SATURDAY:
Colts 30, Steeles 13
Gardner Minshew threw three touchdown passes and the Indianapolis Colts rushed for 170 yards, improving their playoff prospects with a 30-13 win over the sagging Pittsburgh Steelers.
Minshew was 18 of 28 for 215 yards and matched his career high for TD passes.
Meantime leading receiver Michael Pittman Jr. left the game with a concussion, top rusher Zack Moss departed with a right arm injury, and former 2021 rushing champ Jonathan Taylor (right thumb) didn’t play.
The Colts (8-6) have won five of six and temporarily moved a half-game ahead of three teams for the AFC’s seventh and final playoff spot. The Steelers (7-7) dropped their third straight and fell into last place in the rugged AFC North, putting coach Mike Tomlin’s run of 16 straight seasons at .500 or better in jeopardy.
Bengals 27, Vikings 24 OT
Jake Browning led Cincinnati to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and directed the winning drive in overtime, and the Bengals beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 to improve their position in the playoff race.
Browning won his third straight start and improved to 3-1 since Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending right wrist injury in a loss at Baltimore. This time, he threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime, becoming the fourth QB in the past two years to throw for at least that many yards and two or more scores after three quarters.
Tee Higgins went high over a Vikings defender to catch a 16-yard pass from Browning and make a twisting move at the goal line for the tying touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation.
Then, in overtime, a scrambling Browning found Tyler Boyd for a 44-yard completion that got Cincinnati (8-6) into Vikings territory and set up Evan McPherson’s game-ending 29-yard field goal.
Browning was 29 for 42 for 324 yards with two touchdowns — both to Higgins — and an interception. He completed passes to 11 receivers and has a 110.9 passer rating in his four starts..
Nick Mullens, the fourth quarterback to start a game this season for the Vikings, was solid in defeat. He passed for 303 yards with two TDs but threw two interceptions.
Minnesota (7-7) has lost three of four, the only win in that stretch a 3-0 decision at Las Vegas that led to Joshua Dobbs being benched in favor of Mullens.
Lions 42, Broncos 17
Jared Goff matched a career high with five touchdown passes, three to rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, and Detroit routed the Denver Broncos 42-17.
The NFC North-leading Lions (10-4) could clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since the 2016 season if other results go their way the rest of Week 15. The simplest scenario would be a loss or tie by Seattle to Philadelphia tonight.
If Detroit wins a division title for the first time since 1993, it would host a playoff game. The Lions have only one playoff victory since the franchise won the NFL title in 1957.
Russell Wilson finished 18 of 32 for 223 yards with a touchdown pass and a rushing TD. He was relieved by backup Jarrett Stidham on a meaningless final series.
Goff was 24 of 34 for 278 yards, throwing five touchdown passes for the first time since 2018 when he played for the Rams, and didn’t have a turnover. He joined Houston’s C.J. Stroud as the only QBs to throw for five TDs in a game this season. The Broncos had given up just four touchdown passes over the previous six games.
SUNDAY:
Bills 31, Cowboys 10
James Cook had a career-best 179 yards rushing and scored twice as Buffalo dominated on the ground, and the Bills beat Dallas 31-10, ending the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak.
Josh Allen threw for just 94 yards for the Bills (8-6), who won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended on Oct. 1. Buffalo gained ground in the AFC playoff race, moving one game ahead of Denver and Pittsburgh.
The Cowboys (10-4) clinched their third playoff berth before kickoff thanks to other results around the league. But Dallas fell a game behind NFC-best San Francisco.
The Cowboys dropped to 3-4 on the road, where they’ve been outscored 156-152.
Buffalo rushed for 266 yards, held the ball for 10 minutes more than Dallas and had 28 first downs to the Cowboys’ 14.
The Cowboys were held to a season-low 195 yards of offense. Dak Prescott finished 21 of 34 for 134 yards with an interception.
Browns 20, Bears 17
Joe Flacco passed for 374 yards and led Cleveland to 13 points in the fourth quarter, including Dustin Hopkins’ go-ahead 34-yard field goal with 32 seconds left, and the Browns withstood a Hail Mary on the final play to beat Chicago.
Flacco was intercepted three times but made some brilliant throws in the closing minutes to rally the Browns, including a 51-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper with 3:08 left that tied it at 17-all.
The Browns (9-5) got the ball back with 1:50 left and the 38-year-old Flacco completed two passes to tight end David Njoku for 65 yards to set up Hopkins’ kick.
After blowing a 17-7, fourth-quarter lead, the Bears (5-9) nearly pulled off a stunning finish.
Justin Fields lofted a pass from the 45-yard line to the end zone on the game’s last play. The ball was deflected toward Bears receiver Darnell Mooney, who was lying on his back, but it bounced off his hands and Cleveland’s D’Anthony Bell made the interception.
Texans 19, Titans 16, OT
Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired in overtime, and Houston rallied from a 13-point deficit without C.J. Stroud to beat Tennessee.
The Texans (8-6) entered the day one spot outside of the AFC’s seven-team playoff field. They kept pace by winning without several key players, including Stroud — their standout rookie quarterback — and top receiver Nico Collins, right tackle George Fant and a pair of defensive starters.
Case Keenum made his first start since Week 17 of the 2021 season for Cleveland. Keenum threw for 229 yards and helped Houston outgain the Titans 340-204. Devin Singletary ran for 121 yards.
Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis left with 1:49 left in overtime after being sacked for the seventh time with his left leg caught underneath him in a pile. Tennessee (5-9) clinched a second consecutive losing season.
49ers 45, Cardinals 29
Christian McCaffrey scored three touchdowns, Charvarius Ward had two interceptions — including a pick-6 — and San Francisco beat Arizona for its sixth straight win.
Brock Purdy went 16 of 25 for 242 yards and tied a career high with four touchdown passes.
The 49ers (11-3) have won each of their past six games by at least 12 points. They’ve also won 12 straight against NFC West opponents.
McCaffrey finished with five catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 115 yards and a score.
Kyler Murray completed 26 of 39 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Cardinals (3-11), who fell to 2-3 since he returned from an ACL tear.
Rams 28, Commanders 20
Matthew Stafford passed for 258 yards and hit Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson for touchdowns, leading Los Angeles past Washington.
Kupp’s eight receptions for 111 yards were highlighted by a 62-yard TD catch right after halftime for the Rams (7-7), who have won four of five to push their way into the playoff picture.
Kyren Williams overcame the first two lost fumbles of his two-year NFL career to rush for 152 yards and a touchdown while his Rams slid into one of the three NFC wild-card playoff positions alongside New Orleans and Minnesota.
The Rams’ defense largely shut down the Commanders (4-10) in the first three quarters before Washington backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett made things interesting.
Brissett relieved Sam Howell in the fourth quarter and immediately led two touchdown drives for the Commanders, who have lost five straight. Curtis Samuel caught two TD passes, including a 3-yard grab with 1:46 to play.
Buccaneers 34, Packers 20
Baker Mayfield threw for 381 yards and four touchdowns, and Tampa Bay beat Green Bay for its third straight win.
Mayfield went 22 of 28 and threw touchdown passes to Mike Evans, Rachaad White, Ko Kieft and David Moore to help the Buccaneers (7-7) keep pace with New Orleans atop the NFC North. Mayfield’s passer rating was a perfect 158.3.
Chris Godwin had 10 catches for 155 yards for the Bucs.
The Packers (6-8) lost their second straight to deal their playoff hopes a major blow. Jordan Love was 29 of 39 for 284 yards with touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft and Jayden Reed.
Saints 24, Giants 6
Derek Carr passed for 218 yards and three touchdowns, and New Orleans sacked Tommy DeVito seven times in a win over New York.
Carr connected on 23 of 28 passes without a turnover in one of the more efficient outings of his first season with New Orleans (7-7). His scoring passes went for 7 yards to Keith Kirkwood, 24 to Juwan Johnson and 1 to Jimmy Graham, who caught his third scoring pass in three games.
The Saints remained tied atop the NFC South with Tampa Bay.
DeVito and the Giants (5-9) had their three-game winning streak snapped. They are guaranteed of a losing record and have only a slight chance of making the playoffs. DeVito was 20 of 34 for 177 yards.
Dolphins 30, Jets 0
Raheem Mostert scored two touchdowns to set Miami’s single-season record with 20, Tua Tagovailoa threw for 224 yards and a score, and the Dolphins blanked New York without star receiver Tyreek Hill.
Tagovailoa was 21 of 24 and threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Jaylen Waddle. He was replaced by Mike White with 8:32 remaining and the Dolphins up by 30.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson left late in the second quarter with a concussion. New York (5-9) was shut out for the first time since losing 26-0 at Denver in Week 3 of the 2021 season. The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention for the 13th straight season.
Chiefs 27, Patriots 17
Running back Jerick McKinnon threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and Patrick Mahomes passed for 305 yards and two scores to help Kansas City beat New England.
The Chiefs (9-5) snapped a two-game skid and maintained control of the AFC West race. With Taylor Swift again on hand to cheer him on, Travis Kelce caught five passes for 28 yards, but also had a potential touchdown bounce off his hands.
Bailey Zappe, making his third straight start in place of the benched Mac Jones, completed 23 of 31 passes for 180 yards for the Patriots. New England (3-11) lost for the sixth time in seven games and remains in contention for one of the top two picks in next year’s NFL draft.
Panthers 9, Falcons 7
Eddy Pineiro kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired, and Carolina dealt Atlanta’s playoff hopes a huge blow.
The Falcons (6-8) entered the game tied with New Orleans and Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South, but now need help to get into the postseason after the Saints and Buccaneers both won.
Bryce Young threw for 167 yards in his second NFL win and Chuba Hubbard ran for 87 yards for Carolina (2-12), which snapped a six-game skid.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Ravens 23, Jaguars 7
The Baltimore Ravens notched a 23-7 victory at Jacksonville that clinched a postseason berth.
Baltimore won its fourth in a row and moved a step closer to securing the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
The Jaguars lost their third straight — all against AFC North teams — and fell into a tie with Houston and Indianapolis atop the AFC South.
Trevor Lawrence fumbled twice in the latest letdown, including one in the fourth quarter that essentially sealed Baltimore’s eighth victory in its last nine games. He was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol after the game and not allowed to speak to the media.
Lamar Jackson threw for 171 yards — 70 of those to Likely — and ran for 97 more.
Lawrence threw for 264 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown to Jamal Agnew that gave the Jaguars life after a scoreless first half.
TONIGHT on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
The (10-3) Philadelphia Eagles are in Seattle to battle the (6-7) Seahawks.
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s 65-yard deep shot touchdown to Jaguars wide receiver Jamal Agnew is the longest TD pass of the QB’s career.
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is so wide open he falls, gets up and scores on a 41-yard touchdown reception.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford locates wide-open Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp for a 62-yard touchdown heave to put the Rams up by 19 points.
The Chicago Bears have a perfect opportunity for a Hail Mary from quarterback Justin Fields, but wide receiver Darnell Mooney cannot haul in the pass as Cleveland Browns safety D’Anthony Bell ends the game with an interception.
San Francisco 49ers defensive back Charvarius Ward grabs a 66-yard pick-six off of Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.
Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 54-yard field goal in OT gives the Texans the win in Nashville.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco connects with wide receiver Amari Cooper for a 51-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17-17 against the Chicago Bears.
Carolina Panthers seal upset of Atlanta Falcons with kicker Eddy Pineiro’s walk-off 23-yard field goal. head coach Chris Tabor gets his first win as a head coach in the NFL.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield’s third TD pass of game goes to tight end Ko Kieft late in third quarter to extend Bucs’ lead to 26-17. It was Kieft’s first catch of the season!
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce can’t quite hold on to a potential touchdown pass much to the dismay of Taylor Swift.
