Quarterback Cam Newton has thrown three touchdown passes and his Carolina Panthers pummelled the Atlanta Falcons 38-0 to earn an NFL playoff first-round bye.
As the 13-0 Panthers moved a step closer to securing home field advantage throughout the post-season, the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots booked a playoff berth with a 27-6 victory over the Houston Texans.
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski returned from a knee injury and made an immediate impact, setting up a touchdown in the first quarter and catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Brady in the second.
Brady completed 22 of 30 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
New England's defense also did their part, sacking Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer five times before knocking him out of the game in the fourth quarter.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
The victory, along with defeats for the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos, saw the 11-2 Patriots move back to the top spot in the AFC.
The Pats ended a two-game skid, while the NFC-leading Panthers continued their march toward a perfect regular season.
"It was important for us to come out fast and get touchdowns instead of field goals," said Newton.
Bolstering his Most Valuable Player credentials, Newton completed 15 of 21 passes for 265 yards.
Denver, who went into the day as the AFC's top seed, also endured a setback as the Oakland Raiders rallied from a 12-0 halftime deficit to beat the Broncos 15-12.
"It was looking rough, but the positive was defensively, we kept them out of the end zone, limited them to field goals in the first half," said Raiders safety Charles Woodson.
The Seattle Seahawks kept their hopes of reaching a third straight Super Bowl alive with a convincing 35-6 win over the Ravens in Baltimore.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw five touchdown passes, but Seattle lost running back Thomas Rawls to a season-ending broken ankle.
In Philadelphia, the Eagles spoiled LeSean McCoy's homecoming, beating the Buffalo Bills 23-20 to stay tied for first place in the NFC East with the Washington Redskins - 24-21 winners over the Chicago Bears.
The Kansas City Chiefs stretched their winning streak to seven games with a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
