The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints moved to 13-0 while Philadelphia took charge of the NFC East in week 14.
Eagles dare in New York as Dallas' December woes continue
The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints both took their records to 13-0 while the play-off picture remains unclear after an action-packed week 14 of the NFL season.
Gallery | Results | Standings
Quarterback Peyton Manning threw for four touchdowns as the Colts beat the Denver Broncos 28-16 - their 22nd consecutive regular season win.
Fellow unbeatens New Orleans edged past NFC South rivals Atlanta Falcons, a result that seal a bye week at the start of the post season.
Elsewhere, Adrian Peterson rushed for two touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings eased past the Cincinnati Bengals to remain perfect at home.
The Green Bay Packers look set for a wildcard berth after success at Soldier Field, while the New England Patriots got back to winning ways.
December is proving to be a month of contrasting fortunes for the Chargers and Cowboys, who are now trailing the in-form Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
New Orleans Saints 26-23 Atlanta Falcons
New Orleans edged past NFC South rivals Atlanta Falcons, with quarterback Drew Brees throwing for 296 yards and three touchdowns.
But it took a Garrett Hartley field goal with less than five minutes remaining to win it for the Saints, who had to go to overtime to get past Washington last week.
Brees twice found running back Reggie Bush in the end zone while also connecting on a three-yarder with Marques Colston to clinch a first-round bye in the play-offs.
The Falcons - who managed 392 total yards, one more than their opponents - pushed them all the way, though, levelling the scores at 23 apiece thanks to Jason Snelling's four-yard score on the ground.
Denver Broncos 16-28 Indianapolis Colts
Peyton Manning threw four touchdowns as the Colts beat the Broncos despite a record-breaking day from Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
Their 13th straight home success was built around three touchdowns from Manning to tight end Dallas Clark, the last of which sealed the result with just over two minutes to play in the final quarter.
Marshall reeled in 21 passes, breaking the previous best mark of 20 held by Terrell Owens since 2000, for 200 yards and two touchdowns, both five-yard efforts from quarterback Kyle Orton.
Indianapolis, who have wrapped up home field advantage in the play-offs, have now not lost a regular season game since falling to the Tennessee Titans 31-21 back in October 2008.
Cincinnati Bengals 10-30 Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings sealed a play-off berth after remaining perfect in front of their own fans this season with a crushing win over the Bengals, who lost for the first time this year against a team from the NFC North.
A pair of rushing touchdowns from Adrian Peterson and three first-half field goals from the boot of Ryan Longwell helped Minnesota (10-2) bounce back from their week 13 loss in Arizona.
The home team's defence also turned in a strong performance, restricting Carson Palmer to just 94 yards of passing, though he did throw a 15-yarder to Chad Ochocinco in the end zone.
Cedric Benson managed 96 yards on the ground for the Bengals, who saw their defence give up 30 points for the first time this campaign.
Detroit Lions 3-48 Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore ran all over Detroit to remain in the hunt for a wildcard berth, handing the Lions their heaviest loss in 18 years.
Ray Rice managed 219 yards of offence on his own in the rout, the running back rushing for 166 of those on just 13 carries, one of which was a 59-yard TD run.
With a 20-3 lead at the break, Baltimore had the luxury of resting their starters during the second half, though that didn't stop the points continuing to flow.
Le'Ron McClain went in from three yards out before Willis McGahee helped himself to a pair of touchdowns on the ground. Back-up quarterback Troy Smith also scored on a 15-yard run, while all Detroit mustered in reply was a lone Jason Hanson field goal in the second quarter.
Green Bay Packers 21-14 Chicago Bears
Ryan Grant rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns to help the in-form Packers improve to 9-4 and tighten their grip on one of the two wildcard berths available in the NFC.
From Green Bay's first play from scrimmage Grant galloped in for a 62-yard score that helped his side open up a 13-0 lead, their other points coming from the boot of Mason Crosby.
However the Bears - who have now lost seven of their last nine outings - moved ahead when Jay Cutler threw touchdowns to Johnny Knox and Devin Aromashodu either side of half time.
An interception, one of two on the day, from Cutler cost his team dear though, as the turnover in the fourth quarter led to Grant going in for the game-winning TD from one yard out.
Carolina Panthers 10-20 New England Patriots
The Patriots ended a two-game losing streak with a determined victory over Carolina that means they remain ahead in the AFC East with an 8-5 record.
Wes Welker had 105 yards receiving on 10 catches but it was on the ground where New England excelled, as they managed 185 yards rushing.
Laurence Maroney led the way with 94 yards on 22 carries, while Kevin Faulk contributed 58 and a second-quarter touchdown that levelled the scores at 7-7.
A pair of Stephen Gostkowski field goals clinched the result for the Pats, as the Panthers only mustered three points from the boot of kicker John Kasay after taking an early lead on Matt Moore's 41-yard pass to Steve Smith.
St. Louis Rams 7-47 Tennessee Titans
Chris Johnson starred again for Tennessee as they kept their slim play-off ambitions alive by thumping the hapless Rams at LP Field.
Running back Johnson had his eighth consecutive 100-yard rushing game and also 69 yards receiving to take his tally this season to 2,017 yards from scrimmage.
The 24-year-old finished the day with three touchdowns - two of them coming on the ground. The Titans used two quarterbacks during the game, Kerry Collins replacing the injured Vince Young, while Rob Bironas booted four field goals, his longest effort coming from 50 yards out.
Rookie quarterback Keith Null endured a tough debut for the Rams, throwing five interceptions. Vince Fuller managed one of the picks and duly ran the ball back all the way to the end zone.
Philadelphia Eagles 45-38 New York Giants
The Eagles certainly dared in the Big Apple, coming out on top at the end of a thrilling NFC East battle on Sunday night, to put themselves in pole position to win the division.
DeSean Jackson continued his penchant for big plays, returning a punt 72 yards to the end zone and then reeling in a 60-yarder from Donovan McNabb, one of two TD passes from the quarterback.
Philadelphia led 30-17 at the break after a one-yard rushing touchdown from Michael Vick but were forced to weather an almighty comeback bid from their hosts.
Eli Manning completed 27 of 38 passes for 391 yards whilst Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw both managed rushing touchdowns for the Giants. However their combined efforts were not enough to win the highest scoring game betwween the two rivals, meaning Tom Coughlin's team slip to 7-6.
San Diego Chargers 20-17 Dallas Cowboys
San Diego made it 16 straight wins in the month of December with an impressive road success over Dallas, who slipped back behind Philadelphia in the NFC East.
The Chargers broke open a 10-10 tie in the fourth quarter when Philip Rivers capped a long drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass, the 100th of the quarterback's career, to tight end Antonio Gates.
They followed that up with Nate Kaeding's second field goal of the game to leave the Cowboys with too much to do in the closing minutes, despite Tony Romo's late, late TD pass to Patrick Crayton.
To make matters worse for Dallas, who have now lost two in a row and six of their last seven games in December, linebacker DeMarcus Ware was carted off the field with a neck injury.
Miami Dolphins 14-10 Jacksonville Jaguars
The Dolphins triumphed in Jacksonville to move above .500 for the first time this season and end the Jaguars' five-game winning run on home soil.
Ricky Williams rushed for 108 yards and a TD while quarterback Chad Henne also found the end zone on the ground, his one-yard run helping Miami (7-6) move 14-0 ahead midway through the second quarter.
From then on the Dolphins relied on their defence to seal the win. Maurice Jones-Drew did run in from one yard out to halve the deficit before the interval but finished with just 59 yards on 18 carries.
All the Jaguars managed in the second half was a 25-yard field goal from Josh Scobee. Their hopes of a late TD to win the game disappeared when quarterback David Garrard was sacked for a third time.
New York Jets 26-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Jets remain in the running for the play-offs thanks to a 26-3 result on the road against a Tampa Bay team who have still only managed one win this season.
Tail-back Thomas Jones had 99 yards and two touchdowns on the ground for the visitors, who were without starting quarterback Mark Sanchez due to injury.
Kellen Clemens had an easy job as the stand-in under centre - turn around and handing the ball off to Jones and Shonn Greene, who had 41 yards rushing on just six carries.
Jay Feely kicked four field goals while the Bucs' only points came from their kicker, Connor Barth slotting over a 43 yarder. Tampa Bay mustered only 124 yards of offence.
Seattle Seahawks 7-34 Houston Texans
Andre Johnson made sure the Texans stayed in the hunt for a wildcard place with a monster day against the Seahawks at Reliant Stadium.
The wide receiver went for 193 yards and two touchdowns - both in the first half - on just 11 catches to help Houston break a four-game losing run and move to 6-7 for the season.
Ryan Moats managed a TD run from four yards out while the Texans defence also found the end zone, Bernard Pollard taking an interception 70 yards to round out the scoring.
Seattle's only points came on a four-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to tight end John Carlson right at the end of the first half, although by then their injury-hit defence had already allowed 24 points.
Washington Redskins 34-13 Oakland Raiders
Quinton Ganther rushed for his first NFL touchdown, then followed up with another less than two minutes later, to help the Redskins dismantle the Raiders.
The running back scored twice on one-yard runs during the fourth quarter to follow up a pair of touchdowns from tight end Fred Davis.
Jason Campbell completed 16 of 28 pass attempts for 222 yards while new kicker Graham Gano landed field goals from 46 and 41 yards. The Raiders lone trip into the end zone came on a one-yard run from Justin Fargas. Both teams now own 4-9 records.
Buffalo Bills 16-10 Kansas City Chiefs
Buffalo's defence had four interceptions while Terrell Owens managed the visitors' only touchdown in a battle between two struggling teams at Arrowhead Stadium.
In the end Rian Lindell's boot won the game for the Bills, the kicker slotting over three field goals from 21, 41 and 36 yards out respectively.
The Chiefs, who got into the end zone on a 76-yard run by Jamaal Charles, still had their chances to win the game but quarterback Cassel endured a wretched fourth-quarter, being picked off twice in the final 131 seconds of a game that will not live long in the memory of those fans that turned up.
