SATURDAY GAMES:
Bulls 48, Broncos 19
The Buffalo Bills are AFC East champions.
The Bills (11-3) clinched their first division title since 1995 on the strength of their dominant 48-19 win over the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs once again powered Buffalo (11-3) to victory. Diggs hauled in 11 of his 13 targets for 147 yards and set a franchise record for most receptions in a single season. While Diggs didn’t find the end zone in Denver, Dawson Knox and Jake Kumerow became the 12 and 13th different Bills players to catch a TD this season, and Allen added two other scores on the ground.
Allen finished the day 28 of 40 for 359 with four total TDs.
Packers 24, Panthers 16
Aaron Rodgers threw his league-leading 40th touchdown in the first quarter of Saturday’s 24-16 win over the Panthers, making him the first QB in NFL history to hit that mark three times.
The record-setting throw went to tight end Robert Tonyan from 1-yard out to cap Green Bay’s opening drive.
Aaron Jones rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown as the NFC North champions reached the end zone on their first three series.
The rest of the game was relatively quiet for Rodgers in the air, however, as the Panthers’ defense stepped up to sack him five times and limit him to a season-low 143 yards.
Green Bay (11-3) won its fourth straight despite getting outscored 13-3 and outgained 214-49 in the second half.
The Panthers (4-10) have lost eight of their last nine games.
Carolina’s Teddy Bridgewater was 21 of 35 for 258 yards with a touchdown run, but he also had a critical fumble. D.J. Moore caught six passes for 131 yards, and Joey Slye kicked three field goals.
SUNDAY GAMES:
Dolphins 22, Patriots 12
Undrafted rookie Salvon Ahmed and veteran Matt Breida combined for 208 yards rushing Sunday to lead the Miami Dolphins to a 22-12 victory over the New England Patriots, who were eliminated from playoff contention, ending their NFL-record run of 11 consecutive postseason appearances.
The Dolphins entered the game last in the league in yards per carry, and Ahmed became their first 100-yard rusher since 2018, totaling 122 yards and scoring a 2-point conversion on a trick play.
Breida added 86 yards and the Dolphins totaled a season-high 250 against the Patriots.
The Dolphins (9-5) bolstered their wild-card chances and are assured of a winning record for only the second time since 2008.
The Patriots (6-8) will finish at .500 or worse for the first time since 2000, the year they drafted Tom Brady. They fall one year short of matching the Dallas Cowboys’ NFL record of 20 consecutive winning seasons.
Buffalo clinched the AFC East title with a win Saturday.
Buccaneers 31, Falcons 27
Tom Brady Brady recreated his Super Bowl miracle by leading the Buccaneers on five straight scoring drives in the second half for a victory over the stunned Falcons. (Atlanta had built a 17-point lead, twice in the game.)
Brady’s latest blow to Atlanta (4-10) took the Bucs (9-5) to the brink of their first playoff berth since 2007.
In the 2017 Super Bowl, Brady famously led the greatest comeback in championship game history, rallying New England from a 28-3 deficit late in the third quarter to a 34-28 overtime victory that secured his fifth of six titles with the Patriots.
Seahawks 20, Washington 15
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks built a big lead, and Seattle’s defense held on to beat Washington and clinch a playoff spot.
Wilson threw for a touchdown, Carlos Hyde ran 50 yards for a score, and the Seahawks (10-4) picked off Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins twice. Shaquill Griffin and D.J. Reed each had an interception as the league’s worst passing defense played strong until the fourth quarter.
After a Haskins-led comeback from a 20-3 deficit fell short, Washington (6-8) had its winning streak snapped at four with Alex Smith out because of a calf injury. Haskins finished 38 of 55 for 295 yards, a TD pass and the two interceptions.
Wilson threw for 121 yards and a 10-yard TD pass to Jacob Hollister and ran for 52 on six carries. Hyde’s 50-yard TD run was Seattle’s longest rushing play of the season.
Colts 27, Texans 20
Philip Rivers threw a late, tiebreaking touchdown to Zach Pascal and Indianapolis’ defense recovered a fumble in the end zone with 19 seconds left to seal a victory over Houston.
Indy (10-4) has won three straight to retain a share of the AFC South lead with Tennessee, winners over Detroit. Houston (4-10) has lost three straight and five of six in this series.
The Colts won this one in similar fashion to the teams’ meeting two weeks ago. The Texans had a chance to win that one in the final minute but Indy jumped on a bad snap to quarterback inside the red zone.
Rivers was 22 of 28 with 228 yards and two scores. Jonathan Taylor had 16 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Deshaun Watson was 33 of 41 with 373 yards and two touchdowns. David Johnson had 11 receptions for 106 yards.
Titans 46, Lions 25
Ryan Tannehill ran for two touchdowns and threw three more, and Derrick Henry ran for 147 yards and a score to move Tennessee closer to clinching its third playoff berth in four seasons as it routed Detroit.
The Titans (10-4) did their part with their second straight victory and fourth in five games to stay atop the AFC South. With Indianapolis beating Houston 27-20, the Titans still hold the tiebreaker in the division over the Colts with two games remaining.
The Lions (5-9) lost their second straight after winning their first game under interim coach Darrell Bevell even with quarterback Matthew Stafford shaking off a rib injury to start. Stafford threw for 252 yards and a TD before being pulled for Chase Daniel after Tennessee went up 39-18 with 9:00 left.
Ravens 40, Jaguars 14
Baltimore built a 26-point halftime lead against helpless Jacksonville and rolled to a victory that boosted their playoff chances and extended the Jaguars’ losing streak to 13 games.
Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to carry the Ravens (9-5) to their third straight win following a three-game skid. Baltimore is among several AFC teams vying for three wild-card spots.
Jacksonville fell to (1-13).
Bears 33, Vikings 27
David Montgomery rushed for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns and Chicago trampled Minnesota’s depleted defense and hung on for a victory to stay in the hunt for the expanded playoffs.
The Bears (7-7) entered the afternoon one game behind Arizona for the new third wild-card spot in the NFC. They never trailed in winning at Minnesota for a third straight year. Coach Matt Nagy improved to 5-1 against the Vikings (6-8), whose postseason chances all but vanished.
Dalvin Cook rushed for 132 yards and a score, but he was stuffed on third-and-1 before a pivotal incompletion by Kirk Cousins throwing off his back foot. Cairo Santos, who converted all four of his kicks, stretched his streak to 22 straight field goals made.
Cowboys 41, 49ers 33
Tony Pollard ran for two touchdowns with Ezekiel Elliott sidelined by an injury for the first time in the two-time rushing champion’s career, and Dallas beat San Francisco.
Four of the seven Dallas scores were set up by turnovers from the 49ers (5-9), who guaranteed themselves becoming the second Super Bowl runner-up in the past 13 seasons to finish with a losing record the next year.
The Cowboys (5-9) kept faint playoff hopes alive in a matchup of longtime rivals with a rich playoff history that was moved out of prime time with both teams starting the day in last place in their divisions.
Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns, and Greg Zuerlein kicked a tiebreaking field goal early in the fourth quarter after the second interception by Nick Mullens, who was replaced by C.J. Beathard.
Beathard handled the last two possessions and threw a 49-yard touchdown to Kendrick Bourne on the final play on a desperation pass.
Cardinals 33, Eagles 26
DeAndre Hopkins had a season-high 169 yards receiving — including a spectacular 20-yard touchdown catch for the go-ahead score — and the Arizona Cardinals improved their playoff position by beating the Philadelphia Eagles 33-26.
Arizona (8-6) won its second straight game as it tries to make the postseason for the first time since 2015. The Cardinals are in third place in their division behind the Rams and Seahawks and would currently be the No. 7 and final seed in the NFC playoffs.
The Eagles (4-9-1) trailed 16-0 in the first quarter but rallied to tie at 26 in the third quarter after quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a 7-yard touchdown. With punter/holder Cameron Johnston sidelined, tight end Zach Ertz became the holder but a bad snap foiled the extra point that would have given Philadelphia a one-point lead.
Arizona responded with its go-ahead touchdown drive capped by Kyler Murray‘s touchdown pass to Hopkins. Cornerback Michael Jacquet was playing tight defense on the play, but Hopkins wrestled the ball away and held on with one hand as he fell past the pylon into the end zone.
Murray threw for a career-high 406 yards and completed 27 of 36 passes, with three touchdowns and one interception. The Cardinals won despite losing three turnovers. The Eagles had none.
Hurts, making his second career start, completed 24 of 44 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He had a lot of good moments, but couldn’t lead the Eagles to any points on their last two offensive drives.
Jets 23, Rams 20
After 51 weeks and 13 games without a victory, the New York Jets finally earned a win, a 23-20 victory over the embarrassed Los Angeles Rams.
Sam Darnold passed for 207 yards in a steady performance, while Frank Gore rushed for a score that was his 100th career touchdown in the Jets’ first win since the 2019 season finale. Gore also made a decisive third-down reception with 2:12 left for the Jets (1-13), who ended the longest losing streak in franchise history with a strong start and a gritty finish.
Coach Adam Gase got his first win of the year only after New York blew most of a 17-point lead in the second half. The Jets’ defense stopped the Rams on downs near midfield with 3:54 to play before Darnold hit Gore with the short pass over the middle that allowed the Jets to run out the clock.
With two games left, New York might have ruined its chances at the No. 1 overall pick because Jacksonville (1-13) is likely to win a tiebreaker based on strength of schedule.
Jared Goff passed for 209 yards for Los Angeles, which couldn’t beat the NFL’s worst team after an extra-long week of rest. The Rams had won four of five to surge to the top of the NFC West, but their inconsistent offense was inept, while their elite defense wasn’t sharp, allowing the Jets to convert seven third downs.
Chiefs 32, Saints 29
Patrick Mahomes tossed for 254 yards and three touchdowns, and the Kansas City Chiefs extended their winning streak to nine games with a 32-29 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The Kansas City defense did its part to spoil Drew Brees‘ return from rib fractures and a punctured lung that had kept the record-setting passer out four games.
While Brees passed for 234 yards and three TDs, he completed less than half of his passes and was intercepted for just the fourth time this season.
The victory kept the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (13-1) in pole position to capture the AFC’s lone playoff bye as a No. 1 seed. The Saints (10-4), meanwhile, missed a chance to clinch the NFC South for a second straight week and now are longshots to capture the NFC’s top seed.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Browns 20, Giants 6
Cleveland quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for two touchdowns in the first half and kept Cleveland’s offense on the field to control the ball and the clock. He finished 27-of-32 passing for 297 yards with two touchdowns while leading the Browns to a 20-3 victory over the Giants on Sunday Night Football.
Rashard Higgins was Cleveland’s leading receiver with 76 yards on four catches. Jarvis Landry had seven catches for 61 yards.
Starting backup quarterback Colt McCoy for the injured Daniel Jones, the Giants started the game with a failed fake field goal and didn’t score a touchdown in 60 minutes. Head coach Joe Judge was aggressive in going for it on fourth-and-2 from Cleveland’s six-yard line, but running back Wayne Gallman was stuffed for a one-yard gain.
McCoy finished 16-of-28 passing for 194 yards.
The Browns improved to 10-4 with the win, maintaining their spot as the current No. 5 seed in the AFC playoff race. It’s only the second time the Browns have reached 10 wins since rejoining the league in 1999.
New York missed an opportunity to tie Washington at the top of the division after the Football Team lost to the Seahawks on Sunday. But at 5-9, the Giants are still alive in the NFC East.
TONIGHT on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
The (11-2) Pittsburgh Steelers are in Cincinnati to take on the (2-10-1) Bengals.
