Indianapolis and New Orleans both improved to 10-0 in the NFL on Sunday, although they achieved the feat in very different circumstances.
The Colts did it the hard way, edging out the Baltimore Ravens 17-15, with former Ravens kicker Matt Stover slotting over the winning field goal with 7:02 left.
Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning went 22 for 31 for 299 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as his team won their 19th successive regular-season game - the second best run in NFL history.
The Saints meanwhile thrashed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-7 thanks to another masterful display from Drew Brees.
Brees threw for three touchdowns and failed to give up an interception for the first time since the October 18 meeting against the Giants.
He completed 19 of 29 passes for 187 yards before being replaced by Mark Brunell late in the fourth quarter.
Robert Meacham caught two touchdown passes while Mike Bell also ran in two scores.
San Diego took sole possession of first place in the AFC West by routing the Broncos 32-3 in Denver.
The Chargers rushed for over 200 yards while the Broncos struggled badly in the red zone, even after Kyle Orton replaced Chris Simms at quarterback.
Brett Favre starred as the Minnesota Vikings overcame the Seattle Seahawks 35-9.
Favre completed a career-high 88% of his passes for 213 yards and four touchdown passes including three in a one-sided second quarter.
Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck was 19 of 26 for 231 yards and one interception.
New England gained revenge for their defeat at the hands of the New York Jets earlier in the season as they won 31-14 in Foxboro.
Tom Brady threw for 310 yards while opposite number Mark Sanchez struggled badly, completing just eight of 21 passes for 136 yards. He also turned the ball over five times (four interceptions and a fumble).
Dallas edged out Washington 7-6 to get back to winning ways, but only just.
The Cowboys had only one scoring drive, Tony Romo hitting Patrick Crayton for a 10-yard score late on but it proved to be enough.
The New York Giants stayed just a game back from Dallas in the NFC East with a dramatic 34-31 overtime win over Atlanta.
Lawrence Tynes booted the game-winning 36-yard field goal in the extra period, to cap a nailbiting afternoon for the Giants.
Eli Manning threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns while Mario Manningham caught six of his passes for 126 yards.
Philadelphia are also still right in the playoff race after overcoming Chicago 24-20 on Sunday night.
Donovan McNabb threw for 244 yards and a pair of scores, including a 48-yarder to DeSean Jackson.
The Eagles wrapped up victory when Sean Jones intercepted a Jay Cutler pass inside the final minute.
Oakland sprang a big shock by rallying late to stun Cincinnati 20-17.
The Raiders rallied from 17-10 down inside the final minute, as first Bruce Gradkowski's 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie Louis Murphy with 41 seconds tied the game. Then Oakland then recovered an Andre Caldwell fumble on the resulting kickoff, setting up Sebastian Janikowski's gama-winning 33-yard field goal with 15 seconds left.
Arizona strengthened their hold on the NFC West with a 21-13 victory over St Louis.
Marc Bulger's second fumble of the day inside the final minute made victory safe for the Cards, for whom Kurt Warner tossed a pair of touchdown passes.
The Jacksonville Jaguars achieved their first three-game winning streak in almost two years by beating the Buffalo Bills 18-15.
David Garrard connected with Mike Sims-Walker with just 56 seconds remaining to hand the Jaguars victory.
Green Bay made it two wins on the spin by overcoming San Francisco 30-24.
Aaron Rodgers threw for 344 yards and a couple of scores for the Packers, who raced into a 23-3 half-time lead before holding off a late rally by the Niners.
Kansas City produced a major upset by notching a 27-24 overtime win over Super Bowl champions Pittsburgh.
Ryan Succop kicked a 22-yard field goal to clinch victory for the Chiefs, who ended a 10-game home losing streak.
Detroit and Cleveland may be two of the worst teams in the league in terms of records, but they produced a real thriller as the Lions pipped the Browns 38-37.
Matthew Stafford hit Brandon Pettigrew with a one-yard scoring pass inside the final two minutes to clinch victory for Detroit.
It was Stafford's fifth touchdown pass of the day as he racked up 422 yards through the air.
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