New Orleans Saints joined the Colts with the only unbeaten records as they scored a 30-20 home win over 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 Saints in week six and slumped to a fourth defeat in a row when the visiting San Diego Chargers grabbed a game-tying touchdown with 21 seconds left on the clock.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers threw the 18-yard touchdown pass for wide receiver Vincent Jackson to level the Giants Stadium contest at 20-20 with Nate Kaeding converting the extra point for victory as New York fell to 5-4, San Diego's east coast win sending the Chargers to 5-3.

Back on the west coast, the Detroit Lions lost for the seventh time out of eight this season as the Seattle Seahawks (3-5) scored a 32-20 home win at Qwest Field while the Tennessee Titans (2-6) upset the 49ers in San Francisco (3-5) with a 34-27 road win at Candlestick Park.

The late-night NFC East showdown that sent the Dallas Cowboys to the Philadelphia Eagles saw the visitors come away with a crucial 20-16 victory that sees them move ahead of their rivals in the race for the divisional title.

Both teams had gone into the game with 5-2 records for the season and the game was a close-run contest to underline the matcup.

The Eagles had begun the second half trailing 10-6 but Ellis Hobbs got the home crowd cheering with a 96-yard punt return into the end zone from the kick off. The joy was shortlived, however, as a referee's flag brought attention to some holding by Philadelphia rookie Moise Fokou and the touchdown was ruled out.

McNabb gave his side some points soon after though, his 11-yard touchdown pass for Brent Selek finally edging the Eagles in front as the home side took a 13-10 lead into the final quarter.

The final quarter saw the Cowboys get their noses in front once again as Tony Romo threw a 49-yard pass for wide receiver Miles Austin, who cut inside from the sideline to score the decisive touchdown.