The Green Bay Packers' post-season hopes took a hit with a shocking 7-3 loss to the Detroit Lions on a wild Sunday in the NFL that saw snowstorms force the relocation of one game and wreak havoc with several others.
There were no weather woes for the Atlanta Falcons in Charlotte as they rolled to their seventh straight win, a 31-10 victory over the toothless Carolina Panthers that improved their record to an NFL-best 11-2.
But it was Mother Nature grabbing the early headlines with the league moving the New York Giants-Minnesota Vikings clash from Minneapolis to Detroit after a blizzard caused the Metrodome's roof to collapse.
The game, originally set for Sunday, had already been postponed until Monday night after the Giants were stranded in Kansas City when their charter flight was unable to land in Minneapolis because of the storm.
The Chicago Bears and New England Patriots were playing in a blizzard and Arctic-like conditions, while the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns game began in a freezing rain.
While the blizzard was pounding Detroit outside, inside Ford Field the Lions defense was creating their own chaos, knocking Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of the contest late in the second quarter with a concussion.
Backup Matt Flynn was unable to spark the Packers attack, which could manage only a 42-yard Mason Crosby field goal.
The Lions (3-10) were also unable to generate much offence behind Drew Stanton, but the third-string quarterback delivered the winning score midway through the fourth quarter when he hit Will Heller with a 13-yard touchdown strike.
The loss dropped the Packers to 8-5, leaving them one game in back of Chicago in the NFC North. Detroit snapped a five-game losing streak and moved to 3-4 at home.
STEELERS TRIUMPHANT
The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 10-3 behind a dazzling defensive display as Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley returned interceptions for touchdowns in a 23-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals (2-11).
Shaun Suisham booted three field goals to account for the rest of Pittsburgh's scoring as the Steelers opened up a 1.5-game lead at the top the AFC North over the Baltimore Ravens, who play the Houston Texans on Monday.
David Garrard tossed three touchdown passes as the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) continued their march to the post-season, beating the Oakland Raiders 38-31 to stay one game in front of the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-5) also stayed in the hunt for an NFL wild card spot, edging the Washington Redskins 17-16 while the Buffalo Bills (3-10) picked up their third win, stopping the Cleveland Browns 13-6.