The Miami Dolphins held off the surprising New York Jets 24-17 on Sunday to help create a three-way log-jam atop the NFC East Division. Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns and safety George Teague intercepted a pass with one minute left to halt the Jets' final push as Miami moved into a first-place tie with New York and New England at 6-4.

The Dolphins completed a series sweep of the Jets, who had won five of their previous six games after winning just once all of last season.

Dan Marino, who was listed as questionable with a sprained ankle, completed 18-of-29 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown.

Glenn Foley, who got his first start for the Jets in place of regular starting quarterback Neil O'Donnell, completed 25-of-48 passes for 322 yards and a touchdown. He was moving the team toward a possible game-tying score when he was picked off by Teague to end the threat.

At Buffalo, Derrick Cullors returned a kick-off 86 yards for a touchdown and linebacker Chris Slade had an interception return for a score as the New England Patriots smothered the Bills 31-10 to end a three-game losing streak and join the party atop the AFC East.

Drew Bledsoe threw for 200 yards and a score and Curtis Martin ran for 93 yards and a touchdown for the Patriots.

In Denver, Darrien Gordon became the eighth player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in one game as the Broncos crushed the Carolina Panthers 34-0 to improve to 9-1. Gordon put Denver up 14-0 in the first quarter with returns of 82 and 75 yards.

John Elway completed 14-of-23 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown and Terrell Davis ran 21 times for 104 yards for the Broncos, who have won 14 straight home games.

In Washington, Barry Sanders passed Tony Dorsett to move into third place on the all-time NFL rushing list but his Detroit Lions were trounced 30-7 by the Redskins.

Gus Frerotte threw for 247 yards and a touchdown, Scott Blanton kicked three field goals and Terry Allen rushed for 94 yards and a TD for the Redskins, who beat Detroit for the 18th straight time, dating back to 1965.

Sanders, who needed 17 yards to overtake Dorsett, carried 15 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.

In Green Bay, Brett Favre threw for 306 yards and a touchdown to lead the Packers to their franchise-record 21st consecutive victory at Lambeau Field, a 17-7 triumph over the St Louis Rams.

Antonio Freeman caught seven passes for 160 yards for the Packers (8-2), who kept pace with Minnesota for the lead in the NFC Central.

Favre put the game out of reach with a seven-yard touchdown scramble seven seconds into the fourth quarter.

At Minnesota, Leroy Hoard scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 54 seconds remaining as the Vikings rallied to defeat the Chicago Bears 29-22.

The Vikings (8-2) won their sixth in a row and remained in a first-place tie in the NFC Central with Green Bay.

In Pittsburgh, Kordell Stewart ran for a touchdown and threw for another and the Steelers benefitted from six first-half turnovers for a 37-0 romp over the Baltimore Ravens.

Jerome Bettis ran for 114 yards and a touchdown for Pittsburgh (7-3), which posted its first shutout in four years to remain tied with Jacksonville atop the AFC Central.

In Jacksonville, Mark Brunell threw for 199 yards and a touchdown and James Stewart and Natrone Means rushed for firsthalf scores as the Jaguars (7-3) posted a 24-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs quarterback Rich Gannon lost two fumbles and was intercepted twice in the second half.

In Atlanta, Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott combined for 210 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 31-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Dunn ran 14 times for 76 yards and had one rushing TD and caught a touchdown pass. Alstott gained 63 of his 77 yards in the first half, including a 47-yard scoring run as Tampa Bay (7-3) stayed one game back of first place in the NFC Central.

At Tennessee, Eddie George rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown and the Oilers defence allowed just two field goals for a 10-6 victory over the New York Giants.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Giants (64), who dropped into a first-place tie in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins.