Shaun Hill and the St Louis Rams produced a stunning 22-7 upset of the Denver Broncos in the standout result of Sunday's early NFL games.
Hill, surprisingly recalled in place of Austin Davis at quarterback, hit Kenny Britt for a 63-yard touchdown as he completed 20 of 29 passes for 220 yards.
He also received strong support from running back Tre Mason, with 29 carries for 113 yards, Greg Zuerlein with five field goals, and a defence which intercepted Peyton Manning twice to preserve the lead.
Defeat saw the Broncos joined atop the AFC West by the Kansas City Chiefs, who moved to a 7-3 record with a 24-20 win over last season's Super Bowl winners the Seattle Seahawks.
The run game dominated at Arrowhead Stadium, with Jamaal Charles racking up 159 yards and two touchdowns and Knile Davis adding a third ground score for the Chiefs while Seattle's Marshawn Lynch tallied 124 yards. Three fourth-down stops sealed the game for Kansas.
The Cincinnati Bengals returned to the top of a nip-and tuck AFC North with a 27-10 win over the New Orleans Saints, while previous leaders the Cleveland Browns dropped to the bottom of the division after losing 23-7 to the Houston Texans. All four teams have six wins, with Cincinnati top by virtue of their week six tie with the Carolina Panthers.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton bounced back from his nightmare against the Browns by tossing two touchdowns to Jermaine Gresham and one to AJ Green as the Saints, usually so dominant at home, lost for the second time in succession at the Superdome.
The Texans gave a first career start under centre to Ryan Mallett, who threw touchdowns to Garrett Graham and all-star defensive end JJ Watt, who lined up at tight end for a two-yard grab in the corner of the end zone.
The Saints' loss allowed the Atlanta Falcons to share the lead of the dismal NFC South after edging divisional rivals Carolina 19-17. Graham Gano missed two long field goals late on for the Panthers.
The Chicago Bears fared markedly better against the Minnesota Vikings, winning 21-13, than in their previous divisional match-up last Sunday when they were embarrassed 55-14 by the Green Bay Packers.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Washington Redskins 27-7 for only their second win of the season, rookie wideout Mike Evans with 209 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while the San Francisco 49ers beat the New York Giants 16-10.
The Packers followed up that rout of the Bears in similarly emphatic style, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 53-20 to further delight the Lambeau Field faithful.
Eddie Lacy ran for one touchdown and caught another while Aaron Rodgers also connected with wide receivers Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson. Casey Hayward completed the rout with a 49-yard run-in after a botched Eagles snap on a difficult night for visiting QB Mark Sanchez.
Victory took the Pack level with the Detroit Lions at the NFC North summit on 7-3 after the Lions lost to the Arizona Cardinals, who extended the NFL's best record to 9-1.
Two early touchdown passes from Drew Stanton to Michael Floyd got the job done for the Cards, who defied the absence of regular quarterback Carson Palmer to move three games clear in the NFC West.
The San Diego Chargers got their first win in four, 13-6 against the winless Oakland Raiders. Malcom Floyd scored the only touchdown.
Sunday's late game saw Jonas Gray equal a franchise record by scoring four touchdowns in just his fourth career game as the New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts 42-20.
It was a sixth straight win for the AFC leaders, for whom Tom Brady scored two touchdown passes, while opposite number Andrew Luck threw 303 yards and moved to within on game of Drew Brees' record for reaching 300 nine games in a row.
Gray, a 24-year-old running back, got his side a 14-10 half-time lead and then helped them ease out in the second half.
