The Buffalo Bills overcame the loss of home-field advantage and a lack of practice time to trounce the New York Jets 38-3 in Detroit on Monday, while the Baltimore Ravens kept pace in the hotly-contested AFC North with a 34-27 road win over New Orleans Saints.
The Bills were forced to move the game from its original Sunday slot in Buffalo after a huge snowstorm earlier in the week created public safety issues and prevented the team from practicing.
The win at Detroit's indoor Ford Field pushed Buffalo to a 6-5 record, within a game of the current sixth seed in the AFC playoff picture, while the Jets dropped to 2-9.
Quarterback Kyle Orton threw two touchdowns as part of his 230 yards, while wide receiver Robert Woods contributed 118 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bills.
Woods' opening score was followed by a Jets field goal, but that first quarter kick by Nick Folk was the only time New York troubled the scoreboard as the Bills turned a 14-3 half-time lead into a rout.
In Monday's other game, Ravens running back Justin Forsett ran for two touchdowns and 182 yards as Baltimore scored a crucial win over the Saints.
While the Ravens improved to 7-4 to join Pittsburgh and Cleveland just a half game behind Cincinnati in their ultra-competitive division, the Saints fell back into a tie with Atlanta at 4-7 atop the not-so-impressive NFC South.
Forsett pushed the advantage to 14 points from a 20-yard touchdown run with three minutes left to cap off a huge night, and while the Saints scored with 40 seconds remaining, a failed onside kick attempt ended the game.
Forsett said the key was getting into the running lanes his team-mates opened up.
"The offensive line did a great job of making those lanes open for me and I just tried to seize the moment," Forsett, who was cut from Jacksonville in March before ending up at the Ravens, told ESPN.
"I have put in a lot of work throughout my whole career being in the shadows and just came out tonight trying to show what I can do."
Ravens safety Will Hill earlier tipped the scales in the visitors favour with a 44-yard interception return late in the third quarter, snatching a Drew Brees pass from behind Jimmy Graham to break a 17-17 deadlock.
Graham scored two touchdowns for the Saints, who led 17-14 at half-time, and Brees had a 420 yard night with three touchdowns, but it was not enough to stop a third straight loss, all at home.
