THANKSGIVING DAY:
Lions 23, Bears 20
Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta, Jake Bates made three field goals in the first half and Detroit held off the Chicago Bears 23-20.
The Bears had the ball in Lions territory late in the game with a chance to drive for a game-tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown, but they blew the opportunity.
Caleb Williams threw an incomplete pass as time expired from the Detroit 41 after being sacked with about 30 seconds left, allowing time to run off the clock even though Chicago had one more timeout.
The NFC-leading Lions (11-1) have their best record after 12 games in team history and their 10-game winning streak ties a franchise record with the 1934 squad.
Cowboys 27, Giants 20
DeMarvion Overshown pick-6 from 23 yards put Dallas in front for good, Rico Dowdle ran for a score in his first career 100-yard game and the Cowboys held on for a 27-20 Thanksgiving Day victory over the New York Giants.
Cooper Rush threw a TD pass, and Dowdle finished with 112 yards Thursday as the Cowboys (5-7) ended a six-game home losing streak going back to a wild-card playoff loss to Green Bay last season.
Drew Lock started in place of the injured Tommy DeVito a week after the benching and subsequent release of Daniel Jones. He lost a fumble following Overshown’s pick-6 in a seventh consecutive loss for the Giants (2-10).
Packers 30, Dolphins 17
Jordon Love led the Packers by throwing two touchdown passes to Jayden Reed in a 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Love went 21 of 28 for 274 yards.
The Packers have won seven of their last eight games.
Miami (5-7) continued its recent history of struggling in cold weather. The kickoff temperature at Lambeau Field was 27 degrees (-2.7 Celsius) with 10 mph winds, light flurries and a wind chill of 18.
The Dolphins have lost their past 12 regular-season or postseason games in which the temperature at kickoff has been below 40 degrees (4.4 Celsius).
Friday:
Chiefs 19, Raiders 17
Two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes watched from the sideline as Las Vegas drove within range of a winning field goal with 15 seconds left, only to botch the snap on its final offensive play, allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to escape with a 19-17 victory that also secured their 10th consecutive playoff berth — the second-longest streak in NFL history.
The Raiders (2-10) had taken over at their own 8-yard line with just under two minutes to go, and quarterback Aidan O’Connell quickly moved them across midfield, eventually spiking the ball at the Kansas City 32 to stop the clock.
Rather than try for the winning field goal — as Daniel Carlson had missed three from 50-plus — the Raiders lined up to run a play, hoping to gain a few yards with a throw to the sideline before time expired. But rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball when O’Connell wasn’t expecting it, and it bounced off the QB’s shoulder. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton pounced on it, and the recovery stood when a flag on the play turned out to be an illegal shift by the Raiders.
Mahomes finished with 306 yards passing and a touchdown, and fill-in kicker Matt Wright made four field goals for the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (11-1), who won their NFL record-extending 14th consecutive one-possession game.
SUNDAY:
Steelers 44, Bengals 38
Cincinnati almost assuredly will miss the playoffs for the second straight year after it lost 44-38 to Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe Burrow passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough for the Bengals (4-8).
Burrow is having one of his best seasons. He has passed for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of the last three games.
But the defense has allowed 34 or more points six times, including four of the past five games. The Bengals are averaging an NFL-high 30.3 points per game against teams with a .500 or better record this season, and they are 0-7 in those games.
Russell Wilson threw for a season-high 414 yards and three touchdowns. Pittsburgh finished with 520 yards overall.
Vikings 23, Cardinals 22
Sam Darnold’s second touchdown pass of the second half went to Aaron Jones for Minnesota’s first lead with 1:13 remaining, and the Vikings rallied from 13 points down to beat the Arizona Cardinals 23-22 for their fifth straight victory.
Darnold passed for 104 of his 235 yards in the fourth quarter against the blitz-heavy Cardinals, whose five sacks helped deny the Vikings (10-2) the end zone until Darnold hit Johnny Mundt with 1:17 left in the third quarter. That was the second offensive touchdown against Arizona in a span of 15 quarters.
Last week at Chicago, Darnold went 6 for 6 for 90 yards in overtime to set up the winning field goal.
Kyler Murray threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter to spoil a strong start by the Cardinals (6-6), who fell one game behind NFC West-leading Seattle.
Chargers 17, Falcons 13
The Los Angeles Chargers relied on their defense — especially rookie cornerback Tarheeb Still — to hand Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons their third straight loss.
Still returned an interception 61 yards for a touchdown, his second pick of the game and one of four thrown by Cousins as the Chargers overcame numerous issues to knock off the Falcons 17-13 on Sunday.
The Chargers (8-4) surrendered five sacks to a team that had an NFL-low 10 coming into the game, not to mention fumbled the ball away in their own territory to set up Atlanta’s only TD. There also was a fake punt that didn’t work and a largely listless offense that managed just two first downs in the second half.
The Falcons nearly doubled up the Chargers in total yards, 350-187. Justin Herbert threw for just 147 yards, and the Chargers were limited to 56 yards on the ground without top back J.K. Dobbins.
Cousins finished 24 of 39 for 245 yards.
Texans 23, Jaguars 20
Joe Mixon ran for 101 yards and a touchdown, Nico Collins caught eight passes for 119 yards and the Houston Texans beat Jacksonville 23-20 Sunday after knocking quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of the game with a concussion.
The Texans (8-5) won for just the second time in five weeks and maintained a two-game lead in the AFC South.
C.J. Stroud completed 22 of 34 passes for 242 yards, with a 22-yard TD pass to Dalton Schultz early in the fourth quarter that essentially iced the game. It was Houston’s 12th win in its past 14 meetings with the Jaguars (2-10) and sixth in a row in Jacksonville.
The game will be remembered for linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair’s violent hit on Lawrence in the second quarter that prompted a sideline-clearing brawl. Al-Shaair hit Lawrence with an elbow as the defenseless quarterback slid to the ground following a 6-yard scramble.
Lawrence clinched both fists after the hit — movements consistent with what’s referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury. He was on the ground for several minutes as teammates came to his defense.
Tight end Evan Engram and several others attacked Al-Shaair, whose latest perceived cheap shot could result in a suspension.
Lawrence eventually was helped to his feet and loaded into the front seat of a cart to be taken off the field. He was not transported to a hospital for tests. He was quickly ruled out with a concussion, though.
Mac Jones replaced Lawrence and threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He rallied the Jaguars from a 23-6 deficit in the fourth but didn’t get the ball back.
Commanders 42, Titans 19
Jayden Daniels threw two of his three touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin and scored one rushing to lead the Washington Commanders to a 42-19 rout of the Tennessee Titans. They got their groove back, their skid ended at three and it was all smiles following their first victory in nearly a month.
Daniels completed 25 of 30 passes for 206 yards and the TD passes to McLaurin and Zach Ertz, offsetting his interception and bolstering his status as favorite for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Brian Robinson Jr. returned from a sprained ankle to run for 103 yards and a TD, and the defense and special teams each forced a fumble in a game the Commanders (8-5) had well in hand before halftime.
McLaurin had eight catches for 73 yards.
Tennessee (3-9) didn’t score until Will Levis’ 27-yard TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine late in the second quarter, and the two connected on another with seven minutes remaining in the fourth.
Seahawks 26, Jets 21
Leonard Williams, Seattle’s 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive intercepted Aaron Rodgers and his 92-yard return was a momentum-turning score in the second quarter, helping the Seahawks come back and defeat the New York Jets 26-21.
According to the NFL, Williams became the first player since 1982 with multiple sacks (two), an interception-return TD and a blocked kick in a game. Williams’ interception return for a score was the longest in NFL history by a defensive lineman.
Zach Charbonnet ran for a go-ahead 8-yard touchdown with 5:31 remaining and the Seahawks (7-5) held on for their third straight victory. Geno Smith threw a touchdown pass to AJ Barner for Seattle, which was sloppy early but took over sole possession of first place in the NFC West with Arizona losing to Minnesota.
Rodgers and the Jets (3-9) led most of the way and appeared energized early in their first game coming out of their bye-week break. But they were held scoreless in the second half.
Rodgers was 21 of 39 for 185 yards and touchdown passes to Davante Adams and Isaiah Davis, but also had the pick-6. New York has dropped three in a row, eight of its past nine and fell to 1-6 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich.
Colts 25, Patriots 24
Indianapolis’ second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Alec Pierce with 12 seconds left and ran for the go-ahead 2-point conversion, and the Colts beat New England 25-24 on Sunday when the Patriots’ Joey Slye missed a 68-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
It was the second comeback win in three games for Richardson, who also ran for a TD in the final minute to beat the New York Jets two weeks ago.
Richardson finished 12 of 24 for 109 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to help the Colts (6-7) keep their postseason hopes alive. Three of Indianapolis’ final four opponents have losing records.
The Patriots (3-10) were eliminated from playoff contention with their fourth loss in five games. Drake Maye finished 24 of 30 for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Eagles 24, Ravens 19
The Philadelphia Eagles kept Lamar Jackson under control in a 24-19 victory over the Baltimore Ravens– the Eagles’ eighth win in a row.
A good fourth quarter pushed Saquon Barkley up to 107 yards rushing, including a 25-yard touchdown with 7:56 remaining. Derrick Henry produced 82 yards along with three catches for 29 yards.
Justin Tucker’s nightmarish season continued for Baltimore. The star kicker missed two field goals and an extra point as the Ravens (8-5) fell 1 1/2 games behind first-place Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The NFC East-leading Eagles (10-2) rallied from an early 9-0 deficit with two second-quarter touchdowns, and although Tucker did make a 50-yard kick shortly before halftime, the Ravens didn’t manage a point after that until the final seconds of the game.
Lamar Jackson fell to 23-2 against the NFC as a starter. He threw for 237 yards and ran for 79.
Bucs 26, Panthers 23 OT
Baker Mayfield led four late scoring drives, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers 26-23 in overtime on a 30-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin to move into a tie for first place in the NFC South.
Bucky Irving ran for a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown for the Bucs (6-6), who caught Atlanta atop the division.
Mayfield finished 21 of 33 for 235 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions to improve to 4-0 against the Panthers, who cut him in 2022. Mike Evans had five catches for 118 yards, including a one-handed grab on a 1-yard touchdown catch for Tampa Bay.
Bryce Young and the Panthers were moving into position for a game-winning score in overtime when Adam Thielen hauled in a one-handed grab to reach Tampa Bay territory. But Chuba Hubbard fumbled on the next play.
Young was 26 of 46 passing for 298 yards and led a 60-yard drive that concluded on a 25-yard scoring toss to Thielen with 30 seconds left in regulation to briefly give Carolina a 23-20 lead.
Rams 21, Saints 14
Kryen Williams rushed for a season-high 104 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown, in the L.A. Rams’ 21-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Matthew Stafford passed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Rams (6-6) stayed close in the NFC West race and handed interim Saints coach Darren Rizzi his first loss.
The Saints (4-8) drove inside the Rams 10-yard line in the final minutes, but Derek Carr’s pass on fourth-and-3 was deflected from behind by edge rusher Jared Verse and fell incomplete.
Stafford passed for 183 yards without a turnover. His scoring passes went for 3 yards to Demarcus Robinson and 7 yards to Puca Nacua, the latter putting the Rams up for good with 8:54 left.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Bills 35, 49ers 10
Josh Allen scored a receiving touchdown on a pass he threw, and the Buffalo Bills clinched their fifth straight AFC East title with a 35-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on a snowy Sunday night.
Allen had touchdowns passing, rushing and receiving, becoming the first quarterback and seventh player in the Super Bowl era to do that and the first since the Niners’ Christian McCaffrey in 2022.
His receiving TD came on a play in which he threw to Amari Cooper, who was wrapped up short of the goal line and pitched the ball back to Allen. The QB sprinted to the left corner of the end zone and dived past for the pylon for the score. Allen was credited with a touchdown passing and receiving on the play, although it did not count as a reception.
His final numbers: 13 of 17 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns, three rushes for 18 yards and a score, and zero catches for 7 yards and a TD.
Buffalo has won seven straight since back-to-back losses to Baltimore and Houston, and is 10-2 or better for the fifth time in team history and first since 1991. The Bills became the NFL’s eighth team, and first since Indianapolis in 2009, to clinch a division title with five games remaining.
The defending NFC champion 49ers (5-7) unraveled as they dropped their third straight and lost McCaffrey to a knee injury in the second quarter. McCaffrey appeared to step awkwardly with his left foot on the snow-slicked field and went down immediately. After being examined on the sideline, he limped to the locker room and was ruled out at the start of the second half.
McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries when he exited the game, his fourth after missing the first eight of the season with Achilles tendinitis.
TONIGHT on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
The (3-8) Cleveland Browns are in Denver to battle the (7-5) Broncos.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen becomes the second player in 19 years to rush, pass and receive a touchdown in the same game. The last player to do it was San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin sends the Tampa Bay Buccaneers home winners 26-23 over the Carolina Panthers with a 30-yard walk-off field goal in overtime.
Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiver Jahan Dotson seals the Eagles’ tenth win of the season with an onside-kick recovery.
Los Angeles Rams rookie outside linebacker Jared Verse gets a game-sealing strip-sack against New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr to give the Rams the ball back with just over a minute left in the game.
Baltimore Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker pulls a 47-yard field goal attempt wide left against the Philadelphia Eagles. Tucker failed to convert two field goals and an extra point on Sunday.
New England Patriots kicker Joey Slye’s 68-yard field goal try falls shy of crossbar, giving the Indianapolis Colts the win.
Minnesota Vikings cornerback Shaquill Griffin’s interception of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s pass secures the Vikings’ 10th win.
Trevor Lawrence suffered a brutal late hit by Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair… Trevor’s teammates quickly started brawling with Texans players over the hit.
