FOXBORO, United States (AFP) - Corey Dillon rushed for 115 yards as New England outlasted the previously unbeaten New York Jets 13-7 to win their 21st straight National Football League game.
It marked the first time since the NFL-AFL merger 24 years ago that two 5-0 teams from the same division faced off.
"As usual, that was a real dog fight with the Jets," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "These teams know each other very well because we play each other so many times."
The Patriots (6-0) also set an NFL regular-season record with their 18th consecutive win, eclipsing the George Halas-coached Chicago Bears mark of 17 in 1933-34.
In other key Sunday games, Philadelphia kept its win streak alive, Kansas City scored eight rushing TDs, including four by Priest Holmes, while Miami ended a frustrating string of losses.
New England has won 21 in a row overall, including playoffs and the Jets (5-1) have the dubious distinction of suffering three of those losses.
On Sunday, New York jumped out to a 7-6 lead when Jets' quarterback Chad Pennington scored on a one-yard run with 1:55 left in the second quarter.
But on the next drive, New England's Tom Brady completed 6-of-6 passes for 62 yards, capping it with a seven-yard scoring pass to David Patten with 11 seconds left in the first half.
"It was important for us to put up some points there," Brady said. "We continue to work on the two-minute drills and it pays off. It ended up being a huge drive."
The Pats then shut down Pennington in the second half as he was just 7-of-16 for 60 yards after going 12-of-14 in the first half.
"It's not as frustrating as it is aggravating," Pennington said.
Dillon ran for 92 yards in the second half on top of the 23 he forged in the first half.
David Akers kicked a 50-yard field goal with 5:02 left in overtime as the Philadelphia Eagles (6-0) remained unbeaten with a 34-31 victory over the host Cleveland Browns.
Terrell Owens, who was recently acquired by the Eagles, had touchdown catches of 39 and 40 yards in the first half, helping the Philadelphia to a 21-17 lead.
Owens finished with four catches for 109 yards, his fourth straight 100-yard game.
Browns' quarterback Jeff Garcia woke up in the second half, passing for a touchdown and running for another. Garcia went 21-of-32 for 236 yards and an interception.
After each team came up empty on its first possession of overtime, the Eagles went 46 yards in seven plays for the winning score.
Donovan McNabb, who had a huge day through the air, completing 28-of-43 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns.
In Kansas City, Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock each rushed for four touchdowns as the Chiefs romped to a 56-10 rout of Atlanta.
The Chiefs (2-4) set an NFL record with eight rushing touchdowns, breaking the Los Angeles Rams mark of seven against Atlanta in 1976.
Holmes had his way, scoring on runs of 15, two, two and one yard in the first half, when the Chiefs built a commanding 35-3 lead. He carried 22 times for 139 yards.
Blaylock ran for rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries.
Miami finally got their offence untracked as the Dolphins became the NFL's last team to win, posting a 31-14 victory over the St. Louis Rams.
"It was great," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said. "No one feels worse than I do (with the start)."
Off to their worst start in club history, the Dolphins' offence was the primary reason. They entered the contest averaging a laughable 9.2 points per game.
Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor also was relieved.
"It's been a long time coming. Obviously, we deserve it," he said.
The Arizona Cardinals intercepted Matt Hasselbeck four times and gained a key safety late to post a 25-17 victory, sending Seattle to their third straight loss.
Rookie Josh Scobee kicked a season-high 53-yard field goal with 38 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 27-24 victory over Indianapolis in a battle of AFC South rivals.
Ahman Green rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns and Brett Favre threw for two scores as the Green Bay Packers coasted to a 41-20 rout of the Dallas Cowboys.
In Minneapolis, Daunte Culpepper was nearly flawless in the first half, completing 17-of-19 passes when Minnesota built a 14-point lead en route to a 20-3 victory over the Titans.
In other games, the Baltimore beat Buffalo 20-6, San Diego defeated the Panters 17-6, Detroit stopped the Giants 28-13, the Buccaneers beat Chicago 19-7 and New Orleans defeated Oakland 31-26.
10/25/2004 - 06:18 GMT - AFP