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The Carolina Panthers took their division title with another outburst of offense.
The Panthers got another standout performance from running back DeAngelo Williams, whose cutback 56-yard run helped them to a 30-10 win over Denver. Steve Smith had nine catches for 165 yards and a TD.
Carolina (11-3) improved to 8-0 at home in front of owner Jerry Richardson, who is awaiting a heart transplant.
Players didn't know Richardson — the first ex-NFL player to own a team since George Halas — was at the game until he was shown on the video board in the second half.
Williams' long TD run was the biggest play for Carolina's two-headed running game. While Williams and Jonathan Stewart (140 combined yards) weren't as impressive as six days earlier when they rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns against Tampa Bay, it was enough to avoid any letdown a week before the Panthers visit the New York Giants with the No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line.
The Panthers kept Denver (8-6) from clinching the AFC West, but only because Kansas City blew an 18-point lead and lost to San Diego, keeping the 6-8 Chargers mathematically alive.
At Irving, Texas, DeMarcus Ware added three sacks to his NFL-leading total and Dallas took down Eli Manning eight times on the way to a crucial victory.Tony Romo threw touchdowns to third receiver Patrick Crayton and seldom thrown-to fullback Deon Anderson.Then, with 2:16 left and Dallas trying to manage the clock, rookie Tashard Choice broke off a victory-sealing 38-yard touchdown run to put Dallas (9-5) back in control of its wild-card chances.
At Indianapolis, The Lions (0-14) were victimized in the fourth quarter by Peyton Manning and the Colts and stayed on track for a winless season.Despite a litany of missed tackles and two lost fumbles, Manning kept the Colts (10-4) on track for a playoff run.The win was Indy's seventh in a row and assured the Colts of a seventh straight season with double-digit victories.
At Houston, Andre Johnson had a career-high 207 yards and a touchdown to lead the Texans to their fourth consecutive win.Kris Brown kicked two field goals for Houston.
At Glendale, Ariz., Tarvaris Jackson threw four touchdowns to keep the Vikings alone atop the NFC North.Adrian Peterson rushed for 165 yards, his franchise record ninth 100-yard game of the season for the Vikings (9-5), who won their fourth in a row. They can clinch the division title with another victory or a loss by Chicago.
At Miami, the Dolphins had possession for less than 22 minutes, but held their opponent without a touchdown for the third game in a row.Chad Pennington threw a 61-yard TD pass to David Martin and a 19-yarder to rookie Joey Haynos, making the first reception of his career.
At East Rutherford, N.J., Abram Elam sacked J.P. Losman and Shaun Ellis picked up the fumble and took it 11 yards into the end zone with 1:54 left for the go-ahead score.The Jets (9-5) can win the AFC East with victories in their final two games, against Seattle and Miami.
At Oakland, Calif., Randy Moss caught two of Matt Cassel's career-high four touchdown passes in his first game against the Raiders since his trade to New England last season.Cassel's sterling performance just six days after the death of his father kept the Patriots (9-5) in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East with Miami and the Jets. Cassel left the team briefly during the week to be with his family, but looked sharp Sunday.
At Atlanta, Michael Turner ran for 152 yards, John Abraham had three sacks and Jason Elam kicked a 34-yard field goal in overtime.Atlanta twice turned it over near the Tampa Bay end zone and had a huge breakdown on special teams, allowing Tampa Bay to block a punt with less than 3 minutes left in regulation. That set up Matt Bryant's tying field goal with 48 seconds left.
At Cincinnati, the Redskins lost for the fifth time in six games, unable to keep up with one of the NFL's lowliest teams. Ryan Fitzpatrick ran for a touchdown and threw for another.
At Kansas City, Mo., Philip Rivers rallied San Diego from a 21-3 third-quarter deficit, throwing two touchdown passes in the final 73 seconds.The Chiefs (2-12), helped by a delay-of-game penalty against the Chargers, tried a 50-yard field goal on the final play, but Connor Barth's kick was wide left.
At Jacksonville, Fla., David Garrard threw two touchdown passes, Maurice Jones-Drew scored twice and the Jaguars snapped a four-game losing streak.The Packers (5-9) lost on a late drive for the third consecutive week. Green Bay entered the fourth quarter with a 13-7 lead.
At St. Louis, Olindo Mare's 27-yard field goal as time expired stopped the Seahawks' six-game slide. Seattle (3-11) tied it on T.J. Duckett's 1-yard run with 2:47 to go.The Rams (2-12) scored 17 points in the first half.
