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 The Panthers (14-0) wrapped up the top spot in the NFC playoffs and
cinched homefield advantage, but it was a struggle in the last 20
minutes of the game. The Panthers went up 35-7 when wide receiver
Ted Ginn caught a 14-yard pass for quarterback Cam Newton's fifth
touchdown toss of the day when the Giants went on a roll to respond
to 28 unanswered points from Carolina.
Newton led the Panthers to their 18th straight regular-season
victory. He has thrown for 19 touchdowns in the last five games and
a career-best 33 this season.
Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was flagged for three
personal fouls in the game and tested the patience of officials with
repeated on-field tantrums. He was never tossed, and caught a
14-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to tie the game at
35-35, capping a two-minutes, 31-second drive. The Giants dropped to
6-8.
Steelers 34, Broncos 27
PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger threw for 380 yards and three
touchdowns - including a game-winning 23-yard strike to Antonio
Brown with 3:24 remaining - as Pittsburgh rallied from a 17-point
deficit to beat Denver.
Roethlisberger's second touchdown pass to Brown, who had 16
receptions for 189 yards, broke a 27-27 tie and gave the Steelers
(9-5) their fifth win in six games.
Roethlisberger completed 40 of 55 against the NFL's No. 1 defense in
points (17.3 per game) and total yards (272.3) allowed. The Broncos
had two interceptions, including a pick by linebacker Brandon
Marshall with 2:08 left at the Steelers' 41.
Brock Osweiler, subbing for injured Peyton Manning for the fifth
straight game, threw three touchdowns passes and ran for another as
the Broncos built a 27-10 lead in the second quarter. But Denver
(10-4) failed to score in the second half to see its lead in the AFC
West over the Kansas City Chiefs trimmed to one game.
Patriots 33, Titans 16
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England moved a step closer to wrapping up
the top seed in the AFC with a victory over Tennessee.
The Patriots (12-2) finished a 7-1 home season and clinched a
first-round playoff bye.
Quarterback Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes and defensive end
Akiem Hicks recovered a fumble and scored New England's first
non-offensive touchdown of the season in the first half as the
Patriots reached 12 wins for the 10th time, tying them with the
Denver Broncos for third on the NFL's all-time list. Brady finished
23 of 35 for 267 yards.
Texans 16, Colts 10
INDIANAPOLIS -- Third-string quarterback Brandon Weeden came off the
bench in the second quarter to throw the deciding touchdown pass,
and Nick Novak kicked three field goals, leading Houston to a
victory against Indianapolis and sole possession of the AFC South
lead.
Weeden, who finished 11 of 18 for 105 yards, replaced T.J. Yates
with 1:14 left in the first half after Yates sustained a serious
knee injury on a 19-yard scramble.
With the victory, the Texans are 7-7 and control their destiny in
the AFC South. A victory at Tennessee and another at home against
Jacksonville would end the Colts' dominance in the AFC South, won by
the Colts in nine of the 13 seasons the division existed.
Indianapolis is now 6-8 and has lost three in a row.
Chiefs 34, Ravens 14
BALTIMORE -- Kansas City took advantage of several miscues and
continued its recent surge toward the playoffs with an easy victory
over Baltimore.
The Chiefs (9-5) became the first team in NFL history to bounce back
from a five-game losing streak with eight straight wins in the same
season. The Ravens (4-10) suffered their third, three-game losing
streak of the season.
Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters returned an interception 90 yards
for a touchdown, while safety Tyvon Branch picked up a fumble and
ran 73 yards for a score. Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith did an
effective job managing the game, completing 21 of 25 for 171 yards
with a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 108.5.
Vikings 38, Bears 17
MINNEAPOLIS -- Teddy Bridgewater fired four touchdown passes and
Minnesota won for the first time in a month, defeating Chicago.
Bridgewater also ran for a touchdown and passed for 231 yards as the
Vikings (9-5) snapped a two-game losing streak and assured
themselves of their first winning season since 2012.
The Bears (5-9) lost their third consecutive game and are assured of
back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2003-04.
Redskins 35, Bills 25
WASHINGTON -- Kirk Cousins tied his career high with four touchdown
passes, including two to tight end Jordan Reed, and ran for another
score as Washington defeated Buffalo to remain atop the NFC East.
Wide receiver DeSean Jackson caught six passes for 153 yards,
including a 77-yard score for the Redskins (7-7), who posted
consecutive wins for the first time since Weeks 7-8 of last season.
Cousins completed 22 of 28 passes from 319 yards, with no
interceptions. Reed had seven catches for 84 yards. Quarterback
Tyrod Taylor hit on 16 of 27 attempts for 235 yards and two
touchdowns for Buffalo (6-8), which has lost four of five games.
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Falcons 23, Jaguars 17
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Shayne Graham kicked three field goals,
including a pair in the fourth quarter, to lift Atlanta over
Jacksonville to end its six-game losing streak.
The game was tied at 17-17 entering the fourth quarter before Graham
connected on a 33-yard effort with just over 10 minutes left. He
then increased the lead to six points when he hit from 46 yards out
with 1:42 left in the game as the Falcons moved to 7-7.
The Jaguars (5-9) had a final chance to score the winning touchdown
but turned the ball over on downs in the closing seconds from its
own 41-yard line.
Packers 30, Raiders 20
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 204 yards and
a touchdown and rookie cornerback Damarious Randall returned an
interception 43 yards for a score to lead Green Bay.
The Packers (10-4) officially clinched a postseason spot midway
through the first quarter when Carolina defeated the New York Giants
with a last-second field goal. Green Bay outside linebacker Julius
Peppers had 2 1/2 sacks, giving him 135 for his career.
Green Bay defeated the Raiders (6-8) for the seventh straight time
and eliminated Oakland from playoff contention on a rainy day by San
Francisco Bay. For the 13th consecutive season, the Raiders will
finish without a winning record.
Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper caught six passes for 120 yards
and a career-high two touchdowns. Cooper became the first rookie in
Raiders history with 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
Bengals 24, 49ers 14
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Jeremy Hill scored a pair of one-yard
touchdowns in a second-quarter flurry fueled by San Francisco
mistakes, and Cincinnati clinched a playoff spot and at least a
share of the AFC North title with the victory.
AJ McCarron passed for 192 yards and a 20-yard score to backup tight
end Tyler Kroft in his first start in place of injured Andy Dalton,
who likely will miss the rest of the regular season with a broken
thumb.
The Bengals intercepted three passes, recovered a fumble and sacked
49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert four times while improving to 11-3
with two games remaining.
Gabbert completed 30 of 50 passes for 295 yards and a score for San
Francisco (4-10).
Chargers 30, Dolphins 14
SAN DIEGO -- Danny Woodhead scored a career-high four touchdowns to
lead the Chargers in what was potentially their final game in San
Diego.
Woodhead scored on receptions of 20, 9, and 9 yards and had a 2-yard
run. Philip Rivers completed 26 of 36 passes for 311 yards and three
touchdowns for the Chargers (4-10), who are among three NFL teams
considering a move next season to the Los Angeles area.
Ryan Tannehill passed for 216 yards for Miami (5-9), which fell for
the fourth time in five games to clinch a losing season for the
first time since 2012.
The Chargers limited the Dolphins to 44 rushing yards, San Diego's
best effort in run defense this season.
Seahawks 30, Browns 13
SEATTLE - Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin hooked up on two more
touchdown passes as Seattle rolled over Cleveland.
Wilson completed 21 of 30 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns
- hitting Baldwin twice before connecting with rookie Tyler Lockett
for a 27-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter
to put the game away.
Baldwin has 13 touchdown receptions on the season, matching the
franchise record set by Daryl Turner in 1985. Seattle (9-5) clinched
a postseason spot with the win.
Johnny Manziel completed 19 of 32 passes for 161 yards and a
touchdown for the Browns (3-11), who lost for the eighth time in
nine games.
Cardinals 40, Eagles 17
PHILADELPHIA -- Arizona clinched its first NFC West title since 2009
by beating Philadelphia, and the Cardinals (12-2) can wrap up a
first-round bye in the playoffs if they beat the next week at home.
Arizona rookie running back David Johnson ran 29 times for three
touchdowns and a career-high 187 yards, including a 47-yard scoring
run.
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer completed 20 of 32 passes for
274 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Eagles quarterback
Sam Bradford completed 28 of 41 passes for 361 yards with two TD
passes and two interceptions. Philadelphia wide receiver Jordan
Matthews caught eight pases for 159 yards and a touchdown.
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