Patriots, Panthers unbeaten, Denver lose
New England and Carolina extended their unbeaten starts to the National Football League season with contrasting victories on Sunday over the Washington Redskins and Green Bay.
Tom Brady and the Patriots made it eight wins out of eight with a comfortable 27-10 win over the Redskins in Foxborough while the Panthers survived a thrilling late Packers comeback to win 37-29 in Charlotte.
Brady threw two touchdown passes while running back LeGarrette Blount ran for 129 yards and a touchdown as the reigning Super Bowl champions took command early to leave the Redskins at 3-5 for the year.
Victory came at a cost for the Patriots, with left tackle Sebastian Vollmer leaving the game with a head injury and running back Dion Lewis also hobbling off with a knee problem.
In a pulsating duel in Charlotte, Cam Newton and the Panthers defied a late onslaught by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to move to 8-0.
The Panthers had held a 23-point lead at 37-14 with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter against the Packers, whose offensive threat had been mostly snuffed out by the Carolina defence.
But Green Bay were given a glimmer of hope when a 29-yard screen pass to running back James Stark produced a touchdown.
Rodgers then hit tight end Richard Rodgers from three yards for a further touchdown to help take the score to 37-29 with 3:43 left.
The Packers seemed closer to a miraculous comeback when they won a quick turnover and advanced downfield on Carolina's next possession.
But Rodgers was picked off on fourth and goal as Carolina's defence held firm and the Panthers held on for the win.
The win could prove decisive in the eventual playoff picture in the National Football Conference, with the Panthers well placed to deny the rival Packers, who fall to 6-2, homefield advantage.
The Patriots and the Panthers are two of three unbeaten teams in the NFL this year. The Cincinnati Bengals are also 8-0, while Denver - who had been 7-0 - suffered a shock 27-24 loss on Sunday to Indianapolis, putting Peyton Manning's bid to rewrite the record books on hold.
The Colts, after a stuttering start to the season, outfoxed the Broncos to secure a deserved victory.
Manning, 39, had entered the game needing 284 yards to overtake Brett Favre's record passing total of 71,838.
He was left an agonising three yards short of the benchmark after throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
Crucially, however, Manning gave up a vital interception late in the fourth quarter to hand possession back to the Colts, who then ran down the clock on the ensuing drive to close out the game under the calm guidance of quarterback Andrew Luck.
Elsewhere, a last-gasp 38-35 win for the Pittsburgh Steelers over the Oakland Raiders was overshadowed by a fresh injury to veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
