SATURDAY:
Kansas City Chiefs 31, Las Vegas Raiders 13
The Chiefs had full control of the game en route to a decisive victory that yielded them the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was 18 for 26 passing for 202 yards and a touchdown in the win. Isiah Pacheco, Ronald Jones II and Kadarius Toney all scored rushing touchdowns for Kansas City.
One highlight to know: The touchdown was called back, but the Chiefs deployed a spinning huddle that led to a wildcat snap and horizontal passing play.
The Chiefs received a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Raiders were already eliminated from postseason contention.
Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Tennessee Titans 16
Defense was the story of this de-facto AFC South championship game that netted the Jaguars their first playoff berth since 2017 and their fourth division title in franchise history.
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence was solid, but it was the defense that sealed the game — and a trip to the postseason — for the Jaguars. Meanwhile, the Titans ended the season with seven straight losses.
Titans QB Josh Dobbs lost a fumble with Jaguars defender Josh Allen collected the loose fumble and returned it for a touchdown that gave Jacksonville a lead it would not relinquish.
Next up: The Jaguars won the AFC South and claimed the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. They will battle the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round. The Titans were eliminated with the loss.
SUNDAY:
Miami Dolphins 11, New York Jets 6
Jason Sanders kicked a game-winning field goal from 50 yards out as Miami clinched its first playoff berth since 2016.
In a game dominated by the two defenses, Jets QB Joe Flacco and Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson both struggled to get in a rhythm.
Next up: The Dolphins locked up the seventh and final seed in the AFC playoffs. Miami will play at Buffalo in the first round of the playoffs next weekend. The Jets had been previously eliminated.
Buffalo Bills 35, New England Patriots 23
The Bills took care of business in their first game action since Damar Hamlin went down on Monday Night Football nearly a week before. The win eliminated the Patriots from postseason contention. Special teams was huge in this game, as Nyheim Hines ran back a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns, including one on the opening kickoff of the game.
Next up: The Bills locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and will host the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots were eliminated.
Atlanta Falcons 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17
Falcons QB Desmond Ridder threw for a pair of scores as Atlanta took down its division rival by a two-touchdown margin in the regular-season finale. Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier had 24 rushes for 135 yards.
The Buccaneers, who already clinched the NFC South, elected to rest some of their starters throughout the game.
Next up: The Buccaneers previously clinched the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs. They will battle the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round. The Falcons had already been eliminated.
Minnesota Vikings 29, Chicago Bears 13
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings rolled over a Bears team without many of its starters, including standout second-year QB Justin Fields. The short-handed Bears struggled to produce much of anything on offense and finished a disappointing season on a down note.
Next up: Minnesota had already clinched the NFC North and one of the conference’s top four seeds in the playoffs. They will face the New York Giants in a wild-card matchup. The Bears were previously eliminated.
Cincinnati Bengals 27, Baltimore Ravens 16
The Ravens committed four turnovers and slid down in the playoff seeding with a loss to the Bengals, who clinch the No. 3 seed in their first game after witnessing Damar Hamlin suffer a cardiac arrest.
Rookie quarterback Anthony Brown got his first start and threw two interceptions in Baltimore’s fifth game without Lamar Jackson.
For Cincinnati, Joe Burrow was 25-of-42 for 215 yards and a touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase.
The NFL had previously announced that the playoff sites could come down to a coin toss since the Bengals-Bills game was canceled.
Next up: The No. 6 seed Ravens will have a rematch against the No. 3 seed Bengals in the first round of the playoffs.
Houston Texans 32, Indianapolis Colts 31
The Texans got their third win of the season but gave up the No. 1 draft pick with a win over the lowly Colts. It wasn’t pretty as both Davis Mills and Sam Ehlinger both threw a pair of interceptions.
Texans wideout Brandin Cooks was the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 106 yards and he caught the opening touchdown.
Carolina Panthers 10, New Orleans Saints 7
The Panthers ended their season on a high note, getting a last-second field goal to take down the Saints in a Week 18 finale in New Orleans. The Panthers completed only five passes in the game but ran for 171 yards as a team.
Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Cleveland Browns 14
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has never finished a season with a losing record, including this year, finishing with a four-game winning streak. But the Steelers will miss the playoffs despite beating the Browns.
Kenny Pickett went 13-of-29 for 195 yards and a touchdown and was helped by 84 rushing yards and a touchdown from Najee Harris.
Deshaun Watson was 19-of-29 for 239 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was sacked seven times, 2.5 of which came from Alex Highsmith.
Philadelphia Eagles 22, New York Giants 16
Jalen Hurts returned from injury to will the Eagles to a win and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The quarterback went 20-of-35 for 229 yards and an interception while running back Boston Scott added a rushing touchdown. A.J. Brown had four receptions for 95 yards and passed Mike Quick to take the franchise record for most receiving yards in a season.
The Giants sat most of their starters since they clinched their first playoff spot since 2016 last week. They came back after being down 19-0, but didn’t have enough fire power, or reason to play for the win.
Next up: The Eagles are off next week as they clinch the NFC’s bye. The No. 6 Giants face the No. 3 Minnesota Vikings in a wild-card matchup.
Washington Commanders 26, Dallas Cowboys 6
Rookie Sam Howell went 11-of-19 for 169 yards, two total touchdowns and an interception in his first start as he led the Commanders to a victory in their season finale.
The Cowboys had only 182 yards of total offense and two turnovers as they saw their chances at the No. 1 seed in the NFC slip away.
Next up: The Commanders’ season is over. The Cowboys have the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round.
Denver Broncos 31, Los Angeles Chargers 28
Russell Wilson and company go out on a high note as the Broncos defeated the Chargers, who, despite already securing the No. 5 seed in the playoffs, played their starters throughout the game.
Wilson looked like the quarterback the team paid $245 million for as he went 13-of-24 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Latavius Murray added 103 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
For the Chargers, Keenan Allen scored two touchdowns after missing the middle of the season with a hamstring injury, but fellow wideout Mike Williams exited the game with a back injury.
Next up: The Broncos’ season is over. The No. 5 seed Chargers will travel to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wild-card round.
Seattle Seahawks 19, Los Angeles Rams 16 (OT)
The Seahawks defeated the Rams in overtime and later reached the postseason when the Lions defeated the Packers.
Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield combined for three interceptions, but both of their running backs each had 100-yard games with Kenneth Walker III finishing with 114 yards and Cam Akers rushing for 104.
There were seven total field goals in the game, including Jason Myers’ 32-yard game-winner. Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner had seven tackles in his homecoming game.
Next up: The Seahawks will play the San Francisco 49ers in a wild car game. The Rams’ season is over.
San Francisco 49ers 38, Arizona Cardinals 13
The 49ers locked in the No. 2 seed in the NFC with another dominating performance and their 10th straight win to close out the regular season. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy went 15-of-20 for 178 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to George Kittle. Elijah Mitchell had 55 yards and two touchdowns rushing while Christian McCaffrey added 45 yards on the ground and 34 receiving.
The Cardinals played two quarterbacks, David Blough and Trace McSorley, who combined for four turnovers. J.J. Watt finished with five tackles, including two sacks in the final game of his career.
Next up: The 49ers, with the No. 2 seed, will host the Seattle Seahawks to open up the playoffs. The Cardinals’ season is over.
Detroit Lions 20, Green Bay Packers 16
Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Kerby Joseph on the final pass of what might be his last game, and the Green Bay Packers lost 20-16 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night to miss the playoffs.
After winning four straight games, the Packers had control of their postseason fate heading into the final game of the NFL regular season. But they fell short against the Lions, who had been eliminated from the playoffs earlier Sunday when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in overtime.
Seattle (9-8) instead earned the NFC’s last playoff spot and will play at San Francisco (13-4) in the opening round. The Packers (8-9) missed the playoffs for the first time in Matt LaFleur’s four seasons as coach.
Rodgers went 17 of 27 for 205 yards with one touchdown in what may be the final appearance at Lambeau Field for the four-time MVP. Although he is under contract for next season, the 39-year-old Rodgers has said he doesn’t know whether he will continue playing.
The Bills run out of the tunnel with flags for Damar Hamlin
The Buffalo Bills Nyheim Hines returns the opening kick against the Patriots
Buffalo Bills running back Nyheim Hines’ 101-yard touchdown marks his second kick-return score of the game.
Bills QB Josh Allen breaks down a bit when talking about how emotional he was after the opening kickoff TD: “It was spiritual. I just found out that it’s been 3 years and 3 months (Damar Hamlin’s number is 3) since the last kick-off return (for a touchdown).”
Aaron Rodgers throws a pic late in the game to end the Packers chances at the playoffs. Detroit Lions defensive back Kerby Joseph becomes the first player to pick off three Aaron Rodgers passes in the regular season.
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and Packers receiver Randall Cobb were seen leaving the field after the loss to the Lions, with their arms around each other, in an emotional moment. After the game, Aaron talks about that.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow talks about the win over the Ravens, and the need to play better next week.
Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson talks about making the playoffs.
Texans head coach Lovie Smith (who was fired last night, after his presser) talks about finishing the season the right way, and getting a win over the Colts.
Seahawks are heading to the playoffs after their win over the Rams. QB Geno Smith talks about throwing an interception early in the game.
Steelers Linebacker TJ Watt talks about their efforts being too little too late for this year, but he’s proud of the guys on the team.
