Only three of the NFL’s five unbeaten teams could make it to five wins.
Kansas City, New Orleans and Denver moved to 5-0 Sunday, while New England and Seattle finally lost.
The Chiefs’ latest victory in their sensational turnaround came at Tennessee, a 26-17 win in which they blew a 13-0 halftime lead, then rallied.
“I am speechless right now,” Jamaal Charles said after rushing for 108 yards, 50 in the fourth quarter, including a 1-yard run for the winning touchdown. “This team is very blessed to be 5-0 right now. Nobody expected us to be 5-0.”
Not so surprising are the perfect starts by the Saints and Broncos. New Orleans hasn’t lost since coach Sean Payton returned from his one-year bounty ban, with win No. 5 a 26-18 verdict at Chicago.
Tight end Jimmy Graham continued his torrid start with 10 catches for 135 yards in his fourth consecutive 100-yard game — matching an NFL record for the position he already held with Tony Gonzalez.
“I’m just blessed to be with such a great quarterback and a guy who has so much trust in me,” Graham said of Drew Brees, who had another superb day for his first win at Soldier Field after three defeats.
Denver won its 16th consecutive regular-season game, but it was the closest in that streak, and maybe the wildest: 51-48 at Dallas.
Peyton Manning maintained his record pace of touchdown passes to start the season and has 20. He threw for 414 yards and four scores to outlast Tony Romo’s 506 yards.
“Thank God our offense kept us in the game all day long,” Denver coach John Fox said.
New England lost 13-6 in the rain at Cincinnati to fall to 4-1. Seattle was outscored at Indianapolis 34-28.
Also Sunday, it was Baltimore 26, Miami 23; San Francisco 34, Houston 3; Oakland 27, San Diego 17; Green Bay 22, Detroit 9; Philadelphia 36, the New York Giants 21; and St. Louis 34, Jacksonville 20.
On Monday night, the New York Jets visit Atlanta. On Thursday night, Cleveland beat Buffalo 37-24.
Off this week were Minnesota and Washington, each 1-3, and Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, both 0-4.