHAWKS 23

Murray’s touchdown run capped a 75-yard drive that saw Tony Romo convert a third-and-20 with a pass to Terrance Williams along the sideline.

Murray had 115 yards on 29 carries to join Jim Brown as the only running backs in NFL history to open a season with six straight 100-yard games. Murray also had six receptions for 31 yards.

Tony Romo was 21 of 32 for 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

“I think our team now understands that we do a lot of things pretty well and I think we have the ability to kind of impose yourself on other teams,” Romo said.

Russell Wilson had a 9-yard touchdown run, and Mike Morgan returned a blocked punt 25 yards for a score for Seattle (3-2).

EAGLES 27, GIANTS 0

Wearing all-black uniforms for the first time in franchise history, the Eagles shut out an opponent for the first time since a 24-0 win over the Giants on Dec. 1, 1996, at old Veterans Stadium.

Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes and LeSean McCoy had a season-high 149 yards rushing.

“There’s been so much talk about this and that … we were confident and we played our game,” McCoy said. “We’re 5-1.”

A rough night for the Giants (3-3) became worse when wide receiver Victor Cruz tore the patellar tendon his right knee while leaping for a pass on fourth down from the Eagles 3 in the third quarter. Cruz, a 2012 Pro Bowl pick, was crying and holding his hands to his face as he was carted off the field with an injury that’s expected to end his season.

RAVENS 48, BUCCANEERS 17

At Tampa, Joe Flacco threw for four touchdowns in the first quarter and five altogether — all in the first half. Baltimore (4-2) scored on six straight possessions to begin the game, with Flacco throwing touchdown passes on the first five. Torrey Smith caught the first two, and Kamar Aiken, Michael Campanaro and Steve Smith had the others as the Ravens rebounded from a road loss to Indianapolis.

“It was very enjoyable. You don’t get those too often in this league. … It was pretty crazy,” Flacco said. “It happened so quickly. It was such an awkward situation, but it was definitely fun for us.”

Not for the Buccaneers (1-5), who were embarrassed for the second time in six games under first-year coach Lovie Smith. The Bucs fell 56-14 at Atlanta on Sept. 18.

BRONCOS 31, JETS 17

During a much more successful trip to the Meadowlands than in February, the Broncos (4-1) did their best work running the ball and stopping the Jets’ ground game.

Yes, Peyton Manning connected with Julius Thomas twice and Demaryius Thomas once, leaving the Denver quarterback two shy of Brett Favre’s record for career touchdown passes. But Ronnie Hillman ran for 100 yards and Denver allowed only 31 yards rushing.

Manning has 506 touchdown passes, and could tie or break Favre’s record next Sunday at home against San Francisco.

Demaryius Thomas had 10 catches for 124 yards for Denver, whose last game at MetLife Stadium was a 43-8 loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl.

The Jets (1-5) have lost five in a row.

PATRIOTS 37, BILLS 22

Even with new owners, the Bills can’t handle the Patriots.

Tom Brady threw four touchdown passes and had his 60th 300-yard game to improve to 23-2 against the Bills (3-3). Brandon LaFell had two touchdown catches, including a 56-yarder, and the Patriots (4-2) forced three turnovers.

Brady finished 27 of 37 for 361 yards to spoil the Bills’ first game under new owners Terry and Kim Pegula and before a loud crowd at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“I’m not sure really, historically,” Brady said. “It’s good to be on the winning end.”

CARDINALS 30, REDSKINS 20

Carson Palmer returned from a five-week absence to throw two touchdown passes, and host Arizona took the NFC West lead.

Larry Fitzgerald caught six passes for a season-high 98 yards and his first touchdown of the season to help the Cardinals (4-1) bounce back from a 41-20 drubbing at Denver.

Kirk Cousins was 24 for 38 for 354 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson for the Redskins (1-5), but threw three fourth-quarter interceptions. Washington has lost four straight and 13 of 14.

Palmer had not played since damaging a nerve in his throwing shoulder in the season-opening win over San Diego.

PANTHERS 37, BENGALS 37, OT

No one came away satisfied in Cincinnati. Especially Mike Nugent.

The Bengals kicker missed a 36-yard field goal attempt on the final play of overtime. It was the Bengals’ second tie at home in six years: They finished 13-13 with Philadelphia in their last overtime game at Paul Brown Stadium in 2008.

Nugent made a 42-yard field goal that put Cincinnati (3-1-1) up after the opening drive of overtime. Carolina (3-2-1) tied it on Graham Gano’s 36-yarder with 2:19 left.

Andy Dalton was nearly perfect in overtime, going 8 for 9 for 87 yards with one throwaway. He led the Bengals into range to win it, but Nugent sliced the kick wide right.

BROWNS 31, STEELERS 10

A rarity in Cleveland: the Browns over the Steelers.

Brian Hoyer passed for 217 yards, with a 51-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Cameron. Hoyer improved to 6-2 as the starter as the surprising Browns (3-2) beat the Steelers for the third time in 23 games. Cleveland hadn’t beaten Pittsburgh so badly since a 51-0 victory in 1989.

Ben Tate had two TDs rushing and rookie Isaiah Crowell added another. Pittsburgh fell to 3-3, which is the worst record in the AFC North.

CHARGERS 31, RAIDERS 28

At Oakland, rookie Branden Oliver scored on a 1-yard run with 1:56 to play to spoil interim coach Tony Sparano’s Raiders debut. Oliver rushed for 101 yards.

Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes to give San Diego (5-1) its fifth straight win and send Oakland (0-5) to its 11th straight loss.

Rookie Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes for the Raiders.

PACKERS 27, DOLPHINS 24

The visiting Packers (4-2) staged a late rally in the South Florida heat. Aaron Rodgers threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Quarless with 3 seconds left.

Green Bay trailed 24-17 before Rodgers directed a 68-yard drive for a field goal with 4:09 to go. Miami couldn’t move the ball, and Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson on fourth-and-10 for 18 yards to keep the winning drive alive.

Rodgers finished with three touchdown passes and 264 yards while committing no turnovers against the Dolphins (2-3), who lost despite the return of six starters who had missed playing time.

BEARS 27, FALCONS 13

At Atlanta, Jay Cutler threw for 381 yards and a touchdown, while Matt Forte ran for two second-half scores. Chicago (3-3) has won three of four away from Soldier Field, though there were so many Bears fans at the Georgia Dome that it seemed almost like a neutral site.

The Falcons (2-4) lost their third in a row and for the first time at home. They had rallied from a 13-3 halftime deficit to tie it before Forte put it away.

LIONS 17, VIKINGS 3

At Minneapolis, Tahir Whitehead intercepted two passes, and Joique Bell put the game away with a fourth-quarter touchdown run. Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush were sidelined, so Detroit’s defense stepped up, getting eight sacks, 2 1/2 by Ziggy Ansah. The Lions (4-2) are tied with Green Bay atop the NFC North.

Rookie Teddy Bridgewater threw three interceptions in his second career start for the Vikings (2-4).

TITANS 16, JAGUARS 14

At Nashville, the Titans snapped their four-game slide and kept Jacksonville winless.

Sammie Hill blocked a field goal attempt in the final seconds and Ryan Succop kicked three field goals to help the Titans (2-4) bounce back after blowing the biggest lead ever by a home team in the regular season against Cleveland.

Jurrell Casey had two of Tennessee’s six sacks as the Titans won their first game at home this season — only their second here in nine games.

The Jaguars (0-6) scored with 37 seconds left, recovered an onside kick, but Hill got his right fingers on Josh Scobee’s 55-yard field-goal try.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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