C.J. Anderson scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as the Denver Broncos ruined the New England Patriots’ perfect start to the season on Sunday night.
In a game played out in snow, the Patriots looked to be in control at 14-0 up, only for Denver to edge 24-21 ahead with little over a minute of regulation remaining courtesy of Bubba Caldwell’s touchdown.
Stephen Gostowski’s 47-yard field goal tied the contest with seconds remaining but the Broncos were not to be denied, Anderson racing clear to consign the reigning Super Bowl champions to their first defeat since last December.
To make matters worse for the Patriots, Rob Gronkowski was carted off the field late in the fourth quarter with a knee injury.
New England’s loss leaves the Carolina Panthers (11-0) as the NFL’s only remaining unbeaten team.
The Cincinnati Bengals halted a two-game losing streak with a routine 31-7 victory over the struggling St Louis Rams as quarterback Andy Dalton threw three touchdown passes.
Dalton completed 20 of his 27 attempted passes, including touchdowns of nine and 18 yards to AJ Green, to help the Bengals bounce back from two prime-time defeats and reach a 9-2 record.
Tyler Eifert completed an NFL-leading 12th touchdown catch, while the 4-7 Rams lost their fourth game on the spin.
The Rams' offense is the worst in the league for passing and recalled quarterback Nick Foles threw three interceptions, with the Bengals' Leon Hall returning one for a 19-yard touchdown.
The Washington Redskins received a standing ovation after holding on to beat New York Giants 20-14 and move joint top of the NFC East.
DeSean Jackson caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins, while Giants' quarterback Eli Manning was intercepted three times before throwing fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr, who pulled off a superb one-handed diving catch.
Both Washington, who have finished last in the NFC East in six of the past seven seasons, and the Giants are 5-6 with five games remaining.
The New York Jets beat AFC East rivals the Miami Dolphins 38-20 with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing four touchdown passes, two to Brandon Marshall, while rookie Devin Smith grabbed his first NFL touchdown.
Philip Rivers passed Joe Montana (273) and tied with Vinny Testaverde (275) for 11th place in the NFL's all-time passing touchdown rankings as the San Diego Chargers snapped a six-game losing streak with a 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Rivers threw four touchdown passes, two to Antonio Gates, and completed 29 of 43 passes for 300 yards.
The Buffalo Bills' bus broke down on their way to the stadium and their bad luck was complete as they were beaten 30-22 by the Kansas City Chiefs, for whom Alex Smith threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns.
Derek Carr’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 81 seconds remaining clinched the Oakland Raiders a 24-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The Raiders (5-6) halted a three-game losing run, while the Titans (2-9), who had led 21-17, went down for the ninth time in 10 games.
Adrian Peterson ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the Minnesota Vikings' 20-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-12 for a third straight win to stay joint-top of the AFC South with the Houston Texans.
The Texans won their fourth game in a row, 24-6 over a slumping New Orleans Saints side who failed to score a touchdown for the first time since 2005.
The NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals made it five wins in a row by edging past the San Francisco 49ers 19-13, while Russell Wilson’s career-high five touchdown passes inspired the Seattle Seahawks to a thrilling 39-30 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
