The New England Patriots maintained their lead at the top of AFC East thanks to their watertight defence in a 17-10 win at the Philadelphia Eagles.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady completed only 26 of 47 passes for 216 yards and his 14 incompletions – while throwing into a swirling first-half wind – were the most in his career in a single half.

Both sides were lacklustre going forward, with Patriots receiver Julian Edelman making the biggest throw of the game, finding Phillip Dorsett in the end zone to give his side a 17-10 lead on their first possession of the second half following Brady’s backward pass.

The San Francisco 49ers bounced back from last week’s first defeat of the season to beat the Arizona Cardinals 36-26 and stay top of NFC West.

The Cardinals led 9-0 after Zane Gonzalez’s field goal and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s touchdown, but the 49ers edged a see-saw encounter with tight end Ross Dwelley going over for two decisive close-range touchdowns.

The New York Jets beat the Washington Redskins 34-17 and the New Orleans Saints also secured victory on the road by the same scoreline at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Denver Broncos 27-23, the Buffalo Bills overcame the Miami Dolphins 37-20 and the Indianapolis Colts won 33-13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Dallas Cowboys won 35-27 at the Detroit Lions, the Atlanta Falcons cruised to a 29-3 victory at the Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens thrashed the Houston Texans 41-7.

The Oakland Raiders edged the Cincinnati Bengals 17-10, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Chicago Bears 17-7 and the Cleveland Browns defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-7.