American football round-up:Defending Super Bowl champions New York Giants, powered by a dynamic performance by rookie David Wilson, preserved their one-game lead in the tight NFC East race by routing the visiting New Orleans Saints 52-27 on Sunday.
Bolstered by a huge coming-out party by Wilson, who gained 227 yards on four kick-off returns including a 97-yard touchdown dash, the Giants improved to 8-5 while dropping the sloppy Saints to 5-8.
Wilson scored from six yards out and capped a spectacular day with a 52-yard touchdown burst from scrimmage in the fourth quarter that gave him 100 yards rushing, which he celebrated with a back-flip in the end zone.
The total 327 yards amassed by the rookie, who had taken a background role after fumbling in the first game of the season, was a team record for a single game.
The Giants also set a franchise mark for kick-off return yardage and had safety Stevie Brown, who picked off two Drew Brees passes and returned one 70 yards, set a team season record for interception return yardage.
Along with four touchdown passes from quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants took their score past 50 points for the first time since the 1986 season.
“We did a lot of good things today but we've got a lot more to get done,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters. “We have traditionally done a decent job in certain years when we had no margin for error and our backs were to the wall.”
The victory allowed the Giants to maintain their one-game lead in the division, as the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins also posted wins to improve to 7-6.
On a roller-coaster Week 14, full of drama and upsets, the Redskins beat the Baltimore Ravens 31-28 in overtime despite losing star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III to a knee sprain in the final quarter.
The Ravens (9-4) were on the verge of clinching their spot and the AFC North division when they led the Redskins 28-20 with 30 seconds to go and dangerman Griffin out of the game.
But Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, then ran for the two-point conversion to force overtime.
The Redskins said Griffin’s injury was not season-ending and the quarterback told reporters he was confident he would be back in action soon.
“I feel the positive vibes coming my way and hopefully everything will be all right,” he said.
Kai Forbath sealed Washington's fourth straight win with a 34-yard field goal as the Redskins joined the Cowboys at 7-6.
The Cowboys, still mourning the death of linebacker Jerry Brown who was killed in a car crash on Saturday, kicked a field goal as time expired to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-19 in Ohio.
The Cowboys won for the fourth consecutive time with Dan Bailey booting a 40-yard field goal on the final play of the game after the Cowboys had trailed by nine points at the end of the third quarter.
Dallas head coach Jason Garrett said his players were still in a state of shock after hearing about the death of their team-mate.
“I keep using the word ‘numb’, but that’s how we all feel,” he said.
The Atlanta Falcons suffered a shock 30-20 loss, only their second of the season, to the struggling Carolina Panthers, while the Indianapolis Colts inched closer to booking a spot in the postseason with a 27-23 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
The Falcons, already assured of their place in the play-offs, trailed 23-0 early in the third quarter against the Panthers, whose second year quarterback, Cam Newton, ran 116 yards and passed for 287.
Atlanta replied with three touchdowns but it was all too late to prevent the Panthers from recording another upset.
The Colts, once again marshaled by rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, came back from a 13-point deficit to beat the Titans, securing the win with two late field goals from Adam Vinatieri.
The Green Bay Packers were rocked by two early Detroit touchdowns but fought back to record their customary victory over the Lions at a snowy Lambeau Field.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers rallied the Packers to a 27-20 win over the visiting Lions, who slipped to their fifth straight defeat and have not tasted victory at Green Bay since 1991.
The win lifted the 9-4 Packers into a one-game lead over Chicago in the NFC North after the Bears had earlier lost 21-14 to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, despite having Ben Roethlisberger back in action, were beaten 34-24 at home by the San Diego Chargers, harming their chance of making the play-offs. Philip Rivers threw three touchdown passes for the Chargers.
The Philadelphia Eagles scored two touchdowns in the last four minutes including one as time expired to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-21 and end their eight-game losing streak.
San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick passed for 185 yards and ran for a 50-yard touchdown at Candlestick Park as the 49ers improved to 9-3-1, just ahead of the Seahawks (8-5) in the NFC West.
Marshawn Lynch rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns as the Seattle Seahawks crushed the Arizona Cardinals 58-0. It was the franchise's biggest win and one of the biggest shutouts in the NFL behind Chicago’s record 73-0 win over Washington in 1940.