Delhomme sacked eight times as Bears maul Panthers

CAROLINA quarterback Jake Delhomme was sacked eight times as the marauding Chicago defence made sure the Bears beat the Panthers 13-3 in a meeting of the NFC’s hottest two teams.

The Bears claimed their sixth straight victory with their best defensive performance this season as they continue a surprising charge towards the playoffs.

Adewale Ogunleye recorded three sacks and fellow defensive end Alex Brown claimed two, while cornerback Nathan Vasher intercepted Delhomme twice, as the NFL’s number one defence ran rampant.

Muhsin Muhammad scored the only touchdown as he faced his former team for the first time since a summer move to Chicago.

The Indianapolis Colts remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 45-37.

Eli Manning passed for three touchdowns as the New York Giants to a 27-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, while the New England Patriots put together consecutive wins for the first time this season with a 24-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

Kurt Warner threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns as the Arizona Cardinals beat the Rams 38-28, while Atlanta kicker Michael Koenen missed a 55-yard field goal as time expired to give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 30-27 win over the Falcons.

Matt Stover kicked a 44-yard field goal in overtime as the Baltimore Ravens posted a 16-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Norv Turner gained revenge over the franchise that once fired him as his Oakland Raiders beat the Washington Redskins 16-13.

Elsewhere, the Denver Broncos crushed the New York Jets 27-0, the Cleveland Browns routed the Miami Dolphins 22-0, the San Diego Chargers hammered the Buffalo Bills 48-10 and the Kansas City Chiefs ran out convincing winners over the Houston Texans 45-17.

The Seattle Seahawks edged past the San Francisco 49ers 27-25, the Dallas Cowboys saw off the Detroit Lions 20-7 and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 31-28.