The Indianapolis Colts stayed unbeaten and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their first win in almost a year in early week nine games in the National Football League.
Peyton Manning became the first quarterback in NFL history to pass 40,000 yards in one decade as he led the Colts to an eighth straight victory of the season.
Manning needed to complete just 19 passing yards against the Houston Texans to break the barrier. Dan Marino had managed 33,508 yards in the 1990s while Joe Montana completed 30,958 yards in the 1980s.
Manning totalled 318 yards and passed for a first-quarter touchdown in a 20-17 home win as the Colts held off a late Texans charge having led the visitors 13-3 at half-time.
Texans quarterback Matt Schaunb passed to Ryan Moats for an unanswered third-quarter touchdown and running back Steve Slaton edged Houston in front with a one-yard rush for a fourth-quarter touchdown with six minutes and 41 seconds remaining.
Indianapolis, though, stayed perfect when Joseph Addai rushed for two yards into the end zone and sealed victory as the Texans slipped to 5-4.
The Buccaneers had not won since November 30, 2008, and came into their home game against the Green Bay Packers with a 0-7 record for the current campaign.
Tampa Bay trailed the visitors 28-17 at Raymond James Stadium with just 3:36 remaining but stormed into the lead with touchdowns from Kelln Winslow and Sammie Stroughter.
Then Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers saw his fourth-down pass picked off by Tanard Jackson, who ran 35 yards for a third touchdown of the quarter with 35 seconds left on the clock as Tampa won 38-28 and Green Bay slipped to 4-4.
Elsewhere, the Washington Redskins' troubles continued as the Atlanta Falcons handed them a fourth straight defeat this season with a 31-17 loss at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons moved to 5-3 for 2009 while the Redskins are now 2-5.
The New England Patriots (6-2) strengthened their grip on the AFC East with a 27-17 home win over divisional rivals the Miami Dolphins (3-5), while the Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) did likewise with a 17-7 win over visiting AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens (4-4).
The Arizona Cardinals boosted their hopes of winning the NFC West as they won 41-21 at the inconsistent Chicago Bears.
Arizona is now 5-3 while the Bears now have a losing 4-5 record in an NFC North division led by the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings, which has a bye week.
The Kansas City Chiefs still only have one win this season after they lost on the road in Florida, going down 24-21 at the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4).
The New Orleans Saints joined the Colts with the only unbeaten records in the NFL as they scored a 30-20 home win over their NFC South rivals the Carolina Panthers.
The Saints had trailed 17-6 at half-time before rallying to tie the game at 20-20 after the third quarter before New Orleans delighted the Superdome crowd with 10 unanswered points in the final period to move to 8-0 for the season.
Veteran kicker John Carney, 45, got the ball rolling with a 40-yard field goal before defensive tackle Tony Hargrove sealed the win with a one-yard fumble return touchdown, the Saints' defence having restricted the Panthers to just one field goal, three points, in the second half.
The New York Giants had lost their unbeaten record to the