ST. LOUIS — A quarterback change, a supreme defensive effort and placekicker Greg Zuerlein’s right foot contributed to a 22-7 upset Sunday as the St. Louis Rams stunned Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

In his first game as the starting quarterback since injuring his groin in Week 1, Shaun Hill threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, completing 20 of 29 passes and avoiding the big mistakes which plagued the team in their first nine games. The Rams led wire-to-wire and had the antidote for the Broncos’ prolific league-leading offense.

“You score seven points in this league, you’re not going to beat a whole lot of teams,” Denver coach John Fox said.

Aside from Manning’s 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders with 2:22 left in the first half, the Rams (4-6) kept everything in front of them. They missed few tackles and generated just enough pressure on Manning to rush a few throws.

Zuerlein accounted for most of St. Louis’ points with field goals of 37, 29, 22, 55 and 53 yards. He also boomed six touchbacks, contributing to a field position advantage for the Rams. The Broncos (7-3) never started a drive beyond their own 25.

Manning completed 34 of 54 passes for 389 yards, marking the first time in four games that he had topped 300 yards against the Rams. But he tossed two fourth-quarter interceptions and saw his NFL-record streak of 15 straight games with at least two touchdown passes end.

Chiefs 24, Seahawks 20

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Behind a strong second-half defensive effort that stymied the Seahawks three times on fourth down plays, Kansas City won its fifth game in a row, beating Seattle.

The victory left the Chiefs with a 7-3 record and with Denver losing to St. Louis, Kansas City is tied for first place in the AFC West with a trip coming up Thursday night to play winless Oakland.

The Seahawks fell to 6-4, falling further behind division-leading Arizona in the NFC West.

Running back Jamaal Charles scored twice and ran for 159 yards, fueling the Chiefs’ offense that had trouble producing much from quarterback Alex Smith and the passing game against Seattle’s defense.

Russell Wilson threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Marshawn Lynch had 124 yards rushing for the Seahawks.

49ers 16, Giants 10

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Eli Manning threw five interceptions, two of which came in enemy territory, as San Francisco handed the New York Giants their fifth straight loss.

It was the first multi-interception game since Week 2 for Manning, who finished 21 of 41 for 276 yards.

San Francisco rookie linebacker Chris Borland intercepted a fourth-down pass by Manning at the 49ers 2 with 4:43 to play to cap a goal-line stand.

Colin Kaepernick, who finished 15 of 29 for 193 yards, connected with receiver Michael Crabtree on a 48-yard touchdown pass.

The 49ers (6-4) won their second straight on the road. The Giants dropped to 3-7.

Falcons 19, Panthers 17

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Matt Bryant’s fourth field goal of the game, a 44-yarder with 2:08 remaining, was enough for Atlanta to beat Carolina and gain a tie for first place in the lowly NFC South despite a 4-6 record.

Carolina kicker Graham Gano was wide left on a 46-yard field goal attempt with 1:22 left after the Falcons had exhausted their timeouts. Gano’s 63-yarder on the game’s last play was deflected by rookie defensive end Ra’Shede Hageman at the line of scrimmage.

Cam Newton threw two touchdown passes in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter as the Panthers (3-7-1) rallied from a 13-point deficit to take a 17-16 lead. Newton threw for 292 yards, but had just 99 coming into the fourth quarter. He was sacked twice and had two interceptions. The Panthers have lose five straight.

Atlanta used a 12-play, 54-yard drive consuming 4:12 to set up the winning field goal. Matt Ryan completed 31 of 45 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown.

Bengals 27, Saints 10

NEW ORLEANS — One week removed from the worst performance of his NFL career, Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes and rookie Jeremy Hill ran for 152 yards to power Cincinnati Bengals over New Orleans.

In a 24-3 home loss to Cleveland last week, Dalton had an abysmal quarterback rating of 2.0 after completing just 10 of 33 passes and throwing three interceptions. Against the Saints, he sliced up the beleaguered secondary, completing 16 of 22 for 220 yards and compiling a career-best QB rating of 143.9.

The Bengals (6-3-1) converted nine of their first 11 third-down situations, including five that were third-and-8 or longer.

Drew Brees passed for 255 yards and one touchdown for the Saints (4-6.) It was the Saints’ worst loss in the Superdome since a 34-13 defeat to Denver in 2004.

Texans 23, Browns 7

CLEVELAND — Quarterback Ryan Mallett made his first NFL start, passing for two touchdowns, as Houston beat Cleveland.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak by the Browns (6-4) and put a dent in their chances at an AFC North title.

Mallett, in his fourth NFL season and first with the Texans (5-5), threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-5, 290-pound defensive end J.J. Watt and a 20-yard score to tight end Garrett Graham in the first half.

The Houston defense did the rest by burying Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer with a relentless pass rush led by Watt. Hoyer finished 20 of 50 for 330 yards.

Bears 21, Vikings 13

CHICAGO — Jay Cutler threw three touchdown passes and Chicago used a ball-control offense to dominate Minnesota and end a three-game losing streak.

It was the first home victory of the season (in four games) for the Bears (4-6), who a week earlier had become the first NFL team in 91 years to allow 50 points in successive games.

Minnesota (4-6), led by rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, never was a threat to score many points. The Vikings managed a first-quarter touchdown only because of a 48-yard run by backup safety Andrew Sandejo on a fake punt, which led to a 7-yard touchdown pass from Bridgewater to tight end Rhett Ellison.

But despite Chicago’s domination, the game remained close because the Bears could not finish their drives and was not clinched until an end-zone interception by safety Ryan Mundy with 42 seconds remaining.

Buccaneers 27, Redskins 7

LANDOVER, Md. — Tampa Bay rookie wide receiver Mike Evans caught seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns as Tampa Bay cruised over Washington.

The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans, the seventh overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, beat safety Ryan Clark and cornerback Bashaud Breeland for a 36-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh McCown with 4:36 left in the third quarter.

Just 5:29 later, inside linebacker Perry Riley was left in single coverage on Evans, who easily beat him for a 56-yard bomb from McCown, who finished 15 of 23 for 288 yards for the Bucs (2-8).

Robert Griffin III was sacked six times and finished 23 of 32 for 207 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions for the Redskins (3-7). Griffin has been sacked 11 times in two games since returning from a dislocated ankle.