(Best E Casino) -- In the span of a little over 17 minutes of playing time, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden went from goat to genius and quarterback Brian Griese quickly transformed himself from scapegoat into savior.

Gruden's abrupt decision to replace incumbent Jeff Garcia with Griese under center just one week into the season didn't look like a wise choice for the majority of Sunday's game with the Chicago Bears. But the veteran signal- caller helped justify his boss' controversial call by sparking a furious late rally that enabled Tampa Bay to leave Soldier Field with an improbable 27-24 victory.

The outlook appeared mighty bleak for the Bucs after the Bears converted Griese's third interception of the afternoon into a touchdown that extended Chicago's lead to 24-14 with 6:38 remaining in regulation. The journeyman quarterback would shake off the turnover, however, and orchestrate a pair of scoring drives to send the contest into overtime.

The tying points came via a one-yard touchdown toss from Griese to tight end Jerramy Stevens with just seven seconds left on the game clock. Tampa Bay marched 79 yards in 11 plays against Chicago's formidable defense in less than two minutes.

Griese, a former Bear who was displaced as that team's No. 1 quarterback midway through last season, later engineered a 12-play, 90-yard drive in overtime that culminated with Matt Bryant's game-winning 21-yard field goal. The kick was set up by a 38-yard deep strike from Griese to favorite target Antonio Bryant, one of the rejuvenated wideout's career-best 10 catches on the day.

By the time the final whistle blew, Griese had attempted a franchise-record 67 passes and completed 38 of them for a career-high 407 yards and two touchdowns. His yardage total was the third-highest output in team history.

Most of Griese's throws were made during Tampa Bay's final four drives with the team in desperate comeback mode. The 33-year-old put up 36 passes and the Bucs ran the ball just six times during that span.

"I know its not a recipe for success in the long run," said Griese, who has guided Tampa to two straight wins since supplanting Garcia. "But today it was a necessity for the style of defense that the Bears have. In the NFL today, you have to be able to adapt and find ways to win, and that's what we did."

QUICK HITS: Antonio Bryant finished with 138 receiving yards, his highest total since a 170-yard output as a rookie with Dallas on December 29, 2002... Stevens, suspended for the first two games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, hauled in five passes for 61 yards...Griese was not sacked at all during the game...Second-year defensive end Gaines Adams had his first career interception and touchdown with a 45-yard pick return in the second quarter...Veteran wide receiver Joey Galloway missed Sunday's test with a foot sprain and is considered questionable to play in this week's game against Green Bay...Rookie cornerback Aqib Talib was also inactive due to a hamstring strain.

NEXT UP: Defending NFC North champion Green Bay (2-1) visits Raymond James Stadium this Sunday for a battle between 2007 playoff participants. The teams haven't met since a 17-16 Buccaneers' victory at Lambeau Field in 2005. The Packers are coming off a 27-16 home loss to powerhouse Dallas last Sunday.

ATLANTA: The Falcons are already halfway to reaching last season's meager four-win total after just three games of the 2008 campaign. Two weeks to the day of the team's breakthrough 34-21 home victory over Detroit in Week 1, Atlanta took advantage of a mistake-laden Kansas City squad to cruise to a 38-14 rout at the Georgia Dome.

The Falcons used a very similar formula to that employed in the Detroit game, in which first-year head coach Mike Smith's troops racked up a club-record 318 rushing yards on a suspect Lions defense. Atlanta churned out 186 yards on the ground against the Chiefs, with top back Michael Turner producing 104 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on 23 attempts.

Turner, who amassed an eye-popping 220 yards on 22 carries against the Lions, has a league-best 366 rushing yards through three weeks of play, while the ex- San Diego Charger's five rushing touchdowns is tied with Miami's Ronnie Brown for tops in the NFL.

Atlanta also received quite a contribution from a young and improving defense on Sunday. The Falcons forced the wayward Chiefs to go three-and-out on their first six possessions and intercepted new quarterback Tyler Thigpen three times, with second-year cornerback Chris Houston returning the final pick 10 yards for a touchdown in the closing minutes.

"Our defense responded well," said free safety Erik Coleman, who had one of Atlanta's three interceptions and added 10 solo tackles along with a forced fumble. "You definitely have to take advantage of a young quarterback. I think our defensive line did a good job getting pressure."

QUICK HITS: Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan was an efficient 12-of-18 passing for 192 yards and no interceptions. The 2008 first-round selection delivered a perfectly-thrown deep ball to wide receiver Roddy White in the first quarter that resulted in a 70-yard touchdown...White ended with 119 yards on five receptions...Backup running back Jerious Norwood contributed 75 yards on just 11 carries in Sunday's win, including a 44-yard burst in the fourth quarter... Defensive end John Abraham had two sacks and a forced fumble against the Chiefs, giving the elite pass rusher six QB takedowns through three games... Rookie offensive tackle Sam Baker, who left last week's loss at Tampa Bay due to a concussion, sat out the second half of Sunday's game with dizziness and nausea...Wide receiver Laurent Robinson suffered a left knee sprain during the win.

NEXT UP: The youthful Falcons hit the road this weekend for a key divisional test with Carolina at Bank of America Stadium. Atlanta is seeking to come away victorious for a third straight year in Charlotte, with the club posting a 20-13 upset over the Panthers in Week 10 of last season.

CAROLINA: The highly-anticipated return of dynamic wide receiver Steve Smith failed to provide an expected boost to the Panthers' offense, as the unit had its most stagnant performance of the young season in Sunday's 20-10 road loss to Minnesota.

Carolina mustered a paltry 204 total yards on a revved-up Vikings defense, including a mere 47 on the ground against the unit that yielded the fewest rushing yards in the league last season.

Smith did make an impact in his first game back from a team-issued two-game suspension for a well-publicized fight with teammate Ken Lucas during training camp. The three-time Pro Bowl honoree recorded 70 yards on four catches, including a leaping 29-yard grab in the second quarter during the Panthers' lone touchdown drive of the day.

Like the rest of the Carolina offense, Smith was held squarely in check by the Vikings in the second half, however. The big-play wideout had just a 10-yard reception after intermission, while the entire unit managed just 73 yards and four first downs over the final two quarters.

"We knew that coming into the game that (the Vikings) were very talented, especially up front on defense, and it proved to be true," said Panthers fullback Brad Hoover. "Early on in the game we were able to do some things, and then we sort of muttered out toward the end of the second quarter and in the second half."

Carolina took a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter with a well-executed 11- play, 84-yard drive, but the Minnesota defense put the clamps on Carolina over the remainder of the afternoon. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme endured five sacks and fumbled three times during the contest, with the Vikings recovering two of those loose footballs.

One of the fumbles was forced by cornerback Antoine Winfield, who throttled Delhomme on a corner blitz late in the first half and returned the resulting turnover 19 yards for a momentum-turning touchdown that tied the game at 10-10.

QUICK HITS: Rookie running back Jonathan Stewart scored his third touchdown of the season with a two-yard run in the first half, but was held to only 15 yards on seven attempts. Stewart averaged 5.4 yards per rush over Carolina's first two games...Cornerback Chris Gamble moved into sole possession of second place on the Panthers' all-time interception list with a first-quarter pick. The fifth-year pro now has 18 career INT's and broke a tie he held with former teammate Mike Minter...Defensive end Julius Peppers took down Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte in the second half for his first sack since Week 11 of last season...Rookie reserve linebacker Dan Connor will be placed on injured reserve after tearing the ACL in his left knee during Sunday's loss.

SAINTS: The absence of ultra-productive wide receiver Marques Colston did little to slow down the Saints' passing game this past Sunday. New Orleans amassed an impressive 504 yards of total offense, 414 of which came through the air, and totaled 27 first downs in its Week 3 matchup at Denver.

Despite that prolific output, the Saints couldn't dig themselves out of an early 18-point hole in a wild 34-32 shootout loss to the still-undefeated Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Quarterback Drew Brees broke his own club record for completions in a single game with 39 connections in 48 attempts. The standout signal-caller finished the afternoon with 421 passing yards, the third-highest total of his eight- year career.

A number of players stepped up to offset the loss of Colston, who is expected to miss at least a couple of more weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb. Versatile running back Reggie Bush hauled in 11 of Brees' throws for 75 yards and a touchdown, while ex-Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey had an additional 75 yards on eight grabs in his best game as a Saint to date. Return specialist Lance Moore set career-highs with seven receptions and 78 yards on the afternoon.

Second-year wideout Robert Meachem also made a significant contribution with a 74-yard hookup with Brees midway through the third quarter. The huge play set up Bush's six-yard scoring catch on the ensuing snap that pulled New Orleans within 31-26.

For as much good as the Saints did on offense, the team still wound up coming up short because of a handful of costly mistakes. A Bush fumble early in the second quarter was returned for a touchdown by the Broncos' Nate Webster to give the hosts a 21-3 lead. Kicker Martin Gramatica misfired on a pair of field goal attempts, including a 43-yard try with two minutes left that would have put New Orleans in front.

The Saints' depth at receiver will be further tested in the coming weeks, as the team announced Monday that Shockey will undergo surgery to repair a sports hernia. The procedure will sideline the boisterous tight end between 4-to-6 weeks.

QUICK HITS: Second-year running back Pierre Thomas had a pair of scoring runs on Sunday, the undrafted free agent's first career multi-touchdown game...Bush added a 23-yard run in the second quarter and finished the day with 148 yards from scrimmage (75 receiving, 73 rushing)...Left offensive tackle Jammal Brown (groin) and cornerback Randall Gay (hamstring) both left the Denver game with injuries...Cornerback Mike McKenzie played in his first regular-season game since tearing his ACL last December and had an interception along with four tackles.

NEXT UP: The Saints will attempt to regroup when the surprising San Francisco 49ers invade the Superdome this Sunday. San Francisco, which won just five times a year ago, is off to a 2-1 start following last week's 31-13 victory over Detroit. The teams will be meeting for the first time since the Lions came through with a 13-12 decision in San Antonio during the 2005 season.