BALTIMORE - The undefeated Indianapolis Colts found yet another way to win a close game, their 19th straight victory.
The 17-15 win secured on former Ravens kicker Matt Stover's go-ahead field goal gave Indianapolis (10-0), the second-longest streak in NFL history behind a 21-game run by the New England Patriots (2006-08). Indy received an inspired performance from the defence and overcame an uncharacteristic three turnovers.
Much to the dismay of the Ravens and their fans, Stover booted the decisive field goal with 7:02 left. Colts linebacker Gary Brackett then intercepted Joe Flacco's pass at the Indianapolis 13 with 2:42 remaining, and the Colts kept the ball until the closing seconds.
Baltimore's last gasp ended when Ed Reed fumbled on a punt return with 17 seconds left.
Indianapolis has won its last four games by a combined 10 points. The Colts usually rely on Peyton Manning, who fashioned a huge comeback against New England last week, but the credit for this victory belonged to a defence that did not allow a touchdown.
Billy Cundiff made field goals of 46, 44, 38, 36 and 20 yards in his debut with Baltimore (5-5). But he also was wide right on a 30-yard attempt that would have given the Ravens a 15-14 lead in the third quarter.
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Saints 38 Buccaneers 7
At Tampa, Fla., Drew Brees threw for three touchdowns and the Saints shrugged off a slow start defensively to remain unbeaten.
Robert Meacham caught touchdown passes of four and six yards in the first half. Third-string running back Mike Bell scored on runs of three and one yards in the second half, when New Orleans gained 147 of its 183 yards rushing. The Saints (10-0) have their first 10-game winning streak in franchise history.
A spate of turnovers made the Saints seem more vulnerable over the past month, but Brees didn't throw an interception for the first time in five games. The Saints also didn't allow a sack for the first time since Oct. 18 against the Giants.
Tampa Bay (1-9) drove 95 yards for a touchdown on its first possession. But Freeman had little success after his 18-yard scoring pass to Michael Clayton gave the Bucs a short-lived 7-0 lead.
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Chiefs 27 Steelers 24 (OT)
At Kansas City, Mo., Ryan Succop kicked a 22-yard field goal with 8:28 left in overtime after Chris Chambers' 61-yard catch-and-run, and the Chiefs snapped a team-record 10-game home losing streak.
The Super Bowl champs, with Charlie Batch replacing a shaken-up Ben Roethlisberger in overtime, had to punt on their first possession. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger's injury was a "concussion-oriented thing."
The Chiefs faced third down when Matt Cassel connected with Chambers, who went 61 yards before he was pushed out of bounds at the four-yard line. Succop, the final player drafted in April, kicked the game-winner for the Chiefs' first home victory in more than a year. Succop also had a 27-yarder that tied it 17-17 in the final seconds of the third quarter.
It was the second loss in a row for the Steelers (6-4), who were without injured Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu. The Steelers had the ball for almost 19 minutes longer than the Chiefs (3-7) and outgained them 463-206. The Chiefs stayed in it with a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 94-yard interception return.
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Vikings 35 Seahawks 9
At Minneapolis, Brett Favre completed a career-high 88 per cent of his passes for 213 yards and four touchdown passes and the Vikings delivered their most complete performance of the season.
Favre completed 22 of his 25 throws for the Vikings (9-1). His previous career high was 85.2 per cent against Detroit on Sept. 20. But he has only completed at least 80 per cent two other times in his previous 18 seasons in the league.
Favre threw touchdown passes to Percy Harvin, Visanthe Shiancoe and Bernard Berrian in a 21-point second quarter that got the Vikings rolling, then finished his day with a seven-yard pass to Sidney Rice with four minutes to play in the third quarter. It was his 22nd career game with at least four touchdown passes, surpassing Dan Marino.
Nate Burleson had six catches for 100 yards for Seattle (3-7), which rushed for a franchise-low four yards on 13 carries. The injury-ravaged Seahawks have lost seven of their last nine.
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Lions 38 Browns 37
At Detroit, an ailing Matthew Stafford threw his fifth touchdown pass from one yard to Brandon Pettigrew, and Jason Hanson's extra point with no time on the clock gave Detroit a thrilling win.
Detroit was given the untimed play because safety Hank Poteat was called for pass interference in the end zone when Stafford heaved a desperation attempt. Stafford was hit after his throw to the end zone and appeared to hurt his left shoulder or chest area. He was replaced by Daunte Culpepper.
The Browns, though, gave Stafford a chance to get back in the game by calling a timeout with the ball at the one-yard line. Stafford returned and connected with fellow rookie Pettigrew to snap Detroit's six-game losing streak.
The Lions (2-8) started the winning drive with 1:46 remaining and no timeouts. Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, did just enough to rally them for the win - helped hugely by the call that went against the Browns (1-9).
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Giants 34 Falcons 31 (OT)
At East Rutherford, N.J., Eli Manning and the offence bailed out the Giants' top-ranked defence.
Lawrence Tynes kicked a 36-yard field goal 3:54 into overtime to make up for an earlier miss after the defence blew a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.
Manning threw for a career-high 384 yards and three touchdown passes, including two to Kevin Boss, to help the Giants (6-4) snap a four-game skid coming off their bye week. Manning set up Tynes' winner when he connected with Mario Manningham for a 29-yard pass.
It wasn't an easy win for the Giants, though, as the defence - without injured linebacker Antonio Pierce indefinitely - couldn't hold a 31-17 lead against Matt Ryan and the Falcons (5-5).
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Cowboys 7 Redskins 6
At Arlington, Texas, Tony Romo led a single scoring drive, hitting Patrick Crayton for a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:41 left to preserve first place in the NFC East.
The Cowboys (7-3) avoided getting shut out the previous week by scoring with 38 seconds left at Green Bay, then almost saw it happen again at home.
Shaun Suisham of Wallaceburg, Ont., put Washington ahead 6-0 with field goals of 45 and 31 yards. But he missed a 39-yard attempt shortly before halftime and a 50-yarder that would've made it 9-0 with 7:06 left. Suisham had been 13 of 13 this season before those misses.
The Redskins (3-7) were without expensive defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (sprained left ankle). They lost RB Ladell Betts (left knee) on their second series.
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Packers 30 49ers 24
At Green Bay, Wis, Aaron Rodgers made San Francisco pay for a draft-day snub in 2005.
Rodgers threw touchdowns to Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, and Ryan Grant rushed for 129 yards and a score. The Packers (6-4) saw outside linebacker Aaron Kampman injure his left knee and cornerback Al Harris also injured a knee.
Rodgers was 32 of 45 for 334 yards, including 274 in the first half as the Packers took a 23-3 lead.
Alex Smith, chosen by the 49ers instead of Rodgers, recovered from a rough start to make things interesting with three second-half touchdowns, including rookie Michael Crabtree's first career score, but it wasn't enough for the 49ers (4-6).
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Jaguars 18 Bills 15
At Jacksonville, Fla., David Garrard's second game-winning drive in as many weeks gave the Jaguars their first three-game winning streak in nearly two years.
Garrard threw a touchdown pass to Mike Sims-Walker with 56 seconds remaining, spoiling Perry Fewell's debut as interim coach of the Bills (3-7).
Buffalo bottled up Maurice Jones-Drew, pressured Garrard and managed 300 yards of offence for the first time in two months. But Garrard directed a 68-yard scoring drive when it mattered for the Jaguars (6-4).
Terrell Owens caught nine passes for 197 yards, including a team-record 98-yarder for a score. It was his best outing with the Bills, who have lost three straight and six of eight.
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